Fifteen years ago, my mother, four sisters and I treated ourselves to a getaway and began an adventure we now call our "Sisters Weekend."  To others it might not have seemed like much. We spent three days crowded in small hotel room--2 queen beds, two roll-aways and one bathroom. The quarters were cramped and it rained most of the time but we felt and acted like queens: no meals to prepare, no children to care for, no bosses to answer to, no time schedules or deadlines. No "have-to-dos" of any kind!

In this "queendom" for a weekend we laughed ourselves silly, talked until the wee hours of the morning, sang old songs, played tricks on each other and generally acted like little girls again. This was a new discovery for us and after our weekend escape from  reality was over, we immediately made plans for the following year. We haven't missed a getaway since!

Over the years we have increased in numbers and accommodations. We now have a tradition that includes all our adult daughters, expanding our circle to thirteen. And our "queendom" usually occupies a cottage, condo or home. We range in age from nineteen to eighty three and with all that cumulative estrogen in one place we never lack for an interesting few days.

Our getaway is a time for all of us to unwind, de-stress, reconnect and be filled up. Sisters Weekend allows us to explore varied fun and stimulating activities that help us learn more about each other as we share our history, our hopes and our dreams.

Creating theme dinners is one of our favorite leisurely diversions. We have fond memories of "When We Were Kids," a meal celebrating our childhood- complete with pictures and special comfort food. We also create Travel Dinners that allow us to sample exotic cuisines while learning a little more about a recent adventure. Our activities range from the silly to the sublime.

On one of our weekends we designed an infomercial contest to stretch our creativity. The only rules were that we could use only what we had on hand and the subject had to be about women. We assigned teams, created and videoed the infomercials, and that evening viewed each one--doubled over in laughter! We learned something special from that fun and crazy activity- we have a few latent actresses in the family!

Our annual weekends always do include generous doses of laughter, silliness and hilarity. It's how we must begin our getaways. But truthfully, one of the best things we do is just sit! We need to slow down, put aside activities and drink in the beauty of our surroundings. It is very important for us to spend our time being refreshed by nature's bounty--the smells and the sounds of the outdoors.

Early on in our girlfriend adventuring we realized that our weekends were not as fulfilling to us if we weren't near water- lake water specifically. We discovered this one year when we rented a house on a lovely hill that had no water within sight, just lots of lush, open field. It was a private and beautiful setting but being there didn't satisfy us. We vowed then and there that one of our criteria (besides more than one bathroom!) is to be near sparkling water. We long for a view of the ever changing reflection of light and color, the sounds of the lapping or crashing waves on the shore, the smells of campfires on the beach, the sunrises and sunsets, and the beauty of those spectacular golden moon rises! The "Sky Blue Water," and all that it offers, seems to flow through our veins. We want it, we need it and we must go to it--for fun, refreshment and our very own brand of adventure.  

Like the first time we rented a pontoon boat on Gull Lake for a few hours of fun and sun. We all happily piled on board for adventures unknown, unaware that it's not a particularly good thing to pack a large group of people on the front deck of a cruising pontoon. No matter how stable, it eventually will begin to take a nosedive. Luckily, our vigilant "captain" was on guard that day. She saw the potential disaster coming and evacuated some of her clueless shipmates to the aft just in time!  We learned another important thing that day too: always take a ladder along when pontooning. The temptation to leap into the cool, sparkling water on a hot summer afternoon and then not have any way to get back on board except to be hauled up like the floundering catch of the day is not something we recommend.

Despite our first attempt, over the years we have enjoyed many enjoyable and relaxing hours on Gull Lake. From beaching at the ever popular sandbar or cruising through the channels, to just floating on the waves, these times have been soothing to our souls.

During the last fifteen years my "sisters" and I have had enjoyable adventures on other lakes as well. We've spent some memorable times on the shores of the big lake herself--Superior. We could call her Mother Superior because she has taught us many cherished lessons about the power and unpredictability of her beautiful North Shore.  

One year we stayed at the Blue Fin with a fabulous view of Superior's rocky shore. On our first day we decided that a picnic lunch on the big, flat "table" rocks outside our window would be fun so we packed gourmet sandwiches, desserts and beverages to tote to the nearby deserted spot.

Thinking the other resort guests were rather foolish to miss such a great opportunity to experience this Superior delight we smugly paraded toward our chosen picnic site. Noticing upon arrival, that the rocks had recently been the resting spot of a large flock of lake gulls, we were happy that we had cleverly thought to bring extra blankets to spread on the ground. One by one we unpacked our carefully prepared goodies for all of us to enjoy. And I mean all. Because suddenly we were joined by hoards of black flies! It was then that we realized there is a particular law of nature we hadn't taken into consideration: when you combine a flock of birds (who have obviously just had their lunch), a warm day and a picnic, you get millions of flies--that are lunching right along with you!

We quickly grabbed everything we could salvage and headed back to our refuge to settle for a beautiful inside view of the rocks and water beyond, while sheepishly admitting that maybe our fellow guests knew a thing or two more than we did. Lesson learned: if you think other people are foolish and wonder why they aren't taking advantage of paradise, look again--there just might be trouble in paradise!

The rest of days there were spent exploring the other beautiful coves and shoreline that only the big lake can provide. The sounds of the big crashing waves lulled us to sleep at night, only to awaken in the early morning by the brightest, piercing sunrises we have ever seen. Our times at Superior have always been spectacular.

Another time we discovered that it is possible to have a great getaway in familiar territory. One of the very best experiences we have had took place at our mother's home on Bass Lake near Annandale. Our father had been ill, was bedridden, and Mom did not want to leave him so we decided to bring Sisters Weekend to her. Fortunately, her place had everything we required in a getaway place: enough bedrooms, bathrooms and--the water!

Mom brought in some help for Dad so that she could spend quality time with the rest of us and we stayed "home" that year for a special time of fun and frivolity. Our days were spent on the water enjoying sunning and skiing, picnics, lazy conversations and all the delights of the beautiful, pristine waters--we think we even got a glimpse of the "Bassness Monster!"  We picked up the pace in the evenings with sunset beach activities like our Minnesota Loony Luau where we sang and danced the hula in colorful handmade crepe paper skirts, almost oblivious to curious boaters cruising by.

That getaway proved to us that you don't always need to go away to find excitement and refreshment.  Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, sometimes you can find adventure in your own backyard!

As I write this, our most recent Sisters Weekend is just a memory. The time this summer on Gull Lake again afforded us adventure and sweet times. From the moment we stepped out of the car and smelled the lake aromas we began to unwind. And we were delighted each day to be graced with the presence of a magnificent Bald Eagle. How awesome it was to watch that beautiful creature as he flew in to scout the lake from a perch in our tall pines! This year the sunsets were particularly beautiful. The colors were bright, varied and glorious. We were in heaven as we sat on the big deck to take it all in.

And once again we enjoyed the activities that both de-stress and stretch us. We played tricks on each other like children do--teasing each other with fake spiders and other creepy, crawly things. We also created a special theme dinner called "Investing in Each Other," during which we discussed the value of personally encouraging and challenging each other, and also explored the options of financial investing for women.

Now the trees outside my window are beginning to show their autumn glory, the northwest winds are blowing and the waves on the shore of the lake I live on are buffeting the rocks on the shore. Soon the sky blue waters will be frozen and my "sisters" and I will be months away from another summer sun and lake filled adventure.

But over the next few months we will create times of fun and de-stressing that will keep us going all winter long. We call these Girlfriend Getaway Moments. One of our favorites is a crazy "girls having fun," tongue in cheek salute to glamour that we call Hoity Toity Night during which we transform ourselves into fashion divas in black dresses, long gloves and Grandma's elegant jewelry while we entertain each other with singing, dancing and the best treats we can afford!

Or if we need to "get away from it all" but want to stay in the comfort of a cozy home we might throw a few logs on the fire and have an impromptu Spa Night with steaming facials and soothing manicures accompanied by invigorating tea or fruity smoothies and of course, chocolate!

And in the meantime, of course, we will be planning and counting down the days until we give ourselves one of the best gifts we receive all year-our own Girlfriends' Getaway: our time of fun, laughter and refreshment on the waters that will strengthen and fill us up one more time.

But we don't want to keep this treat to ourselves. We know we aren't the only women who need and want to experience a Girlfriends' Getaway. If you are a woman longing for a little respite and you would like to spend a special time with the women you enjoy, this year give yourself the gift of a Girlfriends' Getaway. After the holidays, start planning for your own time that will refresh and strengthen you. And if you're a man searching for a special gift, look no further! Give her the help, time and means for her own special getaway adventure. It's a gift that will come back to you in full!

By Kathleen Laing