I spent last weekend in St. Louis at my friend Suzanne’s house. We created our own retreat to work on some issues we’re currently facing. With all the self-help books on the market, Suz and I decided we could create our own “self-help” weekend better than any book could. And we did.
The theme of the weekend was getting out of our comfort zone. We ate at places we’ve never been (or at least hadn’t tried in quite some time), ate food we’d never had or thought we wouldn’t like, and tried on things we’d not normally wear. The outcome was great. Friday afternoon we went to Dahlal Internationale to look at belly dancing accessories and I got a fabulous new hip scarf in hot pink, which is a color I would not normally wear. I had smoked trout Friday night, something I would never order because I had so much trout as a kid (dad was a fisherman). Saturday we went to belly dance class where I learned some new moves (that I’ll never remember) then we went to Trader Joe’s for gourmet snacks. All in all, a great weekend adventure.
Although it sounds like all we did was shop (something we’re very good at) we did spend lots of time discussing issues in our lives, figuring out where we’re going professionally and personally, and giving each other feedback. At one point I thought, “everyone should have a friendship like this.” Seriously, I feel sorry for people who don’t have at least one really great person in their life who knows them better than they know themselves. Thanks, Suzanne, for being one of mine!
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang 
I was glad for a “geek weekend” here at home. I played hours and hours of Halo and helped Matt smoke brisket! Good times…