Ever feel like you're caught somewhere in time, between washing the dishes and doing laundry? Or that you are a robot who has been programmed to follow the same boring hectic schedule day-in and day-out? 
Often I feel that my life is a daily repeat of itself, keeping up with the kids, feeding the dogs, buying groceries, and preparing meals! Those who were once a big part of my life, my old friends, parents, and especially my siblings are often neglected. I'm just "too busy". But in the 28 years that I've been a mom or married, the one thing that I have missed more than anything else is my interaction with other females.
Apparently, I am not the only female who feels this way. Several years ago one of my sisters came up with the idea of having a "sisters' weekend out". There are five of us girls living, and we all jumped at the opportunity to spend a weekend 
away from our hectic, hum-drum lives and do some "girl things". It wasn't long though before the sister-in-laws were invited, then the married daughters and daughter-in-laws, and even Aunt Gladys. We've had a blast on those special weekends, shopping, playing games, visiting, shopping some more, sitting up all night giggling like teenagers once again, and fishing.... Yes, I said fishing!
We call this our "quiet time". For the few who don't fish, they find a good book to read, work a puzzle, or just take a nap, while the rest of us ladies, head to the river or the closest body of water to get our hooks wet. Now I cannot brag and tell you that we've ever caught our limit of fish, but this time spent at the river with my female 
companions is priceless! To watch these ladies in action, squealing at the slightest tug on their lines, and sucking hook-stuck bleeding fingertips is just too much!!
Cheryl is my oldest sister and I have to tell you that the first time I watched Cheryl catch a fish, I was a little scared. Honestly, I didn't see it... I heard it!! She was screaming bloody-murder and I was sure that she had encountered a bear along the river's bank somewhere. From all the noise she was making, I could visualize the bear tearing her limb-from-limb or eating her alive, but I was very relieved and surprised when I discovered that she had only caught a fish! I’ll admit it was a NICE fish, but you would have thought it was a new state record! I shared this little story with you to explain that our "quiet time" is seldom very quiet!
This year I was given the responsibility of locating a place to have our girls' weekend out and so I quickly decided that we would meet here in Hardy, AR where we could take advantage of the great fishing right here in my hometown. I located us a beautiful log cabin sitting right on the edge of the river and impatiently waited for the weekend to arrive.
On Friday afternoon, the ladies started arriving and by 5:00 PM, several of us could hear the river beckoning us to its banks. Cheryl, Melinda, Judy and 
I grabbed our poles and our bucket of worms and took off looking for that perfect spot where the fish would be biting. The river seemed to be full of perch and we could see them swimming around the logs and fallen trees in the crystal clear water. We were not going to be choosy. We just wanted to catch fish!
Judy climbed a fallen tree to fish from and when we informed her that we were moving down the river, she replied, "I don't think I can get out of this tree!" Unmoved by her entrapped state, we abandoned her and left her dangling in the tree and took off for a sweeter honeyhole.
After finding that perfect "spot", Cheryl was so excited about the opportunity to fish, that she immediately cast her hook into the river without any bait on it and the giggling began. I was lucky enough to catch 
the first little bluegill and stopped fishing long enough to get that trophy photo made and resumed casting my big fat Canadian night crawler close to the bank where the blue gill were stacked.
Over the next hour or so, Melinda, Cheryl and I caught several fish and were pleased with our stringer of perch. Feeling a little guilty for leaving Judy stranded in the tree, we decided that we'd better check on her and brag just a little about our catch of the day. We were surprised to find though that Judy had not only climbed out of her tree successfully, but had already caught eleven perch by herself! 
After dinner, the entertainment began! Our private dance instructor arrived on time and we were all given dance lessons in the Waltz, Rumba, and the East Coast Swing. Now I have to tell you... that was a blast! In addition, the dance instructor was the best! He never complained when we stepped on his toes or the fact that he got stuck dancing all night with all
TWELVE of us!!
This was just the first night of a very special weekend. The rest of the weekend was just as enjoyable. We took time to share with each other what was going on in each of our lives, discussed the desires of our heart, shared photos of our children and grandchildren, sang songs, and even shed a few tears.
Now this is not your typical fishing story and was not even meant to be. Instead, it's a story about women spending time with other women, taking time to "take a breather" from life, jobs, and responsibilities and to just stop and enjoy life. Every year I look forward to spending this special weekend with these ladies whom I love very much and seldom get to spend any quality time with. This year there were twelve ladies who attended this special event, but the story does not stop here! This weekend we made warm memories of time together... memories of fishing, dancing, laughing, shopping, and sharing. Happy memories that will become treasures in our heart, filed away and cherished… to one day pull out and enjoy again.
Memories ...they ARE the story of your life.
