Happy Monday! I’m starting the week with Holly and all of you! I hope you’ll link up with us for Hello Monday!

If you asked me ten days ago what I was going to do this weekend, I would have given you a completely different answer than I will today. Ten days, I was planning to go to our county’s inaugural book festival and hang at our house the rest of the weekend. Instead, I hit the road to meet up with one of my college roommates for a fantastic weekend! The book festival looked amazing and I am so proud of our library and independent bookstores, but I am so glad I changed my plans.

My friend Cassidy and I met the day we moved into our college dorm in August 1998. She lived two doors down and we have been friends ever since. We shared a room our sophomore year and were apartment roommates that had our own bedrooms but shared a bathroom for our junior and senior years. We have had more fun than I care to share here on the internet😉 and we are not slowing down.

So, when Cassidy and I were texting ten days ago and she asked if I wanted to go to the Homestead resort with her I said YES! Cassidy is a fantastic dentist and had a work convention at the Homestead. Her husband had something come up and couldn’t go and I was happy to step in. I was so excited to see Cassidy and meet all of her friends. I’ve heard stories about them since she started dental school with them decades ago.

I headed out of town around lunchtime on Friday and drove about 4 hours. It was an easy drive and I made it in time to have a few hours poolside. The pool and hot tub were AMAZING! There is a lazy river and water slides, but they were closed because there weren’t enough lifeguards in town. That was a bit of a bummer, but we still had a great time. We went to dinner with one of her good friends and then headed to the bar to hang out with the rest of the gang. We hung out until the bar closed at midnight.

Cassidy had to get up for a class, but I slept right through her waking up. It was glorious! I read and relaxed in bed for a while because the forecast did not look good. The apps were saying heavy fog or rain all day. After a while, I got up and headed out on a long walk to explore the grounds and the town of Hot Springs. I ended up in the fitness center and saw some new friends from the night before. Then I decided to cool off reading on the front porch. It was so lovely with white rocking chairs and a lovely view of the mountains. The weather apps were VERY WRONG and the sun started shining. I headed to the pool a little before noon and didn’t move until after 5 pm. It was absolutely perfect! Of course we made a few friends poolside. Some were there on a girl’s trip, some were there for the wedding, and one lived about 20 minutes from me! Small world.

There was a 70s disco that night, but we weren’t sure if we were going. We headed to the room and showered just in case we decided to go. They resort had the loveliest robes and we took advantage of them. Thinking about the weekend, the absolute best part was talking. We can talk on the phone or text as much as we want, but sitting there with a friend lends itself to better conversations and more laughs.

After a few texts from her friends, we decided to head to the disco. I am so glad we did!! The food was so delicious and the company was great. Let me tell you, the dentists can dance!! The DJ started and the dance floor was packed. And it stayed packed for hours!! We closed down the bar again Saturday night and then stayed up a bit to watch the JMU football game.

Sunday morning was another great start to the day. I slept until after 8 again. Cass ran down to get breakfast for us and told me to stay in the room. She said that I don’t get many mornings to relax and she can whenever she wants. Do you see what I mean?? What a great friend!! It was chilly and threatening rain so we took our time. At checkout time, we took our bags to the front desk and headed to the indoor pool. It is one of the first indoor pools built in the country and so cool! After a swim, we cleaned up and I hit the road.

This was my first time at the Homestead and I hope it won’t be my last. I loved that there were so many old photographs throughout the resort and every picture had a caption plaque. The actual building was so beautiful! The grounds were stunning! The amenities were top notch! But the absolute best part was the company. I am so glad that the JMU residence life office decided that Cassidy and I would live on the same floor our freshman year. We were only 17 when we met and our friendship has been going strong for over a quarter of a century. Thanks for a great weekend Cassidy!!

If you blogged today, be sure to link up with us below! Holly and I are excited to read what you’ve been up to. I am excited about our week and looking forward to some more fun! Have a great day full of sunshine and books!