Dusting off the shelves.

Hello ... hello ...

Echo ... echo ...

Hey, all. What's happening?

I've got to dust off the shelves in here and touch base with my peeps. I've been mia and mostly "official" when posting.

I took an incredible vacation with some friends last week. Friends from college. The ones I talk about in my 40 WHILE I'm 40 list of to-do-s.

It was on my list and I DID IT.

I went away for the annual Girls' Getaway. This was year #9. I've made it to three. That's not a good ratio of weekends away, is it? I made it to the first one. And then the last one I had been to was four years ago.

I hadn't seen some of the people I love the most in this world for FOUR YEARS. What the what? That's like an entire presidency.

This was the view on Friday. Beach view. Umbrellas and beautiful water.

We rented umbrellas and chairs, too. It reminded me that I'm no spring chicken anymore. I prefer a nice lounge to laying on a towel in the sand. My friend went off to pick up towels for us, too. It's worth it to spend an extra $20 and NOT stick to the chairs, right? Sometimes you just have to stop counting your pennies.

And then the next day we did the rooftop pool. Ahh. Heaven. Here's me. Chillin'. Catchin' some rays. Enjoying the quiet. Breathing the ocean air.

I've been to Atlantic City before. I've dipped my toes into that water. But it had been a while. Coming back, post-Sandy, it felt nice. Nice to support New Jersey. Nice to leave a little bit of my money behind. *I'm no big gambler, but I tossed a few bucks into the slots. How can you go to AC and NOT? *Remember, penny counting? Not an option. I did it, but I tried not to. Being a grown-up has its advantages. And disadvantages.

We walked the Boardwalk. Bought some salt-water taffy. Ate some. Walked a few miles before breakfast one morning. Who WERE those people? Not the people from 20-something years ago, fo' sho'. We broke a sweat and enjoyed it.

We ate vegetable omelettes and french toast. Turkey bacon and iced coffee. We were grown-ups. Moms and not. We swam in our tankinis, one-pieces and bikinis. With SPFs of 15, 30, 40, 50 and 100. Yes. 100. We wore floppy hats, baseball caps and hid under umbrellas.

We danced like we were teenagers again. Each one of us in our early 40s.

We listened, laughed and reminisced to music of the 70s, 80s (all before we knew one another) and flashed back into the 90s - picturing those many nights on the dance floor.

We laughed, remembered, cried and let it all out.

We spent our days and nights with those who knew us best.

Eventually it had to end. We did have to say goodbye. But it didn't matter. It didn't hurt. We knew.

We KNOW.

We'll find our way back to one another again in a year or so. Or for some it might take longer, but that won't matter. Because we know.

We know that no matter how many days, weeks, months, years it takes we will reconnect and maintain the connection we've always had.

Having friends like these. Friends who never judge. Never make you feel insecure. Never make you feel anything but loved? These friends? All you need. For all your days.

So we said goodbye to Atlantic City. But we said hello to new memories. And a reminder of a whole lot of love.

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