Girls Weekend 2014 is going down in the books!
This was our 4th annual trip. Each year, the lineup of girls changes just a bit but the shenanigans remain constant. This time, it was myself, my mom, Meghan (BF from high school), Jenny (BF from college), Amber (Paul’s girlfriend and a good friend), and Robin (my mother-in-law).
My mom and dad offer their home in Boyne City, MI on Lake Charlevoix for us to set up camp!
We divvy up food and drink responsibility and all pitch in so the cost isn’t all on one person. There is always veggies and dip, hummus and Stacy’s pita chips, fruit, egg casserole, and lunch sandwiches!
Daily walks are a girls weekend requirement!
My favorite coffee in Boyne is from Local Flavor, a local coffee shop/book store. I always look forward to going there when I am in town! We always stop in on the way home from our walk.
Typically, we go out to eat one night. We tried a new restaurant in Walloon called Barrel Back. It is my new favorite Up North restaurant! The atmosphere is awesome–you can look right out at the lake while you eat or have a cocktail and the food is AMAZING!
We split the Bruschetta for an appetizer. They spread a Boursin garlic cheese on crispy bread, layer tomatoes and onions, and top it all with a balsamic glaze. I want to try to recreate this at home!
I am a splitter–I love to split a salad and a main entree with somebody else! It always ends up being the perfect amount of food–just enough to fill you up but not enough that you feel stuffed! Amber is a girl after my own heart and we split a Grilled Romaine Salad and a Greek Pizza.
The Grilled Romaine salad was topped with tomato, egg, bacon, blue cheese, and served with a horseradish vinaigrette! The blue cheese was so creamy and the combination of all the ingredients was awesome!
The Greek Pizza had smoked chicken, garlic, artichoke, tomato, spinach, olives, pesto, and feta! It was sooo good! The crust was super crispy on the bottom and soft on the top! All of the toppings were so fresh and the smoked chicken had a great flavor! I ate every single bite of my half!
After dinner, we split the S’mores dessert! I am so glad we all split this because I wouldn’t have been able to stop! It was THE BOMB! There was a brownie layered with toasted marshmallows served with a toffee covered graham cracker and cinnamon ice cream! My lips are drooling just thinking about it!
On Saturday, we had a boat day! My brother Nick was our captain! He gets props for putting up with all of us crazy girls!
We spent the whole day cruising around Lake Charlevoix and posting up at the Whiting’s State Park sandbar with the Anzel’s (good family friends) and my Uncle Steve and his family. We had the perfect boat lunch–sandwiches, veggies, hummus, and pretzels! Coolers of ice cold beer prevented us from overheating!
That night, we had a taco bar! A taco bar is a no hassle way to feed a crowd. We set the crock pot before we left for the day and when we returned home the chicken was all ready to go for us! To make the chicken, you put 3 lbs. of chicken, 4 cups salsa, and 2 seasoning packets in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours! After 6-8 hours, you take out the chicken breast, shred it, and put it back in the crock pot on warm for 30 minutes!
On Saturday night, we sat by the campfire, played dice games, and laughed until our stomaches hurt!
Girls Weekend 2014 was one of the highlights of my year so far! It isn’t easy for me to slow down and relax but I was really able to this weekend. I just love the women in my life and treasure every moment! Being on the boat on Lake Charlevoix with my closest friends is literally my “happy place”!
It is so important to schedule time away from daily life and reconnect with the people that make life worthwhile!
