up a lazy river, how happy we could be.

it happened again.
4th year.
friendymoon.
(if you want to catch up, here's 1, 2, &3)

what a lucky gal i am to have a best friend like melinda.
we met in 6th grade & we stuck like glue.
we have the same horsey smile.
& a love for squeeze cheese.
she learned all her jokes from me.
really. ask anyone.

this year, she took me (well, us this time) to palm desert.
[we decided to cart the girls along. she always wants a&e to come. & i say no. but this time i said yes.
if i could bring my mom. best idea ever.]

God heard my mom's prayers for cooler weather, too.
ha. it was only 102. thanks, God.

we were wined & dined & spoiled rotten as we went round & round the lazy river.
(also known as las palmas resort)
[AND i got to see my mother in a bathing suit for the first time in 20 years. it was pretty awesome.]

oh! & nobody got sunburned. double awesome.

we romped around that place like we owned the joint.
& we di-n't even care who saw us jiggle in our suits.
(melinda doesn't have much left to jiggle. dang her).

'cause when you're on vacation, & you don't know a darn soul, you get to walk around in your bathing suit with no shame. & you get to squeeze your big butt in that small tube & float on down the river. word? word.

in short, we did this:

& my cell phone says we also did some of this:

it was a happy one, that 4th friendymoon.
glorious, relaxing, & happy.

the kind where your mouth hurts afterwards from smiling+laughing so much.
that's good.

that mel. she's a keeper.
she really, really is.

hey mel! i found this song by louis! it's totally our theme song for friendymoon 4!

[up a lazy river by the old mill stream,
that lazy, hazy river where we both can dream.
linger in the shade of an old oak tree,
throw away your troubles, dream a dream with me.]
louis armstrong- lazy river