Girls Trips (and nights!) matter.

 I'm home, sweet home from a fun little girls' trip to Tulsa this weekend! 

Once a year my twin sister and best friend from college go to Tulsa for a bit of shopping and eating.

From these pictures it looks like all we did was eat, but I promise there were other things mixed in too!  But my oh my, how fun it is to eat without needing to help anyone else.  A treat indeed!  One night we went to Chuy's for Mexican food.  I thought the salsa was amazing and the rest of the food was pretty good too. Creatively speaking, Chuy's was awesome!  So much color and creativity! I felt right at home.

 We also ate at Cheesecake Factory and had the most delicious fried avocado, mushrooms, and zucchini.  Seriously, is there anything that's not good fried?! I am proud to say I didn't eat a single bite of this cheesecake and stayed sugar free all weekend! Whoohooo! 

Shopping made me a bit drowsy but my soy iced latte was the perfect pick-me-up! 

 See what I mean about the Chuy's decor? Inspiration overload.  

 I love being a mama.  I love it with everything in my being!  I also enjoy getting to have time with other grown-ups and just be Sara, plain Sara for a while...it is refreshing to talk and eat and thrift.  

I place a lot of value on Girls' trips or nights if a whole trip isn't possible.  I think happy gals make happier mamas.   I truly believe we owe it to ourselves, our kids, and our husbands to give ourselves a break!  A lot of times I find myself WAY overwhelmed and too tired and it's simply because I haven't chosen to take a break or a nap like I should. A little bit of relaxing goes a long way!

 These gals have been my friends for the longest time....my twin (on the right) for life obviously!  They've seen me grow and change...silence is ok around them although there rarely is any.  They don't find my creativity weird or silly...I'm myself around them! 

 A blessing in disguise was that my phone ran out of battery halfway through the day Saturday.  I say a blessing because I was then able to concentrate fully on my gal pals and shopping with no phone to connect too!  I thought this journal perfectly described my brain...

always so many ideas.

 I had a small(ish) budget for the trip......well under $100 for shopping.

With a little time and patience, these are the fun finds I bought!! 

(also a huge stack of books for the girls)

 Clearly, I've never met a patterned shirt I didn't like. :) 

These little skinny jeans are going to be fun to wear!  They have a tiny leather strip on the side which is not something I'd normally pick out but I really love them.  

We heard the song "Girls just wanna have fun" on our trip and sang and bobbed along.  It's so true, isn't it?  We need fun friends!  Maybe you're feeling lonely because you don't have friends you've known for years.  I am lucky enough to have some, but I also deeply appreciate and love time with my new friends in life also!  Some I've only known a few months and have such fun with them! 

I encourage you to plan a night to have fun with your friends!  Be brave and invite someone new maybe you met at the library, playgroup, or church.  I'm guessing the people around you need a fun night just as much as you do!  We're not so different from the people around us after all. 

If you're looking for a fun night to attend by yourself or with some friends, there are still spots available for the first ever Rosy Retreat!  This is a one-evening craft retreat held on my farm, in our farm cabin.  We live 15-20 minutes away from both Fayetteville and Springdale.  

We'll be using our phones or cameras for a fun photography activity, eating delicious appetizers, making 2 or 3 crafts, and relaxing on the back porch! 

You'll also leave with some handmade goodies from me!

Sign-up is easy: Simply email me (sunshinebysara@hotmail.com) asking to sign up and I'll send you an invoice through Paypal so you can pay and reserve your spot! 

Go for it girls-I'd love to have fun with you! 

(p.s.-If you have a nursing baby, feel free to bring them!)