Part 1 – Palm Springs, California

Research supports that taking a trip with your friends can actually improve your mental health and long-term happiness. We know that maintaining mental soundness is more important, and more challenging, than ever. So ladies, gather your best buds, pack your bags, and get away — for your sanity’s sake.

Research conducted at Michigan State University in 2017 reinforced the importance of maintaining long-term friendships, which I’m blessed to have many! I’ve been friends with these girls for 46 years; and Deb and I span 55 years of friendship! In a pair of studies involving almost 280,000 people, researcher William Chopik found that friendships become an even more important predictor of happiness and health as we get older, even outpacing the importance of relationships with family members. The research concluded that friendships predict both day-to-day happiness and how long we’ll live more than both spousal and family relationships.

Turning 60 is kind of a big deal absolutely worthy of being celebrated all year long! (To see a previous post on my thoughts about turning 60 and why you should do a photoshoot for any aged birthday, CLICK HERE. ) Since all of my dear friends and I turn/ed 60 this year, we’ve been talking about and planning our celebrations, which included two trips this summer to celebrate. This first celebratory trip I took was with my grade school and high school girl friends to Palm Springs, California. Deb, Cindy, Kate and I had a wonderful week of celebrating together! Here are our pictures from senior year in high school 1979. Deb and I have been friends since we were five years old. I met Cindy and Kate in high school as freshman. We’ve had many years of fun, laughter and love together. We’ve been by each other’s sides through the happy times and supported each other in sad times. Mostly we’ve simply had a lot of fun, adventures and a long standing cherished friendships! These girls are like the sisters I never had but wanted…I always love our time together!

These pictures were taken on our trip! This is 60!

LaQuinta Luxury Leasing

We were able to stay at Deb’s family home in LaQuinta. They do rent it out if you’re interested in staying for a vacation – click here! It’s absolutely gorgeous inside and out. The views are breath taking! The house is located on the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Golf Course and views the Santa Rosa Mountains. We went in June and the average temperature was about 117 – 120! Super hot but who cares when you can float in the pool all day! We each had our own bedroom and bathroom. Kate stayed in the Casita. If you follow me on Instagram, I gave a little tour of the whole house in my stories.

Here’s the description from the rental listing:

“Escape to PGA West, a Tuscan-inspired luxury home on the Jack Nicklaus Tournament golf course in La Quinta. This one-of-a-kind home overlooks the 13th Fairway of the Nicklaus Tournament Course, this home exudes luxury and charm. Featuring 4 beds, 4.5 baths plus Casita 4132 Sq Ft. Experience the charm of the back patio with stunning views of the Santa Rosa Mountains framed by palm trees and lush fairways. Experience warmth and style in the great room with elegant leather couches, come and cozy up in front of the plasma TV and fieldstone gas fireplace. Open the great room up to the furnished patio and pool area on balmy evenings. The gourmet kitchen is designed with granite islands that are equipped with high-end appliances and 2 breakfast bars seating eight. Gather in the formal dining area around the custom-crafted mahogany table engirded by deeply cushioned leather upholstered chairs. The Master bedroom has a king bed and the 3 guest bedrooms boast queen size beds.

Explore the Coachella Valley or attend the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Desert Trip, HITS Horse Show, Tennis Events, Polo Games, and Golf Tournaments. Some of the best dinings in the valley are just a short drive away. Old Town La Quinta is also close by. There are many miles of bike and walking trails available if that is an attractive activity for you.”

Daily Activities

We typically started out our day with a walk in the morning. We tried to get out early enough so that we didn’t completely melt. Kate was a great navagator as I am horrible with directions and always get myself turned around. She kept us moving in the right direction and in as much shade as possible. I loved our walks, talks, looking at the neighborhoods, the beautiful landscape and mountain views. It was a perfect way to start our days!

After our long walks and talks, we’d come back to the house grab some breakfast and hop in the pool! Much of our time was spent floating, laughing, more talking, and simply chilling out! It was so nice to slow down and just be present with each other. Such a gift! I was thrilled that we discovered a golden swan and glittery inner tubes in the garage because it made pool floating all the more fun! Of course, it was necessary one day to wear our 60 glasses and tiaras in the pool! I might have packed five swimsuits. I’m sure you’re not surprised! My new favorite is the hot pink deep v lace up suit!

A few mornings, we spent pouring over our senior yearbook, reminiscing and laughing!

Shopping & Sight Seeing

My gal pals were nice enough to go shopping with me. It’s probably more my thing than theirs. Downtown Palm Springs has some great shops! It was hotter than Hades the day we went. Even I felt like I was totally going to melt despite the fact that I love the heat!

If you want to stay in the Palm Springs area, The Gardens on El Paseo and the Shops on El Paseo are two neighboring shopping districts with high-end names like Kate Spades, Escada and Saks Fifth Avenue.

A stroll through downtown Palm Springs is a must for any trip to the desert. The downtown area is a shopping mecca for anyone who loves art, boutique clothing stores and all things modern. Spend a day looking for antique treasures at thrift stores or antique shops, or get the perfect resort outfit for your Palm Springs retreat at one of the designer boutiques on Palm Canyon Drive. Cindy really wanted to hit these stores but it was just too hot and we really didn’t need anything but the looking sure is fun! You’ll also find specialty items like cigars, music boxes, collectable coins and healing stones. Some of Palm Springs best restaurants can be found downtown, which is why it’s a must-visit for anyone visiting Palm Springs.

We also had fun driving around looking at the mid-century architecture. There might have been a lot of singing in the car to tunes from our high school days – think Diana Ross (one of our favorites), The Cars, Doobie Brothers, REO Speedwagon, Aerosmith, etc. It was fun to envision movie stars like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin etc. walking about and living there. I was super excited to see the controversial Marilyn Monroe statue. Apparently, many are offended by the fact that you can see her white panties, which in my opinion cover far more than what you can see at the beach on any given day. The statue was roped off so we had to view her from a distance.

We attempted to drive up to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. Deb has taken the tram before and it made her motion sick, which I can totally relate to so we thought we’d tour and drive on our own. Cindy swears that the Flintstones Cartoon is set in Palm Springs. Our Google search did not confirm this! LOL

Dining

We went out to dinner every night except one night we stayed in and grilled dinner. Our first night we were pretty exhausted from our travels. Cindy and I flew from Chicago to LAX. Deb picked us up and we drove to Palm Springs Airport to pick up Kate. Luckily, Deb had the perfect lunch in mermaid boxes along with a cooler of drinks waiting for Cindy and I in the car, which held us over until dinner! Deb is always so thoughtful!

Heirloom Craft Kitchen

By the time we got into town, we were all tired and starving! We found a restaurant that was still opened and ate at Heirloom Craft Kitchen. Their “casual dining concept features delicious scratch made soups, salads, small plates, sandwiches and signature dishes featuring local and organic produce. The “craft” in our names stands for quality, sustainability and above all else flavor.”

Las Casuelas Nuevas

The next night we opted for a Mexican dinner; and ate at Las Casuelas Nuevas. “Las Casuelas Nuevas is a local culinary institution and a staple of Restaurant Row that has stood the test of time serving great Mexican food in the Coachella Valley for over 40 years.” I wish I would have taken more pictures of the restaurant as it had a very fun vibe both inside and outside!

Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage

We got decked out in our 60th Birthday Finery and headed out to the Agua Caliente Resort Casino! We were totally ready to hit it big on our 60th Birthday Bash! We did hit it big in terms of having FUN! Not so much in the gambling!

This nice guy and his wife offered to take our pictures while at the casino. We didn’t even have to ask him, which I thought was so nice. It was pretty obvious that we were celebrating. When he handed my phone back to me, he told me there might be a surprise picture and here it is…he took his own selfie! We had a good laugh and I loved that he did this…his wife said he does it all the time!

Tommy Bahamas

We went to Tommy Bahamas for a late lunch early dinner on our shopping day! We loved the food and drinks so much that we decided to go back a second time for dinner. The Key Lime Martinis are EXCELLENT! That might have played a key role in us returning! This might have been the trip of the martinis! I think I convinced Kate that martinis are super tasty…Lemon Drop, Key Lime and Chocolate!

I’m not really a foodie and don’t usually take pictures of my meals but this was so good I just had to take a picture!

The night we went back for dinner we shared this birthday cake. They didn’t sing to us but we sang to ourselves! Then we shared this cake!

It was a night of chocolate! Kate and I shared a chocolate martini!

Dinner at Home

When we were in college and would come home for the summers, we’d often go out drinking (don’t tell our parents)! We’d come home after the bars closed and go to Deb’s house for some Miller Meat Pack burgers on the grill! Deb’s dad owned the meat packing company and I’ve never had a better burger ever!!! Deb told the story of how her mom would go to cook burgers for her family of nine and there wouldn’t be any. She’d yell at Mr. Miller to bring home a box to which he’d reply that he just did…ooops we ate them all! LOL

Working the grill was quit a project to which I’m little to no help!

Our drink of choice was Tanqueray and Tonic in our matching Friends classes that Deb got all of us! Tanqueray is also symbolic for us as we often drank G and Ts because it’s what our parents seemed to have on hand. How did they not notice we were drinking up all of their bottles?! We had some exciting games of Mexican Train, which Cindy taught all of us! We didn’t dance on any tables this time but that’s a story for another time!

We dubbed ourselves “The Packettes” in our younger years with Deb being the lead Packette. We often went to the MIller Meat Packing Baseball games to cheer on the guys! Deb still has the visor.

Our Last Day Together

We had to pack up and take Kate back to the airport first. Then Deb, Cindy and I drove up to Malibu. It was a bit sad saying good-bye to Kate. I was excited to go to Malibu and to be able to see Deb’s family that live in the area.

I could sit on Deb’s deck for hours and look at her beautiful view!

The week seemed to go by so quickly! We had an absolute blast together getting caught up with each other, reminiscing, laughing, eating, drinking and simply relaxing! A girl’s vacation is good for the soul! I highly recommend you consider enjoy a special birthday or any birthday with your gal pals on a get away!

Hope you come back next week for Part 2 of Why You Should Take a Girl’s Birthday Vacation! I’ll be sharing my college girlfriend’s 60th birthday vacation! Yes! I got to have not one but two gal pal trips!

Been There! Done That! Got the T-Shirt!

Had to have the souvenir t-shirt! The colors, the design, the martini glasses definitely cinched it for me! The vibe is mid-century exactly like much of the Palm Springs architecture. My trip might be over but I’ve got my memories and my t-shirt! Do you like to get a tee from your vacation?

Let’s Chat

Have I convinced you that you should celebrate your birthday by taking a girl’s vacation? Have you gone on a girl’s get away? If so, where did you go and what was the best part? Leave us a comment! We love to hear from you!

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