Allison, Sarah and I - Jordan Vineyard, Sonoma Valley, Memorial Day 2009

I never had much of a singing voice (actually I never had ANY of a singing voice) but those lyrics sung over-and-over again in a round stuck with me. But I am not sure that I understood what they meant until now. I never understood how important it is to value both old and new friends, because each are precious treasures.

But something about my trip last week to California made me understand the truth in those words. Something about hanging out with friends from different stages of my life – childhood in Dallas, college in Colorado, post-graduate life in Alabama, and my current world in Tennessee – gave the lyrics a whole new meaning.

The collision of these women, each from a special phase of my life, enabled me to fully embrace who I am, where I have come from, and where I want to go. I am so grateful for these and all the “real” friendships in my life. I treasure each one for its uniqueness. And as much as I loved the sunny weather, the beautiful vineyards, the decadent meals, and the needless shopping, spending time with “my girls” was the best part of my trip.

Have you reconnected with any old friends lately? Are you invested in making new friends? What have these relationships taught you about yourself?

My traveling companion is a good friend, Sarah, who I have gotten close to since I moved to Nashville. This summer Sarah is moving to Chicago – she got a fancy job to match her fancy degree from Owen — so this time with her will be exceptionally special. We will be joining forces with one of my best friends from Birmingham, Allison, who moved to San Francisco last year. I miss “Ali” so much and secretly pray that we will get her back to the South soon. Maybe I can convince her of this after a glass of wine or two? (Of course I am kidding, I would never do that )

Looks like the weather is going to be perfect. And by perfect I mean, high of 65, low of 55 and sunny. EVERYDAY we are there.

I was born a planner (hopefully this is not going to be a problem for my traveling companions) so we have a rough schedule working. There are a few things we have not ironed out. (Like when I will get to properly congratulate one of my childhood friends, Meredith, and her new fiancée.) But here is what we’ve got on the agenda so far:

Just a warning: I get really excited about restaurants, and we are going to one of the epicurean capitals of the World, so we’ll be carefully planning each meal.

Saturday - Arrive in San Francisco. Eat luch someplace fabulous (TBD). Take leisurely drive to Napa and enjoy some wineries. Dinner at Mustard’s. Spend the night in Napa.

Sunday – More wineries. More leisure. Lunch at Jordan. Maybe some shopping? Dinner someplace wonderful (TBD). Spend the night in Napa.

Monday – Wake up and head back to San Francisco. Sightsee. Eat. Shop. Dinner at Beetlenut with one of my best friends from college, Laura, who I have not seen since 1999 LITERALLY.

Tuesday – More of what we did on Monday. Dinner at Bar Tartine.

Wednesday – Catch a flight back to beautiful, and hopefully dry Tennessee.

Now do you get my uncontainable excitement? What fun trips do you have planned? What San Francisco must-sees are missing from our itinerary?