Hopkinton Moms Take Weekend Away Together

So you've had enouth of winter with muddy boots, salt-encrusted sidewalks and gray skies.

A great way to escape the drudgery of winter and take a break from the demands of motherhood is to schedule a ladies trip away for the weekend. It  is an opportunity to recharge the batteries, reconnect with friends and energize the soul.

We can all agree that kids activities over a weekend can be overwhelming. We chose a weekend where our husbands were able to take the reins and allow us to have some fun.

After orchestrating our departure, we set off for our weekend adventure.

 Armed with smiles, magazines, Blackberries and our golf bags, four winter-weary, hard-working moms stepped off  the plane onto the sun-drenched streets of Naples, FL.

We looked forward to a weekend filled with 27 holes of golf, floating in the pool, and dipping our pedicured toes in the warm Gulf waters of the Atlantic.

There are many beautiful, challenging, golf courses to choose from in Naples. 

We were fortunate enough to play Foxfire Country Club which afforded three different courses to choose from. We were a little rusty at first after not swinging a club for  six months.

But just like riding a bike, we were able to remember how our clubs worked.

What we didn't count on during our day on the links was running into a very intense foursome of ladies who were hot on our tails throughout our round. (We discovered later that these ladies were the club champions.) 

 Working our way onto the undulating greens, we peered back at them, only to encounter their steely glares burning holes in the back of our golf shirts.

 The Alpha woman of that group, (we all know who she is) feverishly drove her cart to meet us on one of the greens. She asked us if we needed any help with navigating the course. We politely declined and picked up the pace, diving into our carts and charging to the next tee box.

The course was filled with beautiful birds, turtles and colorful flowers which we enjoyed while fishing our golf balls out of hazards. We had many good and not-so-good shots, but mainly enjoyed spending the day laughing and talking.

After our encounter with the Alpha woman, we enjoyed downtown Naples. The area is peppered with upscale, ice-cream-colored shops and gourmet restaurants.

Downtown Naples comes alive at night. Bands play in the courtyards. People of all ages walk around the streets enjoying the Caribbean-like weather.

It felt wonderful but strange, not having to prepare dinners for our families. Frequent phone calls to our loved ones assured us that they were just fine.

One of the real joys of Naples is the powdery-white beaches where graceful dolphins swim close to the shore.

We didn't swim too far out, as we were not sure if sharks lurked near the dolphins.  We wondered, Are the dolphins looking for fish, or are they trying to outswim a hammerhead? 

It was a topic for debate during dinner.

As we started to prepare for our return back to the not-so-summer- like weather in Boston, we reflected on how much fun we had together, spending time focusing on ourselves.

If you get the chance, pack up your golf bag, surf-board, hiking boots or fishing poles and plan a your own ladies weekend away!

It's a good thing!

If you go: There are many condos and homes for rent at the Foxfire Golfing community. They are nice and most have pools. These are privately owned. Many people advertise on the VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) site.

P.S. Our houses were still standing and our children were still breathing upon our return.