City Sleepover

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004)

Kansas City, Missouri The giggling begins afresh as two of my longtime friends, Patty Ankrum and Alice Hampton, argue good-naturedly about the pointer on the Ouija board. "You're moving it!" Patty shrieks.

Anyone who's ever tried to predict the future at a junior-high pajama party knows that directing the pointer is a no-no. "I'm not!" Alice insists.

Here we are, four middle-aged women wearing pajamas, hunched over this purported purveyor of the future, asking goofy questions: Will Patty win the lottery? Will our friend Dixie Collins get a two-carat diamond from Steve?

As just one of the many small, silly, yet treasured experiences of the day, it is the perfect cap to our girlfriend getaway at the elegant Raphael Hotel in Kansas City.

The hotel has everything we need: an Old World feel and a location next to Country Club Plaza with its 1920s Spanish-style architecture, spas, restaurants and other entertainment. And -- this is important -- good shopping. Our package came with valet parking, Continental breakfast, fixings for a pajama party and more.

We couldn't remember how long it had been since we'd all been together. Maybe nine years?

So it's doubly luxurious for us to reconnect while hanging out in a posh hotel room, filling up on pizza, wine and chocolates. We paint our toenails fire-engine red. And we laugh. A lot.

Other women also have discovered the Raphael. Cynthia Savage, general manager, designed our package two years ago after enjoying her own 40th birthday trip with four girlfriends.

At least two groups of women book this hotel package every weekend. "Many say they're going to make it an annual event," she says.

"Especially after you get married and have children, it's so important to maintain those relationships that you've had for years," Cynthia says. "It's such a treat to catch up with your lives, to hear that their problems are the same as yours."

That very thing happens to us. The years slip away as we talk. There's plenty to cover: politics, jobs, families and ever-fascinating gossip about friends and foes.

Shopping becomes another bonding experience. We try on hats at Carolee, an accessories boutique. At another store, surprise!

I bring armloads of clothing to Patty, who said before we left that she didn't want to shop.

It's a good thing the stores close at 7 p.m. All of us -- except Patty, our newly minted shopaholic -- are ready to drop. We revive for our pizza party and decide to sleep in the next day.

Our contemplative moods are noticeable as we drive home to Iowa. "There's nothing like being together to reinforce the fondness I feel for each of you," Alice says. "Oh, now I'm going to cry!"

Then, the inevitable happens. We talk about another get-together. Our friendships will last the test of time and distance. But why test them? We'll do this again. By staff editor Deb Wiley

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