What Happens in PG County, Stays in PG County

I am a proud member of the GNOC (Girls' Night Out Club). In an effort to save money, the 2008 GNOC Annual Convention was held at the Gaylord National Resort, instead of it's usual location, Vegas.

For years, I have heard stories about this infamous event, but this is the first one I have attended. If this group can party this hard in PG county, I can only imagine what their Vegas trips look like.

So twenty women from various walks of life came together and took over the Gaylord. And we pretended we were far away, on vacation, and using the time to be someone else. (My name was Jessica for the purpose of this trip.)

I was lucky enough to have a room adjoining the Party Suite. So I was steps away from food, drinks, music, and cavorting for the past 72 hours. I had never met my roommate, Sherry, before this event, but we turned out to be a perfect pairing. She's several years younger than I am, has a serious job, is married, and apparently has a lot of party in her! She was also my physical opposite. While I am blonde, on the tall side, with a curvy build, Sherry is an exotic brunette, petite, lean and probably a size 0.

Friday night, we tried the rooftop dance club, Pose. Weird crowd- they were only allowing hotel guests in. But we had a great time dancing and taking fun pics. The club itself is pretty fantastic; it has a Vegas feel, and an awesome view of DC.

We ended the evening back in the Party Suite, where husbands, boyfriends, and a few random guys joined us. The party continued until 4 am. Seriously.

Am I 41? Or 21? This past weekend, I was unsure.

Some of truths I have about myself became myths:

I don't drink.
I certainly don't get drunk and crazy.
I don't do night clubs.
I don't stay up / out all night.
I don't smoke.
I don't have pictures taken of me that I regret later.

And a few others that are better left unmentioned.

Saturday I was feeling surprisingly good, considering the fact that I'm not used to crazy nights (anymore). We spent the day at the spa, and by the pool, and then got ready for happy hour in the Party Suite. Then we had plans to go to Lotus-we had vip room and bottle service. I had mixed feelings about going since I had heard bad reviews about the club. But I figured- what the heck?

I should have known things were going to get crazy when the limo got pulled over on the way to club.

Oh- did I mention it was wig night for the GNOC? Oh yeah. 20 women, in wigs and trashy dresses. I wore my super-long Jessica Simpson locks, and spent the evening enjoying the role of blonde bimbo.

The most interesting observation I had for the weekend was concerning the secret lives of married women. Only about 4 of us are single. These women were so dying to live vicariously through us, I found it amusing. My roommate was even making plans for alternative sleeping arrangements so I could "get some". Don't they know about my man free summer? :)

This morning, at brunch (the theme was fancy hats), it was hard to believe this crowd had partied so hard all weekend. We looked oh-so-refined and sophisticated. But we were passing around our pics from the night before. Oh my. Flashes of memories came rushing back as I was faced with the evidence.

Thank God this is only an annual event. It's going to take days for me to recover.