You've heard the "You know you're a redneck when..." stories. Well, this is a "You know you're a countrygirl when..." story.

You know you're a countrygirl when you're buddies call you and say, "Get your rubber boots and come on. We're taking you somewhere". And you know you're a countrygirl when they say that and the only thing you ask is, "Short boots or tall boots?" They don't even have to say boots. In fact, I think the words were, "Don't forget your rubbers" when she called back to remind me. That's what happened to me yesterday. Two old friends, former co-workers, called me and wanted to take me on a "girls day out". My friend Angie just gave me a few details. First, the location... a beautiful lake about three hours away where our friend Janet has a camp. Second, I had to get plenty of sleep because they were going to "wear me out" and I had to get up early so I had to go to bed early. The attire.. jeans and "rubbers". That's about all I knew. So I made sure to get some rest especially since I was just coming off of a 6 night stretch and this was my first night off. I got up early, put on some jeans and some long sleeves and of course, rubber boots... the tall ones. We met at Cracker Barrel, ate a little breakfast, and headed out. We laughed like kids all the way there and I realized that I had needed this trip more than I thought. I almost didn't go because I "had so much to do" which is the point of taking a day off to have a play date in the first place. Well, it's still a secret exactly where we went because I don't want to betray their trust. You see, it's their secret and I am among the priviledged few who know what they do up there. I feel really special that they even let me in on the secret to begin with. Apparently you have to meet certain criteria to get this invite. I understand that outside of their family members, not many people know what they do there and not just anyone gets to go. You have to be a country girl, a nature girl, not afraid to get your hands dirty or your feet wet. You can't be whimpy or whiney for darn sure. These girls are tough. They hunt and fish and drive trucks and boats. You gotta be one of them. I guess I fit all of their criteria. When we pulled up to the camp and stepped out of the truck, I felt my stress level drop about 80%. I was still a little apprehensive about what was required of me and I sure didn't want to let these girls down. Janet has an awesome corner waterfront lot in a beautiful place. We were without a doubt in God's country and it was a beautiful day! Not a cloud in the bright blue sky, high 60's, just a little too much wind but who could complain. Janet has a nice big bass boat but what we were going to do didn't involve a big boat. We were taking a paddle boat. Yep, you heard me, a paddle boat. So they put me in the middle and we three started paddling, headed for the islands. What were we doing? Now that's the secret. I am hoping they don't mind if I share that part since I didn't tell you where we were. We were looking for treasures. Not just any treasure, Indian artifact. Most people who know me, probably know I have some Native American Indian in my blood. You can probably see it in my complexion if you see my picture. So this was a real treat for me. We didn't dig. They don't believe in disturbing the land. Everything they have taken has been given to them by the spirits. It's just there to be taken, washed up by the waves, revealed by the spirits just for them. We didn't find much to take home but we saw some awesome things. I probably wouldn't have known exactly what I was looking at but these two know their stuff. They've been doing this for a few years and have done their homework. I guess I shouldn't say we didn't take much home because I personally took a lot home. It was a wonderful day. I had a great experience and took home some awesome memories. We had some good laughs and there was no complaining whatsoever! Can you imagine, three women and no complaining? There was just nothing to complain about. When the water got in our boots and our sleeves got wet, we just laughed. We laughed and we laughed and we laughed at pretty much everything. And no we weren't drinking any alcohol. We are nurses and we don't drink and drive, let's get that clear right now! If I was put on the spot and had to choose one thing that stood out the most for making this day special it would have to be the special appearance by the eagles. No, not the band The Eagles. There were three eagles flying high above us circling around to let us know they were there. Their beautiful white tails and their white heads glistened in the sun. Janet heard them first. She was so excited to see her friends. Apparently they are very special to Angie and Janet. They are "buddies" with the eagles and it was really special for them to see the two adults but now there is a new addition, a baby! The last time they saw them, the female was nesting. Now there's a baby. They came out just as soon as we got on the first island and it was as if they had just dropped in to say "hello" and "look at our new baby". Angie thought maybe they were coming by to give their approval for bringing me. They knew I was no threat to the Indian spirits and that I would respect the sacred ground. And I did. We were all careful not to disturb anything. Like I said before, we didn't dig. We mostly looked. We were hoping to find an arrowhead or ancient tool but we only found some chippings. Angie found one small, broken arrowhead. We found some petrified wood, a few pieces of pottery and several bricks. I found a neat piece of driftwood tht looked like a lion running. Janet found a circle of bricks in the ground that was probably a fire pit. We didn't disturb it. All we took was a picture. What an awesome experience. Thank God Angie brought her camera and some snacks. We made a day of it. My back is sore and my legs are still tired from paddling against the wind but who cares. It was worth it! So the next time they call and say, "grab your rubbers and come on", I won't hesitate! I'll load right up. My boots are right next to the door. I'll just grab them on the way out.