as i mentioned yesterday, henri and i drove to the airport on friday morning to catch our flight to boston, only to discover THIS:
i actually stared at the screen for a minute before turning to henri and asking, “wait, what does that MEAN?”
in spite of this, uh, delayed beginning (our plane actually left around 6:20 PM), we had a super duper wonderful time in boston. i can’t believe i haven’t been there in almost a year!
george, our friend and coolidge theater staff member, picked us up and sped to henri’s midnight show, where we arrived at 12:30. oops.
after the sing-along, we headed over to the south street diner, apparently one of the few 24 hour places in boston (really, boston? you’re never hungry at 3 AM? you are literally crazytown!).
this place was EVERYTHING a 24 hour diner should be… loud, gritty and full of drunk, extremely friendly people.
george ordered a milkshake and let us have a sip, so henri could make the requisite, “I DRINK YR MILKSHAKE” joke. yep, that still isn’t old.
we instantly made friends with the two tables next to us, including a girl from oklahoma (on the left) and a british Ph.D. student celebrating her birthday (on the right).
i LOVED dr. birthday girl. she stole my camera and took a ton of (v. bad) pictures.
since it’s a law that you can only order heart attack-inducing food after 2 AM, i ordered cheese fries, which i admit look disgusting but were actually DELICIOUS.
as previously mentioned, i spent last weekend in the DEADLY HEAT of arizona to attend my dear friend jay’s wedding.
even though i saw it with my own eyes, i *still* can’t believe jay is married.
not because he’s horrible person, obviously. in fact, jay’s just the opposite. he’s got a heart of gold, tricked out with a veneer of sarcasm and dripping with attitude. basically, he’s one of the world’s greatest charmers.
no, the reason i can’t believe he’s married is because, when i think about jay, i picture him like this:
jay’s the one on the left, attempting to french boba fett.
i took this picture in the middle of my junior year at rice, when jay, gilbert (on the right) and tim (you guys know tim!!) were zany, adorable, tooootally immature freshmen.
these boys were SO adorable, in fact, that my roommates and i (known as the powersuite) decided to adopt them for our v. own, kind of like puppies but with the ability to hold a conversation (well, sometimes). these three little freshmen, along with andrew (you’ll see him later), eventually earned the nickname “the powersuite boys” (clever!), and quickly became fixtures in our room, even when they moved into their own room down the hall for their sophomore year.
jay was the kind of student rice LOVES to cultivate– a chemistry whiz from small town, texas. he loved girls and punk rock music, and one of my favorite memories of him is the time we dyed our hair pink together. i wanted to keep the top layer of my hair au natural, and jay just wanted his tips done.
careful examination of this picture reveals who DOESN’T have a future in the hair care industry.
(”sarah, i said the TIPS!! NOT MY WHOLE HEAD. GAH. this looks so gay.”)
it’s hard to believe, but i haven’t seen jay in four years (really, that can’t be possible). so you can imagine i was DYING WITH EXCITEMENT over his nuptials and the opportunity to reunite with some of my favorite rice pantsers.
friday night, we all met up at the home of stephanie’s (jay’s now wife) parents’ house for some BBQ and much-needed catching up. jay just graduated from cornell with his PhD in chemistry (seriously) and so we gave his doctoral defense (ha ha i don’t even know if that’s what you call it) a careful review.
from left to right: gilbert, jay, ray, tim and andrew
it was SO GOOD to see jay’s face!!!! he looks a little older, but i was relieved to find the v. same jay that i adored back at rice.
and look who he thanked at the beginning of his book!!!!!
YES. i am totally academic now.
jay may be a little older, but he still makes the same dumb faces when he sees a camera. it’s all part of the charm, ladies.
yes, that IS a cupcake. and there’s more where that came from, cos jay loves me. you’ll see!
after the dinner, we headed back to the hotel to share embarrassing jay stories, mostly involving girls (poor gilbert, i.e. jay’s freshman year roommate) and, well, girls.
i swear, it felt like we were back on the “burger king” (or TPCCOTL) couch in the powersuite, laughing our pants off and being ridiculous. it’s like nothing had changed, not even tim’s bad smelling feet.
the next morning, we started our day in the most perfect way imaginable– breakfast at chic-fil-a!
those fine ladies on the left are danny and rachel, btw.
the cashier guy said, “you guys are eating *here*? before a wedding?”
uh, where else would we eat?!! IHOP? please. this is an IMPORTANT DAY.
isn’t danny the cutest? it was so good to see her. and tim knows how to satisfy flossie so well.
the ceremony was held at this gorgeous catholic church:
we got to sneak into the “groom’s area” before the wedding, which was exciting! jay was cool as cucumber, of course. and then i got to pin roses on the guys, which made me feel all kinds of special.
btw gilbert and i are totally going to prom together. esp. cos my dress already matches his vest and tie. i didn’t even PLAN THAT!!!
the ceremony began, and when stephanie walked down the aisle, jay teared up and all of us let out a collective (whispered) SQUEE.
also, the priest forgot stephanie’s name. AND he wrote a “special message” for them that was full of amazingly bad chemistry references. like, ” we already know that you two have CHEMISTRY together” and “however, PERIODICALLY, you may encounter challenges.” i grabbed tim’s leg so hard that i think i gave him bruises but WOW. AMAZING.
after the ceremony, the photographers TOOK OVER and forced the wedding party into a world of awkward poses. you guys think i’m bad? you have no idea.
in that picture, they’re signing the marriage certificate… with MY PEN! they didn’t have a pen, so i pulled out this plastic OBGYN pen i keep in my purse. but that sort fits with the theme, right? also note ray, who is already exhausted from endless posing.
in this incredibly artistic shot, stephanie holds the certificate over jay’s shoulder while making an “OK!” or “gotcha!” finger sign, as demonstrated by the photographer.
see? the girls are about to throw their bouquets! doesn’t that look natural? of course it does!
in spite of the photographer’s maniacal posing plans, i managed to get a few “realistic” shots. this one is my favorite:
yep, those are the boys i knew at rice. and still know, thank heavens.
in addition to my rice friends, it was wonderful to see jay’s parents again. they are incredibly sweet and super texas (yes, jay’s dad wore boots to the wedding AND he brought shiner to the bbq dinner).
we finally made it over to the reception, held at the neighborhood club of the sprawling sun city neighborhood where stephanie’s family lives.
and you know how i matched the vest and ties on the guys? well, guess what. this wedding was OBVIOUSLY designed for me, cos I EVEN MATCHED THE TABLECLOTHS. AND THE NAPKINS.
oh jay, you know how to make a girl feel at home.
not only was there lots of pink, but there was also lots of cuteness!!!
and also LOTS OF CUPCAKES!!!!
yeah, whoever said that cupcakes don’t grow on trees is a big, fat liar.
c’mere, cupcake. i manna eachoo!!!!
seriously, was this wedding made for me or what?
i asked (forced) jay’s grandmother take a picture with me, because i love her so much. the first thing she said to me on friday night was, “i’ve had a picture of you and jay on my fridge since he graduated from rice. but then people asked me if you were his fiancee, so i had to take it down.” ha ha. i love you, grandma!
as if the hour of awkward posing wasn’t enough to impress jay, the photographers whipped up a little surprise for him and stephanie, mere minutes after the photos were taken!
yes, that is a keychain. and yes, jay’s eyes are only halfway open.
BEST WEDDING MEMENTO, EVER.
we all wanted one, actually.
of course, we had to take “the rice picture” for the alumni magazine (the sallyport), even though, like 80% of the other rice weddings i’ve been to, it will never actually be submitted.
and, for all of you weissman out there, we did, in fact, ubangee jay. for the non-weissman, a ubangee is when you get in a big pile on top of someone and make grunting noises that slowly increase in volume and frequency then end with three cheers of “team weiss!”
yeah, it’s kind of hard to describe without making it sound ridiculous. which it is.
speaking of ridiculous, check out tim and ray, soaking up water from the misters like dogs in a sprinkler.
since i love weddings AND am really good at attending them, i’ve decided to make a brochure advertising myself as the perfect guest. i think i’ll put this picture on the front:
don’t you want us at yr wedding? YES YOU DO!
we took a short break to change after the reception, then drove BACK to stephanie’s family house for a light dinner. there’s a street in the neighborhood called “el mirage,” which, when we first passed it on friday, induced the following conversation:
tim: i think we took a wrong turn, cos now we’re on el mira-hey.
andrew: el mira-hey? uh, i think you mean MIRAGE.
so of course we had to stop on saturday and take a picture.
we ALSO had to stop at the neighborhood’s entrance, which was so pretentious that it was practically BEGGING for someone to climb up and pose on it.
ray, i totally think you have a future career in suburb modeling.
after dinner, there was plenty of shiner left, so we took it back to the hotel for our POOL PARTY!
POOL PARTY!
oh man, i love night pool parties. esp. due to my vampiric skin.
we splashed around for a while and eventually begged andrew and gilbert (who weren’t swimming) to get us some food from the in and out burger down the street. i asked for chili cheese fries.
BUT
what i GOT was the DISGUSTING concoction known as “animal fries”: fries with cheese and, wait for it, THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING GAAAHH GROSSSSSSS.
you guys, they were so nasty. i know because I ATE THEM! I CAN’T BELIEVE I ATE THEM!
tim couldn’t believe it either.
ray, per usual, was in fine form that evening. i can always rely on him to provide me with amusing photographs, no matter the time or place. he’s like my old faithful.
while ray excels at looking jackassic, danny is always 100% adorable. it’s like, her genetic structure.
also, i love this photo.
the next morning, ray, tim and i wrapped up the weekend with brunch, including THE LARGEST CINNAMON ROLL EVER NOM NOM NOM.
honestly, it was difficult to say good-bye to everyone as we once again scattered in the wind… who knows the next time i’ll see these faces i love so much?
although the temporary nature of our reunion was bittersweet, i am incredibly thankful that i could be there alongside my friends to celebrate jay– freshman jay, punk jay, pink-haired jay, married jay… all facets of an amazing person that i am proud to know.
happy wedding pants, my dear!
p.s. ray and tim, i hope to see the baby bird in action again soon.
over the weekend, i flew to phoenix to attend my friend jay’s wedding (more on that later this week). normally, i ADORE flying. it’s so much fun to sit in the airport and watch people and absorb that delightfully liminal feeling of so many possibilities, so many lives intermingling for one tiny moment before they jet off to their destinations. i love sitting by the gate with a fresh new paperback in one hand and an auntie anne’s pretzel in the other, thrilled with the knowledge that i am about to GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! jet setting pants!
but this weekend? even a lovely pair of french children sitting across from me couldn’t save the airline industry from FAIL.
first of all, i got charged $30 for my bag. and i thought i was doing the airline a favor for NOT trying to stuff it into an overhead container. $30?!! tim (who was traveling with me) and i decided that we’d rather they just tack it on to the ticket price. if you’re going to scam me, american airlines, I DON’T KNOW WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT. i demand to be an ignorant consumer!
then, and this was the worst part, my flight from dallas to austin was delayed. now, i’ve experienced many, many delays in my time. usually, i just head over to the local TGIF’s or chili’s and order a margarita and some fries. EASY PEASY. but last night? my 11 PM flight was delayed until 12:44 AM. which meant i arrived in austin around 1:45 AM.
and you know what’s open at the airport at 11 PM? NOTHING. NOTHING IS OPEN. there was even an announcement that the security station was shutting down, so we were trapped in the terminal until the plane came.
honestly, it started to feel like a stephen king novel. which was a thought that brought me great comfort, strangely enough. i think that’s a bad sign.
so, i know that the airline industry is suffering cos of expensive fuel, but is that really the main problem? can someone out there break this down for me? i tried doing a little (read: five minutes) research, but all i found was a NYT article from last year about how passenger delays are worse than people thought (ORLY) and a highly comforting WSJ post informing me that things are actually going to be WORSE in the fall. great. awesome. thanks.
airline industry, UR DOIN IT WRONG.
i can’t help but feel like there’s more to it than fuel prices. what do you guys think? what have been yr experiences lately?
of course, even in the face of ridiculous and inexplicable delays, the human spirit triumphs. last night, my grumpiness quickly melted away as i watched people around me befriend each other, bonded by a common crisis. it was like “independence day” but without the aliens or death. i even ran into my friend alex, who lives in LA, and the delay gave us an unexpected opportunity to catch up with each other.
but my favorite moment happened when a guy took out a mini-soccer ball and began to kick it around the terminal. soon, he was joined by some airport workers, and an impromptu soccer game began.
this is probably the most awesome thing i’ve ever seen at an airport.
so yeah, there was something heartwarming about how people handled the delay last night. but i’ve got the feeling that we’ll need more than the human spirit and a soccer ball to conquer this airline problem.
in the meantime, when i fly to boston later this week, i am soooo bringing a kickball.
as you guys know, i was REALLY excited about seeing the new batman movie. in fact, given the key elements– christian bale’s hotness, heath ledger’s cray cray joker, AWESOME action sequences– i didn’t think it was possible that i could be MORE excited about this film. i mean, without endangering my health (i.e. sarah explosion).
but i was wrong. I WAS WRONG. leave it to the alamo to make my dark knight experience even MORE amazing than i thought possible.
“how?!! HOW?” you may cry out in curiosity.
by taking me, along with a group of other v. v. lucky people, to a bat cave!! and not just a regular old bat cave, but bracken cave, home of the largest colony of mammals IN THE WORLD. i am not kidding.
it’s located just outside of san antonio, which meant BUS TRIIIIIIP!!!
the drive took us about an hour and a half, but no one minded. the excitement was PALATABLE, as evidenced by zack’s face:
plus, henri put together a fantastic pre-show to get us even more hyped up for the movie– old episodes of the batman TV show, clips from the tim burton “batman” and, of course, some sing-along action. because you can’t see christian bale in a movie without hearing the rousing chorus of “santa fe” in yr head…
i love that i have a boyfriend who will actually sing along to a “newsies” number, even if he doesn’t know all of the words and pulls a little garth/bohemian rhapsody.
once we exited the bus, we were greeted by the “real” bat man, this guy:
he told us a little bit about the cave, but i got distracted when the alamo staff came out with some appetizers. it’s ok, though, cos all of that info is on the internet if i ever need it.
the staff set up tables right near the cave so we would be ready whenever the bats decided to emerge. i mean, how often do you get to enjoy a posh meal next to the world’s largest bat colony? NEVER!! ok, well, unless you’re bruce wayne.
right behind those tables is this view of the cave:
it kind of smells like bat poo, but you get used to it. esp. when there is champers to distract you!
not to mention tasty, tasty little appetizers.
and a “make yr own” mojito bar!! holy crap. no wonder the bats like to hang out here.
it’s really fun to crush the mint and the lime together, like you’re actually *working* for yr drink. and not just, you know, pouring it.
as you can see, henri and caitlin are mojito professionals.
we sat down for the next course, which was a delicious chilled summer tomato and carrot soup with crab. at this point, i felt sorry for the bats, cos there is no way mosquitoes taste this good.
while we were eating, the “bat man” walked around and talked to us about bats. sorry, bats, but you’re just not as interesting as my soup. don’t take it personally.
this picture of baby bats did, however, get my attention. cos i usually LOVE all things baby but… gross.
fortunately, it is really, really hard for me to lose my appetite. same for henri.
i have to give major props to the alamo cooking/serving staff. they always do a great job, but for this event, they were making a gourmet meal… next to a bat cave. in the middle of nowhere.
next time i go camping, i am sooo inviting john bullington, the head chef.
cos LOOK AT THIS!!!!!
seared tuna with baby squashes (now THIS is the kind of baby i adore) and tasty, tasty orzo. in fact, the orzo was SO good that zack got us a huge second helping.
i think the smell of our food wafted over to the cave, cos suddenly, the bats decided they were hungry!! HUNGRY FOR OUR BLOOD!! ok, no, not really. that would not actually make for a pleasant evening.
but they were HUNGRY FOR BUGS!! and if i was a bug, i would’ve been really, really terrified.
it’s difficult to really grasp the sheer multitude of the bats in a picture, which is why flossie took this fantastic video for you:
wow, right?!! the sight of all of these bats pouring forth from the mouth of the cave was simply extraordinary, not to mention surreal. i mean, i’ve seen this in movies before but… i was there! the bats could’ve pooed on me if they wanted to!!! which is kind of scary now that i think about it.
there were SO many bats that, after awhile, they started to feel normal. kinda like when i went to alaska with my parents, and there were bald eagles all over the place. it’s weird to see a bald eagle and go “meh.”
yep, just yr average alamo evening. drinking wine and watching a gazillion bats.
there are actually three viewing areas for the cave, so henri and i walked over to the “side” view to catch more of the bat action.
apparently, bats have this pet peeve about people talking when they’re trying to eat. i can relate.
as the bats continued to stream out, we walked to the third view point, which is directly over the mouth of the cave. you can see the people on the other side, where we started out:
it’s truly a strange sight to look up at the sky and see millions of bats fluttering over you, all while emitting that eerie squeaking sound. you have to remind yrself that they aren’t just birds.
i mean, wow!
i took this picture for my dad, who likes to stop and read all of the signs whenever we go anywhere with signs.
the stream of bats began to diminish to a mere trickle, which was good, cos i had DESSERT BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO.
that’s blackberry and chocolate mouse with a chocolate-y waffle thing and crystalized ginger. MMM GET IN MY TUMMAH.
i swear, this was so delicious, it would turn bats away from bugs forever. as demonstrated by thomas, it was “plate lickin’ good!”
apparently, there are some bats who aren’t “dusk people,” and so a big cloud of sleepyheads emerged from the cave right after we finished dessert.
if henri was a bat, he would run with this crew.
as the sun set, a group of us decided to investigate the “end” of the cave, which is a small hole housed under an old shed.
you GUYS. IT SMELLED SO BAAAAAD AUUUUGHHHH. like, i probably got cancer when i took this picture, so i hope you’re happy.
i seriously cannot believe that we even got CLOSE to that stinky, stinky hole. but we did, and i have video proof. it’s totally the next “cloverfield,” except with bat poo instead of a giant scary monster.
honestly, i’m amazed we survived. you know, when they show batman just chillaxing with his bats, he’s never, say, wrinkling his noise or going “OMG THIS IS SO GROSS.” so much for REALISM, batman!
anyway, we got back on the bus and headed to the theater to watch the movie, which of course TOTALLY BLEW MY PANTS AWAY INTO A MILLION PIECES ALL OVER THE UNIVERSE.
so thanks, alamo, for yet ANOTHER spectacular night when i find myself thinking, “i cannot BELIEVE i get to to do this.” i really am a lucky, lucky girl. not only did i get to eat tasty food and see lots of bats, but i also learned a lot.
like the fact that bat poo smells really, really bad.
i don’t know how batman takes it. i guess that’s what makes him a superhero.
i’ve been going to the schlitterbahn since i was an EXTREMELY EXCITED little girl slathered in snotty bull frog sunscreen with neon orange floaties attached to my arms. so today, i have decided to share with you all of the ancient wisdom i have gained, with the hope that it will benefit you on a future visit to this magical, amazing place of water enchantment.
because, if you know how to do it right, the schlitterbahn can change yr life.
1. get a big group of people and rent a house nearby
for the past two years, i’ve rented a house in gruene and packed in as many members of pants world as possible. there are two main benefits to this plan: 1) the close proximity to the park means that you can be there at the crack of dawn when the gates open (v. v. important!!!!). 2) it’s like a one weekend version of “the real world” except with people that you really, really like.
2. eat dinner at the gristmill
i’ve written about this incredible establishment of tasty business before, but let me reiterate: if you are within 100 miles of the gristmill, you must eat there. it’s the law.
it is not, however, required that you dress up like twinsies.
don’t be put off by the large crowds of people waiting for tables. think of this as “texas atmosphere” and just order yrself a margarita.
once seated, allow yr friends to entertain you so that, if the food takes a while, it doesn’t matter. for example, yr friend meredith might put on the ridiculous gold chain that yr boyfriend wears and act like a hardcore gangsta.
and then yr friend ray might do the same.
and then you can look around the table and get a warm feeling inside, not only cos yr tummy is about to be really happy but also cos YOU LOVE YR FRIENDS!!!
and when the food arrives, ENJOY THE PANTS OUT OF IT. you might not even need a fork.
it’s also fun to bring someone from another country, cos then you can be all, “this is real TEXAS food, john!” and “isn’t the chicken fried steak amazing?!! i bet they don’t have this in ireland, boy howdy!”
3. bring fun games to play at the house
games like “catch phrase” not only strengthen yr mind, they also bring you a little bit closer to yr loved ones.
for example, during one particular round, i was forced to read ray’s mind in order to discover the answer to why he was posing like this.
you don’t have to read juliet and ray’s minds to know why they are posing like this: cos it’s awesome.
4. get plenty of sleep the night before so you can wake up bright and early for the schlitterbahn!
look at john! he got a whopping 5 hours of sleep and looks as chipper as chip!
mandy is REARING to go!
5. get there early so you can score a pinic table with a scenic view.
sometimes you might have to be really bossy to get everyone out of the house by 9:15 AM, but don’t worry, everyone will thank you later.
6. standing in line can be just as fun as the ride itself
the schlitterbahn is crowded, which means you’ll spend much of the day waiting in a line. but, if you have excellent conversation partners who can tell you stories about, say, the time they saw someone die on the highway, the time will fly by. trust me.
7. TUBE YR PANTS OFF
i mean that figuratively, although i think henri took it in the more literal sense.
YOU GUYS IT IS SO EASY TO HAVE FUN HERE!!!! LOOK AT MEREDITH!!
8. watch out for bodily injuries
the rides at the schlitterbahn can actually get a little crazy at times, so while you’re having fun, watch out for yr head/legs/arms/extremities. poor amber experienced a head collision with ray on “the cliffhanger,” and while she looked adorable afterwards, it was NOT FUN. and you do NOT want to not have fun at the schlit.
9. KEEP TUBING YR PANTS OFF
don’t stop!!!!!!
10. return to the table for periodic refreshment
in order to make it through a whole day, you will definitely need to stop for food, beverages and the occasional nap, as illustrated by mandy.
11. take the tram to the other section of the park
that’s right, the schlitterbahn is so massive, there are THREE DIFFERENT SECTIONS. but don’t worry, you can easily take a tram to cross over. it’s even more fun if you have a tram buddy!
12. ride the “lazy” river!!!!
the lazy river in the newest section of the park isn’t exactly “lazy.” it’s more like a fast moving current with lots of HUGE WAVES and a TON of people. it is pretty much my favorite way to hang out in water, ever.
13. ride the lazy river again!
don’t worry, you will want to.
14. make the traditional schlitter “o” face while riding the lazy river
again, this will come naturally. don’t worry.
15. surprise someone by showing up in their tube
people LOVE to share their one person tube. just ask juliet.
16. if you want to avoid the lines, just walk past people like you know what you’re doing.
while waiting in line for “the master blaster,” henri, erica and i noticed a girl slowly making her way through the long, snaking line. we all assumed she was trying to find her friend, but then we eventually realized that, no, she had just bypassed the entire line and gotten on the ride. and NO ONE STOPPED HER. of course, this might have had something to do with that fact that she was mentally handicapped. so, yeah.
17. if you find a waterproof disposable camera in the ladies bathroom, return it to the lost and found and feel good about yrself for the rest of the day!
i didn’t know about this rule until last weekend, when i lost my camera for approximately seven panic-inducing minutes. thankfully, a good samaritan actually TURNED IT IN, but not before leaving me with this little “hello!”
dear blonde friend of the good samaritan: even though i don’t know you, i think yr friend is awesome for turning in my camera, and even more awesome for taking a picture with it before doing so.
wait what number am i on
right right!
18. RIDE THE LAZY RIVER AGAIN
obviously, you should go on other rides too (the “master blaster” is amazing, and even though “dragon’s revenge” is super cheesy, you get to tube through a DRAGON’S FACE!!!!), but the lazy river will never cease to be fun, especially cos there’s no line!!!
19. keep yrself energized with classy energy drinks
this year, henri discovered a new source of HARDCORE EXTREME ENERGY: hooters!
thank you, meredith, for pointing out where the boobs are on the can. much appreciated.
20. REPEAT.
after enjoying a full, exhausting day at the schlitterbahn, there may be nothing more that you want to do than go home and fall into bed. well, that’s where you’re WRONG! what you REALLY want to do is spend a second day at the schlitterbahn. trust me. cos two amazing days are WAY better than one.
21. buy another disposable camera to cover yr second day.
otherwise, yr blog entry about the schlitterbahn will end really abruptly.
LINKS
OMGG! one of my fave YA books, “angus, thongs and full frontal snogging” is coming out as a movie!! and directed by the lady from “bend it like beckham”!!!!
last weekend, a group of meredith’s greatest admirers gathered in a lake house on lake quitman to celebrate the birthday of our beloved friend.
and, of course, it was awesome.
lake quitman is REALLY far away, but the drive was obviously worth it. esp. cos i got to see a spaceship!!!!!
yes, it’s the starship pegasus, which is pretty much the best name for a space craft since the death star. and guess what?! you could actually OWN this piece of space history!! see?
dude, can someone loan me a couple thousand dollars? cos hello, how cool would it be to say, “hey, wanna come over to my place tonight? the address is STARSHIP PEGASUS.”
we finally arrived at the lake house, which was graciously loaned to us by meredith’s family, including her dazzling fox of a grandmother.
seriously, when i’m old, i’m gonna BLANKET my house with glamor shot portraits. because, at that point, airbrushing will be my v. good friend.
we headed out back to the deck… dock? end of the pier? eh, whatever you call it, it’s awesome. given the celebratory nature of the evening, we were forced to break out the champ cans.
i don’t know why, exactly (attention, science: future study right here!), but hanging out on the water at night with yr friends is pretty much the best thing ever. maybe it’s the calming expanse of the water, or the reflection of the moon, or the sounds of crickets and frogs, but being out there on the lake, surrounded by some of my favorite people, gave me that This Is What Life Is All About feeling. the night was pure magic, filled with conversation…
singing…
and of course, dancing.
thanks to the 90s station on XM radio, the party eventually evolved into a full on sing-along (i’m sure the neighbors LOVED US).
when matt picks up the radio and treats it like a boombox, you know you’re at a good party.
i’m not sure what exactly is happening in this picture, but i like to think that jill has just invented a new dance called, “Flash Yo Flashlight.”
the night couldn’t have been better… especially considering that we were in the middle of nowhere and therefore prime material for some rural axe murderer. every time someone left to go back to the house, we joked about him/her getting hacked into pieces. and when i say “joked,” i mean, kinda sorta wondered if it might happen and, if so, who would be the sole survivor who gets to come back in the sequel. anyway, thanks for not killing us, murderer dude!
we began the next morning with mimosas on the porch. starting yr day with a mimosa, a swing and yr best friend is WAY better than, like, special k. i don’t care what the commercials say.
after finishing breakfast, we of course had to attend to the v. pressing business of enjoying the pants out of the lake.
i love the laziness inherent in a day on the water. there’s not that much to do, and yet, there’s SO much to do.
first, you can go paddle boating, as illustrated adorably by matt and henri.
honestly, is there ANYTHING MORE PRECIOUS than two boys in a paddleboat?!!!!!! we decided that they were the hardy boys, off to seek adventure in the nearby island.
second, you have to model yr sunglasses, because they are FABULOUS.
i told erin she had a joan collins vibe going, which is a V. HIGH COMPLIMENT.
matt and henri returned from their trip, like the hardy boys they are, with some treasure! after exploring the island, they christened it “shell island,” because this is what they found:
oh boys, being funny.
the main thing you can do on the lake, obviously, is float in it. meredith was extremely prepared, not only with a tube, but with her handy (or should i say, handless?) beer coozy!
so this is pretty much what we did, all day:
i know, water sports are ROUGH.
the entire day really did feel like a beer commercial.
henri and i decided to take the paddleboat back out for another voyage. as we paddled away, my legs were like, “what? is this EXERCISE? cos, uh, i thought we were on vacation.”
it was actually harder than i thought, until i looked behind the boat and realized that we were, uh, towing some extra weight.
what a bunch of freeloaders.
after jerry finally let go, i kept turning around and waving to everyone, just like sandy at the end of “grease” except not skanky.
the exploration of shell island whet henri’s taste for adventure, so we paddled out to the other nearby land mass (turtle island, according to the locals) to see if we could, you know, solve a mystery or find some cool treasure or maybe even a forgotten civilization!
well, we didn’t discover a civilization, but we DID find treasure AND solve a mystery! it was like one of those nancy drew and the hardy boys super specials!!! the treasure we uncovered was actually a clue to the origin of the island’s name!
dude, i love being a teen sleuth.
we arrived back at the dock to find everyone, in an amazing display of endurance, doing the same thing they were doing when we left the lake.
matt, ever the engineer, had even created his own floating bar!
erica’s present to meredith was a bubble gun, which provided us with hours of entertainment. because we are the world’s oldest toddlers.
bubbles are fabulous, but on a LAKE? they are super fabby fabulous.
another thing you can do on the lake? jet ski!
by mid afternoon, we had built up the strength to drag out the jet ski from the garage. i took the opportunity to force everyone to take a group picture, which is what i do, pretty much every day.
unfortunately, the jet ski… didn’t work. at all. which totally sucked, cos it was a huge pain (for the boys) to haul across the yard. plus, i was really looking forward to the wind ripping my hair out.
but i took a picture anyway, cos the guys just looked so dang studly on that thing.
all of the activities i’ve just listed can fill up yr day quite easily, esp. since you tend to repeat them, over and over. esp. the floating and drinking part.
erin and meredith took the paddleboat for a ride, not realizing until it was too late that they had a stowaway by the name of henri and his booty.
i love all of the videos i took on the water, because for some reason, maybe the glint of the sunlight on the water, they look like old home movies. i half expect kevin arnold to swim into the frame.
don’t worry, i moved just before i would have been torn apart by the razor sharp plastic paddle.
and then, there was more of this…
punctuated by surprise attacks from our local water monster, henri.
if you’ve done all of these activities and find yrself still lacking for entertainment, consider the classic aquatic tradition of chicken fighting.
only the fiercest of men dare to do battle in the ancient chicken style, as you can see.
check out this video for an illustration of practical chicken fighting techniques and dirty tricks, including “go for the glasses.”
and, if you’re REALLY a daredevil, you can do what teenage boys have been doing since time began: Trying Dumb Stuff On The Water That May Kill You.
for example, henri, attempting to “surf” on the lake with a boogie board.
meanwhile, matt followed up his floating bar invention with a totally sweet (and i mean sweet) new headband.
he’s like, the richie tenenbaum of the south.
after an exhausting day of chicken fights, island exploration and doing stupid stuff, it’s nice to know that you can head back to the dock for drive-thru drink service, courtesy of jill.
to sum up my tips on how to spend a day at the lake, just do this:
that night, it was birthday party time!
matt, my favorite chef, risked his life (and eyesight) to grill up some DELICIOUS fajitas for everyone.
while eating my tasty business, i discovered i had a new friend.
the friendship quickly ended when he discovered that he had picked the WRONG gal to beg from. sorry, doggie, but posh is a GREEDY PIGGIE.
henri and i gave meredith some kitten mittens that are almost as cute as she is.
and of course, there was cake! caramel cheesecake, to be exact!
so, just to be clear, we spent the weekend: floating, dancing, talking, drinking, paddling, chicken fighting, laughing, singing, exploring, eating cake and not being murdered.
erica, henri and i spent our last day of the trip in cancun, being rich.
and so today, i present to you a step-by-step guide of how we did it, so that you too can be rich, should you ever find yrself in cancun (or, really, anywhere. it helps if there’s a pool).
i will preface this guide by stating, as i mentioned yesterday, that we got a really good rate at our hotel thanks to erica. so if you want to *feel* super rich without the actual money to back it up, i recommend exploiting yr friends for any and all discounts.
and with that, let the lesson commence!
1) decide to spend the entire day at an uber posh resort
when you’re staying at a place that has a pool, nay, a series of pools that look like this, there is no need to set foot off of hotel grounds. esp. since, beyond the grounds, there might be poor people.
plus, rich people don’t need to work, so spending an entire day by the pool is pretty much their standard MO.
2) pick the best spot at the resort and OWN IT
we chose the nearby infinity pool, which earns its name by appearing to drop off, for all eternity, into the ocean. since erica arrived early, she claimed the poolside bed with the best view:
how do i *know* it’s the best view in the whole resort? well, uh, maybe because it’s IMMORTALIZED ON OUR ROOM KEY.
seriously, we are PROFESSIONALS at being rich. it’s almost sick.
here’s what the poolside beds look like, fyi:
imagine spending the ENTIRE day on one of those beds. that’s what we did, because that’s what rich people do. they LOUNGE.
3) act like you’re rich
rich people *know* they’re rich, and this knowledge infuses their every action with richness. therefore, you have to *feel* like you’re rich, so that you can consequently act accordingly.
it often helps if you wear a bland, slightly bored expression while doing something that 99.1% of the earth’s population never gets to do.
“yeah, so i’m drinking a margarita in a white bed by the infinity pool here in cancun on the perfect day. AND? sigh… je m’ennuie.”
but if you accidentally goof up by smiling really big cos you realize you’re hanging out in a gorgeous pool with yr dad, that’s ok, too. don’t forget that rich people are still HUMAN.
4) order way more drinks than you will actually need
rich people waste money all of the time, kind of like how you might not pick up a penny if you drop it on the ground because, you know, it’s just a penny. to rich people, it’s just, like, money. and since rich people HATE to run out of things, they always over-order. you know, “i’ll take two of everything on the menu.” so, when it comes to ordering margaritas by the pool, don’t be skimpy. esp. when it’s happy hour.
5) order room service
i shouldn’t have to tell you this, but i will. room service is over priced, and that is EXACTLY why rich people order it. this is a v. tasty way to be AND feel extravagant, so by all means, order from the poolside waiter named jesus. and whatever you do, *don’t* ask how much things cost. first of all, rich people could care less about prices. second, you actually really don’t want to know.
6) hand feed exotic creatures
rich people are constantly surrounded by exotic animals, whether they serve as pets, household curios or targets on the annual african safari. even the most rare of species elicit v. little surprise from rich people, because they know they could buy it and put a rhinestone collar on it with the spare change in their wallets.
for example, lots of rich people have peacocks littered about the lawn. peacocks are like the gnomes of the elite.
and so, if a peacock approaches you, do not hesitate to feed it a piece of pineapple, as this is a lesson all rich girls learned in the hallowed halls of northeastern boarding schools. hand feeding exotic animals is a sign to the world that you are a refined lady of great wealth and breeding.
7) end the day with a lavish steak dinner
everyone knows that rich people love to eat big, expensive steaks. so, after yr relaxing day by the pool, make sure you treat yourself to a meal at a nearby steakhouse, preferably one that shows you the raw meat before they cook it, so that you can inspect it for yrself. after all, rich people have v. high, exacting standards, and they have to make sure that everything in their vicinity is *perfect.*
during the meal, it’s important to insist on excess. not only do rich people love wasting things, they also want everything taken to the Next Level.
for example, regular french fries aren’t enough. for rich people, french fries must come in a waffle fry bowl.
and of course, don’t forget yr table manners.
LESSON CONCLUDED.
now go forth, and be rich!
LINKS
oh you must must MUST watch this NYT video on the international high school prom in brooklyn. it’s like, a global squee (and angelina jolie & brad pitt already want to make a movie about it! seriously!).
squee of the day: OMG!!! A MALTESE PUPPY ON WHEELS!!!!!!! she actually kind looks like a toy dog i used to drag around on a rope when i was two. except WAY MORE CUDDLEY.
i never thought i would say it, but this texas congressman is totally awesome for turning the tables on TMZ (thanks becky for the link).
i have to warn you right now that the following entry will almost definitely MELT YR PANTS WITH INCREDIBLENESS.
so, if you’re ok with that, please keep reading.
henri, erica, papa g. and i spent the last two days of our trip in the sunny party town of cancun. given all of the spring break stories i’ve heard over the years, i was DYING to see this place for myself.
and guys, it did NOT disappoint. for many, many reasons.
first, erica got us a FANTASTIC deal at a posh hotel resort, due to her employment. this place was POSH DELUXE TO THE CLASSY MAX. check out the view from our balcony:
more on the hotel later…
second, we got to eat in REAL RESTAURANTS AGAIN. after a week of crappy buffet food (no hard feelings, grand coco bay!), it felt GREAT to walk over to the nearby italian place, no matter how touristy it was.
check out this awesome sunset shot of some v. happy and sun-tanned campers:
not only was this a real restaurant, but it was ON WATER. i totally felt like a country mouse– “look, ma! it’s a menu! a REAL menu! and oh my lands, that’s an honest to god WAITER! we sure is bona fide now!”
dinner was great, but the night was about to reach IMPOSSIBLE LEVELS OF AWESOMENESS. because we were heading downtown… to coco bongo.
first, let me explain that “the strip” in cancun is basically just about two blocks full of neon lights and bars offering $15 all you can drink deals. it’s like vegas, jr.
here, for example, is carlos n charlies, where thousands of college kids go every year to do really stupid things and then buy a t-shirt as a memento.
the TRUE highlight of cancun, however, isn’t eating the worm or doing a shot from some girl’s cleavage. it is a place of legend, a magical, mythical place, nay, EXPERIENCE, known as coco bongo.
coco bongo was actually started by jim carrey and inspired by the club featured in “the mask.” but it’s not just a bar where you can watch cameron diaz and fight 1930s gangsters. oh NO. it’s a place where you can not only see yr favorite musical stars, including elvis, madonna and michael jackson, but you can ALSO re-live yr favorite movie moments AND watch yr favorite comic heroes do battle.
i know, it sounds too good to be true. but it’s REAL! or at least, it’s like, impersonator real.
the club wasn’t open yet, so erica, henri and i hit up one of the bars nearby, where we narrowly escaped being forced to take a shot directly from a shot girl’s mouth (GROSS). and when i say shot girl, i actually mean shot middle aged woman. yeah. i couldn’t get a picture of her, but erica and henri’s reaction to her is really the only illustration you need.
yeah, sometimes cancun is… not so pretty.
finally, the club was open, and it was time to step, er, escalate inside…
we were immediately greeted by an exceptionally enthusiastic mask guy who kept sticking is tongue out. the only person with more enthusiasm than this guy was, well, erica. as you may have guessed.
since we were near the front of the line, we had our pick of prime spots in the club. we wisely chose the second level balcony, which gave us an excellent view of the stage while removing us from the crazed high school (and college) seniors who would undoubtedly spill many drinks (among other things) below.
the show began almost immediately with an act based on “memoirs of a geisha,” which featured fan dances, acrobatics and confetti.
at this point, i had no idea how much confetti there would be in this show. so i was like, “look! a little confetti! that’s nice!” ha ha, if only i knew what was in store…
then there was a robbie williams impersonator who sang “mack the knife” with some vegas-y back-up dancers. it was cool, but i had yet to be wowed.
THEN they showed a clip from “cocktail,” and i was like, “playa PLEASE! cocktail?!!!” that is, until i saw a dance routine on the bar featuring four spinning bartenders and flaming drinks.
ok, that was pretty cool, even if it was inspired by a tom cruise movie.
next up, there was a ricky martin number (i think?!!), which, i’m sorry, paled in comparison to “comedy night” at grand coco bay. still, the dancing was pretty great.
and then they unleashed BALLOONS!!! a TON of long, skinny balloons that you could wave around and hit people with!!! look look!
and yes, all of those girls are standing on the bar.
the confetti was still my favorite, though. i have NEVER EVER experienced this kind of confetti madness in my LIFE. i felt like some kind of gold medalist in a parade, or maybe princess diana when she got married, or something.
henri is sooo gonna buy more confetti cannons for sing-alongs.
after this solid beginning, the show became a LOT more amazing, and also, a LOT more crazy. like, you cannot even imagine how crazy. like, “passion of the christ acrobats” kind of crazy.
no seriously. there were passion of the christ acrobats who came down from the ceiling while a clip from the movie played.
and then they did this:
as with all things coco bongo, you really have to see it to believe it. which is why, by the end of this blog entry, you’re gonna owe flossie a thank-you note.
uh… wow?
that act is tough to follow, which is why madonna came out next.
she was pretty great, but not NEARLY as amazing as FREAKING SPIDERMAN. BATTLING THE GREEN GOBLIN. JUST LOOK AT THIS:
have yr pants melted off yet? no? oh, ok. then watch THIS:
yeah, this is all happening at A CLUB. IN CANCUN. WHERE I WAS.
it was like one of those universal studio shows, except NOT LAME. and with STEAM. HOLY CRAP.
destiny’s child (or was it just beyonce? it was hard to tell) came next, but i’m sorry, i don’t care how bootylicious you are, you can’t top spiderman.
still, there was more confetti, and i’m always a fan of that.
i love how coco bongo seeks the most entertaining aspects of all pop culture worlds by combining musical artists with movies with cartoony things like spiderman. or even… beetlejuice! beetlejuice! beetl- don’t worry, i won’t say it three times. duh.
beetlejuice even flew out into the audience, where he was joined by a few other castmates, one of whom surprised me greatly as you’ll see in the video below.
elvis is cool and everything, but the next performance SQUEED MY PANTS OFF. cos it was satine! from moulin rouge! swinging down to the crowd just like in the movie! IT WAS LIKE I WAS IN MOULIN ROUGE!!! ZOMGGG!!!
seriously, how cool would it be to have satine bring you a bottle of champagne? i probably would have burst out with “MYYYYYY GIFT IS MY SOOOONG,” which would have been v. embarrassing but undoubtedly appropriate.
satine’s entrance was followed up with the performance of the “lady marmalade,” featuring lots of sequins and lingerie, as it should.
at one point, giant balloons floated into the crowd and were combined with fog. seriously, i was in special effects heaven. all that was missing were fireworks, which i guess are kinda taboo after that whole great white thing.
the show began to wind down, so erica and henri and i made our way to the floor, where we unfortunately observed the single worst axl rose impersonation i have EVER seen. i mean, COME ON. how hard is it to sway back and forth while screaming and singing? i can’t believe this guy had the nerve to tarnish the image of guns ‘n’ roses in such a fashion. like, axl rose could SUE him for defamation, and that’s saying a lot, considering how much axl rose has defamed himself.
and, as i said disgustedly during the performance, “he’s wearing TWO kinds of plaid. i mean, that is just RIDICULOUS.”
at least slash looked pretty good. if slash had looked bad, things between coco bongo and me would have gone south in a hurry.
in spite of the lackluster G&R, i was glad we ended the show on the floor, amidst the plebian, fratty masses, where the drinks flowed freely and the confetti flowed even more.
conco bongo, i’m going to say something that is often heard in cancun but rarely meant:
“thank you for an amazing night. i’ll never be the same again.”
forget myspace! now there’s HOFFSPACE! finally, a place to go and make fun of people who love david hasselhoff.
john sent me this article about a heinz ad (also featured in the article) that got pulled cos two guys kiss in it and people complained. which is a shame, cos the commercial is totally hilarious and not “gay” at all. seriously, people, there are BETTER WAYS to spend yr obviously copious amounts of free time.
hallo oh hallo! did you guys have a lovely weekend? I DID! and i’ll tell you all about it on wednesday after i finish up these mexico blog entries.
the more time that passes, the harder it is to write these trip posts. not cos i don’t remember things (that’s why i take so many pictures, folks. they do the remembering for me) but because I WANT TO GO BACK SO BADLY. MEXICO TAKE ME BACK TAKE ME BAAAAACK.
sigh. anyway.
so, the day before the wedding, a group of us decided to go snorkeling at this place about 20 minutes away from grand coco bay. we got on a shuttle, which took us to this big touristy marina, where they loaded us onto a boat and gave us life jackets, flippers and a snorkel mask. the boat was actually pretty cool, cos there was a huge flat surface where everyone could sit, and the boat guys gave us orange fanta and played spanish hip hop. i highly recommend this mode of ocean travel.
i hadn’t been snorkeling since my parents and i went to hawaii when i was nine (?), and i’d forgotten that snorkel masks HURT MY FACE. ok, i know the suction has to be tight so the water doesn’t get in yr eyes, but YIKES. is this how it feels when you get a face lift or botox? nicole kidman HOW DO YOU DO IT? and just so you know that i’m not being a *total* baby, i had an indentation in my forehead for like six hours after the trip. gross.
with that said, snorkeling mask pictures are pretty dang cute.
special thanks to erica for these pics, cos i left flossie at the resort (i feared her death via drowning).
speaking of erica, check this gal busting a snorkeling move!
even in a bright orange life jacket and face-smooshing mask, girlfriend has got style.
unfortunately, i don’t have any fish pictures to show you. first, cos we didn’t have an underwater camera (duh). second because… well, we didn’t see any fish. and by that i mean, we spent the majority of our time AVOIDING the fish.
see, the thing is… henri has kind of a phobia of fish. as in, he really, really hates their faces. even the dead fish at central market give him the heebie jeebies.
so of course, snorkeling was a great idea! obviously!
actually, henri was hoping to conquer his fear, and since he likes to be EXTREME, this seemed like a good way to do it.
that is, until he put his head under the water and saw a zillion fish swimming towards him.
one of the fish accidentally ran into me, which unfortunately caused me to shriek, which was all henri needed to launch into a full on panic attack.
so… we hung out. in the water. away from the fish. several times, the boat guys asked us, “are you ok?” each time, we said, “yeah!” with thumbs up signs. eventually, one of the guys swam over to us, as i’m sure they were all dying of curiosity, since we had paid money to basically drift futiley in the ocean.
boat dude: “hey, are you guys ok?”
me: “oh yeah, we’re fine.”
boat dude: “why don’t you want to go over where the group is?”
me: “uh, because there are fish over there. and henri just found out he doesn’t like fish.” (ok, small lie).
boat dude: (laughing) “come ON. you’re kidding me. i would think YOU (points to me) might have a problem, but YOU (jabbing at henri)?! oh man. no way.”
me (wanting to say, “thanks for the sexism, jerkface!” but remaining silent)
henri: “ha ha… eh… yeah.”
boat dude: “don’t worry, man! they don’t bite white people!”
me & henri: “eh… ha?”
in the end, henri’s frustration overpowered his phobia (or maybe it was simply the knowledge that fish don’t like white people), and he managed to conquer his fear. we spent the last ten minutes actually SWIMMING with FISH, and it was really, really cool. i kept saying, “hi nemo!!” but it came out like, “mmmi bemmo!” cos, you know, i had a snorkle in my mouth.
the next day, henri and i spent a little more time on fifth avenue, where we discovered a DAIRY QUEEN.
uh, como se dice DIP CONE?!!!
i also really liked this decoupaged angel, who is apparently really into catholicism.
also? windows with pink trim on an ivy colored building? straight out of the children’s book of my mind.
henri found some super sweet nikes at a store called “shelter,” and i hope he wears them every day, like a little boy who refuses to take off his red rainboots.
swish!
we made it all the way to the end of the street, where we found this pristine little church front.
if you want to take a ferry to cozumel, you can do it here.
also, if you want to bake in the hot sun until yr corpse resembles a california raisin, you can do that here, too. seriously, it was SO HOT.
so, naturally, we had to stop for a margarita. because that is why they were invented, as life saving devices.
we headed back to the hotel and cleaned ourselves up for meredith and kiley’s wedding. have you guys ever walked on a beach to get a wedding? this was my second time to do it (the first was for julie’s wedding), and i have to say, it’s the most delightful, beautiful journey you can make.
of course, henri and i had to take a cheesy picture, cos we were dressed up and on the beach! come on, gimme a little squee here.
and if that doesn’t make you squee, what about THIS picture?
awww, alex and henri are so in luuuurve!!! how romantical!
the ceremony took place on the beach, with the reception following at a place called the kool beach club. lame name, AWESOME venue.
the wedding was simple and beautiful, and the excitement in the audience was palatable. having spent the past few days with each other, our group’s collective spirit was positively soaring.
meredith’s parents walked her down the sandy aisle…
and alex officiated an extremely heartfelt and lovely ceremony. when the bride and groom exchanged their vows, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
the marriage was pronounced, and we walked off into the sunset…
(i love erica’s face in that picture as she looks back at leo)
there was a dinner, followed by some v. entertaining and earnest toasts, followed by my favorite parts: cake and dancing!
on the dance floor, i found out where erica’s grooving genes come from.
even kiley’s texas mama was cutting up the rug!
the only minor problem was… the dj. you guys, i HATE IT when wedding djs are bad. i mean, how hard is it to just load up yr laptop with some JT and 80s tunes and press shuffle?!!!! come ON. and yeah, i guess this guy sort of has an excuse, since he’s from mexico, and some of the music there is different but… when “ring of fire” is the biggest hit of the night, you’ve got problems.
at one point, while dancing to a song, we got down really low in preparation for the climax, and… BOOM. SONG CHANGE. we were left squatting on the floor in disgust.
so i took this picture, for the dance climax that could’ve been.
in spite of the musical lameness, we showed playa del carmen a thing or two about dance parties as the reception raged into the night.
just like his daughter, papa g. was on FIRE. long after i sat down on one of the faux beds by the pool to rest, he was hopping around the floor like the ultimate dance panster.
and of course, the pool did not go unused.
i preferred to stay dry and watch from the sidelines (lame, i know), but in doing so, i was able to observe papa g., holding hands with his best friend, bob, and jumping into the pool while singing the beginning of the laverne & shirley song. “schlemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated!”
i don’t think i will ever see anything at a wedding that will top that.
eventually, even erica was convinced to join the pool group… by her own mother! sheesh.
as you can see, it was an utterly festive night, just the right kind of party for two feisty, fearless people so deeply in love.
i mean, how often does a wedding reception end like this?
exactly.
congratulations, meredith & kiley! the happiest of happiness to you.
LINKS
tasha tudor died! she illustrated my mom’s copy of “the secret garden,” and for that alone i will forever love her. but i had no idea she lived such a rustic… reincarnated?! life.
