Girls Just Wanna Have Fu-uun……..

The prodigious lyrics to this Cyndi Lauper tune certainly rang true a couple of delightful weekends ago.

Blythe and I decided it would be fun to have a little girls’ getaway weekend in Las Vegas. So, I drove out from Cali with my friends Kim and Sara, and she drove out from Utah with her friends Kim and Nikki (I know, Kim overload). Blythe’s boyfriend, Easton, was kind enough to let us stay at his awesome loft, and the mischief ensued from the very second we all got together.

It was a most awesome event.

The weekend was filled with a plethora of activities; however they  consisted of a few main themes:

Eating:

 

Mmmmmm….

Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate. Decadent!!

 

 

 

Sara chowing down on some Baja Fresh!

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast at The Original Pancake House.

 

 

 

 

The waffle fries in the bottom right corner were to die for!

 

 

 

 

 

F.A.O. Schweetz!!

 

 

 

Now, I must exclude Miss Kimothy from this particular activity. She was on some crazy diet that consisted of plain chicken breasts, Mahi Mahi, and broccoli (which made her quite gassy, I might add). Hence, all she would “eat” on our food outings was organic herbal tea.

I will say this – the girl has some amazing self-control. NOT pig out in Las Vegas? Almost unheard of.

 

Relaxing in/at the pool:

You’ll notice that there are no pool pictures of me. That is because I plan on destroying all evidence of the fact that I was ever in a bathing suit that weekend. Pasty white. Not pretty. Went to a tanning salon last week and bought a month’s worth of tans.

 

Gallivanting like fools around Caesar’s Palace:

Ummmm……I really have no good explanation for these pictures. Excepting that six hungry girls can always find some way to get into trouble when they are let loose in a casino that has an ample supply of props. Nuff said.

Playing around in a revolving door

 

Playing around with David’s, um….jewels.

 

Notice Kim’s pout. She’s just realized that she can’t partake in the chocolatey goodness!

 

Shazaam!!

 

Ah ha!! Finally, a knight in shining armor!!

 

They say that Vegas is supposed to be like Disneyland for grown-ups. I think that it lived up to this reputation, don’t you?

 

Playing with the “Pink Glitter-Bouncy-Ball O’ Fun”:

So, on their way down to Vegas, Blythe’s carload stopped in Beaver, Utah. There, at a podunk little gas station, they picked up what has to be the best, most entertaining little toy ever known to man.

The “Pink Glitter-Bouncy-Ball O’ Fun.”

A bouncy ball? What’s so fun about a bouncy ball?

Well, let me tell you. This is no ordinary bouncy ball. First of all, it is HUGE – the biggest one that I’ve ever seen by far (that’s what she said – he he). Secondly, it is bright pink – perfect for a girls’ weekend. Thirdly, it has glitter and – wait for it, wait for it – a strobe light on the inside, so that when you bounce it, the ball sparkles and shimmers like a disco ball.

So. Awesome!!

This ingenious little toy provided us with hours (well maybe not hours) of laughter and entertainment, both on land and at sea.

(You see how red Blythe’s eyes are in the following picture? Well, if you could read what the bracelet she is holding says, you would understand why. Little devil.)

At the end of our trip, right before we were about to leave the loft, Kim H. decided that she wanted to know what would happen to the “Pink Glitter-Bouncy-Ball O’ Fun” if she dropped it off the balcony. Mind you, the loft is on the 9th story of the building.

Bets were placed. The ball was dropped. And wouldn’t you know it, that little bugger didn’t even end up with a scratch on it!! It is apparently invincible!!

The only one who didn’t think that the ball would burst upon impact was Kim W., so she got to take it home as a prize.

I want one too!!

 

Being educated on the “ins and outs” of tea bags by Ms. Kimberly W.:

The girl is truly a kook. What else can I say? And I love her for it!

 

This girls’ weekend was a total blast, and I can’t wait to go back again!!

From the Mouths of Babes

This past weekend, my older sister, Shannon, her husband, and their four kids flew down to San Diego for a short visit before taking off on a family vacation cruise from Long Beach. Since they live in Seattle, I hardly ever get to see them, so I drove down to SD to get in some quality time with the nieces and nephews.

Seeing as I don’t have any kids of my own (that I know of - there was that crazy Spring Break in Miami a few years back......), it always amazes me how quickly they seem to grow up. I mean, I don't want to sound like one of those old fuddy duddys that waxes nostalgic about it "seeming like only yesterday that you were born." But seriously, it was just yesterday that these kids were born. Three out of four of them were born when I was technically of marrying age, so the fact that they are now fast approaching legal dating age absolutely floors me!

I am also constantly enlightened by the conversations I have with these kids.

For example, meet one of my nieces, Elyse (11 years).

On the car ride home from the airport, she started telling me about this boy from church named Dane, whom she has a HUGE crush on. Dane is an older man – 12 years old – and he and Elyse are in the same Sunday School class together. However, it seems that Dane has absolutely no idea that Elyse even exists – as anything other than a buddy, of course. This is quite frustrating for little Elyse, as she would love it if Dane were her boyfriend.

'Scuse me? I'm sorry, but since when were my 11-year-old niece (whom I still mentally picture as a toddler) and I on the same playing field? Exactly when did she develop the ability to have romantical feelings, I ask you? So. Weird.

However, it's nice to know that boys can manage to frustrate and confuse you at almost any age, and that I am not alone in my plight.

And then there are my nephews, Justin (13 years) and Adam (also 11 years – he and Elyse are twins).

Saturday morning, I came downstairs to get myself some breakfast, only to find Justin doing the same thing. I greeted him, and then compulsorily asked, "So, how was your sleep?" He replied, "It was okay, except that I was woken up in the middle of the night by a clap of thunder." This puzzled me a little bit, as I had not been aware of any inclement weather overnight. Justin could sense my confusion, and went on to explain that what he had meant by that statement was that Adam had been farting in his sleep.

Ew.

But I had to laugh. When Adam came downstairs a few minutes later, I questioned him about the accusation, thinking that he would vehemently deny that any such thing ever occurred. But alas, he confessed to the entire gaseous incident. And what's more - he was proud of it.

It's nice to know that boys start honing these combustion skills at such a young age. I so have something to look forward to when I get married.

And then we have my sister's youngest, Ashley (6 years).

Oh, Ashley. Let's just say that she is a little.....wily.

Okay, she's out of control. Hell on wheels. The girl looks like an angel, but truly is the devil in disguise.

But I love her anyway.

So, last week, a few days before the family left on their vacation, Ashley woke up in the middle of the night, bored. What did she do to appease this boredom, you may ask? Read a book? Play with her toys? Pull out the Crayola?

Oh, no.

Ashley pulled out the scissors – and went to town on her shoulder-length locks (Angela Sudweeks, if you are reading this, I totally thought of you). And apparently, Ashley must have thought that she would shortly be joining the armed forces, because in a few areas, she actually cut her hair down to her scalp.

As you can imagine, my sister was horrified. I, on the other hand, found this whole situation quite amusing, and would burst into fits of laughter every time Ashley would walk into the room.

My sister was not amused at my amusement.

Here are a few pictures to document this “tragedy.” Keep in mind, the pictures below were taken AFTER Ashley had gone to a hairdresser to have her hair touched up. So you can only imagine what the original hack job looked like.

Notice the fact that the hair on the right side of her head is longer than the hair on the left side of her head. :o)

So. Freaking. Hilarious. I know, I’m such a mean aunty.

Gotta love these kids, though.

This one’s for you, Blythe!!

Inside joke. Sorry everyone.

But I thought about it today and it made me giggle. Love you B!!

Sweatin’ With the Oldie

Anybody who knows me well knows that I hate exercise. No, let me rephrase that – I abhor exercise. This has been the case for as long as I can remember. In fact, I specifically remember wanting to have a nervous breakdown in junior high every time my PE teacher would announce it was “20-minute run day.” Call me lazy if you want to – you’re probably mostly right. Lately, however, my excuse has just been that I am so tired all the time from work, and exercise is the absolute last thing on my mind. So there.

Anyway, as a result of all this (ahem) exhaustion, I am pretty out of shape. So, I should have known better when a few of my girlfriends suggested we do something that was quintessentially LA; something which, upon initial assessment, seemed like it might be kinda fun. What is this intriguing activity, you may ask? Well, last Saturday, we……..

…..worked out with Richard Simmons.

 

That’s right – brillo-head, glitter-shirt, wahaaaay-too-short shorts, Mr. “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” himself – Richard Simmons.

Apparently, unbeknownst to me, Richard Simmons still owns and operates a workout studio in Beverly Hills, and holds his “Slimmons” workout class there three times a week (how I have lived in LA for five years and managed to miss this little gem of knowledge is beyond me). Considering the fact that this guy is in his sixties, that is actually pretty impressive.

 

Now, when I say that I thought this class would be fun, this was based on my TV exposure to Richard Simmons. The man, hyperactive as he might be, seemed like a hoot, and I thought that taking a class from him might, if anything, be entertaining. Plus, it was just an aerobics class – how hard could it be? Right? Right?

Weeeeeell, I forgot to take two very important factoids into consideration.

1. As previously mentioned, I am extremely out of shape (though I didn’t realize just how out of shape that actually was).
2. I am hopelessly and utterly uncoordinated. I really mean it. Ask anyone who knows me. When I try to dance, I look like a retarded string bean having a seizure. Think Elaine from “Seinfeld” here, folks. Plus, I don’t pick up steps very quickly – which, in an aerobics workout, change every 2.5 seconds.

Well, Richard must have picked up on the above factoids, because he kept picking on me!!! Seriously, it was so annoying and embarrassing. Big bully!!

Did I enjoy this class? Uh, no. Did I leave this class with better self-esteem than when I went in? Negatory. Am I a bigger fan of Richard and his “Slimmons” workout? That’s laughable. Did I appreciate the $50 parking ticket I got from the City of Beverly Hills during his class? Grrrrrrrr.

But here’s the thing. This whole experience has made me realize that I really do want to get in shape – I mean, I’m young, and I really should be more fit and healthy. So, as of today, I am going to start to make some exercise goals for my life – and I plan to stick to them! Really. Then, perhaps someday, I can return to “Slimmons” and hold my head high in fitness triumph.

And I guess I can thank Richard for that. Femmy bastard.