Birthdays and Bachelorettes

Last week, Dana and I were excited to see our good old friends, Megan and Chris.  Megan is a really good friend of mine who moved from San Diego to Washington the day that Dana and I got married.  So, it had been over a year since we last saw them.  Saying good-bye to close friends is never easy, but reuniting with them is always the best feeling.  We were excited to show them our new house and have them over for dinner, which we combined with celebrating Megan's birthday (since it was going to be the following Saturday).  We started the night off grilling chicken (for me) and steaks for them.  Megan and I made a delicious caprese salad all made from fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden, and we added a baked potato to round out the meal.  To Megan's surprise, we also had her favorite, Banana Cream Pie, which we special ordered for the occasion.  We ate pie, opened a birthday gift, and talked til the bugs started biting (yes, we have been getting bit by the pesky mosquitos).  They spent the night, testing out our new pull out couch and we awoke in the morning eating my special breakfast--pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, bananas, maple syrup and whipped cream.  Yes, it is a bit naughty, but I think our visitors always enjoy it (and if they don't, I know Dana does).

Once the weekend rolled around, I left Dana and was Santa Barbara bound.  Leaving early Friday morning, 2 girls (Jen and Normandy) and myself hopped in a car and headed to SB for my friend, Jen's bachelorette party.  We made a pit stop in LA to pick up one of my closest friend's, Brooke, whose brother let us use his pride and joy, a '73 Cutlass Convertible, to ride in style up the coast to Santa Barbara.  It was a bit chilly on the way there, but we were lucky to have a gorgeous sunny day on the way home to keep the top down and let our hair blow in the wind Thelma and Louise style.  Our weekend away was much needed by all of us and very thoroughly enjoyed.  We lounged by the pool, ate good food, played fun games, and giggled 'til our cheeks couldn't take it any more.  Twelve girls made the trip, traveling everywhere from Washington, to Lodi, to New York, to San Diego.  We all left feeling like we had made great friends and are all looking forward to reunite for the wedding.  We did our best to pamper Jen and make her feel special, and based on the big smile on her face, I think we accomplished our job.