Mi Vida Loca

Life has been Crazy as of late....busiest time of year at work, traveling, Thanksgiving, hospital visits, Holiday parties, illness, meetings, and lots and lots of fun stuff. I just haven't had time to blog about New Orleans, Rosa's wedding, my mom's broken femur (*sigh*) or some of the fabulous activities we have to look forward to.....like the private dinner with Chef David Cohen this weekend with the gang! I haven't even unpacked or done laundry or cleaned since we got back from Santa Maria on Saturday. And when I do have a few moments in between all the other stuff, I just want to sleep. Hoping to squeeze in some Christmas decorating this weekend and then maybe I can find some time to update you all!

Just a Taste

New Orleans was amazing!

You can more photos at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=162891&id=563058071&l=158117b1e5

N.O.L.A.

11/5: Arrive in New Orleans. Drive thru Daiquiris!
11/6: New Orleans Original Cocktail Walking Tour, Sunset Cocktails at World Trade Center, Dinner on Bourbon St.
11/7: Cemetary and Gris Gris Walking Tour, Dinner at K Pauls
11/8: Saints vs Panthers at Superdome
11/9: Hurricane Katrina Tour, Crescent City Walking Night Tour
11/10: Cooking School and Lunch, Ghost and Vampire Tour with Chaz
11/11: French Quarter Walking Tour, Dinner at Commander's Palace
11/12: Mid City Lanes Rock and Bowl
11/13: Return to SD
11/14: Maid of Honor at Rosa and Geoff's wedding in Los Angeles.

Busy, busy. Fun, fun!

Road Trippin'

I don't get to make it home much anymore. It's a 4 1/2 hour drive from San Diego and Jeff and I just don't seem to have enough weekends to fit all the fun things in anymore. I was home in May, but I was playing nurse and Jeff wasn't with me so it was nice to get up there and be a tourist with Jeff . After being gone for 10 years I sometimes forget what a beautiful area I grew up in. We started off in Solvang. Amanda, Peter and Crystal met up with us and we had breakfast and walked around the Danish village. There are a lot of tasting rooms in Solvang so we went with Amanda to Lion's Peak, one of our favorites and because Amanda works in the industry we all got to taste for free. The manager became our new best friend and Jeff and I stocked up on our favorite cab. We then drove to Amanda's winery, Bridlewood, where we met up with cousin Rich and did some more free tasting. Amanda arranged for a private tour of the winery which was amazing. One of the things I love about wine, more than just the taste, is the complexity of how it is made. After Bridlewood I took Rich to Neverland. I grew up just down the road and have been there a few times but Rich had never been. If you know us, you know about our love for MJ. As a kid Rich would make me watch Moonwalker and Thriller over and over and a fan was born. Neverland gates have become a shrine with people leaving pictures and messages and flowers and wine tours now make it a stop so people can take pictures. We paid our respects and took a few pics as well. It's both a beautiful and tragic place. Then, it was out to good old Sisquoc to visit with the moms and enjoy the fresh country air. Both evening involved the Tap Room at the SM Inn so that we could karaoke. I abstained this time, but Rich (as usual) was a hit. Saturday was the big party at the SM Brewery for Peter. I can't even begin to describe how good it was to have real SM Style BBQ (and some really good beer). All the girls came out and we really had a fun time. It was hard to leave on Sunday because coming home is just so relaxing. The pace is slower, the people are all recognizable and I just really enjoyed all the cousin time.

Katrina's in Solvang

Our tour of Bridlewood

Katy and Rich at Neverland

Cousins in the backyard in Sisquoc

Ladies of the Tap Room

Pete-oberfest at SM Brew

You can see all of the pictures from the trip at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=155784&id=563058071&l=b0848a741b

What Are You Doing This Weekend?

I'm heading to Santa Barbara Wine Country!

Arrogant Bastard

One of Pete's requests for while he was in SD was to go to Stone Brewery and Gardens. My brother is a bit of a beer snob and hails Stone as one of his favorite brewers. It's tradition for us to take Peter here while he is in town but since he's been out of the country it's been awhile. We did manage to squeeze in a visit while he was here a year ago for my wedding, but no one should be denied the Stone experience for a year at a time! I expect Peter to be a good brother and visit me often, even if he has an ulterior motive. Here are a few pics from our visit to Stone and our Brewery tour led by none other than Jesus aka Phil. Oh, and Peter was very popular as he has a giant tattoo of the Stone Gargoyle/Demon thingy on his calf. If he lived in SD he could probably get a job here (you get a keg a month and you are allowed to drink 2 beers per shift!).

Arrogant Bastard makes us a happy couple

Crystal doesn't drink, but she still looks good with a beer in her hand!

Jesus showing us where the magic happens

Stone make them a happy couple too!

Check out the magic here:

http://www.stoneworldbistro.com/

Back on US Soil

After a two year stint serving overseas my little brother is back home and will be stationed in Northern California at Travis AFB. On his way back Pete decided to stop in in Massachusetts to visit with our East Coast relatives and Jeff and I decided to crash the party. We made a vacation out of it and flew to Boston, spent a few days touring the city and then drove out to meet up with everyone at my Aunt Margaret's house. I finally got to meet my sister in law which was a bonus. Peter and Crystal have been married for two years but the one time she was in Cali to visit, Jeff and I were in Chicago. To celebrate Peter's return as well as his 26th birthday my Aunt and her husband threw a party and we got to see relatives we hadn't seen in years as well as meet some for the first time. The weather was perfect (except for 1 rainy morning) and I just had so much fun being with family. The only bad thing, the airline lost Jeff's luggage so we are in the process of filing a claim. Who know $1000 worth of stuff could fit in a carry on size bag?!? I'm just glad they didn't lose my giant piece of luggage (some people might know about my designer jean vice).

Jeff and I are heading home to Santa Maria next weekend for Pete's West Coast welcome back party aka Petoberfest. Pete has rented out a whole brewery, will be BBQing and will have a live band for 60 or so of his closest friends. I'm looking forward to it!

You can view pics from our Boston trip here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=150600&id=563058071&l=e9ad918832

Fenway

Can you find us?

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?userid=fanfoto&gallery_id=1785450

Beantown

Tomorrow Jeff and I leave for a long weekend in Boston. In just 5 days we're fitting in sightseeing, Fenway and family fun. Can't wait to show Jeff around the city and take him to Fenway, but the most exciting part is seeing my Mass. relatives and finally meeting my sister-in-law. Pics will be posted next week!

Girls Weekend Laguna Beach

Paradise Awaits....

Friends, wine and fare

Dancing in the Club

Dancing by the Sea

Fun Follows Us

Wherever we may be





A new tradition is born....

365 Days Later

I can't believe it's been a year already! I still haven't even sent my pic choices to the photographer yet for our wedding album...Jeff and I have some vacations coming up so we wanted our 1 year anniversary to be special but we wanted to stick close to home. We were lucky in that it happened to fall on Labor Day weekend so we had an extra day to celebrate. We started off by going to La Jolla on Saturday evening and walking around the cove, getting drinks at Bull & Bear and ending the night with Cold Stone. It was a warm and balmy evening and the cool sea air and moonlight on the waves was very romantic. There were several weddings going on so it was kind of fun to spy and reminisce. Sunday we slept in and had a nice lazy morning and then headed to Temecula. We started off with lunch in Old Town and then walked around for a few hours. There are lots of cute shops and I bought some Christmas ornaments. I decided I'm going to collect wine themed ornaments in the hopes of having a Martha Stewart-esque tree with a wine theme someday. We also stopped at a tasting room for Longshadow Ranch. We befriended the bartender and he was rockin' the Bob Marley which was cool. It reminded us of our honeymoon in Jamaica! We left with a bottle of delicious Port and then went to check into our room at Temecula Creek Inn. Once at the hotel we hung out on the patio listening to the Ipod, opened a bottle of Chardonnay and just relaxed for a few hours. For dinner we headed to Francesca's, an Italian restaurant Jeff took me to the night before he proposed to me. The next morning we hit the wine trail. Started off with lunch on the Patio at Southcoast which is where we got engaged. The wine pourer there became our BFF once we told her to pick our tastes for us. I'm pretty sure we got about 12 pours when we only paid for 6. She was pretty fun. South Coast wine is okay, but if you ever get a chance to have the Ruby Cuvee I highly recommend it. It's my favorite wine there. Then we headed up the road a bit to Ponte. Our wine pourer was Sean, the same guy who poured our wine when we were there two years ago celebrating our engagement. Ponte has some really delicious wines. I'm not a dessert wine person but they had a really good Sparkling Muscato. I picked up a bottle of that because I wanted to share it with the girls for my upcoming girls weekend in Laguna Beach (more on that later). We wandered the grounds and just enjoyed sitting outside. The weather had been unbearably hot the past few weeks but that Sunday it cooled down a little and there was a slight breeze. It was a beautiful day to sit outside and sip wine. After Ponte we decided to do a drive by at Oak Meadows, our venue. We pulled up and it was just as beautiful as when Jeff and I first discovered it. We knew within 30 seconds of seeing it the first time that it was 'the' place. After that we headed to The Compound and Jeff decided that for our 5 year we're going to rent it out again and invite the whole crew back to relive that fun, yet crazy weekend. We called it a day after that and headed home, opened up a bottle champagne we had gotten as a gift on our wedding day and sipped it out of our wedding flutes. I have to say it was low key, but was the perfect 1 year anniversary. I fall more in love with my Jeff every day and look forward to growing old with him. The year went by so fast, but that must mean we're having fun!

A sign I thought was funny in Old Town Temecula

Jeff opening a bottle of wine on the patio at TCI.

Our pretty patio view at Temecula Creek Inn

Sipping wine at Ponte

We had to stop by our wedding venue and take a self portrait

The Compound

Finishing the weekend with champagne in our wedding flutes

Katy & Jeff Boeder

9/7/08

How to Beat the Heat

The last several days have been real hot. In SD, we usually are in the 80's in August but have had temps at or above 100 the last several days. San Diego is known for it's weather so I'll admit I'm spoiled. If it gets below 70 I'm freezing, if it get's above 90 I'm roasting. So, the last few days have been umcomfortable to say the least. But, there are a couple of ways to beat the heat.

The first way is to head west until you hit water

The second way is to put on a bikini and make a cocktail in the biggest cup in the house

The golfers didn't seem to mind....

♫ Where the Turf Meets the Surf ♪

One (of many) things I look forward to every year are the races at Del Mar. Jeff and I usually like go at least a few times over the summer. Del Mar is beautiful and who wouldn't look forward to a day out in the San Diego sunshine with friends and the ponies? When you're only betting $2, it makes the races a little more fun but if you don't win it's no big deal. Whenever I attend, I always like to ask friends/family who they are betting on and why. Everyone has their own betting strategy. Personally, I bet based on the jockeys. I keep tabs on who is hot, who is not, who is up and coming, who is struggling, etc...But, people bet based on the name of the horse, the color of the jockey's shirt, the number of the horse, the odds, the owner....the list goes on. This year I've been twice, once with Jeff's work friends and once with work. I'm not a gambler so I'm pretty conservative when it comes to betting. I'll bet $2 on a favorite to win and $2 on a long shot to show. Sometimes I'll bet a quinella. Usually I'll win about $4 and use it to bet on the next race, once in a while I'll get lucky and win $8 which pays for a beer at the track. It's not like Vegas where $20 disappears into a slot machine and 30 seconds later you're done. Just a few bucks make for a good time and what is really fun, is when you're friends who are a little more aggressive with the betting actually win a good chunk of change!

Jenni and Bobbi and friends (Acushnet)

Hmmm...Mike Smith or Joe Talamo? Corey Nakatani baby!

Golden Eagle's Day at the Races

Every year my employer has a day at the races for high performing agents. The senior staff and executives attend and a few underwriters are also invited. This year I was lucky enough to have a high performing agency and be invited to attend. It was a lot of fun to get away from the office for the day and enjoy food and beverage on the company tab.

Happiest Place on Earth

Is not Disneyland. It's Stone Brewery in Escondido! Duh. My bestie Nate invited Jeff and I to join him and his girl Helene to Stone Brewery's Sour Beer Fest in July. This place is amazing. Not only do they have a huge selection of top notch beer but it is located on the top of a hill in Escondido and the restaurant is set in a beautiful garden setting. It was hot as Hades when we went. It made the cold beer taste that much better. It was a lot of fun to go to the various booths and try numerous kinds of sour beer. My favorite by far was a lychee sour beer. The lychee reminded me of Jamaica....I love any restaurant or bar where one can sit outside and enjoy San Diego's beautiful weather. This place is even more amazing at night when the fire pits and gaslamps are lit and the friends are close at hand. Here are a few pics from the beer fest.

Nate and Helene

Lychee Sour Beer

Mmmmm Beer!

Why so boring?

I haven't had access to my computer the last several weeks (it's being borrowed by my nephew). Once I have access again I'll update.

A few weekends ago Jeff, Bailey and I packed up and headed about an hour and 45 minutes North East to Lake Gregory up in the Big Bear area. Neither of us had ever been in the area, but Jeff's mom and Step-dad had rented a cabin for the week so we decided to join them for their last few days up there. We got there around 9 pm Friday night and stayed up playing cards with the whole fam (and grown ups were having some adult beverages). Saturday we all got up, had breakfast and then headed out to the lake. It's not really a lake in my definition, more like an oversized pond. But....there were lots of activities and it was nice and warm so the cool, refreshing water (okay, freezing cold, melted snow) felt good. They had waterslides which were a ton of fun, lots of watersports, swimming. We got lots of sun and had a lot of fun. I would definitely return!

The view from the cabin

Jeff working on his man tan

Katy and Alex on the water tricycle

Yeah....I Took a Nap

I had a headache so I took a much needed nap. Jeff and I went on a 3 mile run/walk, he found his paperwork and I'm updating the blog and about to start some laundry. I can cross a few things off my list. Here is a recap of a few things we've been up to lately:

San Diego weather has been fabulous lately! We've had lots of sunshine and warm temps. Bailey is our California dog and loves to lay out in the sun until she comes in panting and is warm to the touch. Just had to take this pic of her working on her tan.

Had a BBQ at the Colemans. Their sis and cousin were in town and we had awesome burgers and dogs q'd up by grillmaster Jamey. There was hot tubbing and Bartender Dan even came by. I learned that I need to practice for beer pong, although I did sink the winning shot once!

This is a pic of my little cousin Kiya. This is at the harbor in Santa Barbara and was taken while we were killing time during mom's surgery. Kiya played hookie and hung out with us for the day and made the day go by faster.

Tomorrow evening we head up to Lake Gregory for a weekend with Jeff's family. It's in the Big Bear area, neither of us have ever been. Looking forward to a little weekend get away. It's supposed to be hot this weekend, I'm ready to go on those water slides and work on my tan!

http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/parks/lake.htm

I've Been a Bad, Bad Blogger

So much to tell....so little time!

When I get home today I plan on doing the following:

Updating my blog with pics
laundry
pack for Big Bear
charge camera and air mattress inflator thingie
vacuum
clean the bathrooms
work out
make Jeff find his paperwork so we can make appointment to get our home loan pre-approval

I usually come home on non-bootcamp days and take a nap. I'll fight the urge today :-D

How Pretty is My BFF?

Love the photos....can't wait for the wedding!

http://seantroeger.blogspot.com/2009/06/rosa-geoff-santa-barbara-ca.html

Back in Action

Finally got my new camera charger yesterday....battery is charged and ready for action! This weekend is BBQ time. Looking forward to burgers and dogs with the Coleman's tomorrow and enjoying perfect San Diego weather.

Last weekend was Father's Day weekend and we had John and Goldie in town. We had tons of fun and the Midway tour was awesome (but long) as was brunch. I wish I had pictures to share!

Looking forward to movie night at Stone with the peeps next week and then a long weekend for 4th of July. No big plans, but I'm sure sunshine and spirits will be involved. Maybe a little beach time too.

http://www.stonebrew.com/movies/

So Proud of Jeff

Jeff has worked for Titleist for 5 years now, but a year ago he moved to their putter division Scotty Cameron. For those of you in the golf world you need no explanation of who Scotty Cameron is, but for those of you who aren't in the know here is the lowdown. Basically a Scotty Cameron putter is THE putter to have. Even players who are sponsored by Callaway, Nike, etc...use Scotty's putters, including Tiger Woods. He has a following and his putters are collectors item as are his headcovers. His headcovers when released typically sell out in less than 10 minutes online and can be found on ebay soon after for a much higher price. There are blogs dedicated to his headcovers and putters! Several months ago Scotty had a staff meeting and asked for ideas for headcovers and Jeff threw out his idea. Scotty liked Jeff's idea, put it into production and well, Jeff's headcover is now the 2009 US Open Commemorative headcover! It went on sell this morning! Check it out:

http://blogs.golf.com/equipment/2009/06/scotty-cameron-2009-us-open-commemorative-headcover-hits-bethpage.html


Needless to say we are very excited! I'm so proud of Jeff and think he just might have a future in headcover design......

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Friday after work Jeff and I headed up to Redondo Beach to see his dad and Goldie. We always have a blast with these guys and our livers always get a good workout. True to form, Jeff's dad had cocktails waiting for us when we got there and we stayed up late catching up. The boys got up and went golfing the next morning, Goldie went to Yoga, and I slept in.....When Goldie got back she treated me to a massage at a local spa and then we met the boys for chips and beer at Calimex. John and Goldie live in a beautiful condo just minutes from the beach and walking distance to shops and restaurants galore. After a few beers we went back to the condo and got ready for dinner. Jeff and I owed the Boeder's a nice birthday dinner and had been waiting for months to find a weekend we could all get together. Typically we've taken them to Lawry's in Beverly Hills but we decided to stick closer to home and go to The Proud Bird near LAX. This place was like a museum with planes all over the grounds and hundreds of pictures on the walls. John and Goldie have a knack for finding restaurants full of character and this place did not disappoint. The food was great and we had fun watching the planes land at LAX. When we got home we debated walking across the street to Bogey's (dive bar), but instead opted to continue on with cocktails and have a Wii bowling tourney at home. Sunday I had an appointment with my BFF Rosa in Burbank to choose/buy a bridesmaid dress and the whole Boeder clan joined me. Roadtrip! Well, its only a 1/2 hour drive but in LA driving anywhere seems like a road trip. Dress was picked out and purchased (in only 45 minutes!), we grabbed lunch and went back to the RB area and caught The Hangover. Laughed so hard tears came down my face! We then headed back to the condo to watch the end of the Laker game. The worst part about visiting them is the leaving part. But, they are coming and staying with us next weekend for Fathers Day so we are looking forward to that! Sorry for lack of pictures, I left my camera charger in Vegas last month and just ordered a new one on ebay today. But definitely check out the Proud Bird site. I'm sure we'll be back :-)

http://www.theproudbird.com/

Update

My mom had her surgery on 5/27 at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara. I left SD that morning expecting to arrive about a 1/2 hour before the surgery so I could see her briefly before they put her under, but the traffic gods were not with me and I got there right after they wheeled her away. Per the doctor surgery would take 4 hours and she would be able to go home the next day.....My Aunt Linda, cousin Amanda and her daughter Kiya had been with my mom that morning so I picked them up and we decided to wait out the surgery by enjoying Santa Barbara for the day. We walked around downtown and window shopped on State Street and then headed to the beach for a while to enjoy a walk in the sun. About a half hour before she was to be out of surgery we headed back to Cottage and the waiting room attendant had no news for us. 5 pm came and went and finally at 6:30 the doc came out, told us they had some complications which is why the surgery took an extra hour but she would be fine. All the cancer was out and he didn't believe any radiation or chemo would be needed (yay!). We had to wait another two hours until she was moved to a hospital room and we could see her. I was pleasantly surprised to see her alert and smiling. She wasn't in any pain and seemed ok. She was relieved with the good news. Linda and Amanda went home and I stuck around for another couple of hours keeping my mom company. Around 8:30 I finally left and made the hour drive back to my mom's house for the night. It was a long day......

I went back to the hospital the next day at 10 am and my mom looked miserable. She was in a lot of pain. Apparently she was still numb from the general anesthetic the night before and now that it wore off she was feeling the pain. Needless to say, she wasn't coming home that day, or the next, or the next.....Because my poor mom hadn't eaten in several days she was week, but they wouldn't let her eat or leave until she was up walking around. After 6 days of no food she finally ate on Saturday night and I was able to take her home Sunday. My days were basically spent at the hospital keeping her company with brief breaks to run at the beach or meet Cynthia for lunch. Not to mention it was an hour drive each way from my mom's to the hospital......the days were long but I'm glad I could be there for my mom.

I was supposed to come back to San Diego on Wednesday and return to work on Thursday but my mom was still not able to get up much and could not cook for herself. She improved greatly each day so I knew just a few more days were needed so I informed the boss man. By the time I left Friday morning she was making her own breakfast (to prove to me she would be ok if I left). Linda and Amanda have been checking on her daily and recovery is going well. She was a good patient :-)

Needless to say, as much as I love my mom and am so glad I could be there for her I was soooo glad to get back to San Diego. Being away from the husband for 9 days was hard. Plus, my mom lives in the boonies. Thank God Rosa and Cyn came to town and kept me company. I might have gone bananas! I may have spent the first 20 years of my life living in podunk, but city life is the life for me. No going back!

On my daily drives to SB I actually had to use my high beams at night. I forgot my car even had high beams. And, I had to drive slower than usual as creatures tend to run out in front of your car in the country. I succesfully avoided all the creatures that ran in front of me, including a large deer and a badger.

I'd run a few miles each evening and had to remember to listen for rattlers, stay out from under the oak trees (the ticks will get you), avoid poison oak and keep an eye out for mountain lions and coyotes. And people think the cities are dangerous!

But, I do have to admit that the Central Coast is a beautiful area and was a wonderful place to grow up. Amanda works at a winery and gets to bring home all the unfinished bottles, so I'd like to thank my cousin for keeping my hydrated on my trip! I look forward to September when we'll all get together for my mom's 60th for wine tasting. Can we say Sideways....?

Sisquoc is in Wikipedia?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisquoc,_California

This was 'the city' when I was growing up:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria,_California

The wine trail I grew up on:

http://www.foxencanyonwinetrail.com/

The winery Amanda works at (best Syrah I've ever had):

http://www.bridlewoodwinery.com/home.asp

Home Sweet Home

I'm back! Can't wait for Jeff to get home from work, can't wait to sleep in my own bed.....so glad to be back in SD!!!!! I'll post the details on Nurse Katy and Theresa's status (news is good) later. But first, got to unpack and then somehow make 6 O'clock get here fast so I can see my Jeff.

Overserved

Back from Sake and Sapporo at Yummy Sushi (walking distance and might possibly be....inebriated). Leaving for Santa Maria on Wednesday to take care of my mom for a week with no cell phone and no internet. Might be good for me. But no Jeff? Don't know if I can do it....

Vegas Recap

Made it home safe and sound Sunday afternoon. Jeff picked me up at the airport and we went to Old Town for a few Margaritas to enjoy San Diego's perfect weather. Nothing like a few days in Vegas to remind you what a paradise San Diego is and how even a few days away from my Jeff feels way too long (how are we going to do 8 days apart next week?)!

So this Vegas trip was the most mellow trip I've been on, maybe because I'm an old married lady. But for those of you that know me, my definition of mellow is probably very different than yours ;-)

Friday: I got in at 2 and everybody else's flights were delayed and nobody got in until 8. I relaxed in our suite at THE hotel (yes, that is how they spell it) at Mandalay eagerly awaiting for the girls to arrive. We made it to dinner around 10 pm at one of my favorite spots Red Square for a nice Russian meal and some martinis. We then mosied over to RumJungle and stayed for only a minute. When a guy with a rat tail ordered a drink in front of me at the bar I knew this was not the place for me! We then headed to Tryst and had a few cocktails and danced awhile (why nobody wanted bottle service beats me, I like me some VIP) until 2 am or so. Some of the girls stayed, a few went back to the hotel and I forced myself to head to another club with Rosa and Erica because some girls in our group had scored a VIP skybox at Rain to see DJ AM. What the heck, you can't go to bed a 2 am when you're in Vegas, and it was DJ AM! We get to Rain, walk into the skybox and guess who was there? For those of you who are reality TV junkies like I am you'll appreciate the fact that Steve the host of VH1s Tough Love was the man with 'the box.' A girl in our group had met him at the pool earlier in the day, he was into her and invited her to Rain. Cool guy, thanks Leigha and Amber for letting me tag along! Tough Love was my most recent guilty pleasure. He's casting ladies for season 2, I told Cyn I think she should apply, LOL.

Steve Ward

http://www.vh1.com/shows/tough_love/series.jhtml

We partied at rain until 4 am when they kicked everyone out and even though all I wanted to do was go back to the room and go to bed, I followed the girls to Drei's. In the 30 or so times I've been to Vegas I've never made it to this after hours club. I basically showed up, my body and feet (damn those heels) were telling me to go to bed, and luckily Erica was totally with me so we jammed after only an hour. So as the sun was coming up, Erica and I were climbing into bed.

Day 2: Woke up at 9 am with no hangover. Yay for drinking in moderation! We all headed to the pool and sat in the 104 degree heat for a few hours. My 31 year old body needed some more rest so after being at the pool long enough to get sunburned I headed back to the room for a 3 hour nap with Rosa.

Katy, Alexis, Cyn and Erica at the pool

We got all dolled up for night two and headed to the top of THE hotel to Mix for dinner. We sat outside in 80 degree weather and enjoyed the most fabulous view of the strip from 64 floors up. It was amazing!

The view from Mix

Erica, Alexis, Cyn, Rosa, Leigha, Katy

After dinner we headed to XS, the line was ridiculous (even being on the list) and we went right back to the hotel. A few girls went back to the room. Rosa, Erica and I decided to hang out in the casino and maybe try XS again around 2 am. The rest of our group were partying up in the Foundation Room and I was debating whether to go when I look up and see Gwen Stefani walking right towards me with the rest of No Doubt in tow. I fumbled around for my camera and by the time I got it out and remembered how to work it she was walking right by me. Have to admit I was quite star struck! She is a tiny little thing. I'm 5 ft 7 and she was definitely a few inches shorter and very petite.

The back of Gwen Stefani's head

No Doubt headed to the House of Blues for an afterparty and we stood outside and watched them perform. A few minutes later I look over and see another entourage. This time it was Tiger Woods. He headed into the afterparty and watched Tiger hang with No Doubt and MC Hammer came up on stage and did the hammer dance. Pretty hilarious! After a while we went walking around the casino and grabbed a few drinks. On our second lap we noticed a group of security standing around a craps table. Tiger Woods and Fred Couples decided to leave the after party and shoot some craps, so me and the girls hung out and watched him play for awhile. The guy is seriously going bald, but still larger than life! Honestly, I was more excited to see Fred than Tiger and nobody else there even knew who he was.

Tiger (in the white jacket) playing craps

A bunch of girls in our group ended up getting into XS at 2am, with free bottle service and a daybed....but Erica, Rosa and I had enough excitement and hit the hay. Next day we got up (no hangover again), packed up and headed out. Fun trip, but anywhere I go with my girls is fun. Next big get together is in SD for Rosa's bachelorette. More fun times ahead!

The End