ZENA IS 8 - GOING ON 18

So, my lil ZZ turned 8 on the 21st. Can you believe it? I have an 8-year-old. Man am I getting old or what? So, this was the 1st year since she was born that we did not throw her a humongous party. I felt bad about it - but we really are trying to save money. We also made an agreement - no big party & I would buy her an iPod Nano. So, I held up my part of the deal & she has had those darn things in her ears ever since. We did, however, go to Disneyland on her b-day. How could we pass up that great deal - free on your b-day. I worked that day but as soon as I got home we headed to the park. We were able to go on about 6 rides and then by 11:30 p.m. when we were almost falling asleep on Pirates of the Caribbean - we decided to call it a night. I had a great time with Z. We are always so busy going to parties & visiting friends that we hardly spend time alone together so that was real nice.

SANTA BARBARA TRIP

Me and my girlfriends went to Santa Barbara for the weekend. OMG - I had a fabulous time. There was a group of about 10 of us gals that went to celebrate our friend, Barb’s birthday. We went on this awesome wine tour in a big van. We went to 3 different wineries, a lavender farm, did an olive oil tasting and went to Neverland Ranch to see the freak show. I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun. It was awesome. We stayed in this cottage. It was so cute & had a Jacuzzi outside. The neighborhood looked a little suspect - but we’re tough kids. ;) And there was a liquor store about 2 blocks from the house. Perfect for walking to - when you seriously can’t drive. Know what I’m saying? We spent a good deal of one night in the Jacuzzi - singing and laughing and drinking lots of wine (of course). Hope the birthday girl had as much fun as I did!

OKAY I LIED - I DON’T HATE WEDDINGS

Okay, so I’ve said it a few times, “I hate weddings.” But I think I will have to take it back, in fact, I think I actually love weddings. However, I still am all about Vegas & reciting vows in front of Elvis! My friend April’s wedding was on July 12th and it was beautiful. My friend, April is an amazing person. Me and her were these crazy party girls who were regulars at bars & clubs. (Before my Z of course.) Now she has totally turned her life around. She goes to church three times a week. Seriously, three times a week. Yes, churches are not just open on Sundays, people.

April has become an awesome Christian that is truly inspiring. She stopped drinking also. So, it was a dry wedding - which I thought “torture” but it wasn’t bad. I was one of her bridesmaids in the wedding and she was a wonderful gracious bride. No bridezilla here. She also did the most amazing thing - she sang this beautiful song (On this Day! By Ashley Reynolds) to her husband in the middle of the ceremony. Unconventional and a surprise to him but she sounded amazing. I totally lost my bet with her - she said I would cry & I said no way. Dang it - at least it was only a 50 cent bet.

WASHINGTON

Me, Z & my friend, Maggie went to visit our friend, Ellen, in Washington for the 4th of July weekend. I had a wonderful, relaxing and completely laid back trip. We loved it. Ellen and her husband, Fred, moved there about 3 years ago and this was our first trip to see them. They have 5 acres of property that they landscaped & it was like being in a beautiful park or something. They even have a stream running through their property. Their neighbors have cows that would walk up to the backyard fence. They were so cute. I love cows with their big brown eyes and long lashes. Too cute to eat, that’s for sure. Her house was also amazing. She has 2 guestrooms with their own bathroom. So me and Z stayed in one and Maggie stayed in the other room. It was like staying at a B&B. Ellen also cooks the most amazing food. I gained at least 5 lbs. there. Who am I kidding? I could gain 5 lbs just looking at food - so let’s make it 8 lbs. We went o Pikes Market in Seattle one day. What an awesome place - I loved looking at all the fresh produce. Yum! And the fish markets - amazing. We also went to the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville, WA. That was a lot of fun for Z seeing all those animals. She said the bison were her favorite.

As a side note, as I was only a couple hours away from Forks - I did try looking for vampires, but darn it I wasn’t able to find any.