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.

SHECKY'S GIRLS NIGHT OUT

Me and my sisters recently went to Shecky’s Girls Night Out. Have you ever been to this fabulous shopping event? It is the best. All my favorite things happen at this event. Hanging out with my girlfriends, shopping, having a couple drinkie drink drinks & goodie bags. The price per ticket is $25 - but they usually have promos going on - buy 1 get 1 free. There are a bunch of cool vendors (clothes, jewelry, beauty products & more) and the goodie bags are packed with tons of stuff. In my bag I got a book, 3 Venus Razors, 2 deodorants, Rembrandt toothpaste. Listerine Whitening mouth wash, several body washes, hand soaps, lip balm, - all kinds of stuff. I love Shecky’s!

BRACE FACE

So, I guess it was inevitable - my little ZZ had to get braces. OMG. Too be honest I was scared for her. I never had braces so I didn’t know if they would hurt or not. Zena was excited. Excited about all the different colored bands she could put on her braces. She was a real trooper at the Ortho - no tears. So brave. She hasn’t complained about pain too much & I think the worst part is flossing every night. Also - giving up all her favorite snacks, candy, chocolate, chips. I told her she is going to be a skinny minnie by the time she gets her braces off. I think she looks so cute in braces.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Me: “Zena do you think it’s weird that I am in love with fro yo [frozen yogurt]?”
Z: “Mom you can’t be in love with fro yo. If you got married it would just melt.”

ZENAISMS

So, me and Zena were talking about taking Roxy to puppy school the other day and Zena asked me, "is it like a pilates class?" What do you do with a 7-year-old who thinks puppy school would be like a pilates class? What do you do with a 7-year-old who knows what pilates is? OMG - I just love my Mini Me. She is so funny. Then I thought about it and, yes, I guess puppy school is a little like pilates class. After all, there is an instructor and there is a bunch of tricks going on, right? I mean those moves have to be considered a trick, no one bends that way naturally.

MORE ZENAISMS

“Roxy brings my heart together.”
“There’s no stopping the Zena show.”
“Mom, you don't need to go on a diet, you just need a trainer.”