Let me begin by saying that I am oh-so thankful for everyday of my life, and this trip to Portland was awesome on so many levels. While I realize that this sounds totally cliche, since the accident I really feel like everyday is a blessing and I hope I never lose the mindset of giving thanks and always being appreciative.
And now, the Oregon Trail! We left Thursday morning and the car ride went smoothly. Like literally, Alex did a superb job of driving stickshift -- especially for someone who only learned a few weeks ago, it was most excellent. Gary was all over the place in the car, screaming nonsensical things. It was beyond entertaining though, and we definitely had interesting conversation. By the time we got to Portland it was dark and we were all antsy pantsy. We had dinner with Chadwick's family and then afterward, THE DRINKING BEGAN. We did Century Club but I only made it to 23. Oh well, I beat Henry. ;] Oh man, and Chad's uncles and dad sure know how to party. By the end of the night, there was a house full of drunk travellers... who did NOT make it to Black Friday!!!!!!! Sad. I wanted to go. But it's okay, I didn't wake up either LOL.
The next morning was very interesting. One of the boys, woke up pants and underwearless next to another boy, who was shirtless. Of these boys, who shall remain nameless, neither of the two seems to know how that happened. HAHAHAAHHAAH. That's awesome, awkward, and hilarious all rolled into one. We started the day with Waffle Window (which was yummers by the way) and we shopped the stores on Hawthorne (?), their Haight-ish neighborhood. We saw some cool stuff at the thrift stores before making our way to Downtown for the FOOD CARTS! The KBBQ tacos/burrito were pretty good, and the cheesasaurus rex was coooooooool. We shopped downtown a bit and ended up at Pioneer Mall. I got the coolest f'ing moose hat ever. I love it.
We had Thanksgiving dinner on Friday night, and I kid you not that was the tastiest turkey I've ever had in my life. I don't know WHAT they did, but it was sooo juicy and flavorful!!! Chad's dad also did the lamb and it was SO DELICIOUS!! After dinner we played Scattegories, I'm so glad Alex brought it!! I think Priscilla and I liked it the most because by the end everyone else wanted to play Taboo :( Later at night, we went to Ground Kontrol so the boys could play barcade. Afterward, we went to Blitz sports bar and I got sooo many compliments on my moose hat!!! :) :) :) I'm just going to end the recap of that night there... because I don't know exactly what happened in what order.. all I know is I had lots of fun!
Saturday we went to The Kennedy School for lunch. The food was not bad just not too memorable -- the raspberry ale I liked a whole lot. The place was kind of creepy, but kind of cool at the same time. Maybe it's just weird when you almost have to squat to wash your hands because the sink is so low? Whatever the case, I liked that place for the most part. After lunch we went to the flea market. MY FIRST TIME AT A FLEA MARKET!! I didn't buy anything but it was cool to walk around and look. I also tried an elephant ear for the first time :) As we were leaving the flea market it started to hail major. We went back and the other car went to pick up Voodoo donuts. I tried the blood filled Voodoo and it was good. Not the best thing since sliced bread though. They should really use more jelly in the filling!
I tried playing beer pong against Brian (totally thought I had a fair chance) but I lost pretty miserably. THANKFULLY David was my sponsor so I didn't have to drink! I thought I was bad at losing, but I think Alex might be worse. After games, we headed out to Duke's and WE WERE IN FOR A BLAST!!!! I really love Duke's, totally one of the best parts of the trip. In the beginning, a bunch of us went out onto the dancefloor and started line dancing, but I was really hestitant because I had no idea what to do. Later in the night though, I went out on the dancefloor and had the MOST EXCELLENT TIME!!! I also rode the mechanical bull, which I was EXTREMELY hesitant to do at first but afterwards I was definitely glad I tried it :)
They even played the Taylor song I requested for Alex and myself! Too bad he left early and didn't hear it, and also too bad no one else there seemed to know the song. OH WELL, I LOVED IT!
The rest of us eventually headed back to the house and sat around talking. Some wanted to drink more, some wanted to sleep, and I was just happy to be there :). I had soooooooooooo much fun on the trip, and that was the moment that I realized how badly I didn't want it to end. It did though, only a few of us were left for late night Rockband. Eventually that ended also, and it was time to turn in for the night. Chad's family was so welcoming and generous, they were the perfect company for a warm and relaxing holiday. And even though spending the weekend with nine guys was kind of gross at times, it was WELL-worth the fun times we had. The ride home the next day was a tad bit gruesome. In the car after I took my meds, I kept dreaming that we were crashing over and over again. Jeepers creepers...
I'm so glad that the weather permitted us to take this trip. And even though I don't think Portland is a very pretty city, and I'm not sure if I'd ever want to live there, I had a super fantastic time visiting Chad with my awesome friends for the Thanksgiving weekend -- and I'm so thankful for each and every moment.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
HALLOWEEN MADNESS
Friday afternoon, after a full day of work, I caught an evening flight to Vegas with Rainbow. We were both exhausted and had meant to nap on the plane but we were having such a good time that by the time we settled down to sleep, we were already landing. That was probably the best flight I've ever taken, we were literally laughing the whole hour and a half. I wasn't surprise to see other people I knew on the same flight, it seemed as if everyone from San Francisco was in Vegas! Cindy and Amy met us at the airport and we went straight to the hotel to get ready. I thought the suite at the Venetian was pretty nice, probably my favorite hotel in Vegas now. I like the fancy little railing that separates the upper and lower levels, and the charming bathrooms with plenty of mirrors.
So us girls took so long to get ready that by the time Gary got to the hotel two hours later we were finally ready to go! We grabbed some food downstairs and then headed to Surrender to meet up the guys. I was kind of hesitant because I'd never heard of Surrender before, but it turned out to be my favorite club yet. I love the huge open space and the couches in the pool (even though they don't let you go in, go figure). The lights are gorgeous and the open sky makes it even more scenic. I had a really good time there, and I even REALLY liked the music - which I wasn't expecting at all. Stereo love!
After Surrender, we ended up at Tuscany for steak & egg breakfast. I ordered hash browns and I don't think they were very good. I lost my voice that first night, and it wouldn't be the last night lol. I can't quite remember everything that happened while we were eating but I remember having a really good time. =)
On Saturday, we met up Charles and went to eat Pho in Treasure Island. Then we walked the strip and shopped a wee bit. Amy and Cindy got the finishing touches for their costumes and we stopped by Fat Tuesdays for some novelty booze. It was my first Fat Tuesdays drink! And it was delicious. I shared a Bellini with Peach Shnapps with Nancy and Sinclair and it was sooooo good. To this day, I've NEVER had a bad bellini. We headed back to the hotel so I could get ready for dinner.
I joined the guys for Del Frisco's for dinner and it was freakin' delicious!! The steak was sooooo good, and we even got to watch the Sharks game while we ate =]. I really like that place! It was surprisingly not as expensive as I thought it would be, and I enjoyed every mouthful of that savory savory meat.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel to get our masquerade costumes together, and I think we looked fantastic! We were late to XS so we caught an Escalade ($55 for like 3 blocks? Drivers in Vegas sure make a lot of money) and thankfully we didn't have to wait to get in. We had table service so we got to waltz right in, and for once in my life I was so early that I got to take a picture in an empty club. Our cabana was pretty cool, right by the bathroom thank goodness. Lots of crazy dancing and picture taking, I think everyone had a really good time there as well. XS is always fun, especially dipping your feet in the pool after a looooong night. Alex found Julian!!! And brought him back to the cabana =] I had a drink with him and some other friends but eventually got lost and ended up back at the cabana. It was a semi-chaotic night. When we got back to the hotel we were famished, so we ordered room-service pizza. I wanted to get food from Grand Lux but it was SO PACKED and we couldn't wait that long. The pizza did the job.
Sunday morning, Janet and Sinclair left to head back to New York, and the rest of us went to Tao Beach for lunching & relaxing. The food wasn't bad, and drinks were pretty good. I LOOOVE tao beach, just the idea of lounging in swimwear with loud high-energy music and food and booze. That's my vacation trifecta. The guys met us up and we hung out a bit longer before heading back to the rooms to rest. I ended up getting sick shortly after, but a few hours of snoozing did me justice. When Rainbow and I woke up, Cindy and Amy had just stumbled in drunk and they ended up passing out. Four of us went first with the guys to TAO to get our handstamps, and picked up food from Grand Lux on the way back. Mmm mm, I LOVE Grand Lux, and I have yet to visit Vegas once without eating there. I hope to continue the tradition.
We had a nice chat while eating our yummy jumbo shrimp scampi pasta dishes in the room, and we debated whether or not we should actually go to the club. We were all so exhausted (and two were still passed out) from the two nights of clubbing before that we were completely content with staying in. But, in the spirit of Halloween, and Vegas, we finally forced ourselves to get ready. After all, we put in so much effort to get our Disney princesses theme together! Two hours later, we were all awake and looking gorgeous. The costumes came together quite nicely and we headed to Tao. The fact that we stayed at the Venetian and went to TAO on Sunday was a godsend, if it were any less convenient we probably wouldn't have made it. We didn't have to wait in line because we already had stamps, and it was easy as pie. The guys happened to get a table so we had a place to sit. Overall, Tao was a very chill night - mostly because we got in late. I still had lots of fun though, but one thing I don't understand is why Tao is so overrated. I didn't think the venue was that great (compared to XS and Surrender), but it wasn't bad either.
After the club I ended up in the guys room, and we were talking about future Vegas trips not happening, and happening, and road trips. And it just made me glad to be there, and sort of solidified how grateful I was that I got to be a part of that Vegas trip. As we get older, I hope that we have more hurrahs like that because seriously Vegas was the most fun I've ever had on a trip. All of my favorite people were there! And if we don't, at least I'll have that trip to remember - the one that set the bar.
Monday was painful for me, I was so exhausted from all of the partying. We had buffet lunch at the Rio and we ended up getting into a really lively conversation. I think we were all delirious, but I've never had such an interesting buffet lunch. We headed back to the hotel to meet up the guys again and await our flight. We said goodbye to Nancy who left before us (awh, love that girl) and in no time it was our turn to leave. The flight back was nice because most of us were flying together, but I wish we had all had seats together instead of scattered. The plane went crazy for about a minute when the Giants won, I could really care less though lol.
It was such a fantastic trip! And I have so many happy memories =) So thankful to have such great friends and awesome times, and I can't wait until we do it again.
So us girls took so long to get ready that by the time Gary got to the hotel two hours later we were finally ready to go! We grabbed some food downstairs and then headed to Surrender to meet up the guys. I was kind of hesitant because I'd never heard of Surrender before, but it turned out to be my favorite club yet. I love the huge open space and the couches in the pool (even though they don't let you go in, go figure). The lights are gorgeous and the open sky makes it even more scenic. I had a really good time there, and I even REALLY liked the music - which I wasn't expecting at all. Stereo love!
After Surrender, we ended up at Tuscany for steak & egg breakfast. I ordered hash browns and I don't think they were very good. I lost my voice that first night, and it wouldn't be the last night lol. I can't quite remember everything that happened while we were eating but I remember having a really good time. =)
On Saturday, we met up Charles and went to eat Pho in Treasure Island. Then we walked the strip and shopped a wee bit. Amy and Cindy got the finishing touches for their costumes and we stopped by Fat Tuesdays for some novelty booze. It was my first Fat Tuesdays drink! And it was delicious. I shared a Bellini with Peach Shnapps with Nancy and Sinclair and it was sooooo good. To this day, I've NEVER had a bad bellini. We headed back to the hotel so I could get ready for dinner.
I joined the guys for Del Frisco's for dinner and it was freakin' delicious!! The steak was sooooo good, and we even got to watch the Sharks game while we ate =]. I really like that place! It was surprisingly not as expensive as I thought it would be, and I enjoyed every mouthful of that savory savory meat.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel to get our masquerade costumes together, and I think we looked fantastic! We were late to XS so we caught an Escalade ($55 for like 3 blocks? Drivers in Vegas sure make a lot of money) and thankfully we didn't have to wait to get in. We had table service so we got to waltz right in, and for once in my life I was so early that I got to take a picture in an empty club. Our cabana was pretty cool, right by the bathroom thank goodness. Lots of crazy dancing and picture taking, I think everyone had a really good time there as well. XS is always fun, especially dipping your feet in the pool after a looooong night. Alex found Julian!!! And brought him back to the cabana =] I had a drink with him and some other friends but eventually got lost and ended up back at the cabana. It was a semi-chaotic night. When we got back to the hotel we were famished, so we ordered room-service pizza. I wanted to get food from Grand Lux but it was SO PACKED and we couldn't wait that long. The pizza did the job.
Sunday morning, Janet and Sinclair left to head back to New York, and the rest of us went to Tao Beach for lunching & relaxing. The food wasn't bad, and drinks were pretty good. I LOOOVE tao beach, just the idea of lounging in swimwear with loud high-energy music and food and booze. That's my vacation trifecta. The guys met us up and we hung out a bit longer before heading back to the rooms to rest. I ended up getting sick shortly after, but a few hours of snoozing did me justice. When Rainbow and I woke up, Cindy and Amy had just stumbled in drunk and they ended up passing out. Four of us went first with the guys to TAO to get our handstamps, and picked up food from Grand Lux on the way back. Mmm mm, I LOVE Grand Lux, and I have yet to visit Vegas once without eating there. I hope to continue the tradition.
We had a nice chat while eating our yummy jumbo shrimp scampi pasta dishes in the room, and we debated whether or not we should actually go to the club. We were all so exhausted (and two were still passed out) from the two nights of clubbing before that we were completely content with staying in. But, in the spirit of Halloween, and Vegas, we finally forced ourselves to get ready. After all, we put in so much effort to get our Disney princesses theme together! Two hours later, we were all awake and looking gorgeous. The costumes came together quite nicely and we headed to Tao. The fact that we stayed at the Venetian and went to TAO on Sunday was a godsend, if it were any less convenient we probably wouldn't have made it. We didn't have to wait in line because we already had stamps, and it was easy as pie. The guys happened to get a table so we had a place to sit. Overall, Tao was a very chill night - mostly because we got in late. I still had lots of fun though, but one thing I don't understand is why Tao is so overrated. I didn't think the venue was that great (compared to XS and Surrender), but it wasn't bad either.
After the club I ended up in the guys room, and we were talking about future Vegas trips not happening, and happening, and road trips. And it just made me glad to be there, and sort of solidified how grateful I was that I got to be a part of that Vegas trip. As we get older, I hope that we have more hurrahs like that because seriously Vegas was the most fun I've ever had on a trip. All of my favorite people were there! And if we don't, at least I'll have that trip to remember - the one that set the bar.
Monday was painful for me, I was so exhausted from all of the partying. We had buffet lunch at the Rio and we ended up getting into a really lively conversation. I think we were all delirious, but I've never had such an interesting buffet lunch. We headed back to the hotel to meet up the guys again and await our flight. We said goodbye to Nancy who left before us (awh, love that girl) and in no time it was our turn to leave. The flight back was nice because most of us were flying together, but I wish we had all had seats together instead of scattered. The plane went crazy for about a minute when the Giants won, I could really care less though lol.
It was such a fantastic trip! And I have so many happy memories =) So thankful to have such great friends and awesome times, and I can't wait until we do it again.
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