Oh Lord. Oh Lord. Oh Jesus.

Headed down to Pawley’s Island, South Carolina for my 27th birthday.  I hadn’t been to visit my parents down there in about 5 years.  It felt so good to be back; so good, and so humid!  They live in a great “community” on a golf course across the street from Litchfield Beach, and it’s the perfect vacation spot, so I invited along two of my best friends to come lap up sun, surf, and some cocktails.

Collectively, we have always agreed that the best nights are those that are unplanned.  Just go with the flow and see where the night takes us.    “It’s not about where you are, but who you’re with” and all that nonsense. The first night took us to a local bar, Quigleys, which brews their own beer; just a quick ride down the road, Quigley’s was built around a man-made lake back in 2007.
The girls, Andrea and Kim, and I were seated on the patio overlooking the lake.  It was a  romantic setting and we’re classy chicks so we ordered tall beers and fried pickles.

After the first few glances around we looked at each other with uncertainty.  Tonight isn’t going to bring us any unplanned, outrageous adventures, is it?  Middle-aged couples and older couples sat at the tables nearby, giving us the Stink-Eye for being so dolled up, but hey, it’s not my fault they didn’t get the memo about it being my birthday weekend and that party shoes were required.

After another beer we decided to check out the bar next door.  We thanked the waitress and headed out on the gravel parking lot to the next bar.  Before even reaching for the door handle, the girls realized that Bar #2 was even more dead than Quigleys, so we did a swift 180 and walked back up to Quigley’s:  Take us back!  Sorry we left you; give us beer!  
Instead of sitting on the secluded patio, we took our seats at the bar, front and center…. for Karaoke!  And, what’s that?  There’s a cake?  For Mike’s last night?  Whaddya know… it was Mike’s last night at Quigley’s, which means they needed to find a new, lean, mean, karaoke-hosting machine to host Thursday night’s ‘All You Can Eat Fried Shrimp/Karaoke from 9-Midnight’! Did I mention Mike was a Red Sox fan?  Good ol’ Mike…

We fully enjoyed our front row seats.  A friendly, early 30-something albino man rocked out with his cocktail out.  A lovely elderly couple sat nearby, and the man got up to sing “That’s Amore” to his love, the entire bar joining in the chorus.  The beers on tap were flowing, and I think a Scooby Snack snuck its way in at one point.  It all lead to the three of us gals, getting up and singing, of all things, Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight”.  It was… awful.  Nails-on-a-chalkboard-terrifying.  That may be because after solidly refusing the invitation to sing several times, I decided I was intoxicated ENOUGH to unleash my tone-deaf talent upon anyone willing to sit through it.  Like many a morning after a drunken escapade, I’m shaking my head at myself even now, thinking about how it must have sounded.  I must add, Kim stole the show when at the end of the song, she spoke the lyrics in mono-tone and threw in her own version at the end, “Oh Lord.  Oh Lord...Oh Jesus.”  A quote that was repeated time and again throughout our vacation, and even via text after each of us returned to our respective coasts:

…And that was only Night 1.

T minus

Three days to go before flying back East for my birthday weekend.  Making a mental packing list for the beach isn’t nearly as fun as when I went home to CT last winter.  Shorts, check.  Sundress, check.  Boring.  I’m craving Fall.  I’m craving layers and boots.  Dreaming about opaque tights.  And wearing them with everything.  I want cool, chilly mornings.  I want to make homemade salted caramel hot chocolate.  I want to make a fire at my new place.  I want a cudd sesh with S.

Oh, so yes! It’s my birthday.  My birthday season.  I’m extending it beyond the usual ‘birthday month’.  Deal with it.  I’m flying across the country on Wednesday to my parents’ house in South Carolina.  Two of my best girlfriends are flying down from Connecticut and Massachusetts to spend the long weekend with me.  I. Am. So excited!  Mom has been working on redecorating the guest rooms: sewing new curtains, pillows, etc.  I’m guessing she’s pretty excited too; it’s been about 5 years since I’ve been to visit.  She called this morning to ask what kind of food she should stock up on.  My mom is an amazing cook and party host.  I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us.  I’m pretty stoked to have free rein to take the golf cart to the beach, the bar, and the local Piggly Wiggly 😉

Relevant Rubbish

I just about died when my roomie’s BFF, Tay, showed up at the house (sans the muddler) for a little “Pre SAP” action before heading out downtown Walnut Creek for an early birthday celebration.  Tays style always blows me away.  Last night was no different.  The ASOS top looked AH-mazing; I made her pose so I could snap some hispta pics for this very reason:

Check out more of her style on her bloggity blog:  Relevant Rubbish

A boofday in photos

If only I had snapped some photos while I attempted to take a cab home, go through the BK drive thru only to realize that I left my debit card at the bar… Who says I can’t pay with my medical card?

Would YOU rather:

S has been traveling for work for the past few months and to bridge the gap, we sometimes spend hours upon hours on the phone.  In an attempt to keep the romance alive, I busted out a copy of “Would You Rather… Love & Sex” the other night.  There’s nothing like proposing highly inappropriate hypothetical scenarios to your loved one and having a spate of hysterical laughter every time you try to say “dirty panty liner”.

 

My eyes are smaller than my ass

I’ve made a Wish List of the things I want this season.  The only downfall is that I like the idea of some of these things more than I actually like the way these things look on me.

For example: ivory skinny corduroys I’ve been drooling over for about a year now.  They look great online, piled up on the tables at J.Crew, and on other people.  Just not on me.

Girls Day Out

My sister brought the girls up to my place over the weekend.  We made homemade pizza for lunch, walked to the park across the street, and picked fresh lemons from the neighbor’s tree 😉

 

Word of the Der

Der.

Things got real weird, real fast

Last night, S and I decided to stay in and have a ‘low key’ night.  Coming off of a two-week long binge drinking fest, we planned on taking it easy.  We had good intentions, which is what really counts, right?  We ordered sushi, had some wine, watched a little Jersey Shore.  Then things took a turn:

Whose idea was it to have a blind wine tasting test?

Whose idea was it to wax our nose hairs?

We definitely went out with a bang.

Now that my drinking buddy has gone off to work, I’m going to lay off the sauce and hop on the wagon.  My liver, memory, and ass will thank me.

Crazy Stupid Love

S left today for what could be the next 3 months to work some rad events across the country.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t fit in his suitcase.  I know because when he left the room, I tried.  I didn’t get the pants I wanted, but I did get his Grateful Dead tee; I’m already wearing it.

xx