you guys thought i was kidding when i said that my new favorite hobby is “making friends on airplanes” (oh, did i not tell you that was my new hobby? well i already listed it amongst my “interests” on facebook, so you know, it’s totes offish, obvi. also, somewhere my high school junior year english teacher is cringing), didn’t you?

but who am i to kid?

err, uh, well, you make a valid point.

right, so like 99 times out of 100 i’m being facetious, but this time, i’m serious.

[insert serious face here, you better act quickly, this “serious” face doesn’t stay put for long, it’s usually immediately replaced by a “i was trying really hard to be serious but that only resulted in a cackling laugh, you know the kind that erupts when you’ve been trying to suppress it for far longer than the recommended amount of time” face. so basically if you blinked (or had a momentary bout of narcolepsy), you missed it, sorry]

ANYWAY.

i may or may not be really good at befriending the gal or, as was the case last sunday afternoon, the dad and his daughter in the seat(s) adjacent to my “flotation device” (no, that’s not an euphemism for my backside but rather another term for my seat cushion should a water landing be necessary).

and i’m not sure if i simply have a face that reads, “yes, please talk to me” because if that’s the case then, i feel like i would definitely have more friends. or if maybe, i’m a lot more conversational than i’ve always fashioned myself to be. or maybe it’s “c” -the complimentary peanuts make me chatty. or maybe still, it’s the fact that God places some really neat humans beside me when he knows i’ll be traveling on a device that ordinarily sends panic waves up and down my entire being (i’m leaning toward this option). or maybe it’s a combination of all, what is that, four?

at any rate, i had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a dad and his almost freshman-aged daughter on my flight back from san jose. and while i was quite excited to continue reading jenny lawson’s hilarious (and highly inapprorpriate) book let’s pretend that never happened which i had managed to make a good-sized dent at while relaxing at the spa (side note: probably not a good idea to choose a laugh-out-loud funny novel as your “spa reading” choice especially when positioned in the “relaxation room” where any and all sounds are quite frowned upon. the stifled laughter? it kind of comes out as snorts. and you know nothing says “ahhh, i’m so relaxed right now” than hearing your neighboring white-robed-clad-spa-goer snorting to herself. so, my apologies, again, spa goers, where WERE my manners this weekend? i know! they were relaxing. BOOM), i would have spent another ninety minutes or so in that plane (i know, that’s saying A LOT) seat if only for the opportunity to chat it up with these two quite spectacular human beings. but sadly, san jose is only like about an hour plane ride gate to gate so i was not given said opportunity but i think i talked up honey’s bistro & bakery in encinitas enough that perhaps one saturday morning i will again be reunited with my two new besties.

and that’s how my weekend ended (well technically that’s a lie, i went on to have a full afternoon of festivities with my guy that included (but were not limited to): perusing the little italy artwalk, eating copious amounts of sushi and yogurtland and finally seeing the hunger games). there, i hate feeling like i led y’all astray.

so with that said, here’s a recap of how it (the weekend) began.

with her nupts literally right around the corner, it was time to give miss m her “final fling before the ring.” which you know, to us pepperdine girls meant a wild and crazy weekend of snacking, lounging, spa-going, white-robe wearing, and bridesmaids watching. i know, it was totally stressful.

the locale where all of this “flinging” would unfold? oh that would be pebble beach. or as i like to refer to it as, heaven. exhibit a:

7 of the 8 participants in bachelorette weekend 2012 arrived late friday night (the 8th arrived saturday morning). we did the usual fare upon being reunited with each other after a good five year plus hiatus, gabbed, snacked, drank far too many diet cokes and finally retired to our rooms (which, i might add, were equipped with heated hard wood floors. note to self: when you finally strike it rich one day, the first thing you should invest in (besides a personal hair stylist) is heated wood flooring. it is amazing).

the next morning (saturday) we took a drive along the famed 17-mile drive and snapped the two above photos (paradise (duh) and a gratuitous photo of me and the bride-to-be) before having lunch in the pebble beach beach & tennis club clubhouse restaurant and kicking-off spa-a-pa-looza. which basically just consisted of me holing up in the “relaxation room” where i was comforted by not only plush chaise lounges but also a roaring fire pit and cashmere blanket. oh, and did i mention there was also a man going around hand delivering miniature bars of chocolate on a silver platter? i mean. come on, a girl could get used to this life.

dream on, sister. dream on.

also, i read that book i was talking about (see aforementioned story regarding stifling laughter and disturbing the peace) and took a nap. i mean, spa-ing is rough, guys.

all of the other girls got treatments and trickled in and out of the common areas throughout the day. it was nice to all have our own thing going on and to just have free reign of all of the fabulousness that is pebble beach spa. like you know, the showers that have THREE, count ’em THREE shower heads. i didn’t know i could get so clean.

and after showering and  donning some comfies for the ride back to the house (we honestly looked like a lululemon brigade, it was awesome), we said goodbye to blisstown, usa and retreated back to have a little pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres and you know, get gussied up. despite wanting to forgo our fancy dinner out and remain in our yoga pants for the rest of the evening, we put those mascara wands and curling irons to good use and emerged as total babes (as if we weren’t already). i apparently missed the memo about being “girly” (which is, in and of itself, quite ironic seeing as my entire wardrobe has either a ruffle, polka dot or over-sized flower attached to it), because other than miss c, i was the only one in pants. i suppose i was going for comfort-slash-warmth. luckily i jazzed up my outfit with one of our bachelorette weekend party favors -a light-up plastic “diamond” ring. basically a tackier (but awesome nonetheless, in fact, i wore mine through airport security on sunday and didn’t even realize i had it on!) version of miss m’s engagement ring. except  not like hers at all for the fact that her ring a) does not light up with a red glow and b) is way sparklier. well done, groomie, well done. also, here is a photo i stole from facebook from the bride’s sister’s album. thanks, (sister) m! 

and in case you were wondering where we held this impromptu photo shoot, it was in the back room of il fornio, an italian restaurant in carmel. i’m pretty sure the waiter was quite overwhelmed. and he kept pushing tequila shots. no thank you, alejandro, no gracias.

following our meal, we were back home and in pj’s before you can say “get me out of real clothes stat, all i want to do is wear my abercrombie sweats” (or something that isn’t nearly as long to say). we watched the bride open all of her “special” gifts, and then capped off the evening with cake and about 50% of bridesmaids. we had to throw in the towel about halfway through for the fact that it was past midnight and well, we aren’t as young as we used to be and anything after a 10 p.m. bedtime is just cruel and unusual punishment.

sunday morning came too quickly and by 10 a.m. it was already time for all of us to pack up, say our goodbyes, and get back to reality. the bride, her sis, her sis-to-be, and i had the treat of stopping for brunch at this adorable eatery just before embarking on the 1.5 hour drive back to san jose airport.

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