Ouch!

I got hurt at the beach. Evil vibes are being sent towards those of you who were openly hostile towards me for going to the beach! Somehow I kicked one foot into the other, and I severed half my toenail. Now it looks like this. Not pretty. Worst of all, it's going to be awhile before I can get a pedi. Gasp. My goal for the next few days is to keep the sand out while letting the Gulf water work its healing magic. Sorry for the grungy pic, but those of you responsible need to see what you did. At least I bandaged it first. Happy now?

Got Crack?

Yesterday while we were at the pool, a little boy ran up from the beach with his mom. She was hosing off, and the kid headed straight for the water, sand and all. I guess he had sand down his bathing suit, because he proceeded to pull down the back of his bathing suit and start scratching his crack. Now, this wouldn't be funny if it was an old man or something, but seeing a 4-year-old trying to get sand out of an impossible spot? That's just hilarious.

I'm a California Girl

What can I say? It agrees with me. I spent a few days on the West Coast last week. I'm annoyed with the slowness of Slide.com, so how about one big long post? I even included links!

FRIDAY

Had a hard time getting to San Francisco—flight left B'ham late and I got stuck in Houston for a good five hours. But I made it to California in time for a 1 a.m. dinner at In-N-Out. Brooke ordered our burgers animal-style (from the secret menu). Delish and messy. Be glad I don't have photos of that. Here's a logo instead.



SATURDAY

First stop: Napa. We met up with the Bakers and the Bowlbys for a little lunch and wine tasting.





Then on to dinner at the wonderful Cole's Chop House, where Brooke and I sat in the exact same spot as last year. We even posed the same. We're nothing if not consistent.




You might remember that I spotted a serial killer at Cole's last year. Click here. This year a man offered up his cottage for us to spend the night. He stressed that he's happily married with kids—back in Texas. He just hated to see us drinking and driving home. (Because one glass of wine with a big steak will make you oh-so-loopy.) Yes, of course, this doesn't seem like a bad idea at all. We declined his offer.

SUNDAY

On to San Francisco. We tasted Irish coffee at the famous Buena Vista.




And then walked across the Golden Gate Bridge.





We went down the secret Seward Street slides and got yelled at by an old lady who lives nearby. She asked us if we could read the sign that said, "No adults unless accompanied by children." I guess she could tell we were thinking about saying that we couldn't, because she followed that with, "I know you can." We ignored her and slid down one more time. No one can tell me what to do. I'm 30.




Then on to Lime for dinner. We took pics of our delicious tiny food just for Bowlby.





It's a shame that we were too full to finish dessert.



Save your breath. Yes, we styled the shots. And, yes, we're dorks.

MONDAY

We stayed in Palo Alto Monday and spent some time with Julia and the bebe. Lots of fun. Oh, and I needed to secure a new profile pic for Facebook.





We were worn out after such a tough day, so we headed over to Happy Feet for an hour-long massage. Best $25 I ever spent. It wasn't sketchy at all, although I'm glad Brooke warned me about the butt rub. We ended the night with a great tapas dinner at Iberia. Yum.





TUESDAY

Because you've been so patient, here's a slideshow from the day we spent in Santa Cruz at the boardwalk. We played old arcade games, air hockey, skee-ball; rode fair rides; and ate carnival food. It was everything I was hoping for, and we even found a photo booth! (Roll your mouse over the images for captions.)

It was the perfect trip! Thanks, Brooke!! Even the unplanned 4-hour layover in Cleveland on the way back was worth it!

A Little Free Time

You guys are so lucky. I'm posting a bit from vacation. Now that, my friends, is dedication. I hope you appreciate me.

PS: The best way to show me appreciation is with monetary gifts. I prefer cash.

Keeping the Celebration Going

I can drag out a birthday for a looong time. Down at the beach with my family. I was allowed to open a few gifts last night. (We're waiting for family and a cake on Friday night to finish.) I got an iHome alarm clock that also docks and plays my iPod, a digital photo frame, and some other fun goodies, including this frog ornament, which my sis and I pronounce "frawg." This drives my mom nuts.



That shirt I'm wearing is a "because I'm turning 30" justification.

30 & Fabulous

Is it wrong to call yourself fabulous? Oh well. Better I say it than no one at all. I've been using the excuse, "because I'm turning 30," all summer long. The official celebration began on August 22, however, with the cake Ryan made. Mmm. A roulade.



Saturday morning I ate leftover cake for breakfast. Then Katie C. took me to lunch, out for a mani and a little shopping, and then to Doodle's for ice cream. All in the pouring down rain. Thanks, Katie-bug!



Then on to Cantina for some fish tacos and those delicious cupcakes from Leah. Thanks to Katie B. and Leah for organizing. It was THE best!

Vacay

Surely you cannot expect me to function as much more than a slug while I'm at the beach? Happy Labor Day. See you next week.

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If you know of anyone who needs a calligrapher for wedding invites, please click on Jamie's blog at right. She does a beautiful job!

Leah is Amazing!

These are the cupcakes Leah brought to my birthday party. Aren't they awesome? Thanks, Leah! More celebration pics to come!

Request

My aunt asks that someone send an ark to Merritt Island for them. This is their home down in Florida. Please keep my family in your prayers!

Cheers!

Thirty is going to be the best birthday year ever because it's going to be what *I* (and my fabulous friends & family) make of it!! Woo!

(Shhh. Don't tell Leah I found out that she's making me this cake. I think she wants it to be a surprise.)

Go Read This Post Today

From fellow blogger Lauren. And pay special attention to #8. It's my fave!

http://mcgiboney.blogspot.com/2008/08/10-commandments-of-college-football.html

(Will fix link after work.)

Blast From the Past

Everybody needs to indulge in a few fair rides now and then. Don't be afraid of the carnies. And eat something served on a stick.

Spinning Wheels

Have lots going on so I'm going to take a little blogcation till next week. (Unpaid, of course.) Ciao!

Class Pet

Okay. A kindergarten teacher at my sister's school has some fish in her classroom. And also this rat.

I'm sorry, did you think that was a typo?

Again. Also this RAT.

The first time I saw it, it freaked me the heck out. It's gross. Oh, and her plan is to let the rat roam around the classroom during the day. Just run around, like any ordinary pet. Except this is no ordinary pet. This isn't a puppy or a kitten.

It's a RAT. I cannot wrap my head around this.

That's like something most teachers would want to avoid, having a rat running around. Besides being disgusting, isn't that also a little distracting? Aren't five-year-olds going to be, uh, a little aprehensive about this. This isn't Fievel. It's a sewer rat! And as my coworker pointed out, didn't rats cause, like, the bubonic plague? See below.

My Wish Today

Is that I was riding this hot pink beach cruiser along a boardwalk. Ahhhh.

Click on Over

To Natalie's Notables. I'm the guest blogger for the Project Runway recap. Very honored to be chosen!

Just Add Popcorn

What? You don't carry your own seat cover to the movie theater and duct tape it to stay put?

The Very Definition of Frumpy

Who let this old lady leave the house like this? My sister snapped her photo at the Miss Georgia pageant.

Love My Kenny

But I've never seen his legs, really, till now. He's always suited up in his painted-on jeans. Kenny has nice legs. Please, someone give me KC for my birthday. When we get married, I'll totally write you a big check. Out of his account.