Baby's FlatDerek

Baby's mom planned an excellent activity for her Bachelorette Bash.

She copied an idea from the local elementary schools and made a "FlatDerek"

(a foam cutout with the groom's face)

and we had to take FlatDerek around town using out party bus.

We had a book to guide us toward destinations

and we had to take a picture with FlatDerek at every destination

then the book was filled in with the pictures we took.

We definitely had a couple speedbumps...

like when we tried to to get a picture with a cat

and the cat hated us

or when the bus driver hit a pole and we had to get a new bus.

But - all in all - it was a wonderful time!

Engagement Party

#BFF's Engagement Party was this past weekend.

To no ones surprise, the entire party was adorable

...from decorations to food...

everything was well-thought-out and perfect.

A blue&white theme with lots of sunflower accents.

And, of course, everyone had a blast singing karaoke,

playing yard games, and jumping into the pool in the dark.

If this is an accurate preview of the wedding that is to come

it certainly will not disappoint.

the bar and the obvious ring decorations

cupcakes, decorations, and "he popped the question" popcorn

chalk board signs and big fun letters

Necklace Hunt

I went on an accessory hunt at the store down the street, Simply the Best,

for a necklace for #BFF to wear to her Engagement Party.

Since the party was blue&white and sunflower themed,

I was looking for blue&yellow options.

I ended up sending about a thousand pictures to her in an hour

and she settled on one for the party.

It was interesting, a little stressful, yet successful&fun.

Ellie In Windsor

At the beginning of March Elise told me I needed a passport for a birthday surprise on May 8th.

For almost the entire build-up time, I avoided figuring out the surprise

then I was driving down I-75 one day and saw a billboard...

the date "May 8" flashed and I quickly averted my eyes.

The next day, though, I wasn't so lucky and saw the whole billboard:

Ellie Goulding - Caesars Windsor - May 8

Damn, I ruined the surprise! I thought.

Damn, that's going to be awesome!

And it definitely was.
Taylor&Elise&I got into the standing-room only show early enough to get right up front
harnessing the ability to take in Ellie in all her glory.

She was as beautiful in person as one could imagine.

Her mannerisms quirky&freespirited as she glided across the stage

swaying&swinging her hips&pelvis.

Her voice was certainly tired - it was the 2nd to last show of her tour

but she muscled through and seemed to sincerely enjoy herself, which made me smile.

Almost magically, I had said just before she went on:

"I'd like to hear 'The Writer" but she probably won't play that."

and low&behold, she did.

Figure8&MyBlood were both powerful&emotional

as she threw her head back, letting her hair flip&fall about her shoulders.

She banged on the drums, her body almost flopping into them in sheer happiness.

She mumbled&drank between songs, which was endearing&adorable.

And besides the bitchy girl next to us who tried to fight Elise

and the monster of a man who blocked my view for the first few songs

our spots in the 3rd row right in front of her microphone were magnificent.

Definitely worth the 5 hours on my sore&blistered feet.

"I chase your love around a figure 8 - I need you more than I can take.

You promise forever and a day then you take it all away."

Figure 8 - Ellie Goulding

Dinner&Drinks at Caesars

Once we crossed the bridge into Canada

we parked at Caesars Windsor

then found Legends Sports Bar for dinner&drinks.

The 3 girls got 3 different delicious drinks to try.

PreConcert Fashion

PreConcert Photo Shoot -All Dolled Up

Zoo Date

After brunch, Elise&Erica joined me at the Detroit Zoo.

Bunnyville was going on for Easter Weekend,

so we made a food donation and joined the herd of children at the zoo.

Luckily, most of the little ones were entertained by the Bunny-themed festivities,

so we were able to enjoy the animals with a bit more peace.

First we walked through the butterfly & bird gardens in a beautiful domed building.

There must have been something in the air, cause all the animals were sleeping

and - oh my goodness - it was so adorable.

The grizzly bear was passed out on his back with his paw over his face.

The lions were spooning and the tiger had found a nice spot in the shade.

The animals that were up&about were so wonderful, too.

I forget how much they take my breath away until I find myself at a zoo again.

The zebra hung back away from the fence, but the stripes were still incredible.

The giraffe awkwardly tucked his back legs and plopped down on the ground for grass.

And the big-bodied rhinos wandered side-by-side through their area.

My knees were hurting me, so I didn't walk through the kangaroo exhibit,

but from the back side of the fence I could see the girls walking past the sleepy lil animals.

Before leaving, we got snacks - a pretzel for Elise, dip-n-dots for Erica, & cheese popcorn for me.

Then we started our journey back through Royal Oak to the car

stopping first for the skirt, shoes, & ring I'd bought and the clock Erica had found.

Brunch @ Toast

I've always been a breakfast eater, so when I moved to the Detroit area I had to find a new favorite breakfast spot. Erica introduced me to a place called Toast in Birmingham, MI. She raved that I'd love the decor and insisted that I try it. So we met for brunch one Saturday and I fell in love. Now, it's my favorite place to go when I'm cravin' a good breakfast, which obviously meant I suggested Elise&Erica meet me there for brunch on Saturday before our Zoo date. We sat down and all said the word "mimosa," so we ordered Mimosas for the Table - a bottle of champagne and carafe of orange juice just for the 3 of us. Goodness was it delicious. The perfect addition to our brunch items. Our server seemed to think we were a pretty entertaining table also - probably even more so after we'd each downed 3 mimosas. We sat&talked giggling&gossiping for about an hour before heading out for the day.

And I successfully turned another Bestie into a Toast Lover.

mug on the table next to us that I had to take a picture of

BFF Reminders

I enjoyed a mini butterfinger bar and used mint colored paperclips today.

They both reminded me of Elise, which made me smile.

BirthdayTinis

I planned BFF's Birthday celebration in Dearborn this year

- dinner at Pizzapapalis then drink sat Moose's Martini Pub.

Of all the martini's on the menu,

none of them fit my BFF's taste for the perfect birthday drink,

so I asked the bartender to create one.

Her concoction was beautiful with whippedcream&sprinkles and BFF loved it,

which was wonderful.

BFF Sunday

waiting&working at Starbucks for Elise to get outa work

skipbo&beer in bed with my bff

Studdly Ears

My BFF has bought me some great earrings lately...

I love them all.

I always thought I was a dangly girl,

but I'm learning that I much prefer studs.

Numbered Arm

Good nights&mornings with great friends.

This cracked me up this morning.

Elise had written mine&Joe's phone numbers

on her arm last night

because she knew her phone was dying

and we had both gone missing

in the post-game drunken-haze.

BFF Books

Elise lent me the first three books of
Lauren Conrad's LA Candy series.
They're pretty simply, somewhat-silly reads,
but I've enjoyed them so far...
reading all three in one week.
I need to get the rest of her books
(I believe there are two more)
so I can rip through more of the story.

AA Weekend

Elise&I met for a movie in Ann Arbor.

Unfortunately the traffic coming into the city
was absolutely terrible,
so I headed to a bar by the theater
while I waited for her arrival.
I sipped Two Hearted
(from a waitress who looked just like my bunni)
and made friends with the older man next to me.
He'd sat down and quickly ordered
...knowing exactly what he wanted
I assumed he was a regular.
I struck up a conversation,
which continued once Elise arrived.
We talked about life&love&allthedeepstuff.
It was nice.
Finally, we saw Perks of Being a Wallflower.
After the movie
(that I love love loved)
we headed out to a Halloween Party
at a house where an old friend Nate was.
We raged with the best of them
...feeling like we were back in college again.
We had to walk back to the car very early in the A.M.