The BFFs Celebrate 40 in LA!

This year, instead of going to Edmonton with my BFFs, we celebrated our 40th birthdays in LA! This is a big upgrade from our usual drive to West Edmonton Mall where we shop all weekend. Instead, our weekend was full of celebrity spottings, tours, show taping, live podcast, and more!

Believe it or not, this trip was actually planned before our Disney trip was decided. Each year on our trip, we pick the weekend for the next year so that we all keep it open. It seems to be the only way to allow six different moms to break away from the family for a few nights.

When my family started planning a Disney trip and the month of November was chosen, we worked it so that I wouldn’t have to fly back-and-forth. It couldn’t have been more perfect as my friends got off the same plane that my family got on at the airport.  

We may have been in the same city but the two trips were very different. 

From the very beginning, we really wanted to go and see some live show tapings. Our first choice was Ellen, but sadly we didn’t get tickets. Sara and I tried twice with different entries using different email addresses and were unsuccessful. Little did we know at the time we’d have many other opportunities during the week that made up for it.  

The first day was jam packed with excitement, so much so that we barely found time to eat! The first thing we did was a bus tour at TMZ where we saw many locations were others saw celebrities, HA!   My favorite part of the trip is when we drove by the hotel where pretty woman was filmed, that is One of my favorite movies of all time, and I think I’m due for a re-watch! I’m really happy we did the tour as we saw many parts of Hollywood that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise, but I’m not in a rush to do it again.

After the tour, we strolled the boulevard for a bit before it was time to get in line for Jimmy Kimmel Live. The thing with getting tickets is that you sign up two months in advance but you don’t actually find out if you got tickets until two weeks before (sometimes less!) and still when you accept the tickets you don’t know who the guest are going to be. The Jimmy Kimmel guests were Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, among other things) and Camila Morrone (Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend, among other things). I had no idea who are the guest were, but the show was amazing and we walked away with a one year subscription to Disney+! 

What I found interesting that was for a one hour show, we waited in line for an hour, then we were seated, and waited probably close to another hour before the show started. But because Jimmy Kimmel is live, the taping of the show was actually only an hour.

James took the picture below of our TV screen the same night that it taped. While all six of us were at the show, only Dee and I were on air for this scene. James couldn’t spot us in the crowd during the show, but we could see ourselves given we knew where our seats were.

You may think that after Kimmel we decided to head back to the hotel room, but you would be wrong. Instead 4 of us headed to a live taping of Kaitlyn Bristowe’s podcast, Off The Vine. This was a last-minute addition to our agenda. We literally bought tickets the night before the show.

Believe it or not, this was my favorite part of the LA leg of the trip. While some of you may not know, Kaitlyn Bristow is a former Bachelorette and I listen to her podcast quite regularly. Interestingly enough, she wasn’t my favorite person on the stage that night. Her guest was Nick Viall , a former Bachelor, and also one of my favorites. He has a pod cast, The Viall Files, that I sometimes listen to though admittedly it is not my favorite. The best part is, that when we bought the tickets we didn’t actually know who the guest was, you can imagine the squealing from all of us when we found out Nick was the guest. On top of that, Blake from Bachelor in Paradise was the guest DJ, and Demi even made an appearance.  It was a super fun night filled with wine, laughter, and a whole lot of fan girling!

After a very hectic first day in LA we toned it down a bit for day two. The main event was to attend a taping of the Kelly Clarkson show which is brand new this season. I remember watching American Idol the year that she won and love her music so it was exciting to see her live.  She starts each episode by singing a song and that day her song was Bitter Sweet Symphony bu The Verve.  I remember this song well from my younger years and in particular for being in the movie Cruel Intentions which even she said she thought of when she sang.

Her guests were Kristen Bell, the voice of Anna, and Ne-Yo, who I'd never heard of. I really enjoyed the taping of her show and the format. The guests stayed on stage as the next guest was introduced and she engaged with both of them at the same time including a cooking session with Ne-Yo. Kelly Clarkson was very “normal“ and exactly how I would expect her to be.

There were some differences between the taping of this show and the live Jimmy Kimmel show. The breaks were substantially longer and she had an entire team come out to prep her for the next segment.  This included lint roller’s, make up people, hair people, and entire entourage fixing her up for air. It was interesting to see how scripted the show.  There was a woman standing out of view that had potential questions that Kelly should be asking her guest to lead them in a certain direction. It wasn’t just the show that I enjoyed, but seeing the whole process behind the scenes.

After the taping, a few of us headed to a taping of the sitcom, the Connors, and the other half of us headed back to Melrose Ave. to browse some shops and had a little fun with all the murals along the way. See picture above.

Sunday morning, our Uber was booked for 7 AM, which meant a very early start to the day. We had a Warner Bros. tour booked for 8:30 AM to maximize our last full day in LA. The highlight of the tour by far was sitting on the couch of the friends set. The show was such a big part of my adolescence and I watched it for years with these exact girls, so it just felt right to experience it with them.

Deena picked us a great hotel in Santa Monica right on the ocean, which Arnold Schwarzenegger dined at every morning... though we only spotted him once. We looked at the pier every morning as we hopped in our Uber and headed to our destination saying we were going to visit the pier soon.  Finally on our last day, a mere two hours before the sunset, we headed on a walk to the Santa Monica pier. It was a beautiful night, the sunset was beautiful, and the pier was crowded. Now that I’ve rekindled my love of roller coasters I actually wanted to go on the roller coaster at the pier but we were afraid the line would be too long so I passed. It really was a great way to say goodbye to LA.

This was a perfect trip for us. From celebrity watching to just the right amount of shopping, it was perfect! I have no doubt we will be talking about this experience for years to come. There’s always something about spending time with my oldest friends that makes my heart happy. Not everyone can say that they still spend time with their best friend from kindergarten or their roommates from University, but I can say both! I am so fortunate to call all of these women my friends. I think the Golden girls said it best when they said “thank you for being my friend“.

Happy 40th birthday to us all!

Weekend Staycation with Friends

While blogging seems to be low on the priority list these days, there are just certain moments or events that I just can't let pass without documenting to remember later.  Let's be honest, that is why I started this blog in the first place.

This past weekend was our annual visit from my friend Sara and her 2 kids.  What started back I was on mat leave with Cooper has turned into an event that both the adults and kids look forward to.  We have covered off so much of the city and we rarely do the same activity twice.  Except Calaway Park.  We've been doing Calaway Park every year for as many as I can remember.

The one problem we run into is that Sara's kids are adventurous when it comes to rides and mine are not.  Let's put it this way.  Macy is barely 6 and she couldn't wait to get on the roller coaster this year.  Grady on the other hand is 11 and has little interest in giving it a go.

The ship, as shown below, is Grady's favorite ride and up until this year has been the scariest ride he would even consider.  Trust me, it is not that scary.

Sara and Macy were sitting across from us and while Macy's expression is totally real, Sara saw me taking the picture. I think it is an awesome one just the same.

Poor Macy is the only girl of the group and she takes it like a champ.  In normal fashion, when you say everyone turn around for the photo, the only one that looks and poses is Miss Macy.  Of course.

This year Grady tried this drop ride.  It is always my favorite. I love losing my stomach on rides, I do not like to spin.  I was happy that Grady stepped out of his comfort zone and tried something new, and he loved it.  He went on it multiple times even by himself.  Despite the non smile, I promise he was enjoying it!

Our new adventure this year was a trip to the mountains.  We decided last year instead of putting Calaway Park on the top of the priority list that it was time to bring Sara's kids to the mountains.  They loved the view so much that at lunch the 2 oldest refused to switch spots with us so we could enjoy it.  Insert eye roll.

What you can't tell from these pictures is that Macy got car sick on the way and threw up just before we started the hike.  Thankfully she recovered and we were able to finish the Grassi Lakes Trail which is about a 5km hike round trip with spectacular views.  This is the first time we walked all around the lake and ventured into the caves.  It made for a great photo op!  There was no way I was climbing in that cave.

Here we are after our hike drinking Bud Lite and wearing the name tags (labelled proudly by Macy) that came in the box of beer we purchased on the way home.

The other part of our group looked a little like this.  My boys love having Aiden sleeping in their room and I was happy that this year when Aiden woke up at the crack of dawn he didn't wake the other 2 up.  Ha!  It turned out that one of the mornings Aiden slept until 830 which may be his new sleep in record.  So glad we got to celebrate that with him!

Sunday, the boys headed to a virtual reality place. I have no idea what it is or what they did but they all said it was the highlight of the weekend and it allowed us ladies to get our toes painted.  This is something that I miss out on having only boys, no pedicure with my kids!  I loved watching her face light up when they painted flowers on her toes and how she picked the same color as me.  She is the sweetest... just like her mama!

I love the weekends that Sara comes to visit.  Once upon a time we lived together and I love that once a year we pretend we are roommates again and stay up way to late watching Big Little Lies (instead of Golden Girls) and drink booze (instead of Diet Coke).  There is just something about having a friend that you've had for longer than you haven't. Thank you Sara for dragging your kids 600km to come and spend the weekend with us.

Weekend Throw Back

When I told the kids I was going to Saskatoon for the weekend they wanted to know if they were coming.  They were disappointed to heat that this was just a trip for Mom. It was super quick trip to celebrate Dee's birthday and to visit with my family.  Most importantly, I got to meet this my new little nephew Jackson.

I must admit I felt sad when all the kids were lined up for their cousin picture and my kids were missing.  But I got over it pretty fast.   They'll have YEARS of cousin pictures...

It was great to sit around with my siblings and visit with a bottle of wine (or beer) and no parents.  Risky, I know. One of us was happier about the selfie then the other.

After a quick catch up with the family, I met up with my friends Saturday afternoon, who are apparently homeless??

Just kidding, we were having our photos taken down a back alley as a part of Deena's birthday celebration and the flower shop had just done a big dump at the end of the day.  The girls put together a tiny bouquet for our birthday gal.

It was a perfect night running around Broadway and the river bank with a photographer like we were celebrities.  Ha!  Saskatoon really is a beautiful city.  The gals suggested I should move back.  I'll work on James....

What a great night it was celebrating a great friend.  After dinner, we went to our hotel room, put on our PJs (or bicycle shorts!) and Britney tees for a little trivia fun.  One was Britney trivia and one was all about us.  Both homemade games that had us in tears laughing.  My tummy seriously got a workout.  Almost as good as a lagree workout!

This girl.....  Dee and I have been friends since before I can remember.  I literally don't remember a time in my life when she wasn't in it, Nor do I think there ever will be such a time.  I feel very lucky to have called her a friend for the majority of my life.

After a great night, we woke up together on Mother's day morning in the hotel room before rushing different directions to spend the day with our families.  I loved starting the day with the women that shaped me into the person and mother that I am today.

The next leg of the trip was breakfast with my Mom and Sister in Law cooked by my brother. I haven't been with my Mom on Mother's day in years and what a treat it was.  After egg sandwiches the ladies hit up a few stores, I was very impressed with myself for not buying a thing.  But let's fact it, my carry on suitcase is pretty darn small.

It was a quick but great trip.  It was a spur of the moment trip (for me) planned only a month before.  I deal with a lot of Mom guilt when I leave for the weekend.  There is no reason for it, James does a great job and encourages me to go away and take a break.  I'm so glad that I put the guilt aside and took some time for myself to see the people I love and don't get to see as often as I'd like.

Maybe I should do it annually.....

Can't Stop the Feeling

Sometimes the universe lines itself up and knows exactly what you need.  I didn't know how much i needed these gals until I arrived in Edmonton late Thursday afternoon.

You see, we planned to see Justin Timberlake in November on our annual Edmonton meet up.  Then he cancelled.  When I saw the new date was in Feb I was hesitant to commit.  It's my busy time at work and the weather could be shit.  But because of my extreme case of FOMO when all the other gals committed, I couldn't miss out.

The Pink Ladies!

I've been having a rough go this month.  Maybe it is the January blues, or maybe it is my anxiety getting the best of me.  Either way, this one night (less than 24 hours) had revived me.

As I type this I am still in my sweatshirt from last night and I am listening to my favorite JT song that you can barely read on my Christy blue shirt, Can't Stop the Feeling!  (Thanks for making the shirts Dee!)

The pink ladies clearly have a better selfie game than us true blues.

On a side note... i didn't know I liked JT so much.  I put his song set on my spotify play list this week and I've had it on non stop since.  If you haven't checked out Man in the Woods it may be my new favorite song of his.... almost.  I love that now when I hear these songs it will bring me back to this night and how much fun we had.

Who brought the jello shooters??  Right, that was me!

These girls... where do I begin.  Just the other day I was telling Grady about how when I am with them I laughed until I cried. He wanted to know what we laughed about it and when I told him he didn't get it and it didn't even sound funny, but in the moment I had tears running down my cheeks and my stomach heard from laughing too hard.  Everyone needs friends that make you laugh until you cry.  I've found mine and I'm keeping them.

Documenting the concert!

Today i have a bounce in my step and a smile on my face when I think not only about the concert but about the friends that made it the perfect night.  A mid week break full of wine, pizza, stories, laugh until you cry moments, songs, and memory making moments.

Rock your body!

Finally, thank you to JT who cancelled his concert in the fall.  At the time I was pissed that your vocal chords were bruised, but now I am so happy that you brought us back for a bonus night to revive our Mom souls that were suffering from the mid winter blues. If you go on tour again, count on us to be there.  Its a promise.

Le Weekend with my BFFs

I'm still coming off the high from my most anticipated weekend of the year, my girls trip to Edmonton. Many may be thinking, really, Edmonton?? Really. Us girls don't need much other than a mall and each other to have a great time.

I've known these ladies for more than 2 decades.  One I've known over 3 decades.  I've lived with 2 of them and went to high school with most of them.  One of always ate all the leftovers in my fridge in high school and slept over all the time!

We have history.

You can't recreate that.  These are my oldest friends and always will be.  We know each others first kisses and someone will always remind you of your most embarrassing moment in high school when you claim to have forgotten.

Along with the guarantee of being reminded of something you wish you could forget, there is always shopping. Lots and lots of shopping.  Full hearts and empty wallets!  Let's face it, when you eat, sleep, and live at the mall you are not going to escape without dropping some serious coin.

These ladies can shop like no other.  We shop, we have lunch, we break mid afternoon wine, and we shop again.  This year we made plans to actually leave the mall, but when it actually came time to leave, we cancelled the reso and ate at Cactus Club in the mall like we have every other year.  A tradition is a tradition, right?

Over the years, I've even been able to peg their shopping style:

One has a mission that she attacks like a tiger

One always buy shoes

One does few purchases but big ones

One does lots of returns on Sunday

One shops fast with no regrets

I wonder what they would say about me.....?

Somehow on girls trip I always get caught dancing.  Again, I was caught flossing on video.  At least I'm good at it, or it feels like I am.  The video evidence says otherwise.  If you didn't see it on Deena's insta stories I'm not going to be sharing it here.  Dare I admit that we face timed one of our sons to ask if orange justice from  Fortnite was done with the same or alternate arms?  In case you are wondering, it is alternate.

This year we added an in room yoga session to the weekend.  Since we were there for a full Sunday and the mall didn't open until 11am AND it was time change weekend where we gain an extra hour, we had time.  Only 4 of us finished and honestly I can't believe I did because I got the giggles so bad that I couldn't hold my poses.  We make even yoga fun!

I laughed until I cried on more than one occasion.  I'm trying to remember why and I can't.  It doesn't matter anyway. I just know that no one can make me laugh as hard or as often as these ones do.

Over the years, we've lived in different cites, have different careers and interests, but none of that matters.  When we get together it is like we are gitty high school girls talking about their crushes and who is going to pull the booze for the 'it' party that weekend.  Well, except now we sit around in our matching PJs drinking wine and talking about parenting strategies and our kids hockey.

Who is the crazy one in the back???  I don't recognize her either.

These are the gals I lean on.  If I need them I know they will be there and they can expect the same from me. I am so lucky to be doing life with them.  Even if it is only one weekend a year.  It is totally worth it.

Triple the Fun

What?  An outfit post, on this blog???

That's right, I loved one of the outfits I bought in Edmonton so much that I had to share it.   Not to mention three of us bought the exact same outfit and 4, almost 5, bought  the same skirt.  

A little back story on the outfit.... Deena showed up hunting for the striped skirt that she saw on Lisa's blog.  

If you don't already read Lisa's blog, you should!  We went to H&M on Friday night and Deena set out on her hunt.  It was a hidden gem in the store, literally.  She walked out one happy lady with her striped skirt.  

When she tries it on for us that evening in the hotel room she had us all sold.  This skirt is stretchy, long, flattering , and only $14.99.  

Three of us went back the next day to buy it.  

While we didn't set out looking for the floral top that Lisa pairs with the skirt in her post, we stumbled upon one anyway.

 

When the mall opened on Saturday morning we were standing outside Anthropologie waiting to barge in.  Lucky for us, it was 30% sale items so that is where we headed and surprise surprise Dee and I ended up with the same shirt in the change room and eventually it came home with both of us.

I love this outfit.  I'm not going to lie, it is a little out of my comfort zone.  Maybe a lot.  But I love that I could see it on my friends and witness how great it looked giving me confidence to wear it. In public.  

   

Friends who shop together stay together!

Celebrating Friendship

Our annual girls trip has once again come and gone.  A weekend that always leaves our hearts fuller and our wallets lighter.  This is at least our 11th annual get together and one that comes with certain expectations, or shall we say traditions that have developed over the years.  Let me tell you about them.

Copious amounts of coffee consumed

It seems when we all get together there is always a pot, or 6, of coffee on the go. Not to mention the multiple stops to Starbucks, second cup, and most recently Dee introduced us to the yummy tasting mint tea.  When there is women, there is always coffee!

Wine (and beer and cocktails!)

When there are woman, there is most likely wine, or any other beverage you can get your hands on!  Lucky for us we have cheap taste.  Three of us were happy to drink our massive bottle of Moscato white and my fave bottle of red, Apothic.  All at under $20 a bottle... score!

Playlists from the 90s

I was lucky enough to be the DJ for the weekend using my 90s mix full of songs that remind be of the gals I've known for 25+ years!  There was Salt and Peppa (Deena), Cher (Sara), Dirty Dancing soundtrack (me) and many more.  In preparation for the weekend, on the 3 hour drive up to Edmonton I cranked up my play mix and sang at the top of my lungs.  Thankfully, I was travelling solo.

Dance Party

Along with the singing and 90s tunes comes dancing. Mostly by me.  Though we no longer dance in the clubs, there is dancing in the room, in the mall, in the change room, anywhere really.   I didn't realize how much I danced when I was with my BFFs until Dee kept video taping me.  The boys in my family (all three of them!) don't put up with any singing or dancing with out whining so I guess I save it up for the annual trip.  Lucky ladies.  Ha!

Early to Bed

Yes, we have fun. Yes, we have drinks.  Yes, we are in bed by midnight.  No regrets!  We are all tired mamas that need to catch up on our sleep when we have the chance to be kidless.  There may be a pic of me sleeping since I was the unfortunate soul to fall asleep first on Saturday night.  Sigh...

Early to Rise

When you have 6 gals sleeping in the same room you go to bed with the last and get up with the first  The first is always up before 7.  When you are used to getting up at the crack of dawn it is hard to sleep in.  In this case it is a bonus to be up early so we have time to drink all the coffee before the mall open.

BMs

I'm just going to put this out here.... I have been on multiple girl trips with different groups and the conversation eventually turns to talking about p-o-o-p.  There is one who claims she doesn't poo, one that says she poos all the time, and others that want to go and can't.  Please tell me I am not alone on this one.

Shopping

Our trip is focused around the mall.  We park at the mall Friday and leave again on Sunday.  WE eat  and sleep at the mall.  It is fantastic.  There we are, standing outside our first store as the gates are opened at 10am sharp...  This year, that store happened to be anthropology.  While I had the most success at Loft.  We collectively agreed that Simons was the our most successful store for the second year in a row!

Waiting

Put 6 girls in the mall with different tastes and different must have items and you spend a lot of time waiting in the hall or jumping forward a few stores and texting where you are.  We don't split up per se but we stick to the same general area of the mall and move together.  Patience is a virtue.

Eats

We are creatures of habit.  On Friday we eat at earls.  Saturday for lunch we do food court and I always get Taco Time.  Saturday night we have Cactus Club.  At each meal at least 3 people got the same meal.  Like exactly the same.  I was never one of those people since they would always get some type of seafood that I wasn't into.

Twinning

Just like our food... we also like to dress the same.  We always come home with the same outfits.  This year, 3 of us came home with the exact same skirt and shirt combo.  Stay tuned for Wednesday when I show you that popular outfit.  We also take a break mid afternoon when the mall is beyond busy.  We have a fashion show where some decide to go back and return items they aren't crazy about and others decide to buy something that looked great on someone else.  I was happy to report back to James that I spent the least amount of money this year.  He said unless it was zero it was too much.  

Choosing the next date

As we prepare to say good bye we always choose a date for the following year to make sure that everyone has it in their calendar  It is not a weekend that any of want to miss so we want to make sure it is the first item in the calendar for the following year.  Hello June 2018!

Celebrating Friendship

I have known these ladies for 25+ years.  Deena I've known for 33 years.  I am never going to make friends like these again.  They know me like no one else ever will.  Friendship isn't always easy. It is something that you have to work at.  But I firmly believe that you get what you put in.  Someone once told me that I wouldn't always be friends with the same people since life changes and so do people. I am adamant to prove this theory wrong. These are my people and I want them to be a part of my life always.  

Here's to friendship, because its worth it!