soaking up home.

i can't stop thinking about the perfect little weekend me and the mister had.

you girls out there, ya know those days & weekends that are perfect for no grand reason? the kind that make you feel like newlyweds all over again? it was one of those. 

after back-to-back trips with girlfriends, i was ready for a weekend at home with my man and that's what i go. we made no plans and didn't force ourselves to do any chores. the result? a perfect blend of relaxation and spontaneous fun. 

i finished a book. we rode bikes everywhere. we explored downtown and got a sneak peek of a new ale house. we tried new restaurants & ended up dancing like crazy to DJ Sean Watson at the crescent ballroom all saturday night.

that weekend at home rivaled any fancy getaway. 

i love you, d. 

jenny's bachelorette // the main event. encore beach club.

for years, when we've asked jenny what she wanted to do for her bachelorette party she always said she imagined a pool party... a real crazy pool party. well, there's no better place for a crazy pool party than las vegas - encore beach club to be exact - so that's what we did. 

knowing it would be a zillion degrees in the desert in mid-august, we decided on a "lilypad" (verses a daybed) for the group which is basically like a round daybed + umbrella floating in the water. perfection. we had a place for our cocktails, matching visors + sunnies and lipgloss. what more do you need?

the pool party didn't disappoint. it started with early morning haircuts... a private escort into the party which was followed by special pool performances by the bachelorette and the day ended with the bride walking down the strip in her white swimsuit and wobbly headband to hail the rest of us a cab. #bachelorettepartysuccess

for the rest of the night we laid around in our comfys in the suite, ate greasy food (whoever ordered 40 McD's chicken nuggets is amazing), drank champagne, laughed at photos and stories from earlier in the day, talked a lot about periods (have you heard of a pad belt? - yeah, look it up) & laughed until we cried listening to tone tell stories.

the maid of honor and bride to be.

nice heels, pete ;) 

we all wore lion and tiger temporary tattoos in honor of the groom-to-be.

bachelorette getting "a haircut" 

ashley laying the "4-inch trim minimum" down on tone... who took it like a champ!

SunnyD. the classy chaser. 

that is a sexy bachelorette if i've ever seen one. 

the UA girls representing.

any classy bachelorette needs accessories... huge ring. huge eh, water bottle. check!

visor with veil, wiggly penis headband, giant glam sunglasses. check! 

... oh, and don't forget the beautiful plastic penis necklace. check!

oh sure, you can escort us through the encore to our private lilypad. fiiiiiiine. colby loves it - look at her.

i can't think of an appropriate caption. 

he taught us a saying - not appropriate. our nickname for him - not appropriate. 

ahhhh... there she is. encore beach club in all her glory.

the BRIDE has ARRIVED.

kim k. kicking things off on the lilypad. gettin' the party started!

magnum love (the bottle size).

our friends - then enemies - then friends again. 

shannon... MOH/Bachelorette #2

those girls. 

why so pouty bride? is it because one of your wobbles went limp? 

eh, colbs... trying to avoid the water? screaming at someone to "manhandle" the bride perhaps? 

cheers! do. not. spill. 

our personal landing pad in front of the lily pad. maybe this is where all our period talk stemmed from.. hmmm.

tiffany!

shannon was taking a dancing break and temporarily guarding the pitcher of vodka. 

top secret scavenger hunt dares in progress. 

colby ain't got nothin' but love for the bride.

... and then a magnum bottle of vodka is gone. 

matching sunnies & sexy cat tats. nice wallet, colbs.

just a casual cruise down the strip...

(day one here // night one here)

cooking class for two.

not the two you're thinking...

... danny and kayman, say cheeeeeeese (literally).

a couple of weeks ago danny let me know that he'd be home later than usual because he had cooking class with his friend kayman that night. oh, okay. 

one romantic thursday night, danny and kayman spent two hours together at the classic cooking academy sipping wine and learning to make the "world's tastiest homemade caesar salad and pizza."

kayman said it was the best pizza he'd ever had. danny, um, got a little aggressive adding cheese, so his sentiments weren't the same, but he did come home with some awesome make pizza-at-home tips.... 

1. if using a pizza stone, pre-heat it in in a super hot oven and then put your pie on it for just a few minutes.

2. do not mess with your dough too much. the more you manipulate it, the more elastic it will get. 

3. a little sauce goes a long way.

danny's mozzarella monster

jenny's bachelorette // NIGHT one.

following our pool time, we got ready for the first evening's festivities. catered dinner & cocktails in the suite. a lingerie shower. dancing and playing games until security showed up ;) a night out at Ghostbar all of us sparkling in metallic sequins. endless memories from this night.

let's get this party started! poor thing had to stuff napkins in her arm holes b/c the sequins were scratching.

that's our bride-to-be!

jenny and ashley... and willy. we had a little photoshoot... most of which will remain secret.

the bride with tone - the night's VIP... guys, gambling, greasy food & planking at 5:30 a.m.

sequins! sequins! sequins!

lingerie shower and a disco ball... duh.

so fun to spoil each bride with lacy little things. 

"lean on me"

on the rooftop at The Palms' Ghostbar.

amazing views from the outdoor bar.

 

little breezy post-rap. right, meister? 

a few of us decided to check out Rain Nightclub at The Palms. step & repeat, obviously.

RUSKO! 

of course colby managed to immediately find TWO giant foam glowsticks. 

back to Ghostbar... let the dance battling begin! colby: challenge accepted!

colby vs. special k

pretty sure lindsey & ashley think colbs and i are craaaazy

tone & wyoming... a total hottie.

we don't stop dancing till the end.

a word to the wise: do NOT try get on a moving escalator barefoot. five girls learned that the hard way.