Girls' Night Out ;)

We’re 30 days out people.  That’s right, every date from here on out will be my last as a betrothed lady.  The next 14^th I see….I’ll be an old married woman ;) OH MY GOODNESS!!! 

I’m feeling much better today (maybe it was waking up to a ‘One month!’ text from my Matron of Honor)!  Or that Javier and I spent hours sometime last night cleaning out some cabinets, making decisions on what stuff we want to get rid of (to make way for new wedding gifts!) and put away the closet full of presents we’ve accumulated so far.  I have definitely grown into one of those people that cannot relax amid a mess (yeah, college friends…I know I wasn’t always like this….).  Javier laughs because I usually spend the first 15-20 mins I’m home from work putting clothes away, fluffing cushions and wiping down coffee tables cause I can’t just sit until I feel good about our home.  SO!  With a brand new batch of stuff finally in its place, I felt a sense of relief yesterday that I hope keeps me sane (at least for a little bit).

Now, I debated sharing with you some of the projects I finally have started working on, but since nothing is completely done (and it was such a fun time) I thought it better to share my perfect bachelorette to celebrate our 30 day mark!  A wise person once said that a picture was worth 1,000 words so I’ll try to let the amazing pictures do the talking (i.e. picture heavy post ahead!)  I will say that everything was a complete surprise to me (something I’m usually not game for) and could not have turned out better!

We started at Michelle, Randa and Sandy’s house for brunch J  (Since I didn’t know where I was going, as we crossed into Rosslyn I definitely said to Jess, ‘well I guess this spot is convenient for Michelle, Randa and Sandy!’….yes VERY convenient!)  We had delicious ham biscuits (a Staples’ family staple), bagels, mimosas, fresh fruit smoothies and a quiche (recipe by JoytheBaker – one of my fav food bloggers)

brunching it up 

Since I didn’t know where we were going (or what we were doing) Kels and Jess had to help me with outfit selection.  When they suggested I wear ‘what I’d wear to softball practice’ I cringed a bit.  You mean sweatpants from high school with permanent clay stains?  Or my soffe shorts that are covered in paint? Which pair of soffe shorts covered in paint you ask, well my red, blue and black pair were all ‘clean’  so I had options ;)  (This bachelorette taught me I need to buy some new workout attire….)  Needless to say I was relieved to show up and receive this brand spanking new t-shirt for our Saturday morning adventure J

After brunch, we piled into cars and headed...north (I still didn’t know where we were going!).  But I was SO excited when we pulled into GO APE!   What is GO APE? (from their website...)

            It’s not in the dictionary, but if it was, Go Ape would be described as a ‘treetop adventure’.

We take one lush, green forest and a healthy dose of breathtaking scenery; blend with a smattering of treetop high wires, tricky crossings (using ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and super-strong wire) and wind-in-your-face zip lines; finished off with a mega dose of people in search of their inner Tarzan.

While a few were feeling some nerves early on, we all found our inner Tarzan! (…well…Jane!)

this is us being apes

look at us in the trees

those ladder crossings were a bit scary

just escaped the rain - group shot

After a few butt landings on the zip lines, we were all in desperate need of showers.  We piled back into cars (as the down pour started) and went to our hotel to freshen up.  While we were all getting beautified, the girls put out some cheese and crackers to snack on and a CHAMPAGNE TASTING.  We all tried our hand at blindly testing 5 champagnes and selecting the most expensive.  Shockingly, we failed.  In fact, I think no one picked the most expensive as their favorite.  Oh well, we’re cheap dates, but we’re fun!

For dinner we headed to Mussel Bar.  I love me some mussels and was super stoked when I learned our dinner destination.  The Bar didn’t disappoint and even delivered all our mussels in unison; releasing lids and billowing steam all at the same time!  I ate ever single mussel and ended up tipping my pan to scoop out as much broth as possible.  (not my most ladylike moment, but so worth it!)

this was my 'Wall of Temptation'
look at that hotty Colin Firth
I'm puckering up for ;)

After dinner we headed back to the hotel so they could dress me up, bachelorette style.  They got me gussied up and a minor dance party broke out (particularly when New Kids on the Block came one!)  (okay, that was mostly just me and Kels, but I think everyone enjoyed it!)  Then we headed out to bars.  We must have struck some bachelorette luck, because the bar where we landed totally embraced our group.  The bartenders, patrons and even some regulars seemed excited to see a new crowd at the bar and eagerly ensured our girls' night out was one to remember!

how lovely are these ladies

this is our dance party
(we're getting into it)

this was Matt (or Mark?) who took good care of us at the bar :)

:) all smiles :)

HUGE thank you to my bridesmaids for planning such an awesome weekend!  And to all the ladies that traveled near and far, joined in when they could – it was SO awesome to celebrate with you.  LOVE YOU LOTS!