Ashley's Going Away Party :(

Ashley and I met almost nine years ago on Roommates.com when I was looking for a roommate since I knew I was moving to Los Angeles in the Fall of 2005.  She had this fun and flirty picture, looked like a really nice girl, said she was originally from Hawaii, and seemed normal enough to cross my fingers and hope she wasn't going to kill me in my sleep after I had moved to LA.  The first thing I remember about Ashley when I met her was how tall and tan she was ;)

Buddy Bing & Buddy Gellar

In less than two weeks Ashley's moving back to Hawaii.  She's been here for 11 years and comparing LA to Hawaii seems like a horrible idea, and I've never been to Hawaii but I can only imagine how beautiful it is, and how nice it'll be to be back around family and good friends again!  So last Sunday she had her Going Away Party at Freddy Smalls complete with snacks, pizza, and lots of candy!  Her friends from The Counter, where she's worked since she's been in LA, that I've gotten to know too, were at the party, some of her family that is out here, old bosses, and friends, and more were all in attendance.  As she's been doing for weeks, it's really hard to pack up 11 years of your life to take back to Hawaii!  Saying goodbye is even worse.

Of course, no Going Away Party for Ash would be complete without a dance party, some 'Baby Got Back,' shots, and tears.  Jeff was our resident DJ for the night and had everybody up and dancing (even on the bar at one point), and there was no shortness of alcohol either!  The party was so much fun and it was great to see everybody again for what might be the last time for a long time, but as we discussed, now I have a fabulous reason to get to Hawaii for a little vacation!

Once Carolyn arrived, it was nearly time to shut down Freddy's and move over to the San Francisco Saloon.  I got all of us one final shot of Fireball and put these two girls over their edge.  We couldn't celebrate properly without all of us taking a shot together.  Not only did we get 20 pictures in a row of us smiling, laughing, and crying, but an epic end to the night.  I got to meet Ashley's rats for the first time, Ben snuggled Ash as soon as she laid down, and I got to spend some quality time with Carolyn.

I LOVE these Ladies!

It was a late night but I wouldn't have had it any other way.  I love these girls so much, and as sad as I am that one of my best friends, and first LA friend, is moving back home, I'm so proud of her, and know she'll be happy.  And that's all that matters <3

A Night out in WeHo!

Emily and I went out in West Hollywood last week since both of us had been so busy with work and finally had a free night off together.  We decided on Laurel Hardware and got into the line around 10:45 that night.  It's been a long time since I waited to get into a club, let alone a bar, and on a Thursday night at that...but luckily we only waited about 15-20 minutes and when we got inside, it was busy, and the bar area was packed, so it completely made sense for capacity issues.

Em and I at Laurel Hardware in West Hollywood

The last time I had gone to Laurel Hardware was after the Sara Bareilles show and I got their Beet Drink, which was called The Skinneas Fog.  It tasted a little like dirt but in a good way.  I actually loved the drink, I felt like it was healthy since it was dark purple in color from the beets, but had a nice lemon taste to it as well.  This time I ordered The Gangster which was Organic Cucumber Vodka with juiced Watermelon and Lime.  While it tasted delicious, I felt like there was little alcohol in it, and for $12 for a drink, I'm hoping it's at least got a little kick to it.

 

Emily and I surveyed the scene but ended up taking up a seat at the end of the bar where we could oversee the entire bar and restaurant in the back.  The music was rocking all night long and the Bartenders were super attentive and making sure our glasses were full, including my water glass (awesome), wiping down the bar, and clearing off napkins and empty glassware.  Nice job!

  

At the end of the night we had to laugh about the sign we had seen on our initial walk to the bar and the night wouldn't have been complete without taking a picture in front of it!  'Don't even think about parking here.'  You're thinking about it, admit it!

 

It was a fantastic Roommate Night and something we definitely need to do more often :) 

April Birthday's!

Last weekend ended with my first roommate in LA's Birthday, and this week started with my new roommate's Birthday!  Ashley had her Sunday Funday Birthday at Cabo Cantina in Venice and Emily had her Birthday at our place of employment, The Garage!

I rarely go into Cabo anymore because my employment experience there was one of the worst I've ever had in my entire life, but that's a story for a different blog.  Also, I worked at a different location with different managers and staff and actually really like the people that work at the Venice location so I was happy to go and celebrate Ashley's Birthday with a tasty margarita and some yummy food!  We got there at 5 pm just in time for 2-4-1 Happy Hour and I ordered Ashley and I Margarita's and we finally got settled into a booth downstairs with some of her friends and Gretchen, Cabo's very own Mascot.  I seriously fell in love with this little pup, and was completely content with her snuggling in my lap for most of the evening.  I used to love going into Cabo for drinks and I was reminded how much fun it was being here for Ashley's Birthday so I know I will be back and perhaps even having a 'Buddy Day' and taking a cab home, waking up in Ashley's bed, and talking about finding a bar at 6 am so we can cure our 8 pm hangover from the previous night ;)

The Birthday Girl and I with Gretchen at Cabo Cantina

 On Tuesday, it was Emily's Birthday at The Garage, and she had a beautiful cake that I was handed a piece of upon arrival that was made by Shane and Patrick and was absolutely delicious!  Nice job, guys!  Birthday shots were in order to start the evening and then it was a night of catching up with friends and co-workers while enjoying a low-key evening at an awesome bar!  Lots of people showed up and celebrated and there was even a late night excursion that will be kept Top Secret and remembered for years :)  It was awesome to see everyone outside of their work clothes and enjoying themselves for a special occasion and we were all happy to celebrate with Emily on her 23rd Birthday!  

Birthday Girl Emily and I at The Garage

I've got more Birthday's to celebrate this month and I can't wait to catch up with good friends and create awesome memories!

*By the way, the March Madness Championship Game was on Monday and I watched the game while I was working at The Garage so happy because I knew Louisville was going to win, but unfortunately I lost my Bracket in the tie-breaker round, as the Winner had 113 points, and then there were 3 of us with 112, but I had guessed too low on the Final Score so I came in 4th.  I did my research on the scores and everything but was still really proud to do that well when this was the first time I've ever filled out the bracket and played for money.  There's always next year!