Phoenix Bachelorette Party!

That's is right, bachelorette #2!

What a night to remember/forget! (I remember most of it!)

Thank you so much to my ladies Bev, Drue, Amanda, and Lindsay for helping to organize my evening of debauchery.

We started the evening with gourmet pizza and sangria at Grazie. There I was given a bouquet of lollipops and was told I needed to sell them to buy an outfit for my honeymoon! (see photo) Then we went to Dos Gringos, mostly for nostalgia, but somewhat to get the party started. It was too quiet, so we went to a club called BS; nearly all men there, if you get my drift, but what else would a bachelorette want?! It was totally by chance, but when I saw the nearly naked guys dancing on stage, I knew we found a good place. Cheap drinks, too! Then we moved to the final destination of Martini Ranch, negotiated a reduced cover charge, and watched Rock Lobster rock the 80's tunes, with a short trip to the club to dance, too (but a creepy guy ruined that for me). We weren't kicked out until after 2:00, but then I was insisting on a snack, so we hit up the after-hours bar, Gus's for pizza, where a very nice man practically let me steal slices from his pizza since the line was so long. I never made it inside. And I think I walked there barefoot. Rickshaw back to the Valley Ho- quick night's sleep- and a great breakfast and some pool time topped off the weekend. (Need I remind you this all took place the night of my shower, I was EXHAUSTED)

P.S. I made $70!

Things I learned at this party:

1. When eating outdoors at Grazie, bring an umbrella to protect yourself from the misters/rainstorm (the misters soaked us!)
2. Order bread
3. Always carry a "big-ass glass" with you because it is much harder to spill when dancing (see photos)
4. Don't try to sell Scottsdale douchebags a lollipop before 10:00 p.m., or before 5 drinks...
5. Use pathos to get people to feel sorry for you and give you cash (for the lollipops)
6. GO TO BS, the club where male go-go dancers (hotter than strippers) will give you jello shots and there are 2 for 1s every Saturday night!
7. Pizza, Gus's, 2:00 a.m., DONE!
8. Get a hotel room close by, like at the Valley Ho
9. Hire a rickshaw
10. Wear sensible shoes
11. Go see Rock Lobster at Martini Ranch and rock out!
12. Water, drink, water, drink, water, drink

Oh man, it was a great time, probably the most fun I've ever managed to have in Scottsdale.

My "big-ass glass" from Karen!

The lollipop bouquet and glass I carried all night- got my arm workout in!

Mom rallied for the first stop!

Nadja made it out to 2 bachelorette parties!

This one was for Kyle and all my friends who love The Captain! Not sure where I got the crown...

Much Needed Girl Time

Over the past month, I've been reminded multiple times of how many wonderful females are in my life. I can love Kyle because these women taught me to first love who I am and to be comfortable with all my quirks. It is no wonder that a weekend away with them added up to one unforgettable (for the most part) time!

My first bachelorette party (yes, I got 2!) was in Denver, Colorado. My good friends from college, along with my sisters, organized a weekend of fun activities. I can honestly say that I had the time of my life! Everything was just perfect, and reminded me of all the good times we've spent together in the past.

We stayed at the Curtis hotel downtown, walking distance from bars and activities. From a pretty tame dinner and martini bar hop on Friday night, to a spa day on Saturday, to a wild night of dancing and debauchery on Saturday night, even my Sunday morning hangover could not put a damper on the fun.

I learned a few things during the course of the weekend that I feel the need to pass along for your benefit:

• My sister does not like me trying to find her a date to my wedding at a bar
• Flabongos draw a lot of attention
• Bouncers love bachelorette parties
• I know a lot about Kyle! (We played a game [see picture below] where I had to take a shot if I guessed an answer wrong for trivia questions the girls had made Kyle answer)
• I need to remember to take pictures before entering a club and sweating my mascara off
• Drinking at altitude= bad hangover
• Wear your most comfortable shoes
• Avoid throwing glasses into the street, or kicking newspaper boxes
• Don't plan for breakfast the morning after your bachelorette party (before noon)

Here are some photos:

The whole family got involved for dinner the first night!

Martini Bar Hopping

Spa Time- complete with spritzer!

Muddy feet but happy ladies!

This is where the trouble started...

A 3-course meal with drink pairing per course!!!

Delta Gamma Pride!

This spells trouble...

Now this is what fun looks like!!! Bride sailor hat AND crown!

This is called a flabongo... I only took 1 over the course of the night!

The Friday night gang! Cassie, Sarah, Melissa, Kaycee, Jenna, Amanda, Erica, Jill, Irina, Katie

Bachelorette- Vegas Style!

We are lucky girls!

Alright, I have just witnessed, participated in, and survived my second Vegas bachelorette weekend of all time, and this time I had real cause to celebrate with my own upcoming nuptials.

The last time I was in Vegas for a bachelorette party was for my college friend Melissa. The weekend involved such shenanigans as "travelers" (drinks to go, with the lax open-container laws of Vegas, only ours were full-on bottles of booze), yard drinks by the pool, flamingos, and some sun-poisoning.

This visit was to celebrate my friends Jill and Sarah's bachelorette parties, and I went along for the triple threat! Nothing is more fun than telling people that ALL 3 of you are getting married. We were joined by other friends and Jill's families (current and future), and it was one of the best times I've had, ever, not just in Vegas.

Friday night we hit the country bar/restaurant, Toby Keith's, and danced the night away. Saturday we hit up Fremont Street (the "classic" strip) and went ziplining. After a necessary stop at the buffet at Fitzgerald's (you can't avoid a buffet in Vegas!) we returned to the hotel, when the REAL celebration began!

Saturday will go down in history as epic and unreal, and full of crazy laughs and crazier memories (we can only remember thanks to the digital photo evidence). As graduates of Colorado College, no night can commence without a classic dancing and drinking pre-party! This pre-party came with a little surprise, let's just say of "Russian origin", from my fabulous fiance. None of us really expected that, but it was certainly a highlight for the ladies! After that excitement, we scored VIP entrance to 1 Oak, the club at the Mirage where we were staying. We had comped drinks for the first 2 hours, which was plenty, and we all danced until our stilletos burned holes into our feet and we literally began collapsing to the dance floor. What night in Vegas would be complete without additional debauchery, with visits to Subway and McDonald's at 5:00 a.m., snapping photos with a bride and groom, walking though the casino, and starting our own dance party in the middle of the empty lounge. Oh, and "Tebowing".

<record scratch> Whhhhaaattt? 

Oh, that's right, Jill and Nadja started to Tebow all over the place, in random people's pictures, with random strangers, and yes, even with the bride.

Notice the man walking by and staring...

Hilarious. 

Guess you had to be there.

So, what happens in Vegas doesn't really STAY in Vegas, but the truth is, do we really even know what just happened in Vegas??

(It is probably better that way...)

That is us ziplining Fremont!

Dancing at 1 Oak with my DG girls!

Sarah bought us these shirts!

So cute!