photo diary: i planned my bff's bachelorette

Some people say "you'll only be a bride once," but the only thing I know for sure at this point is that I'm only gonna be a Maid of Honor, for my lifelong best friend, one time. I've gotta go all out! 

I've been planning her bachelorette party for several months now, and of course I was like "OMG this is gonna look so cute and I'm gonna take so many pictures and it's gonna be such a good blog." Then real life happens and I live in the moment and I forget about work and well- I have crappy phone pics again. 

Crappy phone pics > No pics... and this first one is pretty damn good to be honest.

This is our semi-new trademark pose, which was obviously perfect for this.

Kelly and I used to carpool to gym every day for like a decade or something. We've been through a lot of life changes, struggles, moves, and everything else life throws at you, but never fought. Her first kiss was the first love of my life [in preteen years] and I didn't even start a slam book against her. That's real friendship. 

Now she's engaged to a man who lets her stay young and happy, what we've always said we'll always be... and it's time to celebrate that!

As a lover of everything 'Merica and red, white and blue, I knew that had to be the theme. I've seen some for "Red, White, and Bride," but that doesn't even make sense. The bride is white, ya stupids! I went with "Red, BRIDE, and Blue," had her dress in white, the rest of us in red and blue. Because she had people coming from literally every corner and coast of the US, we went with a fun place in the middle: Austin. 

I've never had to plan something to suit a diverse group of unknowns and holy bleep, I'm glad I'm only doing this once. In the end, I figured the best way to do a little bit of everything and keep the bride happy was to have an awesome party house to hang at one day, and city activities planned for the next. 

AirBNB is the best way to go, and I found some lists of suggested houses on the Google machine, and ultimately decided on this "MANSION IN BUDA," complete with a pool, game room, and beds for a solid 14 people.

It wasn't the cleanest house you'll ever step in, but the owners sure know how to throw a party. Look at this addition/game room/club!

Opposite side views. Be sure to note the "Sex Beds" on the bottom right.

The pool had tons of rocks to jump off of, perfect for a group of gymnasts.

As for decor, I bought a ton of balloons, lanterns, a pin the peen on Willy game, and other little things from this party store straight outta China. I ordered a few months in advance so they came with plenty of time, and the balloons were only about $1-1.50 a piece, even for large letters that said BRIDE. I bought a helium tank once I got to Texas, but turns out those tanks aren't strong enough to make the foil balloons float, I guess. PINTEREST FAIL. I also splurged on some coozies from etsy, and didn't catch the spelling error until Kel saw them. Go figure. 

I also created a pretty simple Snapchat filter that I had activated for a few of the locations I knew we'd be at during a certain time. [Click here if you wanna see/download it]

Now, the bride loves her some water hangs, and Austin was perfect for that. We started the weekend [after they made a stop in Waco to visit the home of Chip and Joanna] at Barton Springs Pool. I am SO JEALOUS this place doesn't exist near me. It's a fresh, clean, natural spring with huge lawns surrounding it, and even a diving board. No picture did it justice. 

Dinner was at a nearby food truck park, because Austin, then a house party full of real Beirut, air hockey, pool, and dancing under a disco ball.

Day two was spent by the pool before heading to the city. In 2017, one must visit as many murals as possible for the most shareable pics. I found a list here, starred them on Google, and made the rounds. The two most famous [i love you so much and Austin] were a little outside of downtown, but worth it. 

We had dinner downtown before heading to a pedal tavern, which took us to the tiniest bar in Texas and a ton of other bars that are perfect for a group and/or anyone with ADD; They have games and food and dancing and the best of all the worlds. If you saw my Snaps, that's good. You saw the party. This blog will not. 

It was a Bachelorette party with only a little bit of cheese, a noticeable theme without being obnoxious, and as much of the bride's favorite things and people as possible. If it were mine, I would have had way more peen and obnoxiousness, but I tried to remember what I learned before. 

And now, I can breathe a little. Kinda. For like a week until I need to put all the finishing plans on my 30th birthday party that happens one month from today.

love,
elizabethany


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day two in puerto rico: exploring cave beaches and rainforests

When you take a trip to Puerto Rico, you take a lot of pictures. And since posting everything from California ultimately overwhelmed me, I decided to break this trip up.

DAY TWO: Exploring nature

One of the things my coach told me about his hometown was "the cave beach." A little Google machine action helped me find La Cueva del Indio in Arecibo. Holy breath taking. 

Posing for pictures is tough sometimes.

The inside was turning purple and I was all heart eye emoji over it. Later I found out the water is normally higher and you can swim through/inside the cave. Looks like I'll have to take another trip. Damn.

Along the trail to the cave, we found this private "pool." Don't worry, you're not the first thing to think what you might be thinking right now. There were condom wrappers galore nearby. [Not mine! Fortunately... or unfortunately... you decide.]

After three hours there, we headed back towards the east coast to El Yunque, the only rainforest in the US forest system. [#Facts on love, EB!] My 80 year old knees were scared, but everything was so worth it. 

I saw someone standing under the waterfall posing for a picture and knew I had to brave the cold, too. What I didn't pay attention to was how they got over there. Walking on the rocks is not okay. DO NOT WALK ON ROCKS. Three nasty bruises, a swollen ankle and knee later, I settled for this picture, then watched "pros" crab walk into it with ease. Thanks for the tips ahead of time, a-holes.

If you ever hike these trails, you might be tempted to do the Big Tree Trail to the La Mina Falls because it's easier. You could do that, but make sure you also walk the La Mina Trail, too. It was SO much prettier to look at. More falls, more places to stop, and if my old-feeling body can handle it, so can yours.

The home for the next two days was in Fajardo, another short drive to the shore. I found another Airbnb just a couple days before checking in for $70/night. 24th floor of a condo RIGHT on the water, with a pool, a balcony, and quite a view from the breakfast table.

Really tough to wake up to this while all my friends were waking up and scraping snow off their windshields.

While beaches are another short drive, we were super close to some of the excursions, the bioluminescent bay AND the ferry to the other smaller islands that everyone highly recommends [Vieques and Culebra]. What I didn't know until it was too late is that the ferry takes a couple hours to get to the other islands, so it's definitely a day trip.

I have no idea what that island is. I'm just showing you the view from the balcony again because it was ridiculous.

As much as I grew up/love being the beach girl who just relaxes by the ocean and gets tan on vacation, it's really incredible when you put on some hiking shoes and really explore some landmarks. Turns out, having incredible pictures to last forever is cooler than having a darker tan for a couple weeks. [GASP. My former self can't even believe what's happening in this post right now.]

love,

elizabethany

PS Day 3-4 soon, day 1 here. 

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