Soaking Up Vacation

Since it was our last full day of vacation we decided to sleep in and take our time. I was feeling better but still not 100%. Finally decided to get moving around 9am and headed to Ben & Tim's open house. They had rented a bungalow in the hotel and had decided to have a catered open house from 9:30am-6pm so they could see everyone before they left. Can you believe how generous these guys are??

We had decided to stay out of the direct sun because we both got a little crisp on our backs. :) We decided to walk downtown and drive around Palm Springs to see what else it had to offer. It was nice to be able to relax and just enjoy each other's company.

We stopped to get a quick snack at Maracas a local mexican restaurant. I decided to get a mojito and some guacamole. Both were delish and as you can see I was starting to feel more like myself.

I would never pay $7 for guacamole but I was on vacation. JUSTIFIED

Around 2:30pm we decided to head back to the hotel to say some goodbyes to some friends and soak up some more pool time. When we got to the pool we found this:

Apparently someone had an accident in the pool and it was closed for the day! BOO

Just not the same....with the caution tape.



We decided to have dinner at the Purple Palm which was the restaurant by the pool. It was nice to be able to sit and enjoy a nice meal together. And the meal was amazing.

Course 1 - Purple Palm Salad

A light salad with a basalmic dressing, goat cheese, grapes and pine nuts! Yes please.

Course 2 - Pumpkin & Shrimp Ravioli

This seemed like a weird special to have at this time of the year. I was so happy I decided to order this meal because it was just the right mix of sweet and savory.

Course 3 - Chocolate Crossiant Bread Pudding

I am on vacation so a dessert and bottle of wine are a must! This is by far the best bread pudding I have ever ordered. The bread pudding wasn't to sweet it was just perfect. I'm not sure where the chocolate was...but I was totally okay with it. You have to try this!!!

This was the perfect ending to a really enjoyable extended weekend. I did realize that I need to vacation more. I think I need to find a profession that allows me to travel, write and experience new things while getting paid a pretty penny! :) A girl can dream right????

Party Time!!

I woke up early because I got a whooping 11 hours of sleep! I was feeling great and decided to go explore the street of Palm Springs while everyone else recovered from a big night of partying. The hotel was a block away from the main strip so I decided to run a mile and then walk the rest. They running part was not very smart but oh well. As I walked the street I realized how cute this area was. It is very artsy and full of boutiques. I love that I had to walk at least a mile to find my first Starbucks!!

Here are some of the the things I ran into on my exploration:

The desert can be so pretty!

I love the variety of cafes & restaurants...no chains aloud.

Yummy local coffee!

I love that they have their own walk of fame.

If you have a business make it fun like this!

Love this motto!

I loved walking the streets and being a part of this small and amazing community.

I decided to head back to the hotel and get showered so I could eat some breakfast. Breakfast was being served at the Purple Palm (the restaurant overlooking the swimming pool). The entire menu looked incredible but I decided to order the lox and bagel because that just screams vacation to me. When it was served I think I started to drool a little bit. :)

I decided that I could live off this breakfast. I loved everything on this plate especially the egg, lox and capers! Oh and the coffee was to die for. :)

It was time to bake in the sun again before the wedding. I got prime real estate at the pool and were ready to get our tan on. I started a new book called "The American Wife," and it is really good. I can't wait to see how the book unfolds. I was restraining myself from mid-day alcohol so I ordered a strawberry lemonade that was amazing. Yummy!

Lunch time approached and decided to order it poolside. I love VACATIONS. :) On the menu was a amazing veggie burger (sweet potato base) and a tasty Purple Palm Salad.

After taking a few dips in the pool and a full day in the sun it was time for the wedding! I was so excited to see Tim & Ben tie the knot. :)

105 Degrees...Yes Please

It was finally time to start enjoying this mini vacation. I finally was introduced to the pool and it was love at first sight.

I vegged by the pool all day. I was able to finish my book Shadow of the Dolls and get a good base tan. While at the pool I met a lot of people attending the wedding because the entire hotel was rented out for the wedding. It was a great way to get to meet people. :)

I didn't want to over do it on the first day because I was still feeling sick. I headed back to the room to get ready for the Rehearsal Dinner and sneak in a quick nap. I was feeling pretty tired before the Rehearsal Dinner but did my best to be a great date. I decided not to drink because it felt like that would be best for my body but everyone else was enjoying bottomless sangria! :)

Water for me...:(

For dinner they served a BBQ buffet of delish food. The dinner was very informal which made everyone really comfortable and the conversations really easy. :) My favorite part of the dinner was the BBQ beef sandwiches...yum. As the sun went down it was so enjoyable to sit outside and not be cold. The weather was amazing and so was the dinner.

So healthy and fresh!!

I love this weather!

I decided to head back to the room early and get some beauty sleep because tomorrow was going to be a big day.

Chaotic Traveling

Let’s just start by saying that plans were altered a bit en route to Palm Springs this past weekend. Check it out:

1)      8:00pm Flight from Seattle to Salt Lake City 20 minutes late, doesn’t seem like a big deal right??? I wasn't upset about the slight delay because I got to sit in the Sky Lounge.  I decided to be really embarassing and try everything bc I love free things!

This snack hit the spot! Thank you Delta!

2)      9:25pm The connecting flight from Salt Lake City to Ontario left 20 minutes early therefore leaving me stranded in Salt Lake City for the night. Thank you oh so very much DELTA!

But on a high note the Delta representative asked me if I was old enough to sit in the exit row…no joke! I had no hard feelings toward him after that comment. J

3)      9:35 pm Delta was so accommodating that they put me up at the Airport Comfort Inn. This place was clean and the people were sweet but it wouldn’t have been my first choice.

Had my own DVD player...free DVD's and popcorn!

4)      3:00 am I finally fell asleep on the pull out couch because I finally decided to succumb to my cold and stuffy nose. I feel like when your noise starts running your sleep is the first thing to suffer.

5)      6:00 am Up early for our FREE breakfast at the Comfort Inn. I decided I am going to overload on carbs because I was so hungry…blueberry bagel – check, half of a waffle – check, raisan bran – check. J I wanted cereal to so bad but when I started to pour my milk into the bowl the milk was frozen…see below. Awesome!!!

Frozen milk...yum!

Carb friendly breakfast!

6)      7:00 am Got to the airport around 7:00am and about 7:10am realize I have lost my drivers license en route to Salt Lake City. I started to panic a little bit but surprisingly didn’t start to cry. J I showed them my bank card and Costco card and somehow they let me through without any questions or extra pat downs or searches. Thank you so much Salt Lake City!!

Hmm...something seems to be missing???? Believe me this was no April Fools Joke!

Who knew how valuable a Costco card could be. Well worth the membership free! :)

7)      8:40 am Still can’t find my ID but finally landed at Ontario and en route to Palm Springs.

Whoa that was a long night and morning! I felt pretty horrible all day yesterday but woke up today feeling really good accept for my stuffy noise. I finally arrived pool side at the Colony Palms Hotel in Palm Springs around 12pm and this place is amazing. I think the best way to describe it is that is has a very old Hollywood feeling to it.

This hotel doesn't seem very regal from the outside but once you enter the gate you walk into a beautiful courtyard that is so private and gorgeous. It was everything that I hoped it was going to be.

After I checked in I headed to the room to quickly change into my swimsuit so I could get my tan on. The room was really cute!!

As you can see my stuff is everywhere!

Just in case I needed my own bar!

I love this shower!



Off to get my tan/burn on!! I can't wait for the three day party to begin. :)