#MegLoveBachBash

We celebrated the soon-to-be Mrs. Loveridge a few weeks ago, with Megan’s Bachelorette Bash. Such a fun night! Sush, cupcakes and champagne (lots and lots of champs…oof), mini-shots and a special visitor (hence the heavy, heavy boozing), all topped off with a girls’ night out downtown. (Um, minus the bride-to-be…she had too many Fireballs and called it an early night. Sound familiar?) And we wrapped up the weekend with brunch and several Bloody Marys down in Westport. Cheers to you, Megs! We love you!

Some pre-party details: pink, pink pink!

Party favors…

Megan’s sister went to Cirilla’s…we were all a little nervous!

 Totally Meg’s fav gift. Good job, Courtney and Utah!!

 Champs, champs, champs…

And, the aftermath…

What a beautiful bride!

(And yes, she wore her sash to brunch. At McCoys. In Westport. This is why I love her.)

Manhappiness, Kansas

The weekend after Thanksgiving, my friend Megan and I headed up to Manhattan for the big “Sunflower Showdown” game (I use the term “game” loosely…it was more like a blowout). KSU took on those silly Jayhawks, and I’ll be honest…I only watched maybe a quarter of the game overall. That’s right—we ventured all the way up there and basically just ate and drank our way around town. (So not complaining. That’s totally the way I prefer my Manhattan trips. Hashtag Fatkid.)

We didn't get tickets to the game, since we figured a game in late November would be freezing, and we could just soak up the Aggieville atmosphere while watching the game from the comfort of a Porter’s booth with beer flowing from the tap, brought to our table by some frat-tastic 22 year old bartender. But wouldn't you know it…it was 65 degrees and sunny that Saturday! We still managed to have a fantastic time…even if we did take a nap….during the second half of the game…and order Pizza Shuttle when we woke up. Because, let’s face it…college is not meant for 30 year olds. We learned that lesson the hard way this year.

So. We ate at SoLong. Twice. No shame there. In fact, as we rolled into Manhattan around 8pm on Friday, we didn’t even bother checking into the hotel. Nope; we drove straight to our fav college spot for bloody Marys and grilled cheeses. THE BEST! Dear SoLong, please come to Kansas City! I know you would do well. Maybe in Westport? Or Crossroads? I’d support ya at least once a week, for some raspberry-black bean dip. And/or queso. (Yes, we had both, as you can see by the pics. No judging!)

After our SoLong dinner, we stopped at Porter’s, where Megan worked for 4 years in college. It was pretty much the same…same smell, same cups, same dartboard. We hit O’Malley’s to see if our dollars were still on the wall—indeed, they were. Finally, we stopped in to see our pal Charlie at Taco Luche to end our night.

We hit up CocoBolos for lunch and bloodies on Saturday, before the gameday festivities started. (By gameday festivities, I mean Fireballs. I blame the Fireballs for the nap that ensued directly after the Fireballs.)

We met up with a few of Megan’s friends who were in town for the game, and got a very festive holiday pic by the Christmas tree at Aggie Station.

This guy was NOT one of Megan's friends-we just saw him walking past Tubbys and we HAD to get a pic. I mean, purple Sperrys? That's dedication. I loved it. (He was kind of put off that we asked for a pic, but I was like, dude, if you sport a purple sweater vest with purple slacks and purple shoes, people want your picture.)

Ever had a Nancy? No? Get yo’self to SoLong, ASAP. It’s delish.

Then…came SoLong a deux (mmm....the dip! The DIP!), and naptime for the old ladies. On our way out of town Sunday, we stopped for lunch at Taco Luche before saying so long to our alma mater. Kittycats got the Win,  I got my Manhattan fix for football season, and Megan got a solid 28 hours of sleep . EMAW fo’ life! (Insert KSU Wildcat radio rawr-rawr-rawrrrr here.)

Hello, 30

So. Nearly two weekends ago, I entered into a new decade of life. (I’m so dramatic, huh?) Yes, it was my 30^th birthday on May 26, and I am happy to report it was celebrated appropriately. While 30 seems a little daunting, as I’ve now had almost two full weeks to reflect on it, I gotta say it’s not really that bad. I had a slight breakdown on my 25^th birthday, so I guess I got that out of the way back then and now, I’m ready to embrace a new era! I’m very blessed for the life I live, and I’m lucky for a lot of reasons, but I think one of the most important things I’ve learned in my 30 years of life is that who you surround yourself with truly make you who you are. I am so thankful for my extraordinary family and amazing friends who not only made my special weekend so much fun, but who love and support me every day of my life. Okay, okay, enough cheesiness—here are a few pics from the birthday weekend!

{I had some rockin "30" balloons and a very special birthday cup, thanks to my bestie Kelly.}

{Jay, manning the grill, and Josh, being Josh....(I think he was shaking up some shots?)}

{Yep. These are my friends.}

On Monday evening, I headed over to my parent’s house for celebrations with the fam-bam. Since Nova and I are halfsie birthday buddies, we shared celebrations for 30 years and 18 months.

 

{With my seeester-in-law, Heather}

 

{Novy loves to "water" Mimi's plants (and the deck!)}

 

 

{My sweet Daddy-o picked out some AWESOME gifts—Ray-Bans and macaroons!}

 

 

 

{We heart cake!}

My Buffalo Shuffle + St. Patty's Festivities

{The Falls}

Two weekends ago, I headed up north to Buffalo, New York for work. It was cold-cold-cold and snowy, which was not what my soul was needing. (My soul needs SUNSHINE, friends! And lots of it.) However, because my last two trips to Canada were such a bust in terms of exploration, I decided that despite the chilly temps and my lingering sinus infection, I would brave the cold and drive up to Niagara Falls. Let me mention that while I was not properly dressed for the freezing snow/sleet/mist coming off of the water, I will say it was a pretty spectacular sight.

{So...funny story. I had no idea where I was going or what Niagra would really look like. I just followed other cars into the National Park, then parked, then started walking. And it may have just been the Dayquill talkin', but I kept seeing mini waterfalls and I would think to myself, "Is this it? Surely this isn't it..." and I would keep on walking. Finally, FINALLY, I saw a big group of people gathered in the distance, and so I figured, "that MUST be it." But these two pics here? I was snapping pics at every swirling maelstrom, just in case....}

{Getting closer....}

{Finally!}

{Sooooo not dressed for that hike. Or the freezing spray coming off of the water. But aren't my new baby blue Nikes cute?}

Other Buffalo memories? The pharmacy I was at was located in a hospital, so I saw some pretty interesting characters throughout the course of my visit. I also got to eat my Subway sandwich opposite of a man in a hospital bed, complete with his IV and catheter, also eating a sandwich in the lobby-slash-hospital entryway-slash cafeteria seating. That was interesting. Also disgusting. And let’s see…I was also there for Daylight Saving Time, so I lost a full two hours after I arrived. If you know me, you know mornings aren’t really my thanng, so that was rough. Otherwise, Buffalo was pretty lowkey. I was so ready to get back in town and have some friend time.

 

Spring around KC is always a good time—between the Big 12 Tournament (which we shall not speak of, due to the poor showing of both Kansas teams) and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, March turns out to be a pretty fun month. I will say, last week was a little tough, as I am used to a Spring Break (24 years…and now it’s gone), but I made the most of last Monday night by celebrating my Irish blood and having a few green beers. Actually, I had a lot of green beers…and Bailey’s shots (I know, I KNOW…who orders Bailey’s shots? My coworker Brad. At my dubious look, he replied “it’s St. Patrick’s Day,” like that makes it okay to shoot Bailey’s)…and Fireballs…oof. Let’s just say last Tuesday was a little slow.

{Friends! Complete with our Bailey's shots. Thanks, Bradley. Also, can everyone please note Ben's stylin' green sequined headband and beads? I told him, look sir, if you want to drink a beer with me on St. Patty's Day, you wear some green. So he took what I provided.}

{Some dude at Kelly's was wearing this saa-weet hat. So I stole it, and look who I found! Two little leprechauns!}

{Lotsa green, lotsa beer, lotsa friends. I love a holiday where really, all you do is drink and make merry. Cheers to my Irish clansmen!}