cabo san lucas

40 days and 40 nights of Lent success!

by Courtney on April 4, 2010

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I’m happy to report that I successfully stuck to my Lent sacrifice of 40 days and 40 nights with no Diet Pepsi! I’m such a good little non-Catholic!

Back in February, I vowed to give up my biggest vice, which is drinking way too much diet soda. And honestly, I didn’t think I’d really do it 100%. I just thought it would make a good blog post! But much to my delight – I did it – and I didn’t cheat once!

It really wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. The first week was almost a piece of cake. But then I went to Cabo San Lucas with my girlfriends in the second weekend and I was practically foaming at the mouth to drink an ice cold Diet Pepsi as I nursed a hangover in the hot sun. From that point on though, it was pretty easy.

Quiting diet soda does not = weight loss!

At first I was thinking if I didn’t drink Diet Pepsi my only other option was water. I even went to the movies that first weekend and had a big tub of buttery, salty popcorn and washed it down with a bottle of water! GA-ROSS! I mean, water so doesn’t compliment movie popcorn – not in the least! I realized quickly though that I had other options besides just water 24/7. I could drink lemonade, iced tea (sweetened), green tea (sweetened), and when I really needed caffeine – Mountain Dew (hey, it’s not diet!). Of course with these other options come added calories! I’ve heard people say you will lose weight when you stop drinking diet soda. That’s horse shit. I guess if you stick with nothing but water you can, but c’mon, that’s such a bland life to lead!

Today after church and Easter brunch, Jeff and I decided we’d have a movie day and make popcorn at home. Suddenly, it popped into my head – I can drink Diet Pepsi today! LENT IS OFFICIALLY O-V-E-R! As I poured my first glass of Diet Pepsi I almost felt guilty. Like, maybe I should just never start up again. But where I’d usually have like two or three on a Sunday afternoon lounging around the house, I only had that one glass.

So I’m not giving up diet soda for good. But if anything, this Lent sacrifice has taught me that if I put my mind to something – I can do it. If I cheated during these past 40 days, I’d only be cheating myself. After all, I already know Jesus loves me no matter what!!

So how about you guys? How did you do with your Lent sacrifices or pledges to be a better person? If you stuck to it, then share your success story! If you didn’t, then consider this your Catholic confessional, and tell me your sins… I’ll forgive you!

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Are we married to technology?

by Courtney on April 2, 2010

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It used to drive me nuts when I’d look at pictures in the goss magazines and celebrities like Jessica Simpson would be holding their cell phones in hand everywhere they went. I always wanted to puke over it, like; oh you’re SOOO important that you have to keep your phone in hand just in case you get that dream job call, or the 411 on the next Hollywood partay.  Gag me with a spoon why dontcha!

That was a couple years ago. And now – this is who I’ve become! I’m Jessica Simpson! I’m that girl that carries her celly in hand and not in my purse!

Me and my Crackberry make a lovely non-sociable couple when we’re out in public. I barely walk from point A to point B without having a phone conversation with someone – or checking my email! I don’t even need to read books on the train anymore because I can read Twitter and Facebook status updates from my phone! And when I’m home, I’ve nearly given up TV (except for “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars”) because I’m in a committed relationship with my laptop. I mean, how else am I going to maintain two different blogs if I’m not fiercely devoted? I suspect that my husband, Jeff, has a voodoo doll with my lime green Dell’s face on it.

Relationships gone digital

My point is – I’m feeling like I’m a little too “digitally connected”. I know I’m not the only one by far. It’s a huge problem with society right now – especially with kids – because young people today are spending more time texting their friends than having real conversations and developing genuine relationships. They’re writing their Senior English Paper in short hand like; “IDK wha I wannabe when I growns up. I jus wannabe famous. LOL!”  

These days, we have a huge problem with texting while driving, where we’ve seen countless unnecessary deaths occur over silly text messages that you know just ‘aint the deep, thus, not worth a human life. Personally, I’ve made a concerted effort to not check my email or text messages while driving. I keep my phone in my purse. I’m also trying not to talk on the phone in the car as much either. Have you ever been driving and talking on the phone and then when you hang up you realize you can’t remember that last 10 mile stretch of road? That’s scary! What if something happened when you were zoned out talking about last night’s “American Idol” results with your friend? This is enough to make me think twice about reaching for my phone in the car.

Weaning off the Crackberry

I had a slightly nerve-racking experience in early March when I went to Cabo San Lucas and realized I couldn’t use my phone there. I thought; “How am I going to get through five days without calling someone and bragging about my position on the beach? Or blogging, checking email, Facebook, etc.” But I got through it just fine! In fact, it was quite liberating! I realized I didn’t need that damn little piece of shit phone that interrupts my life and conversations with real, living, breathing people.

I’m not cured of my addiction by any means, but I’m trying! Hey, I’m reading a book right now that I’m almost finished with and it’s only been like three weeks since I started it! The last book I read took me six months! It’s because I’m reading more and phone ‘net surfing less. A marked improvement!

What about you, are you married to technology? Or have you found a happy medium between real and digital friends?

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My “Us Weekly” birthday weekend

by Courtney on March 24, 2010

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My So Cal friend, Ashley, and I have always talked about me coming down to LA and having an “Us Weekly“ weekend in which we hit up all the celeb hot spots that we read about in our fave goss mag! Of course being the Pop Culture Junkie that I am, this is right up my alley! So to ensure that my 30th birthday is forever engrained in my memory, my husband Jeff drove me down to LA this past weekend for one last birthday hoorah!

Needless to say; Ashley didn’t disappoint as we had Friday night reservations at one of the hottest celebrity hubs in Hollywood – the Chateau Marmont!

Act like you belong

Upon arriving at the shabby historic Chateau Marmont hotel, we were immediately ushered next door to Bar Marmont. Wait – whaaaaat? Perhaps they direct the “common folk” to the Bar next door so the celebs can eat their salads in peace. One thing we realized is that the name of the game around here is: “act like you belong”. So as we drove to the Bar valet Ashley’s fiancé, Jon, said; “We have reservations at BARMAMA”! To hear him flub the name as one word trying to sound French was the absolute funniest thing on the planet! As soon as we were out of site from the valet we died laughing! This still cracks me up!

Once inside, we were in awe of the Bar. It had the coolest ambiance ever with hip hop and jazz music playing in a gothic, darkly lit room, with candles and an open skylight. The meal and martinis were superb! Before leaving the restaurant we made a quick trip to the restroom where Ashley had to politely decline an offer of drugs from a fellow restroom attendee. You know you’re in LA when…you’re offered acid in the bathroom at dinner.

We made one last attempt to see the Chateau Marmont hotel but we were once again stopped dead in our tracks by the same woman with a clipboard in hand. She spoke to us in a French slash bitch accent and told us to come back tomorrow during the day when it’s less busy. As we walked away Jeff commented that he kept tripping on his tail between his legs. Of course I felt somewhat deflated as I was reminded of how ordinarily civilian I am, as in – not famous, so PISS OFF! Jon reminded us that at least we don’t have her job. YA, she can keep her silver clipboard. (P.S. We did go back and see it the next day – and we got in!).

Next up: bar hopping in Hollywood! At this point I texted my friend who’s a producer at one of the nightly celebrity magazine/news shows and asked him to take us to the celebs! He made sure to let us down gently by telling us there was not a chance in hell that we’d see celebs on a Friday night. Of course I’m thinking; F*CK, $HIT, DAMNIIIIIIT! But whaddya gonna do?

We spent the rest of the evening bar hopping between trendy little bars with velvet ropes and bouncers in black suits deciding on our entry fate. Being that we’re in the land of pretty and prettier, I had scary visions from a scene in the movie “Knocked Up” when older sister Debbie (in her late ‘30’s) tries to get in to a club and the bouncer tells her: “It’s not cause you’re not hot, I would love to tap that ass. I would tear that ass up. I can’t let you in cause you’re old as fuck. For this club, you know, not for the earth.”

Thankfully, I heard no such thing. I mean, I’m barely 30! C’mon!

Let’s go somewhere, like, really high profile

We woke up on Saturday morning to a gorgeous 80 degree day and OH F*CK, our reservations at The Ivy in Beverly Hills were in 20 minutes! NOOOOO!! Ashley called to see if there was a later reservation, and since God loves us, there was one at 12:45! Relief! We got all gussied up for lunch and headed down to the place where we swore we’d see at least one celeb lunching on the outdoor terrace.

This place is very interesting. It’s where you get a real sense of what it would be like living in Bev Hills. First of all, any time a person gets out of a car in front of the restaurant, walks up the steps, or enters a room – EVERYONE looks up. It’s because everyone is a possible celeb. This can really play on your insecurities. It’s truly the essence of where you go to “see and be seen”. And I’ve never seen more plastic and Botox in my life. Eeks!

The Ivy was utterly adorable in its French country décor with an endless array of fresh flowers on every table or ledge in sight. The food and drinks were stellar too and my husband even commented that this was the most memorable lunch he’s ever had! If I ever go back to BH, I will definitely return to The Ivy. But next time, I better see a freaking celeb – Hmph!

We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping around at big name boutiques such as “Kitson” and doing map of the stars! We saw Jennifer Aniston’s house, the Playboy mansion, Madonna’s “block”, and the creepy home where Michael Jackson died. We ended the evening dining and bar hopping in the laid back setting of Hermosa Beach.

On Sunday, after lunch and a super cute bike ride along the Hermosa Beach board walk (where we passed the original “90210” beach house) we were on our way home. AHHHH – what a weekend!

I’m glad I got to taste a slice of LA life. I can see how one can overdo it in Hollywood. I can see how one could overspend in Beverly Hills. But hell, it’s a badass place to visit!

You should know that despite all the dramatic blogging I’ve been doing lately about exiting my twenties, I’ve been having the time of my life in the past few months! This trip to LA marked the final event in a month long celebration that started with a surprise trip to Palm Springs to see Adam Lambert in concert, and a girl’s trip to Cabo San Lucas. This is one birthday that I will never, ever, forget. And it’s all thanks to my uber thoughtful husband, Jeff.

So it’s official; I’ve hit the big 3-0. The “dirty DIRTY thirty”! And TA-DA: life has never been better!

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A rainy girl’s trip to Cabo – highly recommended!

by Courtney on March 13, 2010

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I think taking an annual girl’s trip is good for the soul. After spending five days in Cabo San Lucus, Mexico with three of my college sorority sisters I’m convinced that every woman needs this.

We spent time at the pool, the spa, the beach cabana beds reading books, dark restaurants with a lone candle lighting our table, and riding ATVs through the Mexico mountains. We had such a great time on our trip, but more than what we did, we had great conversations. We had a lot of laughs, and we listened to each other. In fact, I think our trip was hugely therapeutic.

I’ll be honest; this vacation didn’t go as perfectly as planned. My perfect Cabo vacation would’ve included full days lounging at the pool working on a glorious golden tan, eating at fancy dinners in the evenings, and hitting up cool little Cabo beach bars at night. Welllllll, it didn’t exactly go that way. It went something like this…

Vacation “hardships”

It rained two whole days – hard.

It was merely in the 70s and overcast the other two days.

We rode ATVs through cold rain and muddy mountains for 2 ½ hours. We had to pee outside leaning up against a trig. Twice.

We stayed at an all-inclusive resort – but couldn’t get a damn dinner reservation at any of the restaurants the entire vacation.

The one night we DID have reservations at the steak restaurant – it was closed due to rain.

We ate every meal (but one) at the same exact buffet. I’ve never eaten more onion rings in my life.

We only ate one dinner at an actual restaurant the entire trip.

The aroma that I smelled during my spa facial was sandwich meat. I kept wondering; why do I smell salami right now? Is that some weird Mexican facial lotion? No, I’m sure the girl just ate lunch and didn’t wash her hands before giving my face a rub down.

We had heartbreakingly beautiful weather – on the day we left.

As you can see, we faced some hardships on our Mexican vacation. But despite the weather or the shitty customer service at our resort, we made the best of the situation.

Making it work for us

Since it was cold outside and there was no outdoor hot tub, we improvised. We headed to our room, made a bubble bath (with jets), and we all put our feet in while drinking Tecate Light beer.

Despite the rain, we were determined to lie at the beach. So the four of us shared a covered beach cabana bed and read our books and napped in the rain. Hey, it was peaceful.

We couldn’t get a restaurant reservation at our very own ALL-INCLUSIVE RESORT, but the one restaurant we did eat at was memorable enough for all four nights. I had the best beef tenderloin and garlic mashed potatoes that you can even imagine and a salty good margarita to top it off. It seemed like we were the only people in this tiny little alley restaurant, which made it feel like a movie.

We hit the jackpot of music while bar hopping in Cabo one night. It was as if the DJs had borrowed our college CD mixes and played it just for us 29 going on 30 year olds! We danced like it was 2001 all over again.

On our one and only beautiful day at the beach (i.e. the day we went home), we lounged right next to actress Hayley Duff, Hillary Duff’s sister, and her actor boyfriend, Nick Zano. I know, I know, they’re D-list celebs, but nonetheless – celebs! She’s a lot prettier in person, by the way!

And on our last night, we had some crazy, weird, Willy Wonka, candy land experience at a bar called “The Office” in which we sat at a table on the beach and clowns danced around us making us balloon tiaras and about 100 Mexican waiters sang happy birthday to us while giving us machine gun hugs one right after another.  In the midst of all of this, we had philosophical conversations about our futures and what we’re most thankful for from our girl’s trip to Cabo – all over three bottles of champagne.

What I was most thankful for? I didn’t even have to think about it. It just spilled out of my mouth as soon as the question was asked and a finger pointed at me to go first. I said; I’m thankful for this trip because right now, I don’t have to be a wife. I don’t have to be a dog mama. I’m not responsible for a house or a job at the moment. Right now I’m just a girl sitting here with my friends on a beach in Mexico sipping champagne with a balloon tiara on my head. And at that moment, life was so sweet.

So we’re back to reality now and I’m a bit sad. I miss those girls! But we’ll always have our rainy girl’s trip in Cabo.

Do you still take girl’s trips as you get older and busier with relationships, kids, jobs, etc.? If so, I’d love to hear how you make it happen!

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Vacation anxiety – do you ever get this?

by Courtney on March 3, 2010

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Sun tan lotion. Check. New bathing suit. Check. Supah fly new shoes. Check.

Yeeeees, Cabo is upon us. In a few hours I’m boarding a plane for five days of fun in the sun with my good ‘ole sorority sistas for our own version of a “Sex in the City” Mexico vacation! I’ve been looking forward to this vacation for so long and now that it’s only hours away – I’m having anxiety about it! It sounds strange, but I’m afraid it’s going to be over before it starts!

Does anyone else ever think like this? You look forward to something so much and within a blink of an eye you’re back at work slogging away on some poo that you don’t feel like doing, only daydreaming about your recent vacay. My dad always says; “It never seems like you’re on vacation, you’re just remembering when you were.”

Dang it! Cabo, don’t’ do this to me! Don’t be over before you start!

Just this past weekend my husband whisked me away for a *surprise* early 30th birthday getaway to Palm Springs! He was totally being the best husband on earth and got me tickets to see my fave new singer, Adam Lambert, perform live in concert (to read about my trip, go here)! I found out about the surprise (on the sly) two days before, and it seemed like one second I was wistfully telling an audience of co-workers where my husband was taking me, to recapping my weekend to the same peeps the very next second. I guess the saying is true; “Time flies when you’re having fun”. But at times like this, I wish time would just walk. Not fly.

Loose Cabo agenda

In Cabo we plan to spend a lot of time at the pool, namely, the swim up bar. We are headed straight to the spa for messages and facials at the first sign of a sun burn. And we plan to eat like there’s no tomorrow. Let me tell you, we love to chow down! Screw the salad! BRING US MEXICAN FOOOOOOOD! Back in Cancun circa 2001, we went to this restaurant (do you call it a “Mexican restaurant” if you’re in Mexico?!) and they were serving us an inappropriately small portion of chips and salsa, and no sooner than the bowl landed on the table we were asking for a second batch. After about five refills we were getting the raised eye brow look from our server. So ya, we like to eat. Nothing has changed. Only now, we can afford to eat at better places!

We’ll probably hit up a few bars at night, but knowing how unfortunately jet lagged our Midwestern/Southeastern chicas will be; we’ll probably be in the hotel lobby sipping pina coladas, rubbing our sore feet, and people watching most nights. It’ll go something like this; “Oh, look at her outfit! So cute! OMG, look at what she’s wearing – if I ever leave the house like the, slap me! You know, the usual shit talking girls do when they’re amongst friends.

Oh speaking of outfits (this was funny); one of the girlies in our group that I’ve nicknamed “Jetsetter” mentioned that she’s bringing a one piece jumpsuit thingy on the trip. Naturally, the rest of us immediately pictured some sort of J.Lo-esque ensemble. One of the other girls fessed up that the mere mention of Jetsetter’s “onesie” gave her anxiety!! She doesn’t want to compete with that! I don’t either. My Old Navy sun dress is going to look pretty churchy next to that!

So anyway, I’m looking forward to making new memories with my girls and having a book full of new vacation “quotes” that we can laugh about for years to come. I just hope time stands still on this vacay. And I want to prove my dad wrong. I want to be “ON VACATION” and know I’m there, not simply reminiscing when I was!

 Does anyone else get vacation anxiety? Or am I totally stupes on this one?

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My first spring break since college

by Courtney on February 10, 2010

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In exactly three weeks I’m leaving for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for a long girl’s weekend. I cannot freaking wait to be laying in 85 degree weather having a hot pool boy bring me a free pina colada upon command. I say “free” because we got a sweet deal on an “all-inclusive” resort and it’ll feel free since I won’t have to pay for anything on the spot.  

This isn’t just any ‘ole vacation by the way. This is the “kiss my twenties au revoir” vacation. Another girlfriend on the trip is saying sayonara to her twenties in March as well. But she already had her first kiss-off in the Dominican Republic in January (she’s my jet-setting friend with a charmed life), so I’m a little more excited then she is, I’m assuming.

This vacay has been in the planning stages for years. I believe around the age of 25 we girls talked about celebrating our 30th birthdays in Italy. But we’re now settling for Cabo (don’t cry for us). As I’m sure all girls do, we are of course comparing this trip to the one taken by Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte in the “Sex in the City” movie. We already know who Samantha is (jet-setter) but we argue over who is Carrie. I get tossed Charlotte’s name but only because I’m the only married girl. I’m not like Charlotte, FYI. But instead of mourning a failed wedding day we’ll officially be celebrating the brand new engagement of one of the other girls who thinks she’s Carrie!

Now I haven’t had a “spring break” since college so this is going to be a little different. Aside from jet-setter, most of us haven’t had a girls trip since the good ‘ole sorority days (Vegas doesn’t count).  In Cancun back in ’01 we were doing booze cruises, making out with hot strangers, walking barefoot home from the bars by ourselves, and going to bed at 4am only to get up at 7am to be in the audience of Jerry Springer’s MTV spring break show.

Things have changed a bit these days. Our standards are higher. We’re essentially grannys who want to spend half our time at the spa and the other half eating at nice restaurants. We’ll probably get sleepy at the hotel bar around 10pm from too much sun exposure and one too-many daytime margs. We’ll be taking advantage of the early bird breakfast this time around because we’ll actually be awake for it. And we’ll definitely cringe at any spring breaker who comes up to us and tries to hump our leg.

Yes, we’re getting older and it shows. We want the finer things in life which include eight hours of sleep, no hangover mornings, and relaxed shoulders. Do I miss those spring break days of yesteryear? A little. Would I trade them for our granny “Sex in the City” vacation next month? Hell to the no!

I’m almost 30 and I’ve earned the right to be classy!

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