Have I told you that I have the best friends and family in the WORLD!! Well, just in case I haven't, I wanted you to know that I do!I need to give you a lil background on some life behind the scenes items that were going on to even make my way to the finale or the Resort.
In my former life, before becoming a Full-time Nanny, I had my hand in MANY TRADES. One of the things that I did was I was a Wedding Planner and Caterer. When one of my Arizona friends heard that they asked me to cater their daughters wedding. I told her that I would do it if I could fly in my old crew (This crew actually was my friends who volunteered out of the kindness of their hearts to help me with my business, but they were the best out there!) I got to work to decide how I could convince them they wanted to come all the way to Arizona to help me :)
Decided that we ALL could use a vacation and my nanny family was going to be gone the week after the wedding (so I had it off). So I enticed them with a plane ticket to a work/girls week. I would fly them in here, we'd do the wedding and then that night we would whisk away for a fun week in California, Disneyland and the beach!! We all agreed on it and were excited to get to spend that time together!
Well, my AMAZING prize winning in the Wholly Guacamole Buddy up and Win contest, kind of through a niche in that plan. So it had to be worked out ALOT the lil bugs of this former "great idea!"
First, NO WAY was I going to turn down a trip of a lifetime and experience of a lifetime, and they didn't want me to either.
Second, I couldn't leave a bride and her parents (my friends) high and dry and 3 weeks before the wedding tell them, by the way... I can't do your catering anymore.
Third, I knew it was going to be inconvenient for some of my most favorite bestie's ever..how was this going to work for THEIR own schedules.
There was A LOT to think about.
I got on the phone and worked out MANY scenarios and ways that we could still make our Girl's trip happen and cater a wedding. None of the ways were ideal or what ANYONE originally planned on doing, but my girls all conceded and we made it work.
Here was the plan:
I would leave at the crack of dawn the Monday BEFORE finale from Arizona and drive to California where I would pick up Joni at 8am.
Joni would fly from Utah and meet me in Long Beach at 8am.
We would spend the day in Hollywood and hike the Hollywood hill then meet up with one of her childhood friends, who would also give us a place to stay for the night, and stay outside of LA for the night.
Tuesday:
We would leave in the AM and early check in by 10am to our Hilton Universal Hotel and get ready for the finale and our lunch date with the Wholly Guacamole team.
We would meet them for lunch and then head to the finale with them.
Go to the finale and have the time of our lives then visit the after party with ALL previous and current contestants for the rest of the night.
While we were at the first part of the after party "Ghetto" and Jen would arrive and take a taxi to the hotel (where we would hide a key in the foyer for them to get into our room).
They would then come and meet us at the next hotel over and also get to meet contestants! We would party like rock stars ALL NIGHT and then, crash and burn at the hotel (which we did).
Wednesday:
This day was up in the air. We REALLY wanted to go to the Ellen Show and I even woke up EARLY so I could call the same day ticket hot line a MILLION times hoping that my luck would continue.. it didn't. Just when all hope was gone, we got a call from The Leno Show and scored tickets there.
After the taping we went to frozen yogurt and then headed to Anaheim...we were going to Disneyland the next day!
(Oh I failed to mention that I got HORRENDOUS shin splints wearing ridiculous designer heals that my bosses Mom gave me. I was in so much pain and knew that Disney may not happen for me!)
Thursday:
All the girls got up early to head into the happiest place on earth! I knew right away, that $100 to go in the park and be miserable and ruin the time for the other's was NOT worth it, so I opted out. Although, they wanted me to come go in a wheelchairs they could be first on the rides...well they said it was so I could still be with them, but I knew better ;) I instead told them that I would meet up with them for dinner and call it good.
They went to Disneyland, I went to the hot tub! It was relaxing and felt good, I knew I had made the right decision for my body and so even though I was sad to not be playing with the funnest girls on the planet, knowing I was letting my shin's have a break (I was going to the resort after this week) made it worth it.
I sat outside at Downtown Disney for several hours and people watched. Saw a lil boy having a seizure, a little girl eating an ice cream cone, families so happy to be at the Happiest Place on Earth together.. it was awesome.
We met at to eat dinner and it was great food. It was a good day all together.
Friday:
We headed back to Arizona today. We had a wedding to cater tomorrow. Had lots of food prep etc to get done, none of it I could have done without these ladies!
Before we started our road trip back to AZ we got to have brunch in San Diego with some ADORABLE friend Jen and I met on a cruise a year or two earlier. Rondi, Amy and Andrea. They are so much fun and we had SUCH A BLAST with those three!
On the road trip to my house in AZ there was much laughing, singing, some sleeping...it was heaven to me. Oh how I miss being around loved ones all the time.
On the road trip to my house in AZ there was much laughing, singing, some sleeping...it was heaven to me. Oh how I miss being around loved ones all the time.
Once we pulled into my town we immediately went to Sam's Club with the shopping list I had prepared before we left and did some major wedding food shopping.
When we arrived on the home front the wedding chaos began.
Sat: Cooking, food prep, running like chicken's with our heads cut off began. Yet, with all of them by my side it seemed doable.
We arrived to the reception on time, had our food set up and prepared on time, and we worked our rears off keeping it all stocked (and keeping all the flies that infested this back yard wedding away from the food.) and full so the guests could eat to their hearts content.
After we cleaned up (in record time I must say) we went to Red Robin and ate to OUR hearts content and unwound and just enjoyed each other. I am going to miss these ladies.. I hope they come back, when there is NO WORK, only PLAY to do!
Sunday:
Bright and early, we all headed off. Jen and Ghetto left for Utah and Joni and I headed to California on our way to The Biggest Loser Resort Malibu.
Within miles of Joni and I leaving my trusty mini van made a horrible sound (it sounded like there was a muffler in my engine) on the freeway on ramp towards our upcoming week long journey, and we had to back down the on ramp and park in a hotel and make a decision of what now.
I called my a friend that know Phoenix very well and asked for assistance which she so generously gave me.
I called the Whiting Family who is like family to me and the graciously allowed me to use their teenagers car to go to the Resort.
We had my car towed to my house and Lorrie took us to Gilbert to pick up the other car. Our trip started a few hours later than we expected, but we got on our way!!
As you can see, if you are still with me in this LONG post, everything was complicated but in the end, it all worked out, we were able to spend time with those we love and I was once again supported in my crazy life!
I am so thankful that I have such wonderful people in my life who always come to my aid and are patient with me. Also thankful that for the first time in my life, I WON SOMETHING! Stay tuned for all the posts on The Biggest Loser Resort.. it was AMAZING!
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