girlfriend sweatshop beach/craft weekend extravaganza super heavy image post!

we meant to leave at 12.

we instead left at 3 (or was it 4?). me, jen, rachel & bekah met up with erika at the hotel. it was lovely. we were greeted with:



and we were soso relaxed and relieved to be there.







this didn't last long of course, once the asti was opened.



out we went to whole foods for some delicious snacky snacks and for me, ibuprofen. 5 girls, 4 of them bleeding, 2 of them sick. i conveniently got the flu and my period on friday - lovely, no? the car was filled with crafts, estrogen and a veritable treasure trove of herbal medicines. and ibuprofen.

so we ate and went to the tavern on the main to meet some other vendors and hang out w/ yen & mike. hurrah! then back to the hotel to craft some more and to PLAY ON THE BEACH AT MIDNIGHT.

check out rachel's awesome pajamas. she needs a smoking jacket. and don't ask what jen's doing to my butt, i have no idea.



must... craft.... cannot..... stop!!



on the way to beach - this is jen & erika's american apparel shot:



the beach was cold and quiet and dark. the sand was freezing! like soft soft sugar. so different from ft myers beaches, which are full of shells. i was able to run about without fear of sharp cuts and stick-a-burrs.



much frolicking ensued:





and then the fun photos began. the cold makes us delirious, not the free beer at the tavern.

so many stars...



and unexplained objects





the dangers came from all sides



fear is the path to the dark side. fear leads to anger. anger leads to hate. hate leads to suffering



and yet, we were able to relax enough for some interpretive dance. there is always time for interpretive dance. we are the ocean.







erika really wanted to go skinny dipping until we realized creepy people were watching. go to bed, man! it's midnight!









anyways, the next day was full of coffee and crafts.

here's the auditorium:



us, pre-show



jen & rachel had this awesome idea for a logo sign!



and, our booth. lovely, no? :)



hopefully you were able to stay with me the duration of my trip down memory lane. i now love the beach and want to go back. so soft!! though, probably imported.

i should.... probably get back to work now. mayhaps i'll have time to write more later.

two?! at once?

this weekend went by in such a blur of fun and stress and money and friends. i need more weekend! more weekend i demand!

saturday was star's virgo birthday party {star, dave & jen}.

star. was. so. drunk. they played a drinking game called moose, wherein star liberally drank of the communal cup, which was filled throughout the night by a bevy of various brands of beer and wine. she is a strong woman, for she chugged at least 3 glasses of the "moose" apertif.

i'm getting a gagging feeling in my throat just considering it.

sunday was spent taking photographs for a friend's niece's wedding. fun! AND i got to see my brother and hang out w/ him and his roommate, who apparently used to be a... dancer. the boy can dance, i'll grant him that.

(they were the "help" - assisting w/ cooking and serving. also, "helping" themselves to drinks from the bar.)



they got a little drunky drunk.



vince can also make an *AWESOME* fruit plate. one of his specialities, one might so say.



it does, however, look a little yannic, no?



on the other side of the camera, surprise!



so....... going back to the title of this post.

on the way back from the wedding, kim happened to get not one, but TWO flat tires at once. can you believe it? what kind of bad luck do i have, right? i heard the POP, thought "oh, crap" and got out to inspect. one tire completely down while the other could be heard hissing really loudly. upon close examination, i could feel and see a rather large piece of metal/glass in the middle of the quickly deflating tire.

*big sigh*

thankfully, anthony and saad came to the rescue! much time was spent waiting by myself, at 11 pm at night, on a lonely stretch of highway. creeeepy!

so i entertained myself by taking photographs of the surrounding area.



the view from the front of the car:



views from the driver's side:





and side views from the driver's side of cars passing by:




total. suckage.



at least now anthony has nice new tires and a newly adjusted alignment. so that's a plus. AND i wasn't kidnapped and chainsaw massacred in largo, home of the "country skillet" restaurant.

mmm MMMMM!