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girls just wanna have fun

I spent this past Saturday in the company of my 2 best friends, celebrating the (belated) birthday of one of them. We've known each other since we were 6. (For anyone who's counting, that's about 28 years of friendship.) Wowsers. Life had been a bit stressful all around lately, so we decided to make it a fun day of relaxation. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh. We started by surprising the birthday girl (Michelle) with a 90-minute combo Thai/Swedish massage. While Michelle was being turned into a pile of relaxed goo, Jen and I entertained ourselves with some coffee.

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Then it was off to Crystal Cove. It turned into one of those new moments for all of us, when we discovered this treasure in our own "backyard," and wondered why we'd never been here before when we've lived here all our lives. We decided to skip the shuttle service and walk the scenic route, which led us through this really cool tunnel with all sorts of "Earth Day" paintings. TheSuitcaseStudio_0052.jpg

Unfortunately, the Beachcomber Cafe had a 2.5 hour wait (gasp), and our tummies wouldn't cooperate for that long. So we headed up the staircase (which totally counts as exercise, by the way), and then grabbed some blts on cheesy-parmesan toast, chili cheese and sweet potato fries, and malts all around (which totally negates our earlier exercise... dangit). We warmed ourselves in the sun, enjoyed our lunch and fabulous conversation, and even had a whale sighting. TheSuitcaseStudio_0053.jpg

Back down to the sand and took the time to explore a bit. TheSuitcaseStudio_0054.jpg TheSuitcaseStudio_0045.jpg

Jen remembered hearing that the cottage used in the movie "Beaches" was in this area, and we didn't have to go too far to find it. Bonus FUN moment... someone asked us if we were actors. Ha! TheSuitcaseStudio_0055.jpg

Then we were off to explore the tidepools. TheSuitcaseStudio_0056.jpg

We left just before sunset, but the day wasn't over yet. Next it was off to treat our toesies to some polish and shine. TheSuitcaseStudio_0049.jpg

Then a stop-off at a great local bakery to pick up some treats for that night. (And no... all of these weren't just for the THREE of us!) TheSuitcaseStudio_0057.jpg

And finally we were off to join up with a few more friends for a "girls night IN" dinner. TheSuitcaseStudio_0058.jpg

Good food, good friends, and great conversation. One of those days that made me look back and appreciate just how lucky I am to have these wonderful ladies in my life.