143.0…No Barbie Left Behind

I don't even know where to begin explaining how fabulous and fun my weekend away with my best friends was. Of course, it flew by but at least the memories will last forever.

Let's rewind….

Thursday night we went to our club for dinner. My husband and I split a Caesar salad.

And a fabulous pizza with onions, bell peppers and garlic. The garlic is key.

Friday morning, I finished packing and ate a quick bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios before taking the kids to school.

I picked up Lisa, we grabbed coffee at Starbucks and a bagel sandwich at Einstein's then hit the road for South Coast Plaza shopping mall in Orange County where we were meeting the rest of the group.

Of course the Barbies came along. No Barbie left behind. 

We did some shopping, then we all went to Quattro Cafe inside the mall for lunch. The Barbies joined us, of course. 

I ordered the Prosciutto and Arugula pizza. 

We shopped a bit more then went to Anqi Bistro for some drinks and snacks. Lunch #2 I guess you could say. 

I ordered the Surf & Turf roll. It was excellent. 

We wrapped it up at the mall and headed over to Pelican Hill to check into our room. Lisa and I had a nice surprise waiting for us.

Just in case you missed it, this was Lisa and my "belated birthday party" weekend. Both of our birthdays fall in the winter and it's too cold so we postpone our celebration every year to the spring time. 

Another tradition we have is Alicia's famous champagne cocktail! 

Eventually it was time to get ready for dinner and dancing! The Barbies got ready too!

Dina's "party bus" took us to dinner in style. 

We dined at Okura Sushi in Laguna. We split a ton of dishes. It's so fun to be able to try different things!

Hamachi Carpaccio (hamachi, ginger, chives with soy-lemon vinaigrette):

Dynamite Rock Shrimp (tempura battered then tossed with spicy-tobiko-ailoi and wonton chips):

Fire Cracker (fresh spicy tuna and avocado served with fried wonton chips):

Crispy Spicy Tuna (crispy rice cakes covered with spicy tuna topped with caramelized ginger):

Red Dragon Roll (shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado with spicy tuna) and Hamachi Jalapeño Roll (spicy tuna and cilantro with hamachi, jalapeño, tobiko on top):

Everything was really delicious! I would definitely return to Okura Sushi.

After dinner, we went to our usual dancing spot: Landmark. Every single year, it is a blast: awesome music, great crowd, etc. Not this year. The DJ sucked, it was empty and it was pouring rain outside. Boo. We made the best of it though!

Saturday morning was spent lazily with bagels, coffee and mimosas. Basically my ideal way to wake up.

We finally pulled ourselves together and headed off to the hotel pool for the day. Weather looks nice in the photos but it was very windy and cold. 

Barbies like the pool too!

Once the wind died down, it turned into a nice day.

I ordered a cheeseburger and fries for lunch. 

The day flew by and before we knew it, we had about an hour to get ready for dinner at Javier's!

Alicia and I shared the Ceviche Tostadas. It's my favorite thing on the menu.

I ordered steak tacos for dinner. 

Since Friday night had been such a letdown, we tried our luck dancing at the White House in Laguna Beach. They had an 80's cover band that was beyond fun. We had a blast!

Sunday morning it was bagel time again.

Then back to the pool for the last few hours of our trip!

I ordered the Cobb Salad for lunch. 

Eventually it was time for me to pack up and head back to San Diego. When I got home, we all went to the club for Burger Night. Of course it rocked!

 Beef burger with pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli, red onions, tomato slices, arugula and sweet potato fries. 

It was back to reality this morning when my alarm went off bright and early. Breakfast was Honey Nut Cheerios.

I took the kids to school, then got my butt kicked in Cardio Muscle class. I deserved it. 

Lunch was tuna salad, veggies and ranch dressing. 

Trying to get caught up on emails, unpacking, etc. It's amazing how much stuff piles up when you're away!

What was your favorite toy as a child? Probably a tie between Barbies and My LIttle Pony. 

Technorati Tags: Anqi Bistro, Burger Night, Einstein's Bagels, Everyday, Honey Nut Cheerios, Javier's, Okura, Pelican Hills, Quattro Cafe, South Coast Plaza, Starbucks, White House