earning that paid bid

the next morning, we headed down to the lobby to meet up with coach for hair and makeup.  this year's look is simple - just a high ponytail with curled ends and a big ol' cheer bow, with just a little bit of eyeshadow and glitter and a bright lip.  since the bean's hair is naturally curly, all i had to do was add some curl cream to the ponytail and twist it up to tame those curls.  it came out so nice this time:

a little while later, we packed up our stuff, dropped it off at the bell desk and went next door to the convention center to join the rest of the team for pre-performance warmups.  we found them pretty easily.

and then when it was time, we made our way over to hall 3 to line up for each team's performance.

as always, i had my lucky charms with me.

watching the bean perform on stage just never gets old.  i still get nervous before they go on, scream my face off through the whole 2.5-minute routine, and get a little teary as they finish.  every. single. time.

the team was released for about an hour or so to grab some lunch and wait for the awards ceremony to start.  we decided to take a walk in a different direction and found a fun little food hall not too far away, where we ordered up a bunch of sushi rolls.

we fed our sweet tooth with a fresh cinnamon roll from a cute little shop we'd spotted as we walked.

and then it was time to go back to the convention center and wait to see how the teams had done.

we were all elated as the bean's team not only won their division, but was also announced as the winner of the full paid bid at this competition.

and then it was time to catch an uber back to the airport and go home.

mission accomplished!  not only are they going to defend their title at the quest, but their registration is fully paid for.  look out, orlando...we're coming for ya!

do you know the way to...

cheer competition season was in full effect for us right after the shower, as we kicked off three weekends in a row with a trip to san jose.  the goal was to win a full paid bid for the teams to return to the quest at disney world, and they'd been working super hard on perfecting their routines.

the timing for the bean's team to perform and then have their virtual awards ceremony worked out just right so that we were able to fly up, spend the night and then fly back home the next afternoon.  short but sweet.  and the weather was just right for me to finally wear the cardigan i made myself a whole ass year ago.  gotta love a good airport bathroom selfie.

i love flying out of ontario airport.  it's close to home and pretty much never super busy.

with just a carry-on bag each, boarding the plane was easy peasy.

it was just a little over an hour in the air, and then we were there.  sure beats sitting in the car for 6+ hours.

our hotel was in downtown san jose, a quick uber ride from the airport and right next to the convention center where the competition was being held the next day.  this was our view from our room:

the room itself was fine - up on a high floor not too far from the elevator with plenty of room for the three of us.

after the hub did a quick yelp search, we headed off on foot to find dinner.  original joe's was just a block away and we were seated right away.

 it was a pretty old school place, with a full bar and classic italian dishes.

everything was really good, and we got back to our room at a decent time, giving the bean plenty of time to relax and rest before the competition the next day.  the hub hung out downstairs enjoying a cigar and grabbing a drink from the bar, and we were all asleep by midnight.  not a bad start to a quickie weekend getaway.

shower time for the old lady

i guess our bout with the 'rona was actually pretty well timed, because the old lady's bachelorette/shower weekend was scheduled for about a week after our lives went back to normal.  rock-ell, her bestie from high school and her matron of honor, had been planning a fun vegas getaway for weeks - and so we were all grateful when everyone was all good to go and ready to party.

as the bridesmaid, the bean was the official hostess of the bridal shower - with a bit of help.  we'd booked a private room at fleming's restaurant, who was wonderful to work with, and along with a few other vendors we managed to pull together a pretty nice party.  

the bean had also hand-drawn the official logo, which appears on pretty much everything related to the wedding.  we'd turned to our trusted bakery - the same one who did our wedding cakes and the fabulous ones from my surprise party - and they'd created a beautiful cake that incorporated the logo and the colors perfectly.

we'd hired a balloon artist who created this super fun floral backdrop for us, and it was actually even prettier in person than in any of the pictures - mostly because i hadn't realized how dark the room was going to be. oh well.

my sweet friend delovely details had worked her magic and made the prettiest favor tags, along with the custom dress hangers i'd ordered for the wedding party.  

i was excited to eat - i'd been looking at the menu for weeks and i knew it was gonna be good.

once we'd gotten everything set up, the bean and i were happy to be the first to pose in front of that backdrop...you know, to help the photographer figure out exactly where to have everyone stand.

i think everything turned out well, and the room looked really nice.  and my florist had done a really nice job of choosing the perfect blooms for the centerpiece arrangements.

and then, right on time, our guests began to arrive.

mimosas were flowing, everyone was hugging, photos were being taken...all we needed was the bride.  and then we looked up and she was there.

i was pleased to see that the favors (custom luggage tags and a little zipper pouch, perfect for holding masks and other essentials like lip gloss and hotel keys) i'd made were so well-received.

i was getting the quick-and-dirty from the bachelorette attendees here, heh.

as the hostess, i'd encouraged the bean to be ready to stand up and do a quick little welcome speech at the start of the party.  she did so in typical bean style - quickly with a little giggle and a touch of sarcasm.  she cracks me up.

the appetizers had been served to each table - there were crab cakes, filet mignon skewers and burrata with prosciutto.  everything was delicious.

somewhere between salad and main entree, the old lady made the rounds to get table photos.  since it was a pretty small and intimate gathering, it didn't take too long.

the bean was extra happy to have some time to hang out with her cousins.

and while i'd been a little nervous about how the afternoon would go, it was all for naught as everyone just had a great time hanging out and chatting with each other.  the time just flew by.

and of course, there were photos in front of the floral wall.

toasting our beautiful bride.

we squeezed in a couple of games:

and while dessert was served, presents were opened.

and before we knew it...we were hugging everyone goodbye and it was all over.

it was a wonderful way to kick off the wedding festivities, and the bride had a fantastic weekend.  took her several days to get caught up on sleep and everything, but i think it was worth it.