We don't celebrate Valentine's Day

We do, however, really like to go places and visit friends. This trip just happened to fall on Valentine's weekend.

Luckily for us, we have some of the best friendlies in the universe. Alissa, Jon, Russell, and Alice are always so nice to let me come stay; this time I tested their resolve by bringing a whole posse along with me. So with Nic and friends in tow, we drove to Southern California for an amazing weekend.


Nic, Mike, and Emily spent Friday at the King of the Hammers off-road race. But because I require a lot more sleep, and because I really just wanted to hang out with Alissa, I stayed back and did girl stuff. This included finding the most fabulous dress for Alice for only $13 (originally $50!) and a matching one to fit baby Norah when she gets here. I have now found one perk to being pregnant: Shopping with a girlfriend for baby clothes. That, my friends, is a good time.

The next day was spent at the beach in Laguna Hills. Somehow I managed to not fall down the hill we all climbed up.


Alissa's caption for this photo: "I got an excellent picture of a dumb bird dangerously close to the ocean: And there is a seagull in that picture with Nic, too." I like her so much.

Honestly, one of the best things about spending time with the Kings is that I get to see a glimpse of what it will hopefully be like when Nic and I have our little family. I mean look how fun these kids are:


Anyone who knows me know that I don't especially like it when people try to tell me my business, so I'm not one to ask for advice, well, ever. But when it comes to babies and parenting and all that crazy insane new stuff that I know nothing about, Alissa is my safe place. That's just one reason why it's so fun to see her in action. She gives me confidence that I can be a good mom too. Thanks Alissa for being such a great hostess and for hooking me up with all the baby stuff!

On a lighter note, we also went to the swap meet at the Rose Bowl and saw Jeanine, the season 5 winner from So You Think You Can Dance? Nic says she is even hotter in real life, which is just one reason why I didn't ask to get my picture taken with her. I don't need evidence of pregnant me standing next to perfect dancer girl. No thank you.