The Land of the Free

Not long after I got home from LA it seemed as if I was leaving again...my life was a whirlwind of travel those days....I spent the next few days recovering and reconnecting with my honey but it was too long before I was back on an airplane headed up to Baltimore. Those 5 days went quickly. This time it was family bonding, my mom had been wanting to do a girls trip somewhere and I had been going in and out of town so much that the only opportunity I had was Easter weekend, so I spent that in a place I had never been before with my mom and sister.

We planned a weekend getaway to Washington DC. Doing the research the week before our trip we found out that it was the National Cherry Blossom Festival we ready to make that early flight into Baltimore, we rented a car and drove down to DC where we spent most of our trip. Somewhere along the way we got lost in Georgetown...
we couldn't find 11th St. looking back on it now hahaha it was the funniest thing ever although at that the time we found ourselves cranky mode because we were all hungry!!! The buildings were so beautiful and colorful everywhere we looked. There were monuments on every corner and statues of famous people throughout our history that helped make this the Land of the Free.
The city was rich with history and architecture. I definitely have much appreciation for it even though we were lost LOL. Finally driving over the Potomac River I could see our destination just across the Virginia state line and the hotel never looked so good!! It was unloading time and FOOD!! But I was soooo excited to get over to Constitution Ave. and start my walk back in time through American History!
Follow me and I will be your tour guide. The first place we stopped was for lunch...we at at this swanky sports bar called The Exchange Saloon over near The White House. The food was pretty good but the convenience to the monuments was even better. We finished lunch and headed down 17th St towards the Washington Memorial. The trees were blooming and people were everywhere.
We walked as much as we could and stopped to enjoy the shade under the cherry blossoms. It was absolutely amazing to walk the sidewalks through the city that runs our country... all the power that was around us stood strong and tall in the buildings that represented our nation. We were so exhausted from all the walking and traveling that day that we headed back to the hotel to rest for dinner.

On the way in we stopped by our lobby bar and grabbed us a couple Bloody Mary's TOGO! We weren't sure if this was allowed but we took them up anyways...it was time to let the feet rest. We had dinner in Georgetown that night at a great place called Clyde's...we wanted something special to the city. The food was simply wonderful. It was an early night for us after dinner. We had a lot to see the next day.

Playboy Lingerie Party

As I stood in the loading tent checking in through registration it was a surreal moment to stand there as my eyes panned the room at what I saw....hundreds of people waiting...waiting for the moment to walk the grounds of the historic playboy mansion in some of their sexiest lingerie.

To really live the life of a Bunnie for one night was a lot of little girls dreams...I wouldn't say that it was exactly mine...Ive lived the life of a Hooter's girl for 3 years in college which brought on its own accomplishments and incentives but I never thought in a million years that I would have to opportunity that I was experiencing that night. Rachel and I were really standing there....in the words of her mom it was "OK, have fun...just don't do those physical movies" LMAO it was the funniest quote for our whole trip....my Mom, I'm sure felt the same....she always said "stay beautiful and classy and you will always seem to find your way" I have undoubtedly lived by that for awhile...as I stood there in line, walking up to the red velvet rope, those words ran across my mind,
I looked back at Rachel and said "are you ready for this??" and she said "YEP, NO physical movies, But its sexy time!" I couldn't believe I had made such an amazing friend on this trip and this was it, our last night together.

So finally arriving to the Mansion it was chaos...girls were running round naked, painted, and with skimpy barely there clothing...We met up with the guys and danced and partied the night away...Sam and Miles were absolutely having a blast...it was definitely a great time, hanging in your pj's what better way to end a great week!
Half way through the night they lined up the playmates for the awards ceremony...an announcement was made for the teams that won the golf tournaments and the Girl of Golf winner...which was miss Billy...after announcements the press and photographers were everywhere snapping pictures of the guys and girls dancing, having fun and taking interviews. We got a little tired of the craziness and made our way to the grotto which seemed to be a very popular place at that time.
Every corner was occupied with adult physical activities. As it was getting hott and steamy in there not only from the bubbling spa water but from the bodies that surrounded the room...we decided that maybe it was time for another drink...at this point I remember my feet were killing me and I hated to put back on my 4 inch black heels, so I just carried them...by that time in the morning it didn't matter until I was leaving...once we got back to the room I heard numerous stories of the night...I was laughing so hard about how some girls did crazy things like run around completely naked and people getting sick, getting their groove on in the game room etc...It apparently was a very eventful night and Hef would be proud! We were definitely on the intoxicated side and had to pack so as we continued our party, the theme once again was "throw it in the bag" hahaha we managed to get most everything packed and woke up the next morning like "what the hell happened to our suitcases last night??"

Courtney & I

So a little unpacking an reorganizing was a must before we checked out. When Troy got to the hotel to take us to the airport we were sooooo hungry I told Troy that Rachel had to experience In-N-Out Burger before we left town...so that was my last meal before heading home. The line at the LAX airport that Sunday was INSANE!! I think I waited almost 2 1/2 hours to get to my gate. I barely made it on my flight but once I was on I was happy to sleep the next 3 1/2 hours of my life and relocate all the things I had experienced, the people that I met, and the lifetime bond I had made that weekend. But it was back to my reality and I was so ready to be home, I missed Trae and couldn't wait to see him.

Rehab Playboy Golf 2010 Finals

We woke up early Saturday morning grabbed breakfast in the Breeze restaurant...Rachel had her test shoot that day...so as she was getting dolled up I headed down to the pool for some Playboy Golf rehab time...and a little bit of sunshine. The weather was beautiful and a perfect day for the pool...every chair was occupied by a beautiful female body glistening in the sun and the aroma of suntan oil filled the air. There were rows of towels across the lawn of the pool are which resembled an area for picnics, but was filled with half-naked bodies holding fruity cocktails in every hand. After Rachel's test shoot, our plan for the day was to go out to Malibu with Troy (Trae's brother). He planned to take us for lunch to Moonshadows on the beach since it was Rachel's first time in Malibu. As we drove along the PCH and you glanced out towards the Pacific ocean you could see the surfers in the distance waiting to catch the next big wave.

Our table was situated by the railing on the patio overlooking the ocean with an over sized white canvas umbrella to block the sun for a more pleasant dining experience. We shared stories of the weekend so far, laughed bonded and enjoyed a wonderful meal. The anticipation of the evenings lingerie festivities we getting the best of us. So we headed back to the hotel, upon returning we finished the afternoon poolside rehab style...although I wouldn't say we really "rehabbed" but more like "pregaming" for the evening...we continued to pregame party upstairs complements of Dallas Cowboys Miles Austin, San Hurd, Courtney Brown, & Patrick Crayton...among the festivities around us we had drinks in hands, loud music, dancing etc.... but it was time to start our bunny transformation.

How we managed to find anything in our room I have NO idea....but it was GO time....we carried out our own party in our room...running around half-naked, in skimpy lingerie, with the music blaring, & dancing....it was a little thing we like to call "twinky bunny love." Once the transformation was complete we made our way through the hotel lobby down to the auditorium filled with beautiful women waiting to load the shuttles for a night of  fun and frolic at the Mansion.

World of Playboy

That a day it was, so much excitement was around us...and so much alcohol....first stop was our room...NAP TIME....once again how we were in tune with each other I have NO idea call it fate? maybe she was the best roomie I could have had.  We "bunny" napped for about 45 mins and then hit the showers to get ready for the disco party that night....We dressed up as total flower power...twins alike! We had the music going throwing clothes, makeup, hair spray, high heels...almost like our first slumber party when we were little girls...only difference is we weren't dressing up in our mom's heels and makeup anymore. But it was definitely girly time....our room was a disaster when we left, but it was a beautiful disaster.

The party was full of go go girls, flower power, and disco

dancers...everyone really got into the theme, drinks were being passed around people were dancing...flashes from cameras every couple minutes, everyone truly was enjoying themselves. We were making memories to last a lifetime. As the night came to a close we had to prepare for an early morning...

The next day was GOLF all day! Were we prepared for a 630 am wake up call ...Ummm what do you think?? They loaded us on the buses all 200 girls to head to the course for a round of celebrity golf at the Pacific Palms golf course. Rachel and I got lucky our hole was #10....yep we called ourselves the "prefect 10" we were the Monster energy drink sponsored hole. There was TV coverage... media shoots, playmates and lots of girls roaming the golf course...All day we danced to the tunes of our DJ...chilled on the couches and entertained the golfers as they passed through...it was a long day but we made it all the way through...The girls from our hole were featured in the July 2010 issue of Playboy under the "World of Playboy" photos. So yes I can finally say I was in an issue...how funny! We were also featured on SPIN magazine website front page...

We were so exhausted at the end of the day that we made it back to the hotel to nap once again but didn't end up waking up til 1 am....We seemed to be right on schedule with each other...twinky brains were definitely vibing...So was grabbed some food went down to the lobby for a bit and went back to sleep...our next day was a trip to Malibu for lunch on the beach :)

"Birdies. Eagles. Bunnies"

LA LA LAND - Oh where do I begin??? Well it all started a few months back...I worked my first Playboy Golf event. Little did I know that I was going to be accepted to attend the Finals tournament in LA this March. It was an honor to know that I was able to go...only issue was hmmmmm, who would I be going with?? I juggled around girls and finally got in contact with one from my past event and we ended up being roommates.

Once landing in LA Trae's family picked me up for lunch in Hollywood. It had been little over a year since my first time to Cali...I was so excited and ready for the next 4 adventurous days. When I arrived at the Century Plaza Hyatt and entered the lobby, it was every man's dream come true....LOTS of hotttt, beautiful women running around in bikinis, short shorts, sundresses....you name, you got it....

So I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about my roommate for the weekend...but when Ms. Rachel Bogle arrived within the first 5 mins we were soul mates "twinkies to be exact" !! We didn't have to share a room with other girls, it was just her and I. Time for bonding and did we ever!! So on the first night after we checked in and got our wristbands for the weekend to all the parties we attended our meeting then had dinner on Sunset Blvd. at this great Italian restaurant. Once back at the hotel we mingled at XBar for the welcoming party...and on the same brain wave, we managed to stay in tune with each other, and knew that the night was complete for us....beauty rest was most definitely needed!!

Thursday morning came quite early....we had a mini shopping spree that morning before we headed to the tea party at the Mansion that afternoon...and all I can say is we shopped pretty good in one hour!! OUR MOTTO "just throw it in the bag"....and that's exactly what we did!

We arrived "virgins" to the gates of the adult play land the oooohhs, the ahhhhs, and the giggles were among us...it was GO time! We walked the red carpet for pictures with the playmates as we entered a world unknown. We spent the afternoon frolicking the grounds of the infamous Playboy Mansion <---- YES we were there & YES there were naked girls swimming in the pool TOTALLY Classic Playboy style. The (game house) is a separate building from the fountain in front of the main entrance, there are two sidewalks, running past a wishing-well. The sidewalk on the right leads to the famous game house and runs past a Hollywood Star of Hefner.

The entrance opens to a game room with a pool table in the center and vintage arcade games, pinball machines, player piano, jukebox, television, stereo, and couch. The game house has two wings. Left is a room with a soft cushioned floor, mirrors all around and yes all the way around. The right wing of the game house has an entrance to a bedroom the "red" room which is connected to another bedroom the "blue" room, which has an exit to the rear backyard of the game house these 2 rooms were only equipped with beds and a phone and lots of mirrors....The legend is if you pick up the phone and hit the red button it would ring the mansion butler. So did we test the urban myth?? Well YES we did! And did anyone answer?? YES THEY DID!!!

Moving right along following the sidewalks to where ever they may lead us... we made our way to the front lawn where they always set up the slip and slides, the peacocks were roaming as freely as the spirits of the people around them. As we continued our adventure....we found the world-famous GROTTO....which was full of people, and almost made it hard to get back there. It was a wonderfully splendid afternoon at the adult play land of the world....we then headed back to the hotel to relax before the evening festivities.....

New Year New Decade

As I enter a new decade of my life....I reflect on the past one.....and look forward to the new chapter I have just begun....may 2010 bring us happiness! Every New Years Eve we get together to celebrate the past year  and toast to the hope of a successful new one. This NYE was spent in Atlanta with close family and friends. It was a short lived trip, but a pretty amazing night. I still remember the countdown, the toast, the kiss, and the words "I love you" at the stroke of midnight...and in that moment we entered a new decade. How was this new period of time going to play out we had NO idea. I was so happy in that moment, so surreal my life was, almost as if I were dreaming and needed to wake up.

That following January we got hit with big snow storm. It was the largest one Tennessee has seen in a long time. I was out of work for a few days waiting on the ice to melt.  I must say this though, it was nice to be

locked up at home with my two favorite men. This was Bentley's first snow, and he loved it!! I was getting ready for a year a travel...In store for Feb was two more trips to Atlanta, one for my birthday party and another for shoe modeling.

The Birthday party was something that I had planned as a surprise for my sister and my best friend Chris...both had wanted to do something fun and different...so I made arrangements to spend the weekend in Atlanta. I booked all the hotel rooms and the VIP table for the party. I surprised them both with actually being there for the weekend. Both thought I had made other plans. Chris was so funny and depressed that Tamara or myself didn't plan anything big for our 25th bday and she was taking him out of town away from his friends for the weekend, and as for my sister she was just bummed that I wasn't able to come to her party...both surprises turned out perfect. I was able to get there before them and decorate their rooms and record the surprise!!

 Later that evening we went out on the town and celebrated....I was so happy that my plan worked but really sad that my girlfriends didn't come, but all in all I had the most important people there.

That following weekend I was back in Atlanta for the shoe show...I didn't get to spend a lot of time with my local friends the weekend before but this weekend was dedicated to shoes and Alexis. Her and I had became really close friends over the past year and half. I always enjoy my weekends modeling shoes...what women wouldn't??? I mean you walk in this amazingly large convention room full of shoes that are all your size!! Well you can say 3 days of SHOE Heaven....I love everyone I work with too, Sofft Shoes are simply amazing...every February its a tradition to go to dinner for my birthday after the show...this year it was Cheesecake Factory... yummmm one of my faves...The next day at work I got about 15 pairs of shoes as a birthday present as well to take home from that lovely trip. Lets just say it was an amazing weekend!! Once I got home my birthday was only a few days away. I planned an evening out to dinner with my friends in Nashville. A small select few of us went. My choice was Urban Flats it is absolutely one of my favorite places to eat in Nashville. The food is amazing and the price is right! I enjoyed the company of friends and family over wine and flats.

I spent the last weekend of my birthday month devoted to my baby sister. She met me work with the cutest birthday card ever! We hit the road to Memphis, it was her first time there. She was excited! I was taking her gambling for the first time.We got in late that night around 9 pm. I told her we had to change quickly and get down to the tables...LOL I was ready to make some money! I had a little bit of free play to get us started...But the best news was running into my friends that are always there.We ended up doing pretty well that night...She couldn't believe how lucky we were and how much fun playing blackjack was. The next day I had plans for us to go to a concert to see Eric Clapton. It was such a fun night listening to the music of a legend! I was so happy to see this in my lifetime...another check off my bucklist.

 On our last morning there, we woke up early and explored Memphis, had world famous BBQ on Beale Street, we also got to see the Peabody Ducks walk down the red carpet...It was one of the most beautiful days ever. The ride home was amazing and Britt was excited to be coming home with cash in her pocket!  But I was more excited about my future plans in March just a couple weeks away to scratch off my buck list!!

Home for the Holidays

The Holiday season is best spent with the ones you love and hold so dear...well this season was the best one I had ever had...As I made my return to Nashville from my weekend in Tunica, I came home to a lovely surprise...Trae had set up a date night with some of his friends at 3rd and Lindsley, a live local venue to see artists. Well we became fans to a great rock band called THE COLD STARES....it became our date night tradition together to go see them when they played in town.

As the season changed and the weather colder...I felt like we were growing closer to each other and building our home and life together. Trae's best friend had moved backed to Brazil for awhile, but came to visit us for the holidays...He was pretty excited that he was coming to stay with us. We had a full house this year and I felt blessed to be surrounded by everyone. I grew to learn CL that winter, we shared stories, laughs, and developed a friendship. I really wanted to decorate the house the holidays this year, it took some persuading, and lots of home cooked hot meals to get Trae to agree to it but he did. I was so excited to put up a Christmas tree, and I even talked him into putting Christmas light on the house. So we took a trip to Home Depot for some shopping.

This year was going to be our first Thanksgiving at our home. I was so excited to have my family over, as well as friends that were from out of town. The day started early in the morning as I made breakfast and started preparing our first turkey, just I watched my mom do as a child. The aromas of food cooking in the kitchen, the sounds of family and laughter filled our house with joy that day. I couldn't have been any happier with this day. I was very thankful to have shared those moments with such precious people that meant the world to me.

The month of December consisted of many nights in front of the fireplace with either a good glass of wine or a warm mug of eggnog, and a game of monopoly with good friends, we would all sit around the coffee table and enjoy each others company. That Christmas morning was the first I spent away from my parents. Trae and I spent that morning together in our home. I got up to make a yummy southern breakfast and we opened gifts under our tree. One of our Christmas presents was tickets to the Chargers vs Titans game that night. It was so much fun and a very blessed Holiday season. As my year was coming to a close I was as happy as I could be. I had the love of my life and a home that we were slowly building.