The Land of the White Rabbit

The next morning I got up early to get ready for my flight and any festivities that could possibly come my way once landing. Just before leaving for the airport I said goodbye to a great friend and thanked him for the time spent. as I look back now I learned a lot about by myself over those last couple of days,  I then proceeded to pick up my luggage and head to my next destination. The infamous Land of the White Rabbit, for the Playboy Golf Finals- "where girls who aren't so nice appear to be nice, and where men are just looking for a good time at any price."
 When I arrived at LAX I picked up my luggage and headed down to limo lane. While standing there, a girl bumped into me and asked if I was part of Playboy Golf and if she was in the right spot for the shuttle and before I could get out an answer the limo rolled up with Rachel in it. I was so ecstatic to see her, we loaded up the car and rolled into the Hills. One of the first things we did after checking in was head straight to the mall. It was as if a tradition in our eyes, I'm not even sure why we packed so many things to wear because we always ended up buying new stuff out there. After shopping we headed down to the ballroom for our annual "rules and regulations" meeting, even sitting in the meeting we already new we were leaving after and heading to dinner with the Elite of Playboy Golf, it was almost as if it was a joke to sit there and listen to "rules" which were apparently to your discretion.
 Not sure where we were headed for dinner, Rachel and I joined everyone outside the hotel lobby and climbed in the limo. Shortly we were dropped off on a side street "Canon" just around the corner from Rodeo drive. Where we were then lead to a small private elevator that took us to the top room of the building.
When the doors opened, I didn't know what to expect, but what I found were men in nice suits lounging & enjoying some of the finest cigars in town. Walking through the restaurant I felt like I was walking back through time as if I stepped into a popular speakeasy, where the men were amazed to see the beauty of woman in their secret spot, and when they looked at you, you could feel the flirtatious glance as they released the smoke from their lips in a smooth cloud with a slight grin in your direction so effortlessly. The Grand Havanna Room a private members cigar bar was where we spent the remainder of our evening, in the heart of Beverly Hills, with a beautiful rooftop setting, sipping champagne and telling stories over exquisite Italian food. Carelessly into the night we dined, enjoyed everyone's company and developed new friendships.
 It was a night that I will never forget. Once back to our hotel, Rachel and I headed back to our room. We were so high on life, so happy to be next to each other sharing these experiences. There was no one I would rather have had that night spent with than her. When we walked in our room we noticed that where we once were sharing a room with a stranger we somehow managed to be back to our dynamic duo. The night had ended perfectly, we toasted our last glass of champagne for the evening to "US" and then shut our eyes for good nights sleep.

The next morning was St. Patty's day and what better way to spend this national party holiday then at the Playboy Mansion.
 I went down to the lobby to get us some breakfast, something a little healthy and a nice patio setting until I felt like primping myself for the days extravaganza.  As I sat there enjoying my breakfast and the view from our balcony, I collected my thoughts of what the day may lead to.
This was my calm before the storm. I then started getting ready and we made our way down to the lobby to head over to the Tee Party.
While Rachel did her photo shoot I mingled with friends throughout the grounds of the mansion and enjoyed the beautiful spring day in the Hills. The flowers  were blossoming and people were in their festive green attire, which I chose not to wear. Everyone was in the best spirits and enjoying themselves.

 After her shoot we met back up and she had met a friend. She was one who we thought at the time was nice, but like I mentioned before people aren't what they seem here. Those details to come.
We all hung out and formed our own little Brunette Mafia as we frolicked through the festivities, laughed, caught up with friends from the previous year we were slowly approaching the days end. We loaded up on the buses and headed back to the hotel.
It was at this point where we thought we had gained a new friend. We headed to the room the get ready to go out that night and made the epic fail decision to go with her to her house so that she could stay with us. Little did we know how far we had to drive, and what we were getting ourselves into. That night we ended up awkwardly walking into one of the rookies for the Lakers apartment.
 It was the most uncomfortable feeling to be there. As we sat at the kitchen bar we were offered a drink, I was not impressed by any means at the situation we were in and drinking just didn't seem like the smart thing to do not to mention there weren't any options that looked appealing. I took my drink as a courtesy, but chose to sit sober and observe my surroundings, as awkward as they were.  We didn't stay very long. Since it was already so late and we had to be up early for the golf course the next morning,

 we decided to leave. Which in my opinion was the best decision we had made all night. There are somethings you just have to learn the hard way, and trusting someone in LA is one of them. We made it safely to back to our hotel and vowed to never make that mistake again! I was so happy to find my bed and to fall asleep, after the crazy expedition we took across LA that night it was something of a comfort and familiarity that I most deeply didn't take for granted.

.:XOXO:. TMARIE

.:Wild West:.

As we hit the black top in our drop top, I enjoyed the wind racing through my hair, snapping photos of the barren desert mountains exploding with beautiful bright burnt reds, oranges, and browns that paint this rustic feel across the terrain. With out a care in the world and with a great friend who listened to all my what seems like youthful boy nonsense drama, it was a great little road trip to help me appreciate the unbelievable things in life that people once thought was impossible- The Hoover Dam. 

I remember driving over the Arizona State line and just staring out and looking at this massive man made fortress and really appreciating that someone with this idea believed in themselves enough to build such an amazing piece of architecture and now historical American attraction. 

It was a such beautiful day. The Sun sat high in the sky, gently kissing my skin, and leaving it a golden color that glistened just like the naturally bronzed surroundings. 

I've always had much appreciation for architecture, and have been somewhat fascinated with it. This was just so amazing, as I stared off into the distance, I was marveled at what was protected by this giant structure. I thought about things in my life that I had built a wall to protect. I also remembered the things I couldn't change and noted the things that I could. To walk along the bridge reflecting on things and just enjoy being alive knowing that I checked something off my buck-list was a satisfying feeling. I was utterly content with my life that day. The travel back to the city was so much fun. It was somewhat of a scavenger hunt for all things desert. One thing I definitely was on the hunt for was a cactus! YES! a Cactus, I know it seems silly but until this point in my life, as I recall, I had never seen one before. 

I scanned the land as we drove into Boulder City and I was disappointed that there were none in sight. Then all of a sudden, in the front of a bank stood this large cactus. I was overly excited. I almost jumped out of the car! It was symbol of strength. I photographed with the one of the strongest plants to live. Somehow in the barren desert this magnificent plant fights for its survival eventually adapting and overcoming the unfavorable circumstances for growth. In my own similarities, I too was fighting and overcoming my surroundings that were holding me back from, not from physical growth, but mental, spiritual, and emotional growth.

 The next thing we stumbled upon was a beautiful garden. It was a very unique garden, full of wonderful colors and flowers that would forever be in bloom. It was a garden that would never die in the desert. I was amazed at the beauty and art that surrounded me as I walked along a small path through flowers that stood as tall as me. I wish that I could have brought one home. 

Our next scavenger find was a historic train station. Although the museum was closed we still stopped for a small photo op, and a little history lesson. The Nevada Southern Railroad museum is located on the tracks that were installed to support the construction of the Hoover Dam. It was pretty neat to see the locomotives on display and to read the history of this small city that lead to the success of the Hoover Dam. At the end of the day, as dark approached, we could see the city of neon lights up ahead. 

When I got back to my room, I was quick to upload all my pictures from the days events. It had turned out to be a great day for my inner self, relaxing yet adventurous. The night promised to be just as adventurous when I met up with local friends for cocktails. We had a pretty good sized group going out that night with us. I didn't know some of them, but we became friends. It was a long night but the girls and I had a great time!!

The next day was just as long....LOL we definitely paid for our partying the night before. I dont think Megan and I got out of bed until 3 or 4. We just laid there misserable and laughing at the funny things that we saw and did going from bar to bar the night before. For instance....not getting in til 6 am turning on the hot tub to soak our feet because of all the walking we were doing in our 4 inch heels!
We grubbed down on some room service later that day when our bodies were feeling up to digesting food. It was still a little difficult to get it down.  After finally getting up and eating, it was time for a Mani & Pedi to prep for the next few days in LA. I definitely needed it after the night before, my feet enjoyed the attention. I got back, ate again, and began packing for my flight to LA. Next stop was LaLa Land....I was pretty excited to see Rachel and Michelle. That was truely the only reason I was going. I wanted to my girls trip to continue. This vacation was something that was most needed at this time.




.:XOXO TMARIE:.