Chillin' with Mrs. Melby

After Alyssa's bridal shower tonight, Holly and I headed over to Guido's to meet up with the menfolk. We spent a while making fun of ourselves and our horrible lack of photogenic skills...

Then reminisced over photos on facebook...

We wound up the night with silly photos!

Kim's Champaign Shower

The bridesmaids all worked to put together a perfect bridal shower for our girl, Kimmy d.!

We held it at CoCo's hubby's bar/restaurant, Red Star and I think we did a pretty nice job setting up. There were lots of delicious treats, courtesy of CoCo, and all the guests brought a bottle of wine with a fun message written on it. Kim got lots of useful gifts, and some that were just plain sweet!

After that, we ventured out to C-Street where we danced the night away!

Kim's Birthday

We headed out to celebrate Kim's 26th tonight with some karaoke-one of our favorite activities! 

We love rockin' out with Kimmy d. and Ryan as often as we possibly can! We had a blast!

Josh and Becca's Cinco de Mayo Shindig

This weekend, we headed to Josh and Becca's belated Cinco de Mayo party. We arrived a bit early, as I always like to do at any parties this couple throws, as Becca's food is always so delish and I like getting a first run at it!

We enjoyed some of my homemade ritas (homemade=poured Jose Cuervo rita mix into a glass over ice), and amazing stuffed tamales Becca made. I cannot emphasize enough what a great cook this woman is.

Finally, the boys capped off their celebration with a shot of tequila. No, thanks. I don't appreciate being reminded of the evil substance that ruined my 23rd birthday. Well, that's not true. It actually made my birthday very fun. It was the day after that was not-so-good. Anyway, happy tequila-free Cinco de Mayo!

Ick.

Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo definitely has a nostalgic feel for me, as this was the date of my second date with Al. On this date, Al and I, along with my friend, Jess, met up at the ever-popular El Toro (formerly on Neil Street). We had drinks on the bar, and I tried to hold in my ridiculous excitement to be on a second date with this guy...just so that he wouldn't think that I was the beginning of a Lifetime movie about stalker girls or something. ;)

Anyway, needless to say, the date went well because here we are!

This year, we spent Cinco de Mayo at the newer El Toro Bravo on Springfield with Al's brother, Joey and his girlfriend, Ryan. We sipped on margaritas and ate cheesy, fatty dishes to our heart's content. YUM!

Cheers to only a month and a half left until marriage!

Marriage License

Becky Comes to Town

The last year or so, I have spent very little time with my best friend, Becky because she moved to New Jersey to pursue a grad degree in International Studies at NYU. I can't tell you how proud I am of her and how lucky I am to have such an amazing friend. She really is one of those friends that just "gets" me; she's someone who I can totally be myself around!

Becky surprised me a couple months ago by letting me know that she would be at my bridal shower in Urbana this weekend. I was so excited that I was literally counting down the days. She arrived today at Willard Airport (which was quite a haul from me, since I live so far away (; ). We kicked off our weekend of fun by getting mani/pedis at Pretty Nails in Urbana. It was so much fun to relax in rattling massage chairs next to each other and catch up in person for the first time in months. 

That afternoon, Becky and I went on a shopping trip to the lovely Champaign Marketplace Mall, where I irresponsibly bought Ray-Ban aviators. I would say I regret my splurge, but I cannot honestly say that. I L-O-V-E them. It also helps that Al told me I look like a celebrity in them. 'Nuff said. That's good husband material. 

Later that evening, Becky, Al and I hit up KoFusion to satisfy Becky's craving. We got fancy martinis and a few delicious rolls to share: the New Zealand lobster role (in honor of Al's heritage!), the dragon roll, and my and Al's fav-the mango shrimp roll. YUM!

After that, our trio headed over to Guido's to meet up with some of Al's friends. Becky was quite tired from her trip...

We had such a blast together, only to be continued at my bridal shower and bachelorette party the next day...