What Else Can We Lose in One Night???

We arrived at the Hermosa Pier and instantly realized this was going to be a chaotic weekend there as the AVP Tournament was this weekend!  Parking and spots on the beach would be at a minimum.  YIKES!  We drive around a bit and realize the $6 parking structure lot is full and there is a lot next to it...$20.  WTF?!?  We circle back around and find a spot in the other $6 thank heavens!  We get to the Shore Restaurant and are greeted by Alice, Jamie, and Sebastian who are already enjoying some drinks at the happy hour pricing! 

We are at these cool plushy booths and I want to get in and sit on the pillows!  Unfortunately, the space between the tables to get in and out would be tight for an anorexic model let alone someone my size! LOL.

  After managing to almost pull the entire tablecloth and place settings right with it, I get situated in the booth, realizing I will never be able to move out again!! HA HA HA. 

Julz and I are ready to take advantage of the happy hour specials and I am STARVING....my folks didn't have much in the way of food at their house so the only thing I had eaten all day was a few dry cheerios! LOL.  Instantly, I spotted a Greek Trio on their appetizer section which looked yummy....it had hummus, tamponade, Tzatziki, all served with pita bread.  It was very yummy...definitely hit the spot!  Julz was more disciplined and had a chicken caesar salad which also looked delish! 

As we are munching, Tracy arrives in her adorable "I caught you looking at my Tatas shirt" HA HA.

  It's a breast cancer shirt but with a humorous twist!  LOVE IT!! :D  Shortly thereafter, Sheila and Mel arrive.  Jen and her friend Karin are off trying to find parking....OMG!  Seemed like 1/2 hour before they got inside!!  After some typical TB happenings and shenanigans, including the chef coming out TWICE to personally check on Tracy (musta liked her tatas HA HA HA HA), Mel falling off the booth and under the table (totally sober mind you), and my blonde moment of forgetting about the tight fit on the table and almost taking all the food and drinks as I squirmed out, it's off to the patio for our reserved 8pm time! 

The outside area provides some interesting people watching opportunities but it's also where all the smokers hang (yuck.

...sorry Joy and Jenn!! HA HA)  More people start to show like Joy, Prissy and her friend, and also Chereese! Poor Chereese, she had to show her ID and wait a minute while some other girl just kissed the bouncer on the cheek and walked right in. We told the bouncer Chereese could do that to and being the sweetheart that she is, she obliged for our picture taking purposes!! LOL. 

So happy to see Joy, Prissy, and Chereese again!!!  By this time, the patio is pretty full.  Not a lot of eye candy for Hermosa Beach unfortunately!! LOL.  I remember my days of living at the beach in Hermosa and it was a treat to be anywhere along Pier & Hermosa Ave and people watch.  Perhaps my taste has changed or the eyes just aren't what they used to be!! :D 

As usual, we goofed around, took some photos.

..including some great ones of Sebastian who is the best sport!  He was our new "Giovanni" in regards to the hilarious faces he makes in photos!! Sebastian is such an absolute sweetheart and quite the trooper to hang with us and engage in our goofy picture taking requests.  He was such a good sport and I quickly realized he completely fits in our crazy little TB family!!! LOL. 

Wait...what's this I hear?? Music...they are playing music now and it's time for the girls to head to the dance floor.  Not surprisingly, Mel and I instantly find what could pass for the supersized stripper pole (ok, it was just a structural pole but one has to improvise) and take some photos and dance with the girls.

  Most of the pics everyone took consisted of putting the camera high in the air and snapping blindly to see what we could get! LOL.  Ok, so I ended up with a number of Angel and Mel's heads but it's the effort that counts, right? HA HA HA.  On the flip side, I did manage to catch some "interesting" folks on film from the dance floor who were trying to hang out with our cool group.  They wish they were as cool as Tb'ers!  "I'm a TB, she's a TB, wouldn't you like to be a TB too?"  Ok, sorry! 

From this point, the night tends to blur a little for me as the "drama" begins.  I had "lost" my sweater earlier in the evening.  Actually, I left it in the booth when we went outside, went right back in and they had cleaned it up and of course my sweater was no where to be found.

  The waiter went to check on it and said no one turned it in.  Uh huh, sure whatever...like someone is going to steal a black sweater! Well, come to find out my sweater was the least important thing lost that night.  Somehow Joy's IPhone ended up on the floor and she didn't know.  Julz had found one earlier in the evening and held on to it, not knowing it belonged to anyone in our group, so she did the responsible thing (or so we all thought) and turned it into the bouncer. Yeah, well, hmmm, somehow he claims to have turned it into "Lost and Found" which was on the food station at the bar.  Hmmm, IPhone - you really think anyone was copping to finding it?  A few arguments with the bouncer and the bartending staff netted absolutely nothing.   Poor Joy - she was stressed and had to leave for work and seeing that she's a nurse - she's on call!!!  Poor Julz felt even worse but she had no way of knowing. 

The mood was a little down after all that but we managed to still boogie a little on the dance floor as the place became insanely packed.  Next thing you know, Hermosa Beach PD are in the bar.  Hmmmm....what is happening now?  We are all still on the patio except for Jamie who had gone to the restroom.  I realize that people are pouring out of the inside of the bar and that they must be closing the place down!  We all stand there as the last hold outs until they yell at us to leave too.  Fortunately, Jamie made his way back to us, otherwise oh darn.

..we would've had to leave him behind!!! LOL.  We get outside and figure out the bar had too many people and was over capacity - interestingly, usually the Fire Marshall does this but these guys all had shirts on for the HB police. 

While waiting for our group outside and figuring out plan B, Warren finally shows up!! OMG...nothing like showing up after the party!! HA HA.  We opt to head to Denny's as everyone is hungry and it's getting late anyways......after everyone manages to arrive it's breakfast time and then time to say "night night" as we head our separate ways.  Tracy and Mel had to take Sebastian back to his hostel but were meeting us at Angel's which was about an hour drive away.  Julz and I were both sleepy....

.and what goes around, comes around I suppose......I thought I would take a pic of Julz peacefully sleeping in the back as I blind her with the flash.  Not realizing that my attempts to keep from falling asleep failed, Angel managed to get a pic of me snoozing in the passenger seat. HA HA.  Hopefully that pic never sees the light of day since I had my mouth slightly open...no where near as peaceful and angelic as Julz!!! LOL.

In true TB fashion, we arrive at Angel's and it's like the second wind kicks in!!! Angel, Julz, and I sit and have girl chat for awhile until Tracy and Mel arrive.  I believe it's really late at this point and we talk about pushing things back in the morning, thinking that we will all be sleeping in.  YEAH RIGHT...I spent the night with these girls before....guaranteed - 3 hours of sleep and they will still be up and giggling.  We retire to bed, Mel and I are on the bunk beds......Mel claimed the top of course - the queen needed her throne!! :D A little more pillow talk with Mel about our upcoming TB meets and travels and it was off to dreamland for me........nighty night!