I woke up at the butt crack of dawn to drive down to SD so that my beautiful mom could serve me breakfast at a pancake fundraiser. That’s love. Hope everyone had a nice mother’s day!

The Padres lost 10-2, but we stayed winning in Pammie’s company suite! (@ Petco Park)

Picnic in the park (@ Lake View Park)

All this birthday mama wanted was some adult time and some chicken in a muthafuckin’ biskit LOL! Nothing’s too good for our Shi ♥️

Best birthday dinner ever (@ Born & Raised)

Celebrated Chel’s birthday with the girls (@ Pop Pie Co.)

After Pammie shared her big news that she bought a new house over the weekend, Shi revealed that her only update was that she got a tooth extracted and was going through a mortgage refi—that’s two more things than I got going on! Ha.

Same time next season? (@ Petco Park)

Much needed social hour and frosé with my faves (@ Pacific Social)

Ditch day with my favorite 40-year-old at my favorite place (@ Grand Ole BBQ)

It took me four hours to drive from LA to SD this holiday weekend! The bestie is lucky I love BBQ her.

Poolside mom-osas, anyone??? (@ Lakehouse Hotel and Golf Resort)

Hope everyone had a great mother’s day!

The girls and I got a lesson in self defense from Raquel at Stronghold this past weekend! Christine and Shi demo’d groin kicks while Pammie and I practiced our sticky glue – pancake – butterfly grips on the side! Ha.

Silently cheering so my neighbors don’t murder me.

Hello, old friend (@ Grand Ole BBQ)

A year ago, I would have never thought that eating at a restaurant and spending time with friends would be such a rarity. This is the first time I’ve hung out with the bestie or been back at Grand Ole BBQ since my birthday weekend last year. It was nice to feel a sense of normalcy again, but when I saw that drunk girl dancing offbeat at the bar with no mask on, I took that as my cue to leave!

I literally just got back to LA, stepped out of my car and dropped my cali burrito from SD on the floor. This pretty much sums up 2020 for me.

Hosmer, baby! 💛

Can someone postmate me garlic fries???

I love that Christine’s birthday is so close to mine, especially when her husband throws her a surprise party at my favorite BBQ spot! (@ Grand Ole BBQ)

The girls gave me the best gift ever: music and travel! I can’t wait to see Tame Impala in Portland!!!

Thanks to Chel, Christine and the old man in a hawaiian shirt at the bar for buying me all those birthday drinks (and even more thanks to Alicia for picking my ass up and Ray for driving my car home).

When the clock struck midnight on my birthday, I was two burritos deep and lying on the floor at Alicia’s house. This is 38, guys.

I’m here for the garlic fries, beer and Eric Hosmer (in that order) (@ Petco Park)

Nothing says ‘Murica like BBQ and corn chips (@ Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs)

I had to try my beloved beef rib el borracho style (as featured on DDD!) with my favorite borrachos this 4th of July weekend. Def could go easier on the queso, but I am here for this bed of corn puddin’ y’all!

Congrats to my favorite new first grader, Ari! (@ Pepper Drive Elementary)

I should’ve been less concerned about the dad with the swastika tattoo on his neck and more concerned about being in a classroom full of kinders for an hour, because I am full blown sick now, ya dang kids!

I lived in San Diego for 30 years, but this was my first time here! It’s worth the $18 entry fee, if only to get dole whip from the strawberry shack on your way out (@ The Flower Fields)

Jessie’s birthday BBQ (@ Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs)

I missed pre-BBQ beers at Alpine because of stupid LA traffic, but I made it before they sold out of ribs this time! Can all my friends celebrate their birthdays here??? I would get on the 405 during rush hour for BBQ you.

Friends is Shi’s most favorite TV show ever, and Shi is our favorite bachelorette!

Shi chow-crowned an impressive amount of gummy dicks. Marry this woman already!

Don’t have to tell us twice (@ The Tipsy Crow)

This mechanical bull has seen better days, and so has my liver (@ Double Deuce)

It was so much fun partying like I was 21 again, but I spent the entire day in bed afterwards paying for it!

(Same time next weekend?)

—

Friends-themed food and drink ideas:

• Penis cake – “Emma’s 1st birthday cake”
• Cheesecake – “Chandler’s stolen cheesecake”
• Chocolate chip cookies – “Phoebe’s grandma’s cookie recipe”
• Quiche – “Monica’s finger nail quiche”
• Trifle – “Rachel’s Thanksgiving trifle”
• Charcuterie board with jam and crackers – “Joey’s uncircumsized deli meat” / “Monica’s jam”
• Crab cakes – “Ross’ free crab cakes”
• Chicken wings – “Monica’s bubble bath chicken”
• Sandwiches – “Joey’s ride along sandwich”
• Pizza – “George Stephanopoulos’ pizza” or “Ross and Rachel’s breakup pizza”
• Flan – “Rachel’s birthday flan”
• Chocolate torte – “Joey’s date’s chocolate torte”
• Lasagna – “Monica’s mom’s back-up lasagna”
• Mini muffins – “Ross’ basket of mini muffins”
• Salad – “Monica’s perverted salad” or “Rachel’s side salad”
• Punch – “Monica’s tiki death punch”
• Mac & Cheese – “Chandler’s righteous mac & cheese”
• Turkey sandwiches – “Ross’ stolen thanksgiving leftover sandwich (the moist maker)”
• Chocolate – “Monica’s mockolate”
• Assorted candies – “Monica’s little pieces of heaven”
• Fajitas – “Ross’ fine fajitas”
• Cups and ice – “Phoebe’s cups and ice”

Vendors/Supplies:

• Friends Cake and Cookies – Wednesday Cake
• Friends Bunting Banner, Food Signage, Shirts – Shashime Designs
• Friends Bridal Sash – Etsy
  
• Purple Balloons – Party City
• Oh Shit Kit – Amazon
• Drink Pouches – Amazon
• Chow Crown – Amazon
• Penis Gummies – Amazon

Welp, there goes my dinner plans (@ Grand Ole BBQ y Asado)

When they sell out of your beloved beef ribs, you just order everything else on the menu, right?

Birthday beers (@ Thorn St. Brewery)

I tell everyone I know that my favorite ice is the nugget kind they have at Sonic, and it was so thoughtful of Christine to remember.

The last time I brought sangria to her house, I asked her beforehand if she had ice, and Pammie was like, “Of course she has ice, she’s an adult!” and I was like, “But I never have ice at my place.” And she was like, “Exactly.” I mean. Who needs ice when you keep the vodka in the freezer???

The girls think this is what I sound like, and I ain’t even mad. Thanks for dinner, drinks, my new sound bar, and a much needed girls night! Love you b’s.

Today was a good day (@ George’s at the Cove)

Chargers playoff win. Bohemian Rhapsody takes the Globes. Parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. Amazing dinner and this view ♥

Happy early birthday to my favorite sister! (@ Monello)

FYI I can only eat pasta when it’s prepared tableside in a cheese wheel now.

She is messy, but she’s kind
She is lonely most of the time

Sugar, butter, flour (@ Civic Theatre)

Oh, my heart. Even though Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen won all the Tony awards, Waitress is my most favorite musical to date. It’s like how everybody loves Breaking Dawn: Part 2, but my favorite Twilight movie is New Moon, because it’s the saddest one where Bella was emo AF listening to Lykke Li and pining over the loss of Edward the entire time…

I mean what, I don’t know anything about teenage vampire sagas.

I’ll have one… one of everything! (@ BJ’s Brewhouse)

Alicia and I drank our way through their holiday cocktail list. The blood orange pom fireball sangria tastes like Christmas in your mouth! It’s def going on the menu for any and all future holiday spreads.

ILYSM (@ Grand Ole BBQ Flinn Springs)

My most favorite BBQ spot in San Diego (and all of California) just opened a second location near the bestie’s house in east county. It’s bigger and less busy than its North Park flagship, and more importantly, it has a full bar (the original location doesn’t serve alcohol, but you can BYOB). It should def be on your BBQ bucket list! Also, if you don’t have a BBQ bucket list, how are we even friends???

See I know what we’ve got to do
You let go, and I’ll let go, too

L-Boogie up in here (@ Open Air Theatre)

I can’t believe I’m old enough for 20th anniversary tours, but the rough morning I had after getting home at 2am was solid proof!

This album soundtracked my junior year of high school, and hearing it in its entirety made me feel 16 again ♥

More videos here.

Breakfast Club (@ Flower Child)

My favorite girls met at an ungodly hour for breakfast so that the mamas could have extra girl time away from their six kids (four of which are twin babies!). I only had to worry about getting myself up in the morning, and I was still one of the last ones there! Ha. I haven’t laughed this hard in such a long time. No one will ever be as entertained by us than us ♥

Chino x Mike Shinoda 🖤

Came for a sandwich, but stayed for the pride parade (@ Ike’s Place, Hillcrest)

A few of my favorite things…

109° weather calls for frosé all day (@ The Pioneer)

The 4th of July fell on bottomless beer and lobster night this year (@ Viejas)

What a time to be alive.

Felicidades to my favorite 8th grader (@ Pepper Drive)

5 hours and 2 footsie wootsie massages later (@ San Diego County Fair)

Christine’s twin babies came early, so their big sister’s 2nd birthday party moved from Chuck E. Cheese to Denise’s backyard. No complaints here!

Can we just go on record and say that I’ve added a flat top grill, fire pit and pool to my list of must-haves for my future home???

Brunch with my fave girls (@ Breakfast Republic)

Quote of the day:

If Beyoncé can get cheated on, none of us are safe!

Shi will not rest, y’all! 😅

What sorcery is this??? (@ San Diego Civic Theatre)

My morning raclette (@ Venissimo – Liberty Station)

Were the tacos the best I ever had? No. But were the micheladas good at least? Still no. (@ City Tacos)

I should’ve known that this place was no bueno when I saw people drinking wine with their tacos, and the only mexicans eating there were the friends I came with.

Rise up (@ San Diego Civic Theatre)

Birthdays, BBQ and BYOB (@ Grand Ole BBQ y Asado)

Thanks to everyone who came out last night ♥

Last Supper (Pop Pie Co)

Behind the scenes (@ SeaWorld)

Burgers and beer for breakfast (@ Modern Times Fortress of Raditude)

Pammie, Dennis, Paul and I arrived at the Shake Shack pop-up 30 minutes before they opened, and the line wasn’t too bad. The longest I’ve ever waited in line for food was over 2 hours at Howlin’ Rays in Chinatown, so this 45-minute wait was no bigs. There was absolutely no shade though, so our burgers came with a side of UV! It was worth the tan lines…

Level up (@ Coin Haus)

Leo took Alicia, Ray and me to this beercade in La Mesa last night. It’s in a nice area with an industrial bar and gorgeous resto next door. Things have def changed since I lived there years ago!

I like their system so much better than other barcades I’ve been to. You exchange a credit card for a tapcard and use it to serve yourself beer and play video games. It beats having to wait in line at the bar for $15 drinks or having to use quarters for the games (ain’t nobody got change for that!). When I turned my tapcard in at the end of the night, it ended up being less than $20 to drink some beers and play a few rounds of Contra, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros and more. The cashier said I was a cheap date! Boys, don’t all come running at once.

Lord Huron (@ Del Mar Racetrack)

I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you
Take me back to the night we met

The last time I attended 4 o’clock Fridays may or may not have been 14 years ago to see Hoobastank.

I’m learning some amazing moves from these guys (@ Wonderspaces)

Pad squad* (@ Petco Park)

*not pictured: Alicia and I dodging homerun balls (none of which were hit by the Padres, of course).

Hot Tub Cruisin’ (@ Mission Bay)

Chel’s grandma always told her that she changes boyfriends like she changes panties, and this is the final one. Congrats to the bachelorette!

S/O to our captain, Shi! You the real MVP.

I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly (@ Birch Aquarium at Scripps)

Claws + crop tops (@ Green Flash Concerts at Birch Aquarium at Scripps)

I saw BØRNS for the third time, and unlike the weather, he did not disappoint! It was my first Green Flash concert overlooking the pacific, and the only green flash I saw on this gloomy day was the overpriced beer all the UCSD kids were drinking. I love this venue, though. You get to explore the aquarium before the show, and on a clear day, you can watch the sunset while your favorite band plays.

Gingerbread ale and memory jars (@ Common Theory Public House)

I spent my holiday vacation back home in San Diego making memories with family and old friends.

Just after Christmas, my cousin and her family were involved in a devastating house fire that took the life of her daughter and everything they owned. It has been a difficult year for my family in general, and this tragedy solidified 2015 as the worst year ever! Hopefully 2016 is kinder to us all. A friend of the family set up a GoFundMe account if you would like to make a donation to help.

My dear friend, Jay, also lost his mom over the holidays, and I met up with him and friends I haven’t seen in forever at her memorial. I love seeing these guys, because no matter how much time has passed, we can all still pick up right where we left off. The highlight of my day was when Pammie and I walked into the chapel and Jay’s brother greeted us with arms wide open and a simple, “Bitches.” Classic Rome. Jay trying to give me dating advice was a very close second. The lowlight of my day had to be when my ex-boyfriend brought his fiancé and his parents to the memorial, and all I brought was my extra holiday weight. LOL. Just kidding. (I brought my sister, too.)

My resolution this year is to be better about staying in touch with family and friends. I have a tendency to close myself off, and I’m trying to work on that. You really never know when you’re going to lose your loved ones…

Leon Bridges took me and Anthony to church last night (@ The Observatory North Park)

Brunch in the barrio with these babes (@ ¡Salud!)

Tacos always taste better in the hood. You know it’s gonna be good if you hear gun shots exiting the freeway (shout out to Tacos Arabes in Boyle Heights!).

SF brought the fog (@ Petco Park)

Keeping the party going (@ Zymology 21)

Darien, his dog Bluey, and Beckham the Super Dog sitting for treats (@ San Diego Humane Society’s Walk for Animals)

We scored a ton of free swag for Rocky and my aunt’s sweet dog who we brought along, but I’m paying for it with a serious auto detail. There’s dog fur in places I didn’t know there could be dog fur!

I’ll be the asshole eating donuts at the 12-mile mark (@ La Jolla Half Marathon)

So proud of my little marathon runner, Shi! Just one more till that triple crown…

Alicia’s birthday with these party animals (@ San Diego Zoo)

Pretending it’s 1991 and helping Shi refuel after her half marathon (@ Cafe Topes)

Morning brews (@ Benchmark Brewing)

Fried chicken, doughnuts & coffee with Chel & these clowns (@ StreetCar Merchants of Fried Chicken, Doughnuts & Coffee)