So Cal with my Gal Pals

What happens when:

a) three of your best friends tag along on your work trip

b) you have 48 non-work hours in Southern California

c) you go to pick up a rental car and they give you a minivan

The answer? Hilarity, shenanigans, and some of the best memories you'll ever have.

Night one: Dinner wasn't provided by the conference, so we got dressed up and went on a hunt for sushi in Long Beach. We found an awesome place that had all sushi HALF OFF and we ordered one of everything pretty much. Coincidentally, we all packed black dresses, so we thought it'd be fun to wear them together. And so, fittingly, the hashtag for the night became #fishfuneral. So wrong, yet so right.

The following night, we headed to Huntington Beach.

We walked along the pier, had drinks at Duke's, and checked out all of the insane people swimming in the ocean (the water is still pretty chilly, even in mid-June)

We love the sun!

These are my people.

Perfect.

After the conference was over, we drove down to Laguna Beach. No, we did not see LC, but I did treat my travel-mates to several (dozen) rounds of "Come Clean" by Hilary Duff, because, well, this.

Recognize this beauty?

We ate at a lovely cliffside restaurant, very, very appropriately named 'The Cliff' which had some spectacular views and the best scallop I've ever had.

We also found the coolest set of doors ever.

While Holly and I were busy shooting some gorgeous scenery, our beachmates were in the midst of a high tide and the destruction of many of our items. Thank you GOD I had my camera on me, otherwise it'd be at the bottom of the Pacific right now, along with my heart and paycheck.

This is the closest you'll ever get to me in a bikini photo shoot. Enjoy.

Santa Monica. Third Street Promenade.

My friends are just the prettiest. 

SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD! No Sheryl Crow sightings, unfortunately.

Despite my fear of heights and amusement rides in general, we rode the ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier, and it was awesome! I felt only mildly lightheaded and I got some great photos up there. Totally worth it!

 

We drove down the infamous Pacific Coast Highway (in our minivan) from Santa Monica to Malibu, which was breathtaking.

Zuma Beach!

For our last stop of the trip, we had dinner at the Paradise Cove Beach Cafe. Wouldn't call it the best meal I've ever had, but I'd gladly pay the price again for the ability to eat with my toes in the sand.

After dinner, we walked down the beach a little to have an impromtu photo shoot, and I learned that I cannot jump in a photograph without looking like a murderer. How about that?

All in all, this was one of the best trips of my life. We had perfect weather, everyone got along, there was no hair pulling and no tears (except ones spurred from inappropriate laughter) and I got to see parts of the US I've never seen before. 

So if you're heading to Southern California soon, let me know! I'd love to share our do's and don'ts.

Thank you ladies for making my work trip 10x better!