And the location for the 2013 Girls Mystery Surprise Vacation was…SEATTLE!

(If you have no idea what mystery I’m referring to, click HERE.)

Yep, after guessing for days, weeks and months, my best friends and I headed to the airports in our hometowns to print out our boarding passing and learn that we were headed to the Pacific Northwest for our third annual surprise weekend getaway! After we arrived, and our fearless planners for the year picked us up, we headed to the most GORGEOUS Italian Villa outside of Italy itself…take a look at this place HERE .

I mean, wow, right? 

The house and the trip and just hanging out were more than exciting enough, until we found out that we were going to Bon Jovi! Who doesn’t love Bon Jovi!?! Yes, we were the youngest people there by 10 years, but I gotta say, Jon Bon Jovi has still got it, if ya know what I mean. The man is kinda seriously babed-out.

We hung out downtown in Seattle and ate way, way, way too much at Pike Street Market. We also checked out gum alley, which nauseatingly gross and amazingly cool at the same time.

We celebrated a birthday, a baby-on-the-way and laughed non-stop all while wearing adorable matching PJ’s. Yes, we are 12 year olds, don’t judge.

To truly sum up this trip each year is impossible. The thought of trying to do so just stresses me out, because I know my descriptions won’t do the experience the justice it deserves. But I always leave feeling the same way; so full of love and gratitude to have such special, dynamic, intelligent, hilarious, generous, loving and dedicated friends in my life.

I think Andre 3000 has it right in “Hey Ya,” where he sings:

You think you’ve got it
Oh, you think you’ve got it
But got it just don’t get it
‘Til there’s nothing at all
We get together
Oh, we get together
But separate’s always better when there’s feelings involved
If what they say is “Nothing is forever”
Then what makes, then what makes, then what makes
Then what makes, what makes, what makes love the exception
So why you, why you
Why you, why you, why you are we so in denial
When we know we’re not happy here…
Y’all don’t want me here you just wanna dance

OUR AMAZING ITALIAN VILLA

(On Lake Washington)

PIKE STREET MARKET

SEATTLE, WA

GUM ALLEY

FIRST-EVER STARBUCKS

 BON JOVI CONCERT

(PS: None of knew we were going…how & why I packed leather leggings is beyond me…)

KEWL PIC

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRACE!