Sara's Bachelorette Party

Saturday after the beach, I headed home to shower and attempt to fit myself in a snug non-maternity dress for Sara's bachelorette party. Her and JR are getting married on St. Patrick's Day in Las Vegas, so all the girls wore Kelly green to celebrate. When I saw this dress, I loved it and had to have it (especially for that price!). After a bunch of struggling to get that dress over the "Ladies" I was on the road.

I'm glad Sara recommended leaving 15 minutes earlier than I was planning because traffic was HORRIFIC. They have currently closed down a portion of the main freeway that heads into Houston, meaning anyone who chooses to drive north must tackle this detour. Thinking about dealing with these road changes during an evacuation makes me sick to my stomach. Soooo, let's not think about that...

After 30 minutes of being re-routed around piles of dirt and heavy machinery, I found myself back on the freeway and eventually maneuvering my vehicle through Houston. I honestly do not make it into the city very often. And it seems like whenever I do, Travis is the one driving. I vaguely know the area, but with all the one way streets in that city, it can get very difficult trying to read and follow the Mapquest directions at the same time as I'm trying to follow the road signs telling me Do Not Enter for fear of death or at least a hefty traffic ticket. Ok, maybe not that last part, but you get the drift of what was going through my head.

I actually made it to the restaurant right on time. Only to find that during my struggle into the dress, or sometime thereafter, I managed to bust a button right out of the top. Dana, Sara's friend, was awesome enough to offer me a button that she had planned for the bride-to-be to wear. It was a giant shamrock, but I managed to fit it on the inside of my dress so it would be slightly less conspicuous.

Dinner was delicious. We ate at Maggiano's Italian Restaurant near the Galleria (the gigantic mall in Houston). Brittany, Sara's soon-to-be sister-in-law, brought in a penis cake for dessert. That's right, penis cake. It was a bachelorette party and would not be complete without some form of obscenity. In our case, it came in the form of a delicious, chocolate baked good. Mmmm.

After dinner, we all ran over to this country bar called Wild West. I guess it's kind of a big deal in the world of Country music. I don't know if you have ever had the chance to go to a real country bar in Texas, but if you are ever in the area, you have got to go. If anything, just to experience the culture of Texas. I always find it thoroughly entertaining (even when I am not at a bachelorette party).

There is always a huge dance floor in the center of the bar, where bar goers two-step in a counter-clockwise motion. It reminds me of my early days at the skating rink. Except with cowboy boots and hats. This place even had an area where you could get your boots shined!! I'm a little irritated with myself for not getting a photo of that. But it makes sense, right? With all that dancing, your boots are bound to get stepped on and scuffed!

I would like to mention here that all the bars and restaurants in Houston are smoke-free. Makes things easier for a pregnant lady who wants to be included. =)

Two of the hostesses: Lacy and Brittany (JR's sisters)
Oh, and Burt Reynolds


Sara's best friend Dana (the other hostesses) and Brittany

Have you ever seen the movie Napoleon Dynamite? Do you remember the preppy girl's boyfriend? He was the one with absolutely no speaking parts, but he still managed to come across as a tool. Well, this guy, although better looking, reminded me of The Tool From Napoleon Dynamite. He was pretty funny. He kept coming over to dance with the bachelorette party and Sara, to be more specific. The hilarious part is that it made her so uncomfortable and she didn't know what to do about it. He would usually get the hint and walk away. But he kept coming back for more! LOL!

Anyhoo, we are in the middle of the Houston Rodeo right now, which means that all the country folk are out and about in full cowboy/cowgirl gear. Somewhere around 10:30, after the Rodeo had closed for the night, the bar started to fill up. I started to feel claustrophobic and my belly suddenly felt very vulnerable to drunken elbows, so I decided to make my leave. Besides, it's hard to stay up late when you can't party like the rest of the group.

I couldn't believe it when a guy started to hit on me. In his defense, he was slightly intoxicated and I was sitting on a stool. Maybe that's why he didn't notice the baby bump and wedding bands? Another guy ran up to us to hand me a drink, but the second he pushed through the crowd around me, he saw the belly and said, "I guess you probably won't be wanting this?" Bwahahahaha!!! Aw man, good times.