Vanilla Rum Cola and A Girls Trip

This past weekend I partook in a girls trip to Denver. I went with four other ladies. One of whom I know extremely well, one of whom I know pretty well, one of whom I know slightly well and one I didn't really know at all. So it was, Danielle, Kel, Rebecca, me and Caroline set out in a minivan at 7:40 am, bound for great Asian food which would be our first necessary stop in the city. We got to the restaurant around noon. It looked like a straight up run down shanty in a random house on the corner in not such a great neighborhood. First lesson? Don't judge. The inside was quite nice, the food was excellent and our waiter was funny. When Kel indicated she didn't want egg drop or hot and sour soup with her lunch the waiter abruptly yelled "no soup for you!" just like "The Soup Nazi" episode of "Seinfeld." Classic. We were starting out well.

After lunch we set out for some shopping. Danielle needed to go Victorias Secret which was quickly dubbed "Vicky C's". Really, it should have been "Vicky S's" but whatev-. Then it was "Anthro" (Anthropology) Jcrew for me and Rebecca, Gap, Forever 21 for Kel, Orange Julius, Wetzel Pretzel and various other stops in between. By 6pm we were all done and wondering what we should do for dinner. We called-no joke-about twelve restaurants and no one had a reservation available for us until like 9:30pm! I was appalled. I'm an eat dinner at 5:30 sort of girl but It turned out alright because by the time we left we had just enough time to get to our hotel, get ready and get to the restaurant in time. The restaurant was a trendy tapas place called "The 9th Door". It was super cool with fantastic food, loud spanish music, and house made sangria. We might have bought a pitcher of it. It was a lot of fun but towards the end the music got so overwhelmingly loud that we had to yell at one another and read lips to understand what we were saying across the table. But that was no big thing. We got along just fine. You don't need to talk much when you are too busy laughing from the girls demonstrating their husbands lame but very endearing go-to dance moves, all the while hatching a plan on how to go about getting them to do said dance moves in public, so we could all see, and laugh, at them. Brian and Nick beware...We will live to see your bunny hops and booty shakes. I can say that because neither Brian or Nick read my blog. :)

After dinner we went clubbing. Now, this is interesting. Caroline, is the girl I slightly know (from church no less), and she is a very proper, polite, ladylike person. I thought I had a pretty good idea of who she was, from church functions and what not. I was both right and wrong. Caroline is indeed all things mentioned above. I found out on this trip though, that she is also someone who, on occasion, likes to flip that good girl switch and don short pink dresses with tall black boots and dance like a wild woman into the wee hours of the morning. Second lesson? Don't judge. My idea of a great evening out, maybe involves the theatre coupled with a long dinner and wine, then room service and dessert back at the hotel, and bed by 11pm. The very idea of clubbing scares me. I always have this super shady picture in my head of nasty drunk guys obnoxiously hitting on half naked girls wearing way too much make-up and dancing on tables in a crazy crowded, dark, flashing neon-light atmosphere that smells of cigarettes and nasty, salty sweat. Oh wait...that's not just the picture in my head, that IS what its like. The second place we went to was exactly like that. We didn't stay too long. Stay tuned for that. The first place was a mojito bar. We sat in the back with like twelve Asians. Kel loves Asians and Caroline is Asian so I'm sure they felt right at home. It was a bit awkward for me at first because all seventeen of us were sitting there in a semi circle just looking at each other. But the music eventually got the best of everyone and before you know it Kel was up on her feet dancing with more enthusiasm and confidence than I had ever seen anyone dance before. At one point she was on the table dancing with reckless abandon and quickly told to get down by a guard. Tisk-tisk. Ha ha, and she doesn't even drink! Caroline and Rebecca joined the dance train while Danielle and I stayed seated just watching. Then, all the Asians joined, Danielle got up and it was a massive dance party. I stayed behind a bit. I wasn't feeling the music. Finally, "Dynomite" got me on my feet. Not long after, they started playing this weird hybrid techno stuff mixed with what sounded just like the strange flute music the boyfriend in the movie "Serendipity" plays. We all tried to figure out that actors name. It's the same guy from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". We knew his first name was John, but the last name perplexed me all weekend. It's Corbitt, girls. John Corbitt. As in, Bo Derek's boyfriend. Thanks goodness for Google!

"Clubbing at the Mojito Bar" From left: Danielle, Kel, Rebecca, Me and Caroline

We ended up leaving the first place and headed out to find another. We chose the second place based on the recommendation of a random drunk girl on the street who told us we had to check it out because it was, and I quote "real classy like Vegas". Third lesson? Don't judge? We didn't and we went. My above description of what I imagine clubbing to look like defined that place to a tee. Reeeeeeel Klassy! I'm not saying it wasn't fun. On the contrary, it was incredibly scandelous and amusing. When we left, the bouncer sealed the impression of class with his lovely parting wishes to Danielle, who was the last one out, with a (and you have to ready this is a very monotone, tired, unenthusiastic, all in one breath fashion) "goodbye. yourbeautifulhaveagoodnight". Ah, yes, Danielle felt really, super, duper special. :)

Girls weekends are essential. It was great to break routine and get away. Looking back on it, we made some downright funny memories and I am very grateful for the experience. The times you branch out and do things you wouldn't normally do are always the best in retrospect. Things I learned about people this weekend: Don't call Rebecca "Reba". Kel would like to be called either "sweet cheeks" or "sham-sham". Kel does not sleep in or share double beds (nether do I). Caroline has a wild side, but still looks like a lady while displaying it. Rebecca wears purple suede boots and they suit her perfectly. The things people learned about me: I love to handle (er, I might have used the word "fondle") naked whole chickens and more importantly, this mostly vegetarian girl can rally and eat a smashburger with everyone else, if need be. I learned nothing about Danielle as we are besties and I know most everything already. Like, when we went to bed and I made Danielle shut the door that joined our two rooms together, thus segregating she and I in our room and Rebecca, Kel and Caroline in theirs. I knew, as we were drifting off and heard laughing coming from the other room that Danielle lay in her lonely bed wondering and hating that she might be missing out on something. She thanked me though, when morning rolled around and Kel was up, tromping though the other room at the crack of dawn and we were not awoken. Yes, because I know her well enough to know that sleep trumps most everything when it's needed.

This post is done and I haven't even mentioned the vanilla rum colas. Oops. Sometimes I sit down to write and I have no idea what is going to come out. So, you now have a run down of my weekend and a completely random but yummy cocktail recipe. I tore the recipe out for this like two years ago and have been waiting to make it ever since. See, I drink soda hardly ever but I have always liked spiced rum with coke and thought the addition of vanilla and citrus sounded like just the thing to entice me to drink it. However, no one I know drinks rum and coke so it has just been sitting in my recipe file unused. Then, my rum and coke drinking Sister-in-law came into town this week. Eureka! I jumped at the chance to make this. It tasted divine.

Vanilla Rum Colas

adapted from Martha Stewart

serves 6

• Small ice cubes
• 3 cups cola
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 orange wedges or 4 sliced kumquats

Directions

1. For each drink, fill a glass 3/4 full with ice. Add 1/2 cup cola, 3 tablespoons rum, and 1/8 teaspoon vanilla. Squeeze orange or kumquats into drink, and stir.