Bienvenido a Miami

In Jeng's post-bachelor party blog, he spoke of his post-party illness. For my bachelorette party, I suffered my illness before and throughout the trip, tainting the experience with my hacking cough and constant need to carry packs of tissues. In fact, I looked and felt a little like this:

Sexy, I know. Despite this phlegm overload, my dedicated crew of wingwomen made the weekend in South Beach memorable.

Since Jeng quoted Wikipedia, I decided to look something up myself:

"Bachelorette parties often involve displays of sexual freedom, such as trading intimate secrets, getting drunk, and enjoying male strippers."
- Bachelorette Party via Wikipedia

While Wikipedia may have some things right, my bachelorette party had some highlights to make it uniquely my own. My closest 11 girl friends and I had cultural lessons from Germany, Finland and Latin America. Some of us took time to open chakras, while others became intimate with artificial plants or dedicated themselves to eliminating tan lines. We incorporated culture with a trip to admire art at a local museum, indulged our digestive system with fine international cuisine and most importantly, made some new friends.

(My apologies to any little people who may find this offensive.) We did not, however, partake in midget strippers. I remain thankful that my bridal party's threats were empty.

With the exception of one night which tested our patience, the weekend went flawlessly. We flew into Florida from all over the country -- Chicago, New York, Denver, LA and SF. Led by my fearless matron of honor, my favorite ladies pulled together in their respective committees to organize food arrangements, attire and activities. As cheesy as it sounds, the highlight of my weekend was the time we got to spend together. Since we're spread out all over the country, quality time is rare. It was great to gather friends from all phases of my life to bid farewell to my single days with a hearty Cheers to Finlandia! Thanks ladies, I'm lucky to have you.