I once read Oprah quoted, “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” Now, if I didn't already love Oprah, this quote alone would make me want to be her best friend. I secretly pretend we're BFFs in real life and if she'd let me come over, I'd braid her hair and her chef would make us a sensible, yet delicious, meal. Then we'd watch The Color Purple and cry at all the good parts.

Speaking of good parts, my real best friends are made of a million and one good parts. No, amazing parts. They're beautiful people who make my life better and challenge me to think beyond myself and to dream BIG. This past weekend we all happened to simultaneously be in town (except for Jennie..she's in Louisiana having adorable babies and building a farm and hosting national softball camps), so we decided to celebrate our birthdays a bit early (mine is on Saturday).

We rented boat (okay, a “boat” is a stretch of the word…it was a duffy, but still) and spent the afternoon cruising through Newport Beach. Having hours to spend with my friends makes me feel incredibly lucky and I know they'd be willing to take the bus with me any day.

We started our maiden voyage with a birthday toast…since I was a waitress for many years, I professionally popped the cork with style. Or so I bragged.

Melanie is ultra-talented. No, really. Not only is she one of the hardest working and smartest women I know, she has a voice of an angel. She's currently touring as a background singer for Taylor Swift (and, yes, we are going her concert later this summer).

Brianna recently landed an amazing job in medical sales and she's been traveling American getting trained and poised for her new position in Los Angeles. I'm excited because every time I shoot in LA, I plan on crashing at her place to avoid traffic. I'll be like the roommate she never wanted!

Bianca is my twin sister and the nicer half of our duo…no, really, her life mission is to save the world. And she's doing it. She works for A21, an anti-human trafficking organization and she speaks to churches, schools, and organizations about what people can do to save girls from being sold as sex slaves. She's amazing at what she does and I'm lucky to have her as my sister.

Anthony probably thought he was funny making fun of me…but little did he realize I'd post his photo on the web. Boom, redemption.

Okay, so we accidentally crashed our duffy. Brianna ran into a restaurant and brought out bar napkins to help with the repair. This was when I explained she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

My sister requested photo credit after she took this photo….here ya go, Bianca!

JD wore his boating shoes for this trip. Okay, so he usually wears boating shoes, but he appeared quite nautical on Saturday. Aye, aye, Captain!

I packed snacks for our trip and had to bring my favorite cheese board along…

Melanie and David met a few years ago when they performed together with Barry Manilow in Las Vegas. Their friendship blossomed off-stage and they soon fell in love, even though most their relationship has been long-distance. As Melanie travels the world with Taylor Swift, they've worked hard at carving time for each other in New York City, where David resides. If it sounds like a lot of work, it is…but it's worth it. He's funny, talented, kind, and extremely bright, which makes him a perfect match for Mel.

Anthony is the newest addition to our group of friends. Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Anthony is a financial planner and really good at what he does. But that's just the story of his life…Anthony is the type of person who doesn't know how NOT to be good at something. He's considerate, intentional, and the guy who knows someone every time he walks into a Phoenix restaurant. Brianna and Anthony went to the University of Arizona together and recently started dating…something we couldn't be happier about!

I'm not gonna lie. I over-thought this outfit. I can't tell if I'm tacky for taking environmental options into consideration or just well prepared for my day at sea. It's good that my friends immediately made fun of me to start the day with a warm&fuzzy feeling of self-consciousness.

But it's an even better thing the boat hit a bump and we almost fell in to make all of us look ridiculous…

<3

Happy Tuesday!