Been around the world toniiiight

So even though things didn't work out the way we had planned, they always work out wonderfully, sometimes even for the better. Yes? Yes.

Bummer no. 1: I didn't get to use my final complimentary night's stay at the Hawthorn since they said they wouldn't be honoring the cards this weekend blah blah. Bah, fine. A tad disappointing, I mean, this is the summer's final hurrah basically. Daisy's going back to work, Latina's going back to school, Latina's man is going back to the rigs, and Bizkette and her boy are headed off to Victoria for a week. This was one last weekend of freedom, and since the girls and I had enjoyed the hotel for my birthday last year I thought this would be the perfect time to use the last one. Plus we'd get to use the pool! Woohoo. But yeah, no, they denied us.

*sigh* Fine. FINE! There was no way I was going to miss Expo Latino regardless...and this time Latina and her man joined me for the adventure. They had never tried paella and so this was the perfect opportunity for them. Since this was also their final weekend together for at least a month they also booked the Marriott for the night. So at least they had a hotel room for their fun, and it wasn't far from the Expo at all.

Yummy paella.

And then we tried pupusas based on an old co-worker's raving about it last year. It was good, but not orgasmic or anything like that.

Oh, and the music! And the dancing! And the hottie Latinos everywhere. Heaven bless Expo Latino.

I had planned to go play some beach volleyball at Millennium Park afterwards but it was raining that morning so I left my ball at home. The sun was nice and warm come Expo Latino time, but the sand would undoubtedly still be cold and wet. Beach volleyball has been tentatively rescheduled for Sunday afternoon. Hooray!

Expo Latino was just the beginning of all the fun. I headed back south to meet up with Bizkette, Daisy, and Civic. We ended up shopping for a lil bit. We came across a Beanie Baby of Pookie, Garfield's teddy bear. It's the cutest thing. Civic and I each bought one and Pookie became our road mascot for the day. Just like Luna had become our mascot for our Edmonton weekend. Shopping turned into bubble tea. Yum. I love how eclectic my friends are.

Unfortunately, after bubble tea Bizkette had to leave us to pick up her boy. We continued on to Sakana Grill for some sushi and tempura. They have their love boat on for 19.95 from 10pm-midnight! Insanity! It was so perfect for us!

And this, boys and girls, is why I love living in such a multicultural city with my worldly friends. I had a little bit of Spanish (paella), a taste of El Salvador (pupusas), a sip of Taiwan (bubble tea), and a generous helping of Japanese (sushi and tempura...oh, and of course, I had my sake). Not just culinary delights, but basking in the different cultures with their wonderful sights and sounds. I couldn't have asked for a better day with my pals.

Oh yeah, and volleyball in the afternoon. Game on!