vampires need love too

yesterday, i attended the first-ever OC twilight nerds brunch. okay, that wasn't the official title, but that's pretty much what it was.

it'd been in the works for weeks, and it was fun to get to see a bunch of the OC girls again. stupidly, i forgot to e-mail amber to coordinate a carpool, so we ended up driving separately to the venue - el torito at the long beach marketplace. the gathering was coordinated by ashley, who endured all sorts of complications due to the long beach marathon, which took place that morning. luckily, it all worked out and this el torito was nowhere near the route the runners were taking. yay!

i was pleased that the weather had cooled down enough for me to bust out a pair of jeans and my brand-spanking-new tory burch reva flats. yay!

i was even more pleased to note that there was absolutely no traffic, despite concerns over the marathon and traffic and stuff. i got there in just over half an hour! so i found the nearest coffee bean and bought myself a nice hot chai latte. yum. and then i made my way over to el torito to sip my drink and wait for the rest of the group.

i saw a few of the girls arrive and head in, so i got out and joined them. it was fun to see them again - i "talk" to them most days via the OC board, but it's not often that we get to hang out in person. and as we were seated at a ridiculously long table that seemed too big for our group, we chatted, perused our menus, and munched on tasty chips and salsa.

ashley and amber (who WERE smart enough to coordinate and ride in together) arrived soon after, and then the brunch was in full swing. we all ordered food (i went with the shrimp mazatlan enchiladas, which were so delish that i was done eating by the time i thought to take a picture of them) and then cheered and clapped as our marathon runners arrived.

we laughed at diane, who was given the most gigantic spoon that ever was with her meal. we TOLD the server she was really hungry, but come on.

ashley and jessica both came with party favors for all - a bag full of twilight-themed goodies from ashley, and a CD with the midnight sun playlist from jessica.

no CD for claire! but not to worry - she'd gotten the jump on the rest of us ages ago and already had her CD at home.

group shots!

ashley and jessica were the only ones who came dressed appropriately. and, check out the matching shoes, too!

i couldn't resist taking a picture of this sign - i think there were a few of us who were bummed that the brunch was cancelled that weekend. bastards.

a big thanks to ashley and jessica for organizing and bringing presents. it was tons of fun, and i listened to my new CD on the way home. um, and is it bad that i dug right into that bag of frosted animal cookies before i hit the freeway?

damn my bottomless pit of a stomach, anyway.