Sweet Sixteen

"It's easy to impress me. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I'm happy. I'm content" -Maria Sharapova

As I write this a little over a week after my birthday party, I can't help but smile because somehow my party had been everything I hoped it could be and yet nothing how I dreamed it would be. I had an fantastic time, full of friends and good cheer, and I can't help smiling just remembering it! When people think of sixteenth birthday parties, you might think of a packed room, the music's beat, and a crazy party revolving around you. You might think of a few friends spending the night-full of laughter and too much candy. However, you could also think like me and want exactly in between-a good number of friends, great music, and plenty of laughter! However, I also wanted to fulfill my life-long dream of a black and white masquerade ball! Okay well...there wasn't much dancing, so you might not call it a ball. However, a masquerade ball sounds better than a masquerade party so we're sticking to that. After spending a large majority of my October break (the week before) planning to every minute detail, my party had finally arrived!
Due to my nagging OCD, I got a lot of eye-rolling from my mother when I went- "That doesn't match.", "No, that gold thing cannot be above the window with that banner", *Let's take everything off the table I just planned and redo it because there's too much red on one side* However, the decorations came out just as I wanted them too!

Tasty Table full of food!

I might be overly proud of my piano decorations

Allons-y had too much fun with all the balloons in the house

Once everyone started to arrive-to a very excited, but very nervous me. We let the games begin with 20 Questions,  a great icebreaker if you wanted to know. After taping a random person(and one eiffel tower) to the backs of everyone and people guessing: Benedict Cumberbatch, Romeo, Shakira, J.K. Rowling and ummm what's her name...Marilyn Monroe, we moved on to eating...or a lack there of. For some weird reason people decided eating wasn't important and I was left with a surplus of overly sweet food + junk food. Next, I directed people over to my homemade photo booth; where 47 goofy pictures were taken and now will just have to be cherished forever!

We're basically some musket-wielding Charlie's Angels or something

How adorable are these lovely ladies!

Sam- who somehow looks gorgeous while being goofy

A hostage!

Classy and Sassy

Can I hear a Wild West Whistle?

                                                 

Alex looking like some gallivant prince until you see that his damsel isn't distressed, just crazy

Christina - "Lollipop Lollipop oh lolli-lolli-lolli-POP, Sam-"I'm Beautiful! Anya- "I have a rat! Isabella-"I'm getting leaned on...LOOK GORGEOUS!

She finally escaped!

'The- I'm- only- 90- pounds- please- take- this- picture- quickly' face

I'm smiling, but also getting a gun held to my throat....hmmmm

The picture that makes me laugh way too much!

When your evil villain face is really you just laughing...

After some low-key talking time, that included sitting on the floor around Alex talking about books and filling out memory note cards about yours truly we decided to play "the peach ring game'(I'm mostly calling it that because I'm unsure of the actual name). This consists of everyone standing in a circle with toothpicks in their mouths and a peach ring and trying to get the peach ring(a candy) from one toothpick to another without using your hands. This results in some intimate moments and pictures that I won't post here; I'll only post the less embarrassing ones.

It's harder to play this when you are shaking with laughter

This is obviously the reason they started dating the next week... Yo' Welcome

Alex: "I cant' do this!" when Tessa is all focus

I feel like my birthday party ended up becoming this nerdy get-together including book talk, an argument over whether Phantom of the Opera is scary, a tragedy, of a romance(obviously it's a tragic romance), and outrage over an insult against The Fault in Our Stars.  I love that, on the majority, my friends felt comfortable enough with each other to put up with the silly games I picked out and for the most random aspects of my party(and myself).

When 'Baby, I love you' gets out of hand...

*Mingling*

Da' Boys

"Hey, girl, Hey"

Honestly, this is basically my favorite picture of the party...

"Ayyy' Sexay Laday"

My face says it all-"I'm having my Sweet 16!!!!"

Adorable we are- Adorable is us.

After playing 'Baby, I love you' which is actually the best game ever and included some very creepy sayings,inside jokes("Can I have yo' number?!?!" "You're looking sexy, don't ya know"),a lot of laughter, and of course embarrassment it was cake time which eventually led to presents...

After noticing Anya take notice that this is my "Are you really doing that?" and "What did you just say?" Face 

Me: Look at me candy Anya: "Okeyyyeye"

When you give Megan you're camera you should expect a scary floating Alex head or the 'Demon American Boy'

This sweater is soooo soft, I luv it. (Thanks Shae-Shae)

I also received these homemade letter from Anyay of our Friend name.

Each letter stands for M-Maddie, Megan, Myra A-Anya, Alex J-Jewel, I-Isabella, C-Christina, Chris, K-Kaely, S-Sam, Sabrina, Shaelyn. I can't wait to find a place for these letters on my wall! I also got some amazing presents from other people- including a CD from Alex, pictures from Isabella, tea from Megan,adorable Consulting Detective-Blogger friendship knecklaces from Christina, and a truck from my dad! Although I can't drive just yet I will be rollin' around in a Short-bed Sierra GMC white Truck! Ahhhhh! Well I appreciate all of the presents I got from everyone and want to say a big Thank- you to all my friends and family for coming and helping with my party and just basically being overly sweet to me on my birthday! Lots of love and hugs to everyone for making my birthday spectacular! Jewel. 

Calistoga to Healdsburg.(Our own Route 66)

              The sweeping valleys, acres of vineyards, fall colors splattered across the trees......the description of California Wine Country in mid-October. How about we don't talk about how it is November and I'm posting this and I'll instead give you a reminder that high school teachers seem to think if they don't give you homework they are not doing their job. But lucky enough for me, my school has a October Break and I was able to take a short road trip to beautiful Calistoga, in the heart of Napa Valley. Complete with signature hot springs(of course tried) and  a winery every few feet, my mom and I had a wonderful time trying out everything the small town had to offer.
             After a rigourous and hair-rising drive over the steep and windy Calistoga Mountain, we dropped straight into wine country, looking exactly like a postcard. First off, we ate lunch at Checkers, a darling Italian restaurant with cozy window seats perfect for watching the downtown area out of. I enjoyed ravioli and cheesy garlic bread, while my mom enjoyed a Greek salad.

We quickly polished off everything except that second serving of bread

               We then walked around and enjoyed the quaint shops, art galleries, and beautiful murals spread throughout downtown Calistoga before checking in to our tiny and homey bed n' breakfast, Christopher's Inn.

                 We hit the road again to visit the beautiful wineries for their charm and amazing architecture. We started with the Beringer Brother's Winery, one of the oldest wineries in the Napa Valley. This beautiful winery has been walked by the likes of Clark Gable(Gotta love Gone with the Wind) and Carole Lombard.

The Rhine House 

"Are those Artichokes?!?" "No, Jewel they don't have artichokes growing as landscape."

Mom in front of the beautifully detailed fountain.

                 Next up was only the coolest winery/building ever. Castello di Amorosa. A medieval castle tucked away in the hills of California, a exact replica of a castle from 13th century Italy even built with European materials and complete with drawbridge, moat, cellars, a well, a chapel, and torture chambers.What could be cooler then a castle 30 years in the making? The answer is nothing. It practically has every winery in the valley beat just by its building.

Not my picture, but here's the whole effect.

Gargoyle Sentries

OHLORDJESUS. That is a drawbridge!

The top of the tower!

King Arthur's Table. Duh.

Handpainted walls

I'm a princess. I'm in a castle and I'm a princess. No, questions aren't allowed.

Every castle needs creepy underground passages.

The next day we continued our road trip to Healdsburg and tracked down the one and only donut muffin. 

Half donut.... half muffin...covered in a sweet cinnamon and sugar blend. Hands down amazing.

OM NOM NOM NOM. Be jealous.

After and amazing and ridiculously fun road trip, we drove home to a fall signature, the Harvest Moon. I hope you all had a wonderful and spooky October! Jewel.