As July flashed by like a Michael Phelps butterfly stroke, the warm summer air grows thicker {literally}… hotter, dewier…someone save our hair from the humidity!  We are left with one month to lay, splash, shop, dine, and bike ride before the school year starts again.Case in point? Pool Party!
A Pool Party can be as quaint as three friends and some ice cold beverages, or, with an easy (cue magic wand) day- before- planning- via- elshane- guidance, can turn into a {properly epic event}.
 

Dear Diary,

I had the best 30th birthday a gal could ask for!!! Well fine, I guess I should pat myself on the back and say it was all my "fault". That #ELCHELLA theme, you know, "Elshane's Coachella", was a recipe for success the second my gals started chowing down on my Fritzi Hot Dog truck, serving up LA's finest gourmet 'dogs and accouterments topped on pretzel buns.

Also, it didn't hurt that I created possibly the most epic D-I-Y station of all time, my Harajuku Sunglasses Stand, where I ordered 500 cheeseburger, ice cream cone, and penguin mini erasers, along with pearls, rhinestones, and googily eyes to hot glue onto faux Ray-Ban sunnies.

But wait, maybe it was actually the 16-person "shotski" that made #Elchella, well, #Elchella. Or do you think it was the countless Tribe of Jewels metallic tattoos that I shared with all of my guests to put where they pleased? Ah, yes, that could be it! I remember that four hours into the perfectly chilled and forever free-flowin' Tequila Avion, all of the macho guys were begging us proper ladies to "tramp stamp" their lower backs with metallic suns and tribal symbols!

Although, thinking back, I think my favorite part was actually the 4-member Rock Band that I hired and chartered to travel all the way from Santa Barbara to rock out at 10,000,000 volts of volume to classics like Fleetwood Mac and Nirvana. 

Wait, now I really remember why it was the best day ever...

And with the blink of an eye, summer is once again upon us!

To celebrate, I threw a pool party and BBQ for 80 of my closest friends. You know, just the inner circle! ;)

I served Svedka Vodka cocktails using their new Grapefruit Jalapeno flavored vodka. Mixed with white cranberry juice and fresh lime juice, and garnished with fresh basil picked from my garden, it was refreshing and tasty. Sort of that thing where... you can't have just one!

Some party highlights:

Breaking in my new Safavieh outdoor furniture (to rave reviews)!

VIP guest Jeff Ross from Comedy Central kicking back all day long (all of the boys at the party were "freaking out" as we ladies would appropriately describe).

Successfully finishing the keg (always a proud moment, don't you agree?)

The Andy Cohen-themed 12-person Shotski making its rotation around the party all day long.

I got invited to a destination wedding this weekend from a couple 5-days away from getting married...A couple I had never met before. And I considered it...

The 8 dogs who showed up to boogie down with Hollywood Homer.

The ribs, steak, chicken, turkey burgers, and sausages. And all of the men who manned the grill with courage and conviction.

Oh, and of course night swimming with the last 12 remaining guests in the 85 degree heated pool!

Want to see more action from the actual party? Check out some photos of the big event on my instagram @elshanesworld!