California Girls Trip

My mom is awesome. Have I ever mentioned that? She got a bonus at work awhile back and what did she decide to do with part of it? Take me - just me - to visit my sissie in California for a girls' trip. Is that not completely cool? She didn't know it when she planned the trip, but she couldn't have picked a better time. The past few months have been kind of rough for different reasons, and I just needed a break like that. It sounds selfish, but it was like a breath of fresh air to not have to pack a diaper bag around with me or have to spend 5 minutes situating everyone else's food before eating mine or have to rush through shopping because two littles can't handle another second of it. Don't get me wrong - I missed them all. Terribly. By the last day, I couldn't get home fast enough. But I'm glad we went. It was great to spend time with my two favorite (grown-up) girls, acting...well, not so much like grown ups most the time. :)

Our first day was spent wandering around the Getty Center, a museum with gardens that's set way up on the hill in Los Angeles. I mean, look at that view. Pretty amazing.

The next day, we hit the beach.

We started out at Venice Beach, then rented bike "cruisers" and rode up the beach to Santa Monica Pier (the famous one with the amusement park on it...didn't get a picture, silly me - of the pier OR the bikes!)

 There were some interesting people out and about, and I think I was trying to get a picture with some of them in the background. Turns out there's no weird people, just me pulling a dorky face. Nice.

 After we were done with our bikes, we stuck around to watch the sunset. Also, it was windy. And we were in one of those weird moods that seem to pop up all-too-often when it's just the three of us.

My mom was totally trying to sneak up on the seagull here. Riiiiight. Moving on.

The next day, we did more "touristy" stuff. We headed to the Hollywood area and stopped at Rodeo Drive to walk around and gape at all the stores that were dripping with money. Prada, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Louis Vuitton...you name it, it was there. I felt every ounce of my Utahn blood during that hour. Honestly, I don't think that even if I had all the money in the world, I'd shop at those kinds of places. Most of their stuff was hideous. I think I'll stick with Gap and Old Navy, thankyouverymuch. 

This car was parked in front of one of the stores. Everyone was taking pictures of it, so I figured I might as well too. Apparently it's a Bugatti? Kevin looked it up the second I showed him the picture when I got home and apparently it's worth somewhere around $2.5 million. Wowza. No wonder everyone was so excited.

After Rodeo Drive, we headed to the Chinese Theater and saw all the fun stuff around there. And we shopped. Did I mention the shopping? I forgot how much fun it can be to shop without kids in tow! (Just to clarify, no shopping was done on Rodeo Drive. I think those sales people (persons?) would have frozen us right out of the store with their icy cold stares. They were scary.) 

The Hollywood sign - can you see it?

My favorite hand print block was Harry Potter's. (I know. I'm such a dork.) I love that they have their "wand prints" above their names. 

Random...but this piano was suspended in the space between the escalators at the mall next to the Chinese Theater. I thought it was cool. Obviously.

On the last day, we didn't do much of note since we had to be to the airport. But we did eat at a food truck. It's some kind of new trend - these trucks line random streets during certain hours and they all sell a different kind of food...right out of their trucks. It's kind of crazy and just a little bit hilarious to see all these brightly colored trucks parked in the most random of streets. It was delicious, though. I kinda wish they'd do that in Utah.

And...that's it. Or most of it, anyways. It was so fun, but I was sure glad to come home to lots of screams of "mooooommmmmmy!" I missed my little family like crazy and it was nice to hear they missed me too. :)