LA overview...

so the backstory to the LA trip is that my wonderful friend Heidi said Hey I'm driving through CO on my way to LA can I stay with you and would you like to ride with me? to which I responded: there's no way I can get away from work. we're already short-staffed and I have a lot of hours. but then somehow it worked. and so we went. I booked a one way flight home for Sunday night and we took off Thursday morning. our first stop was Starbucks (aka. basecamp, right Mel?), and then we took our drinks and scones to Garden of the Gods for a gorgeous good morning.

and then we drove. and drove. and drove. to new mexico.
and we stopped in Santa Fe. and as we were walking down Canyon, in and out of all the galleries, I thought: I'm pretty sure my ex-co-worker-friend sarah's husband dan (also an ex-coworker-friend of mine) has some work in one of these galleries. a quick phone call provided the necessary info, and a gallery stop was a must. very cool.

then we drove. we ignored the thought of stopping in that other large gross town just south of santa fe. and we drove all the way to Flagstaff. there are trees in Flagstaff. and that's an interesting fact when you've spent the rest of your day driving through desert.

our plan for Friday was to hit the grand canyon for sunrise, which somehow required asking our waiter (who we named dropcap Tony) at dinner what time zone we were in. it was confusing. our cell phones both told us different times. our map said it was mountain time, but clocks showed otherwise. note to self: AZ has their own timezone. no daylight savings.

instead of waking up at 3.30, Heidi's headache suggested we sleep in a bit instead. which was fine. but mildly disappointing. so I said we should visit the London bridge instead. as if it's some sort of consolation. it was hot. and we ate salads. they were yummy.

and then we drove. through the desert. again. only it was more like death. hot. barren. rocky. but somehow another desert up north had already earned the name Death Valley. we passed Joshua Tree NP, lots of abandoned small shacks, and 29 Palms where Marines were parked at the auto parts store. it was sort of a boring drive. but somehow it was also incredibly fascinating in the I don't see this every day and it's just sort of here sort of way.

we arrived in Pasadena and stayed on Orange Grove Blvd, where they line up floats for the rose parade and the tournament of roses mansion is just down the block. old town pasadena is adorable! and Heidi's host is full of wonderful 87-year old stories. there's a picture of her with ronald regan, when they spoke at a party back in the day when he worked for GE and she was a food editor at the LA Times. there's also a thank you note from the Nixons, thanking who I assume to be her mother for such a wonderful time at her 85th (dated from the 1970s).

the next day was full of a super-chill attitude which allowed for driving along Mulholland, where we met a nice guy who was about to go make an adult film. interesting conversation. after that we got lost several times. on our way to santa monica we decided we were on a different road and should just go to the Getty instead. because it's free. why not? and then we were headed too far on 101 and seemed to be in the mountains all of a sudden and I (the navigator toggling between 3 maps) said take the next major street south or we'll end up in thousand oaks. the next street south happened to be a highway winding through the santa monica mountains and spit us out on the coast in Malibu. so I called becca, knowing she was there for the day. which beach are you at? which lifeguard station are you near? [insert cell phone coordination and a beach hug here] there were dolpins. and chatting. and lots of dreaming. the kind of dreams that make me think: I could so move to LA. becca and I couldn't help but reminisce about eating indian food unexpectedly in portland when she was there for lynette's wedding and I was there for fun with other friends. love it.

then it was off: PCH down the coast, caught the 10 in santa monica before 410 south to long beach. where it was sarah's birthday! perfect timing for a fun random trip. her home provided: food, friends, family, sun, lawn games, smiles, and stories. after the party, Heidi left me there. [sad face]

sarah and blaire and I tried a new church on sunday. it felt like I didn't go to church. details later, perhaps? it was weird. and very much not what I expected.

but we shopped (tank: gap, sunglasses: H&M) and drank iced Starbucks drinks while walking around Balboa. the starbucks there was hiring. I couldn't help but dream of transferring just for fun. it's an island full of cute beachy homes, bright colors, pretty flowers, boats, docks, and sails. mom reminded me to get a frozen banana. such a wonderful treat! (and so very much like arrested development!)

then, instead of heading to newport beach where we'd have to pay for parking, we opted for sarah's backyard, more or less: seal beach. we sat for a few hours, trading stories, getting some sun. pondering whether or not sarah could talk to cute beach runner boy while blaire spoke of her latest interest.

then: an 8.45 flight home. midnight arrival. 1am to my bed. and to work by 4.15. it was a tired (grumpy?) 8 hour day. regulars bill and jenn lit up with such joy when I mentioned I'd been at zuma just two days ago. our home for 4 years! they said.

later that evening: a slap into the reality of living in CO now, and how I'm excited about it.