cali love

Our people

So much of our stateside adventures were filled with people we love

people we haven't seen in far too long. 

Friends in far away places, a brother squeezing the life outta California

and our sweet parents who came out to play 

We ate, we drank, we explored the town 

massive sprawling metropolis

 that is LA

Santa Monica where Bryan resides mere blocks away from his work 

skateboarding the distance to the beach and Little Venice, which looks a bit like

Satellite Beach, no?

Oh hey, Bryan

We drove through Malibu, ogling at the houses and cliffside beaches and the people

crazy enough to be on surfboards in the frigid water.

Ending up at Point Dume, we inched across the seaside rocks like crabs and imagined 

a giant Statue of Liberty head sticking out of the water, hearing the ending scene of "Planet of the Apes" was filmed on that very shore. 

Mike made me take the 'shortcut' 

Hmmm, I think it could be true?

Of course, being our first time in LA, we had to indulge in the touristy 

movie-star activities, like the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. 

Standard "New York" street used for every movie ever, like "Annie" and "The Mask" and a bunch of others I can't remember. 

"That's all, folks!"

And, behold, the Harry Potter gloriousness-- I might have cried a little over the Sorting Hat. 

The Batman stuff was pretty cool as well. 

Can you name this set? 

From Friends!

I kinda loved Hollywood, despite all its kitschy touristy crap, thinking about of all the 

actors and actresses I grew up watching who stood in front of the theater, their hopes and dreams finally coming to fruition. 

The sign! It's back there somewhere...

LA was way cooler than I ever thought it would be,

despite the traffic

the smog

the amount of people

but oh, the sunshine!

and looooove spending time with 

mama and papa Chex!

(Bryan's cool too.)