Our Humble Abode

So, we finally got our new place together enough to post some pictures. We were so excited when we found this little place in Glendora. We used to always take random drives around Glendora looking for "For Rent" signs. The problem was finding affordable rent. We agreed that we would only make a lateral move when it came to cost. As much as we loved the gumdrop tree-lined street of downtown Glendora, we weren't willing to go through the hassle of moving if our cost were going to go up....at all. The chances that we would find anything were highly unlikely, but we were hopeful. Glendora is one of the higher priced areas....and rightfully so. This small town is as cute and quaint as can be. We love it. The baristas and the local coffee shop know me by name and every Saturday morning Glendora Avenue is lined with retirees comparing their classic vehicles.....this is what I mean by small town. Anyway, we actually weren't even looking for this place when we found it. It isn't much bigger than our previous studio, but we actually get a bedroom in this place! See...in California you get excited about being able to live in a place with one bedroom. Things are cozy, but we don't mind it at all. Enjoy the pictures.

March Madness

Most of you already know that we take a monthly field trip with the Huxfords. It feels odd, however, not prefacing the post with a reminder of that. Our March trip consisted of a day trip to The Getty Museum. There isn't much to say here. We took the tram up the mountain, where the Getty sits at the top, overlooking the valley. It is full of marble, glass walls, courtyards, fountains, and fantastic artwork. It was a beautiful day to go. We didn't realize, however, how big this place is and how many people were going to be there. We waited in a line to pull in, a line to park, a line for the elevator, a line for the tram....and the list goes on. At the end of the day, the experience and view was well worth the wait.

Family Time

My family was finally able to make it out to the west coast a couple of weeks ago....well, most of the family. Erica, you will be coming out soon enough! Our week was packed with a ton of site seeing, but we still couldn't get to everything. We spent the last couple of days doing nothing because we were so exhausted....mainly from traffic. We hit Rodeo Drive, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills. We were able to see a dancing scene being filmed for the show "Weeds" when we were visiting the Kodak Theater. I have never seen "Weeds", but it was awesome getting to see a live filming for a closed show. We spent a day shopping in Pasadena and made a quick stop to see the house that was the setting for "Father of the Bride." We took a drive up Pacific Coast Highway from Laguna Beach to Santa Monica. We went through the slums of Long Beach (I got off track as the navigator), tracked down Matt McConaughey's new house in Malibu, let Bailey swim at Huntington Beach and then made it to the Santa Monica pier for a beautiful night view. We chased down the sun just in time for sunset...we literally chased it down. It was a long day, but it was gorgeous. Patrick and I are already getting excited about planning our road trip up the coast for next year.

Here We Are

I know you have been looking for us. I can't believe it has been almost a month since I have posted. Time flies when you are having fun. I am going to be posting a few separate posts over the next few days to try to catch you faithful readers up on what is going on. As mentioned in a previous post, we go on a "trip" every month with Lindsay and Harrison Huxford, our fellow Georgians who somehow ended up in Cali at the same time as we did. I posted our "January Jaunt" to Hollywood and Beverly Hills, but somehow neglected to post our "February Fieldtrip" and "March Madness." Don't judge. You know you like the alliteration.

Our "February Fieldtrip" consisted of a driving tour of Sunset Boulevard. Most of our pictures are in the car, but there was plenty to see. We started at Dodger Stadium and headed west. We saw the Griffith Observatory, "Sunset Strip", the 90210 area code, the Beverly Hills Hotel, and pricey Bel Air neighborhoods. We drove just a few miles from where one of the Manson murders took place, and searched Kenter Ave. for the "site O.J. Simpson may or may not have committed a murder." How do you like for a politically appropriate description?! We kept going west to the Pacific Palisades, where Schwarzeneggers live and finally ended on the Pacific Coast Highway overlooking the Pacific. It was great. There is simply too much to see.

Our "March Madness" trip consisted of day trip to The Getty Museum. There isn't much to say here. We took the tram up the mountain, where the Getty sits at the top, overlooking the valley. It is full of marble, glass walls, courtyards, fountains, and fantastic artwork. It was a beautiful day to go. We took a walk in the garden, which is a piece of art itself.

Invisible Children

I have not historically been one that gets passionate about social justice issues. If I were being totally honest, I would have to tell you that I intentionally tried to stay as ignorant as possible about such matters. I have always found these issues easier to talk about than to apply to my own life. I can talk all day about the reasons why using child slaves to work the cocoa bean farms is wrong....but it is difficult to turn down a snickers bar or chocolate cake, even knowing that it isn't trade-free. Recently, however, I have found myself unable to escape the 'nagging' presence of the Holy Spirit that tells me I have to do something with said knowledge. So I prayed and waited, until The Invisible Children brought me to my knees. I am aware that there are numerous social justice issues that you can be involved in....but this is it for me. The Invisible Children have got me.

Tour of California

Patrick has kept up with Lance Armstrong for as long as we have been together. We have a book or so on him and Patrick is pretty knowledgeable of Lance's background and crazy ability to dominate the Tour de France. Needless to say, we were both pretty excited when Patrick discovered that Lance Armstrong would be riding in the Tour of California just 20 minutes away in Pasadena. We were stoked. We called Harrison and Lindsay and planned the day around the race. We were sure to get there early, and were able to get an incredible spot on a beautiful residential street that was part of route. Actually, we were on the part of the route that was part of a 5 mile loop that they would go around 5 times. That meant we had 5 chances to spot Lance in the midst of the pelaton. We didn't realize how difficult that would actually be. The cyclists were going so stinkin fast my hair was blowing in the wind. I could have stuck out my arm and not only severely injured it, but totally foil the efforts of many riders. It was quite an experience. No lie, it was the last lap until I was able to get a glance at Lance (no pun intended). We were able to get quite a few pictures and you can actually see him in a couple. He is the one with the yellow on his helmet and the yellow Oakleys. Levi Leipheimer is the guy in the lead in the yellow shirt....obviously.

Jimmy Kimmel Live

One of th great thingse many about the L.A. area is all of the free show tapings you can be a part of. We would love to go to more, but most of them tape during work hours. We have been able to enjoy watching "According to Jim", "Dancing with the Stars", and most recently, "Jimmy Kimmel Live." Patrick is the one officially in charge of getting us on waiting lists and keeping us with show schedules. He was quick to inform me that we needed to try our best to get to Jimmy Kimmel by mid afternoon. The guest list included Marisa Tomei, Dimitri Martin and Matthew McConaughey. Yes....Matthew McConaughey.

I definitely wasn't going to miss an opportunity to see Matthew McConaughey in person, so I got off work without hesitation. We tried hard to look our best, in hopes that we would get better seats than we did at "Dancing with the Stars". We arrived early enough to get a decent spot in line. We are definitely becoming veteran's at this audience member role. We know the deal....dress up because they put the pretty people up front and get there a few hours before they start letting you in. As we approached the inside of the studio we were both wondering if we would pass inspection and be awarded an enviable seat. As the "inspector" examined our outfits, smiles, and overall attractiveness we continued our conversation and acted like we didn't notice. But we couldn't continue the "be cool" act when he pointed to front row. We were like two kids in a candy store. We tried to keep our composure, but we were too excited to care. I literally couldn't cross my legs because the stage was in my way! I couldn't believe it. I observed Jimmy Kimmel's desk and the chair for the guest. I estimated that when Matt McConaughey made his way on stage, I would be sitting approximately 8 feet away from him!

Indeed it was a great night. We had great seats, great entertainment and even some great music. I did get to see good ol' Matt and no...it isn't all it's cracked up to be. Don't get me wrong, he is an attractive man, but his face looked sickly thin and his age was more obvious in person. Matt was actually there to promote the first signed artist to his record label. Mishkah brought some great music to the night, especially if you enjoy reggae at all. It made me start thinking about a vacation this summer.