LA is for besties

This past weekend I went to LA to visit Martie and Tori. Tori is out there for an internship and Martie is, well about to become a mega super star. I have never been to LA, so no better time than now to visit this crazy place. After three time changes and seven hours of flying I arrived. Martie picked me up at the airport while Tori was finishing work and we headed to their casa. We picked up right where we left off and were speaking our own language immediately. I hardly noticed it took almost two hours of standstill traffic to get there. We got off the elevator and this is what you see. I think I could get used to this! 

We were starving so we headed to dinner and ate at an awesome Mexican place. We laugh until our sides hurt and had a ball. The flight would have been worth it for just that fun dinner!

 On Saturday we spent the majority of the day at Universal Studios. It was awesome. We were like little kids in a candy shop. (We as in Martie) We ate a funnel cake, rode all the rides and went on this super cool studio tour where we got to see a ton of movie sets. I couldn't even tell you how many movies we heard about. 

 

 Some of the above sets are Jaws, The Grinch, and that blue screen is where movies like the Truman show were filmed when they are walking on water. It's the largest movie backdrop around!

 After a day of action packed fun we went to see the sunset over Los Angeles. Talk about breath taking.

The next morning we went to the Santa Monica pier. It felt like we were back at Universal Studios. 

 That afternoon we relaxed by the pool. Why not when it is three steps away from their front door? It really was calling our names.

 That night we got all dressed up and went to see my favorite sight-seeing part of the trip.

Unfortunately, this is probably as close as I'll ever get to meeting/seeing/becoming BFF with the stars of Harry Potter. But still, I absolutely loved it. 

This is a funny story. That night we had dinner plans with a man we had never met before. Thanks to Facebook my mom reconnected with a friend from college a while ago. She was so thrilled she could be at Whole Foods discussing the price of cheese and somehow bring up her newfound friend Scott Genkinger and how they loved to dance together and how he was an Alabama cheerleader and one of her best friends in college. Through catching up she learned that he was casting director of Desperate Housewives and a HUGE deal in LA.  Ever since then, they have kept in touch and when I told my mom I was going to LA she told me I had to meet Scott. I said sure knowing this famous man did not want to meet up with the daughter of a friend he hadn't seen in thirty years but promised I would contact him. So, I called him after a day at Universal Studios and told him about our tour and how we saw the set of Desperate Housewives... his response, "oh yeah, my office is just right back there." Ladies and gentlemen, I realized then just how big of a deal I was talking to. We made plans to go to dinner the next night. So, that night we met him at this swanky little place called Street and had a blast. It was like we had all three known him for years. Such a gentleman, and such a rock star. We talked about everything and really didn't want the night to end. We now see why my mom is so crazy about him!

The next morning Martie woke up dark and early at 5 for her first day at her big girl job. She left dressed in a suit and I couldn't help but think this is the same girl who I went to TN to watch her as the lead role in her high school play Lil Abner.. Where has the time gone? No matter how quickly it has flown by we are still best friends, and that will never change!

Hours after Martie's departure Tordog and I went into Chinatown for breakfast. I started reading this book called Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle on the way out there. It is about LA gang members, so it seemed appropriate for the plane ride to LA. These gang members who are ready to stop being in a gang, Homeboy Industries gives them that opportunity. They give them a job, offer tattoo removal and lots of other really cool opportunities. The book is story after story of gang members who encounter the love of Jesus. You can't help but cry when you see how sweet and transformational the love of Christ is to these men and women.  When I saw we were twenty minutes from Homegirl Cafe, I had to go. It is a place where ex-gang members work. Their motto is "nothing stops a bullet like a job" (you don't see that on many menus). We didn't know what to expect but we were blown away by how nice the place is and even more so by our sweet waiter, Joseph. Unless you read the book or new the history of the cafe you would not know these men and women had been through so much. Joseph was kind, well mannered, and joyful. He was truly interested in talking to us and it was awesome. If you are planning a trip to LA, this place is a must. Tori and I had the blueberry pancakes and just talked about everything from A-Z. Then we went to this nail polish place where they have Essie and OPI on major sale. I was living the dream! As we headed to the airport it was really bittersweet. It had been a perfect weekend but I wasn't ready for it to end. Even though two of my best friends live cross country, distance won't hurt our friendship, it just gives us a really great excuse to travel to cool places!