The Happiest Place on Earth

Wednesday morning we got up very early so we could get a full day at Disneyland and California Adventure. We were on the road by 8:30 am, after a quick stop for bagels, and soon we were there. The parks weren't crowded that early and after joining some other friends we got in line for our first of many rides of the day. We rode Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, The Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story, California Screaming, the Hollywood Tower of Terror, and the giant Ferris Wheel. We also did the Haunted House, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Jungle Cruise. We even rode some rides more than once.

We saw Gwen Stefani and her husband, Gavin Rossdale, and their kids

which was very exciting, since the girls really wanted to see a celebrity up close. I have to admit that we were all pretty excited. We also were informed that there had been an earthquake, although we didn't feel it. We think we were on The Matterhorn when it happened. The parks had to close down the rides so they could perform safety checks. But, they soon reopened and we were back to having fun. The only thing they canceled was the World of Color light show because the earthquake apparently damaged some of the lasers, but we had such a wonderful day that I don't think anybody missed it too much. By the time we got back in the car to go home it was 1:00 a.m and we were all exhausted.

So Much To Do, So Little Time

Well, it's been days since we've had time to write in our blog. We've been so busy that by the time we roll home we're totally exhausted.

On Tuesday morning we got up early to go to our Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour. When our guide found out that Kayla and Katie are avid fans of the show Pretty Little Liars he set out to see if he could get us onto a set, and sure enough he did. The girls were thrilled to get to go on a sound stage and immediately recognized the bedrooms of some of the characters on the show. They didn't get to meet the stars because they were filming on a closed set, but it was still exciting.

After completing our 2 hour tour we headed to Pink's which is a famous Hollywood landmark (a hot dog stand). People stand in line for hours to get these hot dogs. Fortunately for us it was the middle of the week and early enough that we only had to stand for about a half an hour. The hot dogs were good but I don'tknow if I'd stand in line for them again.

After Pink's we went into Hollywood to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum for some face to face with the stars. They were so realistic that it was kind of spooky. We wandered around for a while checking out the stars on the Walk of Fame,

then drove up into the Hollywood Hills for a close up of the Hollywood sign.

hollllywoood;]

so today, i was woken up at 7:10. i was not very happen, at all. but by like 8 we were on the road to go to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. it was actually really cool! we got to see the whole set of Pretty Little Liars and they were even filming while we were there too! But after that we went to Pink's, which is some famous hot dog place. i don't even like hot dogs so i have no idea why i ate one. but i guess it was alright with cheese covering like the whole thing. hehe :]

after Pink's we took a walk down the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and into the Kodak Theater. then we saw Michael Jackson's Star by the Mans Chinese Theater. then uhm, we went to the waxing museum which was pretty coool. its like all of these statue celebrities and they loook so real! hehe. ahh after that.. oh gosh i don't even know what we did? oh yeah. we went to Beverly Hills to get Sprinkles Cupcakes and then headed home! we decided to make tshirts & watch WipeOut;] and now i'm so tired i don't even know what to write or what else happened today. DisneyLand tomorrow! kbuhhbyee!

The other Venice Beach

So, after we gave everyone the low-down on the seedier side of Venice Beach, let me say that there is another side to Venice. There are beautiful houses lining canals with lovely wooden bridges crossing the canals. The girls fell in love with this house and decided they want to buy it. When they found out the cost, they applied for a job at In-N-Out. (Just kidding)

:)

so im really tired and i dont feel like writing a lot. so today was a crazy day. we saw a lot of interesting things at venice beach. when we got done brunch, we took a walk on the boardwalk. we went down so i could take pictures of the waves to send to my brother to make him jealous. so we took some pictures of the ocean, and then we took some jump shots with brianas camera. they were pretty funny. while we were taking the pictures, this guuy in like whitey tighties walks like right infront of us. it was very disturbing. after we took the pictures, we went back to the"boardwalk" we all got henna tattoos. we also saw these adorable little maltese chiwawah puppies. they were 9 weeks. i wanted to take one home :) well then we saw elvis, the naked devil, and some pretty weird things and people. then after venice beach, we went shopping. we got some makeup from mac. and then we went to some other shops. we got some shirts and fabric stuff to make shirts for disney. then we went to in-n-out for some burgers and fries. it was delicious. tghe we went back to the apartment and changed into comfy and warmer clothes. then we went to see eclipse. lemme tell you, this movie theatre was amazing. the seats were like just woah. i loved it. i wish i had those kind of movie theatres near where i lived. actually when i get older im going to build one down there. well after we saw eclipse, we went to cvs to get some brushes for our new makeup. i got a new makeup bag. its cute. not that anyone reading this cares but i dont care that you dont care. so deal with it. so then we went back and i took a shower and now im sitting here typing this about to fall asleep. so im going to go to sleep now. good night :)

there's no place crazier than Venice Beach, California

so today, oh goodness. where do i even start?! let me say that last night katie, noah, & I tried pulling an all nighter but it hardly worked. we were out by 3a.m. and woke up at 9 this morning. god knows why we were all up at 9a.m. anyways, we did our showers and got ready for the day, dropped noah off at marci's, and headed to brunch with Yas! we went to Venice Beach and some interesting things happened after we had breakfast at C&O's.

first, we walked around and katie finally got to put her feet in the Pacific Ocean. then, we took some jump shots by the water with Yas and they came out pretty funny. not to mention some guy in his underwear, which was very disturbing, was just walking along the beach infront of our picture taking. after that little extravaganza, if that's even how you spell it, we walked around Venus and katie & I both got henna tattoos. Mines on my back and hers on her hip, and we also both have superman sign on our foot. we were walking down one of the streets on our way back to the car when we saw the Naked Devil so we decided to take a picture with him.

while we were in the car on our way to shop in Santa Monica, i spotted a guy with some kind of sword galloping as if he were on a horse. like who do people in venice beach think they are?! then, he got off of his imaginary horse! like i didn't understand if that was a joke or not. we did a little bit of shopping in Santa Monica and then headed to In-n-Out Burger. best fast food place ever!

we got home from in-n-out and were literally in the apartment for like 10 minutes before we saw Eclipse. & i have to saw i have never seen a nicer movie theater. the bathrooms were so clean and cool looking, the actual theaters itself had lounge chair thingys, & the movie was amazing! we went to cvs afterwards to get a few things and out of no where katie just comes walking down the isle with a cane and talking like she was 80. it was so funnny. uhm, so yeah. now im sitting here writing this blog but i should really be asleep because we have to get up at like 7 tomorrow for the Warner Brothers Tour. oh gosh, i almost said Jonas Brothers Tour. that would have been embarrassing. okay i think it's time for me to go to sleeep. nighty night!

And Now For Something Completely Different

Tonight I am curled up on the couch while Briana, Kayla and Katie are at the movies. I can't believe how much fun we've packed into 2 1/2 days and how much more fun we have in store for us. We started the morning heading to Venice Beach to meet Briana's friend, Yas, for brunch. You know you're in for a unique experience when the local CVS looks like this. Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

After breakfast the girls decided to try on some new fashion accessories before heading down to the beach so Katie could finally put her feet into the Pacific Ocean. Even though the sand was warm, the ocean was too cold even for our fearless girls. So, after jumping for the sheer joy of it, and taking pictures of some awesome waves for Matt, we decided to head down to the boardwalk to seewhat else Venice Beach had to offer.

Watching it All

A lot of times on these vacations, I feel like I'm sitting back watching it all unfold around me. Part of that is just who I am, and part of that is how much I love to watch my niece giggle and have fun. So far, there seems to be a lot of giggling and fun!

Yesterday, I let everyone sleep in so that they could burn off their jet lag and be ready for their first full day in California. Around 7:30 a.m., I could no longer handle the heat of the blankets and the 12-year-old (almost 13) cuddle bug on my side. So I decided to get up and run to the grocery store while my guests stayed in dream land. I wanted to get cereal for the girls (Lucky Charms? Ew!), milk for mom's coffee (whole milk? Ew!) and food for the barbecue. The stores were empty; not a cart to fight with in the aisles! And after a quick jaunt through Trader Joe's and Ralph's, I was back at the apartment, bags in hand. When I opened the door, mom was on the couch with coffee and her computer (she's probably the most excited about blogging!) She told me that she thought someone was trying to break into the apartment when I was opening the door. I laughed and told her it was good to know that if someone was breaking in, her method of defense was to kill them with kindness! That's my mom. She's adorable. Hands down great!

So, after mom and I got some alone time, it was time to wake the beasts.....I mean, girls. I tried using loving words and gentle nudges at first, but they were immune to it. So, I had to resort in tickling. Kayla jumped a mile and Katie twitched, but it did the trick because they were both up. As I jumped in the shower, they hit the Lucky Charms (again, gross!), but by the time I was out, they had their game faces on. Both were knee deep in their suitcases, studying their clothes as if it was the next math exam. Were they looking for the right equation of outfit plus accessories equals cute enough for a musical in Hollywood? One will never know, but the second the bathroom door opened, Katie jumped in, followed closely by Kayla. The marathon of hair and makeup continued. The second the shower curtain closed, the bathroom was invaded by the rest of us so that we could use the mirror to primp. Thank goodness I have a large bathroom!

After everyone was looking lovely, we grabbed AJ and headed to Hollywood and the Pantages Theater. I was very excited to see "In the Heights!" When we got there, the rest of our party was waiting (we were 12 in all!) I got to see my buddy Noah! I think he's officially taller than me, which is frightening, but just as nice as ever. So we trudged in to our seats and sat back to be wowed. And the show delivered. The music was great! The dancing superb! I cried throughout almost the entire second act, but it was worth every tear. I think the girls liked it, and I know as they see more and more musical theater, their appreciation will only grow!

So we jumped back in the car and made our way back to campus. After a quick change of the clothes, we headed over to the Bird Nest, a building on campus that sits right on the bluff overlooking all of Los Angeles. It must be one of the nicest spots on campus, and equipped with BBQ grills. So we fired up the coals, and got cooking! Burgers and bratwurst and hot dogs! Yum! Not to mention good friends. We were 17 in all. It was a great time.

The amazing thing about living on a bluff over looking Los Angeles and its surrounding areas (well, there are many amazing things, but I'll focus on one right now) is that you can see at least 10 different fireworks displays from campus. People from all over the neighborhood wander over to set up shop and watch the show. The youth camps that are on campus run out of the residence halls to check out the action. It's got a great community feel without ever setting foot off onto the streets. Incredible!

Well, we did set foot off campus for a few minutes. Kayla, Katie and Noah, who had all been laying on the blankets, chatting away and watching the sun set, came running up to me telling me they NEEDED Yogolicious. Well, I've never been good at denying the adorable face that is Kayla's, and add the adorable faces of Katie and Noah, with the amazingness of Yogolicious? I was a goner! So we jumped in my car, swung over to the land of amazing frozen yogurt and were back on the bluff within 20 minutes. The kids were thrilled; Katie and Kayla because the Yogolicious employees remembered them (how could they not?) and Noah because this was his first venture to such an amazing establishment.

With the sun shining off the ocean (did I mention you can see the ocean from campus?) and colorful displays lighting up the sky, I sat back on the picnic bench and watched my family take it all in. Kay, Katie, mom and Noah were cuddled together to stay warm and watching the night's sky. I couldn't help but take their picture.

After the fireworks had come to a slow, we headed back to my apartment so mom and I could warm up. Though the kids seem unaffected by the cool summer air, they agreed to head back. Marci was kind enough to let Noah spend the night, so he packed a few things from her apartment and headed our way. In the mean time, the girls did their blogs (considering how little they wrote, it sure took them a long time! It's funny how Facebook gets in the way! ;-) ) Noah and I played trivia games, and when I went to bed, all three of them promised me they wouldn't stay up too late.

I laid in bed listening to them laugh and talk. It was a great way to fall asleep. And believe it or not, they actually kept their promise! Around 2 a.m., the girls barged into my room, giggling and crawling into bed. For a brief second, they considered grabbing their pillows and going back to sleep in the living room. But the sound of my voice telling them to lay down and go to sleep stopped that. After a two second debate about why, I won. (And yes, I pulled out the ol' "Because..." My inner-teenage self cringed to hear me use the excuse that drives all kids crazy. But I'm not ashamed to admit it worked when I needed it.

Within seconds, the girls were asleep (but not before saying "I love you" to each other...so sweet!), and I was able to drift back to dreamland. Now, as I sit here listening to them breathing, I can't help but feel filled with love for two of the cutest girls I know. And since Kayla is curled up next to me, I can't help think about all of the years I've watched that face sleep and be thankful that she's so cute. Otherwise, I'd kick her butt out of bed because she's a covers hoarder and bed hog! But since everyday I am thankful to have a God daughter as incredible as her, I'll put up with these minor flaws. At least she doesn't kick any more!

Today, we might head to the beach. We might do a little shopping. But despite what the day brings us, the girls and I are headed to see 'Eclipse' tonight. Nothing like a little vampire vs. wolf debate!

Catching up with the girls

So, I love kayla and katie. with a burning passion. :]

The previous statement was written by Kayla (and Katie) while I ran to get a blanket. Yes, I said blanket. For all of our family who is suffering through unbearable heat, we on the west coast have had perfect weather. The marine layer burns off by late morning, the daytime temps are in the low 70's and at night it's downright cool.

So, as I was saying before the girls hijacked my computer to profess my undying love for them, I seem to be a day behind on my posts. But that's because I went to bed first last night, and left Briana, Kayla and Katie writing in their blogs. This morning the girls slept late and then got up and in record time were ready to go in their new dresses. We met up with a whole crew at the Pantageas Theater for "In The Heights" which was wonderful. After the show the kids went to the back stage door to meet the cast. Then we headed back to campus for a barbeque and fireworks on the bluff.

Now I'm off to bed so I'll be ready for whatever tomorrow brings. The plan is to go to the beach, but we have to wait and see if the weather cooperates. If not, we may head down to Hollywood.

Silhouetted Jumping

One of my favorite things to do with a camera, a great background and a some good friends is to take a series of pictures of folks jumping! This is especially fun when thanks to the lighting, the subjects are silhouettes in the shot. Today, as we were barbecuing on the bluff and waiting for the fireworks to begin, I got a few shots of Kayla, Katie and Noah jumping! Here's my favorite one!

california girls

so, my mom told me that i needed spell check but i really don't care. love you mommy :)

well i have no idea what to write right now. so uhhm today was fun. we woke up at like ten. i got a huge hug from kayla, then i ate lucky charms, took a shower, blow dried my hair, then straightened it. i got my dress on. then we were off to "in the heights" i saw a bunch of those famous star things on hollywood street. the broadway show was pretty coool. it was really cold in the theatre though. but it was still cool.

after the show, we went to get some stuff for the bbq. we had a bbq. well duhh. so the bbq was fun. around like 8 we went to yogolicious to get some yummy yogurt. they remembered us from last night. i kept spilling my yogurt. coool. so then we went back to the bbq and we sat on the bluff and watched the fireworks. they were pretty cool. they were like in a bunch of different spots. these kids were sitting like 20 feet away from us and were giving us hearts and stuff. haha, then they asked us for our numbers? so then we came home and noah is sleeping over. so byeee.

hmm'hmm?

jksbvfzvjvbfajsvl, blah. i really hate typing all fancy like i did yesterday, so today i'm not. the day started off pretty good. i got tickled which was strange? then i gave katie a big hug, had some lucky charms, & took a shower. my shower didn't go so well. i didn't know how to use the shaving cream because the bottle was very difficult & then the razor blade like broke off, & ugh, it was terrible.

anyways, after everyone got ready we headed to hollywood for "in the heights" & i have to say it was a really good play. there was 12 of us that went to see it and we finally saw noah and marci! after the play we went back to get ready to parrrrrrrr-taaaay ;] we barbequed <--- (fail at typing that) on the bluff, which i threw katie off of by the way. it was like 8:00 and the fireworks were about to start but me and katie were craving yogalicious really badly. so nanas took us there. the guys remembered us from last night when we made them put the disco lights on. on the way back to the bluff we were jammin' out to california girls. then we watched like a million hours of fireworks and took the CUTEST pictures.

now i'm sittting on the couch, watching gum still write her first day blog. ahh, poor gum, gotta love her. noah's sleeping over and him & nanas seem to be playing this game on the computer and she must be really into it because she's got her game face on. :O i have no idea what we are doing tomorrow & i have no idea why katie is so cute. okay bye ;] !

And so it begins...

When my alarm rang at 3 am on Saturday morning I did not want to get up. But then I remembered that the day I'd been waiting for had finally arrived and I jumped up, got a cup of coffee, a shower,and got dressed. Then, I attempted to wake my two sleeping beauties up. Not an easy task, since they were too excited to sleep the night before. Only when their bagels were ready did they finally roll out of bed. Once in the car and headed to the airport they immediately fell back to sleep,but by the time we were at our gate waiting to board they were in full California mode.

I have to confess that I was also too excited to sleep the night before and so I was kind of tripping over my own two feet in the morning, but in my own defense, the only reason I spilled Coke on the plane was because once my two princesses finished as much as they wanted of their drinks they handed their half empty cups to me and I was left balancing 3 cups of sodas while waiting for the stewardess to pick up our trash.

We arrived at LAX a half hour early and Briana and AJ met us at baggage claim. Our first stop after the airport was the Local Yolk for brunch. As previously reported, I dropped my camera in Katie's Mickey Mouse pancake,while taking this photo. And the whipped cream on the flash was yummy!!!

The highlight of the day was when Kayla and Katie got up and danced the hula at Duke's in Malibu. I think when you watch the video you'll see why.

*first day*

Soo uhhm i never did this before so this will probably be like weird but okay. So me and Kayla got like an hour of sleeep last night maybe? Well we got up at 3:45 and did not want to get out of bed. When we finally got up, we got dressed then had bagels and were off to the airport. At the airport, gum kept triping. When we went threw security, they had to pat down my legs? Like yeah i'm going to hide something in my pants? Well anyways, i had to get my wristbands so i didn't get sick. Then we got on the plane. I slept like almost the whole flight. we got coke and gum spilled it all over her pants and my blanket. Then when we were going down to land, and everyone felt like they were going to puke. ewww. Sorry. Well then the luggage thingy broke so the bags got all jamed up. We had to wait for what felt like 10 hours just for my bag. When we were walking to the car, i ran into a pole with my suitcase and kayla turns around to laugh at me, then runs into gum. Smart? Then we were off to breakfast.

At breakfast, we could not find a place to park and everyone was going crazy trying to find a spot. When we got to breakfast, Briana made me and Kayla stand in a pair of ginormous pants. Wow, that was a fail at spelling. But whatever. Who cares? Not me. So then, gum was trying to take a picture of my mickey mouse pankakes, and she drops her camera in my pankake right on top of my whip cream. Then, she licks it all off. Eww. Well then Kayla flicked a blueberry at Aj and it was hilarious. I had chocolate milk in my mouth and I spit it out all over. It was hanging from my chin. It was nasty. Well whatevss. Again, i dont care.

Then after breakfast we came back to the aparment and got dressed and cleaned up. Then we went to get our nails done. Whenever they try to talk to me i can never understand them. So of course the whole time i was like "what? what? what?" So then we wanted to go shopping. I fell asleep in the car so i dont really know what happened for that couple of minutes. All i know is when i woke up we just drove away and went to another shopping place. Kayla got a new camera and some bathinng suits. I got two new bathing suits and a dress for tomorrow.

Then we went out to dinner and i got like kinda car sick and i thought i was going to puke. So we made a u turn and that snapped me riight back in place. At dinner me and Kayla had to hula dance with these Hawains. Fail on spelling. At the end of dinner, I coppied Aj with whatever he wwas doing. it was pretty funny. then we went to yogolicious and got some scrumchious yogurt with a bunch of candy on top. Now, im here and tryping this.

Yeah, sorry about all of the spelling mistakes and typing mistakes. Im jet lagged.

And so it Begins!

I'd like to tell you that I woke up with a bang this morning, jumped out of bed and was ready to go! However, that just wasn't the case. Instead, myeyes slowly rolled open only slightly past 7 a.m. I had a number of hours to go before my guests arrived, so I laid around enjoying the quiet and watching Law & Order on Netflix. But once I got the text message saying they had landed early, I jumped in the car and headed to LAX.

Katie and Kayla both looked asleep on their feet when I entered the baggage claim

area. They were staring at the bags circling the belt, wondering when Katie's orange bag would appear. After a small snafu with the carousel, we grabbed the last of the luggage and were on our way to formally beginning the fun!

We zipped down to Manhattan Beach to grab some brunch at The Local Yolk. We sat in the back by my one of my favorite wall decorations....A GIANT PAIR OF BOARD SHORTS. I've always had this idea of taking a picture while two people were stan

ding in either leg of the shorts, and I really felt like this was my chance. So, I asked Katie and Kayla to do me the honors, and they did! This was all before my mom dropped her camera in Katie's whipped cream and later Katie laughed up chocolate milk into Kayla's napkin. Needless to

say, we were quite the sight to be seen and within less than two hours, my guests had already made their mark on California.

We were hopeful that jet lag (and just a lack of sleep on my part) wouldn't get the best of us, so we headed to my apartment, dropped off the bags and headed back out to

get started on our "plan." We made it down to Santa Monica to get our manis & pedis. We went to the first place I ever took Kayla when she came to Cali, which was to Toe Heaven. Mom and I sat on one side of the shop, while Kayla and Katie were on the other side. It was hilarious for me to watch the girls' faces because they seemed SOOOO serious. When we were done, we made a valiant effort of heading down to the 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica's large outdoor shopping center complete with loads of street performers! But after a few laps of a blocked off left turns and then a few more laps of the garage, we pulled into a spot and I saw the look of exhaustion in their faces. So I suggested we head home for an hour of relaxation before leaving for dinner. The car agreed, but relaxation we did not get.

On the way home, we stopped by another mall and found ourselves wandering through Best Buy and then Target. A few purchases later, we realized it was almost 5 p.m., and we needed to run back to my apartment so mom could get changed and we could grab my friend AJ before heading to Malibu.

So the one hour relaxation turned into three minutes of sitting on the couch before jumping back in the car and driving north along the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. The sun was shining down on the ocean as we drove past beautiful houses in the hills. And when we arrived to Duke's, we were quickly seated at a window-side table with great views of the sunset and waves. Some highlights of dinner were the seagull who kept visiting our window and peaking in, the ladybug that crawled out of Katie's caesar salad, and a visit from the evening entertainment who came to serenade us and teach the girls how to hula dance. We got video footage of the dancing, which hopefully Katie will post!

By the end of the evening, everyone had full tummies and we were happily slugged toward the car to wait for the valet. Katie and Kayla decided it would be fun to mimic everything AJ was doing, which definitely got under his skin. AJ is used to being the torturer, not the tortured! But it was funny for the rest of us, so that's what mattered. Before coming home, we stopped for some frozen yogurt at Yogolicious. I knew the girls would love a place where they had control over creating their own frozen yogurt treat from 15 different flavors and numerous toppings! Not to mention the disco light and dance music that the evening staff there likes to play.

So home we went and here we sit. After some habitual time on Facebook, I finally coerced the girls to give this blog thing a try, so hopefully soon you'll hear this story from their own perspectives! But for now, I need to pump up the air mattress and get this kid to sleep. I may be a fun aunt, but I know I'm too old to forget my sleep! Especially when the fourth of July awaits us!

I can't think of a title, but I figured i might as well put something up here...

I've never really written one of these things before so it here goes. This morning I woke up at 3:45a.m. to get on a plane to come to Los Angeles & let me tell you I am not a morning person. Considering the fact we got like an hour and a half of sleep. I looked like a zombie at the airport and slept for half the time on the plane. Gum spilled coke all over her pants right before we landed so she tried cleaning it off with some stain remover marker, I don't even know. We finally got off the plane and it took forever to get Katie's luggage. Nanas & AJ met us at the LAX and they took us to the Local Yolk for breakfast. (:

At the Local Yolk, there were these huge board shorts just hanging on the wall right behind our table. Apparently this was some idea that's been in my aunt's head for the past four years & so she made us stand up each in one of the legs & took a picture. We ordered food and Katie got a Mickey Mouse Pancake which looked more like a rat in my opinion but whatever. Gum tried taking a picture of it & the camera ended up falling right into the pancake full of whip cream and chocolate chips. The funniest part was when Gum licked it off of her camera. Then, as we were leaving I flung one of the blueberries across the table and Katie thought that was funny that she spit out all of her milk into the napkin and table. AJ looked disgusted but then again, when does he not?

We went to the apartment to change & then we were off to Santa Monica to get mani/pedi's. The plan after that was to go to the promenade & shop but I think by the time we got there me & Katie were passed out in the back car. So we figured we'd go to the mall to get me a new camera from Best Buy and then just going home and relaxing before dinner. Well, uh, that was an epic fail. We ended up buying bathing suits at Target, getting a camera at Best Buy and looking in two other clothing stores. By the time we got back to the apartment it was already like 5:30. We headed to Malibu for some dinner at Duke's. While we were there, Katie scared a seagull away, we did some hula dancing, mocked every move AJ made, and oh and how could I forget the lady bug that ended up in Katie's salad?

On the way home we were listening to KissFM & AJ was trying to sing California Girls. I have no idea why, I guess he was trying to be cool? But uhm, anyways, we stopped at Yogalicious to get some frozen ice cream & the headed back to the apartment. I'm currently sitting on the couch trying to think if I missed anything that happened today.... Nope, i think that's it. Byeeeeeeeee!

Twas the Night Before...

Twas the night before Saturday and all through the pad,

my laundry lay unfolded, which was driving me mad.

There was still so much to do before my guests landed here.

Me ignore tasks for Wii? This was my fear!

Kayla and Katie were already in bed,

resting up for the trip, or so they said.

But when I logged on to Facebook and saw my newsfeed,

I knew getting them to bed would take a miracle, indeed.

From out my window, there arose such a clatter.

I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.

Outside on the quad, two students were cheering

for a third student who'd just past his test in engineering.

Such is the life when you call a campus home.

All day and night, the college students roam.

And though the ones near me are louder than the rest,

they all have good hearts...But now I digress...

There were emails and phone calls and work to be done.

But none of that sounded appealing or fun.

Instead, my mind kept wandering, drifting and dreaming.

Did you know how many movies Netflix has streaming?!?!

What about my friends who were painting the town red!

Or do I want to stay home and finish my book instead?

There were so many options. My head was just spinning.

They all were so fun; no matter what, I'll be winning!

But wait! Not so fast! Get my priorities straight!

With vacation fun pending, the rest would just wait.

Early tomorrow morning, my guests arrive on a plane,

and pedicures await us on a street that's called Main.

But before I could stand and go about my deeds,

there was a knock on my door, as if answering my needs.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear?

Lauren and Michelle. It's true! They were here!

Folding and washing and sorting. Oh my!

With more hands at work, the time just flew by.

And just when my eye lids grew tired for sleep,

I looked at the clock, and my heart did a leap.

Because just when I was to call it a night,

my visitors were waking to the first sign of light.

They were waking and dressing back on the East Coast,

and heading to the airport while eating their toast.

I pictured it all in my head just like fact

how each of them would look and each of them would act.

Mom's eyes, how'd they twinkle! Kayla's dimples, so merry.

Dad drinking soy milk because he stays away from dairy.

Katie awaking with excitement in her heart

because her California adventure was just about to start.

With all their bags packed, they jumped in the car.

To the Philadelphia airport! It wouldn't be that far!

While Dad turned the key and pulled out of the drive,

Dylan sat in the window. How would she survive?

She watched from the couch as they drove out of sight.

And on the West Coast, I called it a night!

The Plan

Whenever planning an adventure, it's important to know that all planning is really just a guide. You have to be ready to deviate if necessary to have the best time possible. With that being said, we still have a plan!

Saturday, July 3
10:18 a.m. - Kayla, Katie and Gum touchdown on LA soil!
10:19 a.m. - Briana leaves her apartment to pick them up. (That's right, I live that close to the airport!)
10:38 a.m. - Briana is hungry and insists on going straight to brunch somewhere by the beach
12:00 noon - We run back to the car and hope there is no ticket on the windshield. LA meters are tough!
12:17 p.m. - We get to my apartment to drop off belongings.
12:18 p.m. - We do a tour of campus so Kayla and Katie can start dreaming of how cool it will be to go to college.
12:41 p.m. - We head north on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to wander down to Santa Monica, including a stop for a mani/pedi!
5:00 p.m. - We head further north on the PCH toward Malibu for dinner at Duke's!
9:15 p.m. - We return to Briana's apartment and crash. Afterall, it is past midnight East Coast time!

Sunday, July 4
10:00 a.m. - Time for more breakfast to get us started on this fine Independence Day!
1:00 p.m. - Take our seats at The Pantages Theater to see "In the Heights" with a ton of friends!
4:30 p.m. - Head back to LMU to barbecue and watch fireworks from the bluff!

Monday, July 5
9:37 a.m. - Briana jumps onto Kayla and Katie to wake them up. Why this time? Why not?
9:38 a.m. - We make a plan for the day that hopefully involves laying on the beach and splashing in the Pacific Ocean.
8:10 p.m. - After a day of fun in the sun, Katie, Kayla and Briana head to a viewing of "Eclipse" because who doesn't love a good Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate?!

Tuesday, July 6
7:45 a.m. - Time to brave rush hour in LA! It's off to Burbank!
9:00 a.m. - Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour!
11:30 a.m. - Tours over. Can we eat?
12:30 p.m. - Time to pose with the Hollywood sign, the Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive and possibly a cupcake!
7:01 p.m. - Time for bed. Do you know how early we need to get up tomorrow?!

Wednesday, July 7
Sunrise - Well after Sunset - Two Words: MICKEY MOUSE! To Disney we go!

Thursday, July 8
12:15 p.m. - Jump on a boat to Catalina Island
1:15 p.m. - Jump off the boat on Catalina Island
1:20 p.m. - Check into our hotel and find some grub
4:00 p.m. - Weeeeeee! That's the sound we'll make on our zip line tour of the Island!
6:30 p.m. - All that zipping's made us hungry!

Friday, July 9
9:00 a.m. - Explore the Island before it's time to leave.
??? - Which boat will we take back?
5:06 p.m. - Meet Judy back in LA for some dinner and rest!

Saturday, July 10
9:30 a.m. - Who's Smarter than a 5th Grader? We'll find out if we are!
1:30 p.m. - Were we Smarter than a 5th Grader?
5:00 p.m. - Time for 'Accomplice,' the mystery tour of Hollywood! Who done it?

Sunday, July 11
9:32 a.m. - Wake up with tears in our eyes because it's the last day!
10:01 a.m. - One more brunch for the road?
11:03 a.m. - What haven't we done that we can fit in?
5:14 p.m. - Time to pack and have some dinner.
5:15 p.m. - Don't forget to leave any pictures you took with Briana!
8:20 p.m. - Back to LAX for the redeye flight to Philly. =(

Monday, July 12
6:19 a.m. - Wake up on an airplane and wonder if it was all a dream. Could Briana possibly be the coolest person ever?! ;-)

Disclaimer: Times and days may change depending on the mood of two teenagers or one 32-year-old. Also, if Briana is not the coolest person ever, it is never, ever appropriate to tell her so. It would ruin her self image.

Trouble Awaits

The last time I had to spend time with these two crazy gals, I had to cage them in to the family room. What will happen when Katie and Kayla are let loose on the streets of Hollywood? There's not a cage big enough to deter the fun!

The Main Event

Just who is this vacation all about? Nobody really knows what makes these two tick, but hopefully we'll soon get a better idea of who they are as the adventure begins!

For now, let's start with what we know. Kayla has just finished the 7th grade, but don't let her age fool you. She has a quick wit that keeps you on your toes. This is her fourth journey to California, and each time, she discovers a new part of the state! She was last seen just off of Rodeo Drive with a piece of red velvet cupcake hanging from her mouth! And Katie may look sweet and innocent, but the minute she starts giggling, you know you're in for some trouble! Upon finding out that she was heading to California for the first time, her immediate response was to buy a sumo wrestling suit. We're still not so sure why!

The Gum who's Got it All

Affectionately nicknamed "Gum" by her one and only granddaughter, this lady is the best grandma around. She works her butt off between January and April during tax season so that she can afford to play for a week in California. Gum is a trooper who is always raring to go during 15 hour Disney days or hours of splashing in the Pacific Ocean. There's no one better to adventure with in California! She's so excited to have her fourth LA vacation with me and Kayla...and this year, she's thrilled to have Katie joining in!

The Hostess with the Mostest

I am an educator by day and a Jersey girl at heart. And of all of the things I've done in life, I am most proud of being an aunt. And one of my most important auntly duties is playing host to my lovely niece for a week every summer while she visits me in Los Angeles. We are always fortunate to be joined by my amazing mom and Kayla's favorite Gum, but this year, we will also be joined by Kayla's partner in crime, Katie. What will we do for eight days in Sunny SoCal? I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.