Swimming pools, movie stars...

Actually, we didn't see much of either on our girls' trip to LA, but that didn't spoil our fun. I met up with two of my best girlfriends, Betsy and Julie, for a weekend of shopping, sunshine, cocktails and bonding, not necessarily in that order. We've been friends for over 15 years. Even though we haven't seen each other in over three years, we picked up right where we left off, joking and laughing and reminiscing about old times. We stayed at the Hollywood Roosevelt, an old historic hotel with tons of history, including rumored hauntings by Marilyn Monroe's ghost. It's right in the middle of the action - just across the street from Grauman's Chinese Theatre and the Kodak Theatre and right on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, so you can check out all the celebrity stars on the sidewalk.

We started our trip with $16 cocktails (hello, welcome to LA!) by the pool, then headed for pedicures so our pigs would be suitable for public viewing. Our first night, we had a fabulous dinner (Shrimp enchiladas, fish tacos and really strong margaritas) at a fun Tex Mex spot in Gay Hollywood. We were having so much fun catching up, we didn't realize they were sweeping the floors and closing the joint down!

Friday we headed into downtown LA to hit the garment district, on the hunt for some bargains and treasures. It reminded me a little of Canal Street in New York, with street vendors selling their wares, negotiable prices and people trying to coax you into their store fronts "Beautiful lady, come inside, we have something very special for you...". There were a lot of cool things, but there was so much to see, it was almost overwhelming. It was still a neat experience and we did pick up a few fun things.

Friday night, Betsy's sister Melissa (who lives there) picked us up for dinner at a BYOB tapas restaurant. She works at Disney Hollywood Records and was able to score us tickets to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in concert. Of course, none of us had heard of her, but she was named Rolling Stone's Best New Band of 2010, so we figured we'd check her out. She's like a mix between Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks and it was a really high energy show with a rockin' vibe. We watched from the balcony with the rest of the people from the record label and it was the perfect spot to take it all in. Grace even came up after the show for a meet and greet and we got our picture with her.


Despite our late night, we got an early start on the day Saturday. It was our last day and we had a lot we wanted to pack in. We hiked up to Runyon Canyon for some breathtaking views of the city. The 3 1/2 mile loop takes you up through the Hollywood Hills and back. Part of the trail is paved, the rest is sandy, with a few steep areas to climb, but the view at the top is worth it. It was cool to get outdoors and see the city from another vantage point.

We lived up to the tourist reputation and cruised Rodeo Drive, the Sunset Strip and Hollywood Boulevard in our rented Hyundai, cameras at the ready and map in hand. We drove through Beverly Hills and Bel-Aire, gawking at the unbelievable mansions, some of which could easily be mistaken for hotels, including the Spelling home and the Playboy Mansion. Many of them are hidden behind imposing gates and shrouded by shrubs, but plenty are in plain sight for all to admire.


We headed out to the beach along Ocean Drive to check out Santa Monica. We walked along the Santa Monica Pier and took in the beautiful views of the ocean, then had lunch and did a little shopping at the Santa Monica 3rd Street Promanade. We drove up to Malibu (which didn't quite live up to the hype) and drove back through Topanga Canyon and along the twisty turns of Mulholland drive. We had a fabulous sushi dinner our last night at Geisha House, then called it an early night since we had to be at the airport pretty early.

Dayven and the kids did great without me and I was pleased to find everyone alive and well when I got home. I had our sitter come for a bit on Thursday and Friday so he could go to work and they were on their own the rest of the weekend. Dayven was hanging with the moms in the preschool lineup waiting for Wyatt to get out and they all wanted to know how he was handling things on his own. He told them it was no sweat. Ha! It's always fun to get away, but great to come home too. I couldn't wait to see my family and give them all a big hug and kiss. Wyatt said "Mommy, how was your trip? I REALLY missed you". Both kids were eager for my attention and Hadley wanted to be held a lot. Dayven left today for another work trip so I'm flying solo this week. The fridge is almost empty and the laundry is already piling up. Back to reality!

A little MJ. yeah!

They were totally worth the blister they gave me! :(

$16 cocktail anyone?

Santa Monica Pier

Getting our toes all cleaned up and flip flop ready!