Three or four years ago Jessica and I decided that when we turned 30 we would take a birthday trip somewhere. It takes about that long for us to actually nail down plans so it was wise of us to start when we were 27! But we made it happen. She and I needed time away from our daily lives and we needed time to catch up on every facet of our lives that we don't have time to talk about on our always-too-short visits with each other. We wanted to go somewhere we had never stayed before and we also wanted to go somewhere that our husbands would not appreciate in the same capacity we would. We chose Los Angeles and it was amazing! And our husbands would have been miserable!
I started my vacation on a Friday morning, getting kids where they needed to be for the day and then visiting the chiropractor and massage therapist before my 5 days away. FANTASTIC! I drove to Manhattan to catch up with my former KSU boss Carolyn for a quick glass of tea in Aggieville and then drove on to Tonganoxie to see Kaylin's t-ball game. I love Jessica's kiddos and wish I could see them more often. Look how handsome this little Chase is?!? I just want to eat him up!
Saturday morning Jessica and I left for the airport. We had a direct flight and landed at LAX before noon. We took a shuttle to our hotel in Santa Monica and quickly fell in love with the area.
It didn't take long for us to find the beach and have sand in our toes!
Amusement park on Santa Monica Pier
On the end of the pier, looking back at the beach & amusement park.
This is about the moment I realized I might not want to go home :)
Saturday evening our roommate from K-State, Cassie, drove about 2 hours to come visit us.
It was so great to see her, catch up, and laugh about experiences from 11 years prior.
This picture was taken at the 3rd Street Promenade.
Sunday was our hop-on, hop-off bus tour.
We started across the street from a bar named CHLOE.
(Chloe now thinks she is famous)
On the bus tour.
Beverly Hilton Hotel, site of Whitney Houston's death.
**TAA DAAAAAA!!!*
Rodeo Drive, BABY!
We fit right in and didn't look like tourists at all.
Other than we couldn't afford a single thing and didn't touch anything in any store.
Other than that, we fit right in.
I can still smell the leather in PRADA. Yikes.
This shopping center was stunning!
We were there on a Sunday morning so it didn't pick up until about noon. I was happy to see it fairly empty so we could appreciate the gorgeous buildings. They were really something.
This shopping center was called the Rodeo Collection.
It was 3 levels and gorgeous. It had medical offices along with private stores that were by appointment only I'm sure. We used the restroom while we were there so we assume we peed in the same toilet that the Kardashians have peed in. Right? Sure.
Aww, isn't she pretty?!?
Once the stores opened the jewelry came out! In this window the price tags were showing.
The solitaire ring on the bottom right was $245,000.
We decided to pass--this time anyway.
Halle Berry's house with the red roof on the hill.
Whiskey a Go-Go
In Hollywood, our tour bus dropped us off RIGHT in the middle of a movie being filmed.
While it was fun to see...I doubt they appreciated a group of tourists being dropped off!
Wax museum
Capitol Records
CBS Studios.
Site of about 6 hours of our lives the next day!
Back through Beverly Hills.
This is the hotel from Pretty Woman!
Monday! SHOW TIME!
We had tickets to The Price is Right!
"We left our
HUSBANDS
and 6 KIDS in
KS
to turn 30 on...
THE PRICE IS RIGHT!"
The line.
We were probably about 150 people back in the line but we had
priority tickets so as soon as they opened the gates those of us with tickets
got to go in front of everyone else. We ended up being # 70 and 71 out of 300.
No pictures inside the studio--so all we get is the
lovely $20 souvenir picture!
No big prizes, just front row seats and talking to Drew.
It was so much fun and we made memories to laugh about.
Maybe when the show airs in September I can get some screen shots
to post also. It really was a blast!
Every evening we walked to Santa Monica Place and the 3rd Street Promenade.
Remember how I said our husbands would have been miserable? That is partially why. We walked to the same places, went into the same stores over and over, and loved every bit of it. It was fantastic.
Santa Monica sunset.
Overlooking the pier from a walking path.
Walking onto the pier for the last evening.
Tuesday was a very relaxing day. We slept in, ate a nice brunch in the hotel restaurant, and sat by the pool. We actually never even put on our swimsuits the whole time we were there. The weather was low 70's and we were just happy sitting in lounge chairs rather than swimming anywhere.
R E L A X I N G.
On our way to the airport.
Good-bye Santa Monica.
We WILL meet again!
Best 30th birthday trip I could have asked for.
Well, aside from winning an additional vacation on The Price is Right, which would have only extended this vacation because Jessica and I had already made a pact to get right on another plane to our new destination.
But since that wasn't an option--this was still the best, traveling with the best.
Love you Jess!
**an extra thanks to my amazing hubby for keeping kids, being encouraging, and convincing the kids to be encouraging as well. Their "hope you have fun, mom!" comments meant the world to me.**
I'm one lucky momma.
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