Roll Away Your Stone: California Dreamin'

"Fine.Fresh.Fierce."
Katy Perry sings, "You can travel the world but nothing comes close to Golden Coast" (don't you judge me .. you know it's catchy) and now that I've been there, I see from where she's coming. I'm not saying she's totally right BUT the over 19 million hits on the Google when you search 'songs about California' can't be completely wrong about its perfect weather, crazazy traffic, and seriously AMAZING people-watching. Kate took it upon herself to create a playlist of music devoted to the great state of California and let me tell you, even Wikipedia did not narrow the list down for her (I highlighted a few of her choices in this blog). Taking on the daunting task of such a CD's creation is just one more reason why this girl is an ideal travel partner .. that and her love of delicious treats, mad navigation skills, and serious booty-shaking. Basically, the list goes on and on. I LOVE THIS GIRL and much of this post is devoted to our girl-time which comes with adventure, laughter, and an uncanny ability to never get lost.

"I stopped into a church .. I pass along the way"

I'm going to fast-forward a few days into our trip to highlight the main reason for our trip: to celebrate the wedding of my dear friend from Kzoo/LifeTeen days, Bryan and his love, Elena. I felt truly honored to be a part of such a special day for them. As we witnessed the Sacrament, it was so evident how present God is in their lives and what an important role God played and will continue to play as they develop their relationship as married people. The ceremony was personal: it was all about their love for one another, their devotion to God, and the people who support them in all aspects of their lives. What a gift to the world their marriage will be! The party which followed embodied their fun personalities and love for Spanish cultures - mariachi musicians and dancing to match, sangria, and a beautifully lit outdoor meal. The bonus was catching up with great friends from St. Cat's!

Over ten years of friendship!

"They gathered for the feast."

Despite being small women, we like to eat and when we planned this grand adventure, we decided we'd challenge ourselves not only with California-themed mixes but also with a whole vacation fueled by Groupon (with a few minor exceptions). We ate tacos at Benny's, blintz and omelette at Cafe 50s, Indian at Addi's Tandoor, and tapas at La Luna Negra, just to name a few. I could fill the blog with all the pictures I took of Kate eating but we had a pretty good trip together and I don't want her to be mad at me so I'll leave you with this one of her in her glory with Hawaiian Shave Ice (another reason I love her: she introduced me to this tasty treat!)

"I hide

Behind my shades
Cause the fame is blinding my eyes"

To be perfectly honest, I don't really ever need to see Hollywood Blvd again. To see such an iconic place was totally worth fighting the crowds (and TOTAL weirdos enacting Michael Jackson, Darth Vader, and even Hello Kitty!) ONCE. See picture below for the main reason I was excited:

We rode bikes (heyyy, Groupon!) from Santa Monica Blvd. to Hollywood Blvd and down to Melrose. It was harrowing at points and quite congested but overall it was a fun way to see that part of LA. The highlight of our Hollywood experience included our girl Katy Perry. Imagine our ...... surprise ..... when we redeemed our Groupon at Grauman's Chinese Theater for the only movie playing there: Katy Perry: Part of Me. Yep, in 3D. Kate really enjoyed the popcorn and frolicking through the (nearly) empty theater. It was super cool to see a movie (documentary?) in such an iconic and historical space.

I don't want to brag but I'm pretty sure this viewing gave us 'KatyCat' status.

"All I see are stilettos / Guess I never got the memo"
We met up with a few of Kate's friends from Lapeer and they definitely showed us a good time and great food (and even loaned us couches for our last night in Cali!) They took us Midwestern girls out on the town and we decided that we not only did not pack the right clothes for L.A., we probably do not have the right clothes in our closets at home, either. In the picture below the ways in which we stuck out are hidden because we're seated; interestingly, these reasons both begin with Cs : Chacos and Crocs.


Lilly, girlfriend of Justin Webster, and Gwen Webster, two of our fabulous hosts

"All I wanna do is have a little fun before I die ..."
In my world this is synonymous with visiting THE SAN DIEGO ZOO. Since my youth, this particular zoo sat on my bucket list and to suggest I was excited is an understatement. I literally did not sleep much the night before in anticipation. Upon arrival, we beelined for the crown jewel of the park and oohed and ahhed as Yun Zi (Busy Boy) noshed on his breakfast. Actually, we did more squealing and clapping (quietly so as not to disturb him)! Seeing such a beautiful animal so close brought tears to my eyes. The below pictures capture the variety of animals we saw at this world famous -- rightfully so --- zoo and the joy it brought me.

Hippo mama and baby, playing :)

Naptime!

Daily elephant maintenance includes pedicures - JEALOUS!

We had really good luck at the zoo which included passing by
these fellas later in the day and witnessing afternoon schnaktime.

Babies with their mama .. she eventually got annoyed by the tail biting (imagine).

Happy girl with my twigas (7 total!) and ice cream

"I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass"
What a trip .. enjoy the last few photos that capture our adventures (yes, it's always an adventure - don't you remember the gas station in Spain?)