I am back from California, I got in last night after a full day of traveling. I flew into LAX on Thursday morning. My sister picked me up and we headed out to enjoy sometime in LA. We went to the Grove did some shopping and had our make-up done at Nordstroms. While we were getting our make-up at the MAC counter Adam Sandler was hanging out in the store. We had a nice lunch at this beautiful Italian restaurant. After leaving the Grove we headed out to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. After a slight detour because of Kevin Costners movie premiere for Swing Vote. We got out and walked around looking at stars, footprints, and Graumans Chinese Theater.
Down the street from all that is a shopping center. We hung out there for a little while. In the picture below you can see the movie theater where the movie was premiering.
In the courtyard area below there was a lot of commotion and production as well as signs telling people that by entering the area you are giving permission to be filmed. They were filming something for TLC's Ten Years Younger. We waited around for a little while waiting to see someone in the box or revealed but no one got in while we were there. So we gave up waiting but in the picture below you can see the box.
All of these pictures were taken from a bridge. This last picture is from the other side of the bridge where you can see in the distance the Hollywood sign.
After we left there we drove up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) to head to Oxnard. It is a beautiful drive with the ocean and beach on your left the whole drive. It takes you through Santa Monica (the picture below is the Santa Monica Pier and some houses that are on the PCH), and Malibu. We rode with the windows down and enjoyed the wind, the sun.
The main reason I went to California was to help out my sister because she was having a minor outpatient surgery on Friday and her husband (who is in the navy) was on a mini-deployment. Her surgery went well and everything turned out fine but she spent the rest of the day as well as all Saturday and most of Sunday just hanging out around her town house. She slept and I cleaned, made jello, and did some laundry. Monday she was feeling tons better and so after hanging around we decided to drive up to Santa Barbara. We got ready and were on our way out of town when her doctor called and wanted her to come in so she could look at the rash Donna had gotten. She said it was a small allergic reaction to something but nor serious and that if it got worse to call her. So we left the hospital and headed out to Santa Barbara!
We arrived and were extremely hungry and so we ate linner (lunch/dinner) at The California Pizza Kitchen and then did some shopping. The picture above was what it looked like when we walked out of one of the shops there. It was so beautiful with the houses and mountains peeking through the shops. Everything there was so beautiful the architecture, the flowers and greenery, even the highway up was beautiful. We hung out most of the evening and then headed back to Oxnard with a stop to visit with her friend Aurora. We came home and watched Field of Dreams (my favorite movie) and I packed up for the airport the next morning. Monday (Santa Barbara day) was my birthday and for my birthday Donna helped me buy these earings (picture below) from Juicy Couture for my birthday.
If you turn them on the side the prongs that holds the stones in make little crowns. They are so cute and it worked out well because I was earingless due to losing one of my earings on the flight out to LA (they were the only ones I brought and I wear them literally 24/7). I had a good time and as usual it was good to see my sister. I went to LA 27 years old and came home 28, and yes it feels old. Well, I am still trying to get on that photo two blogs down but I wanted to get these two out. Sorry I didn't take more photos to show you guys but there wasn't much time spent out of her house. At the end of the trip it was good to come home and see my sweet little white dog, I really missed her and from the tracks she laid at the airport I can say that I think she missed me too.
