Los Angeles

Rowan and Saraya do Disneyland!

We had the good fortune of seeing old friends this weekend in Los Angeles. Some good friends from Jonesboro, the Hewitts, were in the LA area visiting family. And I have a good friend from high school, Jenny, who lives in LA with her husband. So Rowan and I drove down on Thursday (easy to make that decision with free fuel) and left Joe stranded for the long weekend here with no car. He was dependent on rides to practice and was a good sport, but it definitely makes us discuss getting a junker car so that we have 2 set of wheels.

Rowan and I went to Disneyland with the Hewitts on Friday. Saraya is a year older than Rowan, and one of her best buddies. They were so excited to see each other, and had a blast being at Disneyland together. Two thoughts on Disney: more strollers per square mile than anywhere else on earth, and exhausting. Rowan was a bit freaked out by most of the rides, but I was proud of her for at least trying some of them. The highlight for her was the Christmas parade...complete with princesses, Buzz Lightyear, and Santa Claus. The highlight for me was hanging out with good friends, and watching Rowan and Saraya reconnect.

James and Dana ride It's a Small World

We spent our nights at Jenny and Mick Montgomery's apartment in Culver City, right in the heart of LA. On Saturday we just lounged around and talked and talked and talked with Jenny...took a walk into town for gellato and a park...then ordered yummy Chinese take-out for dinner. A primary motivator for driving down to LA was that Jenny and Mick were performing in a play called "Once Upon a Park Bench" in North Hollywood. The play is a series of 9 short pieces that all take place in the same location at a park. Mick wrote 4 of the pieces, acted in 3 of them, and Jenny acted in another one. So I got to drop Rowan off with James and Dana for the evening and go to the play by myself! I needed a break from Rowan, and it felt so good to be on my own in the city for the night. Plus, Rowan had a great time playing with Saraya again (thank you James and Dana for babysitting on your vacation!)

Mick and Jenny are very talented people on many levels--and I am particularly proud of Jenny, who started taking acting classes 5 years ago for fun and for a challenge. She has gotten really good, and it was a kick to watch her comedic timing in the play. It was interesting to talk to Mick and Jenny afterwards...about the writing process, directing, selecting actors for roles, what makes a good actor. Their passion for acting and writing is contagious--I'm excited to see what they next few years holds for them. They have both been blessed lately with some small roles in TV and feature films...go Mick and Jenny!

Joe and I filled the tank of veggie oil to the brim before we left for LA--and we easily made it there and back (6 hours each way) on that tank. It felt a bit strange to not have to stop for gas or oil collection that whole way!