a trip to California

Well, hello there! I apologize for pretty much falling off the face of the planet the past two weeks. I guess I needed a break. But mostly, I was just really tired. I worked five night shifts in a row. The morning of the fifth shift, instead of crawling into bed and sleeping until 4 p.m. I hopped on an airplane to California. And I've been sleep deprived, sick and playing catch-up ever since. California was worth it though :)

C A L I F O R N I A  H I G H L I G H T S

Day 1:

• Giamela's - aka: the most delicious sandwiches from the most hole in the wall place in all of Burbank. I went with the meatball sandwich and it did not disappoint. Did I mention that it was probably as long as my arm with meatballs as big as my fist?

• Visiting Louie's friend at his carpet shop across the street from Giamela's.
• Martino's Bakery - this place has been around since 1926 and it was so good. Their raspberry gelato... heavenly.

• Visiting Louie's childhood homes. The nice family living in the second one let us in for a tour of home. It was adorable!

 ^ house #1 with the tallest palm tree ^

 ^ house #2 - Louie's favorite ^

^ house #3, the duplex ^

• Shopping at The Grove after sunset. I didn't have a black dress to wear to Nadia's Memorial so Tristan took me shopping and found the perfect dress. Seriously, I love it and I feel so spoiled. It's one of those dresses that just makes you feel better about yourself. Then, hanging out in a Christmas wonderland was pretty amazing too... Santa's workshop, the fountain show, the 100 ft. tree, the Christmas music playing the background... it was pretty much magical if you ask me.

^ yes, that's little me next to the big tree! ^

• Staying at Tanya's cute new home. Watching Big Hero 6 (again) because it's the cutest movie. Sleepovers with Nico (5 years old) and Leo (3 years old) - they took top bunk, Tristan and I took bottom bunk.

Day 2:

• Lunch at Swingers in Los Angeles. It was a solemn lunch because we were on our way to Nadia's memorial but it was so good. The turkey club with fries... yum! Possibly the best fries I've had? And I eat a lot of fries :)

• Nadia's Memorial: Where do I even start? It was held at Good Shepherd's Church in Beverly Hills at 2 p.m. on December 12, 2014. The chapel was filled with friends and family. My favorite part was near the end when people spoke about Nadia. Her husband Tom started. I loved his talk because it was supposed to rain on their wedding day and Nadia of course, said not to worry about it, and in the end the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. The day of her memorial, it was supposed to rain (there were flood warnings and everything, it was a huge deal) but we got to the church and the sun was shining and we didn't see a single rain cloud the rest of the day. Nadia's friend Pat spoke kindly about her and their experiences at Universal. Sharon Stone and Nicole Kidman got up to talk about her. Nicole Kidman's words were probably my favorite. Someone got up to talk about the scholarships that are now being offered in her name. And last, little Nico got up to say how much he misses his Nana. Skylar Grey sang a touching song to finish the service and it was beautiful. Basically, Tata Nadia was an incredible woman who lived life to the fullest, never giving up, and with more generosity than I've ever seen. She was a mentor to many, an inspiration to others, and a loved one to us all. It was a great celebration of her life.

 ^ the church ^

• Nadia's Reception: After the memorial, Nadia's closest family and friends gathered at a little Italian place for good food and time spent together. Highlights included: slideshow of Nadia's life that Tristan spent days putting together, a song by Linzi Wittmack that was written by her father, three little boys dancing like crazy, and talking to everyone and anyone (oh wait, that was Tristan, I was just along for the ride... for an introvert I think I handled everything pretty well though! :)

 ^ everyone gathered to watch the slideshow of Nadia's life ^

^ I love these two cousins, best friends ^

• Foot spa - never heard of this? I hadn't either until Tanya suggested we go after spending all day in heels. It was perfect! Only $30 for 60 minute massage. The first half was back, neck, head, etc... the second half was entirely feet and legs. It was just what we needed.

Day 3:

• Breakfast with almost the whole family at Swingers. Their breakfast was just as good as their lunch! I got the belgian waffle with strawberries and bananas. And I ate the entire thing, no shame. It was that good.
• Shopping at The Grove - walking as a family from Tanya's house to the shopping center with the two little boys getting shoulder rides the entire way, Tristan buying his beloved bonsai tree, exploring the candy shop with Nico and Leo (seriously, I thought I liked candy, but they brought a whole new excitement!), watching the fountains while just basking in the warmth of the sun, Nordstrom shoes... my favorite! I ordered shoes but just found out that they are all out of stock so I'm pretty sad about that, and of course pretzels and frozen lemonade.

• The sunset at Santa Monica Pier.

goodbye, california! until next time.