Life Love and Laughs in LA

As an amazing Christmas gift, my good friend and soulmate, Sisley bought me a plane ticket to go visit her in LA for 5 days.  What began as a 5 day trip to chill turned into an 11 day ragefest.  Before you assume anything, let me give you my definition of ragefest; a crazy, wild, happy, fun time that has absolutely no downside except for the fact that your liver and all good reasoning go on strike. For my own sake I've decided to re-hash a bit of my trip so it will forever be floating out there on the web...and my crazy LA friends can re-hash as well.  Although I was the only one that went anywhere, we were all on vacation :)

Since Sisley bought my ticket and I'm currently not working, I thought what gift can I feasibly take her to show my gratitude for her generosity???? Jimmy Johns.  So there I was strapped in for a 5 hour plane ride with two Turkey Toms in my carry on, two bottles of Oliver wine in my checked bag and no idea how my life was about to become amazing.

See, Sisley had been taking pole classes and met some awesome ladies in this class (whom you are about to meet), so she had installed a pole to practice at home.  No surprise to anyone that has ever met me...within 30 seconds of setting down my bags in her house, I tore down her stripper pole in her living room.  Yes, I'm 100% serious.  I hadn't even kissed her dogs hello yet and I was ass down on the floor holding a huge stripper pole crying with laughter focusing on not peeing my pants (I was hoping that would happen later in the week if need be.)  So there we were, two best friends, gorging on Jimmy Johns and Oliver wine, sitting on the floor next to a stripper pole laughing creating memories on a trip that hadn't yet begun. (Foreshadows entire trip???)

The next weekend I was introduced to some amazing people that made my trip absolutely amazing, Shannon, Christina and Nick (we'll get to him later and you'll thank me for it.)  On my first two nights of meeting this fabulous group we danced our asses off downtown Santa Monica at a couple of clubs that look like nothing from the outside but are a raging madhouse of dancing, sweat and drinks inside.  We developed our own personal inside jokes and I immediately felt like these were my people. 

Sis, Christina, Nick and myself @ Main on Main in SaMo

Brunch @ Marina Del Ray

Saturday morning, we headed to the Venice Beach area, drank mimosas and watched the surfers, it was so relaxing and fun (I can now admit however my mind was entirely on the Colts game later that day.)  After watching a humiliating display of athleticism (Defense, Peyton, Special Teams) I attempted to get ready, however; I'll admit it, I was crying while doing my hair.  Sisley was most likely scared of the fact that some girl she thought she knew well was sitting in her bathroom, crying over a football game, she didn't even speak to me until I said something first (good call.)  After another wild night out, a great brunch with her mom on Sunday, tons of shopping on Abbot Kinney, we ventured out to dinner to a place I had seen before on the travel channel; The Stinking Rose of Beverly Hills, which was awesome!  An entire restaurant dedicated to my favorite spice...GARLIC!  Finally that night we were able to do something that I had been wanting to do for as long as I can remember, we drove up Mulholland Drive, parked off the side of the road and wandered our way down an abandoned lot to look at the city of Los Angeles in all it's glory.  I sat there, feeling the crisp air, holding the hand of one of my best friends and realized just how big and beautiful this world of ours is.

The view from Mulholland Drive

Monday, I was super excited to meet up with someone very special to me, my cousin Ethan has recently moved to LA to pursue his musical career and we decided to meet up in Hollywood and head to lunch.  (before I get side tracked with this short story, please check his band out...they rock!!!! The Working Hour ) As Ethan and I sipped our endless Bloody Marys at his favorite resturant, Waffle, we shared stories, laughed and discussed random things, we both realized that neither of us had yet to see a celebrity in LA.  Fast forward 20 minutes and we run into Matthew Morrison (Mr. Schuester) from GLEE!  Quite frankly, I've never heard anyone in the Walden family quit talking as fast as we did.  I was super pumped to see Ethan's place and see how he is doing in LA, keep The Working Hour on your radar folks, they are going places.

Monday night was my last night scheduled in LA and we had a big night planned.  Last time I had 

been in LA I met one of Sis' friends that stole my heart, my Cali brotha, Asian Chris.  This boy and I are like two peas in a pod, except for the whole Asian/Caucasian thing.  He had been in Vegas and had just arrived back in LA for my last night and we had catching up to do.  On our way to his house I made a decision (prompted by Southwest Air, Sisley and an Indiana snowfall)  I was staying in LA for another 6 days.  By the time we got to Chris' house and I hugged him for minutes and told my friends the news I was staying longer...we all knew shit was about to get wild.  Also that night I met the wonderful, JoJo, whom I had heard tons of great things about and realized she is Sisley's LA me.  Meaning, JoJo fills the role in Sis' life that I would if I didn't live 2,558 miles away.  On a Monday night our loud, amazing group stole the stage in karaoke (Cee-Lo F*&K You was the show stopper and our theme of the week) did shots like they were going out of style and all began making plans for the next week of adventures.

My week played out pretty awesome, Chris and Shannon decided they would babysit me while Sisley was at work the next two days.  Chris and I took a beautiful trip up the PCH to Malibu in his convertible, ate lunch at Neptune's Net (as seen in Fast and the Furious) and wandered the beaches of Malibu.  As tradition has it, I took a small rock from the shore of Malibu so I have a physical reminder of this beautiful beach and our awesome day! 

Malibu, CA

Chris and I in Malibu <3 

Neptune's Net

The next day Shannon and I went to the Santa Monica pier where we got to see Adam Levine of Maroon5 shooting a music video (sick!) went shopping, saw a movie and enjoyed SaMo to the fullest!

Santa Monica Pier

Maroon5 video shoot

Thursday night is when "shit got weird" (I had to say it just for you Chris.)  Who seriously closes down a bar, on a Thursday night, with 8 of your wildest friends (minus the one with the hernia who was less than wild) and a four hundred dollar tab??? Us. We're flippin' special.

JoJo, Sis and Shan @Rush

 

I was so lucky to get to go to the beach numerous times while out in LA, one morning we ate breakfast in the sand at Santa Monica Beach, next to Jenna Elfman and her family then wandered the beach.  The next day we  laid out on Venice Beach, shopped, watched the skaters and got a slight bit burnt.  On our way back to the car, we stopped for beer and shrimp at the famous, James Beach, the restaurant in I Love You Man, with the fish tacos.  (I skipped the fish tacos, but they looked amazing!) sitting at the table next to us was Lori Petty (Kit from a League of Their Own, my favorite baseball movie) I was one beer short of yelling at her "there's no crying in baseball!"

Ugo Wine Bar

Concrete Lion in Culver City

My last two nights in LA we had so much fun!!! Friday, Sis and I went to a wine bar, UGO , that I HIGHLY recommend, we caught my boyfriend, Vince Vaughn's new movie "The Dilemma" (the hot mess express gives this two thumbs up)  and ended the night with me dancing with a concrete lion, dancing out the sunroof of her car and giving a "personal" dance to the passenger seat of her Audi Quattro. When she told me this the next morning I felt like writing her car an apology letter, I still might.  Two nights in a row we closed down the same bar.  We are those girls.

Main on Main 1.1 drinks in

Saturday was by far the best send off party I've even been to, and wouldn't you know it was all about me ;-)  The hot mess express taxi dropped off 8 of us at Main on Main and 1.2 drinks in (thanks to Adam for realizing that it was specifically at 1.2 drinks) we turned a possibly great night into an unforgettable amazing adventure.  For 4 hours the 8 of us danced, drank and high-fived our asses off. (I typically don't high-five in bars for fear of looking like a complete douche, but Adam said I should get out of my comfort zone so we made a pact to accomplish 18 high-fives before the night was over.)  As we were rounding up our posse, trying to get our sticky, sweaty, exhausted bodies out of the club we heard a familiar beat. The amazing sound of Cee-Lo screeching "I see you drivin' round town with a girl I know..." stopped our group in it's tracks, we turned around, went back in the club and continued to dance for who-knows-how-long.  My grandmother would die if she saw me screaming the lyrics to that song, flipping the bird to everyone in the club...thank gosh there's no video... I hope.  After numerous attempts we finally got all of us outside where I was all about getting me some Korean BBQ from the lunch truck (next time, ask them to hold the egg on my chicken burrito.) 

We spent the next 15 minutes of our lives trying to...

1) assemble our friends 

2) call a cab 

3) find Adam

4) get to high-five #18 ...and most importantly 

5) get Nick to IHOP!!!!  <- click this link to watch an amazing video

 as I watch this video now, I'm still crying with laughter.  

Razor protection

I'm leaving out so much of our night but it ended in amazing fashion...7 grown adults slapping each other in the private parts, in front of Sisley's apartment at 3 in the morning (we left Nick at an IHOP we found along the way.) We stood in the street laughing for what seemed like hours, none of us wanting to end our 11 day adventure just yet. 

Our last few minutes spent by the beach :(

The next morning after a breakfast consisting of Chicken and Waffles and reviewing our adventures, Sisley and I drove to the ocean one last time.  As we sat there, hand in hand, watching the waves in front of us and the planes above us, we tried to hide our tears.  I had found a second home, a second family and an amazing set of friends 2,500 miles away from where I have my own home, my own family and my own amazing friends.  I realized I am truly blessed to have such an amazing life filled with such amazing people. So to all my friends here and there, thank you for what you put in my life especially the love, the laughs and the memories.

xoxo & SOS...because I make it clap....oh... and tippity tap!!!!

PS- I physically ran into Kevin Nealon at LAX.  I can now die a happy woman...

For all my pictures click here :)