I Would Walk 500 Miles

 

I was completely overwhelmed by all the lovely anniversary wishes on my Facebook page from my June 5 post!  My brain is still on pacific time currently!  With the amount of steps we walked over the course of five days, my body is recovering.  

Matt and I knew we wanted to do something special and memorable for our 25th but weren't entirely sure what that was.  We'd thought about Cancun which is always a good time.  Possibly a cruise which is what we'd done on our honeymoon. For our 20th, we visited New York.  We've also been to Chicago, St. Louis, and Boston - a trip to another big city was what I was wanting.  I convinced Matt to take me to LA.  He has been to California before, but it was a quick trip for work.  Plane tickets were booked in February.  If you are planning a trip to LA, be sure to do your research.  I say this because it is HUGE.  Public transportation is awful and simply getting around is not easy.  

 

We had no plans to rent a vehicle, and West Hollywood was really the primary area that I wanted to visit.  It's close to all the touristy things and safe.  I didn't have a large hotel budget but wanted something nice, close, and within walkable distance of most things.  I found the cutest little Hollywood Vibes hotel called Montrose at Beverly Hills.  We checked in early afternoon on Wednesday after ubering from the airport. 

 

 Because it was our anniversary, they upgraded our room (complimentary) to a gorgeous corner suite and showed up with a bottle of champagne.  LOVE!  We felt immediately welcomed.  Everyone at the hotel was super friendly.

 

  The hotel had the best décor!  Outside of our suite, we spent most of our time in the café area and only made our way up to the rooftop pool the first day.  Honestly, I wish our hotel happy hour had taken place poolside.  We never had the energy to swim after long days in LA.

 

CITRUS ON SUNSET::  We were starving after arriving to the hotel but wanted to find something walkable close by.  Citrus received great reviews on Yelp so off we went.  The food was incredible.  I got a chicken wrap and fries.  Matt got a teriyaki chicken plate.  We split a sugar free raspberry Snapple tea that I MUST add to my grocery list in the future.  We walked back to our hotel, exploring a little bit and admiring all the displayed gardens of weeping flowers, cacti, snowbells, succulents, trumpet bushes - it was like walking through a beautifully manicured forest.  I've never seen such - doubtful I ever will again.

 

  

I'm not entirely sure what the building was called that CITRUS was in, but I think it was a mix of businesses and apartments.  There was security on site, but it's fairly easy to find.  The entry way had some cool artistic features that I snapped pictures of.

  

In the area we stayed, you will never see a regular car.  Everyone drives Tesla's or something more bougie than a Tesla - we saw Rivian's McClaren's, Range Rovers, BMW's, Mercedes, Rolls Royce's, Porches, and everything in that genre!  This was a new level of wealth.  The hills are peppered with enormous homes.  At one point, we got online and looked at some for sale (do that in your spare time) - oh my goodness!  Our hotel offered Happy Hour from 5-6PM.  After we rested for a bit, post meal, we headed down and met our server Andrew.  He was the BEST offering lots of restaurant advice and things to do, places to visit, etc.  We'd made plans already to visit The Laugh Factory that night.  

Andrew told us about a Mexican place called Tu Madre -West Hollywood.  Y'all!!!!  TU MADRE:: We'd watched some Youtube LA tips/tricks before we left and I distinctly remember one of the advice givers talking about the Mexican food in LA.  He was right!  This was the best Mexican meal I have ever eaten and might ever eat.  It was amazing.  Don't bother with the margaritas.  I've had better.  The food, however, YES!  I got the crispy fish bowl.  Wish I had one right now!  Matt got a selection of tacos and enjoyed most of them.

 

 

After dinner, like ticks ready to pop, we decided we NEEDED to walk to The Laugh Factory since it wasn't too far.  Comedy is our thing.  In fact, we can't wait for Miles to turn 18 in a few months so we can visit Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville as a family.  

The Wednesday night line up included Kiki Andersen, Dom Irrera, Daphnique Springs, Dane Cook and Whitney Cummings.  After the show, we were ready to crash!  We opted to get an uber back to the hotel instead of walking.

Prior to leaving, I purchased Matt and I two Go City passes loaded with five attractions each which I've numbered below.  We'd done this in Chicago last Spring Break, and it made it easy to see sights at a discounted cost.  Because there are a few things that require advanced booking, I had to make those reservations before we left.  

  

Thursday morning we planned to do the Hollywood Sign hike with a guide.  DIALOG:: Because the day would consist of loads of walking, we started our day off a Dialog Café right up the road from us. I got an acai bowl, and Matt got a Protein Omelet. Back to the hotel real quick to freshen up and take an uber to the Hollywood Sign hike (#1) Bikes and Hike LA and met our guide Chris.  He was expecting a larger group to arrive, but us and a mother/daughter duo from Canada, who spoke very little English, were the only ones.  The entire trip is about four miles, pretty moderate but made me still feel out of shape.  Chris told us about the history of Griffith J. Griffith which you should definitely read about.  The sign used to be Hollywoodland but was changed to Hollywood.  You can find a lot of fun history/stories/vandalism behind the sign online.  One of the more recent, funny stories was from 2017 when a prankster changed the sign to read Hollyweed marking the enactment of loser marijuana laws in LA.  

 

Back to the transportation thing:  it is next to impossible to hike over from the sign to the Griffith Observatory unless you are in excellent shape.  While the observatory is free, and we probably would've enjoyed it, it would've been at least two more uber trips.  

We limited it to one and had our uber take us directly to the Big Red Bus on Hollywood Boulevard.

The Grove was next on our agenda, but in order to get there, we had to hop on our (#2) Big Red Bus LA Tour when activated (thanks Go City) allowed us a 2-day pass. I felt like the bus could've done a better job with LA commentary, but it was "free" transportation which is nice.  It also gave us a birds eye view of the city.  Unfortunately because LA is SO huge, getting anywhere quickly isn't happening.  Once we arrived, we were eager to find somewhere to eat at the Farmer's Market LA which is in front of The Grove.  It's truly impossible to describe the amount of dining options available - wall to wall with everything you can imagine.

 MAGEE'S KITCHEN & FRITZI COOP::  these were our final choices.  I wanted opted for a sliced roast beef and vegetable plate, and Matt went for the Stinger hot buffalo chicken sandwich.  After spend a small fortune on lunch and $8 on two small pieces of chocolate, we walked around the Grove for a little bit.  However, we were pooped from our hike, the sun, and riding the bus for a while so it was short lived.  We made our way back to the Hop On/Hop Off bus stop.  No bus.  We waited a while before deciding to walk back to our place (around two miles, ugh).  Spending money on an uber didn't feel worth it with our place relatively close by.  

Crashed at the hotel from a full day of walking, close to 9-10 miles.  

PRINCE STREET PIZZA:: because it was fairly close by, we decided to grab a slice of pizza for dinner.  It hit the spot.

Friday morning began with a walk to a local Starbucks.  We needed normal before beginning our day.  It's hard to beat a breakfast sandwich, muffin, and cold brew.  South Warren's softball team was also playing early in Lexington so we watched the game online.  Our plans for the day included a trip to Warner Brothers for a studio tour and would conclude with a trip to The Comedy Store.  It was a full day again.  

There are a few movie studio tours in LA, so I can't really compare one to the other.  (#3) Warner Brothers was on our pass and honestly got the best online reviews.  Totally worth it!  

Friends is one of the most memorable Warner Bros icons along with The Big Bang Theory.  We started off the tour walking through a storytelling showcase of the Warner Family and the 100-year history behind the studio. You eventually land in a theater with a WB introduction screening. From there you get a personal guide who takes you on a tour of the studio.

We did the basic tour and thought it was incredible.  Our guide was awesome.  While I can't remember all the specific details, I do remember some tidbits.

The steps into the curio shop in Chinatown on the movie set of Gremlins where Gizmo is purchased.

The iconic upside-down kiss (2002) of Spiderman and Mary Jane happened in this area.

The parking structures where You's Joe Goldberg pushed off Marianne's toxic ex-husband to his death.

  

The Batmobile, Barbie's Car and Harley Quinn's ride.  There was a giant tech conference happening while we were on sight that day.  We weren't able to explore as much, but we still got to see a lot of neat things.

 

 

 I don't recall the movie that featured this yellow car but the other one is from Mad Max.

 Tons and tons of props are made on sight, and there is an entire building devoted to costumes and used props that other companies rent.  We got to visit a sound stage where the new Night Court is being filmed along with seeing lots of set pieces from Abbott Elementary

 

 

 

After the lot tour, you go into another area where which is the action and magic exhibit with recreated sets, costumes, and props.  You can watch videos on sound production and lots of interactive features.

Game of Thrones display.

 

Tons of DC Universe stuff along with Harry Potter.

How you doing?

 

Ellie's costume from The Last of Us and Elvis from the 2022 movie with Austin Butler.

When the tour concluded, we were hungry and wanted to head back to the Walk of Fame and visit some places in that area.  

 

We took an uber to IN & OUT BURGER:: which was completely SLAMMED.  Wall to wall people so I grabbed the first two-seater empty table that I could find.  We later learned it was the second busiest one in LA.  It was my first time.  I wish I could say it was the best burger I'd ever eaten, but it wasn't life changing for me.  It took a while to get our food which I've heard isn't normal for most, and my bun was hard/stale/old.  The fries were decent, nothing special.  Maybe I'll try it again at some point.  I think Freddy's is as good personally. It was an experience though, and everyone in LA was there for lunch.

 

The Hollywood Walk was right up the road.  I'd been making notes about some of the stars I wanted to see.  After browsing through some gift shops, photographing some stars, and taking in all the sites, we headed over to TCL Theatre (#4) on our pass, checking out the new release THE WATCHERS.  Our pass got us a ticket to the show, popcorn, and a drink.  It was a nice way to relax midday.  The theatre is attached to a larger shopping mall called Ovation which was fun to walk around in.  If I had the trip to do all over again, I may have looked at staying at the Loew's hotel.  It was fairly affordable and right in the middle of Hollywood chaos but super close to everything.

 

 

It just made sense to see a movie in Hollywood at one of the most iconic theatres.

 

 

 

Our movie let out just in time for us to catch the last Hop On/Hop Off bus departure.  Thank goodness we didn't have to walk or pay an uber to get us back to our hotel. 

 We passed by The Viper Room multiple times throughout the week.  This is an infamous club once owned by Johnny Depp and the location of River Phoenix's tragic death =(.  I think it's going to be redeveloped soon.

 After chilling at the hotel for a bit, we walked to The Comedy Store since it wasn't too far from our hotel. Because you are required to get two drinks at most comedy clubs, we decided to do dinner there.  Don't waste your money.  The comedy was superb, the food and drinks, not so much.  Our show was in the MAIN room.  Iliza Shlesinger and Caroline Rhea were some of the big names.  I will say that I noticed some of the comics involved the audience more than using stand-up material.  That can be funny, but it got a little old to me.  It is definitely a must-do though if you like comedy.

 

Saturday was a wide open day.  I didn't want to leave LA before visiting Santa Monica.  We started the morning off at Mel's Drive In for breakfast which was redeemable after last night's bar food.  Matt got the avocado toast and poached eggs.  I got some pancakes, eggs, and bacon.  We also wanted to drop in a cute little bookstore that we'd past multiple times walking up down the street throughout the week.

  

There's a pathway that runs down Beverly Drive that we wanted to walk down that leads to Beverly Garden Park.  Each street that runs off the path features a different tree - maple trees on Maple Drive - ash, pine, elm trees.  It's the neatest site.  While walking the path, out of nowhere, we walked right past Weird Al Yankovic.  The park is close to Rodeo Drive which we also wanted to check out.

 

Gigantic Morton Bay Fig Tree

All I can think about when on Rodeo Drive is Pretty Woman.  All the high end stores line the streets and most armed with guards or security limiting the amount of people in the store.  Of course we didn't go in any of them.  There was a loud protestor dressed in a very eccentric costume in front of Louis Vuitton on a megaphone harassing the store front.  It was a sight!  

 

The Beverly Wilshire Hotel.  It's hard for any of us Pretty Woman fans to be on Rodeo Drive and not think about the movie. Eh-hem, you work on commission right?!?!  

From Rodeo, us poor folk took the LA Metro to Santa Monica.  

 I felt completely at home in Santa Monica.  Normal cars, regular people.  We went to Santa Monica Place for lunch at THE CURIOUS PALATE.  The meal was an option on our Go City Pass and our final selection (#5).  It was delicious, and we were able to watch the Spartan softball game online again during our lunch.  I got the Baja fish tacos and fries while Matt got some sort of braised beef dish that was recommended by our waitress.

The Santa Monica pier is a site to see! It was hot and super crowded.  Something I also noticed too, and it's this...there is always somebody in large gatherings determined to be extra annoying!  Rodeo Drive presented the loud protestor, and on the pier, it was this large walking group playing instruments loudly and chanting something.  I'm sure it served some purpose, but for me, it felt like unnecessary noise and was extra irritating.  I'll never understand this about people.  

The state beach at Santa Monica pales in comparison to beaches in the gulf.  The sand is gritty and brown.  The Pacific was ice cold, murky, and not what we're used to in Florida.  People covered every square inch of the beach too.  There were vendors everywhere.  It felt like complete chaos.  We did want to put our toes in the water, so we did and afterwards decided to walk on the opposing side toward Venice Beach. It's a beautiful walk and seemed less crowded the further we got away from Santa Monica.  This was pretty much the last leg of our trip before catching the Metro back to our hotel.  

It was a long day, and we were pooped knowing we'd leave early the next morning to catch our flight.  We decided to skip dinner and eat a few snacks at the hotel.  

By the time we arrived at LAX and got checked in, we were starving.  We split up - Matt grabbing us some breakfast sandwiches from California Pizza Kitchen and me grabbing coffee at The Coffee Bean.  Unfortunately, because we moved our flight up to an earlier time at the last minute, our boarding passes didn't allow us to sit together.  

We had a wonderful trip and hope to return to California at some point.  We're officially BROKE.  Send money!  

All I Wanna Do Is Have Little Fun Before I Die...

Both my mom and Matt’s mom, Debbie, started their early teaching careers together at Dishman McGinnis Elementary School.  There was a rather large group of young, expecting mothers at Dishman – my mom and Debbie being two of them.  Matt was born in November of ’76 and me in March of ’77.  Both born on the 30^th.  Our families were friends and even vacationed together a time or two when were little; however, life and different circumstances separated our families through the years. My first memory of teenage Matt was during high school basketball.  He played for Greenwood, and I played for Bowling Green.  I remember vaguely knowing who he was and a little about his family.  We’d occasionally cross paths at area wide youth devotionals both growing up in the church of Christ.  He was a member of Lehman Avenue, and our family was at Greenwood Park.  I remember thinking how good looking he was, but back then, it wasn’t as easy to connect with people from other schools like it is now with social media, cell phones, etc.  I guess the right timing was what it took.  For us, that happened during our freshman year at Western.  I was involved in the Hilltopper’s for Christ ministry through Greenwood Park, and one night Matt Deaton showed up.  I can honestly say it was love at first sight for both of us.  I was dating another guy at the time, but when you know, you know.  Matt was my person.  We began dating sometime in April 1996, and here we are 28 years later.  We married on my grandparents 51^st anniversary and today we celebrate our 25^th.  Our proudest achievement is our three Tuesday “tots” - two college kids and one heading into his senior year of high school.

We leave for LA today and plan to spend the remainder of the week in West Hollywood living the celebrity life!  Sheryl Crowe's song has been stuck in my head for days.  Cheers to having some fun with my favorite human!

 

Who put together May?

May is simply one of those overloaded months a lot like December.  Between  Mother's Day, derby (pic above), weddings, retirements, graduations, end of season sports, other celebrations - it is packed full of events.   All I heard on the radio this morning was the events happening this week in Bowling Green.  Both DJ's were talking about graduations and how they needed to play Vitamin C. Because the month flies by with activity, you soon realize half the year is already complete as June rolls around. 

We celebrate our Pap's birthday this month!!!

Mother's Day Celebration at Shannon's with my favs & Ice Cream Cake!

Two more school days is all I have before the youngest in our family enters into his Senior year.  I gave him a big hug this morning and thought to myself...where did the time go?  This giant human is almost finished with high school! It's a weird feeling.  Karson will also enter her final semester at UofL this fall.  Her graduation dress arrived last week and is stunning!  

 

We are gearing up for golf season.  Because we had such a nice turn out last year at our pancake breakfast, we did a repeat this year to kick off our fundraising.  It was a lovely morning and many came out to support our team.  One of my Skyctc co-workers Art McFadden (above) lives close by RP Market and came to the breakfast. It was such a kind surprise and made me grateful for friendships made through work.  We're looking forward to an exciting season of high school golf which is right around the corner.  

Speaking of golf, both of our college kids worked the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville this week.  Karson had received a email months ago about week-long employment with the tour and thought it would be a neat opportunity.  She shared it with Isaac, and both of them were employed within a week.  Isaac had a very quick turnaround because he had finals the week before they were to start training.  He took a final Thursday morning, packed all his things and got home that afternoon.  He and Karson left early Friday for Louisville.  The first two days of training were a little long and boring, but once the practice rounds began on Monday, things really picked up.  

Overall, I think it was a muddy pleasant experience for them.  They got back late last night, about the same time Miles got off work at Southern Lanes.  I know they are both happy to be back home for the summer and have a break.  

 

Miles, Matt, Paul and Evan got to be spectators at the PGA Championship this weekend.  They had originally planned to go on Saturday, but a coworker at South had some extra tickets for Sunday as well.  Matt purchased those and was able to enjoy the tournament twice.  Miles had enough energy for one day (Saturday), and his shoulder blade has been bothering him a lot lately - coupled with the fact he worked until midnight Friday night, left early Saturday, was on his feet for 8 hours - standing in one place for about two - he had no interest in two days of PGA.  It was a special treat getting to see the tournament and professional players up close.  He also enjoyed being with his cousin Evan!

 

Championship Day at Valhalla with Brad, Seth, Matt and Paul.  Matt had an extra ticket and was able to sell it immediately when he got off the bus that morning.  

While the guys were away, us ladies were able to celebrate Ansley Vernon's upcoming graduation.  Our kids were raised in small village together, and she is our bright star this year!  We're excited for her next adventure at Belmont in Nashville!

Spartan Gala 2024

 My poor youngest son!  I don't know how he puts up with me, but he'd never let me know how much I am smothering him daily.  There is something so FINAL about the baby of the family having all these high school moments that you want to soak in because they are your last ones. 

Everything about him has hit me harder than it did with the other two.  His life has felt faster in general. He had to grow up quickly with two older siblings.  Matt and I are always talking about how proud we are of him and how he is such a good kid (and he is).  I think we both feel the end of school days is near! 

Currently, plans are under way for our annual boys golf Spartan Pancake Breakfast which happens this Saturday.  

High school golf is one of those weird sports in that most of your season happens during the summer. When summer dead period ends, you compete in about a thousand tournaments right before school starts.  Basically his season will almost be halfway finished by the time his senior year actually starts.  We will put him in some of the Go Golf and Bluegrass events in May and June, but his actual high school season is almost here.  I find myself so emotional about it - we've watched him play competitively for so long.  I'll be a wreck this year beginning Saturday with our first fundraiser! 

 Four years as a varsity golfer, be still my heart!  One to go!

Saturday night was PROM.  Here come more emotions.  Everything was unpredictable with Karson's prom years because of COVID. She didn't even have a junior prom.  Fortunately, our friends had an event for some of the junior class so they could have an experience since many had already gotten their dresses and were hopeful it might happen at school.  Her senior year was different too, and it was held outdoors in the school parking lot with social distancing.  At least they actually had an event though.  Isaac didn't go to senior prom but went to the junior one at the Corvette Museum.  I don't remember many details about it but believe his date got sick and had to leave early.  He did go to an after prom and had a good time with his friends.  

Karson and Isaac's Junior Prom picture recap:

 

Miles's Junior Prom:

 

Prom-posal complete with directors clapboard since he and his date love going to the movies together and tickets purchased.

Back in February, we'd ordered his tuxedo from Men's Warehouse to be picked up prior to prom (we did this with Isaac too).  It's funny how different they both are.  Isaac wanted it ALL, everything that could be rented - pocket square, patterned vest, socks, shoes, cufflinks, button covers, the whole nine yards.  Miles, not so much.  He wanted the basics and wanted to match his date.  We literally rented the jacket, shirt, necktie and pants.  He had black shoes already and didn't want a vest, cufflinks, button covers or pocket square.  Easy peasy.  

 

When we received the text to go pick up his tux, I think everyone in BG and surrounding counties were there.  It was NUTS.  The line was super long, and we waited for quite some time.  Once he got everything on, fitted, and adjusted right, we were out the door. His friend from Plano days, Bryce, was picking his up too, so I snapped a picture!  Bryce's mom and I talked for a while about Prom flowers.  I told her I was in the business of making my own.  This was done when Isaac went to prom, and the bouquet was fresh and lovely.  I planned to do the same for Miles.  

 

These were the colors I was working with, and this is how the bouquet and boutonniere combination turned out.  I loved the whites and darker reds/purples.  Kroger always has such a lovely selection of flowers and affordable too.  Speaking of affordable flowers, SWHS Greenhouse is the best place for my doorstep pots (featured below).  Now, we just need some cooperative warmer weather.

Had to get a picture with the ride!  Sharp dressed man!

This year two of my men went to Prom.  Matt and my smothered son Miles were the attenders.  The event was held at Whitestone Barn which is a gorgeous venue close to South.   

Miles and his stunning date Esi.  I texted her about his crooked boutonniere to which she replied...we're not talking about that.  Too funny. I blame myself for not double pinning it!

Both Esi and Miles said the DJ was awesome, and they had a great time.  💕

Warren County's BEST - the admin team at South!  Love these people!

Solar Powered Family Fun

 When you all have the same solar eclipse experience but are all in different places - fun can still be possible!

BIRTHDAY TAKE 47!

 

FRIDAY

The weather these days can't seem to make up it's mind, and somewhere in the mix I managed to turn a whole year older.  This birthday was extra special, and I felt especially loved and spoiled by everyone. I generally celebrate with my dad since our birthdays are close.  It's double the cake and double the fun.  Since it was also Easter weekend, everyone was home which made it even more special!

SATURDAY

We took a little family outing to Nashville.  I got us a reservation at Maggiano's where we stuffed ourselves.  Afterwards, we drove around Vanderbilt University/Medical to see the hospitals.  Karson has considered a future career there and wanted to see it.  We capped our night in the Gulch walking around and looking at shops.

SUNDAY

I got spoiled again by my in-laws at a birthday lunch and an amazing cake!  I felt celebrated all weekend long and am thankful for such a wonderful family!