Los Angeles

This was the last show we went to-it was a special effects show and I was asked to be in the show. This was the first stage of the show and they were showing how a green screen works. I had to fight off a large cat, then I sat in a chair and was a character in Nutty Professor--they had me doing funny things like eating a pretend drumstick and picking my teeth. The final thing I had to do was put on a Egyptian robe and move some large stones pretending they were heavy. There was also a guy they asked to be in the show and I was trying to free him, but I was too late, he was turned into a skeleton. Later Mike was asked to be in the show too--he was a part of the voiceover effects stage. He was supposed to be the voice of King Kong, but they made it look like he didn't do it right, so they took him backstage and had a video screen that looked like he was attacked by a large wolf creature. It was fun! It cracked me up that they asked me to be a part of the show because we went on our honeymoon to San Diego and I was invited to be a part of a show at Sea World--I shook hands with the Sea Lion. I guess I have a "face" that says, "Pick me!" Too funny!

Mike was playing around with our new camera. There were lots of great places there that would have made great pictures and Mike wished I was dressed up better for pictures!

Mike and I took our first trip away without the kids February 2-5. It was a quick trip, but we had a great time! The first day we went to Universal Studios. It was about 65 degrees--shorts weather for us! Neither of us had been there, so it was fun to see (and be in) the shows. After the park closed, we walked on the Universal City walk. We had lots of fun watching people indoor skydiving--it was pretty neat. That night we used our VZ Navigator to find a Mexican restaurant. We found kind of a hole in the wall place, the service and guacamole were great, the rest of the food was just good, but it was a cute place.

Thursday was a very full day! My camera died at the end of the day at Universal and I didn't bring my charger, so no pictures :(. We started the day by going to the Santa Monica Pier. We got there a little early, so there wasn't much happening. It was windy so we were a little chilly, but we walked along the beach for a while and then decided to go to another beach. Mike had looked online for some good things to do and one of the things he thought looked good was to go to Venice Beach...that turned out to be an experience! Apparently Venice Beach is the place to go if you want Marijuana! There were several people smoking it right there on the sidewalk. (YUCK!) There were also several "clinics" where you could see the doctor right away to see if you qualified for medical marijuana. It was really strange. There were lots of Rastafarian people selling their peace sign artwork and hemp jewelry. Then there were guys trying to get you to listen to their hip hop music. I felt very uncomfortable and was so ready to get out of there!

After we left the beach, we went to Hollywood Blvd. We went to a few cheesy "museums"--Ripley's Believe it or Not, A knockoff Wax Museum and Guiness Book of World Records; they were not worth the money. We also saw the stars' hand and feet prints in front of the Chinese Theater. There were some from as far back as 1927--I had no idea it had been going on that long!

Our final stop was the Grove mall. It was so pretty! It is an outdoor mall with a trolley that runs through the center from one end to the other and they have a nice grassy area at one end with a fountain that has a mini water show. They have lights strung between the buildings across the center road. We just strolled through the stores and then ate outside at an Italian restaurant. They had good bread, but the food was not good. The ambiance was nice though. After dinner we went and saw the movie "When in Rome." It was cute and I totally enjoyed it!

The kids did great! Our moms and friends were so wonderful to take care of them so we could enjoy some alone time. THANK YOU! WE LOVE YOU!