Visit to LA

Sam and I arrived in LA two hours behind schedule last Thursday. Since our flight was delayed two hours, the line for our rental car was an hour and a half, and traffic was bad - I missed my one and only interview. They were nice enough to go in on Friday (they normally don't) and interviewed me then. It was a stressful arrival and didn't stop there. As we were experience the awful California drivers, Sam turned to me and said, "We can't live here, I want to go home." Although sarcastic, I knew she was somewhat serious, because I felt the exact same.

Luckily, our wonderful host Timothy turned our interesting afternoon around. We grabbed a bite to eat, and after walking through the area where the Oscar's are held jumped on the subway, and headed to downtown Los Angeles. There was an Art Walk going on that we really enjoyed and then we hunted down the food trucks and got ice cream sundaes. (We might never fit in in LA - we love sweets and carbs too much!)

The next day we explored neighborhoods and I had my interview. It lasted two hours and actually went really well. Now if I can only figure out this California credential business…I will keep you updated on the job front. We found some locations we felt more comfortable in and experienced less of a culture shock than Hollywood, but are still not exactly sure what neighborhood we'll end up in. Friday evening Timothy introduced us to two of his incredible friends, Eliseo and Scott (aka Usher and Hugh Jackman). They welcomed us into their beautiful home and then took us out for a night in West Hollywood. It was quite the scene, Sam and I walked down the streets wide-eyed and in awe. They took us to a couple of clubs and introduced us to "WeHo" as they call it. Even if we could afford to live there, we couldn't keep up with the nightlife. In bed by 10 doesn't really work there...

The next day was my favorite because it was beach day! (This is the reason I can actually pick up and move to Los Angeles.) Before the beach, Timothy took us up Runyon Canyon. This is where EVERYBODY hikes, including the celebrities. Sam had to take a picture by the rocks spelling "LOVE". The beach wasn't the Hawaiian beach and unlike my sister, it isn't a quarter mile walk to get there, but the 30 minute drive was totally doable. It was so fun to be in the waves and lay on the sand, and I think Sam even enjoyed herself! We stopped and got ice cream, cupcakes, and cookies and it was amazing. Scott was so sweet to treat us and pamper us, the whole day really. That evening we met up with one of Sam's childhood best friends, Dan. We ate at a delicious restaurant and got to do some catching up. Sam and I were pretty exhausted and called it a night after that.

We left the next morning, but felt like we packed so much into our short trip. We had such a good host, who took care of us and showed us around. He was so sweet to give up his bedroom and stock his fridge. We love you Timothy, even though your driving is terrifying! We were excited to return home to Salt Lake, but are already missing friends, the beach, and some aspects of LA. This move will take some adjusting, but we are a step closer to this exciting adventure!