ah california...

ah california, how i miss you already. the cool breeze, the nature, oh the flowers! what a wonderful vacation. tony and i stayed at a super cute hotel right off of the beach. it was the cheapest hotel we could find but it was the best i could ever ask for. no air condition (ekkks!) was a concern at first. but we soon found out it wasn't needed and it sure wasn't missed. the texas heat was out of sight and out of mind! day and night, the windows stayed open and the most lovely breezes swept through the room. what i'm really going to miss are the moments before going to bed when i could hear the laughter and chatter coming from the cafes down below right outside our window. it wasn't the loud annoying type of noise but a more comforting type, sounds of people simply enjoying each other's company and having a great time. the first night in LA was spent doing the really touristy type stuff like driving around sunset blvd., hollywood, beverly hills, rodeo drive, you know the typical LA glitz, glam, and what not. it was nice because i had never seen it before, but i don't think that's the stuff that's going to stick with me for this trip. although, i will remember my amazement of the number of luxury cars LA has going on with its bad, luxurious self. i've never seen so many shiny cars! my little ol honda accord would be put to shame if it ever shared the road with those sparkling zoom zoom puppies. after the tour thing we saw jonny lang, guitarist extraordinaire, in concert at the house of blues and o my god! what a talent. how intense. and i mean sweaty, veins popping from every part of his body, squinting eyes, bloody fingers type of intense. i had always wanted to see him perform since i was in high school, so this birthday present from tony was a dream come true actually. mr. lang and his band are words-cannot-describe-in-a-good-way type of musicians. enough said. the next day jenny, tony's friend and lovely tour guide for our trip, took us around santa monica and i got to meet up with a lovely old roommate from college. we went to santa monica pier, did some shopping, ate some excellent seafood, and enjoyed each other. i've never been so tired at the end of my days! but i think the best part came when we went to the vineyards in santa barbara county. of course, on the way we gawked at the humongous "homes" in malibu and i swear i saw sally fields on the highway. can't officially confirm, but jenny and tony agreed. anyway, wine tasting was buzzalicious. amazing drive, amazing views, just amazing. we had a picnic at one of the vineyards and i saw lavender. what more could i ask for. and i brought a yummy dessert wine back home, thanks to my wonderful tony. this trip was perfect. much more than i expected, but i guess i didn't really have any expectations, just that i wanted to have a great time. well, i had all that and more. what a trip to remember! so what of LA will i bring back with me? definitely the water, the canals, the art, the hippies, the homeless, the traffic, the wine, the yards, the style, the freedom, the shopping, the cafes, the view, the trees, the flowers, the lavender, the music, the food, the boutiques, the joggers, the surfers, the yoga on the beach, the roller skaters, the bikers, the flip flops, the sand, the people, jenny, paola, her brandon, the waiters, the kindness, the freakish, the green, the birds, the concert, the houses, and most definitely the beautiful weather. ah california...