Diana's Birthday

Happy Birthday, my dove! As we get older birthdays become less and less of an important day. With it being a weekday, we couldn't really do anything too crazy, so instead of doing some amazing party or anything, we planned ahead and went out for dinner the weekend before.

Of course, I also needed to make sure she had some special gifts to open on her special day. I got her some boring clothes and jewelry, but I had to do a fun gift too. She was very excited to open up a brand new Barbie doll! See? 15 years in and we still find fun little ways to show how we love each other- and stay young! 

Game Time

We aren't much of a boardgame family, as much as I wish we were. Every once in a while I can convince Diana and Ledger to gather around the table and play a game or two, but it's usually just a card game or something that only lasts about 15 minutes. Even though I know this, I still keep trying to entice them to play games with me! I keep finding different games to try, either unusual ones that I have never heard of before but have some strange and fun twist, or I like to get themed games of stuff I love. I got a Stargate SG-1 game, but it looked super complicated, so I knew better than to try and get them to play.

I recently picked up an unusual game based on Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and convinced them both to give it a try with me. It was pretty fun! There were a bunch of trivia questions that were a part of the game, which kind of puts Ledger at a bit of a disadvantage, but we had a good time with it none the less. The next game up is a Gargoyles cartoon themed game. Wish me luck getting them interested...

Bee Sting

Look at this sad boy! While we were hanging out on our deck in the back yard, Diana and I noticed Wiggins wandering around chomping at the air. We looked a little closer and realized he was trying to bit a bee that was hovering around him. Well, it looks like he got it, because then he started scratching at the ground. A second later he yelped! He immediately came scrambling over to us, hoping on three legs. This poor dumb dog got stung by a the bee he was pestering! I picked him up and went inside to examine his arm, and sure enough, it was starting to swell a little bit. He then proceeded to give me this look as he held him little paw up to me as if to say 'make it better!' Sorry buddy, you are going to have to deal with that pain... I held him for the rest of the afternoon, poor little guy.

Goodbye, Cali!

Morning came way too quick! What felt like two minutes after falling asleep, we were back up and getting ready as fast as we could. We packed up our last items, double checked the place to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything, and off we went to LAX for our return trip.

Our layover in Denver was pretty frustrating. We tried to grab some lunch, but the food took too long and by the time we made it back to the plane, there weren't three seats together anymore! Argh! So all three of us had to sit next to random strangers. I was pretty angry about it, but Ledger didn't seem to mind, and he made some friends who he got to chat with the whole way home!

Finally back in Grand Rapids, we got our luggage and went out to the car pick up. And what glorious vision awaited us there? Why, my beautiful wife! Diana picked us up and got to hear our stories all the way back. We dropped off Aaron, said our goodbyes, and returned home exhausted! It was a long trip, but so much fun to spend all that time with friends! It was a strange element having Ledger there, but the guys were so great with him and he did an amazing job of fitting in and being one of 'the guys'. 

We will have to do it again some time! 

Last Night

Sadly, our California trip is coming to an end. We had a ton of fun and spend the last night just chilling out and enjoying our last hours together. One of Ledger's favorite parts of the trip has been playing a drawing game with everyone. He was able to convince us all to play one last round together. It is a super fun game and we had a really fun time each of the times we played!

Finally, it was time to call it a night. We had an early morning ahead of us, and a long day of travel. We packed it in and headed to bed for the last time in Adam's awesome house. 

Hangout and Brewery

When we got back from Downtown, Ledger and I were exhausted. That worked out just fine because Adam, Aaron, and Cousin Aaron all wanted to do some micro brew beer tasting. So they went to go do that and Ledge and I stayed back at the house. It was nice to just sit down and enjoy a little peace and quiet after our long and adventurous week! He played on his tablet and did some animating while I caught a quick nap on the couch.

A couple hours later, both of us refreshed, got picked up by the boys to join them for one last bar stop for dinner. It was a pretty cool place with some good food, so all of us were quite happy!

(more pics) 

Downtown Hollywood

Adam had a few other work things to do, so Aaron, Ledger, and I decided to do the most touristy thing possible: we went to the Hollywood Walk of Fame! The Uber dropped us off and we walked down Hollywood Boulevard, taking in the sights. We checked out the different stars on the sidewalk and the Dolby Theater. We went up through the outdoor mall and got to see the Hollywood sign!

After a quick stop in for a chili dog at one of the restaurants, we made our way past the Mann's Chinese Theater where they were having a world premier! We didn't see anyone famous, but they were setting it up a red carpet for the premier of the movie Monkey Man. We got to see a bunch of street performers dressed up like different movie characters that you can take a picture with (we didn't). All the really touristy stuff like the wax museum was just too darn expensive. So after wandering around and taking in the sights, we headed back to the house.

(more pics)   

Out Like A Lamb

For breakfast, we got to see Lamb Chop! One of the strange events that Adam was excited for us to attend while we were in LA was a special appearance from the puppet Lamb Chop and Shari Lewis' daughter. It was just as weird as you might expect...

Adam is a member of a really unusual group: the Los Angeles Breakfast Club. It's a weekly breakfast get together where they have special guests come and chat with them for the morning. They get all kinds of different guests, from historians to minor celebrities. It's a pretty goofy group who has a bunch of funny nonsense traditions and songs that they all do together for some reason.

Adam, Aaron, Ledger and I sat and enjoyed the breakfast as we watched, baffled by the weird songs, motions, and recited passages of nonsense that the club members seem to have memorized. We were very confused as Adam laughed along with us as this unique scene unfolded. Finally, after all the traditions were acted out, Mallory Lewis, daughter of the famous puppeteer Shari Lewis, shared a talk and performance with us. It was odd, self aggrandizing, and interesting. Not entirely sure what the point was of the whole thing, but it was really fun!

After she was done, everyone mingled and chatted. Ledger wandered around and talked with a bunch of different random people, as is his way. As he was on the other side of the room rubbing elbows with other members, Adam was sharing with Aaron and I that Ledger was, unbeknownst to him, chatting with some legends and luminaries of the animation world! Ledge was showing off his drawings to people who had created famous cartoon shows and movies! I'm sure they were very impressed!

(more pics)

Post Universal Bar

After our long day at Universal Studios, we stopped by a cool bar restaurant to fill our bellies before we went home. The place was pretty cool, it was like an open air bar and had some good food! I got a burger and Ledger went fancy and got lobster mac & cheese. He wasn't so sure about the lobster part and kinda picked around the chunks. Don't worry, I picked them out for him (and ate them).

Adam and Aaron were pleased with the beer selections and we had a good time recapping the day and talking about our favorite parts. My favorite was the Waterworld Stunt Show, Aaron and Adam loved the backlot tour. Ledger's favorite was the minion ride and Simpsons land.

We shut the place down (they closed at 10pm, so it wasn't too hard...) and finally made our way home. What a fun day!
(more pics) 

Universal Studios

Did you know that Disneyland can sell out? We sure didn't. We had high hopes of going to Disneyland but when we went to buy tickets two days in advance, we found out that they were sold out! Dang! So instead we went to Universal Studios. No one was too disappointed, but it was different than we had planned. Adam was able to get all his work done the day before, so he was pumped to join us for the day!

We got there at the start of the day and had a lot of fun going to all the different lands and going on the backlot tour.

They have huge areas dedicated to Harry Potter, The Simpsons, Minions, and Mario. All of them were pretty cool, but you'll never guess which one was Ledger's favorite: The Simpsons! It's hilarious to me because I don't think he's ever actually seen a single episode of the show! I think the cartoon style of everything in that land just appealed to him. We walked through a bunch of different shops while we were there and the one thing he actually decided to buy was a Simpsons plush- of Marge! Whatever you want, buddy!

We got to go on some fun rides and even see some famous people while we were there. A great time was had by all!

(more pics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

The Grove

Adam was still busy working, so we decided to kill some more time and walked down the street a bit to The Grove. Aaron and I had been here last time we visited all those years ago. Last time we were in LA we went to a taping of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, which is right next to The Grove.

It's basically just a fancy outdoor mall with a outdoor market in front of it. We got some ice cream at the market and walked around, checking everything out. Last time we were here we saw someone famous, but we weren't as lucky this time. We popped into a couple stores, but mostly just enjoyed the good weather and good vibes.

(more pics)

Oscar Museum

Bucket List day continues! Now, it's my turn... Aaron got to see his beloved car museum, now I get to see the Academy Museum! Home of the Oscars!!! This was the one thing I told Adam I wanted to do while we were in LA, and now we are here!

After we finished at the car museum, we only had to walk across the street and we were at the Oscar museum! As you might expect, I was pretty giddy about it. We walked around the building and found the entrance. We walked into the main floor and there were tons of awesome Oscar statues around and a viewing room where they were showing old clips from classic movies. We wandered in there and found a cozy round couch to chill for a few minutes. Ledger was pretty exhausted, so he kind of camped out in that dark room while Aaron and I checked out the museum shop. There were some pretty cool things in there with Oscar stuff on them. I ended up getting a neon light in the shape of an Oscar statue- perfect for my movie room back home!

It was pretty cool to be in the place that they always reference during the Oscars each year. I was a happy boy!

(more pics)

Car Museum

It was Bucket List day. Aaron's obsession with cars made going to the LA car museum a must. There was really only one thing that he demanded of the trip: that we go to that museum! Adam needed a day to do some work, so we took the opportunity to go, just Aaron, Ledger, and I.

We Ubered down to the museum and got our ticket. Before we went to see the exhibits, we made our way to the cafe restaurant that they had there. The food was pretty good and the view was great. We sat out on the veranda, enjoying that balmy California weather!

Now that our bellies were full, it was time to see some awesome cars! There were a ton of really cool historical cars, some wild prototypes, impressive one-of-a-kind beauties, but the real reason Aaron wanted to go to this museum was because they had the actual screen used KITT from Knight Rider! We wandered around checking out different cars, but when we finally happened upon it, Aaron got really quiet... He was in awe! I took a bunch of pictures of him with it, and then I let him just quietly take it all in. I continued to wander around a bit, giving him some alone time with KITT. After about a half hour I checked back in with him. He still wasn't ready to move on. No problem, Ledger found a kids area to keep himself busy, and I just let Aaron soak it all in... It was like a religious experience for him and I didn't want to come between him and his commune with the sacred.

Eventually he came back to our world and we checked out the rest of the museum, but for a brief time there, Aaron achieved nirvana.

(more pics)

Game Time

After a long day of seeing the sights, we spent the evening hanging out at Adam's. Cousin Aaron grilled over at the neighbors and brought over some delicious burgers for all of us to enjoy. We gathered around the table and laughed and ate together. When the food was gone, Adam pulled out a few games to play, much to Ledger's delight! Knowing that Ledge loves to draw, Adam showed us a couple drawing games to play together. We had a blast! Finally, the thing that became the highlight of the whole trip for Ledger, we played a drawing competition game on the Playstation where everyone draws on their phones and we compete of the TV. Ledge loved it so much that he tried to get us to play it every night for the rest of our trip (usually he was successful!) The day was filled with a bunch of fun LA things, but just sitting down, playing and laughing together was the best part!

Little Tokyo

 Adam started telling us about some of the other districts in Los Angeles and when he mentioned 'Little Tokyo', Ledger's ears perked up- 'let's go there!' So we took the short drive, found a parking spot, and wandered into an area filled with Japanese shops and restaurants! Ledger's love of all cute Japanese art and characters sent him into a state of bliss as he wandered doe eyed from shop to shop... We were just there trying to keep up! The favorite that he finally decided on was a cute lil' banana plush that he then proceeded to put in random spots and take dozens of pictures of through out the rest of the day. This was, by far, his favorite part of the trip yet! The rest of us were laughing along with him as we tried to keep up.

(more pics)

Lunch and A Walk

After a little rest, reorganization, and a wardrobe change, we headed out to get lunch and see the city! Not knowing the place at all, it was up to Adam to pick a place to eat. He decided on Phillippe's, a place that claims they invented the French dip sandwich. It was pretty cool- and packed! We snaked through the line and got ourselves one of their famous sandwiches, found a table on the second floor and dug right in! It was, as you might expect, really delicious. Everyone was pleased with Adam's lunch choice!

After filling our bellies, we decided to go for a walk around that part of town. we found ourselves walking though an awesome Mexican market and square. It was packed with fun little shops selling trinkets and the square was blasting with live Mexican music and dancing! What a treat! We got to tour the oldest house in LA, and then crossed the street to walk around Union Station. I've seen that building in tons of shows and movies! Ledger was having a great time taking it all in- so so were we!
(more pics: 1, 2)

Hangin' at the House

We got home from church and just took some time to chill. We hadn't seen the house yet much, so Aaron and I wandered around a bit as Adam gave us a more in depth tour, checking out the beautiful view of the area from the backyard. Ledger unpacked his computer and latched on to Cadeau as his new best friend! He somehow convinced her to download Roblox on her phone so they could play together. Ledge also took the opportunity to show off some of his latest animations! Adam was aware of Ledger's animation skills, having hired him to make backgrounds for one of his shows on Yippee a year or so ago.

(more pics)

Church and Park

It just so happens that the weekend we arrive is actually Easter weekend! We flew in late Saturday night and had the opportunity to join Adam at his L.A. church for Easter Sunday. We got up early and got ready, which was not an easy feat considering how exhausted we were the night before and then all 4 of us had to share the bathrooms! Amazingly, we were up and ready on time. We drove downtown to his church, which was the firs time Ledger got to see this California city in the daylight. He thought it was pretty cool to see the different buildings and palm trees!

The church itself was quite a bit different than the typical Midwest church. Adam's church is in a gymnasium, donuts and coffee was in the back, and everyone was free to come and go as they pleased! That helped a lot, considering we got there a few minutes late... No one even noticed because the whole congregation was just coming and going, chatting and singing, all while the worship band did their thing.

After a lovely service, we made our way down a block or two and found ourselves in a little shopping area and park! We wandered around a bit and got a great sense of town. We even stopped in the ol' Barnes & Noble so Aaron could pick up a book for our return trip.

(more pics: 1, 2)

Cali Reunion

Looks like we made it! Adam had just gotten home from a long week of filming, ready to receive his special guests! Adam welcomed us in and introduced us to his roommate and cousin Aaron (we knew him from our last visit), his girlfriend, and Adam's delightful coworker Cadeau!

We got a quick tour of his amazing house, shown our accommodations, and quickly got busy catching up. It didn't take long (about 20 minutes) for Ledger to pass out asleep in his bed, leaving the rest of us to have a grand ol' time enjoying Adam's libation concoctions and have a few laughs. 

Finally the night caught up with us and the reality that we had an early morning ahead sunk in. Maybe we should follow Ledge's lead and hit the hay! Not to worry, there will be plenty more opportunities to hang out in the week to come. Can't wait!

California Adventure

After getting some lunch, we picked up our third California traveler: Aaron! Or as Ledger likes to call him: Mr. Log! (it's a long story, don't worry about it...) We drove to the Grand Rapids airport and said our goodbyes to Diana. She dropped us off and headed back home for an adventure of her own later in the week.

After getting our tickets and bags all figured out, we stopped at the airport restaurant and hung out until it was time to go. It didn't take long, and we were aboard the plane, ready to head west to see Adam! After a layover in Denver, we made it safe and sound back on the ground in sunny Las Angeles. Except it was actually raining. And night time. Aaron and I were pretty exhausted, but Ledger was well past that point. We arrived at around 11pm, which for us was actually 2am! Ledge could hardly think straight, he was so tired! We picked up our bags and went looking for our Uber to pick us up and bring us to Adam's house. It was about a 45 minute drive to the house, giving us a chance to see the city at night in the rain. it was really cool!

(more pics)