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.

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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!
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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.

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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.

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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!

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