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!

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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!
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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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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The Boy Turns 12

Crazy to realize that our little guy has turned 12 already! He's only one year away from being a teenager- yikes! We've got something special planned for him this year. Earlier this week we finally told the him what our Spring Break/Birthday plans are. He was shocked and excited: He and I are going to California for a week!

Even though he is going to have a week long special birthday event, we still wanted to make sure that his birthday was celebrated. We got him a little birthday cake and a gift for him to open. He loved it, and after singing and opening his gift, it was time to pack up and head to the airport!

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Anniversary 15

Amazing! Some how 15 years have passed together. It doesn't feel like that long at all, but then I think about all the changes that have happened in our life since then and I'm a little shocked its only been 15 years...

I'm still continually shocked that I won the 'hot wife' lottery and convinced this beauty to shack up with lil ol me. It's been so incredible to see how much she has changed since we first met, and all those changes we have been able to go through together. She's also stuck by my side as I've made so many changes as well. We are both unrecognizable from who we were 15 years ago. All these changes seem like something that could have led us on different paths, directing us away from each other, but the different directions we have taken individually have actually followed exactly the alternate path of the other, it's like we are synchronized dancers in this ballroom of life- and we didn't even plan out our choreography ahead of time!

Excited to see where the next 15 years take us. No matter where, we will be dancing together!

Three Dimensions

I kind of splurged on myself... Ever since the first Avatar movie came out, I've loved seeing movies in 3D. I loved the 3D boom the years following that movie's release. The wife and I would go see tons of movies in the theater and always opt for the 3D option. As they started making 3D TVs, I was always jealous and wished I could afford one. Alas, I was just a poor school teacher and couldn't afford the $2000-3000 dollar TVs or 3D players. Oh well, that just meant that I would have to make sure I saw everything I could in the theater. I distinctly remember having a talk with my wife about how I really had to go see Pacific Rim on a Thursday night, neglecting her and my young son, because it was the last day it was going to be in the theaters and I would never get another chance to see it in 3D!

Well, all of that has changed! I recently found an amazing deal on a 65 inch 3D TV, 3D player, and surround sound system! The wife and I talked it over and the price was so low that we decided the upgrade was worth it. So now I am the proud owner of a whole 3D entertainment set up in my movie cave of a basement! I'm so pumped I can hardly believe it!

First thing I did once it was all set up? Watch Avatar, of course! In 3D! Now I have the chance to see those movies in 3D again! Over the past week or two I've been visiting all the different used movie stores and buying up literally any 3D movies they've got. They don't make them anymore, so there are only a limited number of releases I can get. That totally doesn't matter because I am so pumped to watch 3D movies at home! And yes, I did find a 3D copy of Pacific Rim, so I plan to see it again like I never thought I would.

Oscar Party

It's my favorite day of the year: Oscars day! I am a little bit obsessed with movies and watch between four and five hundred per year. One of my favorite parts of the movie industry is awards season. And the biggest award of them all is, of course, the Oscars.

I spend the months leading up to it watching all the movies that are nominated for Best Picture so that I can vote along with them. I've been obsessed and watching them for decades; I remember demanding that my parents let me stay up to watch them when I was in Middle School- and the did!

Typically watching the Oscars was a solitary event, I didn't really have any friends or family who was at all interested in them like I was. I've been able to rope in Diana to watch them with me every year since we got married, but she is always more interested in the dresses than the awards... A couple years ago Barbara and James joined us for my first ever Oscar party and it was a blast- finally people to share it with! Last year they were not able to make it, but this year they were all for it. Barbara came even though she was feeling sick so she wore a mask the whole night- now that's real love! I felt seen and supported like never before! I took the night off so I could enjoy it fully, and printed out ballots for everyone. I even made a booklet with summaries for all the different nominated movies so everyone else could be familiar with all the films in the show.

We had gotten a bunch of food and had a whole delicious spread to enjoy through out the festivities. I wasn't rooting for any particular film this year, so I was happy with whatever the results were. It was a really fun night. Now, only 12 more months until the next one!

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Hospital Visit

Papa's not feeling so good. The doctors found something on his lung and he had to go in for surgery. Due to his past health issues, he had to have the surgery in Ann Arbor, so that meant the extended family took a little trip. The surgery was on a Friday, so I got home from work, took a little nap, and drove down there to spend time with him. I got there late afternoon and got to spend time with Mom, Chad, Miyuki, their son, and my lovely aunt Marline! A bunch of other family members were there before he went in to surgery but had to leave before I got there.

Soon after I arrived, Papa was wheeled into his recovery room. He was pretty out of it, understandably, but he got to be surrounded by loved ones after a successful surgery. After a bit of visiting, we let him get some rest and made our way to the hotel for the night. All of us met up in Mom's room and had a nice sandwich dinner together.

In the morning we went back to the hospital and saw Papa, this time he was a little less loopy from the drugs. We had a good laugh because he didn't even remember that we saw him the day before! We spend some good time with him and found out the mass was benign- what a relief!

When it was finally time to go I had the absolute pleasure of bringing aunt Marline home! We got to spend the two hour trip together chatting and catching up. She is so wonderful- I love her so much! The trip back was filled with so much laughter, and her favorite part was when I asked her if she wanted some special sweets. She said 'of course!' so I surprised her with a little visit to Sweetwater's Donuts! We each got one to eat and she even got a dozen more to give to the rest of her family.

By the time I dropped her off, we both decided that we need to go on road trips together more often!

Restaurant Night

Sunday nights are Ledger's favorite night of the week. Seems strange that he would love that one so much, right? It means its the end of the weekend and he's got to go to bed on time again with school starting in the morning. So why does he love it so much? Well, because it's restaurant food night!

For many years now, Sunday night has been the one night a week that we get restaurant food. It goes back to when I worked the weekend shift at Haworth. I would come home Sunday evening from work, exhausted from three 12+ hour shifts in three days, and I was not at all interested in trying to think about what we should have for dinner. Diana, having just come off of three 12+ hour shifts of being a single parent while I was at work, doesn't want to think about preparing food either! Our solution? We would always get restaurant food that night. It became such a habit that we got to expect it every week. Ledge would ask if we could get restaurant food though out the week and we could always say 'we'll have some on Sunday'.

Even though I don't work the weekends any more, its become such a tradition at this point that it would almost feel weird not to get restaurant food on Sunday night! Ledge's favorites at the moment are Pizza Hut and Wendy's (the two most expensive, of course...).

Jeopardy!

For some reason my son got really in to quiz games. I'm not sure what brought this on, but suddenly he wanted to ask us trivia questions and wanted us to make up questions for him to answer. He really wanted to play Jeopardy, which is weird because he's never really seen the show. He didn't actually want to watch the show, just recreate it at home for all three of us to play. Ok buddy, lets do it!

He still has the white boards up on his wall from when we first moved in, so we took advantage and grabbed markers and made our own game. As you can see, he didn't go with the traditional spelling, instead spelling it 'Jeapurdee'. Makes perfect sense, right? We each created three categories and took turns asking and answering them. We didn't do much planning, so the questions were just from the top of our heads. We had so much fun doing the first round that we played another. I love game time with the family!