Los Angeles: a great place to visit but we wouldn't want to live there ;-)

Well, we're back from our visit to LA and we've had a few days to process and recuperate...despite the flippant headline, it was a wonderful but rather bittersweet visit, especially the second half, and was more difficult for us (well, me) than we expected. Our picture taking was woefully inadequate, but there are a few to show:

Friday April 20th: We got the kids up early and got to the airport, through security and onto our plane with zero time to spare. A relatively painless flight to LAX, then it took three hours to get to my parents' house - double our estimate due to traffic, rain, and airport inefficiency. But we had a nice afternoon with Mimi and PopPop and the kids, though keyed up from travel, behaved as well as could be expected.

Saturday April 21st: The big outing of the day was a trip to Underwood Family Farm. This farm has tons of animals to see and feed, play structures, rides, and pick-your-own veggies. I was amazed at how much produce was already ready, when here in Colorado the farmers markets are just opening with the first trickle of cool-season crops.

Sunday April 22nd: For some reason I can't remember what we did this day, but I know we went to a local park with my mom and dad at some point during this trip so it must have been today. Then I think (?) we had a nice dinner to celebrate my dad's 76th birthday (!) I know we did these things, but I'm just not 100% sure of the timing.
















Monday April 23nd: A nice morning around the house, then in the afternoon we packed up the kids, said goodbye to Mimi and PopPop and headed down to our old stomping grounds near Park la Brea. Soon after we checked in to our hotel, our dear friend and former nanny Udayangani came over to see us (who are we kidding, the kids!) and to go out for dinner with us. It was an emotional reunion and the kids were thrilled to see her. On her insistence, she stayed with them in the hotel for a few hours while we headed over to the O'Briens' house for a few hours of catching up. It was great to see them, but seeing them and sitting in their home like we'd never left brought on a rush of nostalgia and homesickness and I spent the first 10 minutes crying. It's not that I want to move back to LA - seeing the traffic and congestion reinforced our love of our new town - but I do wish I could somehow transport our neighbors and friends and community and some of the better aspects of our life from there to where we are now. Anyway, we spent a nice evening with Matt and Jill, and then came home to let Udayangani head home.

Tuesday April 24th: Jason had to work at his LA office today, so we took the kids to IHOP for breakfast first. Then Udayangani accompanied me to visit Melissa Disharoon and her kids, Tegan, Harper and Finn (again, me getting weepy on and off during my visit). At naptime we all headed over to the O'Briens' house, where I put Zach down for his nap and then Logan and Liv had a very sweet and happy reunion. They seemed to pick up right where they left off, and I got to say hi to Julie Stark and Sharon Bamber and Tamiko and Aimee Ishida, some of our old neighbors. We also peeked into our old apartment, which has been furnished for a corporate rental (three chefs who will be working at a new restaurant opening in town) and is not yet occupied. In the afternoon Marieke and Willem came by to play, and then Jason came home, and we saw some of the other neighborhood kids, and Christie came by, and Matt and Jill prepared a fabulous, delicious dinner in honor of Liv's 5th birthday. Watching the kids all play together in the yard as they used to for seemingly endless summers tugged at my heartstrings. I wonder how long it will be, if ever, before our kids have friends that close again here in Boulder. Is that a closeness you only get from knowing the kids and their parents since before you had memories? I don't know the answer and it scares me sometimes. To make matters worse, I have zero pictures from this day. I guess we were too busy living it and soaking it in to think about the camera.

Wednesday April 25th: Jason headed to work again this morning and the boys and I relaxed in the hotel room for a few hours. Then Mimi came down for a last visit, and to keep an eye on the kids while I got the car loaded up and checked out of the hotel. We got some lunch then stopped in to visit Logan's best friend from preschool, Penelope Goldin, and her parents Amy and Greg. Once again, the sweetness of how excited they were to see each other, and Logan's disappointment when the visit was over, was heartrending. But by the time we said goodbye to Mimi again, picked up Jason from his office and headed to the airport, Logan's spirits were lifting again and he was telling us her was excited to get home to Boulder. The kids did great on the plane - Jason and they sat together in a row and I got to sit by myself, a rare treat - and were real troopers even though we didn't make it home until late that night. A day or two of sleeping in and extra rest and they were back on track as their usual cheery selves. I am feeling better as well...still missing my friends but glad to be home, as this place really feels like home now.

Since getting back we've had some fun adventures, but those will have to wait until tomorrow, as it's 10:30 and I am really tired after a fun but exhausting weekend. Come back tomorrow night for more great pictures. Love to all!