*Note: I started writing this a few days ago, but I didn’t have the chance to post. Sorry for the incorrect tense. Also, read my last blog post to understand the struggle of getting here.
Today marks the third day that I’ve been in Southern California, and even though I’ve been here before–I already don’t want to leave in 11 days.
The vibe of this part of the country just appeals to me in a way that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. It feels like home even though I didn’t grow up here. It feels like I’ve been here all my life, even though I haven’t spent enough time to equal a year here. It feels like everything I’ve ever wanted.
How sappy can I get you guys? Hahah.
Seriously though, have you ever been somewhere that instantly felt like you belonged there? Just me? I know it can’t be.
Every time I come to this captivating city, I wonder how in the hell my parents settled where they did. I know by now that everyone is different and everyone has different preferences, but I still don’t understand why there are people who wouldn’t want to live here.
I guess it’s one of those things that you love so much you don’t understand those that don’t. Whatever, it’s fine.
ANYWAY!
So if you read my last post you know that I almost didn’t make it to CA, but I’m here. Yay!
Day 1
The first day I was here (Sunday)… Is it horrible that I already can’t remember what I did?! Omg! ………………………………….. OH! Okay, so my cousin, also named Ashley, picked me up after a nap and we went to eat at my other cousin, Sarah’s, job. Blaze Pizza. I’ve never heard of it, and I don’t know if it’s just a California thing, but if you are near one and you haven’t been–GO! Soooooooo good. Blaze is in a mall, so after we finished eating we just walked around until Sarah got off work. I went to H&M, MAC, Forever 21 and a few other stores. When Sarah got off….WHAT DID WE DO!????? Oh, we just went to the mall again.
Day 2
THIS WAS MY FAVORITE DAY SO FAR! Sarah and I went to the gym at 7 a.m. and then she took me to Herbalife, which we have in TX I have just never been, and oh my word. It was so good, I need to look up where the one in LBK is located. Then we went back to her house, rested for a while then got ready to go to THE GRAMMY MUSEUM CAN YOU HEAR MY EXCITEMENT THROUGH THESE TYPED CHARACTERS?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!
If you aren’t quite sure why I was/am so excited about this:
1. I love music with all my heart
2. The museum has a Taylor Swift exhibit
3. I love Taylor Swift like she is my best friend
4. I love The Grammy’s
5. I love music with all my heart … Yup.
Basically, this was the highlight of my trip thus far.
Day 3
We planned to go to South Coast Mall, which Ashley told me had Topshop and Zara and a lot of the major designer stores. Sarah and I were going to go to the beach while Ashley was at work, but we didn’t end up going because she got off super early and we had to rush to get ready.
Ashley picked us up and we ran over to Goodwill to look for mason jars, her apartment so she could get unratchet (hahaha), went to a mall that kind of sucked I’m not going to lie, went to a two story Target where I picked up the physical copy (obviously) of LiveSOS. And you know what’s weird about that? A few seconds after I picked it up, my phone lit up with this notification:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you hear my excitement, again? I thought it was completely insane because earlier the band tweeted this:
And I sort of just brushed it off because usually they DM people who they follow and they are not following me, so I was SOOOOO confused. I texted/called a few friends to see if they got it and they didn’t so I literally feel so special.
I hid in the magazine isle of Target and watched the video that was linked to the message and got emotional, there I said it.
After Target we went to get A’s car an oil change, walked to Quick & Easy? Fast & Easy? Some health food store, Starbucks, then back to the oil change place.
Then we went to pick up my nephew, Andre, then we went to Southcoast Mall where all the fancy shmancy people go.
I went to Zara and picked up two shirts, which I am completely excited and obsessed about.
THENNNNNN, Ashley suggested we go to this place on Sunset Boulevard called Bossa Nova, which. Omg. Can we just take a moment.
Best salad I’ve ever had in my life and I’m not even lying. I want to lift the restaurant from the ground and place it right next to my apartment complex in LBK.
After we drove down Hollywood Boulevard on the way home. Now I’m writing this on the couch with blurry contacts. Hahahah. Okay well now I’m going to go to sleep. I feel oddly awake so I don’t know how that is going to work out. It might be because of the two–TWO–Venti quad nonfat iced vanilla lattes I had today. Whoops.
Day 4
Today is the end of Day 4 and I’m sitting in bed listening to Sam Hunt’s “Break Up In A Small Town” and it’s crazy how different this song feels in Los Angeles. I feel like if I walked outside and asked 19 people if they knew this song, maybe one would say yes.
Isn’t it weird thinking that?
Today was pretty chill in the event category. Sarah, Ashley and I went to a few stores to Christmas shop. I was introduced to dd’s which is like the west coast version of Ross Dress For Less, even though they also have Ross’ here. It’s more of a hunt, but I love it. Later we went to Ashley’s to eat pizza and watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, which I surprisingly liked and laughed a lot at.
Day 5
So today I just kind of chilled. My cousin Sarah and I went to Blaze to eat, went to yet another mall and then back to her house.
What’s funny and a little weird is that she had to work at 7 p.m. and kept saying we should go back because traffic. So yeah, we went back tot he house at about 3 p.m. and then she left shortly after. I said weird, because dude. If you want to go see your boyfriend or friends, then go. I don’t like feeling like people think I need them by my side every second of every moment. I’m a big girl. I just said “LOL” in my head and almost just typed it, and now I’m telling you, so.
But yeah. Then when Nena (my aunt) came home she asked if I wanted to go to a boat parade. Daniel, Sarah’s brother, drove and I sat in front with him and it felt normal.
I just had this feeling like I was used to spontaneously deciding to go to a boat show.
Longview has balloon glows and Newport Beach has boat shows. If you’re wondering which one I like better, it’s the boats.
Traffic on the way there was a tad bit crazy, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle if I had been driving.
Traffic and parking was insane once we got closer to the boat show. We drove around for maybe half an hour, which included stopping at two parking lots one of which was for ‘members only’ the other was full, a liquor store to use a bathroom they didn’t have, continued driving around and finally we went back to the liquor store just to park and then scour the various little places behind it to find a bathroom. Which we finally found. While searching for the bathrooms we ended up seeing a ton of boats, so the whole trip wasn’t wasted. Back at the car we tried a little longer to find parking, then after a few full lots we just decided to call it and go eat somewhere.
We went to Spectrum Irvine, which is like an outside mall. It was reallyy nice and had a ferris wheel, carousel and a ton of stores I wish we had in LBK.
I didn’t really want to eat at a restaurant we have in Texas, but settled on The Cheesecake Factory because Daniel seemed really excited about it. Hahahah. Oh goodness.
I ate Chicken Belagio and it was delish. As always.
As we were making our way back to the car I spotted Brandy Melville and NEEDED to stop and look. I bought this very cute ring and wanted to buy the rest of the store, but I already spent most of my LA money. Sad day.
Next post will be every days 6-11!
Talk soon,
A x
Collage Of My Mind 