More Friends!

Tate finally came to visit last weekend and we had a blast. Thursday night we just had sushi dinner near the Grove. Friday we spent most of the day on the beach in Santa Monica, had fish tacos for lunch and then hit Chateau Marmont for dinner, which was very fun and sort of our "Hollywood" night out (we saw John Krasinski and Robbi Williams!) Saturday we rode bikes along the beach to Venice and then went to a couple of bars on the West side (including James Beach - the picture above). We only made it to my favorite LA stops - Pinkberry and In-n-Out Burger once this visit. In retrospect we did a horrible job of taking pictures even though I distinctly remember lugging my camera around everywhere.

Hanging with friends

Some recent pictures (b-t):

1) My high school friends Annie, Mandy and Emily and their kids in Springfield. Very cute.

2) Hanging with Jenn, Bridgette and John Nein at the Santa Monica Farmers Market last weekend. Jenn's last weekend before she moves home to Texas!

3) Sherisse in town. We went to the Tom's Shoes sample sale. They are casual, canvas shoes and I was able to snag a silver sparkly pair b/c I have small feet and most of the samples were size 6 or 6 1/2. For every pair of shoes you buy, Tom's donates a pair of shoes to a child in a developing country. Sherisse had to leave early b/c she got a great new job in San Francisco, so she's very excited. While she was here, we spent a fair amount of time at Pinkberry, went to a horrible party in Hollywood, went to a couple of yoga classes at the studio I like, and saw the new Batman movie.

Springfield, Missouri

Recently, I got to spend about a week at home in Springfield, Missouri. (In case of confusion, I moved to LA from Chicago after living there for about 8 years. I grew up in Springfield, Missouri). I am one of those people that absolutely loves going home. I got to spend a lot of time at my parents' lake house on Table Rock Lake. We played a bit of horseshoes and grilled out almost every night. I had Andy's Frozen Custard, Mexican Villa, Skinner's BBQ, mom made grilled catfish with ketchup, we celebrated Grandpa McGee's 90th Birthday, I caught up with my high school friends, mom and I went to Target and Walmart and the mall and went vintage shopping, etc. It's like a wonderfully restorative cocoon for me. I haven't been home in more than a year, so it was a bit of sensory overload...freshly mowed grass, lighting bugs, mosquito bites (tons!), hummingbirds and cardinals, walking the dog by the river with my dad, it all feels like a big, giant hug that reminds me of growing up. I know Missouri isn't without its flaws (independent film is major novelty and most people still aren't sure WHO TO VOTE FOR IN THE NEXT ELECTION), but for me it's really healthy to get back to my hometown roots once in a while. It's also very weird to be home in Middle America for almost 10 days straight and then the next week have a vegan picnic on the beach, get $20 Chinese foot massages with Hollie, and go to the premiere of the Step Brothers movie with Dave and see John C. Reilly, Jason Bateman, Jon Heder and Ron Jeremy walking down the red carpet. Life is so random. This week, Sherisse is in town, then Tate gets in town next week. Fun!

Grandpa McGee's 90th Birthday Party