California Day 4: Hollywood Hills and Pinks Hotdogs!
Day 4 of our California Adventure…
After visiting three national parks we were ready for a bit of a break. So it was a good thing that Nick had to work because the kids and I needed an excuse to relax. We were beat.
We are hotel bound with Nick having the car…which has been no big deal! We are staying at a Residence Inn, Marriott. We have a full kitchen, a living room, a recreation area outside, a pool, and more! We are having the time of our lives just relaxing the day away in Cali while we wait for Nick to come back.
In the morning I got Nick off to the office and then waited until about 9 to get the kids up. It was heavenly! I was able to write, read the bible, and just relax a bit. So nice. The kids woke up and I took them down to breakfast. After eating I let the kids go down to the gym with me to work out. Believe it or not but this is their favorite thing to do at a hotel! They LOVE getting to go to the gym to exercise and mom is all for it. I love working out as a family. The fact that our little ball of energy boy burns off some energy is a major bonus too!
Then it was onto the pool where Cal swam, Emma and I laid out, and we enjoyed the Cali sun. So amazing and wonderful…especially after the polar vortex we have lived through back home in Indiana.
After swimming the children and I went upstairs for lunch. I made them rice and beans (which is their favorite…I love that our kiddos are so easy to please!) along with crudites, applesauce, and juice. Again, having the kitchen was a major bonus so we can eat what we want, how we want, in the comfort of our hotel room.
And then we did some school work. I had the kids bring workbooks that I bought at a resale. They had never been used and have a bit of all of the subjects in them. However I found that they might be a BIT outdated. For example, they refer to Notre Dame as Notre Dame College and then one of the sentences was something like “One day people who travel will realize Traveler’s Checks are a good idea to use.” Yikes. I think we’ll just leave these puppies at the hotel when we pack up to go…
But do you know what was so nice? Doing school outside! It was amazing! When you are a family from the Midwest you are amazed by warm weather. It is simply scrumptious! I couldn’t get over how foreign and kind the gentle breeze blowing was to feel.
After about an hour of school work we played some b-ball at the court in our hotel which was a lot of fun. Calvin is super cute playing basketball and showing us all of his skills.
And then Nick came home! Hooray because it was about the witching hour and the kids were losing it. But for being stuck in the hotel the day went by seamlessly and didn’t seem to drag on. It was very nice and relaxing. It could have been much, much worse.
When Nick came home we were going to go to the beach so we started out but then did the math of time (math of time sounds serious, right?) and realized it would be dark before we got to the shore. Boo.
So we decided to head into the eye of the monster and go to Hollywood.
You guys, I cannot tell you how much I hate being strapped into a car with Nick driving. He says I am just getting old and becoming a nervous nellie. I say he is getting old and can’t figure out how to drive anymore. Is this the fate of the rest of my days? I mean, what does my Mother-in-law feel? Does this feeling diminish? Because, legit, I don’t know if I can handle this.
Anyway , we drove up into Hollywoods Hills (somehow we made it alive, hallelujah) and found “the sign” to take some pictures. Of course right as we were getting there it started to rain. I think that is just going to be the theme of our week here. “And then we got there so it started to rain…” So California you are welcome, I guess our family brought precipitation to you… Ta-Da!
We then drove all through the town and found Pink’s Hotdogs! Y’all I am not a fan of hotdogs, practically at all, but these dogs were amazing! So yummy! We also got the holy-Moley fries which were the best french fries ever. French Fries with guac and nacho cheese? Yes, please!
After the yummy dinner we drove down Santa Monica Blvd and then down Hollywood Blvd. We just cruised, taking in Groman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood & Vine and all of the other iconic places. So surreal to be there! Now I feel like I understand 90210.
After that we went back to our hotel and went to sleep. The end. It was nice to get out and see the town. I am loving being in Cali and understanding the whole vibe thing that people always reference. There really is a different feeling here. We’re loving ourselves. And again I feel like I should shout it from the roof, “I can’t believe we’re in California!!!” Because legit, y’all, never thought this was going to happen. God is so good! See you tomorrow!
