The LA Wrap Up

We were home three days between Tahoe and LA -- during which time poor Dave got horribly sick and hung out on the couch except for paying bills and celebrating the twins' birthdays. I really felt for him; he was so uncomfortable and I could do nothing for him except buy ginger ale, which I managed to forget to do anyway. During those days I unpacked us, did laundry, repacked us and tried to keep the house quiet so Dave could doze off and on.

And then we drove to LA. My sister-in-law (not the ice cream one) is a extraordinary hostess and we celebrated New Year's Eve at their house with Italian food and New Year's Day with turkey. Back to that Jews and food thing again.

Something I love, love, love about LA is that my SIL has ties with a whole bunch of cousins down there. Nicole, who was close to Dave in childhood, and who lives on the Isle of Man, came in with her family. Her mother is someone I like but do not see often enough. Other cousins work in entertainment and I enjoy hearing about their world, which is so different than ours.

Eldest Daughter spent one night at a cousin's house. I can't do justice trying to describe the grandeur of their 12,000 sf French-themed home so I'll just keep it short and tell you that it was tastefully decorated in a micro way and that they have a screening room, where Eldest Daughter saw The Tale of Desperaux, which is still in the theatres. In my next life Dave and I will have his and hers garages, too.

During this trip we spent an afternoon with two of Dave's friends from college. Michael and Mary haven't changed a bit except that they seem to have parented three well-mannered children sometime since graduation. Eldest Daughter was only marginally interested in them until she learned that Michael is the general manager of a Macy's. Apparently they visited us the year I commuted to DC. Guess I missed that! They brilliantly suggested we meet at Universal Studios City Walk and that provided plenty for us to do after a leisurely lunch. The kids made candy bars, too, a fun time-killer, and we bought toe socks at a specialty shop. Doesn't everyone need socks that make their feet look like polar bears?!