Hollywood!

This past week has been beyond crazy. A week ago today we flew out at the crack of dawn to Los Angeles. We got off of the plane and were so happy to see sunshine and blue skies. Unfortunately it didn't get as warm as we would have liked but it definitely beat the snow and clouds we left behind. We picked up our rental car, checked into the hotel, and headed into Hollywood for lunch at The Ivy, a well-known restaurant frequented by celebrities. We sat outside and soaked up the sun and enjoyed a very slow paced lunch.














Afterwards we went for a stroll down Rodeo Drive. I've been there before so I knew what to expect but it was fun to see Kevin's reaction to how the other half lives. The cars, the clothes, and the overall appearance of the Hollywood type is definitely not something we are used to seeing. Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore! We made our way over to Hollywood Blvd to check out the Walk of Fame and the Kodak Theater.














The people watching in that part of town is definitely on a different scale. Lots of street performers and people trying to make a buck. The next part of our day was my favorite; the drive through the Hollywood Hills. Wow. The homes were so gigantic and beautiful. I could have spent hours driving around. While I could have done the same exact thing we did on day one on our second day in CA, we decided that we would explore somewhere new. We got an early start and visited Venice Beach. The early bird doesn't always catch the worm. We were a little too early. Nothing was open!











It was very chilly because the sun hadn't come out so we stopped at a little open air cafe that was armed with heat lamps and waited out the morning.











Okay, so the crazy people on Hollywood Blvd had nothing on the characters up and down the boardwalk. I will admit it, I was a little nervous at times. We spent a couple of hours taking it all in and then loaded up and drove up the coast to Malibu. Again with the insanely gorgeous homes. We stopped off for lunch on the water and then made our way back to LA. That afternoon we walked around a very popular outdoor shopping center called "The Grove". We were really hoping to spot our first celebrity but had no luck. Fortunately the following morning we had an appointment with a couple of very famous people! We ordered room service, watched some Idol, and got ready for our big day...