As soon as we arrived in California it was non-stop... dinners, shopping, spa & hair appointments and running a ton of errands. It was crazy but fun.
Our flight to Philly went smoothly and C did a great job. I had a ton of games and activities prepared but what really saved the day was the DSi game S & I bought him about a month before the trip along. The DSi was a life saver. C must have played "Gardening Mama" & "Night at the Museum II" for about four to five hours off & on until the battery went dead. Not much sleeping on this flight since it was during the day but even so the eight hours flew by.
Now I was a bit stressed about our second flight. The custom lines were incredibly long and it seem to take forever to pick up our luggage only to recheck them and go through security all over again. We made it to our gate and I set up a docking station by the nearest outlet to recharge my phone & the DSi. By this time I was exhausted which may explain why we almost missed our 2nd flight. The sign by the gate we were sitting near said Dulles, Washington so I thought we had plenty of time to relax. Yeah, not really. And if I was a person who actually wore a watch I would have known this but I don't and clocks at the Philly airport are non-existant! lol! So when I saw the section we were sitting in clear out I didn't think anything. I mean the sign said Dulles. Then I saw a group of women scrambling to get their things together as they were saying, "See I told you this is our flight to LA." LA!! So I asked them if they were going to Los Angeles and they said yes. Like a crazed women I started to pull out all of our chargers and gathered all of our bags and C & I ran to the gate. We had 5 minutes to get on the plane and I couldn't find our boarding passes! But we made it. We were the last ones to board.
We got to Los Angeles on time but my parents flight was delayed. Our flights were supposed to come in about the same time which would have worked out perfectly. We had planned to meet at the car rental to do the paperwork. But it didn't work out that way. My family's flight was delayed over 2 hours and because my grandmother needs wheel chair assistance it took them even longer to meet us. C & I were waiting for THREE hours at the car rental place. You know what 3 hours feels like after a 14 hour flight! We were so tired or I should say I was tired. There was a huge play area so C played the entire time. I tell you if it wasn't for that play area I would have wanted to stick pins in my eyes! lol!
We met my sister and her fiance at the condo we rented which was incredibly comfy. So much easier than staying at a hotel.
After a few hours of sleep, I was off to the mall to alter my dress for the rehearsal dinner and to find shoes and jewelry for the wedding. I saw soooo many pretty clothes but there was no time to look. I was on a mission. I did well too... completely focused. I was in and out within two hours ...ok maybe it was three. I have to say Nordstom is fabulous. They were able to alter my dress within a day. Love their service. I found some beautiful chandelier earrings along with a matching bracelet that looked great with my dress. Plus I found some pretty strappy heels with little rhinestones for the wedding day too. I brought a backup pair of shoes with me but these strappy heels were so much more comfortable.
Once I got back to the condo everyone was set and ready to go. My sister brought her little Poo-Chi, Brooke, so C was in heaven. If only I could find a Poo-Chi like hers. I would definitely consider having a dog. She is such a cutie.
Before heading to my sister's in laws' house we went to the tuxedo shop. Lil' C look so cute in his tuxedo. He looked like such a little man. ;) After we were done, we took C to get his hair trimmed.
My sister's future in laws are so wonderful! They made a wonderful dinner for us. It was relaxing evening... eating great food and getting to know everyone better. C had a fantastic time. He played with Brooke non-stop. The poor dog was worn out!
The next day was the rehearsal dinner. That morning I had an appointment to get my hair blown out. My girlfriend, Gio has curly hair and advised me to try her stylist who is fabulous with curly hair. And I've seen her hair and it looks great. But my hair is much curlier than Gio's. So I had my reservations. I've never had anyone blow my hair as straight as I can get it with the flat iron. But let me tell you this guy was incredible! He was a magician! I walked in the salon with curly hair and walked out with gorgeous, shiny, straight hair. I didn't think it was possible but I walked out of that salon feeling incredibly glamorous. Next was a quick visit to Nordstrom to pick up my dress. I couldn't resist looking at the make-up counters... Bobby Brown, Laura Mercier, MAC. Love it all. I had my make-up done at the MAC counter in Nordstoms. I miss going make-up shopping. It's not the same in Belgium. You don't want any miscommunication when buying make-up. It could be a recipe for disaster. lol!
By the time I got back to the condo there was just enough time to get dressed and pack for the next two nights. My girlfriend, Gio was going to watch Lil' C while we went to dinner. But she got lost finding the condo so we left much later than we originally planned.
It was hectic to say the lest and the GPS could not locate the name of the street where the rehearsal was taking place. And because it's L.A. we got stuck in some major traffic. To make things even more stressful I realized an hour into our drive that I FORGOT my dress for the wedding!
We arrived at the LA River Center with just enough time to practice a couple of times. Once we were done we drove to The Farm of Beverly Hills for the rehearsal dinner.
Secret Agent B just so happen to be on his way to Australia so he stayed in L.A. to make it to the dinner. It was really fun seeing him. I was happy the Gypsy (my sister's fiance) finally met Secret Agent B. He always jokes that my friend & S are really secret spies and are on these crazy secretive missions. lol! Everyone loved B.
The food at the restaurant was incredible. I got to meet some of the Gypsy's friends and they were all so fun! After dinner, we went to the Conga Room for some latin dancing. We had a fantastic night!
We spent the night at the Westin. Now I'm not usually a big hotel person but this place may have changed my mind. The bed was so comfy! When you're away from home sleeping on silky, soft sheets is such a nice treat. Since I wasn't completely adjusted to the time zone I woke up after 5:00am and decided to practice my speech. I practiced so much I had that baby memorized and I was able to say it without crying.
My sister & I had a relaxing morning talking, watching a little tv, and ordering room service for breakfast. Later we met up with Carol and drove to Old Town Pasadena for our day of spa treatments at Burke Williams. I was really looking forward to my massage. We got there right on time so we had little time to change so it was a little stressful. Not a great way to start a relaxing massage but I was fine. Then I met my masseuse... a young guy. Hmm... I've never had a professional male masseuse before so I thought I'd give it a try. Things were going good until he started to take in these really long breaths and blow out really hard. It was very distracting. The first time it happened (yes, he did this several times) I thought, "What the heck is he doing?" I'd like to think he was inhaling & exhaling deeply to get rid of the bad energy. But wasn't I the one who was supposed to do this? I asked that he not massage my scalp for fear of ruining my gorgeous straight hair but he put so much oil on my body that I was worried he was going to get oil near my hairline when he was massaging my neck. lol! Let's just say this was not the relaxing massage I was hoping for. After my massage I met up with the girls and I told them about my massage. We had a good laugh. Next was my pedicure. Which I have to say was the most fabulous pedicure I've ever had! I loved the fact that there were three other women getting pedicures & manicures but there was absolute silence...no one was talking. It was so relaxing and peaceful. Loved every minute of it!
After our treatments my sister and I along with her friends Carol and Salina had a nice lunch at the Cheese Cake Factory. Old Town Pasadena is so pretty. I would have loved to stay longer and walk around and visit some of the cute shops. We originally had plans to go out for dinner but we were so full from our late lunch that we changed plans. My sister didn't want to deal with traffic so we stayed at the hotel and ordered room service. It was really nice. Two of my sisters friends spent the night with us so we stayed up talking and snacking. G even tried on her dress for us. She looked beautiful. And Carol & I took out our little notes with our speeches and we read them. I loved what Carol wrote. It was so moving .. she wrote about things I wish I could have said but I knew it would have been too much for me. Just reading her speech made me cry. Hearing positive feedback from Carol & Geraldine made me feel much better about my speech.
We went to bed around 11pm; we had a full day ahead of us and we wanted to be completely rested.
More to come. It's 10:50am here in Florida and my Mom just woke up. I want to spend as much time with my parents as I can. I'll edit and add photos later tonight.
I have been dying to hear about the wedding and see pics! Can't wait for more! Sounds awesome already!!!! Enjoy your time in Florida!
Posted by: Tippa Glover | 18 July 2009 at 21:27