Cali Chapter 1: Surprises & Rockstars

Background for any of you who care: Lana was my roommate in the dorms at Tech my freshman year. She transferred to UT her Junior year and lived with Amy. Lindsey lived with Lana and Amy at one point. When I moved to Austin, I lived with Lana and Amy for a little while. We were young and fun.

(This is more like a journal for me to reflect on my trip, so it won't hurt my feelings if you don't read the whole thing! Unless you were on the trip with me, in which case, you better leave a comment.)

Chapter 1: Surprises & Rockstars

For assorted reasons, Lindsey and Lana planned a trip to Huntington Beach, CA. Lindsey thought it would be great if Amy and I surprised Lana out there, so the plan was hatched. Lindsey and I got up at 4:00 AM to catch our 6am flight. It was a torrential downpour the whole way to the airport, but we made it. We flew into John Wayne airport and took our picture by the giant John Wayne statue while we waited for Lana to arrive.
While we were sitting there, an old pilot was standing there taking pictures of the John Wayne statue with his iPhone. He asked us to take a picture of him with the statue stating, "God Bless John Wayne. He was a good American. The boys at the coffee shop aren't gonna believe this."

We were trying to figure out the best way to surprise Lana with my presence. I came up with the idea to pretend I was a limo driver and borrowed a sharpie from a nearby Starbucks to write her last name on a piece of paper. (blurred for her safety.)
Lindsey was trying to get a picture of Lana's face when she saw me, but we were using my new camera that I didn't know how to operate, so she couldn't get it in time. But she was surprised. It was really fun. She said, "I'm so glad you're here! The only thing missing is Amy!" (Lindsey and I exchanged a knowing glance.) Lindsey reminded me that my "hanging bag got left in Austin and won't arrive in CA until about 7pm."

We went to our frickin' AMAZING hotel (see above picture for the view from the balcony) and relaxed for a little while. Lana went for a run, Lindsey and I took a nap. (Keep in mind, Lindsey and I had been up since 4am, which is 2am Cali time. Plus, Lindsey had been sick and was still on codeine cough syrup.) We hit the "Regency club" for some free snacks and drinks, then headed back to the airport for my "hanging bag" (aka: Amy) before heading down to Laguna Beach for dinner. Amy has a 2 year old and a husband that teaches at the Air Force Academy, so Lana really didn't think she would be able to come. So, it was so fun to see her surprised face when I walked Amy up to the car! I couldn't hear, but apparently Lana was telling Lindsey, "let me out! let me out!"

We walked around some of the shops in Laguna, and I took a random picture of dog couture. (Amy, was this for Rosie dog?)

We ate at a cute little Italian place, where I took a picture of the wine bottle so I would remember what it was.


At this point, Lindsey and I had been up for about 22 hours - which is where the "rockstar" title comes in. But even rockstars get tired and we headed back to the hotel for some shut-eye. Lindsey and I said goodnight while Lana and Amy went down to the hotel bar - The Red Chair. They came in around midnight and we all slept like babies on benadryl.

Little did we know what the next few days had in store...