Thursday, August 7, 2014

One Month In

Hello again!

Since the last posting we have had some fun doing various different things. First being, we hosted our first overnight guests in our modest little apartment. It was fun catching up and being the first stop on a fun summer trip for our friend David Reed and Rachel. We had fun despite not having much furniture to offer them. We hung out, caught up on new things, relived the old, and heard all about the fun journey they were embarking on. Tomas and Janine came by for a while too to hang out and catch up. So, there were 2/3 of the CLOSER boys and their producer hanging out reliving the "old days". Nathan wish you could've been a part of the fun. Old pictures even made their way out for show and tell. It was a great night -- fun and spontaneity always make for a good night. 

Here is just another fun picture .... this one of Meg visiting David at work one night! David is going strong in his work and is constantly adding new projects to his list of things going on. So, Meg and I went by the studio one night to visit and check out what is happening. Lots of things for Meg to explore and get into (per her usual). 

Hiking has become our new weekend routine. We enjoy getting up on Saturday or Sunday and going on a hike to either a canyon we've done many times or exploring new ones - like we did this past weekend. These hikes are a great way to get in some exercise but be out of the house doing something new and different that we haven't always been able to do. The new hike this past weekend took us right up to the infamous HOLLYWOOD sign. It was a great view once we got there; however, we weren't quite prepared for the intense hike leading to it. It was a little brutal at some points but so worth it and such a great way to start a day here in LaLaLand. Round trip this hike was 6.5 miles (usually we average about 2.5-3mi round trip on the other paths) and took us not only to the sign but to the actual, original Batcave from Batman! It's not that big of a cave but really pretty cool to walk through it and see the iconic location and to envision the Batmobile pulling in and out of there as Batman and Robin took off to go save lives! Once we work up our stamina a little more we plan on doing this hike again. Next time we want to do the full hike that takes you up to the backside of the sign; it's a total of 6.4 miles one way. Here are some links to the various canyons we have hiked and like to hike. The views from each of these are absolutely amazing no matter how many times you hike them. It takes you out of the city and allows you to have a little peace and look down on the busy city below.
Fryman Canyon (this one is closest to us)

Runyon Canyon (this one is one of the more famous ones and has amazing views of downtown LA, Hollywood, and more)
Yep, that's right, beware of Rattlesnakes!! This sign is at pretty much every canyon and the dog park. (Brush Canyon even had one to beware of possible mountain lions!)


Conquering the massive incline ... always a little tricky coming down this thing.



 I made it down. These pictures don't quite do justice to extreme incline and difficulty - made more complex by the sliding dirt and rocks. 
One of the really amazing views from Runyon Canyon. 



Brush Canyon (this one is the longest hike we've done ... we didn't go all the way to the sign but hiked the majority of the trail ... we combined over half of this one with the Bronson Cave hike)


Holding the sign! 



Bronson Cave (the original Batcave from Batman!)


Going in to the Batcave! 

The Batcave


The view of the Hollywood sign from the base of the cave. 


A panoramic view from the base/entrance of the Batcave.

We haven't been back to a beach since the previous post, but since then I did learn that Zuma Beach where we were last is the same beach where all the Baywatch episodes were filmed. There's a little piece of west coast trivia for ya! ;) 
The weather out here has been a little hot lately. It's such a different kind of hot that when it was actually humid for a few days I felt like I was back home and wasn't real sure how to handle the humidity. One thing that almost never happens out here is rain!! It's so weird but I actually really really miss the rain. The other night we went to a friend's for dinner and it had been very overcast all day. No rain though. We got home and went to walk Meg for the night and it started raining!!! I turned into a little school girl. I was so giddy. We walked Meg in the rain with no umbrella or raincoat and I truly enjoyed it! Of course, it's not the same as back home. The rain was light and not even loud enough to hear inside when I left the windows and sliding doors open to hear it. But, still, it was rain!

Once a month The Griffith Observatory offers a free public start party. It's an event that we went to a few years ago and decided to go again the other night. At this event you can tour the observatory for free, look through the giant telescope and local astronomers also set up their telescopes on the lawn of the observatory and allow people to look at the universe. It is a fun event with lots and lots of people attending. The night we went the weather was a little cloudy (it was the day before the rain) so the telescope wasn't operating but we were able to get up close looks at the machine itself. It is pretty mind-blowing how large it is, the pictures do it no justice. We were; however, able to really walk through the museum this time. Last time there were so many people that it was hard to really get to appreciate all that the museum has to offer. It is quite amazing to go in and see all the exhibits. From the lawn, there are phenomenal views of the HOLLYWOOD sign and downtown LA, all pretty incredible. We will definitely be attending this again sometime and hopefully the weather will be cooperative.
For a little bit of trivia on The Griffith, it has appeared in several movies. Some movies you might know include: Dragnet, The Rocketeer, The Terminator, and more. If you're interested in learning any more about The Griffith you can click here.
Sunset as we walked up to The Griffith. (if you look very closely at the top of the hill in the upper right corner you can see the Hollywood sign)




This is the side of part of the building where one of the telescopes is housed along with the amazing skyline of LA.







So, here is the big news so many of you have been waiting for and checking in on me to find out .... I GOT A JOB!!! It's official, I have been offered and have accepted a position as Certified Child Life Specialist II at Children's Hospital Los Angeles working in The Heart Institute/Cardiac Units. It is super exciting, a long time coming, and a great relief to have this next chapter starting. I don't have an official start date yet due to having to have my physical and background check cleared before being able to start. CHLA is an amazing facility and I was completely blown away when I went for an interview and tour. I'm really excited about becoming a part of the team there and learning more about CHLA and the numerous impacts it has on it's patients and the community.
My new place of employment! 

The day I was made an offer from CHLA David came home and surprised me with a very sweet card and some gorgeous sunflowers!!

Until next time friends .... 



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