California Trip

Mom e-mailed me the other day and said that she and Cherri were laughing that there had been silence from Tulsa about our California trip, but if you'll notice from my previous post I said I hoped it didn't take 2 months to update....it's only been 2 weeks, so I actually think I'm doing pretty well! :)


Tony and I had a great time in California. I flew into Burbank on Friday and he met me at the airport, which I was grateful for because we thought I might have to take a cab to the hotel. We stayed at the Renaissance Hotel on Hollywood Blvd., right next to the Kodak Theater, home of the Academy Awards, and Grauman's Chinese Theater where a lot of the film premiers are held. Tony went back to the office, which is right across the street, and I wandered around the outdoor mall that's right there. I saw all the "stars" that are on the sidewalk, and then this past Monday I saw on the TV Guide Channel that Bruce Willis got his star, and it was cool because I had just been there!

Sidenote: I was in the BCBG Store in that mall, and one of the clerks there said she loved my hair, that the color was gorgeous, which I immediately text-messaged to Beth, because she had "funked" me up a little bit before I went out there.

I met up with Tony after about an hour or so and went to the TV Guide office to meet some of his co-workers and his boss for the first time. He (Tony's boss) recommended an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, so we made a reservation and headed to the coast. (We counted that as our early anniversary celebration...23 years October 29th!) We had been in contact with Mace and weren't sure we were going to get to see him because he was in a wedding on Saturday, but the wedding party was having dinner at a place in Santa Monica, so after we ate we met up with Mace for a few minutes at the restaurant where he was. It was quite an experience trying to find it, but after about 45 minutes of driving back and forth and several phone calls with Mace, we finally found it. We sat and visited with Mace for a few minutes and got to hear all about his New York trip which he had just returned from that afternoon. It was great getting to catch up with him for a little while. He then took us back to meet the wedding party. The friend that was getting married is an actor and had recently been on "The Closer" which we like to watch, so Tony immediately recognized him from the show. That was kind of fun. Also, he was marrying the daughter of Fred Dryer, who was the star of the show "Hunter" that was on in the 80's, so we got to meet them also. We left as they all did and said bye to Mace. We were thrilled to have gotten to see him!

Saturday morning we got up and drove to John and Robin's house. Tony had been there before, but I never had. It is absolutely beautiful! We had a fun time hanging out with John and watching the OU/Texas game, even though the game itself was lousy. During half time, we drove around a little bit in John's new Ferrari, and he showed us some of the houses that he has sold, built, has listed, etc. He then asked if Tony wanted to drive the Ferrari. All I could think of was, "Don't wreck this car, don't wreck this car..." Anyway, Tony had a blast driving it, and we decided we weren't sure if we had one that we would let anyone drive it! That just shows what kind of person John Mark is!

Saturday evening we had a driver who drove us in John's Maybach, complete with chilled champagne and a Nora Jones DVD playing, to the new Orange County Performing Arts Center, where we saw the Russian Opera. The talent was unbelievable, including Placido Domingo who was featured that night. We actually left before it was over; the program said it would last 5 hours including intermissions. We saw Act I, and Act II, and then left because we had dinner reservations. John told us to order the seafood tower and caviar, but we skipped the caviar. The seafood tower was wonderful, and then Tony had a great steak, but I was so full, I just had a bowl of lobster bisque, which was fabulous! The driver then delivered us back to the house. It was a fantastic evening...truly, a once in a lifetime experience for us.

Sunday morning we all went to church at Mariner's Church and enjoyed a great service, then had lunch at Shady Canyon Country Club (where Tiger Woods goes when he's in California, and where the McMonigles are members), and went back to the house and took a few pics before Tony took me to the Santa Ana airport. I flew to Phoenix and was delayed because of a maintenance issue with the plane, so I didn't get home until 12:30. I was pooped! Tony went to San Diego for a business conference after I left, and he didn't fly home until late Wednesday evening. We then had a late birthday celebration for him on Thursday.

We had a wonderful time, and I am very grateful to John & Robin for letting us stay with them and providing us with such an incredible evening Saturday. Their kids are fun, and Kelly (their 4 year old) has my address and phone number so she can write or call any time! They are a beautiful family! We thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend a little time with Mace, too. Well, that's the update about our trip. Check back 'cause we'll post a few pictures when we can.

Everything's rocking along here. The kids are on Fall Break right now, so Nataly is with the youth group on a camping/caving trip until tomorrow, and then Cody leaves Friday for Senior High Retreat. Right now he is at a friend's house for a movie night. Beth's plugging away at school, and she's committed to finishing, even though she really doesn't like the routine of it! I believe she is really talented, she just has to develop more confidence in herself and her abilites. That will come, I know.

I'm off to fix supper and then go practice for a wedding that I'm singing in on Saturday. Hope to see you all at Dal's wedding!

Love to all!
Melody