1000 miles in 4 days!

I drove to LA to meet my cousin Jean for the first time and to show her SoCal!!! That's a lot of miles for ME!! Dick stayed in SF and worked Taylor's Halloween Carnival and spent time with Taylor.

So, my father had two sisters - he was the youngest. One moved to Australia from Scotland and the other to America with my father. So, Aunt Jessie - the one in Australia - had 3 children - John, David and Jean. At one point, all visited America once, except Jean. Well, it was Jean's turn now! She is 54 years old and now has 2 children herself - Belinda and David. She spent 2 weeks in Michigan with our Aunt Doreen and 4 days getting to know Brenda and her children, Amy, my Mom and I.

Day #1 - Beverly Hills and Hollywood
After picking my Mom (she flew in from Michigan!) and Jean at LAX, we drove over to Beverly Hills - Rodeo Drive, went on a tour of Hollywood and movie stars homes, and enjoyed a dinner in Westwood (fun spot for UCLA students). We also spotted Sharon Stone in her Bentley coming out of Bel Air area!

Me, Jean and Mom - Hollywood

Brenda joined us in the evening so we went up to the bar at the hotel on the 17th floor that overlooked Hollywood. We had some good laughs and a GREAT margarita - after we returned the Margarita ACCIDENTALLY made with grapefruit juice instead of margarita mix - yuk!! Don't try this at home! We all shared a two double bed room - prices are high in LA for hotels and we DO have the Scottish wallets!! ;) We dropped into bed around midnight but could not go to sleep right away! Mom walked out with camouflaged pajamas and we could not see her!! It was hillarious and we all got a lot of laughs! We set the alarm for 3:50 am for our big day tomorrow.

Day #2 - Price is Right!!
We were in line at 5:30 a.m, got our ticket to come back at 10:00 a.m. for the 1:00 taping of the show. There was a lot of waiting around but it was fine cuz we had a lot to talk about. We were able to share stories and really get to know Jean. We made friends with the other possible contestants sitting around us and shared stories with them too! We were enjoying the day and this was all outside of the show!! Everyone has a 10 second interview with 'Bob' and he makes his decision if you would be called to 'Come On Down!!'
We entered the studio with 'Dancing Queen' playing so loud so we sang and danced our way to the THIRD row!! They played YMCA and 'Shout' so we danced and sang in our seats. EVERYONE was laughing and singing, it was a hoot!! Jean was smiling from ear to ear!! Unfortunately none of us were chosen - even wearing our matching RED t-shirts that Brenda made saying, "Comin' On Down from Down Under'. Drew Carey sat close to us between games and we really enjoyed his relaxed, carefree conversations. Also, since we made friends with everyone around us, when they were called to play, we were soooooo happy for them. Our buddy Westin won a CAR!! We were so excited for him! Our taping will air on January 8, 2009!!
For dinner we returned to Hollywood and had dinner at an Italian restaurant. It was fabulous! Mom and Brenda drove back to Brenda's house and Jean and I stayed one more night at the hotel.

Day #3 - Huntington Beach
We drove to HB and met Amy and Christa - her boss - for lunch, went to the Queen Mary in Long Beach - including the Scottish store located on the ship and toured the multimillion dollar model homes next to Amy's condo. Jean was SHOCKED!! She had to hold her jaw or it would have fallen on the floor!! She said if we were to visit Brisbane, we would be shocked at how primitive it is. She said in America we have sooooo many options! We talked a lot about her childhood and how much she missed having family around. She asked a lot of questions about our grandparents, cousins and gatherings we had. She was hoping that by meeting us and sharing stories that she would feel better about her past. I hope and pray that it worked. We discussed how life is tooooo short to hang onto mishaps of our past. We had dinner with Amy, talked a lot of politics and religion and called it a night.

Day #4 - Halloween Parade in LaVerne
Before leaving HB we had to go down to the ocean and put our feet in! It was a beautiful day - I hated to leave!! Yea, Jean was surprised at how cold it was!! They do not celebrate Halloween in Australia so Jean enjoyed all of the costumes. Maya and Jenna were having fun and we all enjoyed lunch after the Parade. Maya dressed up as a backup singer for Gwen Stefani (?) and Jenna took off her Zebra Ghost costume already. We returned to Brenda's home for a few hours. I am soooo excited!!! Remember the guy that went around the world 'doing his dance'? (I would post a link to a YouTube video but am afraid my blog will be removed) Well, I've been thinking of what I can do when I go to cool places, instead of just standing in front of the object..... It all started when Aunt Jessie came over to America and I clearly remember my family 'doin' the kick!' and taking pictures of them doing so.

Brenda, Jean and I doin' the kick!

Our family tradition!!! I am so happy that we have this tradition!! From here on out, you'll be seeing me KICK UP MY HEELS wherever I go! :)

Mom and I left Brenda and the girls and drove Jean to LAX but we had a few hours to walk around a beautiful mall right down the street. Jean enjoyed her first Pina Colada at The Islands before she left. Many thanks of appreciation and hugs were given. We will keep in touch. Jean plans on returning in 3 years for Aunt Doreens 80th birthday. We want to meet again in New York with her children and anyone else who can make it! Mom and I drove back to Brenda's.

Yea, lots of driving and always on the move but Jean enjoyed getting to know us - and us her - so the mission was accomplished. We all feel very blessed to have had this opportunity to share our lives, laughs and love with eachother.

Day #5 - Depart Brenda, the girls and Mom
I left around noon for Merced where Dick was waiting for me with a dozen red roses, the sweetest card, and a great big 'I MISSED YOU' kiss!

Yea, I agree, a pretty lucky and loved gal I am!

You can view the rest of the pictures on my Web Album - link on the right.