"The Tale of a Midwest Girl Loving the West Coast Life": The Second Weekend in June

Our first weekend in June was spent doing nothing too exciting. We went to Charlie's last Little League game, searched for apartments the entire weekend, grilled out all three nights, and went to bed early.

The second weekend in June was definitely relaxing but a little more fun-filled. Friday night we got off work, got ready, and headed to Hollywood. Our new friend Julian had us added to the guest list for the Live @ Sunset Marquis Acoustic Sessions. Upon arrival, we got Livestrong-type wristbands. They were purple and personalized with the event name & date...definitely the coolest wristbands I've ever gotten. We also got personalized guitar picks. Obviously, I had to ask for two to make them into earrings.

Unfortunately we had just missed the band Allegra, however, we got to enjoy the sounds of Of Verona followed by Voxhaul Broadcast. Two bands that we were told love to rock out, but it was definitely cool getting to see some acoustic sets. It was a quaint little setting upstairs, next to the pool, with cabanas and tall tables with white linens set up. Although the drinks were over-priced ($10) and very weak, we had a good time. As we were making our exit, we walked by the one and only VINCE VAUGHN. Way cool! It was Charlie's first celeb-citing since moving to LA. Unfortunately we didn't get to see them, but we were also told that Aerosmith was staying at the hotel. It's a great spot for celebrities, because it's still very 'Hollywood', but not located on the Sunset Strip. It seemed like an awesome location to dine (at the hotel restaurant), drink (at Bar 1200 located in the lobby), and stay. We will definitely be back for a brunch, dinner, and some more acoustic sessions.

Live @ Sunset Marquis Acoustic Sessions

Another shot of us enjoying the music

Saturday we woke up early (why do we always wake up early on weekends again?!) to start packing up our place. We don't move for two weeks, but we thought we'd get a head start. After making breakfast and packing for a few hours, we headed to Manhattan Beach to do street team work (and stop at Manhattan Beach Creamery for a double scoop!) for Saint Rocke (the 290 capacity music venue that Charlie has started doing some work for). That was short lived, because we had to make our way to Torrance for the Little League closing ceremony.

Me & my fro-yo

Charlie & his double scoop

My dad and Charlie headed to the ceremony while Lisa and I did some shopping (thanks again for the shoes!). We did a little more street team work on the way back to El Segundo (where we still live for the next two weeks) and then went home to grill out. We made mediterranean marinated tri-tip shish kabobs, olive oil & parsley couscous, and grilled bread topped with olive oil, tomatoes, feta, and goat cheese. SO delicious. We were too full and tired from a long day, so we ended up playing Scattergories (my favorite) and heading to bed at a decent hour.

Dinner! Sluuurp!

Sunday we woke up, and I decided it was time to go Mac shopping! So here I am typing this from my new Mac :) I've finally entered the 'Apple World'. So far, so good.

Hii from my new Mac :)

After purchasing this new computer, we packed up and headed to Dockweiler Beach. Dockweiler is about a mile from our house, and it's the only beach around us that allows bonfires. We staked out the fire pit we wanted and headed towards it. Charlie dug sand out and made homemade beach chairs for us to lounge in. We spent all afternoon laying around, munching on sandwiches, cheese & crackers, and fruit, and chatting. After a while, he left to get us drinks, and I took a little nap...which is why my face is now beet red. Anyway, dusk came, Julian and his friends came down, and we had ourselves a little bonfire. We made smores, had a few drinks, and hung out til about 930. At that point, I was done for.