Girl Time!

It's a rare blessing for a mother to have some away time but as the years have passed I've seen how finding this balance helps me to be a better wife and mother.  We also wanted to prep Bubby for the time I'd be gone for my brother's wedding so I took a trip with a girlfriend for 3 days to check a few things on a bucket list.

I've known Natalie since I was a newlywed and loved how close their family lived to us.  She'd served a mission with the Thai people and loved Asian food so we could always share Chinese goodies with their whole family.  This meant I could safely plan on this fun food stop for Xiao long bao and know that's she'd enjoy it too!

We attend a bookclub that's been around for around 15 years so the Last Bookstore was a fun find for us.  They used books to decorate and the haphazard arrangement of shelves made each turn in a corner a new adventure with lovely little nooks for reading comfortably and browsing.

The little shops in the bookstore had a few clever items, but this one was particularly funny to me.

I have a thing for farmer markets, so of course we had to stop here.  Much too much to eat and try.

I was told Roscoe's chicken and waffles was a must so once we got our place in Hollywood we went out for a late night dinner.

So the real purpose of the trip was to get on to see the behind the scenes of The Price is Right.  I'd only ever seen one episode, but my kiddos had watched it with Helen Young, their adopted grandmother.  They loved it and Natalie always wanted to see it in person.  I'm always up for an adventure so she made us matching shirts and we went.  Just next door was another farmer's market where I had fried oysters for breakfast!

We had a ton of  fun despite the hot long wait.  It was neat to chat with people from all over and it was amazing how efficient things run on a set.  Our show airs October 18 and both Natalie and I were shifted around during the show to fill in gaps.  Neither of us wanted to be a contestant but we should show up in the background.  That's all the claim to fame I care for!

Dinner at the farmer's market again, gumbo!!!

The following day we took a drive to Randyland, an artist who works with glass and has it installed in his backyard.  He wasn't home (apparently he isn't often there) but we got a view from below.  I suspect when the light shines through the glass and you're right under it it gives a beautiful effect.

The night before we'd watched a short documentary on Madame Tussauds which made the wax museum fun to see.  Natalie was the best for pictures!  So fun to just be goofy together!

I'd never been to the Chinese Theater next door so we stopped in for a short time.

Our last stop was an area with a high concentration of Ethiopian people.  I really wanted to try their food so we stuffed ourselves before leaving for home.  Injera was the 'bread' used for scooping and dipping into the food.  It had a spongy texture and was slightly sour in flavor - a truly unique experience for me.

It was a blast and one I think we need to repeat! (hint, hint Natalie) Girl time  means we can get in all those things our husbands don't care to do and feel footloose and fancy free - even if it's only for a few days!