It’s 2019!

First trip of the year! “Can I get a what what?!”

On January 10th, Melinda, my sister-in-law sent me a text message to tell me she had won tickets to a talk show called The Real. Winning any sort of contest is exhilarating but winning tickets to a talk show you watch with some of your favorite hosts is especially exciting! I could feel Melinda about to explode from her excitement. We very quickly made the plans, figured out where we’d stay, what days we would go, and come back. We asked Jamee, my soul sister, if she would like to join and in her words “Aye! I’m down!”

We finalized our plans just a day or two prior to leaving and on our drive to California that Friday night, we grabbed Starbucks, hit play on Jamee’s “Sing It Sister” playlist and enjoyed our drive. As soon as we got to my dad’s house and ready for bed, it was like Jamee and I were in 5th grade! We joked all night long, laughed so hard that we cried and almost peed our pants, then we forced ourselves to sleep or else we’d hate each other in the AM.

Saturday morning, after we got ready we went to breakfast with my dad, and man oh man, it was so good! Had 2 eggs over cheese enchiladas and the red sauce on the enchiladas…to die for! Next stop, Santa Monica Pier baby! L.A. traffic on our way to Santa Monica was the worst! Not only was traffic crazy but them streets though?! Y’all need to get that fixed A.S.A.P.! Any who, the weather was perfect! Santa Monica Pier was a bit packed but still a great time. We walked around, took some pictures, and had a Farmers Market Sangria at The Albright. P.S. it was so delicious and their fries were addicting! Continuing on with our Saturday adventure, we stopped at Señor Fish in Echo Park for some very fresh yet mighty margaritas and homemade chips and salsa. Melinda got a michelada and the moment the waitress brought the drinks to the table, I knew I messed up with my drink choice however, my pineapple margarita was really good!

We walked across the street to Gingerly Witty, Time Travel Mart, and Stories Books and Café. Gingerly Witty, was such a cute boutique! I loved their style. As we were walking by the store, we saw this big dog in the window and honestly, that’s what sold me on the store. “Dog in the window?! Oh we goin’ in for sure!” The Time Travel Mart is a non-profit organization convenience store with random findings and trinkets. In the back of the store they had a neon room and the walls were all written on with chalk. When stores have rooms, or wall murals, or something that sets them apart and draws people in, I love that shit! I’m a sucker for a good wall mural. Stories Books and Café was an awesome quaint book store with new and used books, a café, and an outdoor patio. Not that I am a huge reader BUT they had such a wide variety of new and old books that were pretty interesting.

On Sunday, we went to Disney California Adventure, thanks to our family friend Andrew. Andrew, “you my boy blue!” Just being in the presence of Disneyland makes me so ecstatic! The smell of churros and popcorn in the air makes my heart so happy. You know those cartoons where the character is floating smelling the trail of a scent? That was me! Disneyland/DCA is truly a second home to me. I know that park like the back of my hand. I have been pinned an Honorary Citizen of Disney…what y’all know ’bout dat?! I haven’t been to DCA since they created Pixar Pier but they did not disappoint! The first ride of the day was the Incredicoaster. No matter how much I loved the original roller coaster with Neil Patrick Harris’s voice in the beginning, they still did a good job with the renovation. There are time were you go to theme parks for the thrill of the rides and the excitement of the park but this time, we ate our way through the park! Before we left the park, we got ice cream at Ghirardelli’s and Jamee had the genius idea to grab a warm churro and dip it in her ice cream. We were in heaven to say the least!

On the real about The Real, it was surreal! Before we got in line, we had lunch at the cutest fast-casual restaurant Olive & Thyme. If I owned my own restaurant, it would definitely look just like that! I’ve since tried to recreate the meal we had…I haven’t perfected it just yet but I’m getting there. The wait for the show was a bit much BUT we made nice with some cool people! As we walked through the Warner Bros Studios we finally got to the building, walked in, and got in line to be seated. As we were about to be directed to our seat, the security guards radioed each other and said “Scratch that, these girls are going there!” and then directed us to the front row seats! We felt like celebrities for .5 seconds. At the end of the show, Tamera Mowry-Housley came up to Jamee, Melinda, and myself and said “You ladies are so beautiful!” No words came out and I wasn’t even able to process it, I was frozen solid! I was just shocked that I’d met 1/2 of Sister, Sister, it was a childhood dream. My sister Debbie and I would always say she was Tia and I was Tamera so to see her in live action and to be told I am beautiful by her….I died! We had to have our phones off once the show started so I was fumbling to find my phone and record the moment that Tamera was there, starting at us, talking to us, telling us we were beautiful. I was in such shock I could speak but luckily Jamee said (maybe…slightly yelled) “YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL!”

On the drive home, we left a bit later than we would have wished but Jamee and I stayed up with Melinda. We played a game of 1,000 questions and Melinda has still not answered one of our questions, but nevertheless, we will continue to try to get the answer! When we stopped for food and gas, we all glanced up at the moon which posed our first question: would you rather be in space or in the deep depths of the ocean? Leave your answer below!