We had a kick butt trip in California! Katelynn, our oldest niece, graduated so we spent the good first 1/2 of our time there with pre- and post-graduation activities with little breaks in between. One of the best parts was being able to fly with my parents. We met up at the ATL airport and made the trip together. Always good to have another pair of hands and support! Natalie enjoyed her trip there and back in their company :)
We made it in around midnight and the next day was graduation. So proud of Katelynn. Not only was she in a soccer league and high school soccer, she also graduated at the top of her class. She received the D.A.A.R. award for maintaining a 4.0 and higher in AP courses all 4 yrs, Distinguished Honors award, Collegiate Scholar award, Golden State Award, and Seal of Bi-literacy Award. She has also earned a scholarship to Middle Tennessee University to play soccer and will study Pre-Med. So yeah. She rocks.
So cool to be a part of the fun. With Andrea’s family being part Hawaiian, there are a lot of great cultural traditions we got to experience. At graduation, most notably the leis. All hand made with love. What an art form.
Next day we party prepped. But first, breakfast and play.
Party Day! Lots of food and good company. There was even a session to give speeches to Katelynn on their best memory of her.
Katelynn did a traditional Hawaiian dance to show her appreciation to everyone.
Then Dylan, Jaylynn and the cousins performed for her.
Brief intermission before another dance.
And then the star of the show again with the Hawaiian money dance
Andrea finished the party with an amazing video as a tribute to Katelynn and her life so far. Yeah, everyone was crying.
Next day, sprinkler fun and hanging out!
Next day, early start. Hollywood. Pretty cool indeed. First stop, breakfast. Ridiculous selection!
Next, the Hollywood sign.
Then the Hollywood Bowl Overlook.
After seeing all the scenery we headed towards Hollywood Blvd. Sort of surreal seeing the studios and such around.
Hollywood Blvd was booming with energy. Lots to see for sure!
The only star Lillian was super interested in seeing was Ellen DeGeneres. Even after we told her it would take about 20 minutes to get there, she was determined to see it so off we went. As you can see we had a bit of a celebration when we reached it.
Seeing how it was a record HOT day in California, we were ready for some water time. We finished off our excursion at the beach. So different than the Gulf Coast, and so, so much colder in the water!
Seeing how it was our last night, Katelynn took us on a hike to see the city. Even though we were greeted with a rattlesnake, big black beetles, and all sorts of things that could give you the heebie jeebies, we made it to the top and it was super worth it. So awesome!
Early the next am we were on a flight back to ATL. Best part of the ride back was having the window seat!
The Traver/Ross adventure was done. The trip ended too soon. Looking forward to doing it again really soon!