Dream team at Cafe Gratitude. We are present. We are exuberant. We are full.
Bel and I visited Molly in Los Angeles to watch her musical comedy!!!!!!!!!!!! This was Helen’s first visit to LA and — in addition to seeing Molly’s fabulous show! — we packed in as many comedy and touristy things as we possibly could.
Turbulence!: the hilarious, full-length musical that Molly directed and preformed in along side Robot Teammate and the Accidental Party.
The LA Fringe Festival was going on while we were in town and we saw a hip hop improv show, ASSSScat, Dirty Jobs, and a steller line up at The Comedy Store (see photo)! [Including Leslie Jones who unexpectedly dropped by to rehearse for the BET awards!]
We ate an incredible lunch at Hugos (thanks to Molly) and heard stories of celebrity sightings. Outside of the Madame Toussant Wax Museum, we saw Edward Scissor Hands and Captain Jack Sparrow speaking to each other — Double Deppin’, if you will. We toured the Warner Brothers Lot (where we walked Stars Hollow!), walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame, explored the Griffith Observatory, and hiked Runyon Canyon. The three of us laughed and bonded while we went on daily quests to find the best fro-yo in town. A favorite game of ours was to leisurely enjoy every single activity until WE HAD TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW. And then we would be in a huge rush. “Molly has two speeds, Helen. CHILL AF and AS FAST AS SHE POSSIBLY CAN GO. And she’s really fast.”
Chased down this view. #worthit
And, then, something I’d been waiting for for years happened. — For the first time ever, I MET A NOVA SCOTIA DUCK TOLLING RETRIEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I SPOTTED HIM FROM TWO BLOCKS AWAY.
“IS THAT A NOVA SCOTIA DUCK TOLLING RETREIVER?!!!!?” I practically yelled, with NO CHILL AT ALL, to Helen, as I TOOK OFF RUNNING DOWN THE ROAD. Breathless, I approached his owner. “IS THAT A NOVA SCOTIA DUCK TOLLING RETRIEVER!?!!!!!!” (Spoiler, I already knew that it was.)
I pretended I was a calm person and asked permission to pet this dog. The owner said it was okay and I knelt down TO COME FACE TO FACE WITH THIS LEGEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Face to face with my favorite dog, I was STARSTRUCK. Hello, I said, under my breath and only to the dog, I’ve been really, really, really, really, really, really, really wanting to meet you.
The dog was skeptical at first, which I can appreciate.
I let the pup smell my hand and then proceeded to pet his precious, sweet, wonderful, soft head. By now, Helen and Molly had caught up to me and captured this MAGIC MOMENT ON FILM.
“What is his name?”, I asked the owner without taking my eyes off of my FAVORITE DOG IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD.
“Travis”, the owner said.
My eyes grew HUGE UNDER MY GLASSES. HIS NAME WAS WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?
I COULDN’T BREATHE.
“His name is what?”, I inhaled.
“Travis”, his owner repeated.
I was hysterical. AS IF I NEEDED TO LOVE HIM ANYMORE.
HIS NAME IS TRAVIS AND MY NAME IS TRAVIS AND HIS NAME IS TRAVIS AND MY NAME IS TRAVIS AND HIS NAME IS TRAVIS!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!
The Travi’.
I mean, WOW. I TALKED ABOUT THAT DOG FOR A SOLID TWO HOURS after we had to leave him. And still, six months later, Travis is the background on my phone. I didn’t mean for this blog post to turn into an ode to TRAVIS when I also spent days on end with my best friends who I do love even more than Travis (I swear!) It’s just….NOW THAT I’M WRITING ABOUT THAT NOVA SCOTIA DUCK TOLLING RETRIEVER MY HEART IS BEATING OUT OF MY CHEST AGAIN.
Okay.
Going to breathe and end with a photo of my besties (who know how difficult it was for me to stop writing about Travis right then and still support me even though Travis probably doesn’t ever think about me. But that’s okay. You can love animals that don’t love and think about you back. That’s normal. I’m normal.).
A photo of people who do love me back.
heart still POUNDING with LA LA LAAAHHVE,
‘mi
Adventuresam 