Griffith Observatory visit

Yesterday we went to the Griffith Observatory. It is on a mountain above the city. What a view.... as you can see in the picture. It was a pretty clear day... so we could see for miles. It is almost a full 360 degree view at the top. In addition to the view, inside the observatory they had all kinds of educational displays, samples of learnings about the stars, moon, planets, etc.

We went to a cool show that talked about how our learnings of the stars and planets has progressed through the years. It was a IMAX show.

Hollywood...

Kellie and I found a great route to get closer to the Hollywood Sign. What a view...

Ellen... the day after...

Well.. it turns out that we showed up on the same day as everyone else for Ellen... our day had the highest number of guests and stand by guests. Soooo... we ended up in the RIF RAF room. Which is actually a really nice room. Decorated nicely with lots of television monitors and projector TV's. The room is right next to the studio, and it was hard knowing that Ellen was right up the steps and we couldn't see her. Noah Wiley was the main guest for our show. That was hard too! Would have liked to run up the steps and steal a peek there too! On the flip side, we are guaranteed tickets to another Ellen show of our choice in the future. The next shows we could get tickets for are in May, so we will go in the fall sometime. That is if/when we come back. Kellie will get to go then, because she will be 14 yrs. old.

BRAINSURGE....

I forgot... on Monday, we got up at 5am... yes, that was a killer for both of us! Kellie was going to be a contestant on BrainSurge for Nickelodeon. We got there at 7am. The kids went straight into school (they had to get 3 hrs in). I met lots of nice moms and dad. Then the kids came back into the Green room with us. We went over a lot of legal paperwork and signed everything. Then the kids got to see how the show worked. They then got their cool BrainSurge T-shirts. They filmed 2 shows that morning. Kellie was in the 2nd group. After more waiting... eating, and talking. It was time for Kellie to go on!!! They have a really cool COLORFUL set! Unfortunately, Kellie got eliminated after the first round, but she still had a great time! After you get eliminated, you have to go down the Brain Drain... so she rode down the brain drain and got all wet and foamy! She said that was the funnest part! We don't know when it will air, but probably in May or June this summer! All contestants win a prize too! After leaving the set, Kellie and I were exhausted, we went and got some food then went home. The waiting around and waiting around is exhausting! I would rather be on the treadmill or something!

Ellen here we come ....

Last note for today... we have standby tickets for Ellen tomorrow. Again, just Ann and I can go :( . I'm excited! If we don't get in or get in the rif raf room, then we are guaranteed tickets to another show later. So that will be fun!
Note: Sorry for all the posts today... I've been meaning to write... but it seems it's midnight before I know it.... so wanted to catch up!

Comedy Connection.... starring Kellie

Kellie auditioned to join the Teen Improv group at the Comedy Connection. We got the call last Friday that she was selected! So every Saturday she will practice/warm up and then perform a show with her group! She is very excited to be on the stage. She had a great time at the audition, so she can't wait for more! Improv is a great way to keep your acting skills up.

Last week at a glance...

Last week was a blurrrr.... Kellie had several auditions, acting class on Thursday evenings, workouts and school. (not necessarily in that order) She also got the opportunity for a little pampering.... Her and DJ got invited to fly to Phoenix and be interviewed on the Better Arizona morning show to talk about her successes since her acting classes at ACT and her participation in The' Phoenix. So the four of us flew to Phoenix for the day on Wednesday. Little did I know... but Ann and I ended up being on the show with kids as well. It was fun and not as hard as I worried it would be. They are going to give us a clip of the tape when it's done. It is supose to air in the next week or so. We haven't heard exactly when yet. Then they all took us to lunch and waited to fly back to LA.....

Wheel of Fortune, Jay Leno...

We had a busy week last week... First, Kellie, DJ, Ann and I all went to Wheel of Fortune. It was fun seeing Pat and Vanna, after watching them for many years. I remember when I was a kid, I would watch with my Dad and we would guess the puzzles. We usually got them BEFORE the contestant! That show had it 30 yr anniversary last year! Which is cool a show can last that long on the networks. We learned a lot of cool stuff. Like Vanna and Pat make the same amount of money. Even though Vanna usually doesn't say to much! Pat is very quick witted and seems like a nice guy! NO, we didn't get to meet him! The closest we got from our seats was about 200-400 yards. So we got a good view of them! Anyway, we got to sit with the families of the contestants that were on that day. There was a lot of excitement and it was fun rooting them on! Unfortunately the down side of that is that we won't be on TV. They panned the audience several times that day, but they didn't pan the family section. However, if you want to watch Wheel of Fortune on May 7th, and May 8th (yup, my birthday) and May 27th, you will see the shows we saw. COOL!! No, we couldn't take any pictures, but we got a cool pin that lights up and looks like the wheel. I sent mine to Jessica!
Jay Leno... Ann and I went to Jay Leno (have to be 16 yr or older). We got to see Whoopi Goldberg as guest. It was cool! Jay is a great guy and came out and talked to the audience for a few minutes. Ann went up on stage (before the show started) and did her impression of a baby crying. It was so funny. She got a stuffed dog with a Tonight Show tshirt on it. It's cute! That was a fun one to go to because it is taped live and it only takes about the 1 hour. It is pretty fast moving.
Tomorrow we have stand by seats for Ellen. I hope we get in. Again, that is Ann and I because the kids aren't old enough. If we don't get in, we are guaranteed seats for another show.

This week at a glance...

This week was busy with a few auditions. Kellie is auditioning for 14-16 yr old parts. So she is competiting with girls up to 18-20 yrs old (who look younger) So she really has to be on her game when she goes. Mostly the auditions have gone really well. Kellie practices her lines and really knows them. She has had some roles that were easy and some roles that were harder. (ie; depressed, bolimia, and bi-polar girl) She also had a couple that were fit for her. She did well with those too! Some she hasn't gotten, others we are still waiting on. Time will tell.

This week we submitted her singing "Strongest Suit" for this job where they sing/record Disney songs. That would be a fun one! So we will see.

Kellie also had an audition at the Comedy Connection yesterday. This is a working impromptu theater. If she makes it on a group, they will rehearse and perform one time each week. That will be great experience for Kellie too! She did awesome at the auditions, but there were a lot of great actors there. It was so fun to go watch the auditions! I laughed my head off! Usually I don't get to go in when she auditions, so this was a treat!

We continue to plug away at the school work. It is hard sometimes getting it all in, when some auditions take 3-4 hrs depending on driving time.

I cooked pork chops on our community grill here yesterday, for dinner. They turned out great! They made me miss home though. They tasted so much like home. I'm missing it more and more. It was good Greg brought us a webcam when he visited. We have been talking to them regularly. I am still trying to decide if it is making me more homesick or helping with it! lol It was fun getting to talk to Kate, Omar and Debbie last night!

Kellie and DJ decided they weren't waiting for hot weather anymore. They both jumped in the pool on Thursday, after we got home from the gym. The temp outside was probably 65, and the water was probably colder! They had a fun dip in the pool!

Take care and keep in touch on email.... or text me some!

Wednesday.... look out TV here I come...

A few weeks ago Kellie auditioned for Nickelodeon BrainSurge. It is a new kids game show that will be on Nick in the next few months. Kellie got a call last Wed. that they want her to be a CONTESTANT! So on March 16th, Kellie goes into the Nick studio's and competes against 2-3 other kids on this game show. She has the opportunity to win cash/prizes!! So put her in your thoughts and good wishes on the 16th! They are only filming the 16th. The show will be airred on a later date. We will let everyone know the date when we find out. I think it won't be a few months. So maybe we will have a viewing party for it!!!

Happy Birthday Jessica!

Happy 11th Birthday Jessica! We had the apt decorated in balloons and lime green streamers when she arrived on Friday. On Sunday, we celebrated her birthday. We went to the beach during the day. Then came back to the apt and I cooked her favorite, Shepards Pie. Well, my version. I baked a chocolate cake with butter cream frosting and vanilla ice cream. It had 11 pink candles. We celebrated with Ann and DJ. Jessica opened her presents a day early! She got a Walmart gift card, I-tunes card, and Are you smarter than a 5th grader? game. Also a cool momento box with some cash from Ann and DJ. Happy Birthday! I miss you already!

Greg and Jessica visit...

We had a great visit with Greg and Jessica. It was so great to see them! The time when WAY to fast. The good thing about it was we had the warmest, sunniest weather yet during their visit. On Friday, Kellie had an audition and then we went down on Hollywood Blvd to look at the stars on the sidewalk and the "Hollywood" sign on the mountains. Then on Sat and Sun we went to the beach! It was almost 90 on Sat and 85 on Sunday! We went to Santa Monica Beach on both days. They have a nice pier at the beach. It has an smaller amusement park on the pier and some restaurants. We enjoyed the evening on the pier with margaritas, beer and nachos! It was a pretty sunset too! On Sunday, we got to the beach by noon, and some of us got a little pink! On Sunday, we slept in a little, and then went to Porto's for lunch and smoothies! Then on to the airport to drop Greg and Jessica off! :(....