Not a Professional Dancer: California Girls Trip 2018

When my roommate Alyssa told me she had never seen the ocean before, I knew I had to take her. We invited all the rest of our roommates and planned a July trip. Little did I know that this trip would completely change my view on girls trips. It turns out that just because you've lived with someone for a year and really like them, it doesn't necessarily mean you will have the same travel style.

Day 1

I drove to Vegas with Alyssa after teaching a full day of swim lessons. Because I had been up since 5am, we just chilled at Boca Raton. I didn't know it at the time, but it turned out to be the last time I would stay there. My dad sold the condos the next month. That night, I got a bloody nose while laying on the white carpet. We had to drive and get some bleach to get it out of the carpet. It was very exciting.

Day 2

We left early in the morning to pick up our roommate Linda from the airport in LA. She was planning to drive down with us originally, but she ended up having an emergency and then having to fly in. After we picked her up, we left for San Diego immediately.

Before even going to our hotel, we went to Mission Beach. Alyssa had never been to the beach or seen the ocean. I may have led her on a little bit and let her think the water was warm. I thought it was quite hilarious when she stepped in and the water was cold instead. Because it was also cold outside, we only spent a bit of time at the beach before going to get pedicures. We eventually checked into our hotel and then headed to downtown San Diego for dinner. We had some deep dish pizza and then went to Ghiradelli. I love their ice cream and sundaes. We made our way back to the hotel and went to bed early.

Day 2

Alyssa really wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park. Alyssa, Lin, and I walked around for hours. Honestly, the zoo wasn't my favorite. It's huge and really cool, but I'm not a big animal person. I also had been there several times with my family.

On our way back to our hotel, we went to Donut Bar. I love their donuts. USA Today once named them in the top 10 donut places in the entire United States. Back at the hotel, Lin wanted to sleep. I wanted to go to the beach. Eventually, Alyssa and I just left Lin at the hotel alone and went to Ocean Beach. It was hilarious because it turns out that Ocean Beach is a dog beach. I'm allergic to dogs and also hate them. What a good time.

When we got back home, Lin was awake and happy we were alive. We picked her up and headed to La Jolla Beach. I love the cliffs of La Jolla. You can see all sorts of sea life there. I spent the time before sunset climbing all over the cliffs barefoot and finding crabs, mussels, and starfish. I also love seeing all the sea lions there. When we got back to our car, we found a seagull poop so big that I thought someone might have spilled a cookies and cream shake on the back of the car. Unfortunately, they did not. The poop turned out to be in a spot that didn't come out for a long time. It probably took three or four different car washes.

Day 3

Because it was Sunday, we went to church. We ended up going to the closest ward available. When we showed up, I saw my friend from high school Emma Austin. She was there on her mission. I hadn't seen her in nearly two years. I was definitely not expecting that.

San Diego Temple

After church, we headed to Subway to grab a lunch we could take out. With our sandwiches, we headed to the San Diego temple. We ate our sandwiches on the temple grounds and pondered life. It was really peaceful.

After lunch, we headed back to our hotel and then out to Del Mar Beach. We were there until sunset. I had a really enjoyable time just laying on the beach. It's always one of my favorite things to do. I'm not sure everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did. When I go to California on a girls trip, I always want to just lay on the beach. Lin and Alyssa had other ideas. I wish we had been more on the same page for this trip.

Day 4

We drove from San Diego up to LA in the morning. Lin really wanted to stop in San Clemente. She spent her growing up years vacationing there so it was pretty sentimental for her. She really wanted to go shopping at all the cute little shops on the beach. I really hate shopping so I went down to the beach all by myself. I spent the day alone hanging out in the waves and having a grand old time. I also spent about an hour on the phone with Mom. I was frustrated with the trip and the way things were shaping up. I wanted the trip to be fun and relaxing on the beach, but Lin and Alyssa wanted something else. I'm not quite sure what, but it wasn't the relaxing beach getaway I was hoping for.

Sunset at Del Mar

When we got to LA, we went straight to the hostel I had booked for us. Alyssa and Lin wanted cheap. Because they wanted cheap, we had to stay in Inglewood, which is a fairly sketchy district of LA. They were unhappy. They didn't feel comfortable with the alcohol and drugs at the hostel. It honestly doesn't really bother me. We were only planning to be there overnight.

I met a super funny man there. He said he was on the Forbes 40 Under 40 list in 2015. I absolutely did not believe him, but I thought it was funny he offered to buy me drugs and alcohol. I told him about my religion, so we talked about that for a bit.

When the girls were finished getting ready, we headed to Melrose Avenue for a heels dance class with Nicole Kirkland at the Playground LA. Lin had forgotten her heels, so we stopped at Target on the way there to pick her up some shoes.

Playground LA letters

Once we got to the Playground, we were in absolute shock and awe of Nicole's teaching style. To warm up, we did across the floors. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. We had to do one across the floor standing up and walking. We could jazz it up however we wanted to. Then we had to do one exclusively on the floor. That one was really hard for me. I pretty much just ended up crawling across the entire floor because I couldn't think of a single better thing to do. Some girls were doing all sorts of rolls and turns and splits. It was a pleasure to watch them do what I wished I could do.

Me with Nicole Kirkland

Once we got into the actual class, I did okay. Nicole doesn't teach in counts, which is what I normally learn in. She teaches almost exclusively in sounds. I think I would have been fine, but I didn't know the song. She taught to "Lovers and Friends" by Lil Jon and Usher. It was released in 2004, so that makes sense why I didn't know it.

Partway through the class, one of the most famous dancers in the world walked into the room. Her name is Jade Chynoweth. She is actually from Utah. I think she used to be a member of the Church, but she definitely is not a practicing member any more. She was truly incredible to watch. I've never seen anyone move their body with the fluidity and grace that she does. She also can hit things harder than anyone else I have ever seen. Watching her dance was a pleasure.

Alyssa, Lin, and I with Jade

When it came time to record, we got to watch some solos that Nicole had picked out. One of them was Jade. My personal favorite was this amazing gay man in heels. Nicole also had some group shots filmed. She let anyone who wanted to get in one of the group shots, which was pretty cool. I've heard from others that some other teachers don't allow randoms to even be filmed at all. Overall, it was just a pleasure to be there, even with the creepy men that watched us through the glass windows and barred door.

Day 5

We woke up early to head home from LA. We only stopped in Vegas for a bit. We went to Hash House A Go Go, which is probably a shock to you regular readers out there. We made it all the way home safely, and I told myself next time I would clarify my expectations before going on another trip with people, even good friends.

P.S. I figured I should attach the video of the dance we learned when it was done by actual professionals.

Life Lessons

Clarify expectations for the trip before you go.

Make sure everyone knows the budget for the trip and is willing to accept the accommodations that come with that budget.

Dance is hard but a ton of fun.

It's a pleasure to watch those who are skilled at their craft when they execute well.