By: Samie

Travel Dates: November 23rd-29th, 2024

Day 6

(Thanksgiving)

When visiting a city as large as Los Angeles, it never fully sleeps or stops, even on Thanksgiving. This meant that it was easy to find another coffee place to try for our last full day that was both open and within walking distance of Alyssa and Evan’s apartment, the gracious hosts of our Thanksgiving festivities.

Luke and I had woken up around 8:00am to start getting ready to make our back over to meet up with everyone again. After a fairly open and easy commute, we ended up arriving at their place around 9:00. Shortly after, we made our plan to walk over to grab some coffee. By “we”, it was just Luke and I. We also couldn’t say no to a little breakfast. I just had to try another Californian bagel with cream cheese since my first experience in Joshua Tree was life-changing.

Between our previous visit to Los Angeles and this one, we had frequented most of the coffee establishments within walking distance of the apartment. One new one on our list was Alfred. We wanted to give them the best opportunity to impress us, so we went with their World Famous Vanilla Latte. For breakfast, Luke also got a ham and cheese croissant, and, as previously mentioned, I got their bagel with whipped cream cheese. While still delicious, it didn’t quite live up to the extremely high bar set by the Roadrunner Grab + Go in Joshua Tree.

Most of our afternoon was spent lazing about and watching TV. Evan had to work for the morning as Erewhon is extremely busy for Thanksgiving, so they needed all hands on deck. As the chef, Evan, willingly, was going to be the one doing the heavy lifting for putting our Thanksgiving feast together. For the morning shift, Alyssa took on the responsibility of keeping an eye on some of the food and the prep. She also baked some extremely delicious treats throughout the afternoon as well.

For the rest of us do-nothings, we put in some solid hours of couch time. They also have a little patio off their apartment, so we would take our bottoms on a little vacation from the sofa or armchairs to the outdoor patio chairs to switch things up every once in a while. Their cat, Artie, also has a little hammock out there he likes to people and bird watch from, so I enjoyed spending some time out with him too, even if it didn’t quite replace cuddles with our spoiled prince Conan back home.

When Evan got off work, the real work began. He donned his apron and began professionally preparing the meal. While he slaved away in the kitchen, we put on School of Rock because every Thanksgiving could use a little Jack Black. Alyssa kept busy as well popping into the kitchen frequently. The rest of us kept busy in much less productive ways. We were already very good at watching TV, but we were also quite skilled in lounging, making a mess by popping some of the balloons filled with confetti from the previous day’s birthday celebration, harassing their pets, eating their snacks, and possibly napping with our eyes open to hide that we were somehow exhausted despite a day of doing nothing.

Once the turkey was thoroughly cooked, Evan cut it and served it like the true and committed professional he is. The table was quickly filled with all the Thanksgiving classics and then some! A veritable array of sleep-inducing delights from every food group. Everything was absolutely stunning just to look at. Luckily, it all tasted even better than it looked somehow.

The turkey was perfectly and deliciously cooked and seasoned. The stuffing, my one big request, was fluffy and comforting. The green beans were crisp and juicy. The mashed potatoes were silky and herbed, and the gravy was savory and smooth. The corn was plump and peppered. Their cornbread was sweet and buttery. I’m not a good advocate for deviled eggs because I am not a fan, but based on how much of a hit they were for everyone else, they were crowd-pleasing and zesty. And you can never go wrong with a bread roll on the side.

Everything would have been amazing on its own, but there’s something about the company you keep that can bring a meal to a whole other level. We were surrounded by people we loved but only get to see about once a year because of where the opportunities of life have carried us off to. We sitting around a table and sharing a meal with people we hadn’t been able to celebrate this holiday with in about 4 years. We probably could’ve feasted on the comfort of one another’s presence and filled up on love alone. Fortunately, we had a great meal to fill our bellies while the rest filled our hearts.

While the day itself wasn’t filled with much adventure, Alyssa and Evan’s Camp Snap camera captured some of the moments in the day that words struggled to express. Those moments when boredom settled in enough to get us on our feet to goof around and just be silly and fun to expend some energy. Those moments where the quiet company of pets was just as fulfilling as the unspeaking company of each other. Those moments where we could sit in silence comfortably because we were so relaxed and at peace. Those moments where my feet hurt from walking in substantial heels for a solid 5 hours the evening before, so my compassionate and caring husband rubbed my soreness away. Those moments of snuggles and cuddles so deeply missed during our time apart.

Finally, the fun and laughter filled much of our time together. When you are in the right people’s company, you lose track of time. Sometimes you forget to capture those moments or just let the memory hold that moment by itself without the need for an actual picture. However, with the Camp Snap out for anyone to use, every once in a while, someone watching the moments from the outside would see them for the beautiful and candid moments they were and get the picture for each other.

This allowed us to collect photos of true laughter, genuine conversation, and family antics. Artie may have gotten stuck in the crossfire now and then as well. And lastly, when the evening began to wind down, and Luke and I knew the responsible thing to do would be to call it a night since we had a relatively early flight in the morning, the last photo of our 2024 California adventure captured on the Camp Snap camera was us waving goodbye…and being photo bombed by Evan.

Day 7

(Departure)

On the morning of our departure, after the bitter sweet goodbyes to our loved ones the night before, we awoke to yet another beautiful morning. However, instead of having a fun-filled day ahead of us, we instead began packing up right away so that we could make our way to the rental car company and the airport to catch our morning flight. We also said our goodbyes to the lovely Airbnb that had kindly hosted us during our last few nights in the city.

When we departed Los Angeles, even by 9:00 in the morning, it was already north of 60°. By the time we touched back down back in our home state, we were greeted sharply by the frigid 27° weather, despite it being the afternoon. We had to quickly adjust from making sure we had applied enough sunscreen to keep from getting burnt to being able to see our breath. It wasn’t our favorite adaptation.

With family living in Los Angeles, we know it won’t be our last visit. We are still extremely grateful for the opportunity to be able to meet up together and celebrate birthdays and holidays alike. Family is a precious thing and definitely not one to be taken advantage of. Every moment, laugh, tear, and memory is a gift because we know how fast and fickle life can be. Until next time, we treasure our travels to whoever and wherever we can that keep our lives full and meaningful.