Our two weeks in Los Angeles were everything I had hoped for. Sunshine. Ocean. Friends. Family time together. We were able to spend quality time with almost all of our close friends there, and we had time to just be together, the four of us. It was the first time we had been together since August when Kip and River said goodbye to Micah and I took her to Colorado to start her away-from-home college experience. And our reunion together was sweet.

I arrived in LA early, getting a rental car and settling into our home for the next two weeks. I was able to drive up to our old house in Malibu and get the Christmas decorations out of our storage shed.

I took this picture when I drove up to our old house in Malibu. Even after seven years of knowing this place, I am still amazed by the beauty of it.

While I was at the shed I picked up a handful of books, thinking about how difficult it is to get English books in Sweden. In the past, when I wanted a buy a new book I just ordered it on Amazon Prime and it was delivered, for free, a couple of days later. Amazon is not easily available in Sweden and products that come into the country have significant taxes. Things can cost as much as 50 percent more. Consequently I have not bought any books in English. I felt a little guilty, weighing down my suitcase with more books, but I told myself that I would give many of them away while I am in Sweden. What is the point of having beautiful books that sit on the shelf when there are people who would enjoy them?

I spent the rest of my “free” day in LA, driving around to visit some of my close friends. I saw my dear friend Salina and the beginnings of her new venture —  starting a studio teaching classes with Bellicon trampolines. I bounced around for a minute and then had tea with my dear friend Annie. The day ended with a girls night at another friend’s house and I got to see my friend Katie’s baby who had been born while we were in Malmö.

Tea with Annie was like I never left Sweden

Dear friend Salina

Girls’ night in

When Micah arrived we went straight to our favorite taqueria in Santa Monica. Benny’s Tacos. One of the things we miss in Sweden is good Mexican food. Perhaps I should say good, cheap, Mexican food. There is a really good taco place in Lund that we have frequented, but it is more like upscale food truck prices in LA. Anyhow, Benny’s is the best in Santa Monica; and when Kip and River arrived a day later we went there a second night in a row.

On Saturday morning, with our whole family in Los Angeles, we piled into our tiny rental car and went on a spontaneous LA road trip that lasted all day. It was somewhat unplanned in that one errand led to another, but it was great. We had brunch with our good friends the Thompsons in South LA, then we surprised Kip’s longtime friend and colleague, Jackie, at her house.

After a crazy mall stop with the last-minute Christmas crowds, we drove up over the 405, saw the recent fire devastation and went into the valley. We had to go to three different Christmas tree vendors before we found one. Kip complained about the price for our tiny two foot tree, but the kids and I were delighted. Sometimes it is the silly things that make it feel like “Christmas.”

The tree that was shorter than River.

From there we continued our rounds, visiting with more friends in the Calabasas area. By the time we got back to our “home,” we were exhausted.

Christmas Eve we could not decide where to go to church since we were a part of two congregations in Los Angeles, so we went to both – Malibu Presbyterian and Vintage in Santa Monica. They were both beautiful and I left with my heart full.

Micah and me outside of Malibu Pres for their family Christmas Eve service.

Christmas Day we had our family time, around our baby tree; and then we headed down to Manhattan Beach to have Christmas Dinner with my brother and his family who were visiting his in laws for the holiday.

River teaching his cousin the Jedi way

The nephew teaching Uncle Kip the two-year-old’s Jedi way

The week between Christmas and New Years was somehow just as busy. One day we went to the new Star Wars movie with friends. Another day Micah hiked with friends and I spontaneously drove to my favorite beach in Malibu and ran there, finishing with a beach picnic of grocery store sushi. The next day I convinced the whole family to return to the same spot and we had a really special family day there. Mountains. Sun. The water was warm enough to wade into just a little bit. It was probably my favorite day of our vacation.

The next few days were quieter. Kip, Micah and I ran the nearly three mile trek up our old mountain neighborhood. Then Kip built a fire pit and we hosted a small get together with random friends who were available for a last minute backyard party.

Spontaneous backyard party

New Years Eve we helped a friend move out of her apartment in Inglewood, and I noted once again how expensive the cost of living in Los Angeles has become. It is amazing how much money landlords can charge for people to live in substandard, arguably less than safe, neighborhoods.

After this we drove across Los Angeles to a completely different neighborhood in the suburbs of Thousand Oaks. We celebrated New Years there with some friends who spent two years in Switzerland as expats. Hearing their story and the lessons they have learned from uprooting their family and taking them on international adventures, was good for us. Really good.

Over the next week we had Fika with another friend who has just begun dating a Swedish man who grew up in southern Sweden. That was fun. Then we had dinner with our good friends Josh and Annie, and I took the kids for a long hike another day. Somehow in the last few days we found time for last minute dentist appointments, hastily planned friend get togethers for River with his best friends on opposite ends of Los Angeles and even dinner with our homeschooling group in the valley.

Topanga overlooking West LA

It was exhausting and soul filling. The hardest part being saying goodbye to Micah at the end of the week. She went on from LA to Missouri to spend time with her grandparents. It is tough not having her with us for this part of our life adventure in Sweden. But I know that it is the right thing. I know that she is thriving in her college in Colorado, and we are all growing and learning and becoming what we need to become. It is good.

Sunset along the PCH. Sometimes you have to stop driving, pull over and capture the moment.