HOPPED OFF THE PLANE AT LAX

Last week, I posted about traveling to Los Angeles for a long weekend with friends. When I had posted it, my time with my college roommates had hardly started. Autumn and I landed around lunchtime (California time), and navigated the bus system shortly after, ending up in Northridge in the afternoon.

I had high hopes for the weekend — and they were exceeded.

I’ve always been a bit of an over-planner. I recently watched Wine Country on Netflix and was instantly drawn to Amy Poehler’s character, who feels a need for a heavily planned itinerary to make sure every good opportunity is taken. This time around, I did everything in my power to turn that part of me off for the weekend. It worked, and it worked well.

We actually did cram a ton into the weekend, hitting West Hollywood, driving through Beverly Hills, seeing a sunset on a beach of Malibu, walking down the pier at Santa Monica at sunset, going to a winery in the mountains and more. But I never felt stressed to do it all. We had a long list of things we wanted to try to do, and we did almost all of them. Better yet, I was happy at each location. (Okay, I’d be lying if I said I was happy during the first half of the Hollywood Hike, but I shut up once I saw the incredible view.)

This past weekend was filled with great lessons on living in the moment, enjoying relaxation, and trusting my situation. I was so thankful to be with friends, let alone the fact that I had one of my first weekends off in months and was able to spend it in Los Angeles. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we had ample time to do whatever our hearts desired. I knew that even though it was a long weekend, our time was limited — so I did everything I could to enjoy each moment I was in. I’m glad I did.

I also learned to relax a little. I got incredibly anxious when I wasn’t able to arrive at LAX for my departing flight two hours early (I was still very much early for my flight, in case you were worried) and I’m pretty sure it’s because that hyper-anxious side of me didn’t really come out any other time over the weekend. I enjoyed the ride, ignored notifications on my phone, and lived it up.

Finally, I trusted the situation I was in and those around me. The girls I was with are some of my closest friends, and they've seen me at my best and worst. Even though I was in a new environment, I’d trust them anywhere. Being surrounded by people I love who love me back made exploring a new area exciting, not overwhelming. I also 'trusted' the vacation in general. Early on, we acknowledged that we wouldn’t be able to accomplish everything. As soon as that sunk in, I was thankful for the time that we did have, and resolved to enjoy where it took me.

Funny enough, we ended up accomplishing (almost) everything anyway.

I loved visiting California and I loved being back with my college roommates. In a way, for a few days, it felt like we were all back in undergrad. Except this time around, it was in Los Angeles and we didn’t have homework. So in that sense, it was much better.

I don’t know when I’ll be back with that group of ladies, and I don’t know when I’ll be back in Los Angeles — but I’m sure I’ll make plans for both.