Quick trip to L.A.

So Zach and I got crazy and decided totally last minute we were going to L.A. Totally not like us...we hardly ever go on vacation, let alone outside of UT or AZ. But there was a purpose behind it all...

So Zach is an amazing thinker. Since he has gone blind he has invented 2 different tools. One just for landscapers and one a posthole digger that blows the normal posthole digger out of the water. He has spent the last few years spending hours and hours making them exactly how he wants them...and now he is at the point to really manufacture and sell them. The landscaping tool he is gonna manufacture and sell on his own since it is a lot smaller scale...so if you know any landscapers that use poly pipe, they are gonna want one of these babies. ;) The posthole digger he has just filed the patent on and is looking to license it out to a bigger company and have them manufacture and sell it, but its a lot harder to do. Nobody wants to talk to joe shmo and so it is hard to find a company that will even talk to you.

Anyways... So Zach's favorite show is Shark Tank because it is a show with a bunch of entrepreneurs like him who started a business or invented something and they go before rich investors with their ideas and try and get them to be partners with them. So we had these 2 plane tickets that were about to expire so I told him we should use them for him to go audition for the show...crazy right. So Sunday night we looked online to see when and where auditions were and they were that Thursday in L.A.!!! Not a lot of time to plan and prepare. Zach wasn't sure he could take off work (even when you own your own business it is hard to do since you have commitments). So he worked his little tail feathers off Monday through Wednesday to see if he could get ahead to be able to go and on Wednesday afternoon he gave me the go ahead. So I hurried and booked our flights, got a hotel, rental car, and lucky for us Zach's AMAZING parents were willing and able to watch Dakota so we could go and even stay a couple of days to make it a little more fun. So we flew in Thursday morning (missed our flight even though we got up at 4 a.m., but lucky enough we were able to jump on another real quick) got into L.A. bout 10:30. Auditions were from 12-7. We got to the place for auditions bout 11:30 and the line was already way down the street. We waited in line for 6 whole hours for a chance to meet with someone for 5 minutes. (I cant imagine the wait for American idol!) We were pretty much in line on the streets most the time.

Zach waiting. thinking. resting.

Check out that line...and we were probably towards the last half!

By the time we got in the building it was probably bout an hour wait. We met some great people though in line and it was fun to talk with other inventors and here what their ideas were.

This is Jasmine who we got to know the best! She has a great idea for a jogging stroller!

She also hooked us up with some great places to go to while we were there!

More chatting!

The room where you got to present had 6 different people in it, so six people were all presenting to each person at the same time. Lucky for Zach he got to present to a male, since most of the people in there were females. (mostly guys have only used pothole diggers and can appreciate how hard they are to use) The guy loved his idea and spent a lot of time with Zach.

I was able to sneak a couple photos while he presented.

 He even called one of the head guys over to look at it and talk to him for a second. 

Do those faces not look interested or what?! ;)

So the next step is they want Zach to send them a video demonstrating how to use the old posthole digger and his new version of it. So Zach will send that in in the next couple days and then its just wait and see. They start filming in June through August so you here back pretty soon. There were over a thousand people and they got bout 25,000 email submissions since the last show so the chances are pretty slim but we are crossing our fingers. It is a T.V. show so even if you have a great idea, if they don't think it would be an entertaining idea for people or the "sharks" or if they just don't like the person, you don't really have a shot no matter how great your idea is. So who knows?! It would be a great opportunity but we are not getting our hopes up to high. Even if it doesn't work out we got a fun trip out of it.

After the long day of waiting we went down to universal city walk and walked around the shops and ate some dinner. I was such a fun environment and it was fun to be somewhere completely new. 

They had a water massage store so we had to try that out. The guy was nice and let us try out some of his other fun tools.

Do we not look so nice and relaxed?!

Little head massager

He had some electronic little stimulators on his upper back that made his shoulders shrug up and down involuntarily. It was pretty hilarious to watch and even crazier to feel!

They had comedy show that night so we decided to go to that and had some good laughs.

There were probably bout 6 or 7 different comedians...this guy was one of our favorites! Cant remember his name though!

  It was late by the time we got to the hotel and we were exhausted after only going off of 3 hours of sleep. The next day we really had no agenda. That was the best part about the trip...nowhere to be just going with the flow. We decided to go on a tour bus round Hollywood and Beverly hills. This was so fun and relaxing just in the fact that I didn't have to drive! (have i mentioned i hate driving since i became the sole driver for our family) I just got to sit back and relax and enjoy the scenery. They took us around to several stars homes. We aren't really the star struck kinda people but I love to look at different homes and designs and these were some pretty amazing houses...even ones that weren't famous peoples.

Here they are as best as I could get them. Some of the houses were pretty secluded and covered up with trees and bushes so you could only see like the chimney or rooftop like the Bechams and Tom Cruise but it was still fun...

Got our headphones on and ready!! The van was open top so it was nice and breezy!

I think this one was I Love Lucy ladies last house before she passed away. Took that one for my sister Annie and my mom. Die hard I Love Lucy watchers! ;)

This was Elton Johns home...can you see the EJ on the fence gate.

This wasn't anyone famous just a crazy lookin house...probably the Smurfs or something. ;)

Can't remember the name of this car because I am not a car person but it's like some outrageous car that the tour guide said we would probably never see in our lifetime again...so I took a picture. Zach said Simon Cowell has one of these. Cool...I guess! ;)

Some beautiful scenery!

Made 1 stop to get out and check out that scenery so had to snap a pic!

Jimmy Kimmel (not sure if that's how you spell it or not)

This was Simon Cowell's. He bought Jennifer Lopez's house for 8 million and tore the house down and built this one for like 22 million...SERIOUSLY...why don't you just pay my house off...it wasn't even that cool lookin! Come on Simon!!!

Can't remember...somebody cool! ;)

This was the gate in front of a house that Elvis Presley owned. This gate has TONS of messages from fans to Elvis...thought it was pretty cool!

Didn't know this celebrity but they had a cool place.

Christina Aguilara...somebody else cool before it was hers too...just can't remember. ;)

Totally can't remember...I'm so lame I know! It was fun though!!

Where the tour started and ended was where all the handprints of celebrities is located. Right off the bat I found my "cougar crush" from Twighlight "Jacob." I decided this was my only chance to hold his hand!

He is on the left.

It was so warm! ;)

 

I felt bad so I had to find one of Zach's crush (and one of my girl crushes) so it would be fair for Zach...Jennifer Aniston. ;)

He looks like he liked it a little too much...look at that grin!

After the tour we decided to go to Santa Monica beach. I was hoping to just relax on the beach but by the time we got there it was so cold and windy it was pretty miserable to be outside. So we went in a restaurant and had some dinner. Ended the night with of course some ice cream! (I didn't get any pics of this cuz my camera and Zach's phone were out of battery)

We flew out the next morning and that was that. Of course it would have been nice to have a couple more days but since it was so last minute and Zach's parents weren't planning on watching Dakota we couldn't stay for too long...and I did miss my sweet boy. He wouldn't have enjoyed doing all the things that we went and did but I wished he was there with us and we were able to take him to Disneyland and all the fun places that a normal 3 year old would LOVE!   It was all worth it though just for Zach and I to get away and just be together for a bit. We definitely enjoyed just the thought of leaving all are worries behind and just being carefree...at least for a couple of days. We were so grateful to Doug and Vicki (Zach's parents) for taking care of our little man. We never have to worry when he is with them! They even sent us a picture of his sweet smile!

Although we had a great time...I do love the beach and will miss the Cali weather and the excitement... I realized I love Perry UT and the serenity of where we live. It's nothing extravagant or exciting but it is home!

I love: 1. When someone honks at you it is because they know you and are saying hi...not saying hurry up you idiot! :)

2. I love that our local Walmart is just 1 floor and not 3. Seriously there were escalators in the Walmart and a place next to them that takes your cart up for you...it was nuts!  I love that we can ride our Ranger on the back road all the way to our Walmart!

3. I love that I don't have to rely on Zach's phone to get me where I need to be...I know where I am going and there are not 10  million stop lights along the way.

4. I don't have to pay 7-10 dollars to park anywhere and I don't have to get my parking ticket validated just to go to CVS pharmacy.

5. I don't have to pay $1,500 a month for a small apartment. (that is more then r mortgage!!)

6. I don't have tour buses full of people driving by my home. (although if people knew how cool our neighborhood really is...they most totally would! ;) )

7. Even though we don't have tons of land and yard, we have more then most houses up there. The homes are huge but they are all jam packed together with no room .

Overall, it was a breath of fresh air to go somewhere new and different and just relax. We are ready to take on real life again! :) My only regret was I was SO close to the Ellen show and didn't get to go. Thursday was her last show for the summer and it was sold out...we wouldn't have been able to go that day anway cuz we were in line for Shark Tank. Oh well, one of these days Ell...I'm comin to see you!!!!