Last Christmas, (I want very badly to sing "I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away...") Ahem, LAST CHRISTMAS, I surprised my parents with a trip to California. I glued their flight info to the back of a Los Angeles postcard and wrapped it up in a small box and fast forward 9 months later, they came to visit me, and see California, for the very first time.
My parents are incredibly hardworking and only travel when a relative has passed so I thought, why not let them travel for a happy occasion? My birthday! They were here all last week and I'm going to talk about some of our adventures.
First of all, those two are a hilarious pair. I watch them interact for five minutes and it completely makes sense why I've chosen to pursue television comedy. Those two are as sitcom-y as it gets.
For example:
Dad: "One day I'm going to throw everything away and just enjoy life. I'm going to throw out my phone, my watch,--"
Mom: "Your wife."
Or this gem:
Dad: 'Paty, my jeans aren't fitting. I think I'm getting fat again."
Mom: "...
again?"
Set these two up in front of an audience and laugh track and they'll produce comedy gold!
So, I pick them up from the airport and my mother and I scream and jump and hug each other, doing a little dance in the passenger pick up driveway. My father asks me if I've tried the pretzels on Southwest Airlines, because, "they're very good." I say yes I've had them. Then, he gives me a bag. I tell him I don't want it. He makes me take it anyway because, "they're very good!" Hello, dad.
I take them to a cute cafe and they stop and stare at a tree. They are enamored by this tree! They take pictures of it, they take pictures in front of it, they are loving everything about this tree. Then dad tells me I should like the tree more because, "nothing compares to nature." Guys, this tree was in front of a Citibank. My parents were like this the whole trip! Stopping to look at trees and flowers and admiring the mountains in the distance, constantly raving about the weather and its effect on their moods.
I found their sense of wonder about everything Los Angeles so child-like and amusing, but honestly it was a much needed good experience for me too. Sometimes you get so caught up in your daily routine that you forget to see the beauty around you. And while sitting in traffic, it's easy to scream out, "LA YOU ANNOYING PIECE OF SHIT" but man, LA is a stunner of a city. And for the first time in a very long time, I was able to see the city through first-time eyes and really appreciate my surroundings.
So after brunch and tree-gazing, they came to my apartment and we watched Planet Earth. Yes, the documentary. This wasn't part of my very detailed hourly itinerary but they looked so comfy and content that I let it go.
Here they are lounging and watching some Penguins.
For dinner we went to Persian food and my dad, who is the pickiest and most judgmental of restaurant eaters, said it was the best kabobs he's had outside of Iran. SARA FOR THE WIN!!!
My dad waits until I says "three!" and sucks in his belly. Mom just cheeses hard.
The next day we were off to Santa Barbara! It could not have been a more perfect day. We went to the historic courthouse to see views of the city, and my dad tried to take maybe 15 photos of us. Some were too dark, some too bright, and the rest my mother had her eyes closed in. She does that ALL.THE.TIME. It's like she hears, "1, 2, 3!" and on 3 instead of smiling she closes her eyes.
Take one: Mom's eyes are closed.
Take two: Mom's eyes are closed again. Dad looks increasingly over it.
Take three: Success!
My mom wants to go to the historic Santa Barbara Mission so she can get her Jesus on, and while her and I are taking pictures, my dad is loudly saying how he doesn't believe in organized religion, in front of all the other tourists. So my mom and I walk farther ahead and take more photos, then dad is nowhere to be found. I find him outside EATING LEAVES. I am not joking. He claimed they were the same grape leaves from his village and tried to get all of us to eat some. I take that as a hint that maybe it's time for lunch.
After lunch we have a lovely stroll at the pier and go to a Farmers Market! My parents were loving it! They were loving it so much that they bought way too much produce for people who were leaving back to Texas in 48 hours. I'm talking grapes, plums, tomatoes, cucumbers, a melon, figs....and almost some mint, except the vendor didn't give my dad a big enough free sample and my dad said he wasn't generous and refused to buy from him. Again, mom and I walk away quickly. We drive back to LA and I make dinner for us while they sit on my balcony and drink wine. I can't explain how nice it was for me to just watch them relax. Another great day.
Wednesday we go to The Getty! I'd never been myself so it was really fun for me too! Of course the nature freaks obsessed over the architectural gardens and my mom wanted photos of every flower. Except my dad forgot to charge the camera so my mom had to use her new touch screen phone. Which I probably laughed at for a solid 5 minutes because she's still keeps the plastic cover on her screen because it labels all her buttons. So we take photos then go inside to see the art, at which point my father is over it. He loudly (I don't think he realizes how loud he is in public) says, "If you paid me a million bucks I wouldn't work here. It's SO BORING," right as we pass a couple of employees. So, on cue, I walk swiftly away once again. I find my mother in front of the Virgin Mary in the Saints Exhibit and my dad asks if she wants a photo, "with her best friend." After the words, "bored" and "boring" come out of my dad's mouth five more times, I suggest we leave. We go back outside and he makes me take photos of a cactus that he finds super fascinating.
Me and Ma at the Getty.
My dad kept doing this weird peace sign thing...
Cactus.
We leave the Getty and have a really nice picnic lunch in Beverly Hills, then drive through the city, up to the Hollywood sign, and go to Village Pizza for dinner. Then for dessert, PINKBERRY! Which they absolutely loved. I mean, who doesn't love Pinkberry though?
On Thursday was my birthday, we went to have breakfast at Hugo's, where my mom and I split almond pancakes! YUM. And they put a little candle in my pancakes! Then the waitress brought out a vegan passion fruit ice cream with another candle. Ice Cream at 9 in the morning? YES PLEASE. It was fun to hear my parents talk about me being born, how my mother was in labor for quite a while, how I was born with way too much hair for a newborn (that actually makes a lot of sense to me now) and how she craved a bunch of sweets while being pregnant with me (also makes a lot of sense. See: ice cream at 9am)
ICE CREAM!!!!! Also, check out my cat hat!!
Then I took them to Hollywood because as grimy as it is to us who live here, tourists love that shit. My mom squealed at every actor in costume on Hollywood Blvd, "Mickey Mouse, Sarita! Minnie Mouse! Look, Marilyn Monroe! Un robot!" While my dad asked if the woman dressed as a Playboy Bunny was a prostitute. My dad put his feet in Robert De Niro's feet and said, "We have the same size shoes, maybe I could be an actor too." Uh huh. Then they bought some souvenirs and it was time for me to take them to the airport. A wonderful trip.
I've cried a lot this weekend, and sat outside on my balcony just like they did. I got used to them being here, and it was hard to see them leave, mainly because I don't know the next time they'll be able to come visit again. I, like a lot of people, left the house at age 18 and only come back home for holidays, thus I haven't spent much time with them as an adult. Last week, they felt more like friends. And just being who they are, they teach me so much about love and life. They've been married for 27 years and I found them giggling multiple times at their inside jokes, just like pals.
I mean, how cute are they?
This photo is everything.
They flip every negative into a positive, they see beauty in everything. They're grateful for every experience. They know what matters in life - health, happiness, and quality time spent with loved ones. They could have sat on my balcony all week and been content. No demands, no complaints, just over the moon to be spending time with their oldest child.
And for that, I am grateful to have them.
love.
