And a LOT has happened in the last year. For starters, I have to say, engagement is pretty fun.  You spend the first few months just wrapping your tongue around the words “my fiance” rather than “my girlfriend” and then once you’ve mastered that, you get into planning things you never once thought about (at least I hadn’t).  For example, there are details such as linen colors on which you’re asked your opinion.  Now, I consider myself a fairly creative, detail-oriented person.  At least I used to.  But that fact that I didn’t realize chairs go well beyond “they’re what you sit in” makes me feel rather … what’s the word … “stupid.”  Yeah, that works: stupid.  Trust me, I have received many a blank “seriously?” stare from Kristen these past few months.  Luckily, she’s taken me in stride and with a smile and hasn’t openly questioned her sanity for loving me in my presence.  If she’s voiced concerns to you, please keep this to yourself.  I prefer the bliss of ignorance. There are other details I’m not mentioning because Kristen very wisely realized my capabilities and assigned tasks to me that she knew I could handle – like save-the-dates, invitation design and buying stamps.  All jokes aside though, she’s doing a great job of handling all of this (and me) and I’m really looking forward to that day, just 149 days from now, when she’ll give me the second part to my birthday present: “I do.”

And from there, time quickly passes by like my 20′s as we look forward to many more years to come.  I figure I’ve planned this pretty well so far.  I’m already bald, so she knows what she’s going to be staring at in the years to come (plus or minus a few wrinkles), and I’m only one year away from what I predict to be a rather wicked bout of “oh shit, I’m 30!” that will probably last a couple weeks at minimum.  Don’t worry – I won’t buy a red convertible and/or hair implants until I’m at least … I dunno … 35.

Sending warm thoughts from the west!

-The Birthday Boy/Luckiest Man on Earth-

So as it turns out, 2009 was a pretty big year.  I’m not really one to brag, but if you’re even remotely interested in what we’re up to, there’s some seriously news-worthy stuff that happened in 2009.

Let’s see then – what actually did happen in 2009?

Oh! Kristen got her Master of Art in Urban Planning after two years of very hard work at UCLA.  Woot woot!  Talk about your big achievements.  The woman boggles my mind.  And my mom (Nancy) retired from her teaching career at Perrysburg High School.  Woot woot for Momma Gates, too!  A very deserved and hard-earned retirement to say the least.  So score one big one for both of those lovely ladies in 2009!

Then, of course there was the proposal on March 5.  That’s significant for obvious reasons.  There’s also the fact that she actually said yes.  So score one for me in 2009.  (I’m shooting for a repeat “yes/I do” in 2010 at the wedding, by the way, so I’ll keep you posted on that one.) And that rather large “yes” sparked quite the chain reaction of wedding planning, of which I’ve done very little other than offer up my opinion and watch Kristen make that little cartoon dust tornado around herself like the Tazmanian Devil as she has literally nailed down every loose end with a solid six months to spare.

In addition to our wedding planning, we also had the pleasure of being a part of several other weddings.  Between the two of us, Kristen and I returned home to Ohio for four different weddings in 2009.  Congratulations are owed to the new Mike & Libby Stark, Ryan & Lauren Dorff, CJ & Tara Szlag and Kristin & Mike Boland!  May 2009 be the first year of a lifetime together!

Weddings and planning stuff aside, what else happened in 2009?

Oh – there’s work!  How could I forget about work?  Kristen made great progress at her job with the Hollywood Community Studio, including the grand opening of her office on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.  And as she helped make the world a better place, I worked in the entertainment industry and tried to undo everything she worked so hard on.  I kid.  But sometimes it feels that way when you live with someone that does truly meaningful work.  Again, I’m digressing.  I was very fortunate to land a gig on a great show and worked the entire year on Dinosaur Train (currently airing on PBS Kids – please check it out).

Okay, so that buttoned up work.

There were a few “firsts” in 2009 for each of us as well (besides the whole engagement thing, of course). Kristen got her first taste at shooting a gun.  And since that’s an experience she is in absolutely no rush to replicate, I guess I’ll be enjoying that hobby solo.  But we both got into yoga a bit more, so that’s something we’ve been enjoying together.  I also tried acupuncture for the first time and have been enjoying “qi highs” as of late (yes it’s legal).  And while Kristen has been practicing on her new digital piano quite a bit, she gave me guitar lessons for my birthday.  So I’ve been torturing the neighbors with that off and on since March.  We’ve also gotten into camping more with a trip to the dessert a few months back and more in the works for 2010.  Hikes around the LA area have also been part of our regular weekend routines as we’ve found some really great trails just minutes from our place.  I also started doing “Crossfit” this year, which has been a wake-up call to every muscle I thought had disappeared in the last decade.  All in all, it appears that we’ve taken some steps to be more active in the last year.  So score another one there, right?!  Let’s see … anything else that’s noteworthy?

I could completely digress into my “best and worst of” film critiques from 2009. Or I could provide you my running commentary on the decline of personal driving ability in the LA area.  Book reviews?  Music?  Hm.  I think I’ll avoid those endless pits of my opinion and end with this:

2009 was a great year.  One for the books and blogs alike.  Looking back, it was probably one of the greatest years I’ve enjoyed as my journey continues.  But there are always things left undone and unseen and so, with that, we have another year ahead.  Another decade, in fact.  So here’s to making the most of 2010 having learned and experienced so much in 2009!  Happy journeying everyone!

We had the pleasure of joining our friends, Eric and Katie, and their friends, Ryan and Erin, on a camping trip in Anza-Borrego State Park this past weekend.  Anza-Borrego is actually the largest state park in California (no small feat) and is home to more rocks than I could even fathom existed in the desert.  Big rocks.  Granite rocks.  And aside from the rather jagged one that was lodged under my sleeping bag, we enjoyed every one of them.

Originally, I deemed the trip “Chuckwalla Hunt ‘09” because Chuckwalla are quite possibly the coolest-named desert creature ever.  Check ‘em out – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuckwalla.  I secretly wanted to find one and raise him (or her) as our own.  We could even name it Charlie the Chuckwalla.  Cool, right?  But seeing as Kristen only sort of shared my enthusiasm for searching out lizards, I resolved to let it be a desert camping trip with friends.  And that it was.  Perfect solitude in clear, non-city air where the biggest challenge aside from rock hopping was which flavor of Dorito we were going to munch on.  (Cool Ranch it is!)

Hopefully you’ve all had the chance to just “be” and enjoy some serenity of your own.  If not, come on out to Anza-Borrego!

Our second summer in LA has been awesome.  We unofficially consider 2008 our rookie season.  While mostly enjoyed, frankly, there were some rough spots.  We actually paid for parking.  Even gave a few bad directions to friends.  (hint to non-locals: lifeguard stations have numbers … they’re even set up sequentially!)  So this, our sophomore season at the beach, has proven more successful.  Fewer sunburns.  Free parking.  And a frisbee that doesn’t blow away in a stiff wind.  Maybe next year will even bring fewer scrapes on the skimboard.  Here’s to hoping.

With our fellow Ohio friends, Robb and Andrea, we have casually created our very own “Ohio Beach Days”.  Basically it consists of a few Ohio natives laying on the beach.  (I know, it’s an original idea.)  And last weekend it grew a bit when some fellow beach-goers started a game on the nearby Volleyball court.  Turns out they were all mostly from Ohio. Some were on vacation.  Some were at least semi-permanently transplanted from Ohio.  Regardless, it was one of the many good days we’ve spent in the sand this summer.

We’ve also been busying ourselves (okay, mostly Kristen has) with planning our wedding.  Looks like July of ’10 will spark yet another rookie season -as NEWLY WEDS!  There’s still lots to plan, but the bigger basics are covered: We’re having the ceremony at the Browning Amphitheater on the campus of THE Ohio State University.  Following that will be the reception at The Columbus Athenaeum (which Travis just spelled correctly for the first time today) in the Olympian Ballroom.  We’re looking forward to a fun year of planning what we hope to be a great milestone in our future as a couple.

And we’ve also been visited by some really special people this summer.  Abbey, Kristen’s best friend/maid of honor, was out just a few weeks ago for the first time.  Alisha (no more giving us crap, Alisha – this is shout-out numero dos! ) was here on Saturday.  And Jeff (aka ‘Team Maynard’) has been out several times visiting our new friend, Lauren.  Lauren was even nice enough to share her family’s beach side get-away in Oceanside last month.  That was one of the highlights of our sophomore season as beach-goers for sure.

If you’re thinking to yourself, “well, is the beach all you did this summer?” – you’re sort of correct.  We’ve both been working.  We’ve even gotten in a few hikes.  But – as our distinguished friend DeKoven pointed out last Sunday – if you live in Southern California, shouldn’t you spend as much time on or near the beach as possible?!  So true, DeKoven.  So true.

That’s about all we know for now.  Cheers from life on the Left coAst!

-K & T-

A humongous new beginning has begun for Mom, Mrs. Nancy Gates, who now begins her many years of retirement bliss after a very  distinguished career.  A Work & Family Science teacher at Perrysburg High School for most of her career, Mrs. Gates helped a countless number of students make their way through many a first resume, recipe, checkbook, needle & thread and … well, life in general.  Perrysburg High School bids farewell to a great asset and friend this year.  Congratulations should also be extended as she was deemed the Perrysburg Schools 2009 Teacher of the Year!!  We wish you the best as you enjoy a lil’ R-and-R during your retirement, Mom!

New beginnings were also forged for several of our very good friends who recently tied the knot.  On May 16, Mike Stark and Libby Nelson became Mr. and Mrs. Michael Stark in Canton, Ohio.  And just a few weeks later, on May 29, Lauren Krause and Ryan Dorff said “I do” in Cleveland.   We enjoyed seeing you experience such beautiful ceremonies and will be looking forward to your wedding planning advice in the coming year.  May you each enjoy each others’ love and friendship every day for the rest of your lives.

Kristen is also going through a few “new beginnings” as well.  On June 12, Kristen will graduate with her Masters of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of California Los Angeles! With her Masters in hand, she will begin her work as the Human Capital Coordinator with The Human Development Overlay District (HD-OD) in Hollywood.  A new initiative in Urban Planning, HD-OD is one of only two projects of its kind in the United States (the other in Boston).  For more information on this extraordinary project, go to http://www.hdod.org/national/home.aspx

May this much-delayed post find you all smiling as you embark on your own beginnings this spring/summer.

Adios from life on the Left coAst!

-Kristen & Travis-

A conversation with the recently engaged!  Double yay!

Imagine you’re sitting across the table from us.  Perhaps we’ve just finished dinner.  Or coffee.  Oh!  Oh!  Or flourless chocolate cake at Fritto Misto.  Whatever the setting, dive in.

You:  Tell me all about the engagement!

Kristen:  Hi.  I’m Kristen.  I always make Travis write these things.

Travis:  Okay, fine.  I’ll start. Thursday, March 5, was my birthday.  (Don’t let the balding fool you – I’m only 28.)  While some people probably think it’s cheesy that I popped the question on my birthday, the big planning reason is much more simple.

Kristen:  He can’t lie.

Travis:  It’s true.  I’m horrible at it – especially to her. So the main reason I planned on it being on my birthday was because it’d be the BEST birthday gift I’d ever receive.  For planning/strategy, though, it was supposed to throw her off the trail (pardon the pun) as much as possible.  She’d be distracted with making my birthday special – meanwhile I was off planning the big Q & A.

Kristen:  So his big plan was to go on this sunset hike at Temescal Canyon, which happens to be our favorite weekend hiking spot.  The views are amazing – especially on a clear day – and it’s just up the street from our apartment.  Anyway, he’d been talking about doing this big sunset hike a LOT for his birthday.  So I got suspicious.

Travis:  But I had a double-agent working for me.

Kristen:  It’s true.  My friend Becky was already in on it.  So when I told her my spidey senses were going off about the hike she told me that a) there was no way he’d pop the question on his birthday and b) why would he do it on a hike?  So that was that and I sort of forgot about it.  Meanwhile …

Travis:  … meanwhile Becky e-mails me and says “dude, lay off the hike planning.  Your woman’s on to you.”  So here’s the one and ONLY time I lie in this process.  As soon as I stop hyperventilating about how my plan’s going down the pooper, I text Kristen and say that I’m really sore from the last hike.  BS.  But it worked.

Kristen:  I thought he was a wimp.  I felt fine.

Travis:  Regardless, she bought it.

Kristen:  It’s true.  So between him being sore and the possibility of rain, that pushed the idea of him popping the question out of my head.

Travis:  Cut to the big day.  I prepped a few family and friends to be expecting calls/texts/news and off we went on the hike around 4:00PM (PST).

Kristen:  And the fact that he got the afternoon off from work was pretty awesome, so I was excited just to be out of the office and doing something fun for his birthday.

Travis:  The hike up was pretty simple, really.  Since it was a weekday afternoon, there were very few hikers and the weather was perfect.  As we approached the overlook, I could tell it was a very, very clear day.  So I knew the view was going to be awesome.  At this stage-

Kristen:  -At this stage, Travis goes radio silent.  Doesn’t say a word.  So …

Travis:  … I didn’t go mute.  I was just enjoying the view.  And kinda freakin’ out.  *smiles*  I knew she’d want to grab a picture of the sunset, so earlier in the day I had had a coworker (thanks, Cake Baker!) take a picture of me on one knee with the ring.  My big plan was to have it on the digital display of the camera and then be doing the same thing in person.  So when she went to take the picture, she’d see it and …

Kristen:  I didn’t see it at all. I was just focusing on taking a good shot of the sun setting.

Travis:  Epic.  Fail.  So here I am down on my knee, ring/box on display and she’s fussing with the camera, staring off over the ocean.

Kristen:  I noticed him crouching down beside me, but thought he was just messing around in the backpack or whatever.  Still very silent.

Travis:  Finally, while still kneeling, I poked her in the leg to get her attention.

Kristen:  Complete.  Shock.  All I saw was him on a knee, smiling and this diamond.

Travis:  Her face was priceless.

Kristen:  And then he said “will you marry me?”

Travis:  And she hit me.

Kristen:  It wasn’t like I HIT him.  I said “yes” first.

Travis:  Actually, I think you said “are you serious?!” … then you hit me … then said “yes.”

Kristen:  Semantics really.

Travis:  Uh huh.  Regardless.  I got the answer I was hoping for.

Kristen:  It was a classic “Travis and Kristen” moment.

Travis:  Then a couple we had passed earlier on the trail took our photo, having just seen the moment.

... the look of shock still on both of our faces.

Kristen:  And that’s the story of how we got engaged!

You:  Awwwww.  You guys are so cute!

(“You” don’t really get a choice in your response.  Sorry.  It’s not that kind of medium.  Unless you care to comment below.)

- The End -

Love to you all,

T & K soon to be GATES!!!

So I continue at the risk of being a name dropper and therefore “so L.A.”  But the story must be told, so call me what you will.

The basics:  On the lot where I work is the old A&M Records.  It’s not under that name any longer, but it’s still a very active recording studio.  Incidentally, the lot is the old Charlie Chaplin lot and the recording studio is rumored to be the REAL Voodoo Lounge.  As in, the Rolling Stones album was named after the place.  So it has some major production and music history within its gates.  I digress to  …

Tuesday.  Seeing a bunch of desperate-looking young people chasing after a car as it came in through our gates (seemingly job-less autograph seekers), I decided to ask the guard who they’d been standing around to see for the last two days.  “Pearl Jam” was her answer.  Seeing the guy walk into the studio, I realized it’s lead guitarist and general artistic badass, Mike McCready.  Now, I’m a big PJ fan, but my brother Matt is the biggest fan I know.  So being the younger, a-hole of a brother that I am, I text him to rub the sighting in his face.  He responds in a much more mature fashion (per the norm) and tells me that McCready does a lot of work to raise awareness for The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.  This is huge as a very dear member of our family suffers from Crohn’s.  So I decide to thank Mr. McCready (and maybe even score an autograph for Matt, if I should be so lucky).  To keep from violating lot policy and approaching him (whilst keeping my job), I devise to put a letter on the car that drove him through the gates.  As a silent ode to Matt (an architect), I wrote it on graph paper.   The letter wasn’t Shakespeare, but it was heartfelt.  I thanked him for his work with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, wished him well in his own struggle with Crohn’s and finally thanked him for his art which has had a profound impact on both me and my brother.  Anyway, I wrote it, sneakily put it under the windshield wiper and left it at that.  Frankly, knowing he’s such a huge star (and possibly “so L.A.”), I figured it would end at that.

A few hours later, I got a call on my cell phone from one of my coworkers.  She said “Travis, Mike McCready is here and he’d like to speak with you.”  (Not something you hear everyday, right?)  Reading the letter, he literally walked around the lot and sought me out, finally finding her.  Now, this lot isn’t huge, but we don’t fly big flags saying where we work.  So this took some doing.  Meeting him outside, the first words from his mouth were “Thank you so much for the letter.  How’s your (family member)?”  From there, he shared with me his tribulations with Crohn’s and findings in new medications, etc., but was largely more interested in my family member’s health.  He wanted to know who gave her the best treatment,  what meds she’d tried, etc.  And his tone was so genuine that I thought I was talking to a guy I’d been friends with for years.  As we sort of wrapped up the conversation about five minutes later, he graciously wrote a note and an autograph for Matt.  When I told Mike we’d seen him/Pearl Jam in concert nine times (and more on Matt’s end), he looked up from signing the autograph and said “wow” – as if that was something he never hears.  Yeah.  Right.  They have one of the most loyal followings in music.  Regardless, he seemed so thankful that we had made his music part of our lives.  It was a pretty cool feeling, honestly.   It was even cooler to know that Mike McCready’s not only an amazing musician, he’s also an EXTREMELY nice and genuine guy.  It’s amazing how much your admiration grows when you know they’re real, cool and not “so L.A.”

For more information on The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, please go to www.ccfa.org

From Hollyweird,

-T & K-

Good & Bad Moment:  The passing of Getta “Oma” Elliott

• Bad because: Selfishly, we hated to let go of Oma as a presence in our earthly lives.
• Good because: She is now bonded with John “Opa” Elliott, Maggie and those others who passed before her in our father’s eternal kingdom.

Good & Bad Moment: Detective Sergeant Robert Gates Retires from duty at Perrysburg Township Police Department

• Bad because:  A dedicated, experienced and talented officer, agent and man is no longer protecting our streets.
• Good because: This is a well-deserved (and hard-earned) retirement.  Here’s to years of hobbies and Harleys!

Good & Bad Moment: Kristen is further along in UCLA grad school.

• Bad because: In today’s economy, it’s not the best time to be …
• Good because: … only five months from graduating with her Master’s Degree!!!

Good & Bad Moment: Kristen and Travis travel to Costa Rica!

• Bad because: I (Travis) now share in Kristen’s obsession with this amazing country and its wonderful people … and am now trying to figure out how to fool a major studio into paying me big bucks so I can afford a vacation home there!
• Good because: We got to see Kristen’s family (whom I had not yet met) AND meet little Kristen!  (sidenote: Evelyn, Ronny and Kristen called us on NYE!  While Kristen had a great conversation with them, I said “hola” and “Pura Vida” – the two things in Spanish I learned to say during our stay.)

Good & Bad Moment: Barack Obama elected next President of the United States of America

• Bad because: We’re pretty sure SNL will go another 4 years without being funny now that Tina Fey officially retired her Sarah Palin character.   “I can see Russia from my house!” *Sigh* … those were the days.
• Good because: Do we dare even list all the reasons this is a good thing for our country?  Mr. President, time to make good on all of your inspirations, sir.

Good & Bad Moment:  WGA Strikes for Better Wages/Treatment

• Bad because: While I’m not a member of the Writer’s Guild, I was affected by this work stoppage – so much so that it contributed to my being out of work for nearly 2 months.
• Good because: Should I ever be so lucky to be a professional member of the WGA, my benefits have been strengthened.

Good & Bad Moment: OSU vs. USC Battle in SoCal

• Bad because: Duh … we (OSU) got our tails handed to us on the field that day.
• Good because: So many friends came out to help cheer on our Buckeyes.  Save for a couple hours on that Saturday, it was an awesome weekend!

Good & Bad Moment: Shafer family circus on the road again

• Bad because:  As die-hard Buckeyes, we had a hard time rooting for UM, but resolved to do so for the sake of Scott and the family.  We’re Scott Shafer fans to the bone!
• Good because: He left UM.  And is now on his way to Syracuse to helm the defense for the Orangemen!!  And we can go back to hating Michigan.

Good & Bad Moment: New kittens!  Both Kate and Robb/Nancy got a kitten!

• Bad because:  For those of you not in the know, kittens are insane.  Literally.  Cute and cuddly one minute.  Climbling and clawing on anything possible the next.  We witnessed this – at both homes – over the holidays.
• Good because:  Kate’s first cat, Peanut, now has a playmate in Whimsey.  And Robb has someone to share retirement with in Chaps.  (That’s their cat’s name … not a fashion no-no.)

So there it is, in a nutshell.  2008.  The good and the bad.

Hasta la vista from La La Land!  (Hey, I learned another phrase while I was in Costa Rica!)

-K & T-

So, in the spirit of giving to myself, I came up with some other things that Kristen would like me to give myself for her birthday/Christmas this year.

1.  LIPOSUCTION.  I realized this fully when we went to see the film “Australia” starring Nicole Kidman and, more importantly to Kristen, Hugh Jackman.  There’s a scene where Hugh is lit by a camp fire, shirtless, and he pours a jug of water down his torso.  Kristen successfully sucked all of the air out of the theater – and my lungs – before the water hit his navel.  I stopped eating my popcorn and was on a treadmill the following morning.  Since that’s not doing the trick entirely, I’m pretty sure I need an overpaid Hollywood doctor to stick a vacuum tube in my spare tire and go to town.

2.  NON-BLACK LUGGAGE.  I’m a twenty-something male.  As part of my stock uniform, I have black luggage.  And if you stare at any airport luggage turnstile for more than 5 seconds you’ll realize that everyone else has the exact same thing.  Everyone.  Everyone, that is, except for Kristen.  Hers is so identifiable it practically shoots off flares once it’s out of the plane.  Then, after what seems like an eternity of staring at the never-ending trail of black luggage, mine finally shows up.  And Kristen is not pleased by said eternity.

3.  SINGING LESSONS.  I’m a morning person.  Well, let me rephrase that.  In comparison to Kristen, I’m a morning person.  And I have a habit of singing – not only in the shower – but throughout my morning routine.  Kristen is not amused – at all – by my repeatedly poor rendition of “love you madly” by CAKE.  Even “Everything” by Michael Buble is destroyed.  Arrested Development.  Beck.  Sinatra.  Nothing is sacred in my ageless repertoire of music.  And she takes the brunt of these failures.

4.  DANCING LESSONS.  This ability would simply allow Kristen to dance, rather than laugh her ass off, when we’re out at clubs, weddings, etc.  I’m really looking forward to the wedding receptions this year.  I do this thing where I stand on one foot and … well … you’ll just have to see it to believe it.  I’m sure Kristen will love it.

5.  AUTOMATIC CAR.  At present, I drive a car with a manual transmission.  As much as we tried, Kristen did not take to my amazingly patient teachings.  Actually, she did.  So my whiplash was worth it.  But, understandably, she’s not willing to drive a stick shift in LA traffic.  (I don’t blame her for this, by the way.)  And she doesn’t have a car.  So anything that involves travel while I’m at work, also involves a bus pass for Kristen.

6.  FLAT SCREEN, HD TELEVISION.  Okay, so this would be a gift to us both.  But if I were to give myself this gift for Kristen’s birthday or Christmas, she would probably be pretty happy herself.

7.  BIGGER TENT.  I own a tent that most people envy.  And it was free – a donation from the “Summit for Someone” Foundation during my summit of Rainier.  So I’m pretty much in love with my tent.  But it’s pretty much just made for one person. (2 person is a total lie in tent lingo, by the way.) So when Kristen tries to sleep next to me in said tent, it’s not the most comfortable of situations.  And she makes me aware of this everytime we camp.  This is only made worse by …

8.  SNORING REMEDY.  Kristen has lost countless hours of sleep because I snore like I’m sawing firewood with a dull hacksaw.  Find me something that doesn’t involve hooking my nasal passages up to a generator or pinching my nose closed (or pulling my nostrils apart for that matter) and it’ll be a win-win.

9.  A DISHWASHER.  We live in a small apartment.  And that means an even smaller kitchen.  So not only do we not have a dishwasher, but we also only have room for one person at the sink.  Truth be told, we probably order pizza so often because it’s less dirty dish impact.

Rounding out the “top ten list” of selfish gift-giving, is the doctor’s visit.  So there it is.  Feel free to convince your certain someone this holiday season that one of the above is truly for them.  And if it’s the flat screen, please let me know how you pulled it off.

Birthday celebrations aside just for the moment, let’s do a quick recap of all things Kristen and Travis since our last posting in October. After a brief trip home to Ohio for the OSU/Michigan match-up and reunion of most of our Buckeye brethren (and, for the first time, Wolverines – hello Shafers!), we were welcomed back to California with a Thanksgiving celebration in Murrietta at Kristen’s Uncle Ron and Aunt Susan’s place.  We were joined by Grammy and Grandpa Coleman as well.  Thanks to their hospitality and culinary expertise, Thanksgiving continues to rank in the upper eschilons of my favorite holidays.  When else am I allowed – nay – encouraged to eat my weight in turkey and empty carbs and then be useless for the rest of the afternoon?  It’s like the pilgrims planned this event in honor of my greatest talents: eating and napping.

Now we’re getting all of our shopping done before our next trip home in December for Christmas.  This holiday takes a close second to Turkey Day in my book.  How can Christmas be second to anything, you ask?  Simple.  While it also comes with a sufficient amount of gorging, it normally requires a little more effort.  Since it’s December, Ohio normally has a chance of significant snow fall (read: more than 1/2″ – 1″).  And unfortunately, that snow never adheres to my strict “no sticking to the pavement” policy.  Which means that I have to beat my father out the door to get to the garage in time to do my out-of-towner due diligence in shoveling.  I am, after all, spared of the viscious Ohio cycle of year-round mowing, raking and shoveling.  You Californians laugh, but it’s the truth.  This is the circle of seasonal activity to an Ohioan: Spring and Summer = mowing, Fall = raking and Winter = shoveling.  Granted, there is a lot more to life in Ohio than just this daily upkeep of your surroundings, but you tend to lose sight of this fact around late January when you’re 20 minutes late for work because your car has become an icicle with wheels.  For the third time in as many days.

So needless to say, while we still miss family and friends a great deal, life in sunny SoCal is treating us just fine.  Kristen is still hard at work balancing both grad school and her internship with the CRA (that means “Community Redevelopment Agency” to all of us outside the planning world).  I’m working away on the production of “Dinosaur Train” (PBS kids show due to air next year).  And all is right with the world here in La La Land.  Aside from the birthday wishes, this rather mundane status makes for a pretty boring blog, I’m afraid.  And while I could go into a Travis Gates version of “what really grinds my gears” and list my latest pet peeves, I’ll spare you and end with this:

Happy Birthday to Kristen and Happy Holidays to all from here on the Left coAst!!

My (Travis) camping trip to Catalina Island was a perfect case in point.  The serenity of the surf and sand made me realize just how busy LA life really is.  And seeing what lies underneath the surface of the water that I so casually glance at all too often gave me a whole new appreciation (and frankly, some small amounts of fear) for LA’s watery neighbors.  Fish.  Spiny lobster.  Sharks.  Kelp forests.  And all only a short bike ride from our apartment.  Who knew?

The same findings are true for our recent trip to San Diego.  We didn’t realize that the world outside of LA was so much like … everywhere else.  With strip malls.  And big box stores.  Chain restaurants.  And large parking lots.  I’m confident that if someone was born in Los Angeles and never allowed to leave, they’d never know of these things.  Ever.  And only because of advertising would this person think of TGI Friday’s as a thing of legend in a far-off place called “Ohio.”  But little did we know, there’s one just a couple hours south of LA County.

And there’s a strange amount of pride taken in things like this.  Much the same way people take pride in being from New York.  Except when New Yorkers tell strangers where they’re from, the strangers are less likely to react with a look like they just caught a whiff of rotting cheese or a dirty diaper.  But such is the case when you’re from LA.  It’s very much a love-hate city.  Personally, we love it.  Other people – not so much.  There’s the traffic.  And the smog.  And the crazy kamikaze drivers in the traffic and the smog.  And also a total lack of large surface parking lots, chain restaurants (minus a few), strip malls and big box stores.

So, by comparison, San Diego is very different from LA.  Yet it was a great place for us to celebrate our anniversary.  That’s right, kids – three whole years.  And over a year of that time was spent here in LA.  You know what they say: “a couple who moves to LA together, stays together.” I think that’s the phrase, anyway.  No wait, it’s: “a couple who travels more than 2,200 miles across the country in an over-heating box truck, stays together.”  Yeah.  That’s definitely the phrase I was looking for. Three years and we’re still goin’ strong, looking forward to a lifetime of love and (more) adventure.  But for now, we say goodnight from … “life on the Left coAst.”

On September 1, we celebrated our one year anniversary as Californians.  Ironically, we were in Ohio with family as we mourned the passing and celebrated the life of Kristen’s beloved Oma.  While she will be sorely missed in our lives, we will live on with her spirit and kind heart within each of us every day.  May she be at peace with Opa and Maggie as they continue to watch over each of us.

In very typical Elliott family fashion, the trip home was all about ‘family, football and funerals.’  Kristen’s uncle Pat, who works for the NFL, gave us tickets to the Browns game that Thursday.  That following Saturday, we cheered for Kristen’s uncle Scott as he led his defense against Utah.  Those of you familiar with college football might have already put two and two together:  Beginning of September.  Utah football game in the midwest.  You guessed it MICHIGAN.  Unfortunately for us as Buckeyes, Scott Shafer is now the Defensive Coordinator for the University of Michigan.  Given his incredible talent and history as a coach, this is only unfortunate in terms of the future of our winning streak as Buckeyes.  Michigan has done a wonderful thing in scooping up Scott and the support of his family.  Needless to say, we are a little worried about that fateful weekend in November.

Upon our return home to California, we welcomed several fellow Buckeyes in their journey west for the brutal Buckeye match-up against USC.  *sigh* …  If only Uncle Scott had been with us.  You’ll remember him as the same minister of defense who picked apart USC’s NCAA-leading offense with an unranked Stanford defense last year for one of the biggest upsets in college football history.  (See why we’re a little worried about November?!)  If only he had bestowed some of that Trojan-stomping wisdom on our day at The Colliseum this year!  (For those of you living under a rock, our Buckeyes were torn limb from limb by USC this past Saturday.)  But we had a good time with our fellow Buckeye faithful despite the disappointing loss.  We only wish all of our Buckeye crew would have been able to make the trip.  LA seemed much more like home with good friends in town.  The sea of scarlet and gray was a welcome change of pace, too.  There are very few occasions when you can get an “I-O!” response to your “O-H!” in the middle of Venice Beach.

But alas it seems the Buckeyes have returned home as we hold down the fort here in SoCal.  After all, we have a duty to remind the ego-inflated Trojans of our famous Ohio saying:  “There’s always next year.”  See you in Columbus.

Check out more pictures in Kristen’s gallery!

1.  Merging.

1a.  Merging onto the 405 from the 10.  At 8:30 am.  (kids – don’t try this without supervision)

2.  Disney.  At over 90 degrees, this is more a mouse-ridden pressure cooker that smells like kid sweat and elephant ears.  Yeah.  “Wonderland” … sure.  (Don’t get us wrong – it’s extremely fun.  But does it really have to be that hot???)

3.  The line at Sprinkles.  Kristen swears the cupcakes are worth the wait in line.  Travis stays in the car.

4.  Crossing the strand on foot on a beautifully sunny weekend day.  This is like the human and bicycle form of frogger, for those not familiar.

5. Earthquakes

It’s true.  We can now claim #5 as a notch on the ‘coming of age in California’ belt.  This was not a small one, either.  5.8 for a solid 20 seconds.  Rest assured, we’re both fine.  And Kristen had it worse than Travis.  She was on the 7th floor in the historic district (read: brick, ‘retro-fitted’ buildings) while Travis was only on the 2nd floor of a very stable and new building.  But the playing field is leveled a bit when the entire earth beneath your feet is shaking.  For the first 8 seconds, it was more a feeling of ‘this is my first earthquake!  Cool’ … but that tune quickly changes as the faces of the locals (i.e., those who know better) grow cold and thoughts of ‘the big one’ run through your mind.  But we relax into ignorant bliss again as the ground has remained stable for a couple days now.  And will hopefully stay as such for a while.

And while we love our steady-grounded life here so far, we do wish we were closer to home to hug our loved ones more frequently.  And more specifically, those who need special ‘get well’ hugs.  Oma – we are sending you many, many virtual hugs until our next trip home!  We love you!

Love and hugs to you all from here on the Left coAst.

-K&T-

In her rather timely visit to the first home, Kristen made it to Ohio last weekend to hang with family and friends. Given the timing, it was a good peace-keeping mission and all ended up happy. No hard feelings. Crisis averted.

Here in the second home, we have stepped full-force into tourist season. We say this most seriously: adding lost and/or wandering travelers to the already-chaotic roads of LA is like throwing a can of gas into a raging bonfire. It’s a little more than dangerous. We learned this today on a bike ride to the beach. Granted, it’s a little unfair to complain about a bike ride to the beach, but with a SUV from Connecticut baring down on you as you pedal furiously, you tend to forget about how you’re supposed to be enjoying the beach. Instead you think about how the phrase “my other car is an enterprise rental car” is going to be permanently stamped to your butt if you don’t keep pedaling for dear life. Any sign of tourism (i.e., too-short pleated khaki shorts, black socks with sandals, mandals in general, overly-eager picture taking, etc.) is official cause to sound the alarm. We’re about to be overrun. Take cover immediately. This could last through September.

In other news, we have seen the Grunyons. Not to be confused with a rather unmentionable male body part, the GrunYON is a species of fish – the only species, in fact – that mates on land. And they only do it here in Cali. They basically look like jumping sardines. If you’ve ever seen the love scene in “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” (a classic), you know what we’re talking about. Anyway, we witnessed them on their “run” during the insanely underwhelming GLOW event at Santa Monica Beach Saturday night. These proud lil’ buggers ride up in the tide, get as far up as possible, do their birds and the bees thing, and then hop to the surf to swim back out to sea. And hundreds – even thousands – of tourists and Californians come out to peep the show. It’s nature’s best marketing ploy, really. Thank you to Sabrina for driving and not leaving us to bike among the 4-wheeled insanity. We’re pretty sure you saved our lives. You should get a medal or a marret badge or something. Seriously.

Sadly, that’s about all we can report for now. More soon from life here on Left coAst.

Love,

-T&K-

A quick catch-up on K & T:

After acing her first year of grad school at UCLA, Kristen is now well into her summer internship position with the LA Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).  She’s getting used to the 9-5 life again as we speak.

Travis is wrapping up his last day of his freelance gig at Jim Henson Studios today.  Watch ‘Sid the Science Kid’ in September!  He’s now off to bob and float in the ocean of freelancers once again.

Now that we have been here for nearly a year, we are realizing that we have found our second home here on the left coast.  While it could never fully replace our true home – Ohio – we do consider it a solid runner-up.  The visit from Robb and Nancy (Trav’s parents) helped to concrete our established life here a bit more.  After all, what’s an apartment until it has been approved by Mom?  Kate The Great (Kristen’s mom) gave it her stamp a few months ago, so we were anxious to get the second half to create ‘final seal.’ And what a great visit we had while they were here, too!  (Mom and Dad – thanks again for the vacation!)

Our realization was strengthened further by attending a recent O.A.R. concert.  (sidenote:  Their song, “Road Outside Columbus,” is also the inspiration to the title of this post.)  For those of you who are Buckeyes, you may know what we’re talking about here.  For all of you others: O.A.R. was a staple in any OSU student’s life between 1997 and 2005 (roughly).  While they were playing in backyards and smaller venues like “The Newport” back in those days <sighs with dreams of days gone by> to a bunch of drunken college kids <sighs another deep sigh>, they are now selling out 2 straight nights at the L.A. House of Blues to a bunch of drunken adults (and we use that term loosely, of course).  Oh how times have changed.  Regardless, as we watched and enjoyed the show, we both came to the realization that times are changing.  And we, like this former college band, are growing – minus the saxophone and percussion section.

From our second home,

-T&K-