The morning of April 11, 2009 was one of excitement and anxiousness. We loaded our luggage into the van, grabbed some food for the road, made a last minute bathroom run, and headed to the Cleveland Hopkins Airport. Emily, Kathryn, and I were dressed in our sweats ready to deal with the 3 hour plane ride. Wanting to fit in once we reached California, we each decided to rock our own travel hats, since all female celebrities wear a hat when they travel. It was already evident that this trip was going to be one I’d never forget.

The drive from LAX to our Malibu beach house was amazing. Everywhere I looked there were people, cars, buildings, and city lights. I’d never seen anything like it in my life. The Pacific Coast Highway, at first unfamiliar, soon became one of my best friends on the trip. We stepped in and looked around at our gorgeous home for the next six days. Everything was so clean and organized and put in its place. The computer room was directly to my right, and the living room and kitchen were straight ahead. I turned left down the long hallway to find the bedroom that the three of us would be staying in. There was an enormous king sized bed with our names on it. We set down our luggage and plopped our bodies onto the white cotton bed spread. After exploring the massively large bedroom, we made our way to the back of the house and out onto the balcony porch. It was official: I was in heaven. The deck had a glass table to my left, chase lounge chairs straight ahead, and a beautiful pool with waters so clear you could see straight to the bottom, to my right. We immediately ran to the ledge that overlooked Malibu and took in the scenery. Directly across the street from our house was the ever famous Malibu Beach. It was packed with beachgoers who wanted nothing more than to enjoy the nice breeze while sunbathing on the white sands. Almost simultaneously we each had the same thought: time to grab our suits and head to the beach!

Although this vacation could have been perfect just lying by our pool relaxing, it wouldn’t have been the experience of a lifetime without visiting Los Angeles. The only negative aspects of going to L.A, and the entire trip, were the car rides. The hills of California were something we definitely were not used to, and our stomachs were not prepared. Every few blocks we’d see signs on the corner advertising “Star Maps, Get Your Star Maps Here!” Everyone seemed to be in business selling maps to where the celebrities lived. The first stop on our adventure was at the famous D-A-S-H store, owned by the Kardashians. Hoping we’d get to see one of the three women, we ran through the doors. Inside was like a whole other world. Everything was so pretty and expensive. It was unlike anything any of us had ever seen before. The clothes were couture, and even the candles and bottled waters were out of my price range. None of us minded, however; we were just excited to be in the store. All of a sudden we heard a voice we recognized from television. We turned around and there she was: Khloe Kardashian was standing right in front of us, in the flesh! She looked even prettier in person and was wearing the cutest black jeans with a cute black and grey shirt. Her sunglasses were set on her head so carelessly, yet it looked like they were perfectly held in place. Instantly, we all turned to jello. Finally, Emily’s mom asked her if she’d mind taking a picture with us. It was hands down the coolest thing that had ever happened to me, and I owe it all to California. After we left D-A-S-H, we ventured farther into Santa Monica and went shopping! Kathryn and Emily both found beautiful dresses for our upcoming school dance, Jr. Sr. Banqet, and I found an adorable shirt and tank top. We had to watch what we bought, however, because everything in California was twice as expensive as it is here. After shopping, we went to a restaurant and ate lunch, then headed to the car to start our trip back to the house.

The majority of our trip wasn’t spent shopping or traveling to other parts of California, but was spent lying by the pool, going to eat, and driving a few minutes down the highway to different beaches. We spent one day at Malibu Beach, one day at Santa Monica Beach, and one day at Zuma Beach. Each one was different from the other, yet somehow the same. When we went to Zuma Beach we saw a lot of surfers. Everywhere we looked we saw men and women in wet suits that were a little too tight for comfort. As we were lying on our towels watching the surfers, we were approached by a man in a wet suit who noticed how amazed we were. He stuck up a conversation with us, and began teaching us a little about surfing. We had to leave before he could give us actual lessons, but we definitely felt much cooler after leaving. The next day was spent at Malibu Beach, where we laid our towels down on the beautiful white sand and stared at the Pacific Ocean. This time, Emily’s mom and her friends accompanied us and brought along a cooler with food and drinks. It was a great day at the beach with everyone laughing and having a great time. Our last beach we visited on the trip was to Santa Monica Beach. This was by far the most beautiful. As we were lying on the gorgeous white sand, we could look to our left and see the enormous Santa Monica Pier, packed with people walking along it. There were people of every race and gender, all intermixing together. There were children and teenagers, moms, dads, and grandparents all relaxing and having fun together. This was definitely something that none of us had ever seen back in Ohio, and something that we all agreed we could get used to.

Emily, Kathryn, and I constantly remind each other of all the memories we created and how much we each would kill to go back. I am so grateful that I was able to experience something so different from my everyday world with two of my best friends. Going to California was the trip of a lifetime and I would absolutely go back in a heart beat. Everything there was so serene yet so crazy all at the same time. My trip to Malibu was one that I will absolutely never forget.