(You know what's effing frustrating?  Finishing a blog post in a cafe and then coming to find the post didn't save thanks to temperamental internet service *&#@($*^@*&$*!!!!! So here we go for take two on this weeks entry on The Jones.)

The emotional hangover is here, and they are gone.  Another Matarante visit in the books, and it was just as wonderful as you'd expect.  8 days with the best people on earth?  The only thing that would make it better is if I didn't have to go into work five out of those 8 days, and could have spent virtually every waking moment with them.  

Alas, it was what it was, which was perfect for what it was, and now there's nothing left for me to do here but recount my favorite week of 2017 for you.

Day 1

My family got in on a Sunday afternoon.  I met them at the hotel and embraced them all, and just like that we were off to our first stop.  I took them to my favorite cafe in the valley, Romancing the Bean, and even though they put peanut butter in my smoothie instead of almond butter, we had a nice time together.  We got in the car and headed to Santa Monica, because my brother had never seen the pier.  

The Santa Monica Pier is probably my second least favorite place to be in Los Angeles, of course only after the infamous intersection of Hollywood and Highland.  It's just so campy and jammed with tourists and weird half naked men singing and dancing for money.  So we got out of there fairly quickly and strolled along the cliff overlooking the ocean towards the promenade.  

Placed in complete juxtaposition with the pier, the promenade is one of my favorite places to be.  It's the perfect place to take a stroll, to people watch, to shop, to eat.  We got dinner at a place that has become a favorite of my father's and mine, Mercado, a Mexican restaurant with delicious cocktails and the best choriqueso around.  

Cat and Tom live in Santa Monica so I hit them up to see what they were doing, and we ended up going over for dessert and coffee.  We joked that it was like I was dating them and it was meet-the-parents time, and I laugh because it's true.  Being so far away from my family, I know they worry about me, and hope that I'm making good choices.  I thought if they got to meet two of the people in my life who really look out for me and care for me, it would put them at ease.  And I think it did, so huge shoutout to Cat and Tom, who I seriously don't deserve as friends.

Day 2

Somehow, I scored the first three days my family would be in town off from work.  I did not question, I did not argue.  I simply complied.  

En route to San Diego, the drive is just stunning. We got off the highway at a certain point and just started driving through the local streets.  We stopped in La Jolla for lunch which was gorgeous.  I would have been happy spending the whole day there instead.  The restaurant, an outdoor deck overlooking the ocean, smelled like an animal had died, but the food and drinks were lovely, and the view was worth it.  

This house pictured above reminded me SO MUCH of something out of Big Little Lies and OMG can we talk about that FREAKING show for a second?!?  I was blown away with every moment of every aspect of that show, from acting choices to camera angles to the soundtrack to costuming to plot lines.  If you haven't watched it yet WHAT ARE YOU DOING finish this blog and then go watch that show!!!  No spoilers here, but I will say that the last twelve minutes of the series had me weeping.  Such an important and beautiful representation of women and how special be the bond that women share with one another.  

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Our first San Diego stop was Coronado Island, which is this picturesque island beach town situated just off the coast of San Diego, connected by one very long bridge.  

Calling all Disney eficionados out there, you know the beautiful and historic Grand Floridian hotel?
Here's a fun fact, it was modeled after Hotel del Coronado right here on Coronado Island.  

Don't believe me? Try and decide for yourself which is which!

Can't make a trip to San Diego with the Matarante boys without visiting the Padres stadium, which is beautiful by the way, and also made me really want to go to a baseball game soon, who wants to go to a baseball game with me?  Leave a comment below, serious inquiries only KTHXBYE

We ended the day watching the (quite lackluster for California standards) sunset at Sea Port Village, and we all piled into the car.  We ate dinner at the most adorable authentic Italian restaurant in Newport Beach, and headed home.

Day 3

We'll call this day the wrench because not one aspect of it went as planned.  My poor pops came down with a vicious case of food poisoning, and was sick all night and all day.  Hesitant to make memories without him, we hung out in the hotel room with him for majority of the day.  Ry, Mom and I got lunch and smoothies in NoHo, came back to the hotel room, and hung out until the early evening.  I had bought tickets for the four of us to do an escape room that night in downtown LA, and it was just about 5 PM when I started to get a little upset.  

Though it was only their third day in California, it was the last day I had to be with them without having to go into work at some point, and on some level I felt like they were already leaving and our quality time was slipping away.  So, reluctantly, we left my poor pops with ginger ale and saltines in the hotel room, and headed downtown just the three of us.  

The website for the escape room suggested nearby places to eat, so we picked one and headed towards it, only to find that that particular restaurant just did not exist anymore, because this is my life, after all.  So we turned the corner to head back, and saw this lit up eatery called "Cliftons."  There was a bouncer outside and a bunch of kids coming out of it, and it looked inviting.  We walk inside and I'm telling you it was the weirdest place I'd ever been to.  It looked like something out of an amusement park, but the theme was confusing and not at all fluid.  With furrowed brows and intense curiosity we ate our cafeteria food, and left bewildered.  

Walking into the escape room location, some excitement started to come back.  Just in time for the receptionist to whine the words, "Ummmm, looks like your reservation is for tomorrow.  I'm sorry.  But if you figure out the brain teasers on the wall you could get a lollipop!"  Because, again, this is how my life goes. Defeated, frustrated, and sucking on a butterscotch Dum-Dum, we got in the rental car and got the hell out of DTLA.  We decided to end the night doing one of the only things that could cheer us up at that point: drinking tea and playing The Game of Life in the hotel lobby.  My brother destroyed us, which is pretty much the outcome you expect at a Matarante game night, and so all was restored.  

Day 4

Pops was starting to feel okay enough to have a real meal, so we decided to go get breakfast at another one of our favorite places to eat together.  This time we went to Home, a brunch spot with an extensive menu and a super cute outdoor dining patio.  As always, the food was delicious, and with full bellies and a father in the clear, we headed to Echo Park Lake so I could show it off.  

One of my absolute favorite spots in all of LA, Echo Park Lake is clean, beautiful, and full of hipsters expressing themselves through wild hair colors and cut off jeans.  The four of us rented pedal boats and started off at our own paces but ended up holding onto each others boats and pretty much floating around together.  

When it was that time, I had to head to work, and the fam decided to join me so they could watch the Ranger game on the big TVs at my job.  Pops started to feel not so great again, and when the game was over, they took off.  

Day 5

Getting a good amount of rest the night before, my dad finally felt ready to take on a hike.  But, being sensitive to him (and also to myself because who am I kidding I haven't done any physical activity in MONTHS) I chose a fairly simple path using Modern Hiker, which, if you live in the western US, you should definitely give a go for a helpful and easy-to-understand guide to your perfect hike.  

We knew we wanted to end up at the Griffith Observatory, AKA my brother's oasis, and the hike took us about an hour or just shy of it.  The observatory may be one of the biggest tourist sites in LA but it's so gorgeous and you really can't find a better view of the whole city, so if ever you're in LA and are reluctant to visit all the tourist traps, you should definitely suck it up and make this your exception.

We worked up a pretty large appetite, so we met Jeff (who is my dad's cousin, my brothers godfather, and one of my favorite relatives) at my favorite restaurant in Echo Park, Mohawk Bend.  Emily Osment was at a table near us and I pretty much spent the entire meal trying not to make eye contact with her to make her feel comfortable.  Then I had to get ready for work so I said sayonara and parted ways.

Day 6

MY FAVORITE DAY!  

Hollywood is the land of cinema.  You can't walk very far without passing a hot set or an acting school or a film studio.  If you're ever visiting Los Angeles, a studio tour should be at the top of your to do list.  With my family, I've now been to Sony, Universal, and Warner Brothers.  This most recent time, we went on the Warner Brothers studio tour, and let me just tell you, it was by far my favorite one yet.  I'm the most massive Friends fan I know, and I've been known to watch my fair share of Pretty Little Liars (and quietly stalk the actresses from the comfort of my own home via social media) and both of these shows and so much more were filmed on this lot.  

The first thing that happens on most studio tours is a video you watch to introduce you to what you're about to see.  Of course, I'm in tears by the end because of how desperately I want to be making films like Casablanca and La La Land.  What can I say?  I'm a sap.

And then, we were on the tour and all of a sudden I'm staring right at the sets used for some of the most well-known shows on television!

This family visit was made all the more special because of the addition of this one right here.  Every time my parents would come out to visit, it was always a glorious and happy time.  But it was like when you put together a puzzle and realize you lost a piece and it'll never be fully finished.  With Ryan finally with us, this trip was a completed puzzle.  

I am so proud to be his older sister.  My brother is so intelligent, warm, compassionate, fucking hilarious, and has easily the biggest heart I've ever been lucky enough to be loved by.  Our bond gets stronger all the time and I am overwhelmed with happiness that I was able to share my life in California with him and make memories not just with him but with the four of us.  

Probably the best moment of my adult life.  Right here.  Friends trivia is my Olympics.   It has been such a central theme in my family and was woven into mine and Ryan's upbringing so tightly that I know it might be silly but the show means so much to me and the togetherness I feel when we're sitting down watching it with each other.  This was a happy moment.  

After the tour ended, we lunched at another one of my favorite spots in LA, Aroma Cafe, and just as quickly as the desserts we ordered disappeared, I had to head back to work again. 

Day 7

I didn't have much time to kill before work this day, so we decided to do the drive up the coast, from Marina Del Rey to Malibu, stopping in Venice along the way, because, well duh. 

Here are the Matarante spawns poorly lit, in matching outfits, waiting for our parents to finish using the restrooms. 

Fortunately and unfortunately I had forgotten my camera this day.  Unfortunately for obvious reasons, because I got no photos out of the day, but also fortunately because I was more focused on just spending time with my favorite people in a place I could visit with my camera any time I want.  

Day 8

My least favorite day.  Farewell day.  We put on our Sunday best and headed to Cliff's Edge for Easter brunch.  Everything was delicious and the setting was even better, but before I knew it I was kissing and hugging my family goodbye.  Saying goodbye to these three humans is my least favorite part of life.  I don't like doing it and I wish I didn't have to do it ever again.  That being said, it's always a revival.  A renewal.  A reminder of what I'm here to do.  A renewed belief in myself because of how fiercely they believe in me.  Everything I do is for them and I couldn't have more love for them.

Until Disney World you guys.  Miss you already. 

Omg that should be like our family crest.  "We'll always have Disney World."  And we will. 

Lolololol ok BYE

xo