I picked her up from the airport on Thursday morning (as an aside, Thursday morning is a great time to fly into LAX!) We went back to my apartment and then I had to rush off for a jazz lesson. After my lesson at USC, I came back to the apartment and we ate a late lunch. Following lunch, we went to the grocery store in order to buy stuff for the two meals that we would be making each other. After shopping, I had to go back to USC for studio class and Julie stayed at the apartment and made dinner. By the time I got back, Julie had dinner waiting for me. It was amazing! She made perfectly seasoned Tilapia (with fresh lime juice), Parmesan potato wedges, zucchini, and warm sourdough bread. Julie is one excellent cook and she definitely spoiled me with that dinner.
After dinner, I did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. We were going to exchange Valentine's Day gifts, but my roommate, Erik, introduced us to this iPhone game called "Ticket to Ride" and we became slightly obsessed with it! We played until it was time to watch "Jersey Shore." I know that it is absolute trash TV, but it has become a weekly tradition for our apartment. At any rate, it is one hour during the week when my brain is completely turned off! At this point, Julie had been awake for nearly 22 hours, so we decided to call it a night.
Friday morning, I made Julie breakfast and we ate with Erik. After breakfast, Julie and I decided to go to the beach for an hour or so. It was beautiful. The weather was perfect and we both got some sun. The beach is about 10 minutes from my apartment. I am so blessed to live so close! After our beach trip, we came back and ate lunch before I had to be at my 2:00 PM rehearsal. The rehearsal seemed to last forever and I may have played a few games of "Ticket to Ride..." After rehearsal, I came back and made Julie stir-fry for dinner. It wasn't quite as good as her Tilapia, but there were two clean plates left at the end of the meal, so I called it a success. After dinner, we exchanged gifts. Julie got me I Am Second (a book of Christian testimonies) and some boxers from J. Crew. She also made me a CD with songs that remind her of us. It is an awesome compilation that traces our relationship through all of the years that we have know each other. Wow, she is too good to me! After the gift exchange, we met Ben and Chris (friends of mine from the sax program at USC) for drinks at the Roger Room and then ended the night at the 3rd Street Stop. During Julie's most recent trip here, she became "best" friends with Ben, so it was a great evening for all of us to hang out. We enjoyed ourselves so much, that we lost track of time, and didn't end up getting back until 1:30 AM. 
Saturday morning was definitely a lazy morning. I got up and made breakfast again and then Julie and I relaxed (we played "Ticket to Ride" again- what did I say? Slightly obsessed?) After chilling, Julie and I took Erik and Alana (my roommates) out for ice cream at a place called Scoops. It is an amazing ice cream shop that makes homemade flavors that are all unique (Mint Jim Bean, Guinness Cheesecake, Bacon, and Lavender Honey are just a few of the flavors that they have made). The menu changes each day, so it is always an experience. I have never been disappointed. Following ice cream, Julie and I decided to go to the beach again. This time it was too cold to lay out, so we just walked along the pathway. It was super windy, so we didn't stay too long. It was still nice to be outside and see the water. After the beach, we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond so that I could get another big coffee/tea mug like the one Julie gave me for Christmas (I love drinking tea and the big mug means more tea). When we got back to the apartment, we just relaxed and watched TV (I think that the Hangover was on). I drank PG Tips out of my new mug. It wasn't long before we were getting ready to go back out again.Julie and I went to El Compadre on Saturday night and it was a great evening! Our friend, Caroline, planned a quasi High School/TCU reunion. It was great to see Chris Rhea after nearly five years! It was awesome to hear about his life and what he is doing these days. Chris and I served as drum majors in high school and it was so cool to reconnect- High School band only came up a few times. Being the nostalgic person that I am, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening and the many trips down memory lane.
Sunday morning came a little too quickly as I had to get up extra early in order to serve as an usher at church. Julie was a great sport and came along with me. She actually ended up serving as an usher as well- handing out bulletins accompanied by one of her winning smiles. It was great! After church, she also helped me serve at the Community Group fair. After that, it was a quick lunch at the apartment before I had to take her to the airport. Thankfully her flight wasn't delayed as all of the later flights were cancelled due to inclement weather in Dallas.
It was a truly wonderful weekend that came and went far too quickly. I cannot believe how time flies. The great news is that I will be back in Dallas in two weeks! I look forward to seeing everyone back home very soon.
