Nobody walks in L.A.

I walked to pick Christian up from school, and then we walked home.  This would be a normal statement from nearly anywhere in the country, with probably the exception of L.A..  Nobody walks in L.A. People hike.  People walk the distance from where their car is parked or to get from one bus to another, but people don't really walk to get somewhere in L.A.  It was a beautiful day, with the exception of the 95 degree heat. The walk to Christian's preschool is technically only 1.6 miles each way.  Although walking in 95 degree heat, made it feel twice as far. When Charles was getting ready to take Christian to school in the morning, I told Christian that when I come to pick him up we're going to take a long walk.  His face lit up and his smile widened, "We're going to take a long walk?  A long, long walk??" See, to Christian, it's not about getting somewhere faster, but about the adventure along the way.  He knows that when we take walks we see all kinds of interesting things.  So, I tried to adopt that mental attitude, reminded myself how much money I was saving by not renting a car this week, and strapped on my running shoes. 

Elijah and I hit the road to pick up Christian.  Along the way, we saw this...

And this... (It was right about here, that a fire engine was stopped at the red light next to me, I smiled and then the tire of my stroller proceeded to get caught in a giant pot hole/crack in the side walk. The stroller nearly end-overed, with Elijah in it.  In an attempt to make sure Elijah didn't get hurt, I banged up my shin pretty badly in the process. I'm sure the firefighters were impressed. )

And this...  (and as you can see, it is very picturesque. Insert sarcastic laugh.)

And finally this...

A special walk home from school could not be complete without a snack-stop at Ride Aid. We stocked up on sunscreen, waters and Christian picked out a little snack bag of cookies. I enjoyed the air conditioning and a chance to peruse the Spring outdoor toy and furniture aisle- which I've always thought was a highlight about drug stores. On our way back home, we discovered more little finds around our neighborhood- a veterinarian with a window full of adorable kittens, and this super cool, used CD shop...

The last stop was a quick hello at our neighbor's house.  They were out enjoying the weather, under the canopy of the large oak in their yard.  They gasped in horror when I told them my car was in the shop and that I had walked to pick Christian up from school as a result. I laughed and said, "Well, I had a girlfriend tell me that she was going for a 5 mile run today.  I figure that if she can run for 5, I can certainly walk for 3."  Their faces cleared, and they agreed that it made sense.  See? Nobody walks in L.A. It only makes sense if you're doing it for exercise. Even though my motive was not for exercise, I felt sufficiently jelly-legged afterward- so I think I'm covered.  I can claim it as a workout, and retain favor in the eyes of Angelenos everywhere.

Christian had another exciting event at school this week: The field trip to the Fire Station!  He was looking forward to it for weeks.  Charles accompanied his class and they seemed to have a blast!

Last to report: It is closing in on that time...Our little Elijah is just weeks away from turning One Year Old!!!!  Where on earth did the time go??  We are gearing up for a birthday bash to celebrate the year with friends and family. The theme has been established, the party favors are in process, and the invitations have started to go out in the mail.  The only thing I love more than party planning, is planning for my own sweet boys birthdays.  I let Elijah inspect the invitation...

He approved! 

Stay tuned for party details in the coming weeks!