Sisters Retreat 2016

SISTERS RETREAT 2016

Seven Stoker gals trompin around LA is quite something! And my, what a good something that is! I am so very happy to have been able to pull this off. We had a few stressful run-ins with the apartment (ending with my bank account being refunded on account of some Fraud business) and some stress with Marcella's flight information getting mixed up, but what's a grand occasion without a few hiccups!? Once there we talked (not enough), laughed (never enough!), ate (also, never enough ;) ), played, relaxed, and of course had to add a bit of sisterly quarreling in there too (which we just as well will forget about...)  ;) . 

These pictures kind of got out of order, but I don't really care about chronology. We spent three days there, documented three days there, no need for chronology....! :) 

MANIS & PEDIS

This may have been the best moment during the entire trip! We found a great salon that treated us so fantastically! They fit us ALL in at the same time, even when we called in late notice! We filled all seven of their chairs and kept them there well past their hour of closing! What a grand time it was though! We all got to sit and relax and talk. Rachel ended up revealing to us all that she was expecting! It was just a really really good time! 

Rachel (trying to be somewhat discrete with the lady painting her toes, who didn't speak English well...): "Can you do one foot this color and one this color?"
The lady: "Oh oh oh, you mean one dis, one dis, one dis, one dis...?"
Rachel (still trying to be discrete): "No. One whole foot this color, and one whole foot this color."
Nicolette (over hearing this discourse), inquired: "Wait, what? You want one whole foot that color and one whole foot the other? Really? Why?"
Rachel: "Well ya. Because it could be either a boy....or a girl..."
Then of course it trickled down the across the seats and I heard it too! We all screeched and squealed with delight! What a fun moment. Our baby sister joining the Motherhood club!

THE BEACH...
...was fantastic! Not warm enough to get in, but we didn't really want to do that any way. I just wanted to lay in the sun on the sand! We packed up a picnic and carted it out there and say in view of Santa Monica Pier, where we ventured over to later that day after enjoying the sand and sun.

I think my mom had a good time. She's so pretty! 

Nicolette 

She's got skillllssss...

This picture was quite an effort! But I love it! 

SANTA MONICA PIER

Life is like a box of chocolates. 

So Tasty!! Nic needed a bib....

Wish this moment could have been a little less stressful...Rachel refused to join us for the singing....and I was hoping to talk some more and laugh while we dug into the cake together, but I think we were all a little worn out over the days' activities. :) 

THE ROAD TRIP!
Yes, this picture was actually taken on our drive to the Golden State of California. The way the train tracks winded through the mountains looked so cool! It was hard to snap a picture of. I am so so so so soo SO soooooo grateful Jenny drove us there and throughout the city while we were there too! I think we all may have ended up dead, if it weren't for her!

I was tickled that I got to sleep with my Mommy at Becky's house the night before we hit the road for LA.

blackmail.

COME ON DOOOOWWWNNN!!

This was more fun than I ever thought it would be. Being in the room and on the set was almost like a party! They had music playing and everyone was dancing and singing and having a great time. During commercial breaks, Drew and George Gray talked with the audience and made jokes and we all laughed and encouraged one another to try and win something fun while there. It was just so so fun!

In the line all ready to go in! We had priority tickets so we got to go right in as soon as they opened the gates. It was then that I realized I had left my wallet in the car and they required an ID to get through the gates....running back to the car I went. On my way back, I ran into Becky! She had forgotten something too....I can't remember what, but luckily we made it back in time and met back up with our groupies with little trouble! 

Momma's so beautiful! 

The Unmistakable name tag, signifying THE PRICE IS RIGHT! I'm official. 

Second time around! Tough decision to make, but I decided, we'd try for one more time to give one of us a chance to make it on stage for all of us! So glad I made that decision! We were all more relaxed the second day and the audience's interactions with Drew the second day were just so much more fun. And, Man! Was it exciting when Rachel's name was called!! So happy we all got to share that experience together! 

FARMER'S MARKET

We walked over to the Farmer's Market after the show and each picked out something for lunch. It was a pretty incredible, year round farmer's market! I had one tasty gyro! 

City silhouette. View from the parking garage near the Farmer's Market and CBS studios.

We had bunk beds at our apartment....and they were probably the most comfortable beds I have ever slept on!! 

CITY TOURING
The bus passes were under debate for a while, but I think everyone really enjoyed having them and we got to see so much of the city as well as enjoy the ocean breeze in our hair!

Capitol Records

She's a STAR! 

Hollywood Burgers were yum!
They could probably use more than one bathroom though.... ;) We just ended up having to wait for a very long time for the bathroom. 

Chinese Theatre

Holding hands with Matt Damon! 

Love Marcella! 

Becky says: "Dang, I wish I had sunglasses!"
Nicolette: "Oh! Here! I have an extra pair!"
Me: "Awe. Dang! I didn't bring any either!"
Nicolette: "Oh! Well! Here ya go!" (and digs out another pair of sunglasses from her purse!)
Well thank you Mary Poppins! :) 

Walked a long ways from the bus stop to get to a restaurant. This one was the lucky winner. I made a little mistake and ordered some pizza (thinking it was like a personal sized pizza). Nope! Ended up waiting forever for my food, by the time she brought it out, everyone else was done! And...it. was. huge. Could have fed 5 people! hahaha

 THE PICTURE

The landlady walked us into the apartment. This is the room and the view you saw when you first walked through the door. As we entered, several of us must have noticed this picture and its' crooked hanging job, unannounced to any one else. After the land lady left, we were sitting in the front room relaxing and chatting. Rachel was sitting on the couch opposite the picture and Mom was in the chair underneath it. Rachel asked Mom to fix it. This is when we all revealed that we had noticed the crooked picture (all except for Becky, who was in the bathroom). After several minutes of tedious balancing, we got the picture just right and straight. Becky then emerged from the bathroom and sat in the chair on the left pictured above. Thinking in her mind, that she had noticed on the way in that the picture above her was crooked, she didn't say a word or stand up or anything, she simply reached her hand up behind her and gently pushed the corner of the picture up. "BECKY!" Rachel exclaimed from the other side of the room. HAHAHAahahah! (The even funnier thing is that the corner she pushed up was the corner that was already angled up!) What a good laugh we had over that!