All we really want is love's confusing joy

A fabulous work trip to Los Angeles (I hadn't been since last July). Top ten from the week:

10. The sunshine! I ran in the afternoons in the park behind the hotel in perfect, breezy Spring weather. The locals were a bit bundled up, but this Utah girl felt great in a Tshirt.

9. I totally rocked it at work. This was my first training tour, and by Friday I was doing solo shows without any trainers on stage. It feels great to be excelling at my job.

8. The kids. They are awesome! (Don't tell anyone, but initially I was a bit apprehensive about being surrounded by hundreds of small children everyday. That uneasiness has melted away.) I'm gaining some huge insights by watching the way they respond to my shows, the way they interact with me, how they look at me as a hero. They are eager to learn from you and want to do exactly what you're doing. **New understanding about the scripture instructing us to be as little children.

7. One day on a playground during recess, I heard some boys speaking Korean so I walked over and talked to them. Turns out they're exchange students, headed back to Korea in a few weeks. During the show, I gave them a shout out in Korean. It was awesome.

6. I met a nice guy on the flight to California who works in film. During the first half of the flight, we slept together; I used his shoulder as a pillow and he stretched his long legs out into the space on my side of the seats. After we woke up and introduced ourselves, we had a great conversation about how everything happens for a reason. We exchanged info and are keeping in touch. Very handsome, kind guy. From Michigan. He recommended Cha Cha Chicken.

5. Cha Cha Chicken is a Carribean outdoor restaurant near Santa Monica Pier. I tried the enchiladas, they were delicious. I loved the people. A table of guys helped me choose my order from the menu, another group of people chatted with me until CB arrived (More on that in just a moment.).

4. The ocean! I got to walk along the boardwalk in Long Beach, in the rain (with my boss...so that was a little strange, but still, I love the ocean and will take any opportunity to spend time near it). And then later, after eating at Cha Cha Chicken, I got to see Santa Monica Pier at night time, which is one of my favorite things ever. It's so sparkly and pretty!

3. Seeing an old flame. I asked CB to meet me at Cha Cha Chicken so we could catch up. We talked like we always do: dramatically, romantically, way too personally, enjoying our chemistry but not committing to anything. I like basking in his affectionate deductions about my personality, I'm a sucker for attention.

2. He kissed me. After all these years.

1. The following evening he took me on an Old Hollywood classic date. It was enchanting. We ate at Muso and Franks, and walked around Grauman's Theatre (surprisingly, we were nearly the only people there). He told me stories about Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Dean Martin. He was a gentleman in the oldest sense of the word: truly aware of me, concerned about my welfare, and he made me feel like a lady.

p.s. Can you say Cha Cha Chicken five times fast without getting the urge to dance?