Highlights of the High Life

The last few weeks have been crazy! We've been SO busy packing and getting ready to go to Australia, but have managed to squeeze in some seriously yummy food (as always) and a few really fun little outings! Here're the highlights:

- The most delicious Cuban food you can possibly imagine! Pulled pork in a citrus marinade with rice, black beans, and caramelized plantains, amazing!! We drove over 45 minutes to get to the restaurant and it was sooo worth it!

- Bread pudding at Urth Caffe (finally!) it was out of this world good

- A Thanksgiving feast cooked up by our amazing Mum, the domestic goddess! Turkey, stuffing, broccoli/cauliflower au gratin, sweet potato with marshmallows on top, mashed potatoes, sautéed brussels sprouts with bacon, corn pudding, and 2 pies, cherry and pumpkin, for dessert! YUM!

- Black Friday shopping with Mum! We left the house at 4:30 and had SUCH a successful morning shopping. Sooo many bargains and minimal impulse buys, love it! 

- The Theory of Everything at the movies; it was absolutely outstanding! 

Eddie Redmayne was incredible and the whole film was totally mesmerizing, we'd highly recommend it!

- ARROW! It's such a great show and we've gotten mum and Q totally hooked! So fun rewatching with them..!

- We reattempted a juice cleanse with much more success! We lasted two days and, while it wasn't ideal, it wasn't awful and we were very proud of ourselves

- Followed up the juice cleanse with Sprinkles cupcakes at the Americana at Brand and did a little more shopping at H&M and Victoria's Secret while we were there.. We went a bit nuts these last couple weeks!

- We also followed the cleanse with a huge Dim Sum dinner at our favourite place, Lunasia, and it was as delicious as always!

- Our last little treats before heading back out to mum and Q's were Dulce de Leche cookies from Porto's Bakery. So good.

- Back out at mum and Q's we caught up with Luke on Saturday which was absolutely lovely and then spent the last week relaxing and getting pampered! We had a glorious spa day at Glen Ivy hot springs with Mum and then went out for holiday mani/pedis together the next day. What more could a girl ask for?!

- Luce and Mum baked up a storm of delicious holiday treats for us (which Q are waayy too many of) and it really started to feel like Christmas time!

- We got the rest of our packing done and, even more exciting, started to really plan our Euro trip! Woo!! We booked our first flight and chose the others, planning on having it all booked in the next couple days!

- On Friday we went to the Mission Inn for dinner and had a walk around to see all the Christmas lights. It was absolutely stunning! So festive!

- Saturday was our last full day before heading to Aus and we spent it relaxing and hanging out, with the yummiest pizzas you could imagine for dinner and got 22 Jump Street to watch (hilarious!)

- Sunday was our early family Christmas and it was so, so perfect. A couple stocking pressies each in the morning, just a taster, then our bigger presents for each other. Mum and Q gave us our backpacks for our trip (they're SO great, we love em!), a new bag each, lovely little decorative boxes and a bunch of other special little things - what really took the cake was Q's extra special pressie.. A selfie stick! Haha you put your phone on the end and it lets you get a wider reach for the pic, too funny. This was our first attempt, not bad!

We also gave Q season 2 of Arrow, did a special jar of love notes for Mum, and gave each other a new gopro to share! So great!

We all had brekkie and got ready then Sara, Darren, Joya, Rumi, and Liam arrived to spend the afternoon with us! We all opened our stockings and presents, drank and ate yet another delicious feast! It was all over too soon and at 6:00 we had to say our goodbyes and head to the airport..!

We're writing this post from Sydney airport after a really pleasant flight from LA - we had a mini row with lots of legroom all to ourselves! - while we wait to go on to Canberra. 

Our flight here was delayed so we missed our connection but we got on the next flight and only have to wait an extra 15 minutes! Woo! We'll be in Canberra in no time, can't wait to see Dad, Claire, and those gorgeous, crazy kiddos! Yeeeee we couldn't be more excited! We're nearly there!!!

Healthy, unhealthy, and everything in between..!

Ahh the juice cleanse! Well, that was an adventure!

On Saturday we did an amazing job! We juiced, went on a hike with Brittany, juiced again, and again, went to target to get a couple gifts, and juiced again!

Because we didn't have a juicer, the drinks were more like slushie smoothies, so they were sooo filling! They all tasted pretty good though! By the last one, Luce in particular was craving food.

But we didn't cave! We were actually pretty impressed with our own self-control - especially at our friend's housewarming party where they had hint of lime tortilla chips, pizza, and cheesecake brownies. Oh my gosh. The party was super fun though! A really nice group of people, definitely hoping to hang out with that crowd again! 

After the party we made our "dessert" juice and it was sooo nice to have something a) warm and b) not ice/coconut water based! Then we went out to mum and Q's because Sunday was one of the last days we could use our Disney passes before they expire!

Sunday was where the juice cleanse got tricky... We had a lazy morning at Mum and Q's - we juiced, swam in the pool, read our books, watched some tv. We also got an awesome early birthday present.... A juicer!!! SO COOL! The extent to which we were craving solid food was a little outta control, so a juice-specific appliance wasn't the most welcome sight, but it's actually a really cool prezzie - we're totally into it now! 

Anyway, after all that Han spied something in the fridge that finally shattered our resolve: leftover Sprinkles cupcakes from the night before. With that, we abandoned the cleanse for the afternoon and ate cupcakes, chicken salad sandwiches, ribs, nachos, and spinach and artichoke dip. Oops hehe. The latter two delicious dishes were in Disney on our last trip only the year! We headed in around 5:00, went on a few of our favourite rides, had dinner at a lovely little restaurant overlooking the pier in California Adventure, and finished the night at the spectacular World of Color - such a perfect last hoorah! 

On Monday we headed back into LA. Han broke out the juicer with fantastic results and Luce when on a really fun date at Universal Citywalk! Later on we had a really nice and long overdue Skype catch-up with Phe, so lovely! 

Tuesday was a big day! We woke up early to take the subi in to Hollywood to get serviced, yaayy so excited to have her working again!! While we waited we had coffees and croissants at Urth Caffe, then, after being told it'd take most of the day, we went home to wait it out there. We picked her up later, good as new! Shortly after that, Han got all dolled up cheerleader style and went to finally film for her webseries! Woo!!

-- Han --

Filming was HEAPS of fun!! I was a little nervous, it's been such a lead up! But my scene partners were super funny and really nice so it all flowed really well once we were into the swing of things. 

The first scene was the bulk of my role in the pilot episode. It's set in a classroom and it's the first time you see me and one of the lead actors. The scene itself is funny and a little uncomfortable - I'm the high school cheerleader flirting with my teacher and his friend - so it was really fun to shoot! This is one of the production stills that really sums it up:

Haha that's my leg... The next scene was one that I only had one line in but I stayed the whole time to help out a little with lighting and sound, since it was a pretty complicated scene. The general gist is that the my teacher's sleeping with another girl but for a moment he fantasizes that it's me - so I had one line in this little fantasy moment. 

The footage was looking great but the hilariously awkward way we all had to be super close to each other to film was a whooole other story haha priceless. We got to know each other a lot better, that's for sure! It was all totally professional though. We wrapped around 12:30 and grabbed a bite to eat to celebrate a job well done!

-- Han & Luce --

Yesterday ended up being a really fun day - despite the fact that we weren't earning money, ugh! We went to the Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria to do a little shopping and take advantage of some samples! The shopping was super specific though because we've got an idea brewing for a fun/cute/silly YouTube channel! Hahah the idea is still in its early stages but we'll keep you posted as we make progress with the channel! We had pretty great success with our shopping AND we got free chocolate samples from Godiva and this amazinggg lolly shop (called Lollis & Pops) that recently opened, YUM! 

Our sweet tooths (teeth?) not yet satisfied, we decided to go back to Milk to try their ice cream macaroon sandwiches! Umm YUM!! Luce got cookies and cream and Han got rocky road and they were out of this world good!

Next up was Trader Joes for groceries and juicing supplies, and as we were leaving all the streets were getting blocked off. We asked why and it turned out President Obama was about to drive past! POTUS in towwwwn!! Pretty exciting stuff. The only bummer was it meant we took about half an hour longer to get home - but then we made it and had the most delicious nibbly dinner of cheese, crackers, deli meats, and olive tapenade while we watched Gossip Girl. We also made some rockin juices that'll keep us going for the next few days! So fun!

Today Han's working but not until 3:30 so we're going to keep plugging away at some conceptual stuff for our YouTube channel. Fun! We might go on a hike too or sit by the pool - whatever we do, we woke up on the right side of the bed this morning so it's bound to be a good day!

Mo' Money Mo' Problem$

What a hectic/awesome/productive/fun few days!!

Monday was a big day for Han, Tuesday was a big one for Luce, and yesterday and today were big for both of us. We're keeping busy, that's for sure!

-- Han -- 

On Monday I was booked on Ray Donovan and it ended up being one of my favourite days ever on set! We were filming at Pink's, a famous LA hotdog place, and Liev Schreiber (who plays Sabertooth in X-Men and is the lead in Ray Donovan) was in the scene and I walked right past him like 20 times!! The reason it was such a great day, though, was that I'd been paired with two absolutely adorable little boys as their on-screen babysitter. We just had so much fun mucking around, they were such smart, fun little kids and totally reminded me of Eddie and Will - especially the little blond boy, Alex, he was SO cheeky! 

By the end of the scene we were getting along so well that three or four people asked if they were my kids! Alex's response was "Are you crazy?!" Hahah priceless - but really, a 19 year old mother of an 11 and 8 year old?! When the kids were about to get wrapped I met their mothers and the first thing they both said was "Can Hannah be our new babysitter??" So sweet! Buuuut unfortunately they live about an hour away from me, so it was a no go. Anyway, I only had a couple more hours after that and I was wrapped by 1:30! Woo! 

I was only home for a few minutes before I had to run back out for a costume fitting for my cheerleading outfit! I met Yosh at the tailors and they worked their magic. Hopefully it'll be a good fit for Saturday!

I stopped by Ralph's on the way home to pick up some stuff for the Indian feast that Luce and I cooked up when we got home! Tikka Marsala, banana with coconut, cucumber with yogurt, and garlic naan!

-- Luce --

I had a lovely relaxing day on Monday! After a glorious sleep and getting up to do some odds and ends around the house, I headed over to LACC because I had gotten a letter from them asking me to come to the business office..! I showed up and it turned out that I had a surplus of scholarship money left so they just handed me a big ol' check and said, "There you go, have a nice day!" Wow! It was quite a nice surprise - definitely made my day! The rest of the day was pretty chill, hanging out with Han and eating yummy food!

-- Han --

My Tuesday was chill but productive! I cleaned, filled out a job application for Outback Steakhouse, submitted online for a bunch of auditions, and hung out with Brittany in the afternoon. When Luce got home from set we had an extremely satisfying Bachelorette double feature with Brittany, such a guilty pleasure!

-- Luce --

On Tuesday I was doing background on the show Jennifer Falls and it was  a really fun day! I met some lovely people and I was there as a "debate team student" which was pretty funny..! It ended up being a 10 hour day which was long but it wasn't toooo bad - especially considering minimum wage went up today!! Yayyyy! So I got home tired but happy and excited to chill out and watch The Bachelorette with Brittany and Han.

-- Han --

Yesterday I was back on the Thundermans! Yay!! I love working that show, and it was a long but pretty easy day. I also got a little featured bit! AND I got fitted for a not-so-sexy mermaid costume (keeping it G rated) for next week's Halloween episode, so I'll definitely be working at least two days next week! Woo! I got home around 7:30 and managed to find the will power to work out, which actually felt kinda great, and I've started learning Italian on this language app Luce found which has been super fun, so I did that until Luce got home (reeeeaally late) from Jennifer Falls.

-- Luce --

I was recalled on Jennifer Falls on Wednesday and it was the longest day everrrrrr! I got there at 7:30 and reprised my role as a debate team-er for the morning which was relatively easy and then we broke for lunch around 3 and it was boiling hot! We were filming in Santa Clarita and it was 95 degrees with the sun blazing down on us.. Oh my gosh I was so sweaty! Pretty gross (haha). After lunch we switched over to a Father-Daughter Dance scene so all the girls got dressed up and had to pair off with a middle aged man to be their father for the day! Well.. It turned out that there were 34 girls and only 32 men... And guess who ended up being a fatherless orphan?! You guessed it, me! Ahhh, hilarious. It really worked out for the best because it meant that I got to just chill out in the air conditioned room for a bit longer and I also had time to flirt with the cute PA on set which was a definite plus! Eventually they needed me and the other orphan girl on set so we spent the night fake-dancing and pantomiming with everyone else until finally, at 10:00, we were wrapped for the day! Wowwwww a 14.5 hour day!! Crazy. I was completely and utterly exhausted - I'm surprised I could even drive home but I made it safe and sound and I fell into bed! Big day!!

-- Han & Luce --

Today was HUGE! We packed so much in - and didn't even get to everything!

First off we had a callback for the audition we did on Saturday. We showed up right on time aaaand they'd changed the location! On no! Fortunately there were about 20 other people who'd also gotten the wrong info, so we weren't too stressed about it. We drove to the new place - which was actually the old place because we auditioned there - and waited. Aaaand waited. Lucky for Han she had another audition at 1:00 at the same casting studios, so cool! So she did her thang in that one and it went really well! It was for a music video so she just had to react nonverbally to some different situations and that was that! We were still waiting at 2:00 and finally the casting director came out to talk to all the people with callbacks! He pulled us all over and said "So the only thing we need to know is: are you available July 12th?" We all said "yes" and he said "Okay, you're free to go!" Hahah what?! We waited over two hours to tell you our availability?!?! Completely absurd but ohh well! Pretty hilarious. Anyway, we were on to the next thing! We ran home, had lunch, and Luce got ready for background tonight - all in less than 30 minutes! Then we went over to Outback and dropped off our job apps (fingers crossed!) and only had about five minutes back at home before Luce was off to work! She dropped Brittany and Han at Ralph's to pick up baking supplies, and headed on to the Sunset Gower Studios.

-- Han --

Our baking endeavors were a total success! Except for a small hiccough because we'd forgotten eggs and had to run down to the gas station..! After we'd used every utensil in the apartment and a couple hours had gone by, we'd created three 4th of July masterpieces! 

Red velvet and blueberry cupcakes with chocolate frosting, blue velvet and raspberry cupcakes with chocolate frosting, and a red and blue velvet layer cake with cream cheese frosting and coconut between layers and berries on top! Amazing!! We had the red velvet cupcakes later tonight and they were SO good, totally exceeded our expectations! 

I had one last audition tonight over Skype which was really cool! It was more of an interview than an audition, but they seemed to really like me and want me to come in next week for an in person audition! Exciting! Since then I've been learning some Italian, hanging out with Bri and Brit, and waiting for Luce to get home - which will hopefully be soon! We're looking forward to the 4th of July tomorrow (and the awesome weekend following it!) to hang out, relax, and eat yummy food!

-- Luce --

I worked on The Newsroom today and my call time wasn't till 5 which was great because Han and I had a pretty hectic day..! I made it to set after a big fiasco with the studio's security (it wasn't really a huge fiasco - they just closed one of their gates so I had to drive around to find the other one and then waited for a reeeally long time because the security guard was so slow! Lucky I left myself so much spare time!!) Once I made it to check-in and go through wardrobe I found out that they weren't going to be filming it at the studios, but in Santa Monica which was really far away - so random! So we all got into a bus and drove over to Santa Monica and then filmed the scene. I was worried that we'd go really late into the night but they went quite quickly and had us back to the studios by 11! Amazing! The scene was nice and simple too - all the background had to do was wait in line for a lecture and then walk into the building at the very end of the scene! Also, a funny coincidence was that the cute PA from yesterday was working on this show today! Crazy! So anyway, after being wrapped at 11 I went home and had some amazing pre-4th of July cupcakes that Han and Brit had made! Yum! 

The Month of Male Attention Continues!!

We've had a great few days!! Earning money, lovely weekend, and a cruisey start to this week! Also, we've had more attention from gorgeous men this month than perhaps the rest of our lives combined and these last few days were no exception!

-- Han --

On Thursday I did background on a new MTV show called Happyland. I wasn't called until 2:00pm BUT I ended up being there until 3:30am!!! Woah! SUCH a long day, especially for my first day back, but it ended up being heaps of fun! I checked in then went to wardrobe where they paired my denim shorts with my denim jacket, eeeek! I tentatively changed into my double-denim ensemble and actually ended up rockin it in true '90s style! I met some lovely ladies that I spent most of my time with, chatted to BOTH of the reeeaally cute male leads on the show, chatted to some of the crew members, played the big sister of a couple cute and incredibly cheeky little kids, and then later became a teen-mum in a scene with everyone running around panicking! 

It was a fun day on set! We broke for "lunch" at 8:30 and had some yummy food - although the catering guys were being total nazis about the background not eating the cast/crew food, which wouldn't have been a problem except that by the time my girlfriends and I got through the line there was no dessert left! Noooo! We'd been hanging out for a pudding and we're pretty devo... So, I slapped on the Aussie accent and as much charm as I could muster, and went over to the other table where there were two pudding cups left and...... Success! With a slight nod from the stern catering man, I snatched up the chocolate pudding and four spoons, and rushed back to my table to cheers from the gals - best pud ever!

Over lunch I also chatted with some funny guys nearby (and threw Bronzed Aussie flyers at them) including one particularly cute guy who leant me his jacket when the temperature became arctic later on! At the end of the night I decided to pull a gutsy move and leave him my number - and it worked! The month of male attention continues!

-- Luce --

I had a leisurely morning and then it was time for work at Bronzed Aussie! My shift was 3-8 so it was my turn to learn how to do the closing shift, and after Han's report on how difficult it was, I was feeling a bit apprehensive! 

I got there just on time (I need to start giving myself more time with the LA traffic!!) and was straight to work making lamingtons! There was an order for 100 the next day, so I was racing the clock to get 'em done! Luckily my hilarious co-worker Michael was there to encourage me, singing "Luuuuucyy the laaamington ladyyyy" all day haha! So much fun. I also had my first bakery-celebrity encounter.. The Aussie guy on New Girl that plays CeCe's love interest came in and got a pie! So cool! I was pretty excited. Once I'd finished making all the lamingtons it was time to do all the cleaning and close the bakery and it was quite a daunting task..! Just when I was getting started, another coworker, Henry, showed up to do all of the manual labor and hard work! Awesome! I really lucked out. So I did an hour of cleaning and packing stuff up and then my shift was over and I went home, expecting Han to already be back when I got there.. Buuuut then she wasn't so I watched some tv, saw myself on episode 4 of Veep (woohoo!!) and then went to bed!

Neither of us was booked for background on Friday - which was lucky for Han after her 3:30am end time! - so we slept in, had a chill morning, and went to our usual spot for an afternoon hike.

Later on we met up with Tosh and Laynie who were visiting from Chapman for sushi!! It was SO lovely to see them again AND Tosh was such a sweetheart and paid for dinner! What a gentleman! We all hung out at our place afterwards, later joined by JT when he got off work, and had a lovely night chatting and laughing.

On Saturday we made the trip out to mum and Q's (with a boba stop on the way) for a lovely evening. We got there, walked the dogs and caught up with Mum, talked Game of Thrones and boys with Q, then went out to the Pechanga Casino for a buffet dinner and the Barenaked Ladies concert!!! We pigged out on dinner (and dessert!) and had a great chat before heading into the theatre.

The show was GREAT! It felt like one part stand up comedy, one part concert - so funny and SUCH a blast from the past!

We still can't stop singing One Week, soo catchy! (also, sorry the video's sideways but you get the idea...)

When we got home we had a soak in the spa then called it a night, thanks Mum and Q for such a great time!!

On Sunday we woke up early (or tried to, aimed for 6:45 but ended up getting out of bed closer to 7:30) because there was an Anzac Day ceremony and reception we wanted to go to in LA. We were sooo close to bailing on it, but Han insisted so Luce dragged herself outta bed, we threw on some clothes and ran out of the house! We made it with time to spare and we were SO glad we went! The ceremony was really powerful and we felt very proud to be Australian. We sang the national anthem and listened to some lovely words from the Turkish consul-general and the New Zealand consul-general. There was definitely a strong sense of community between the Aussies and Kiwis and it was great to be a part of.

Afterwards we went to a reception at the NZ consul-general's residence AND THEY HAD SO MUCH AUSSIE FOOOOOD! Haha we couldn't resist! Sausage rolls, meat pies, Anzac biscuits, aaaand ACTUAL real-deal Aussie sausage sandwiches!! Mmmm SO good! 

There was also an open bar of which we couldn't partake... Womp womp.. But it was also only 11:00am so that didn't put a huge dampener on things haha. It was very cool and strange to suddenly be in a place where the American accent seemed out of place! We met heaps of really lovely Aussies and Kiwis (mostly men, classic) and mingled for a couple hours before heading home, what a successful morning!

Later on Han helped JT do a self tape for an audition and then we went over to Nick/Mike/Eddie's for Game (of Thrones) night! Nick cooked up an amazing dinner of roast chicken and salad and we brought over cookies that Luce made. The episode was a great one, as always, and we hung out for a couple hours afterwards, playing taboo and chatting. We're loving this little tradition we've started up!

Yesterday we'd hoped to be working - as with today, actually - but things have been really slow for background recently and we're waiting to hear back from Samantha on the schedule for the bakery. It ended up being a great day nonetheless! Han went for a hike and lunch with Andrew who she'd met on Happyland on Thursday and had a really lovely time!

When she got home we cleaned the apartment a bit, hung out, had dinner, and watched The Way Way Back for the third time - it was just as good! 

Today we had a productive day planned - running errands, more cleaning, and taking a class at Central Casting for stand-in work - but it didn't work out quiiite as productively as we'd planned... We did get our errands and cleaning done, then we got a text from Q that he was going to be in LA around lunch time!! Yay! We met up at the 101 Coffee Shop for a yummy lunch and had a great chat, what a treat! After that we did our grocery shopping then headed to Central Casting almost an hour early to make sure we made it into the class. It was SO hot outside, and we waited and waited until finally someone came to let everyone in. As she got closer to us, the stack of entrance tickets began to dwindle until --- noooooooo!!! We were the second and third people in line after the cutoff and we were SOO ANNOYED ohmygod. She couldn't have come out an hour ago and counted people off?! Ugh. We ended up making the most of our night though, and we went over to JT's for dinner, watched Zoolander on the outdoor big screen, and listened to music until we had to call it a night - Han's working on a show called Mistresses in the morning! Gotta get that beauty sleep! 

Cruisin' for a Burnin'

These last few days have been so, so cruisey. We've gone to the park, walked to Ralph's, gotten boba, become absolutely hooked of House of Cards, Han's cleaned the apartment and worked out, and Luce has cooked/baked some delicious food! Also, Luce's come down with a pretty bad cold so we figured that was a sign to go easy on ourselves! We haven't entirely known what to do with all this down-time but it's been a really lovely break - especially because the next few weeks are going to be extremely busy (in the most fun way possible, so no complaints!). We've run some errands too and worked on various lines and ideas for scenes and plays going on. We also submitted ourselves today for an audition so we'll see if we get asked in! The coolest piece of news is that, we found out yesterday, we're officially going to be performing in the HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL in June!!! Ahhh SO EXCITING!!!!! We're sure the time until then will fly by too!

The other highlights of the week have been:

1) A wonderful girls' night on Tuesday with Sullivan! She came over and we chatted, ate cookies, and watched an adorable chick flick :)

2) Yesterday the weather was AMAZING so we went to the beach! 

We laid out, read our books, and dipped our toes in the freezing cold ocean! On the way back, we opted for the scenic route and it was such a stunning drive! Winding through mountains and cute little shops and homes, so sweet! And the view was incredible!!

When we got home, though, we realized that - true Hannah and Lucy style - we'd both been fried to a crisp at the beach!!!

Hahahah it was pretty freakin hilarious, we couldn't believe it! Classic. We're doing better today though and now we've just got a head start on that LA tan! 

Today's shaping up to be another quiet, errands day. We're planning on going to see the LACC one act plays tonight, which should be a blast! We've been called in to help out at Chambers' bootcamp tomorrow, so we're finishing the week strong and we'll be all rested up and ready to go for this jam-packed month ahead! 

A Magical Couple Days!

We've had the most lovely visit with Ali! Though nothing could top the Harry Styles encounter, the last three days were completely wonderful! 

On Saturday we had a bit of a sleep in (still recovering from the night before) and made smoothies for brekky. It was absolutely pouring with rain all morning but that didn't stop us from going out and having fun! We went out for a walk down Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood which is one of the cutest streets ever with heaps of boutique stores and cafés. We looked at some thrift/antique stores, an old school makeup place with extremely glamorous merch, an INCREDIBLE candy shop that stocked our Aussie faves, and a beautiful vintage pinup dress store. 

We sheltered from the rain in one of NoHo's yummiest (and busiest!) cafés: Porto's. After sipping cappucinos and devouring a strawberry and cream cheese croissant, we went out to brave the rain for a couple more shops.

One of the last places we went was a true treasure trove of an antique store. Wow! It was a blast from the past in there! We found SO many cute things we liked for our apartment - tablecloths, cookie tins, etc - but ended up settling on a beautiful pair of hand painted wooden candlesticks with candles to match, so pretty! 

We went home after that, though, and curled up on the couch with cups of tea to watch What Maisie Knew. We gushed over Alexander Skarsgard, had a yummy salmon dinner and cupcakes for dessert, then settled in for another flick!

Our last movie was a Marilyn Monroe classic: How to Marry a Millionaire. It was so good! We've watched the most well-rounded and completely satisfying collection of movies with Ali - Argo, Pride and Prejudice, What Maisie Knew, and How to Marry a Millionaire!

Sunday was our long-awaited Disney day!!! YAY! We got up super early, had a HUGE cooked breakfast and packed snacks to take with, then hit the road! We made it to Disney by 8:30 and, probably because there'd been so much rain the last couple days, it was so quiet! But not too quiet, the perfect amount. We went on absolutely EVERYTHING we wanted to; Ali definitely got the whole Disney experience - and in only one day! Crazy! 

(on right: us crammed into what was really meant to be a two-seater hahah)

We felt so honored/lucky to be able to show her around for her very first trip. There were a few definite standout moments, though:

1) Mr. Toad's Wild Ride ended with us getting hit by a train then going to HELL! Umm what?! Absolutely terrifying.

2) Speaking of terrifying, Ali has quite a strong fear of characters dressed up with the full heads on (aka most of the characters in Disney) so when we got front seats for the parade there were some definite mixed emotions..

The genie was particularly terrifying. Also, we got ambushed at one point and Ali instinctively RAN from Mickey, Donald, and the gang hahaha.

3) The Jedi training academy was the cutest thing EVER. One little boy really fought off Darth Vadar like his life depended on it.

4) In the middle of the day it started bucketing down rain!! We all threw Lucy's scarf over our heads and, in tandem, ran for cover! We found refuge in the Tiki Room and the irony of this moment when we were waiting for the show to let in was too much to handle hahaha

5) We met the princesses! We asked them to do silly/ugly faces with us hahaha hysterical! Ali made up this stellar story about how it's a tradition because the first time she met a princess she accidentally made a funny face. Meet our friend Ping!

Ariel went for a cute fishy face:

Aaaand Cinderella flat out refused! But really, who looks like the idiot in this photo now? 

6) The most magical moment was when, after a delish fried chicken dinner, we bumped into a guy we'd seen earlier at the restaurant and he gave us each a beautiful red rose! So sweet!! 

The best part was, though, that after that we each gave our roses away to little girls dressed up as princesses. Each time the dialogue went exactly the same way:

- "Excuse me, are you a princess?"

- "Yeah..!"

- "Would you like a rose?"

*eyes light up, huge smile, huge nod* 

- "Yes please!!!"

So freakin cute!! AND in a true stroke of magic, the mum of little girl Hannah gave her rose to mentioned afterwards that it was her birthday! So, so special.

We ended the night with Indiana Jones and Fantasmic and headed to Mum and Q's to watch the Oscars! We'd avoided all social media all afternoon and, miraculously, hadn't had anything spoiled when we started watching! We sat down with ice cream and got drinks for Ellen's delightfully funny hosting, lovely acceptance speeches, gorgeous gowns, the world's best selfie, and a couple great messages from winners promoting equality. We were getting down to the wire, with only the Best Actor/Actress, Director, and Picture to go when... NOOOO! Damn you Time Warner Cable!!! The recording ended, so sad! Hahaha kinda funny too.. We looked them up online, though, and although Matthew McConaughey gave the least likable speech in the history of the Osacrs aaaand we were really rooting for Leo, we were thrilled for all the winners!

Yesterday we had a very chill morning in Corona until... Gregory called letting us know we had an audition!! Yay! Our first professional audition! Buuut it was in just a couple hours! Gaahh!! We rallied and ended up driving straight to the casting studio in Beverly Hills. The audition went really well!! Yeeee! It was very low key, we didn't have to read sides, just answer some questions about ourselves and tell an embarrassing story. We both felt great about it and, whether we get the roles or not, it was a pretty huge milestone! Once the audition was finished, we went to an amazing and super cheap sushi place for a celebratory dinner with Ali! After cramming in as much tempura shrimp, teriyaki chicken, and California roll as we could handle and a phenomenal dessert of tempura ice cream and ginger creme brûlée, it was time to drop Ali back to her friend Jen's house. It was so sad to say goodbye, but we know we'll pick up right where we left off next time we see each other. These last few days really have shown us that Ali's one of those friends who's really more like family; we love her to pieces and we have SO many wonderful memories of our time together!