with my family from Germany over the last few days. It has been ten years since they were here. I have had the chance to see them in Germany since then, but even that was 6 years ago. Way too long...and missing them already.

We spent time visiting Venice, Hollywood, and the Griffith Observatory. 

And, I will be going back to Griffith Park Observatory, on a day minus the crowds, because it is just beautiful up there. I would love to go at night and see the city lights, one of the most gorgeous ways to view L.A. {On a side note, have any of you ever flown into L.A. at night? When you are making the final approach into the airport, it looks like you are flying into a sea of gold.}

Sunday dinner in the garden, soccer playing, drawing, sculpting, lots of visiting and reminiscing, hide and seek, time spent among way too many crowds, watching Star Wars, playing the Star Wars Lightsaber game on the Iphone, staying up too late, waving goodbye until their car drove out of sight, craning our necks from the third floor at Hollywood and Highland to see if we could see the stars exit their Limos at my friend’s Cats and Dogs premier,  and a highlight: we re-created the 'Kaffee und Kuchen' tradition, just like in Germany. Feeling re-connected to who you are and where you came from = priceless.

Visits like these, I’m reminded that my family is simply too far away.