Have you seen my Instagram posts recently? My son, Luke has been taking classes in acting and modeling this past year through D&A Talent. We have been enjoying our time this past week in Los Angeles and these past couple days at the Industry Network January 2024 event where he has been able to perform his talents in front of agents, managers, and casting directors. It’s been a fun week and an exciting weekend with Connie and the team of other talent and their families.

We flew out the evening of January 8th to sight-see and so I could catch up and spend time with my dear friend Dena.* She and her husband Kevin picked us up from the airport, gave us a place to stay for three nights (even covered the use of one of their vehicles and a hotel stay for us in Hollywood the second night!), and organized all the sight-seeing we did so Luke could experience fun places on his bucket list (this was Luke’s first time in LA).

On Tuesday, Jan 9th we took off in two vehicles (their son Craig also came with us), visited the Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach (and Muscle Beach), had lunch and shopped for a bit in Beverly Hills, and then made our way over to Hollywood via Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd so they could drop us off at the Kimpton Everly Hotel.

*I lived in the Palmdale/Lancaster area of California for four years in the early 90’s where I started my career as an elementary teacher. Dena and I were roommates for part of that time and developed a friendship that has lasted over 30 years!

We got up early the next day and walked almost the entire Walk of Fame to see the stars, read the ground at the Chinese Theatre, shop, and get a good photo of the Hollywood sign from the 5th level of the Ovation Hollywood Mall. After checking out of the hotel around 11 AM, we then drove up to the Griffith Observatory. We took more photos and enjoyed the breathtaking views.

We made a quick stop to get lunch and then got on the freeways by 1:45 so we could get back to Mission Viejo and avoid too much traffic. I’m thinking 15 minutes earlier would have been better to avoid the start of LA’s infamous “rush hour,” but we drove 55 miles and made it back to Dena and Kevin’s a little after 3:30.

We had a nice relaxing last evening with them. We rode their ebikes, enjoyed Kevin’s fish tacos for dinner, and watched a movie on Netflix together.

The next morning after saying goodbye to Dena (who needed to get to work), Kevin drove Luke and me back up through the city to the Universal Sheraton Hotel to drop us off for the Industry Network conference. Many in our D&A Talent group hadn’t arrived yet, so Luke and I took the shuttle to Universal Studios and spent our afternoon there where we explored the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Springfield: Home of the Simpsons, and the Universal Studios Studio Tour.

We didn’t realize there was another whole level until closer to the park’s closing time. The escalators down took some time, but we experienced the Transformers 3D ride and then challenged ourselves not to do all the escalators and to do as many stairs as we could on the way back up. I walked up two of the four flights. Luke walked way more.

After getting some dinner at the City Walk and returning to the hotel, we met up with a Amanda in our group and explored the hotel and the rooms where all the conference events would be held.

We are still in the process of the event which started Friday early afternoon. But Luke has been putting his best foot forward:

• Showing his acting abilities in the showcase tryouts and performing his monologue, commercial and scene
• Networking directly to these agents, managers, and casting directors while sharing his resume and cover photo
• And presenting his print model abilities through his photos from a session done last month.

We are also enjoying spending time with our group…practicing, sharing, supporting one another, and just having fun together!

Today is the last day, so we are going to make the most of it before we fly out and head back home tomorrow. We are very grateful to Connie (and Heather) at D&A Talent for their knowledge and training these past several months. And we are looking forward for what’s to come.

Thanks for visiting today.

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SALE-A-BRATION 2024!
The Sale-a-Bration promotion is here and runs January 4th through February 29th! Click here for all the details. Click here to view the online version of this new publication. Click here to see these new products online. 

THE NEW JAN-APRIL 2024 MINI CATALOG!
The new Jan-April 2024 Mini Catalog featuring lots of new products is here! Click here to view the online version of this new publication. Click here to shop these new products online. 

KITS COLLECTION: PANDA FRIENDS & ROCK LEGEND KITS ADDED
Two kits have been recently added to the Kits Collection! Click here and scroll down for more details.

STAMP-N-STORAGE JANUARY SALE & CELEBRATION
To celebrate their 15-year anniversary Stamp-n-Storage is offering 15% off storewide* through the month of January 2024!! Visit their site to shop. They are also giving away 15 Golden Tickets at random this month to those that order. So check your shipment box. A Golden Ticket might be yours! *Sale excludes the Craft-n-Go Mini. 

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES NEWS
You won’t find Online Exclusives products in any catalog or publication. So be sure to visit this link to shop today. All Online Exclusives products are available while supplies last. New products were added in November. 

A PEEK AT JANUARY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT
Lovely Lavender Kit: Make love-themed cards for special occasions, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, and more! Makes 8 cards: 4 each of 2 designs with 8 coordinating envelopes, includes 4 bonus tags that punch out from the card front, precut paper pieces, and linen thread. Coordinates with the Perennial Lavender Suite Collection (item 162613) debuting January 4. Coordinating colors: Garden Green, Pretty Peacock, Lost Lagoon, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape (Classic Stampin’ Spot) & Berry Burst. And don’t miss the special add-on that coordinates with all three months: the Love of Spring Dies Add-On (item 164396) —available beginning 11 December and only while supplies last! Click here for a flyer showing peeks of the Jan-March kits.

If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by January 10th for this next kit.

ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES
I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our January 2024 Lighter Than Air Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Perennial Lavender Suite from the Jan-Apr 2024 Mini Catalog will be available Feb 1st.