I was so excited getting ready for the event at The Magic Castle in Hollywood! I was losing weight, getting healthy and feeling good. I made my airline reservations, was going to stay at my sisters apartment in he heart of Hollywood while she was out of town and had time to make plans to see friends after the event. The final preparations included healing my wrist that I had over extended, picking out shoes for the custom dress, buying a bag that would be functional and hold my IPad and getting my lashes done.
Right before I left I was honored to be interviewed by Raven who owns Women of Power Radio. She interviewed me for an hour for a spot called: “Lunch with an Author”. We talked about the upcoming book “Wounded, Survive, Thrive” and my chapter that I contributed. This segment will air six times during the month of October which is National Domestic Violence Month in hopes of getting the message out.
As excited as I was to be going to Hollywood, my feline compaions were most upset. The last time I packed suitcases in front of them, I had left to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to live for two months. So I am sure my cats Josie and Zoey expected the worse. Lucky for both myself and them, I have the best cat sitter in the world! His name is Justin and he is the son of my friend Christina who lives near by. He comes over every day in the early evening to play with them and they wait for him by the front door each day. So he promised to give them extra love. While Justin tried to reassure the cats I would not be gone for long, Christina and I packed. Yes, as much as I travel I would think I would get better at packing. I ended up with two large heavy suitcases and my new purse full to the gills. I must have had the same amount of clothes as I did when I went to Mexico for two months. I took way too much stuff and had to lug it around. Note to self: take a packing class!
The next step was to drive to San Francisco International Airport and fly to Los Angeles. I am a huge fan of Virgin America Airlines and have been flying them exclusively for the past two years. I love the employees, they are always happy and helpful. When I arrived at the first class check in Silvia welcomed me and checked me in. She is a huge believer in women entrepreneurs. She changed careers a few years ago to come to Virgin to work and loves her job and the company. All of the airplanes in the Virgin fleet are lit with pretty purple lights and techno house music plays softly as you board. A cocktail, snack and a short show on TV and I was in Los Angeles. I could not wait to get to my sisters apartment. First, I had to wait in the longest car rental line I ever have been in. I was there for over an hour and a half. Next time I will try a different car rental agency that allows me to go directly to the car! As I got close to the Hollywood Towers where my sisters apartment was, I stopped at a red light and looked up. There was the Hollywood sign and the sign for Sunset, a popular street there.
This is the end of part two of the blog Follow My Journey to the Red Carpet. The final portion, part three is on its way full of photos of the actual event and of the Magic Castle!