Being Grateful and Thankful

Wow. I don't really know where to begin. I have so much gratefulness running through me as I sit on this flight from Los Angeles. I'm flying over somewhere in Denver and I find myself looking out the window, taking in the beautiful blue skies, the clouds that surround me and letting out a sigh, a content sigh. Sometimes we tend to get so wrapped up in the day to day operations of life, that we forget to be thankful for what we have. And this past week has reminded me to be thankful for those in my life, what I have and who I am.

My plans shifted a bit but isn't that how it always is. I had planned to go to LA for a few days and then off to Fremont CA for a charity event type. The latter of those plans got shifted due to a friend's schedule being changed. So instead, I went to LA a few days early to surprise a friend who does a comedy show. I had thought about coming but hadn't figured out the details just yet. But after a flight change and all of that, I landed in Los Angeles with a few hours to kill. After getting settled and all of that, I made my way to the comedy theatre to surprise her. There were huge hugs, smiles, giggles and I even experienced my first earthquake. The theme of her show was time BUT the message I came away with was ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WHAT WE SAY. We made plans to try and grab coffee during my stay in LA but with her schedule comes unexpected surprises.

The days went on and I spent time at beautiful Manhattan beach. It really is breath taking. It reminded me to be grateful....just to take a deep breath and be grateful no matter what.

The reason for coming to LA was that my favorite Carolyn  would be hosting the Indie Series Awards. And one of my true blue girls was granted access to the press and asked if I'd like to come along. Like I would pass that up. So I enjoyed the next few days. I picked her up Tuesday and Tuesday night was the nominee pre-party. We were allowed to go and we mixed and mingled with the web series creators, writers and actors. And of course, the host of the ISA's, my dear Carolyn.

We laughed, caught up and just enjoyed the evening. We said our goodbyes as I knew I would see her on the red carpet before the ceremony the following night.

Oh boy...what can I say about the red carpet. Carolyn looked AMAZING. The press was all over the place, some more respectable than others and I'll leave it at that. The red carpet lasted for close to two hours, as the talent made their way down the red carpet. I met Christian LeBlanc for a split second and it was AHMAZING. Like I adore him so I was totally freaking out. Sean Kanan, John J York and Darin Brooks were also there. John York sat behind us for the actual ceremony.

The above picture of Christian is when he was teasing my friend about being so short. It was classic. After the red carpet came the awards. Carolyn's monologue was FLAWLESS. Freakin' flawless. If you can find it online, watch it. SO good. After the ceremony, most of the soap stars had left as it was in the middle of the week and most of them had early call times. We chatted with some people, enjoyed the ambiance before we, too, called it a night.

I have to admit, I was a little bummed at this point. I hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to Carolyn because I was leaving in two days and she was swamped with work. But I was super excited for the next day as I would be grabbing coffee and sweets with my LA comedian friend  from a few nights ago. We laughed so much, talked about life, the behavior of people and how it baffles us and it just was wonderful, truly wonderful. I will forever hold that conversation to my heart.

As we're laughing over tea and cake, her phones buzzes to indicate an email and it's Carolyn. We continue to talk, laugh and catch up and Carolyn calls. We giggled because we had been talking about her. She had just finished up on a set and she wasn't too far from where we were and she tells Alex she's coming. Carolyn came and hugged us when she arrived. We dished about everything, life, the awards, everything under the sun. Alex had to leave but Carolyn and I stayed to talk a little longer. I am so grateful for her. The fact that she came to see us, after being on a set all day, means more than words can ever adequately explain.

After we talked for a little longer, we said our goodbyes, hugged then hugged some more.

At the end of this year, it'll be 6 years since I met Carolyn for the first time. When I first met her, NEVER EVER did I think she would hold me in such a high regard. She helped me through so much in those early years of our friendship and she continues to inspire me every single day. There is never a day I take our friendship for granted. She once told me that she was so thankful for me but I'm the one who is thankful.