True Hollywood Story

This is the True Hollywood (Hermosa Beach and Crenshaw) Story of Kelle Belle

KB took the show on the road and went home to Cali last weekend to celebrate her bday with mumsy and the pups. What a great trip! I feel invigorated, refreshed, and energized. Below, a few highlights:

Location: Hermosa Beach

Theme Song: California Girls by the Beach Boys

Besides the soul warming runs on the beach and quality time with the boys (my doggies) and moms, my time at the gym was a highlight of the trip. I've been away for 5 months and son, has a lot changed! One instructor got much bigger, one shrunk a few sizes, and a high school chum made some inneresting changes...

My favorite instructor spoke incessantly last year about her desire for another child. She even announced her preganancy and subsequent miscarriage while teaching a step class this past April. So I was thrilled to see her when I entered her kickboxing class on Saturday. She's as big as a house! Due in May. Yay!

My other favorite instructor could have stood to lose a couple of pounds... Despite her being the best boot camp instructor ever, she was quite flabby. It was weird. Anywho, she dropped at least 3 sizes and looked amazing. Her secret? She started running! Yeah, I was disappointed too when her secret did not lie in a pill bottle.

A high school chum I used to run into a lot at the gym last year was at boot camp class on Monday...and she lost some pounds...of hair. Basically, she went from Brooke Shields to Tina Fey before she got cute. Not a great look. She used to look like a pacific island Barbie but now she looks like a soccer mom. But I was too distracted to really analyze her hair cut by her ginormous new boobs! I remember she got married during the summer...maybe her new and improved sweater meat were a 6-month anniversary gift?

I miss that gym! It's like the capital of all 24 Hour Fitness clubs. Sigh. Back to the smaller, less fab, 24 Hour Fitness in Seattle...with less jaw dropping bodies to stare at.

Location: Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw area

Theme Song: To Live and Die in LA by Tupac

Moms and I headed to the Crenshaw mall to pick up some makeup from the Fashion Fair counter at Macy's (obvs they don't carry the black women's line at the Macy's near our whitewashed city). The highlight? The woman at the FF counter remarked that my mother and I were the opposite of her and her own daughter: "My daughter is brown and I'm high yellow; and you're brown and your daughter is high yellow." I didn't doctor that quote. She said it. And it was awesome! My mom and I hadn't heard that term (high yeller) used (in a non-joking manner) in quite some time.

After I copped the goods we poked our heads into the MLK day parade on Crenshaw blvd. I heart black people! It was a great event, with so much positive energy you couldn't help but beam with pride, happiness, and hope for the future.

Location: Hollywood

Theme Song: Hollywood by Jay & Bey

I went to a small dinner party hosted by the chef of a new restaurant ("Soul") that will be opening later this year. The food was fabulous, the condo was sick (you could throw a rock at Grauman's and the Roosevelt), and the company was FANTASMIC! My B of all B's flew into LA Saturday night to surprise me for my birthday! Her brother is one of the owners of the new restaurant. I thought I was just going to sample the menu. But the true reason behind the invitation was to hang with my gal and her gorgeous four year old daughter, who accompanied her mom on the trek from NYC. How lucky am I to have such a great friend?

By the end of the trip I was surprised to find myself missing Seattle and looking forward to getting back to my crib and work! Who knew KB would actually miss Seattle? Or her job?! I suppose it's a good thing. :)

Smooches!

KB