Today was one of those days where I drank in everything that is fall in Omaha. Driving around town, having lunch in the Old Market, was gorgeous. It was cloudy, so the changing leaves didn’t compete with a brilliant blue sky. I wore my orange wool coat from the Gap for the first time this season. (Lovely.) It was chilly, too. Sweaters make me smile, as do vanilla steamers from the 13th Street Coffee House, be it in Omaha or Bellevue. (Sigh.) They make me feel so warm and toasty inside.

Then there’s Frank the Cat, who’s acting crazy tonight. Could be the weather. Could be his kitten-y ways.

Fall is here. Now, come give me a hug.

My last full day here in California was lovely, as were the previous days. After a quick stop at Target, Katie and I drove to Huntington Beach. The weather was perfect as we walked along the boardwalk, lazily strolling in and out of the stores. Lunch was at the Sugar Shack, this great little diner. I had fresh fruit and an egg salad sandwich. Delicious.

We then walked along the pier, which juts out into the Pacific Ocean. That’s where I took this, my only photo from Sunday.

My flight leaves today around 2. I arrive in Omaha shortly after 9 tonight. As much fun as I’ve had here, it’ll be good to be back on N Street. I miss Matthew and Frank the Cat :-)

While Wendy is away, Matthew turns Frank the Cat into an alcoholic. At least he’s drinking good beer and not something awful like Bud Light or Busch Light. Ugh.

I can’t believe tomorrow is my last full day here. My trip went by fast. Katie surprised me with a manicure this morning! We were planning to see Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) Thursday night in L.A., but the tickets sold out. In lieu of the concert, Katie got me pretty nails. How sweet of her :-) While I was getting my nails done, Katie had her eyebrows waxed. Oo, la, la.

After our beauty visit, we drove to Hollywood where we made a stop at Amoeba Music, this fantastic independent music score. It’s two stories of music, and probably the largest music store I’ve been in. Even though I very rarely purchase CDs, I picked up The Faint’s “Wet From Birth.” It’s a delicious album. (Matthew and I saw The Faint play Sokol a few weeks ago, by the way. A great, great, great show.)

I also managed to take two photos of iPod billboards I saw around Hollywood this morning.

We left Hollywood and drove to Santa Monica, where we had lunch and did more shopping. Then, it was off to Henry’s Marketplace (again! yea!) for groceries. Tonight, we’re grilling salmon and catfish. I can’t wait. We may go for coffee after dinner.

No photos today, as my digital camera’s battery is just about dead. You can bet, however, that the day was packed with activities. Katie and I began our Friday at IKEA, where we had breakfast. We spent about an hour walking through the store. My only purchase, besides a small lamp for my desk at the newspaper, was a food dish and a water dish for my cat, Frank. The dishes are lime green and were just 25¢ each!

After IKEA, Katie and I headed to Disneyland, where we rode a million rides. (OK, maybe not a million, but it was a lot.) We had a drink in the bar at the Grand Californian Hotel, which is at the park. Then, we met Billy at this great little bar/grill called Heroes in downtown Fullerton. My French dip was mighty tasty, I must say.

The three of us headed back to the apartment, where we crashed for the night.

About meeting Rufus Wainwright. Jason and I drove to Iowa City last Friday to see Rufus Wainwright play the University of Iowa campus. No big deal, right? About two hours before the show, Jason and I are having dinner at Mickey’s, a great little pub in downtown Iowa City. We’re sitting in a booth near the window when we see Rufus walk by, look in and head down the street. It took us both a second to realize what had just happened. Jason’s eyes grow wide as he says, “Grab your camera!”

Out the door we run, Jason slightly ahead of me, as we chase down Rufus. Rufus seemed flattered to be followed down by two fans, so he stopped and posed for a photo, which was taken by a random stranger. (Whoever you are, thank you!)

Needless to say, it was difficult to eat after something like that happened. We were in shock for a few moments, to say the least. After a few drinks, we headed over to the campus for the concert, which was amazing. Rufus performed for two solid hours, which included a few encores. What I also enjoyed was his banter with the audience. It really bothers me when artists/bands ignore the audience (who paid to be there, I might add) just for the sake of art.

Rufus, thank you for a memorable evening :-)

My first day in California was lovely. After arriving around 10 this morning, my sister and I did some shopping. I found a lovely tweed jacket at this store in downtown Brea for $9! The jacket originally sold for $42, if you can believe it. Quite the steal, I’d say. I also picked up a lovely light pink blouse from Forever 21. It’s sheer with short sleeves and delicate ruffles around the collar. So very feminine! That one cost me $18.

After our shopping outing, Katie and I stopped by my new favorite West Coast grocery store, Henry’s Marketplace. It’s so adorable! It’s certainly not an oversized grocery store with bright lights, which is what I’m used to. Much of the food is organic, and their produce section, according to my sister, is top notch. I loved it so much, I snapped a few photos :-)

Tomorrow, it’s off to Disneyland.

That’s right. I’m in Fullerton, Calif., visiting my sister through Monday. I took a few photos today, which I’ll post later. The weather here is gorgeous, about 40 degrees warmer than when I left Omaha this morning.

More news: I met Rufus Wainwright last Friday in Iowa City. No joke. I even have the photo to prove it. Stay tuned.

P.S. Thank you to Matthew, my sweetheart, for taking me to the airport this morning at 5:30. I love you, buddy!

My new favorite food: Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts. I love them like mad.

This cartoon from my aunt makes me chuckle, because it’s so accurate! In fact, I’m posting to my blog from my bed this evening :-)