Instead of a Christmas party, Kong has a Launch Party in 3 different states over 3 weekends in January. The 3 states are Ohio, Colorado and California. I didn't go to the Colorado Launch Party because we couldn't get a babysitter in time and so Warren went alone. He flew to Ohio for their Launch Party which he said was very boring since there were only a few people attending the event because the staff in Ohio is a lot smaller than in the other 2 states.
Since the California Launch Party was on a Saturday, I decided to join Warren for a weekend getaway...our first since 2006. Warren flew out from Denver early on Friday morning and worked for most of the day in the Downey office.
I arranged for Deb & Dan to watch the boys for the weekend and since they were going to Creede and wanted to leave on Thursday, Deb asked her sister Lisa & husband Keith to get the boys from school. I dropped the boys at school on Friday morning and came home. My carry-on bag was already packed so I waited for the Super Shuttle to arrive which took me to the airport. While waiting to board the plane I got a text message from Lisa to say she had the boys and were on their way down to Creede. Lisa & Keith have twin girls who are also tomboys so the boys had an amazing time down there, building snow forts with the twins in the snow, and playing with 12-week old puppies.
Flying out of Denver is great because we crossed the Rockies, heading west to California. The scenery was lovely and I spent about an hour watching the landscape from the window.
Landing in Los Angeles isn't exciting and as the plane gets closer to LAX, you see the major arteries of the city snaking their way beneath you.
Traffic in LA is awful and parking at the airport is horrible so Warren arranged to fetch me at passenger pickup area. We drove out of the madness to the coast where we found our hotel. It was in a suburb called Redondo Beach and is a few feet from the pier and the beach.
As soon as we'd unpacked, we went for a stroll along the pier. The weather was very mild and the sun was just starting to dip when we found the restaurant recommended to us by the hotel clerk. We had a great view of the ocean and enjoyed a lovely seafood meal together.
We spent the evening & next day walking along the pier and beach and driving along the coast and to the harbor where we saw an enormous cruise ship docked in the harbor.
The Kong party took place in a restaurant at the harbor and the food was mostly seafood. The owners of Kong were at the party and made a few speeches. Warren did a presentation about how well Kong did in 2009 and then it was time to party. They brought in a couple who taught us to salsa which was fun. Most of the staff at the Downey office are Hispanic so the music and vibe was very upbeat and Latino. The Hispanics sure know how to dance! Warren & I joined in and had a great time. We flew back to Denver on Sunday morning and had 2 hours on our own before the boys arrived home from Creede. Lisa & Keith had hit a female elk on the way down to Creede so their trailer with the snowmobile was totaled and I'm so glad no one was hurt. Those animals are big and can total a car (and everyone in it). The kids had lots of stories to tell us and were exhausted by the long drive home and from the fun they'd had in Creede.
If the Kong Launch Party is on a Saturday next year (in CA), I plan to do this trip again with Warren (that is, if we can get the same people to have the kids while we're away). It was a great time for Warren & I and we look forward to the next one.
My second tattoo was designed with a lot of thought and contemplation. I wanted my favorite verse tattoo'd on my wrist in Hebrew but it turned out to be too long so I took the word Grace (chesed) and did that instead.
