Welcome Deborah!

While in Tennessee for Christmas I found out that my friend, Deborah, from Greensboro was able to come for a visit the same week that Steve would be in Ohio for some training.  I was much relieved that I would not be alone for the week and welcomed Deborah's visit!

Unfortunately, Deborah arrived not feeling 100% well.  Rest and chicken soup quickly were added to our agenda, but not for long . . . 

Our first outing was to The Tonight Show.  Originally Dustin Hoffman was scheduled which we were very excited about, so we were surprised to find out that the guests were Carson Daly, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and some animals- which by the way, stole the show.   We had a great time even without Dustin!

Our next outing was to The Farmers Market for lunch and to see Extra being filmed at The Grove (which of course, comes with a giveaway). 

 Mario interviews Pete Rose and his fiancé.  Pete Rose was quite entertaining (although he doesn't look like it in this picture).

And by the way, after standing for almost 3 hours we received our giveaway- Brazilian Blowout hair products.  Lucky for me, but no so much for Deborah : (

Then we attended tapings of The Wheel of Fortune show.  It's a lot harder in person to guess the puzzles than when sitting in front of the TV.

Our last outing was to Hollywood to see the "Hollywood Sign", Grauman's Chinese Theater, and the Dolby Theater.

We did a self tour of Beverly Hills with a stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

We drove by the Beverly Hills Hilton where they were setting up for the Golden Globes, but we didn't see any stars - though I tried!  We drove down Rodeo Drive- without making any stops.  And before going home, we stopped briefly at Venice Beach to give Deborah a glimpse of such a diverse area.  Quite a change from Rodeo Drive and only 10 miles away!  It was her only glance at the Pacific Ocean.  We drove over the Venice Canals before returning home which were beautiful.

Thanks Deborah for coming to see me!  Hope you're feeling better and maybe when you return in September we can hike Runyon Canyon!  Thanks for putting up with my rusty driving, my new navigation system, and my shedding dog!  It was great having you!