If you guys are wondering where I got the title “Welcome to LA”, there’s a song by Kendrick Lamar that I”m obsessed with right now called “The Recipe.”

If you listen to it you’ll here Welcome to LA. It’s a sexy song, and I love it! Not sure the lyrics are, but just the beat.

Anyway! I want to show you some pictures from the seafood buffet I was posting about on Saturday night, and my outfit of the day!

 

 

Mom!! Look at the chocolate covered strawberries and the chocolate fountain!! OMG They had Oreos in their mix of things to dip in the chocolate!

 

On to the second super awesome restaurant I’ve been to here this week. It was called Commonwealth in Burbank, and we went there for my “last supper” before being NPO after midnight (no food or water/drinks.) It’s a tapas or small plates style restaurant, and every dish was exceptionally good! I’m a total foodie and love trying new places, but you should see Claudine! She was a culinary student at one point, and family owned a restaurant when she was growing up. She makes my knowledge and experience with food look elementary! I’ve learned so much from her already! So I learned two $50 words of the day on our way there, and when we got there. #1: Charcuterie which means basically a cured meats and cheese board when it comes to entertainment. It’s a french word. I think I pronounced it “Cha-Coochie” or something of the sort lol!! #2: Amuse bouche which is a french term literally translated to mean “mouth amuser.” I think the word “douche” was thrown in there somewhere by <——this girl-queen of mispronunciation lol!!

So here is the amuse bouche we had, which was drizzled with white truffle oil:

Look at how cool this plate was! It was Smoked Hamachi, and it came with the smoke still under the glass dome! Fantastic dish!

 

Next, we had bruschetta, which was the chef’s choice as far as the toppings. One was a tomato mousse over dried something or other, and the other was a steak with cheese and mushrooms on top.

King crab leg with all of the work done for us. Drizzled in olive oil and I have no idea what else. SO yummy and perfectly cooked!

Seafood Risotto, which is one of my favorite dishes to get, and this one did NOT disappoint! Shrimp and scallops cooked perfectly as well! 

Then there was this:

Butterscotch pudding topped with whipped cream and bacon! Ridiculous is the only way I know how to describe this. Butterscotch is one of my favorite flavors of life, and the bacon on top? Just brought it to a whole new level of delicious!

After dinner, I was in a pretty good food coma, so I put on some new PugLife socks I got at the LA Sock Market at Universal City Walk, and climbed into bed. 

The next morning went really smoothly. Here I am at my pre-op for #5thtimesacharm. That’s been my attitude and my hashtag all week! (With some “please God” in there, because remember my motto for the past 2 years has been “I make plans, and God laughs” lol!)

Something you guys may or may have not noticed is my traditions for my surgeries. First one is braided pigtails, and the second one is having Pad Thai as my huge meal afterwards. Some of the surgeries have been later in the day around 1-2pm, and by that time I’m so starving that the saltine crackers taste gourmet!! So this time I did the same things!

Apple, I have no idea why, but they’ve always put that on when they set me up with BP cuff, EKG leads, and pulse oximeter in pre-op. 

Heeeeeeeeey! Pre-op selfie time! I had the same CNA that I had the last time, and she’s so nice! Hi Shalonda if you’re reading this!!

Got some Ginger Ale and Lorna Doone cookies this time on the flip side. Yay for the PACU! Cookies are awesome after surgery! 

 

Little thug life for the way home. Or is it #puglife ? Heehee :-).

Finally, my beloved Pad Thai, Easter candy from Walgreens, Surgery Bear (from my parents my first surgery when they sent me an Edible Arrangements Bouquet!) and the remote. I ate every last noodle in that to go box! SO GOOD!!! Especially after NPO for like 16 hours! The chocolate eggs were awesome, and the mini eggs are always amazing! Then, I ate the rest of my CowGirl Bark from Trader Joes: 

Have you guys had this?? SO good! Totally sinful though, and I could eat the whole bag in one sitting. 

So the surgery went really well, and some changes were made medicinally from the last time since I was in so much pain that first night. It’s been a cake walk in the pain department this time compared to last time. Experience helps in so many ways! You should see how I had everything set up in my hotel room. OCD much? Or just being prepared? Either way, everything is going very well. Thank you so much to Claudine for letting me fly her out here to be my person for this and for taking such awesome care of me! I can’t thank you enough for how great of a friend and caregiver you’ve been this whole time! I love you so much! You know I’m here if you ever need anything! Thank you to those of you that sent well wishes yesterday, the support is SO very much appreciated! This journey has been extremely uncharacteristic for someone my age, and unprecedented for even my colleagues and supervisor at Walgreens! Kathy up in Deerfield, you have been a Godsend!! I’ve put in 16 years of service so far, and my company is taking very good care of me. I am grateful beyond words for that! The journey is not over yet, as I have a very long road ahead of me, and what has already proven to be a slow recovery time. I can’t wait to hike and bike and run and, well, goodness, WORK like a normal person! I will get there, I know it! I may have a few good cries between now and then, but I’ve learned that it’s ok, and sometimes helps to just let it all out. I’ll implode if I don’t. I’d love visitors during the next 4-6 weeks, since I will be spending most of it on the couch! Don’t hesitate to text me and stop by! I’m in the process of editing a video right now, as well as a recipe for some really yummy, simple to make, and healthy soup that should be posted soon. Y’all come back now, ya hear!?

Happy Trails!

Stacey