IN THE HILLS...

The anticipation had been building in the last few days before we were all together again. It's amazing how quickly life goes by and how much you don't realize you miss in the lives of others. Facebook can never really keep you in touch with someone like a good conversation. And even in the dying age of personal communication, time well spent in person with a friend is still one of the more priceless things you can share. This trip, started like all the ones before, with handshakes and hugs, smiles and laughs, and the warming embrace of old friends as we arrived one by one into L.A.X. "How you been man", we asked as if we didn't chat everyday online? But to have a face to the words was comforting, to be able to see the happiness of their expression. We were a blessed group of friends who had the freedom to make a trip amongst all the crazy. After all that's what it's really about, being able to take the time away from it all, and take a moment to breathe, to enjoy, to appreciate. We spent the first night in our rental house in the hills of Hollywood. The weather ideal as usual and scenery and landscaping embodied the feeling we all shared as we stood on the balcony overlooking the city. We would make the most of the time we had, and it didn't matter what we did, because we would do it together, and that would make it epic. We sat around the kitchen pouring drinks and talking about all the other trips and adventures we went on before. These conversations never change, these stories, told thousands of times before, never vary. It didn't matter that we already knew what happened, much like your favorite movie or TV show that you watch over and over repeating the dialogue and still laughing at the all too well known punch lines. But this was our lives, our show, we were the characters, and we were up to our usual shenanigans. It was all rooftops and too many shots, and glasses of champagne and women with "special" names. Whether Whisky or Tequila or Corona with Limes, it didn't really matter at all because it was all good times. We made classic moments and created more moments for us to laugh and talk about the next time fate would allow us to meet again. It all ended just like it began, with handshakes and hugs, "until next time" and "Love ya bruh"; evil grins and laughter about everything we had just been through. Those are the times, they are my boys, they are my family, and we lived it up and tore it down, all in the Hills.