Doughnuts and Swim Days
Editor’s Note: We have had a lot of people reach out to us wondering if Leah and Will were safe from the LA wildfires. Yes! They are safe and sound. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the people who have been impacted by the devastating fires. We asked Leah if she would write a blog post about our family vacation last August as she has a unique perspective being Josh’s sister. Here is what she wrote. -Tom
When Will and I first moved to LA, I struggled to find good work (and to be honest the struggle is still very much ongoing). The first place I found was at Sidecar Doughnuts in Culver City. Sidecar, in spite of all the headaches it gave me, was my saving grace at a time when I knew nobody and felt that I had no place I belonged. Even after I had ended my time there, I still wanted to bring my parents and brother to grab some good ass doughnuts and walk down memory lane.
The thing about Culver City, and Sidecar specifically, is that it is definitely boujee-rich-person-shit. Typically, they don’t put public restrooms in boujee-rich-people-buildings, which, if you know our family, is a significant stressor. Josh will ask to use the bathroom, whether he actually has to go or not, usually right upon arrival. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a bit awkward seeing ex-coworkers while my brother is frantically trying to push his way to the back employee bathroom. Luckily, a business next door had the Porcelain Hookup and Josh happily obliged (with bribery of doughnut).
Minor fiasco aside, Josh seemed to love people-watching and enjoying a nice family breakfast at the cafe. <3
Josh waiting for his doughnuts after finding a restroom.
Josh loved the Sidecar doughnuts!
The other place I wanted to share with my family was Redondo Beach. This beach isn’t too far from our apartment, so we could bail at any time if Josh wasn’t into it. It also has a lovely park that we enjoyed a family picnic in! The beach was way busier than I anticipated for a weekday, and I think we were all a little on edge, but we stuck with it and made way for the water after we ate! Josh seemed amazed by the ocean, but wouldn’t go in further than knee-height. This was another huge surprise for us, because Josh has a history of going into bodies of water with no inhibitions, and we have many memories of him going too far out. Needless to say we were terrified he may want to go too far into the ocean, but he surprised us all and was entirely content just watching the waves roll in. :)
Redondo Beach p2
Swinging At The Park
Will and Josh navigating the steep hills at the park
We always try to *prepare for the worst* when doing family outings, but this trip continued to uproot our anxieties. We tried to balance out tourist-y activities with relaxing in the apartment, so as to not put too much stress on Josh. At this point, we’ve subjected him to a whole lot of new stimuli, and wanted to give him some sense of normalcy with stuff he enjoys at home. He picked out some new puzzles, and spent most of his downtime puzzling away. Our complex also has a pool, and we were lucky enough to have it all to ourselves a couple of times! Even when we weren’t the only family there, Josh made some new friends and helped get their diving toys out of the pool (also throwing the toys as far away from them as possible, but hey, it was a fun game lol). Josh loved warming up in the hot tub before going back inside to eat, and I’m not sure if a better feeling exists either.
Being pleasantly surprised was for sure the theme of this visit.
Josh doing his new puzzles at the apartment.
Josh and I took Duncan for a walk.
Dad and Josh headed to the pool.
Josh wanted to swim at least once every day!