Next to You, In Malibu
Malibu. In retrospect, there was no other way that we could celebrate Malibu than in a gorgeous, million dollar Villa. The drive along the coastal route infused our souls with the lightness of wealth, the giddiness of carefree love, and the quaint quietness of solitude. Our stay in Malibu was long since planned when Scott and I devised the subtle scheme of—Going. All. Out!
Friday was the climax of it all, as we entered the empty home as if teenagers again, thrilled as if we suddenly found out that the parents were away for the weekend. We dashed through the rooms, pointed to which jacuzzi was going to be in our bathroom, and Scott played with the built in movie theater (I could smell the faint butteriness of Gabi making popcorn). Emily and Anastaisya drove in as the night progressed, and we lit up the house, the swimming pool, the hot tub, and lit candles that floated in the pool around the inflatable cupcake and donuts (R.I.P. inflatable unicorn). In the meantime, Jamie was being surprised at the airport by Teddy and Scotty Schu - two gallant friends from work - who journeyed to Malibu with her!
Everyone surprised Jamie, and the weekend wouldn’t have been the same without everyone being there. This entire weekend was a celebration of how special Jamie is to all of us, and it was gladly our birthday gift to her. It ended up being a weekend to remember - but, I get ahead of myself.
When they drove through the gate Friday night from the airport, we were on the balcony with bubbly and wearing cocktail dresses. We were tired and thrilled, excited to stay up but excited to sleep. Malibu had teased us with sunshine and bouts of rain, and played with our hearts like the push and pull of the nearby waves. But we were still in Malibu. Saturday morning approached and Jamie walked around the property with nothing on but underwear, and tank top, and her camera. Gabi graciously made everyone acai bowls, and we all searched the horizon and the endless blue waters. This day was our surfing day.
Zuma beach proved to be more of a watery playground than a perfect place to surf. The waves were huge, relentless, and even the whitewash was hard to catch. Within the first 20 minutes we were all beaten and destroyed. However, Anastaisya laid on the beach like a super model, making balls of sand as if preparing for a snow* ball fight. Scoot (the other Scott) threw Teddy and Jamie around as if they were paper dolls, and I remember belly flopping into the white wash. Emily, Jamie, and Teddy caught group waves, and everyone kept going out for more. By the time we got back to the house, we were ready to cannon ball the pool, soak in the hot tub, drink champagne, and eat grapes like royalty. That night, we all snuggled into the movie theater for “Insidius”, which was scary as s**t. However, its fun to be scared out of your pants if you have a group of other, grown adults, who want to curl up and cry with you.
The last day at the house began, naturally, in the hot tub. We then went to El Matador beach and got soaked. We climbed the jutting rocks, an ran from the gush of waves. For lunch we stopped at Malibu pier, and walked around the downtown shopping center. Our flight back home was approaching, and so we spent our last few hours on Santa Monica Pier, playing gymnastics along the beach and riding the roller coaster.
I realize that I filled a page describing, or attempting to, the fun of Jamie’s Birthday Weekend. It is a weekend that could never be replicated, and filled our expectations of life in Malibu. Jamie was so happy, and so completely in her natural habitat, that made everything beautiful. I have so much gratitude for everyone who came to celebrate with her, and happy that each one of us left with a little gem in our memories. To cap our weekend according to Beyonce…
“we livin’ lavish, lavish,
I got expensive habits,
I got expensive fabrics.”
