How did my electric toothbrush, written about in last posting, make it to Auckland but I am still in Los Angeles? Tom and I, delayed out of Newark Airport due to mechanical failure, failed to make our connection in LAX. Continental Airlines sent our luggage on an earlier flight, and proceeded to send the bags all the way to Auckland...without us. Isn't that a security breach? Luggage without owners? Don't ask. Serendipity played her hand in our our unexpected delay in Los Angeles. Our good friend, Maelisa, just happened to be making her bi-monthly trip to LA. She found us a hotel, took us on a celebrity house tour, and gave us a full-on LA dining experience to remember.

At an outdoor Italian restaurant at the Grove, we gabbed and gawked at the paparazzi and the parade of LA inhabitants, which gave plenty of entertainment. The photo of me and Tommy was shot right after we witnessed a "Crying Game" encounter. Hysterical. After being in the remote islands of the Pacific for a year and half, it's surreal to be in this one-of-a-kind city. We really had a blast even though Tom was suffering from a sore throat and head cold and I enjoyed an ear-clogging sinus infection. "Make the most of every detour" has become our motto and boy, did we ever. Tomorrow we board our flight to Auckland, with a connection in Fiji. What are the odds we'll get stuck in Fiji? Place your bet in the comments section below. Grin!