Cousins... and Beverly Hills

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Okay, so I don't know how many of you know this, but last night I got home from Los Angeles after having spent almost four days (Saturday night until yesterday afternoon) with some of my first cousins from Saudi Arabia. I wasn't sure if I was going to do a blog about this trip, because I was nervous about people's reaction. However, my mom told my grandma and Uncle John and Aunt Dianne. They seem happy for me, and I appreciate that.

I don't know if anyone reading this can fully understand how important this was for me (meeting some Saudi relatives for the first time in my life), and that's okay. I'm not asking anyone to be able to relate. I'm sure Nancy N. can, though. Anyway, as Aunt Dianne put it (my mom told me that she said this on the phone), this was a very fulfilling experience -- I think that's an appropriate word for it.

Samah and Samar, two female first cousins of mine (age 30 and 32) got a hold of me (one of their friends in the US contacted me via MySpace... since our house phone number has changed, and is unlisted) and told me they were in Los Angeles, and wanted to see me. Because I have amazing co-workers, they agreed to cover the hours at work that I would miss. I went to LA this past week, not knowing what to expect, and am now home, and very happy that I went. Oh, and it turned out that their mother (my uncle Saleh's wife) was there, as well as another cousin of mine (their 22-yr-old brother Neif), Neif's wife Hanoof, and Saleh, the 7-month-old baby of Hanoof and Neif (by the way, Baby Saleh has the same birthday as me!)

I'll post the pictures that I can post (I promised the girls that I wouldn't post pictures of them on the internet.)

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Photos

The view from our hotel
some buildings in Beverly Hills

part of Century Plaza
in Beverly Hills

memorial site in Santa Monica
for the American soldiers who have been killed in Iraq

ocean...
(Santa Monica)

ocean...
(Santa Monica, later in the evening)

baby!
I liked holding him, as you can see.

Stars galore!
In Hollywood

me and my hero
This is the closest I'll probably ever get to meeting her. :)

Comments

[Andrea]

: )
I'm happy for you that you went!!! It looks like you had fun :)

[Aunt Dianne]

Hi
I am so glad you went and were able to meet some of your relatives. I think the more connections anyone has to their relatives the better. You are getting prettier all the time. I think you look like Isabella Rossellini, who I think is strikingly beautiful. You should sent the photo of you by the ocean to all of your relatives. I LOVE the Pacific and have been to the Monica Pier.

[Aunt Dianne]

Change
my previous comment to the photo on Sunset Blvd. It initially looked to me that the ocean was behind you, but that was what my Pacific-crazed mind filled in the background with.

[alia142]

Thanks Andrea!
Yes, I did! Thanks for your comment. =) And happy early birthday. :o)

[alia142]

Wow!!
Aunt Dianne, that was such a nice comment! Thank you! Speaking of pretty, I saw TJ's wedding picture at Grandmama's house, and thought she was beautiful! Anyway, yeah that was at Sunset Blvd. but since it was at night, it's hard to tell what's in the background. Oh... doesn't Stacy live in California? Where in CA does she live? That's awesome you've been to Santa Monica... I thought it was such a nice place. I've only seen it in tabloids before. ;) So it was nice to actually see it.

[Marian Scheirman]

Beverly Hills, your newly found cousins
Thank you for Forwarding the pictures and blog, after I told you my computer didn't "receive" them. What an adventure you had! It's fun to share it vicariously. (Your grandmother agrees with Aunt Dianne about how beautiful you are.) A cute little baby cousin with a big smile. Loved the pix of the Pacific ocean at sunset etc. I got engrossed n it all, and just now will go to bed. Your travel blogs stretch my horizons! LOVE, G-mama

[Aunt Dianne]

Response
Stacy now lives in Chico in the northern part of the state. She used to live in Ocean Beach, which is a part of San Diego.