You Win Some....

After the Gap casting on 10/27, we were on pins and needles waiting to hear the outcome (okay, maybe it was just me!).  I knew the actual shoot was scheduled for 11/6 - 11/8 so I assumed we would find out pretty quickly whether or not she got the job.  Finally last Thursday I got the call that Kali got a call back.  I was sooooo excited!!!  Out of the hundreds (maybe thousands) of kids that came out, our Kali made a big enough splash to get a second look!!  I couldn't have been more thrilled! So we needed to head back to Los Angeles this past Monday for a 10:15 appointment.  *arrggghh*  The thought of driving to L.A. on a Monday morning completely stressed me out.  On any given day, that drive takes about 2.5 - 3 hours.  Add in Monday morning traffic and it could easily take 4 hours or more!  This means we would need to leave home by 6:00 am which means I'd have to get her up at 5:00 am to do her hair and get her ready.  There is noooo way this would turn out any way except BAD!  So after talking it over with Daddy, we agreed that Kali and I should drive to L.A. Sunday evening and stay the night.  That way, she'd be well rested and ready to do her best again!

The adventure was ON!  The callback was going to be at Pier 59 Studios in Santa Monica -- about 12 miles from L.A. so I booked us a room at a nearby Sheraton (I wanted this to be a pampering experience for her).  We had fun walking around the hotel and the hotel staff adored her...even giving us the "Starwood Preferred Guest" experience even though I'm not a preferred member. 

Monday morning came and I got busy with her hair.  Once it was perfectly styled, we headed down to the restaurant for breakfast.  Ummm...why was the bill $27 and I'm the only one who ate???  *lol*  I was smart enough to bring Kalissa a packet of oatmeal for breakfast because I know she's a picky eater.  Oh well....you can't put a price on memories, right?

We were making GREAT time and were able to take our time showering and getting dressed.  The studio was about 10 miles from our hotel so I figured we'd leave at 9:30 which would give us 45 minutes to arrive for her appointment.  I had packed one of my favorite Gap outfits for her to wear -- it was about 90 degrees on Monday -- and she looked absolutely adorable!

We hopped in the car at 9:30 right on time and everything was going according to plan....until we got to the freeway.  GRIDLOCKED traffic!  I was soooo stressed and broke all kinds of carpool lane laws!  *lol*  We got there with about 2 minutes to spare!  We only had to go 12 miles and it took 45 minutes!!!!  We waited a short time before it was Kali's turn.  She was SUPER amped up!!  I kept trying to get her to calm down without stealing her personality.  At 3, I guess there's no happy medium so borderline obnoxious was what she presented.  There was a big screen where her pictures popped up when the photographer took them...and they looked FABULOUS!  She was really photogenic, but the effort the photographer had to use was a bit too much, in my opinion.  She just wasn't taking his direction very well and there was nothing I could do.  After it was over, he gave her a big high-five and told her she did great but I had a feeling she wouldn't get this gig after that performance.  

So after about 10 minutes with the photographer, we made the long trek back to San Diego.  At about 6:30 that evening, I found out she was not chosen.  Funny thing is, I was kind of relieved!!  I did NOT want to drive back to L.A. the next day (but of course I would have)!!  I am officially OVER the Los Angeles market and have no intentions of taking her back up there for any reason.  I will still keep her active to local gigs but 6 hours of driving for a shot with the big dogs is no longer appealing to me at all! 

You win some and....then you don't win some.  I definitely don't felt like we lost this one.  It was a wonderful experience and I'm so incredibly proud that such a huge company like Gap even acknowledged her.  I couldn't be more proud!