Coast to Coast

I think this past weekend must have been a dream.  A wonderful dream.  I am back from my whirlwind visit to California, but it barely feels like I was there, save for the beautiful memories.  I was actually only in the state for a little over 30 hours, but in that short time, I managed to go from LAX airport to visit my college friends in La Canada, then down to Oceanside for a friend’s wedding, and back up to LAX to catch a 5:30am flight back to the East Coast.  I was home in time to put the girls to bed Sunday night, and then I put myself to bed, having only slept 2 hours the previous night. 

But oh, the memories!  I loved getting to laugh and reminisce with my beloved college classmates – Bonnie (and her husband Joe), Annie, Katie, Callie and Molly.  Can it really be 10 years since we were all freshmen in the same dorm?   

We had such a good time in our few hours together, talking…

…laughing and goofing around…

…of course EATING good food…

…even singing…

…and just relaxing together.

It felt like the good ol’ days!  Thanks for the memories!

Saturday afternoon, I said goodbye too soon to these dear friends, but I knew I had to get moving if I was going to make it Oceanside by 5pm for my friend Jenn’s wedding.  I set out in my little rental Kia Spectra (which felt like a tin kite waving in the breeze every time I was passed by a tractor-trailer on L.A.’s 6-lane freeways), and figured I would take a leisurely drive South, stopping to enjoy the coastal views at several points along the way.  What I didn’t figure on was L.A. traffic.  It’s obviously been 10 years since I was a California resident, because I had completely forgotten the inanity of the traffic scene there.  I mean, where was everyone going on a Saturday afternoon?  I was in bumper-to-bumper traffic for over an hour, and although I had allotted an extra hour of travel time, I feared I would need every minute as the clock ticked by and the mile-markers didn’t.  It wasn’t until after I passed Anaheim (ah, I forgot that everyone would be going to a little park there) that I finally broke free of the crush of cars and was able to rev the Kia up, although I still didn’t dare drive much faster than the 65-mile an hour speed limit, as I was afraid the Kia might lift off.  I did end up with enough spare time to make one brief stop at a scenic overlook and marvel at the hazy stretch of calm blue water below.

I had an amazing time at my dear friend Jenn’s wedding.  It had been 2 years since I last saw Jenn, but I knew I couldn’t miss this day of celebration for my longest-held friend.  We had met in Junior High, and although we ended up going to separate high schools, we stayed in touch through the years.  I was so honored that she asked me to spend this special day with her.  She even sent out a search party prior to the wedding to retrieve me from the crowd and escort me back to the bridal suite.  I couldn’t believe that this beautiful lady in white was the same girl I had shared sleepovers and secrets with, so many years ago!  Here we are, only minutes before she walked down the aisle:

Her handsome groom, Dallas, was the cutest thing ever!  He was so eager to marry Jenn that when the priest began the vows and asked him to repeat the following words, “I, Dallas, take you Jennifer…”, Dallas instead excitedly exclaimed, “I do!” 

I am so grateful that Jenn and Dallas have found each other and I know they will continue to make each other very happy.  Congratulations, you two – I love you both! 

I ended up leaving the wedding a bit early, after receiving a series of anxious voicemails that informed me I had been carrying around my friend’s wallet in my purse ever since we went out to brunch in La Canada that morning.  She was in desperate need of the wallet, given that she too was scheduled to fly out of California the next day.  I drove back up to L.A., handed off the wallet to my friends, who then drove me from the rental car drop-off to an airport hotel where I said another sad good-bye and headed upstairs to get a meager few hours sleep before catching the shuttle back to LAX.  My flights home were uneventful (compared to the whirl of activities in the preceding day), except for a delightful distraction during my layover in Cleveland, Ohio.  I was reading a book, sipping a coffee and willing my eyelids to stay open until I could get on the final plane of my journey, when suddenly I felt a pair of small hands on my knee.  I looked down with surprise and was greeted by a grinning young boy, who was quickly joined by a slightly older, equally-grinning sister with Down’s Syndrome, and then yet another slightly older sister with the widest grin of all.  Before their travel-weary parents could intervene, the three of them launched into a detailed and animated account of their Disneyland vacation, complete with postcard show-and-tell and a make-believe pirate swordfight.  My three young friends entertained me so thoroughly for the next hour that I was shocked when I glanced at my watch and saw my flight was due to board in a few minutes.  I wish I could have scooped them all in my arms and taken them home with me, although I think Jim would have had a heart-attack if I returned home from California with three small, chatty children in my suitcase. 

Only a few hours later, I finally pulled into our driveway and was greeted by my own grinning, chatty (or at least babbling) children and husband.  I had a marvelous time in California, but it was so good to be with my family again.  That’s the best part of traveling – coming home!