California - Part II

If I were to write about everything that went down from the moment our plane touched down in LAX to the time that we were back up in the air on our way home, I would be writing for at least a few weeks. From the places we visited, the food we ate, and then to the things we did, I could write several posts. But I won’t put you through all of that. Instead, I’ll summarize as best as I can within this post and a final one I’ll publish sometime next week. For your sanity and mine- you’re welcome. 

We arrived as a surprise for my bestie. She had no idea that we were coming, and when we walked out from behind one of the vehicles you could see the surprise on her face. A little bit of “WTF, HOW ARE YOU HERE?” and some “OMG, MY HOUSE IS A MESS DON’T YOU DARE WALK-IN JUST YET!” And then we hugged, holding back tears, for the longest time. My gosh, I had missed her! Her laugh and sarcasm. Her mischievous looks or how she spoke volumes without having to say anything at all. Her sense of style but willingness to just hang out in oversized t-shirts and PJ bottoms. I missed having long talks, and how completely open we can be with each other. There is nothing off-limits when we get together. And just like always, we picked up as if no time had passed by since the last time we were in the same space. 

We had re-introductions all around. Emery and I both met her youngest son for the first time. The girls were so grown up and beautiful. We ate dinner and headed out to a frozen yogurt place in Lake Elsinore. The emotions I felt just driving into Menifee and seeing the city lit up at night almost had me in tears. I was back, y’all. The palm trees, the traffic, and perfect weather. I mean, there I was, sitting outside of a FroYo in CALIFORNIA! I was with my best friend, our kids, and it was the most wonderful Christmas gift. I felt so, so grateful for this experience. We hashed out a few plans but left a lot open to whatever ideas we could come up with as the days came. However, the most important matter of business, according to Emery, was that we went to see the ocean. So the next morning, after dropping off the kids at school, we grabbed some coffee and made our way down to Oceanside. She wanted to see the place that started it all.