So we made it to California and back [Kodak Link] in one piece, or so I’ve been told. Delirious and confused, I enjoyed sunny Southern California from the confines of Ashley’s old bedroom with an average body temperature of about 102, so I can’t really give an unbiased opinion as to the fun being had at the local watering holes or beach blanket bingo games. In any news, the Thomas family ceiling fan is working fine and dandy. I can definitely attest to that. It is very balanced and spins at varying speeds. You can even shut it off! All light bulbs are also in working condition.
So anyway, Tenzin and Rachel were still able to have a wonderful time, due in most part to Rachel’s mother’s tireless party organization. Cathy was able to pull off an excellent beach bash at the Huntington Beach fire pits; a small portion of that owed to Ashley’s pit-squatting abilities (Ashley arrived at 7:00 am to claim the best pit for the afternoon! Unfortunately, the clouds postponed the usual morning fire rush and Ashley appeared to resemble a homeless beach bum, sitting on the beach alone, wrapped in layers of blankets. We had originally intended to relieve her at 9:00am but a baby, cold medicine, antibiotic prescription, locked-in-the-trunk car keys, over-sized baby pool, and sleepiness delayed our arrival until around 11:00…what a trooper!).
It was about 82 degrees and sunny - traditional January through December weather – so I wore the customary beach garb: undershirt, t-shirt, jeans, jacket, shawl and blanket. Apparently, somebody needed to take over the homeless person role for Ashley. Needless to say, my fever was definitely kicking in and I was on my way out.
Cathy, God bless her soul, didn’t mind me leaving. I hope she knows how much I wanted to stay. Only about a quarter of the family had arrived before I needed to take off, so I missed out on a lot of the meet and greet with everyone. We’ll be back out in December, though, so long as Tenzin doesn’t bring home any more Ebola from daycare.
The rest of the week was pretty much the same. Rachel would go out and about during the day, Tenzin would get smothered in kisses from Grandma, and I would try to kill myself with Dayquil. No drinking with Steven, no Wahoo’s with Ashley, no golf with Steve, no gorging on Carne Asada with Bryce and Kelli...Hell, I didn’t even get my In & Out!
But to be perfectly honest, none of that really mattered. Seeing Ashley and Cathy’s reactions when we got off the plane were priceless. I had Tenzin on my shoulders as we walked out of the gate to the baggage claim and I’ve never seen two bigger smiles. It’s so good to get out there. Thankfully, this time, Ashley didn’t try to hide our son when we had to leave. Last trip we found a ransom note tied to a pacifier. We need to travel again much, much sooner.
1 comment:
I know the H. Beach pier area and those fire pits well. My brother lives about 5 blocks from there! And they had their kid's first b-day party right there on that beach. Small world. Hope you're feeling better!
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