California Here I Come!

Valentine's Day The Hubby and I boarded a plane and headed to the supposed to be warm sunny state of California. My greatest fear in traveling, in particular flying, came upon arrival to the security gates at the Tulsa International Airport. I breezed through the scanner thingy and the alarm went off. I was so flustered I could hardly make words come out of my mouth and make sense. I have long feared this day. I stepped back and the tough looking security lady with her very tight bun told me to step back and to make sure my pockets were empty and that it would be my "last pass". What did that mean, "last pass". I reached in my pocket and there was my stupid cell phone. I forgot I put it in my pocket. So out it went and I stood looking at her afraid to proceed through the gate thingy again. I stepped forward and WHEW, breezed through without an alarm going off. The next step is that I forgot to put my toothpaste in my checked luggage and in the trash it went. No problem. I asked the friendlier and nicer looking security lady what "last pass" meant and she didn't know but guessed it meant that if I beeped again then I would have gone to the area to be wanded! No problem, I would have stripped naked if they wanted me too. Now I have lived one of my greatest fears.

We arrived in Ontario, CA at about dinner time and sweet A met us at the airport before she had to go to a choir practice for their performance on Sunday. She was glad to see us but dreading the one-on-one she was going to have with her Dad later. Dinner was at the hotel as it was late and I didn't want to try to navigate California on a Thursday night in a rental car with The Hubby at the wheel. It was quite yummy and expensive, Valentine's Day and all.

The next morning A met us at the hotel to be our driver for the day. She wanted to drive the rental which was quite alright with me as she has been living there for over a year now and knows the way of California driving. I was quite comfortable with her jetting around on the freeways but The Hubby was about to have a stroke in the front seat. It was funny seeing him very agitated. I thought A did a superb job of driving us around and was very proud of her. We went to Long Beach where she interned at a recording studio last year then we went to Huntington Beach where a friend of mine and her husband moved to a year ago. We spent a good part of the day walking along the pier, eating and shopping. It was a beautiful but quite chilly day. Then we drove to Tustin to have dinner with friends of The Hubby. It was a very long day but a good way to see part of California.

The next day, Saturday, were to go to A's boyfriends father and step-mother for dinner and meet his siblings. They were the nicest people and had a gorgeous home. Dinner was delicious and the conversation was very nice. It is nice to see how much her boyfriends family supports and loves A. It is a comfort. The next day was A's performance with the Pasadena Pro Muscia Choir after going to church with her at a Unitarian church in Pasadena. I asked her how she found the church as it was 45 minutes away and she said the Internet. I asked her again how she literally found the church, did she drive there by herself and she said yes. She totally amazes me by her courage and bravery to travel the areas she lives in and finds her way. She just strikes out and does it. I would never, could never now be that kind of adventurous person. She is my idol in that respect.

Before the concert we had lunch in Pasadena and before the meal arrived The Hubby had launch into her not going to college, what is she doing with her life, he's afraid that she has no health coverage, no retirement, no this, no that. I wanted to kick him under the table. I don't know why he can't get off the college thing with her. She is just not college material and may never be. She is almost 23 years old, he needs to let it go. The college thing is his own inadequacies that he doesn't have a college education. He/we took the hard road to be successful and he just doesn't want that for her but it may just have to be. He can't push her down a road that she doesn't want to take. She is finding her own way, which is what we did. I think in the end he feels better about her situation but not great. He just has to quit harping on her. It's not helping her at all. Cut the apron string for God sake!