Sorry for not posting earlier, but I was too busy having fun. The continuation of Friday moved on to going for my blood draw to prove I can start my next cycle of chemo on Tuesday. As I prepared to head out the door and drive myself over to the lab, I remembered I still needed to put the new registration tag on my car. Did that first, then decided I deserved a cup of tea from Starbucks.
I had a Venti sized daily habit of 5 shot, non-fat Latte, with one Splenda please, for years. About a month prior to finding the lump I noticed I was drinking less and less of that 5 shots of Espresso and creamy, milky goodness. It just didn’t have the same appeal. I also really didn’t care if I had a piece of chocolate either. Since when do I not care if I have my two favorite food groups? So, I stopped going to my Starbucks up the hill, stopped seeing my “girls” and “boys” who I have built some wonderful Barista relationships with over the years, and just headed directly to work and would drink my lemonade with breakfast. I missed my baristas. I was going to stop in and see them!
So I dropped my top (the car, hard top convertible), strapped on my port pillow to my seat-belt, and away I went to Starbucks. When I first walked in, I don’t think they recognized me. But soon, I was being greeted by my barista team that happened to be working that beautiful Friday morning, and of course they wanted to know where I’ve been the past 2 and 1/2 months. Quickly caught them up, provided them with the URL for this blog, ordered tea, found out on of my “girls” has taken a break from Starbucks, but that is OK, I have her contact info, email or text it is, and away I went to the lab. It was so nice to talk to my baristas again. I will have to make it a point to stop for tea there much more often.
The lab is on a hill, and the parking is at the bottom. I parked at the far end, and started walking towards the stairs. I could see a family at the bottom set of stairs, dad halfway across that part of the lot looking back at son on 4th stair up from bottom, and mom, two stairs down from him. I could not hear what was being said, but son was gesturing he wanted to jump the last four steps; mom was gesturing he needed to jump from second step down, and dad was patiently watching the negotiations. As I neared, I don’t know if mom gave up or dad told her to let the confidence of the boy win and jump from the 4th step up as was his plan. Jump he did and congratulations on his achievement were being doled as I walked by. I told him that was a fantastic 4 step jump and high-fived the brave young man.
As I reached the top of the steps, a nice gust of breeze picked up all the leaves and fallen Bougainvillea flowers, whipping them around like 3 or 4 mini flora tornadoes, and blowing the hair of a women heading to the stairs, up and about like Pocahontas’ hair in the Disney movie version where she is singing about all the colors of the wind. I wanted to break out in verse:
“Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind”
I was polite and didn’t subject those being caressed with all those “colors” with my off key singing and instead wished they a wonderful, blustery day.
Blood draw done, I headed to Target to pick up my favorite eye moisture cream, and walked by a new display of women’s tees, which led to an impulse buy on two of them.
Once home and noted Hubby was already off to the car wash, and mail had arrived. I had a package (my favorite perfume, which is getting much harder to find as it’s not made anymore – Sea Island Cotton by Bath and Body), and checked the dryer where our sheets were drying before I left.
Mail sorted and the last three bottles of perfume stored, I sat down and promptly napped.
That was pretty much the remainder of my day until it was time to go to the airport to pick up my cousin. We timed it pretty well, circled twice before she was out curbside. We picked her up and hit the freeway which was now a parking lot. Welcome to L.A. We figured dinner would be in downtown Long Beach and my favorite Irish pub.
As the time neared for us to leave the middle son called, what were the plans for this weekend? We talked and it was decided he and his girlfriend would meet us at the Pub in about an hour so we could all have dinner together.
That was a poorly timed plan. When we arrived at the Pub, it was just as a major convention in town had completed it’s first day of offerings to it’s attendees, and ALL the restaurants and eateries in the downtown area were FILLED with hour+ long waits for seating.
We walked up the hill trying there and then walked down to the other end of the Pike area to try Outback. It had the lowest waiting time and input our name. Middle son and girlfriend were game in all this walking and waiting, and what would now be a very late dinner. We were seated in just under an hour and had a great time sharing stories. We all laughed quite a bit, and cousin now understands why we love the girlfriend so very much. She is family now, whether she likes it or not.
We parted ways as we all headed back to our respective cars to head home for much needed sleep.
Saturday found Hubby, Cousin and I preparing to take the Grandson to Disneyland for his previously promised date by Grandpa before he left to Idaho a lifetime ago. We picked up grandson with a car seat and backpack with spare clothes and a sweatshirt and headed to the park. We didn’t think to pre-purchase tickets and the lines for ticket purchases was beyond long. We entered the serpentine line for one of the ticketing kiosks and waited. An hour later, tickets in hand we went to Disneyland first, as we ALL wanted to ride the Haunted Mansion decked out for the Nightmare Before Christmas. While we were in line grandson told Grandpa he wanted a Churro, so Grandpa obliged and treated us all to one of our own. That line was not so bad for standby under two hours to complete and find ourselves asking what next. Grandson wanted to go on the boat – The Mark Train paddle wheeler and as we walked toward the other side, he spied the canoes. Change of plans, he wants to paddle himself around the Rivers of the Americas. He LOVED paddling a canoe. Next he said he wanted to ride a roller coaster. It was decided Big Thunder Mountain was in order. Cousin decided to take that time to do some shopping and I waited in line with my “boys” even though we figured I would not ride as it was cutting our time close to the reservations we had secured at Carnation Cafe for an early dinner.
At the Fastpass and standby junction, I parted ways with the boys and headed over to check in for our reservation. It was all timed perfectly. We were seated just as the boys arriving and the Mickey Soundsational Parade was starting. We had front row seats!
From there we decided it was time for face-painting and headed to Cal Adventure. Grandson chose a dinosaur, and I had “eye-flare”. Grandson was sticking with the roller-coaster theme and asked if he could ride California Screamin’. We checked his height against the “you must be this tall to ride” scale and sure enough, he fits right there. Because of my port with the catheter line into my jugular, I wasn’t so sure going on a roller-coaster was the best of ideas. It would be his first “big-boy” roller coaster and he was so excited to be going upside-down. I didn’t want to traumatize his first experience with Nane is bleeding out because the G-Forces ripped out the catheter… So I stayed behind to document his first ride and as my cousin, hubby and grandson celebrated his first ride. Grandba said as they went through the loop the G’s pushed the grandson’s head down so he had a great view of his crotch in the loop. Grandson reported when the ride went upside down it made his head go upside down. Love how 5 year olds explain things!
From there we headed into Cars Land for the requisite ride on the Radiator Springs Racers. That line was little longer line, 2 hours, but we ventured forth with determination and had a grand time.
Ice cream and WATER were next on the agenda. As we were finishing up our deserts we asked the grandson if there was anything else he wanted to do. As he reflected on our day and ticked off the ride completed he said, “I think we’ve done all the rides… wait, (as his eyes go big), the airplane ride!” Soarin’ it is!
We headed over there for a short line (only 45 minutes), before we were strapped in for our flying adventure over some of the worlds landmarks – Glaciers and Polar Bears in Iceland, The Matterhorn in Switzerland, Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, Elephants and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, The Taj Mahal in India, The Pyramids in Egypt and so on.
After landing back in Cal Adventure and wondering if all the people still there saw us flying around the world, it was decided it was time to head home. Grandson really wanted to come back to our house to spend the night but we told him they would be coming over for Sunday night family Pizza night. And we didn’t tell him we have the Lego Batman movie, Sunday will be a good family night!
Bonus – I have named the lump! Blink. Blink and it was here, Blink and it will be gone. (And Blink was the first person to see a Weeping Angel on Dr. Who.)
Will let you all know how Sunday goes.
Life is a wonder adventure.
Bow down to Joseph! That kid has guts! We were all so proud of him.
Sure was a lot of standing in line, but seems like you all had great fun! Feels almost as if I’d been there with you. Love all the detail. Love you!