I left my heart in San Francisco

I went out to California for a business trip a couple of weeks ago. This is the third year in a row that I have been able to go, and I am always very happy to head out and re-connect with friends and family. I landed in Sacramento on a Sunday afternoon, and was able to connect with Indy. We met up in Vacaville at a hole-in-the-wall tacqueria, which is exactly what I was looking for. I got a super burrito with carnitas. It was great to catch up with Indy. We have literally been friends for 27 years. I have memories of going to each others houses when I was four. We lived down the street from each other, and got together a lot for play, and sleep overs. He moved about four hours away when I was in 4th grade (up to Truckee, near Lake Tahoe), and he was in 3rd grade. We initially kept in touch by faxing each other letters, and calling each other. That was how I learned to use the fax machine, and call long distance. I still have his home number memorized (530-587-8393) from calling all those years. A year after he moved, the internet boomed and we both had email accounts. I learned to use email by keeping in touch with Indy. We would take turns visiting each other every year. We kept this up through the teen years and through college, going snowboarding, surfing, and so many adventures. After my mission, college graduation, and starting my own family, contact has been minimal. We are both busy going down different roads at the moment. But I'm glad we can still get together, reminisce about the old days, and learn about where each others lives are heading. He may come out for a visit on the east coast at some point to see this island we live on that I've been talking about. I'm hoping I can continue to make trips out to California so I can stay connected with him. After all, there aren't many 31 year olds that can celebrate a 27 year friendship. 

After the tacqueria, we headed over to Fentons for ice cream. I got my fix of toasted almond. So good!

I also met up with uncle Paul and aunt Dena. We met at Chili's, in Fulton, then I did a session at the Sacramento Temple. That was probably the roughest temple session I'd ever attempted. It was an 8:00 pm session (translation: 11:00 pm in Maine), and I admittedly slept through most of it. The temple was beautiful though.

At the end of the week, I met up with Pete and Doris for dinner. I was initially going to get together with Pete on Friday for an adventure of some sort. We were thinking a hike somewhere, but hadn't totally decided. But with the impending snowmageddon storm about to hit the east coast, I had to change my itinerary to see if I could get home a day earlier. I'm glad we could still get together on Thursday night for dinner. It was really funny when I was pulling into Benicia, because I called Pete to let him know I was just getting onto the 780 heading into Benicia, and he replied "Woah, me too." But he was coming from a different direction. So as soon as I hung up the phone, I saw a glimpse of his car way up ahead and high-tailed it to get behind him. That couldn't have worked out any better, because I couldn't remember how to get to his home. We grabbed some Indian food, and had a great time. Pete and Doris are probably some of the nicest and most genuine people I've ever met.

As mentioned previously, I was trying to beat the snowmageddon. The storm was supposed to hit Friday afternoon, peaking on Saturday. This was supposed to be one of the biggest storms to hit the DC/Philly/NY area. I didn't expect to make it home because most flights heading through those cities had been cancelled. I was already making contingencies, expecting to get delayed in Arizona. When I showed up to check in at the Sacramento airport, my flight from Phoenix to Philly had been cancelled. So they re-routed me through Dallas, and I made it through. I know a lot of other people that got held up for 3-4 days, so I'm feeling like I dodged a bullet.

De-icing the plane in Philly. This was still a miracle.

My love for California and my friends and family that live there is well-documented. I'm very happy with my family and my life in Maine right now. But when you go back home after time away, there are parts of you that are rekindled and come back to life. Although California is home for me, I feel that there are parts of my life that can be rekindled if I were to head back to Houston or Rexburg as well. The same can be said for Maine if I were ever to leave. Every person and place I've encountered has left a mark of fond memories and even nostalgia.