Making New Memories in an Ever Changing World - Pt. 1

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ello to all in blogger land. I will say it is great to be back online again, but coming off of a vacation makes it very hard to get back into the swing of things. We've been back in Maryland since August 16th, and I will be the first to fess up and say - Dang that jet lag. I feel almost zombiefied, is that a word? Oh well if it's not, but it explains my sluggish presence both physical and mentally. So where did I go on vacation you ask? Well then let me share my story with you.

It was a place that I had been reminiscing about for the last twenty years - going back to California where I started my military career.  The only thing I had was the memories that I had stored in my mind because for some unknown reason I didn't take to many photographs of my time in California, which has never made any sense to me. I have a video tape of parts of the base, which only has me thinking one thing, my mind was not on the base, it was on the atmosphere and the hot men on the base. Hey I'm a woman, and then I was single and a free agent. After Ron and I got married I had only been there a total of five days with him and we never went on the base together, we spent our time together at his apartment or watching sunsets on the rocky cliff side of Point Mugu State Park. So my base memories are mainly from my days while going to "A" school, but one thing that has changed...I'm not checking the land for hot guys. 

Now don't get me wrong, I still think men look great in their Seabee uniforms, but there is only one man for me and it doesn't matter that he no longer wears his uniform now. I remember vividly what he looked like in his original solid green Seabee Uniform and it always takes my breath away.  Then when I stop to day dream about what he'd look like in it now, well let’s just say there is not enough cold water in Maryland to cool the burn. *Wink*.  Ok, ok, I can't think and write when my mind starts driving down gutter alley, so let me get back to my story. Now the average person with a normal mentality knows that after twenty years, 9 out of 10 times, nothing stays the same. I'd like to think of myself as average, but normal - hum???? I had it all done up beautiful in my mind what the day would be like when we would once again be stepping off the plane in LA. The only thing that was missing from my unrealistic thoughts was dancing bears, balloons and Bob Barker from the Price is Right. Yes, I know he's retired, I'm not that far gone. Smile. For some dumbass reason, I honestly believed that when I left Port Hueneme on July 3, 1991, all would stay the way I had left it. Can anyone please tell me WHAT THE HELL WAS I ON? Talk about crazy thinking as if I was living in the land of glittery rainbows and unicorns.

It was a wonderful feeling to know that this time I was returning with my family. Everything was going smoothly.  We found a great place for my truck in the long term parking lot, the bus was very prompt to get us to the terminal, and the line for security was almost as quick as our trip to Estes Park in November of 2011. As we waited to board our flight, my oldest son had gotten to meet one of the actors from Nitro Circus - Hubert Rollin; I think I got that right, who was traveling out to LA on the same plane as ours.  I can't even explain the amount of disappoint both of my sons felt when a seat they had hope he would fill next to them was taken by a lady that could only say a few words in English - "You have sanitizer, baby puke on me." My oldest son was relieved to know that he was not the one in the middle, his younger brother was, and would have to smell her unique perfume for the next four hours and forty-five minutes. I guess it was a blessing that he was prepared to keep his mind occupied while my oldest son chose to sleep.

I was so excited that I was going to get to show them where their mom and dad had gone to school to become Seabees. I couldn't wait to take them on the base to show them all the places I had gone when I lived there and show them all things I had seen as well. As the plane made its decent into LA, all looked as it did when I flew in for the very first time twenty years ago; which had me even more excited for a grand adventure. 

It wasn't until we got off the plane, the horror started. When I used to fly to California, I would travel American or Delta Airlines and both had a much larger terminal and if I recall correctly is also part of the main terminal. This time we flew Southwest, so the moment I stepped off the plane my world was not what I had remembered or had tried to envision. Where were all the people dressed in a multitude of colors in outfits from far off lands? Where was the striking blue carpets and marble floors? Where were the escalators that went on for miles and miles? It was nowhere to be found. I was feeling lost, confused, and completely out of my comfort zone, but I didn't let on to my family that I was in the midst of a pending panic attack. I knew they could sense that I was distraught and somewhat nervous, but they never said anything other than, let’s go get our luggage.

The location where we picked up our luggage was small, congested and very dark feeling. They had me sit down with our carry-on items until our bags arrived. I was in a daze and this picture below is how my mind felt. (That is my husband with the glasses hanging off his t-shirt and my younger son with the red hair waiting for our things). How they remained so cool, I'll never know as my husband dislikes large crowds.

I smiled at people who I recognized from our plane and continued to take in as much of my surroundings as I could. My reasons for this - someday I am sure there will be a next time for my travels to California and I won't feel so lost, however I immediately felt myself building a new set of blueprints in my mind, but this time I would make sure I'd have big bold letters that would say - Subject to change over the course of time. Smile.  We gathered up our luggage and made the trek outside to locate the shuttle that would take us to our rental car. This too was something new to me, as I got a better deal with a company outside of the terminal than I would have gotten with Budget or Dollar Rental, two companies I had preferred years before. My kids were amazed by the noticeable difference in the temperature - a bright sunny day that was no more than 78 degrees and dry. It was heavenly. In about an hour, maybe less, we found ourselves and our luggage venturing off in our 2012 Nissan Altima (My husband’s favorite rental car) making our way onto the highway heading towards PCH (Pacific Coast Highway Route 1) on our way to Port Hueneme/Oxnard. We were on our way back to a part of our lives, for my husband and I, when we were both single and at that moment I could hear in my subconscious a voice saying - "My dear daughter, nothing stays the same."

It was at this same moment I feared my choice to come back. I worried that maybe what I thought was a great life that my husband and I have together would be tested by memories that would instill regret by choices we have made. I know it sounds crazy, but life can be crazy and we all deal with it differently. I also knew I was going back to a place that also harbored a few bad memories for me, during my single days, and I was scared to know that it was time to face the truth and let go of events beyond my control. I needed to learn that what took place It was in the past and this time I was going to leave the past behind to move forward to make new memories with my family and that is just what I chose to do, but never in my wildest imagination did I ever think our family vacation would take some of the twists and turns that it did. The best way to describe it would be blending an episode of - When Vacations Attack with a big pile of Disneyland Magic.  It was indeed an adventure that we filled with new memories and I can't wait to share the rest of my story with you.

So join me tomorrow as my story continues and I introduce you to "Big Toe" and his pool buddies and why a tennis court has netting on a chainlink fence.  Look out Clark Griswold - You've got nothing on "Big Toe."  Until tomorrow - Blog ya later.