California dreaming

California: How I love thee. Our trip here has been fabulous thus far.

We arrived on July 4 and since then, have managed to reconnect with so many old friends, like...

Kalie! Morgan, Siena and I visited her new apartment (so cute!) and we went to lunch. We brought her back souvenirs from our trip abroad (coasters from Paris, salt & pepper shakers from Sweden, and a magnet from Denmark). We loved seeing Kalie and we miss her so much. She is an amazing person-- an old soul. She is wise beyond her years, kind, compassionate, and understanding (not to mention beautiful inside and out). After we left, Kalie texted me that I was a wonderful mother and not to listen to anyone who would say otherwise. It made me tear up. Hearing it from her really meant a lot to me. She knows full well the hell I've been through, the horrible accusations I endured, and took her time to reassure me that, really, I'm ok. Her mother has raised Kalie well. It's not easy raising a child without a strong father figure in the picture but the proof is in Kalie that Terri has done something right. I need to pick her brain on how she did that.

Aida! Aida worked for me at HSBC and we worked together at Sempra, too. She is one of my favorite friends and people on the planet.

The twins/Taylor/Jerrod: These are my friend Lisa's children (who passed away from pancreatic cancer). Taylor looks so much like Lisa that I can't help but stare at her. The twins are amazing boys and I've missed them so much that my heart aches at times. The twins stayed with me for three days and they are angels.

Kathleen/Kayla: Kathleen's father was a highly functioning alcoholic and she knew exactly what I was living with. She knew me on a level only we fellow victims can. It was wonderful catching up with her.

Cristie/Kelsey: They were our next door neighbors. They heard the horrible verbal abuse and we talked about that and so much more that they saw and witnessed after I left. Heartbreaking and just not at all ok. Some of the conversation was good, other parts just simply very upsetting and hard to hear. Cristie is such a nice woman and I think I have a lifelong friend.

Dr Fong: He is my new California-based oncologist. Either every oncologist is super cool and amazing or I've just been really lucky. But, Dr Fong, if you ever read this: I think I love you! Thank you thank you thank you.

Julie/Shane and my other family: What can I say? Being with my best friends is just like coming home.

The only drag so far is that last night, Jake (Julie and Shane's son) had to be rushed to the ER. They learned that Jake has developed a severe allergy to walnuts. Scary.

Oh, and guess what else I learned? I met with a few other people I used to work with at SDG&E and, wow, big huge surprise: Bob didn't help get me a single job at my entire tenure with the company. Nope-- not a single hiring manager or director-level person above even knew who he was. Wow-- imagine that-- I am actually hirable without the "help" of a certain someone.

Anyway, back to the positives... on our way back to Utah, we are stopping in St George and meeting up with my friend and his two daughters. St George is one of my favorite places in the U.S. It's so incredibly beautiful that there are just no words.

It's been quite an eventful summer on so many levels. Definitely one to remember and it's not over yet.