Visit Home

William and I flew to California for a visit with my Mom. She'd been having a bit of a rough adjustment, and I felt like I wanted to be there with her, even for a short time, and that having William along to see his Gramma Charlotte again was an important thing. So Papa Bear used his sky miles to buy our tickets, and off we went.

I probably don't need to tell you I was really focusing on NOT getting stressed out about getting through security with a bunch of sharp objects, and travelling a full day with a diabetic child. I managed to remain pretty serene and calm through most of it, only getting a bit flustered as we went through security. Instead of the usual metal detector, the ATL had full body scans. So you can't have anything on you or in your hands. So all of my mental prep work was kind of shot.

Anyway, our flight out was great, mostly because William got to watch two movies on his private video screen, and I got to read. At the end of our non-stop flight, I was chilled and relaxed and happy to be at our destination. Of course the glass of wine probably helped.

Mom was waiting for us at the airport. She's one of the old-fashioned types who actually parks the car and goes into the airport and waits for you at baggage claim. It really makes your arrival and first greeting more enjoyable than doing it on the street in front with a thousand other cars waiting for you to pack your stuff into the trunk and get out of the way.

So, what did we do while we were in Marina with Mom? We went to the beach...what else? Each day there we visited a different beach. Cool, alternately overcast and sunny, and beautiful.

William on the beach at Carmel....his little bit of heaven.

We also visited with my Grandma GeoE for a brief time. It was difficult for William especially, knowing that she no longer knew who he was (or any of us), but he was fabulous about chatting with her, holding her hand, and giving her his attention.

One of the highlights for me was having Mom's friend, Randy, to the house for dinner. Randy has Type I, and it was fantastic for William to be able to have a meal and conversation with an adult who has been living with the disease for most of his life. It was great for me to "talk D-shop" with someone who's handling his business as well as he does, and manages to lead a full and interesting life to boot.

Our time was too short, and at the same time long enough for William to start getting homesick. We packed up our suitcases and carry-on's, being certain Rufus would be comfortable for the trip home....

Thank you, Mom, for a wonderful visit...