more details will come next week regarding the quick trip to california. the short story is this... jesse flew home on monday. i flew to california on tuesday. we had picked up our copies of harry potter on saturday (aaron, your feelings are noted..no need to slam me), knowing i would have plenty of travel time. this was the only book i packed, as i was challenged by and succeeded in checking NO bags.
for those that have traveled with me, you will know how significant this is. but, i had two layovers, and was certain any checked bags would not arrive with me. i couldn't take the risk, so i packed only a small rollerboard and a backpack. no room for an extra book...which frankly, i wouldn't have considered anyway, as it had never occurred to me that i would finish so quickly. but, i did.
***spoiler alert***
i knew snape wasn't bad! and i'm shocked that the trio all survived.***spoiler concluded***
overall, i enjoyed the book, but wasn't sure what i would read on the return trip. nonetheless, that was way down on the list of things to stress about.
i arrived at john wayne airport, and was met by cousin-in-law, jenny.
on the way to tustin, jenny got a call from the neighbor saying that drew had poked himself in the eye (no, 'it's all fun and games until...' jokes) and had a visible scratch on his cornea. when we arrived, jenny contacted the advice nurse, and eventually it was determined that mick would take him to the walk-in.
mick and drew were joined by brad, while jenny and 9 year old rachel (or as i like to call her...'mini me') caught up on life and enjoyed girl time.
i spent wednesday morning with rachel, who is entirely too intelligent for her age, and when jenny made it home from work, i headed out for a mani/pedi. i was short on time, but felt that this was a necessity before my afternoon appointments. when i called to find out if they could fit me in, i asked if it would be possible to do both at the same time, since we don't really do that here (pedicure first, manicure second--i have no idea why) and had to laugh at myself when i arrived and saw that the salon was setup solely for that purpose. they did an excellent job, quickly, and cheaply, and it was back to the donahoos to change for the afternoon.
my meetings went well, although i was suffering from a powerful and sudden migraine. despite the challenge, i felt good about my presentation.
after a successful pit stop in aliso viejo (more details next week), i headed back to mick and jenny's to change, take some migraine medicine, throw on my glasses, and throw up, before heading out to meet jesse, who made the hour and a half-ish drive to treat me to a very nice and much appreciated dinner in santa monica.
i'm not sure which of the above (or a combination of the three) helped, but my migraine dissipated as quickly as it had come (hours after it's onset of course--but that is far better than days!), allowing me to thoroughly enjoy the company (and food) at dinner.
though i had no thursday obligations, i knew that jesse had to work, so i tried to send him home at a reasonable hour. i sort of succeeded.
thursday was travel day. jenny saved the day by providing a book for the trip home.
ironically, i had been hearing about
this book from anne, and had been mildly curious. in the end, i had mixed feelings about it. i will likely go on to book 2, but not until i've finished a couple of other books on the night stand.
whatever the result, i consider the trip a happy success. i was able to spend time with people i care about, and hopefully make some headway in other areas as well.
as a sidenote, the 'odd' photos in this post are courtesy of rachel and 'photo booth' on my mac.
to give you a better sense of rachel, let me share the most memorable of our interactions:
me: i need to get my nails done tomorrow
rachel: (within 10 minutes, puts down a printout of a google map showing the nearest nail salons) here you go!
rachel: (scrolling through the ring tones on my phone and encountering justin timberlake's 'sexy back'--anne's ring tone). hmmm. this is kind of inappropriate.
rachel: have you put your makeup on?
me: no. i don't usually wear makeup.
rachel: well you don't need to. you're really pretty.
is there any wonder why i love this girl?!
lara looked gorgeous, and the dress she had been so worried about getting in, fitted as though it were made just for her.
as usual, i didn't take many breaks from photo snapping, and jesse was right behind me with alternate angles. after the group and family portraits, the crowd thinned, leaving myself, jesse, angela (who was in from florida), and another girlfriend of lara's to follow the couple and the official photographer around the temple grounds.
i have watched many photographers, and was really pleased with this one. with one or two exceptions, i liked the poses and the places she shot them in, and especially liked how much 'leeway' she gave me. instead of being annoyed by the fact that jesse and i were taking photos over her shoulder, she made sure we got the shots we wanted, and gave me helpful tips along the way. she was an absolute pleasure, and if the photos turn out well, i think i may have found my own official photographer when the day comes:)
since that and the reception were held close to home, it was convenient. it also provided the chance to spend more time with angela while here, and the three of us enjoyed lunch before heading over.
eventually the happy (and i'm sure, relieved) couple was on their merry way. goodbyes were said, jesse and i spent the evening relaxing.
