Last week, we returned to the Bay area to celebrate several family milestones. It was a belated 80th for Nana, the 21st birthday of our niece, a graduation for another niece, my sister’s 50th, and our 25th wedding anniversary. It had been quite a while since we’ve been back. The place is looking very tired and ratty. The place is on a natural downward spiral. I was shocked at the lack of road maintenance, sidewalks, etc. It is quieter than I remember it. The place where we stayed used to be an impossible parking lot to navigate, but we noticed that it seemed more subdued, and there was always plenty of parking. We visited Burlingame to have lunch with some of Lovie’s work associates. I must admit that there are no Indian restaurants of this caliber in Idaho. It was a lovely meal. We then went to visit with Not Jean. The last time I saw her was before we left California, even though I had Zoom appointments. She has heard much about Lovie in the past few years; this was her first meeting. 

We had a lovely family dinner lunch with the whole family. My niece and her girlfriend came from Monterey. It was a super celebration but a hint of sadness because Boy could not make it. It would have made it completely perfect. We had the honor of watching my niece graduate from university. We are all so proud of her. She graduated Suma Cum Laude. The girl is fantastic. She has struggled with so many medical issues as a child that this is a well-deserved degree. She is a resilient superstar. 

Lovie and I wanted to return to the hotel where we got married. Returning to the same place was romantic, but the dinner was abysmal. It was okay because memory is more important than food. We recreated one of our wedding photos. We are still cute after all of these years. I love this man so much. He has given us a perfect life, and most of all, he has always been a very supportive and loving dad. The Boy is so lucky, but then we are blessed to have such a wonderful young man as a son. We also drove through our old neighborhood and visited the hubby’s office building. Okay, the truth is we needed to pee.LOL 

The rest of the time was spent visiting with family members. We also have two friends of Lovie. We had some good quality time with everyone. It was a very relaxing trip. A good time spent with the people that we love. We met my youngest niece’s boyfriend and the graduate dogs Riley and Axel, the step-grandson of one of my sisters. I am convinced that Riley is not a dog but a human in costume. I am not an animal fan because I grew up with severe allergies. Riley is adorable and one of the most intelligent dogs I have ever encountered. Axel is cuter in person. What a sweet, outgoing, goofy little man. He was so adorable. 

The grad and her boyfriend jetted to Japan the day we left to come home. My other niece will drive across the country in a week or two. She is going with her girlfriend to her home town. I am sure that they will have a blast.

We are settled in at home, and now lovie is sick. He is probably run down from all of the activities. I am so glad that he called his mom on the day we returned, and we arranged for her to visit around the 4th of July. She had such a bad year last year with losing her sister and daughter. She deserves a break and a change of scenery. 

I was reflecting on the trip. Family is the most important thing in my life. I miss them, and hopefully, they will be visiting soon. When my sisters visit, I want to take them on a sister’s weekend at a nearby lake town. This month, I will be concentrating on dental issues again and handling the water damage to the home. We still need to complete repairs in three different places in the house. The adjustor is coming over tomorrow. The dental issues are very overwhelming. I chipped two teeth on the trip by eating a thin Lays potato chip. I am so tired of dealing with it. I also have to go and get blood work to see if the meds I am taking are working on my autoimmune liver issue. I hope it is working, as the medication seems tolerable, and I have had very few side effects.