After making my way to Maine and dipping my toes into the Atlantic Ocean, I really wanted to be able to say that I’d done the same in the Pacific Ocean within the same summer vacation!  When my Marine daughter was not able to come home on leave, I headed to the west coast to make sure I could see her.   So I did it– two oceans in one summer!

I fully believe in the Law of Attraction and that everything always has a way of working out.  When I first learned that my daughter could not come home, I wondered about how I was going to be able to finance a trip out west.  Believe it or not, the opportunity came available the very same day as Sarah’s news.

I got an email that the school district needed someone to tutor the special ed seniors who needed to retake the NYS ELA exam for two weeks…and the pay was enough to cover my plane fare!  I have always believed that the Universe provides for me whenever there is a need…and I needed to get to see my daughter!

And there she is!  The sun was in our eyes, so we have some squinting going on, but this is us at Mission Beach in San Diego.  I am so happy that I was able to be with her, even if it was only for six days.

This was the only day that week that I had a decent hair day!  😛   I certainly can’t say that same about the rest of the trip!  😀

While we were at Mission Beach, we went to the midway and rode one of the wild rides…at least wild for me!  Since I had vertigo a few years ago, I have been very shy of amusement park rides, even to the point of avoiding my favorites– roller coasters!  I do miss them because I used to ride coasters with my five kids when they were younger.   It was a leap of faith that my vertigo wouldn’t be activated on this spinning, swinging ride!  Fortunately, I made it through safe and sound, happy that I had not had lunch first!

When we went window shopping, the silliness that we used to share started to come out!  🙂  I love how she isn’t afraid to put on masks, hats, or pick up props for photo ops!  This is my warrior…watch out!  Ooh Rah!

After our window shopping excursion, we went for a yummy lunch that included margaritas!  It was so good to spend time with her again…it has been far too long.

And I need to learn how to make that Margarona!  YUM!!

I also got to spend time with Sarah’s boyfriend and his daughter… we had a lot of fun!  We went to the playground, she rode her bike, we went swimming, and we even went to Disneyland!  😀

Fun time at the playground!

Okay…bad hair day, but it WAS about 100 degrees and blazing sun!

Waiting for the rides! Princess Palace!!!

And we found some friends!  Rabbit…

Eeyore… And even Mickey!!

Chloe loved the parade, especially when the princesses went by!

We even rode a pirate ship…ARGH!!

And Sarah and I got silly on a spinning ride!

It was a wonderful trip, and I am so grateful that I got so spend time with my Sarah Bear!  It’s hard having one of my children living across the continent, but I have to keep telling myself that it gives me a place to go on vacation!  I miss her greatly, but I am also extremely proud of her service as a United States Marine.  She is not one little lady anyone wants to mess with!

At last it was time to head back home.  Our stopover was in Las Vegas, so I just HAD to play with the slot machines in the airport!  I didn’t win anything, but my losses only came out to eight dollars.  Not bad for 45 minutes of entertainment in between flights!

When I got my AARP magazine last month, there was an article about seeing the world within one city…Las Vegas.  Where else can you eat lunch in the shade of the Eiffel Tower, followed by a Venetian gondola ride, topped off with an evening in an Egyptian pyramid.  Yup, that’s a trip that I plan to take in the future!!

Viva, Las Vegas!!

And a wonderful visit to Southern California!  🙂