Earlier this summer I asked my daughter what she wanted for her 11th birthday. "I want a classic Ipod and I want to go to California to get spoiled by Gramma.""Ok, I can do that!" I called my mother and started making plans to spend a week in July in Half Moon Bay.
Each year we get out to California a couple times, thanks to my flight benefits. Each of us have requirements/expectations for our trip to be considered a success...
For CJ, it's Timmy's (hard salami, sharp cheddar and crackers), new Lego's, and chess with his grandfather.For Katie it's her back to school shopping trip and See's.
For me, it's family, friends, and my stepfather's killer Cosmo's and deviled eggs... yumm!
The summer trip always includes a drive south to Pescadero for the U-Pick strawberry fields and time at "Sand Blast Beach"... if there's enough time, we extend the drive to Davenport and have a large scoop of ice cream made in Santa Cruz. Mmmmm.. Monday we managed to do all three...
The strawberry fields this summer were dry and dismal. We're used to large luscious drip down your chin strawberries. We found enough 'adequate' strawberries but it wasn't our normal crop of pure bliss. 
CJ, the strawberry monster, only tasted a couple, where normally I have to follow him to ensure he actually gets some strawberries in his box that we can pay for. That said, we manage to pick enough to nibble on our pickings for the whole week, so I guess you can say it was a success.
Where the strawberry fields failed us in dry and brittleness, the beach was a completely different experience this year. Normally we joke about getting a free face peel from the sand blasting our faces, this year it was completely calm, and almost... WARM.
Mom and I wandered around looking for the perfect shells and rocks, while appreciating the beauty you can find only on beaches. The sand dunes, the pelicans, and the sounds of the surf crashing... all bring peace to my soul.
This year, my soul found added peace as the next day, my boo flew in for two days... that afternoon, while mom and the kids walked Half Moon Bay beach, he and I ran 7-8 miles from Half Moon Bay to Princeton and back. It was the PERFECT day for a long run. Sunny but not to hot. Running along side the coast next to my boo... life doesn't get much better than that.
Wednesday we dropped the kids off at their other grandparents in San Francisco, and took my sweetheart on a ride along Highway 1, stopping and showing him bits of my past along the way... My first apartment, the hospital I worked in as a child, both of my grandparents homes where I spent a large portion of my summers growing up... and over Mt Tam to Stinson beach, to visit my uncle for an hour. A perfect day for a drive, While seeing glimpses of my life, he also got to see the places in our favorite songs by Train.
Thursday morning my honey had to go back to life as we know it, so we dropped him off at the airport and grabbed the kids to start the day Katie had been anticipating all summer... While CJ and my stepfather went to the movies, mom, Katie and I drove down to Stanford to shop til Katie dropped. She's out grown the Justice styles, so we had to find her young adult taste... She's officially Gap with a bit of Abercrombie and Fitch... By the days end she had armfuls of bags and couldn't move another step... SUCCESS!
Another small request Katie had for her birthday was cupcakes for breakfast. On the morning of her birthday, mom and I whipped up a small batch and made both of the kids happy.
The day was packed full of family and friends as it was our last day in California. My aunt, who is more like my sister, and her daughter came over and joined us for a drive down to Capitola. We ate and drank til we were stuffed, sitting outside watching birds and boats go by. The weather was to die for, and we all just sat there in a happy daze. 
We shopped the quaint storefronts and went to the beach to touch our toes in the surf and take pictures... As we were gathering to take pictures a seal popped his head up 15 feet in front of us... as if to say "Hi"... Totally cool surprise for the kids!
Family means everything to me. It's one of those things I hope to instill in my children. The importance of family, and having those few close friends that are extended family. These are the people that will help you through everything. Help you listen to your soul when you forget the way. The people that will always have your back, and love you no matter what. The circle of family and friends around me is not a large one. It is full of those who mean the world to me, without whom, I'd be desolate. Our final evening in California was spent with this inner circle... my kids and parents... Carol and her family, Debbie and Mike, and Gina. Dinner, drinks, and loads of laughter... it's good for the soul.
Katie had the birthday she wanted, and we all had the trip to California that we needed. Recharged with love we headed back to Atlanta on Saturday."You save my life with every word you say
You shine your light for me to find the way
Just hold me tight and cross your heart to stay
Here with me born to be, Every part of you in Half Moon Bay..." - Train
Back home the kids and I spent most of Sunday sleeping, then headed to my father and Corrie's for dinner for one last birthday celebration. My dad's kick ass ribs, and more presents for a spoiled 11 year old girl... and finally she's done with her celebrations... Both kids are doing everything they can this week to be lazy for their last full week of summer... Sleeping in til noon, watching the Olympics and movies til late in the night. Summertime and the living is indeed easy when you're a kid...I ran every day except one while I was in California, putting in 4-8 miles along the coast or downtown Half Moon Bay. I've run each day I've been home since. While I was running along the country roads near my now home, I was thinking about the trip... and reflecting back along Katie's life. I found the growth that would later hold cancer while I was pregnant with her 12 years ago. After she was born 11 years ago, the doctors performed another 5 needle biopsy on this growth and continued to ensure me that it was not cancerous. Katie was 1 when we moved to Georgia... and this month marks the 10 year anniversary that a close friend was diagnosed with stomach cancer, leading me to start the process of finding a doctor in Atlanta to look at my growth yet again.
In a few short months it will be MY 10 year anniversary of being diagnosed with cancer. I had two operations and 3 years of radioactive treatments... and I have since remained cancer free. I have had the gift of 10 more birthdays... 10 of my own and 10 more years of watching my children have birthdays... being able to do the things they want, and spoiling them with love and affection... instilling in them my beliefs, helping them evolve into the sweet, funny, smart and warm young adults they are... Because of changes in cancer treatments... research... and human evolution I'm living a full and happy life.
Thinking about this while I was running last night... made me run more than the 'lazy' three miles I had planned on running. I pushed on and did 5 miles... DETERMINED to train... DETERMINED to fund raise all the dollars I can for American Cancer Society... DETERMINED to remember those lost and help fight for those who battle today and will fight it in the future. DETERMINED to appreciate this gift called life and never take it for granted... .
L'Chaim! To Life!
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