I've just returned from a five day visit with Christine in San Diego and we had yet another wonderful time, gosh I love that child. As a mom there are times when you just need to check on your kids, take a look into their eyes and see what is really going on instead of that over the phone conversation. I can tell right away when I see my kids, what is up, and of course they pretty much know it. I can tell in their voices when a visit is really necessary. I took the train down to visit, which in itself is a vacation because the riding down the coast right on the beaches of California is a great treat, relaxing along the way is even better.
We went to a Padres game, we had drinks with her friends downtown, we laughed and walked and had a great time. Her friend Patrick even showed me his "brick". (That's for another blog).
Our main excursion on this visit was to drive over to Phoenix because Christine needed to visit her dentist that she had been seeing while living over there, and I had made an appointment for a check up as well, since I was going along for the ride. It was the first time Christine had been back to Phoenix since her break from Jeff. I knew she was anxious about it - she was in love with that man and her heart was broken a bit from the relationship, she had lived the good life. On the drive over, we had discussed the relationship again, maybe a more length this time because she was over the teary part, had a bit of anger in her, but was still so resolved in her decision - and I can tell she is happy. It wasn't easy leaving Jeff, who really is a wonderful man and he was very, very good to her in many ways - he was very giving to her and all of us - he knew how to show us a great time. But..... he was forever going to live in Phoenix and my daughter is a beach girl. I believe that at some point Christine will have children, maybe only one, but at least that. Jeff was NEVER going to have any more children, he has a wonderful son, Jordan and that was it. So these two things were breaking points in their relationship and Christine walked away from the multiple million dollar houses, expense accounts and weekly flights between San Diego, Phoenix, Utah, Seattle, Las Vegas and moved into her own place in San Diego, leaving with a friendship she will always remember but leaving with something even greater than friendship for her, self esteem and the knowledge of making choices with your soul sometimes and not your heart. It was hard for her, but I am so very proud of her for choosing what she believed in instead of taking the easy road and being unhappy. Jeff is still our friend, he is in contact with all of us and he and Jordan are a part of family to us - he just wasn't the Prince that my daughter so deserves :)
Another interesting twist to our trip - Phoenix had a "haboob" a random sand storm that we could actually see driving in from California as it slowly crept over the Phoenix valley and surrounding areas. It was 108 as we drove into the city limits, then it was as if it was the end of the world. It got dark, windy - things blowing all around, rain and the temperature dropped to 80 within seconds - you could not see the city or surrounding buildings from the highway - it was weird. Maybe it was this, or the drive, but Christine felt physically sick to her stomach. She said that the memories and smells and feelings were a bit overwhelming and I was then so happy that I had made the trip with her. We checked into our hotel, it was still dark and gloomy but hot as hell, we walked across the parking lot to Applebees and had dinner and a drink. We spent the weekend, talking and exercising, swimming and sitting by the pool and then checking into our dental appointments. We made some new memories of Phoenix - the haboob came and went, and so did we. Home to the good life, where million dollar homes are still noticeable on the hill, where work still looks us in the face everyday, but - where happiness lives.
