Later that night my friend Staci and her husband dropped by. That's when I lost it. I cried and cried as I hugged her.
The next day we were on the plane, heading to our new home in McKinney, Texas.
It was a little weird flying out of the Ontario airport not knowing when I'd see those mountains again. Or the freeways. Or my friends.
California is where I became an adult. I moved there after college and had lived there for 11 years. I had my first "real" jobs there. I got married while living there. I had my family there too.
I learned to be more accepting of others there--their beliefs and their culture. I learned that life throws some awful curveballs at you, but friends will be there to rally around you when you need it most. I learned that sometimes you even have to leave the place you love, but that you carry that place with you in your pocket wherever you go.
And so here I am, two years later, crying at the memories of that night. I do carry California and my beloved friends around with me where ever I go. It shows in my laid-back attitude about so many things (undreamt of before my time there). It shows in my actions as I try to be the friend that so many people in California were to me. Hey, it even shows in my disdain for Tex-Mex :)
So, to all my California friends, I say I love you, I miss you, and I'm so glad you were part of my life!