Just booked my vacation to California for the end of this month and I’m super excited! This trip is bitter sweet as I know this may very well be the last time I see my grandfather before he passes. But I am very grateful to have the time and means to make it out!
The word traveled fast when I told my dad I booked the trip. Within the hour I had calls from my cousin and other family members making sure I had them on the itinerary for a visit. I have to say, it feels great to be in a place where my presence is wanted. I miss California for sure and looking forward to all the fun things they have planned to do while I’m there.
One of the things on the agenda is Disney. Nostalgic from my childhood, one of my earliest and fondest memories was visiting Disneyland for the first time. Being in such awww of the beautiful sites and the excitement from seeing the characters filled me with joy. I was more the thrill seeker so the faster the ride, the higher the roller coaster the more excited I became. I’ve always had an attraction to adrenaline rushes and danger!
We also plan to hit Magic Mountain which was a place visited as a child also. I remember my dad taking us as kids with all the cousins and we had a blast! I had always wanted to be the son he never had, and strives to keep his approval. Being the best was important.
That brings me to a bonding memory with my father when I was around 11. He took me, my step brother and sister and my half sister to the dunes where you can ride doom buggies, dirt bikes and four wheelers. My step brother was afraid to let loose and ride the quad. It really pissed my dad off that he was “driving ms daisy” on an expensive piece of machinery that was designed to speed through the dunes and kick ass. So he made him grt off and told him to get in the baby doom buggy. He then sets me up on the quad, tells me how to drive it since this was my first time and vroom I was gone! Flying over the hills you couldn’t even tell I was a girl the way I was hauling ass through the dunes. After a nice run, I come back and my dad is smiling from ear to ear and says, “Now that’s how you ride a four wheeler! That’s my girl!”
It came naturally to have no fear and just take risks, go for it and if I fail, get back up and try again. A value that would remain with me my whole life and I just realized how that moment was pivotal to who I am. The fearless confidence that my father instilled in me since birth was the very foundation of my happiness today.
So needless to say, this trip is beyond over due and can’t get here soon enough!