Santa Cruz Birthday Weekend…

Beautiful West Cliff At least it was sunny right when I got there

Chris and I

The beautiful girls - Tammy, Naia and Tavlyn

Me and Tam

Carmen and I

The beautiful beets that made me smile from ear to ear while preparing. Aren't they AWESOME!?

Friday I hopped on a plane to San Jose after a very hot walk and train ride to the airport. The Chicago heat and humidity was at its peak and I was actually ready to get into a cooler climate or at least one where I didn’t feel wet the second I stepped outside. I only wish it wasn’t so cool in Santa Cruz that I couldn’t really sit on the beach when I got there. Oh well, time during the afternoons was pretty slim for sitting around on the beach. The trip was a nice breath of fresh air. I will say that I was just glad to not be alone in Chicago for my big 3-0. I know I know…it’s just a number but it doesn’t take away the fact that you become more aware of aging and spend a bit more time reflecting on where you are in life and where you have been. A lot of emotions have come up over the past week and into this weekend: Sad, happy, lonely, independent, impatient, blessed, irritated, excited, passionate, irritated, and grateful…just to name a few :) Being by yourself at the age of 30 can feel very freeing at times but also extremely lonely at times. It seems to get more and more prominent as you age and your loved ones around you are also aging and are consumed in their own families and lives. Times can change so quickly.
Upon my arrival on Friday my friend Chris from Santa Cruz picked me up at the airport and after the 45 minute drive over the hill toward the ocean we stopped for lunch before taking a stroll on the beach. I met Chris in a little coffee shop in Santa Cruz one winter day almost about a year and half ago. He was doing his winter job of writing, drinking coffee, and sleeping :) while I was getting myself out of the house to work on my computer work for a company in Seattle. We just started chatting one day and have been friends ever since. Great guy, great company, and great friend! My chauffer for the day ;) After our walk by the water in the “chilly” 70 degree weather, he dropped me off at “my” little Ayurvedic Clinic in Aptos so I could meet up with my incredible acupuncturist and friend Carmen. It was such a needed treat to be able to spend the next couple of hours catching up, being taken care of, and relaxing in her presence. Love Love and wish I was closer so I could go get my weekly dose again. I suppose it is time to find myself another person who isn’t all the way across the continent :( After a great treatment, my wonderful friends Carlo and Tammy and their kiddos Tavlyn and Naia picked me up. It was sooo great to see them again. The trip already strangely felt like I hadn’t really left even though it had been almost a year.
Saturday was my birthday day and was spent going to the market with Tavlyn, cooking, and having a little party at the house. Naia was beginning to teeth and wasn’t feeling well so Tam needed to stay home and give her a little lovin while Tav and I hung out at the Farmer’s Market and of course the grocery store. You know me and my grocery stores :) That afternoon and early evening we prepped some fun snacks and shared a great meal. I had invited a few of my Santa Cruz friends and school classmates to join us since it is so hard to really see everyone. I knew not many could or would come but at least I made the opportunity and offered. Carmen and her husband and daughter stopped in though. It was very special and great to finally meet her family of which I had heard so much about. After dinner, I headed out for a walk and some time with the ocean waves. So peaceful, yet a little lonely. It is times like these where it is a little difficult to accept being by yourself. Just becomes a little bit more prominent as you get older. These are the times where the emotions such as sad, lonely, impatient, and irritated come up but the ocean waves are a pretty good sounding board. This wasn’t the first time we had a little visit over the last couple years. We’re good friends :)
Sunday was actually a better day. Although we didn’t make it in time to go to yoga, we just relaxed in the morning and then I went to a little shop to check out some bags that are made by this local woman. Her company is called Ribbon Street and they are soooo cute. A couple hundred dollars later, I made it home in time to put my walking shoes on and go for a stroll on West Cliff to go to the meet my friend Amber for lunch. I met her at the New Leaf Natural Food Store for lunch outside and we had a great visit. It was a wonderful reconnection after a year of not much contact but a few messages here and there. We spent lots of time catching up and after lunch she brought me back to Tammy’s but not until after we continued our conversation in the car for another half hour. So glad we were able to meet up. Back at Tammy’s, we prepped some dinner and visited a little bit before I was off to my old church. Tam and I got a few minutes of catching up before we sat down to eat. Naia was beginning to feel better and rested while we ate some fresh fish that Carlo’s friend had got a few days prior. The fish was cooked whole skin, bones, and all. So Carlo asked if we would like one of the eyeballs. Tavlyn, their 3 ½ year old politely said “I would like an eyeball” and proceeded to eat one like it was nothing. After eating two of them (we made two fish), she then asked if I would like one. After the third time she asked and as she was still nonchalantly chomping on her second one, I couldn’t turn her down. Tam and I were being shown up by a 3 year old and one of us had to make her feel like it’s all good. Tammy later said she would try one but before she could scoop it off the plate Tavlyn asked if she could have it and Tam didn’t hesitate to share. We’re talkin the entire eye with optical nerve and all. Some of it was pretty slimy and the other a little fiberous and hard. Sorry to some of you but I have to describe it as a phlegm surrounding a white marble center with a sunflower seed shell texture when chewing. The taste was fine, nothing bad nor pungent. Not much to it :) After the eyeball fest, I went to the evening service at my old church. I love love love that church and really miss it dearly. It was so great to go back. The music is great, the ambiance is very welcoming, and the crowd is young and old but all hip. It was slightly bitter sweet cause I love it so much but the last few times I was there it was a ritual of Caro and I’s to come to Santa Cruz for one day, go run, sit on the beach, go to church, go get frozen yogurt and make the 4 hour drive back to camp. So there was also a bit of that sadness on top of knowing this was only a one time event for a long time again. I embraced every minute of it and the funny thing but not a coincidence was the topic of the message that night: “Patience”…ha, that is something I have been strongly tested on for the last few months. A great lesson we must all continue to practice. We have to remember how God is always patient with us and not lead such hurried lives. This can be extremely hard since most things around us push us to “live in a hurry”. Church was followed by more birthday cake and little chat time with Tam and off to bed.
Monday, I finally got up to go on my run on West Cliff along the ocean. It was gorgeous, meaningful, refreshing, slightly sad, happy, and rejuvenating all in one. I ran all along the coast and before turning around I ran down into a little place I call butterfly cove. It is at the end of the trail and is a large Monarch resting place. During certain parts of the year you can go down in there and see millions of butterflies hanging from the trees. I stopped to reflect, listen in the silence and throw a few prayers into the trees. I then made my way back but before getting back to Tammy’s and getting off the coast trail, I took off my shoes and socks and climbed down the rocks onto the sand. I let the water wash up to my knees. I wrote my birthday wishes and prayers into the sand to be washed out into the ocean and taken up into God’s hands. Quiet, Calm, and Collective….another little goodbye to Santa Cruz and all that it has been for me. Back at Tammy’s we were able to sit and really visit for an hour or so and I helped her prep and cook some food for the next few days as Carlo had to go on a business trip. It was soooo great to really cook again. I just haven’t been doing too much of it for enjoyment lately. I had a huge grin from ear to ear as I chopped up some amazingly beautiful beets from the market. It brought me back to why I loved cooking in the first place. Fresh, earthy, beautiful, relaxing, and laid back in Santa Cruz :) After a big pot of soup was cooked up and the beets were steamed, I hopped in the outdoor shower one last time. They bought another house across the street and are moving in a few weeks. They have a beautiful little backyard with a shower hidden in the brush and bamboo. Very cool. With only a couple hours before I had to leave, all the girls had a little lunch and just hung out. At 2:00, my shuttle arrived to pick me up. After another sad goodbye, I made my way back to San Jose to another airport on another plane back to another state to another reality in Chicago. Quick trip but very glad I was able to go. Eventful birthday weekend #2 :)