And then there was this...

Well, Today is the 27th of April, exactly 7 weeks since I arrived in San Diego. You'd think I would have written more. Sorry. I have several things to write about, but my mind works a lot faster than my hands do, especially when it comes to typing. Perhaps I will update later. I will be on my way back home tomorrow. I have a 1:35 flight out of San Diego to land in Nashville at 7:20 CST. I am going to mail some of my things home so that I don't have to carry so much luggage. I am going to wait until tomorrow to mail the box that way, if they change their mind at the last minute, I still have all my clothes with me. They have been known to do that on occasion. I have had a really good time. The people have been great. San Diego is nothing like I expected it to be. I think I was expecting something like the Los Angeles you see on TV. I haven't seen anything like that here. I'm sure it has it's dark side, if you will, but I haven't seen it. I don't plan on taking any more company trips anywhere in the near future, but I wouldn't mind coming back someday. I just know it couldn't be for such a long time next go around. This has been a great experience for me, and I have learned quite a bit. I have seen many exciting places. Let's see. I went to several of the different beaches, including Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, and the best of all Coronado Beach. I went to see the San Diego Aquarium at Scripps, Sea World (as you know from the other blog), the San Diego Zoo, and Balboa Park (awesome). Outside of San Diego, I went to Universal Studios Hollywood. That was pretty cool. I got to see Eric Von Detton and most of the "Complete Savages" cast. I ate at a variety of different Restaurants including Hard Rock Cafe, Islands (great burgers), Cold Stone (Best Ice Cream in the World. I'll open one someday), TGIFriday's, and The Cheesecake Factory. These are the ones that are most common. I also ate at Mexican, Chinese, and even Cuban Restaurants. On top of that, I got to spend more than a whole weekend (Friday - Monday) with my family. How many times does that happen, when you arer away on business?!?! I know that's not a whole lot when you consider 7 weeks worth of being away, but they got to enjoy San Diego.

I'm here to tell you, there is nothing like going somewhere new, and losing your car. Here's a story. I have a bit of a bad day at work. It wasn't really a bad day, but I had a few things that just didn't go my way. Anyhow, I decided to try to get away. I had been to Downtown San Diego before, with some friends, and really enjoyed it. We went and ate at Hard Rock Cafe. It was pretty good, so I decided to put the Hard Rock into the GPS, and head in that direction. I had no intentions of eating there, but I was using it as a reference point. So far, I'm doing good. Traffic is moving well. I have plenty of time. Things were already getting better. Nothing could bother me now. Hard Rock Cafe is on 4th Ave. I got off of the interstate onto Front Street. As soon as I saw 4th Ave, I looked for a parking space. I parked in the first one I found. I got out and started walking. I looked at a few street signs to make sure I could get back. After crossing what seemed like 3 or 4 streets I found C Street. That's another reference street. I saw a lot of cool things. I was really enjoying myself. I saw a couple of guys playing music on a street corner. I even filmed one of their songs.
After about an hour and a half to two hours of walking, I decided I had better start heading back. I was no longer on 4th Ave. It shouldn't be too hard to find though, because the streets are sequential. I get on 4th Ave, and start walking back. I walk and walk and walk. Then I notice that I am going uphill. I never remembered going down hill so I must have gone too far. All the while I had my keyless entry remote in hand, hoping to hear the horn on the Aviator. I start back. That's when I found C Street. I remembered seeing it before, however I was passing the same sign on the same side of the road as before. That means I was getting further from the car. So back I go. I'm walking uphill again, and I see 3 people standing out on the side walk. They don't look the friendliest, but I have to pass by. All went well. Nobody said anything. Finally, I had to ask someone. My only problem is that I knew I wasn't parked on any of my reference streets. I wasn't parked on the interstate, Front Street, C Street, or 4th Ave. How do I ask for help? I found a guy, and asked him, "If you were trying to get to 4th Ave from I-5 (it could have been I-15. I've blocked it out) and you exited on Front Street, which way would you go?" It seemed like a full proof question. He sais he would probably go to 2nd Ave first...Uh-Ohh. I hadn't been on 2nd Ave, so I knew that was not going to help. To add to my troubles, it is now starting to get dark. Let's see, Me, Downtown San Diego, Lost, Dark... I don't know about you, but these words don't give me that warm fuzzy feeling, when used together in a sentence.
Then I thought, I have nothing to worry about. I have a GPS in the car. I'll just call Hertz, explain my scenario, and they'll tell me where the car is. But, what's the number? Luckily, I had my Hertz Gold Card. I called them, told the guy my problem, and he says, "Okay, Let me transfer you to someone who can help you with this." I'm home free. Why didn't I think of this sooner. I finally get transferred, and the guy says, "Where are you at, now?" After I tell him, he blows me away with his next question. "Where did you park the car?" Apparently he misunderstood my reason for calling. he wanted to give me directions to the road I parked on, but I needed to know what road I parked on. Did you know that they are not aloud to track where you go in their car? He was absolutely no help. he did encourage me with sayings like, "I hope you find it soon." and "It's a big Aviator. It shouldn't be hard to see." Did I mention I was in Downtown San Diego, and it was getting dark?!?!?He told me he would start a report just in case the car was picked up.
Next, I tried going to 3rd Ave to see if I could see it on the other side. I came to a Convention Center or something. I was pleased to find a police woman. Protect and Serve, right? Well, I needed some service. I think her name was Tiffany. I tried asking her for assistance. I said, "If I were to get off of I-5 at Front Street, going to 4th Ave, Where does that put me?" She said, "Well that depends, How are did you drive?"...AAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!! She tells how to get to Front Street, and I decide to walk back towards 4th Ave. That's when I noticed that Front Street runs Parallel to 4th Ave. How in the world did I get from one to the other? I had no idea which connection road I had taken. She also let me know that she would be there until 10:30, if I needed help.
Well, let's go back to 4th Ave and just keep walking. Here I am going uphill, AGAIN. The same people are standing out on the side walk. I pass by, but I run into another couple who were walking to their car. I asked them the same question, but he mentioned 11th Ave. Gee Thanks. I decided to just walk with them, knowing I was going the wrong way. I had walked this far, why turn around now. We get to Cedar Street, (wherever that is) and a hear a horn...:)=) That's It!!! I found it. Come to find out, their car was right across the street from mine. I got in my car, and left. I did, however go let the Police Woman know I had found it. I also had to call Hertz back, and let them know I found it. That's the last time I try to go relieve stress in a new place. Next time I'm staying at the Hotel...Thanks for listening

Black Panther at San Diego Zoo. Simply Beautiful. 

Well, I’d have to say that this surprise turned out a little differently than I had expected. It all started when I tried to get Camille and the kids flown to San Diego for the Weekend. I was almost positive it would happen. To my disappointment it didn’t. I was told tat Cubic would not do it, because they would have to purchase extra tickets. They would have had to purchase 3 tickets, instead of 1 to send me back for the weekend. Naturally, they chose the cheaper route. This happened on Tuesday or Wednesday. I made sure to let my boss know that I would in turn plan to leave on Saturday, and return on Monday night. There was no argument on his part. I had to start to think of a plan. I knew Camille would not be pleased, even though she expected it. I had to get back without her knowing about it. Todd and Herb were flying back on Saturday, so I would try to get a flight with them. I asked Todd, if he could drop me off at my house, assuming I could get the same flight. I talk to the people in Tullahoma about me flying back, and they asked me the oddest question. It almost upset me. They asked, “Who is going to pay for the trip back?” I almost freaked out. I wasn’t worried about it too much. They had already approved my trip in San Diego. Anyway, as I’ve mentioned before, I got “The Card”. 
Well, I get a confirmation on the flight. I had a guaranteed flight at 9:35. However, the flight I was hoping for was scheduled to leave at 7:50. That poses a problem. I would be able to try to get on the earlier flight on stand-by, but wasn’t guaranteed a seat. If not, I would have to wait for the 9:35. That’s a long wait for a guy with a plan. After all, Todd was going to drop me off at home. Well, I still had a backup plan for this. Camille’s Aunt Lorie lived in Nashville, so I was going to call her. No Problem…so I thought.
I spoke with Camille, just to make sure she was going to be home. I thought I knew that she would be home. She hadn’t mentioned going anywhere, so I figured she’d be there. I just had to make sure. She said that she was planning on going to spend the weekend with her AUNT LORIE IN NASHVILLE! Uh-Oh…if Todd is going to drop me off at home, she kinda needs to be there. Or if Lorie was going to pick me up, Camille didn’t need to be in the house. This was not going at all how I planned.
Next step, call Lorie myself to seek advise. She explained that something had come up, and Camille wouldn’t be able to come over…looking good… Then, she explained why. There was a death in the family, and she was going to have to travel to Birmingham, Alabama to see the visitations. When? You guessed it, Saturday. Not looking as good as it once was. This only left me one economic answer. If I got the latter flight, I would simply have to call Camille, and tell her to pick me up at the airport.
The latter flight had to stop twice, once in Phoenix, and again in Kansas City. I didn’t have to get off of the plane, but it would last about 5.5 hours. I could call Camille from Kansas City, and have her meet me. She would have to be almost ready, though. I don’t know how long each flight would be. I guess I would have to settle for this. At least I would get to come home and see everyone for a couple of days. I have to admit the stay would be short, but still worthwhile.
Now, it’s Friday night, and I haven’t even started packing, yet. I guess I am the world’s best procrastinator. If I don’t do it last minute, I probably forgot to do it all together. Well, Let’s Pack. For some reason, my things don’t want to fit back into my bags. I can’t explain it. I had to try to figure out what I could leave…Nothing. I pushed. I pulled. I stretched. I did all I could to get everything in the bags. Finally, it all went in…almost…I couldn’t seem to get my razor and trimmer into any of the bags. I couldn’t see myself trying to get them on in my carry-on. That would not be good. I had to find another way. I thought, “Maybe Todd or Herb have a bit of room”, so I asked. Luckily, Todd said he had some room. I showed him the bag. His reply was, “Uhh…Not that much room.” I ended up emptying the bag and stuffing a few pieces here and a few pieces there, until everything fit properly; well as close to properly as we were going to get. I didn’t even attempt to lie down for the night. I knew that, if I went to sleep, I would not want to wake up in the morning. I was actually falling asleep on the way to the Airport.
When we get to the Airport, after a long night of packing and absolutely NO sleep, we see that the lines are tremendous. I was having trouble carrying my bags, so I got in after Todd and Herb. The line to check our baggage in and get our tickets was long, but seemed to move quickly. It just so happens that there was two seats available on the earlier flight. Things were starting to look up, again. The line to go back to the Terminal was about 3 times as long. Even it went rather quickly. We started to board the plane. We were in the last group to board the plane. This gave us the advantage to get the best seats of whatever was left. I had hoped for a window seat, but it was obvious that that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. I had to settle for a middle seat. I sat between Mark and Megan. They seemed pretty nice. It was a rather quiet flight. I was exhausted. I remember the Flight Attendant demonstrating how to buckle the seatbelt. Megan made the comment that her voice was just way too perky, and that’s all I remember. I dozed off for about 2 or 3 minutes; 5 at the most, so I thought. The engine was running, but it didn’t feel like we were moving. I tried to look out the window to see how soon we would be taking off, and I couldn’t see anything. Apparently, we had already taken off, and almost leveled off, when I awoke. I dozed off a few more times during the flight.
We landed safely, and now were on our way home. However, I hadn’t spoken to Camille, yet. I always call her, when I get up. If I didn’t call her soon, she would call the hotel and/or my cell. If she called my cell, it would answer right away with my voice mail, and she would think it was turned off. Next, she would call the Hotel. I know they would tell her that I had already checked out. I’d have some explaining to do then. Finally, I decided to call her, and tell her that I slept in, which she thought I had planned to do anyway. I would say that when I awoke, I went outside, and my Quick Checkout notice was on the door. I had forgotten to extend my stay at the hotel, and had to find another one. That would explain my timing. Just so that she wouldn’t worry, I told her I found a place but had not checked in, yet. I was going to go to Balboa Park first, which I would have, had I been there. I also told her that I had just spoken to Todd, and he and Herb had landed safely. This was very true. I informed her that Todd was going to stop by the house. You see, when I called her days before to find out if she would be home, she asked for the Hotel address. She had something she was going to send.  I finally talked her in to giving it to Todd for him to bring to me. This would be cheaper, I said. I told her that Todd was going to pick up her package for me, as well as give her something from me. I gave him a small glass mirror, which had a poem on it. He took it to the door, gave it to her, and said he had a bigger present at the car. She stepped out, and I was standing there. She turned around to put Olivia down, because it was a bit chilly out. She apparently changed her mind, because she brought her out with her. Casey was the first one to me. He was running. I think he took it worse than any of them. I think he was almost in tears. Olivia, surprisingly, looked at me, pointed, and said Daddy. I was sure she would forget. She came to me right away. Alina was a different story. She was in a bad mood. I think she had just gotten in trouble. Camille was very happy to see me. I told her I was only there for the weekend. She didn’t like that, but there wasn’t much we could do about that. I was excited to see them all. I have to admit, I was a little discouraged at how Alina was acting, but that’s just Alina.
It just so happens that the surprises weren’t over, yet. Lorie was the only other person that knew I was here. It was going to be a surprise for everyone. We were all going to meet Lorie in Nashville on Sunday to go to church with her. Camille had to tell Lana, because Lana wanted to ride home with her, and Camille had to explain why she wouldn’t have the room for her. That still left Camille’s Mom (Lisa) and Grandmother (Moner) to surprise. Let me tell you. They were greatly surprised. After church, we went to eat, and then to Cool Springs Galleria. We had a good time. Our meal wasn’t the greatest, but the service was great, so in my opinion they cancel each other out.
I thought that this trip would be wonderful, and that is would make the rest of my stay in San Diego easier. Well, that is where the Biggest Surprise comes in. It made it so much harder. A lot of the time I spent with Camille, she was crying, because I was going to be leaving again. I asked if I should have stayed, and the reply was, “I don’t want to say yes, because I was ready to see you.” I didn’t realize how much worse it would get. I am glad I came back, but it was difficult to leave again. I can’t imagine being gone for as long as some of the employees are. That has got to be hard on their families. Now there’s talk about the Vancouver trip in May and June. I just can’t see going on that one so soon. (That will be another Blog.)
Next thing you know, it is time to go back to the Airport. We had decided that we would leave at around 12:00 or 12:15. After all, my flight wasn’t until 2:30. Well, 12:00 rolls around. 12:15 rolls around. 12:30 rolls around, and we are still at home! Lisa and Moner were at the house. They were going to keep Olivia, Jax, and Mira (Jax and Mira are children Camille keeps). Finally, 12:50 comes and we decide to leave. Camille decides to go through Shelbyville. I don’t know which way is the closest, so I didn’t give any input. We get to the Interstate, and traffic is not moving very fast. Camille immediately says, “We’re not gonna make it.” Those are not encouraging words to hear when you’re running behind. We start planning on how she can get my luggage to me in a hurry, just in case I don’t have time to check the bags in. I started to give her Jake’s cell phone number, so that she can ship then UPS from Cubic. Then I remember that he is vacationing in Los Angeles. Not much help at the present moment. So who else can ship them? I decided first, I was going to make sure that I couldn’t get them on the plane. We go to check in, and there were only 2 of us in line. There were about 4 clerks open, but they didn’t seem to be working. When we do get called up to the counter, the lady informs me that they are unable to send passengers back with less than 10 minutes left. Then she noticed that the flight was delayed. She went ahead and checked my bags with no guarantee that they would make it on my flight. She said they may have to go on a later flight, which would arrive in San Diego at about 9:00. That was acceptable. I had to hurry to the gate. Luckily there was no line to go through to the terminals. I wasn’t able to tell Camille good-bye like I wanted to, but it was easier. I got to gate C-20, and went straight to the entrance. I asked if I was too late. They told me the San Diego plane had been gone for 30 minutes. They were just missing with me, like I needed that. Anyway, I tried to send Camille a text message to let her know what happen, but before I was done writing, actually right before I pressed the send button, she called me. I told her the story, and we both started to cry. It was rough leaving like that. It just didn’t hit me until later.
While I was there, we talked about getting her a ticket to come out. This, of course, we would have to pay for. We were looking at some pictures that I had taken, and she wanted to go see for herself. During one of her emotional moments, she said that she didn’t want to go, because it would be just as hard to come back. It almost seems like a no win situation. I just hope it gets better. I told them all that I would not be out here as long as I was the first time. I was there for 3 weeks and 3 days. I missed Alina’s 5th birthday, Olivia’s 1st birthday, and Easter. Now I risk missing Camille’s birthday as well. I hope that doesn’t happen. Well, I think this is long enough. I hope you enjoy, and comment. Talk to you soon.