July Visit, Part 1 - Layover in Los Angeles

I went to bed at midnight on Friday, but I got up again at 3am to finish packing. When our plane took off at 7:30am, I was understandably exhausted! Lucky for me, one of the flight attendants held a trivia contest, and I was able to win a $6 can of Red Bull for knowing Winnie-the-Pooh’s real name. It turns out that I don’t much like Red Bull. It must have been my first time drinking the stuff, because I’m sure the nasty taste would have stuck in my memory if I’d ever had it before. Mike was a gentleman and finished the can for me after I choked down a few disgusting swallows – enough, I hoped, to get me through a day of driving in California traffic.

Mike and I flew to L.A. using Frequent Flyer Miles, because LAX was the launching point for our “free” Delta employee passes. We arrived in the city at around 9:30am, and our flight to Guadalajara didn’t take off until 1am the next day. What would we do for the next 14 hours?
The obvious answer would be to visit Mike’s parents and brother, who live in nearby Hollywood. Yeah, right. My in-laws FREAK OUT if they are not given 6 months advance notice of a home invasion. They also TOTALLY FREAK OUT when I take their son with me to third world countries. After the Great Moroccan Panic Attack, we’ve learned not to even mention things like our backpacking jaunt through Southeast Asia … or our 2007 trip to Central America … or the fact that Mike has a driver’s license (against their will) and owns a vehicle (of sorts).

The next obvious plan was to rent a car and drive the 1.25 hours to my grandmother’s place, as she adapts more readily to surprise visits. So, that’s what we did. There was no hurry as we headed in the direction of Loma Linda, CA, because it was the Sabbath and Grandma would still be at church. Mike and I decided to kill time by doing some worshiping of our own . . . at Church’s Chicken. Dang, I wish we had that restaurant chain at home – their food is super cheap, and the biscuits have honey baked right into ‘em!

I wasn’t sure what time Grandma would be home, but I decided to go straight to the house of her adopted family, as I assumed everyone would gather there for lunch anyway. It was a good move, because the family had slept in and missed church. They were ecstatic at our unexpected arrival – even when caught still wearing pajamas - which again confirms my belief that it’s best to choose your own family members instead of sticking with only the ones you are granted at birth.

Grandma and her sister (my great-aunt) arrived soon, and were delighted by our surprise visit. The kids performed a concert for us on the cello and violin, then they wanted me to take them geocaching. We geocached all afternoon, with breaks in between for me to run necessary errands. The first side trip took me to Kinko’s, where I printed out copies of our Delta flight itineraries. The warnings on the pages made it clear that while we were flying as “guests” of the airline, we were expected to represent the very best of the Delta family. Since people on passes often fly First Class (because those are the seats least likely to be sold), we were required to dress nicely or risk being refused entry on the plane. I heaved a sigh as I stopped at Wal-Mart to buy a pair of uncomfortable formal shoes, just in case my dirty sandals didn’t pass inspection.

In the evening, Grandma took everybody out to eat at (I kid you not) the Happy Family Vegetarian Restaurant. After sampling the meatless shrimp, I don’t think our family was quite as happy as the name of the place might imply. We finished our meal, handed out hugs, and hurried back to the airport to ensure that we’d be ready and waiting to board our plane … if there was any extra space for us.



My Niece and Nephew


Geocaching


Happy Vegetarians

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