The further we traveled, the more I took in. I looked into the distance and the mountains looked azure against the sky- as I always remembered as a kid and took for granted. Hours passed, and Ryan said he’d drive the rest of the way. Eventually we got to my Aunt’s house in Ventura and I took in all the new (to me, at least) renovations of her home…including her two big pups. The kitchen was fashioned into a big open area that held a French Bistro sort of theme. The living room and flooring was also different. As much as I loved the old look, I have to say that I can’t get over how amazing it looks now.
After sharing several hugs with my family and introducing Ryan, I did what I always do when I see my Aunt and talked to her for a few hours. Soon enough we both decided to go to bed. The next day Ryan and I both got up at 7 and after getting ready, we went to Port Hueneme- the town that I grew up in. We stopped at Ann’s Bakery where I distinctly remember picking out a few birthday cakes as a little girl. We ordered breakfast burritos and a little pastry to split. The icing was delicious and exactly as I had remembered it. After munching on the pastry and sharing a few memories, we drove around the town. We drove past the two elementary schools I attended, the harbor, the naval base that my dad went to, and we finally stopped in front of my grandma’s old house. It looks different now. And I’m not sure who resides in it now, but I hope they make my old home their home and fill it with many exceptional memories. I hope they plant new trees to climb on. I hope they get good and dirty rom playing and crawling around the yard. I hope they toss a ball over the neighbor’s brick wall just to climb over and get it before the dog comes out. I hope they pretend that they’re in the desert looking for water to survive and they quickly pull of part of the same neighbor’s cactus for a source of water and stir up a little harmless trouble. I hope I hope they get a new swing set to swing on. I hope they crawl out of the second story window to sit on the patio rooftop to enjoy the moment like I did. I hope their dad throws a softball back and forth with them like mine did. I hope they take walks to the beach through the park, and I hope they take it all in. I hope that house becomes apart of them like it has for me.
After recollecting some of those memories, we drove to the beach and ate our breakfast burritos. It was literally the best burrito I’ve EVER tasted. Once we disposed of our leftovers, we strolled along the beach and took in the salty breeze. We took off our sandals and ran to the Pacific Ocean’s edge only to squeal and run back from the brisk temperature. We walked under the pier and admired the crashing of the waves and agreed that the sand there came off much more easily than the sand in New Jersey. We walked back to the car to go watch my cousin Isabella’s cheer practice. As we drove away from Port Hueneme, I rolled down the windows and sniffed eagerly for the scent I remembered so well…the smell of the trees that lined the road. I still have no idea what any of these trees are called, but I love them so much. There are tall trees that remind me of willow trees that shade you from the sun, and only lets glimmers of sunlight through while driving past. Then there are trees that I’ve always referred to as “paper trees” because their bark is so soft and peels off…just like paper. As we made our way closer to Ventura, I pointed out to Ryan a landmark that I deemed as a child as “Cookie Monster Hill” due to the bareness of the hill except for two lone trees that represent Cookie’s eyes. It was such a rush to know that it looked the same.
Soon enough we went to my cousin’s practice and sat and talked to my Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Andy. Once the practice was over, we parted ways with them as we went to get lunch at-drumroll, please…BUM BUM BUM- In N’ Out! I ordered my usual burger with a chocolate milkshake while Ryan opted for a cheeseburger and a strawberry shake. I told him he’d regret it and that the best way to have it was with a chocolate shake, and once he tasted mine, he agreed. Following lunch, we went to another beach until it was time for dinner with my Aunt Sharon, Sheryl, Uncle Andy, and most of my cousins. We feasted on Mexican food and discussed plans for college and then just random chit chat. Later on, we went back to Sheryl’s and the most of the kids watched a movie while my cousins Sabrina and Averi ran around and had a blast. Sheryl left to drop off Isabella at her friend’s birthday party, so it gave me and Ry some one-on-one time with my Aunt Sharon. Eventually he started talking YouTube stuff with my cousin Nathan, and my cousin Shannon came over to spend the night. As soon as we saw each other we gave each other a huge hug. She’s 18 and probably only an inch or two shorter than me…we’re probably going to be the shortest people in our family once our cousins grow up. I found myself feeling a little self-conscious and insecure around her because I’ve always thought she was one of the most gorgeous women I know, and to be quite honest, it’s intimidating at times. We talked to Sharon for a while, and then Sheryl came back and we all chatted away. As the night grew darker, Sharon took her two boys home while letting Averi spend the night. Eventually the kids, Ryan, and my aunt and uncle went to bed, leaving time for Shannon and I to talk alone. The more we talked, the less I found myself focusing less on how gorgeous she was (and how maybe unpretty it made me feel), and more on the memories we shared together as children and the things that were going on in our lives currently. The thing about having a big family is that your cousins are basically your best friends- or at least that’s how it is with my family. Though we may have our individual characteristics and personalities, Shannon and I have something that connects us, and it gives us a foreground. Our family. Our friendship builds from there. I never had really close friends except for a few here and there, but no matter how far away we are, my cousins have always been my best friends. We didn’t stop talking until 1:30, and even then I didn’t want to go to bed. But eventually we said goodnight and I fell asleep.
The next morning Shannon and I were the first ones to wake, and one-by-one, so did everyone else. After we made sandwiches, we all hopped in the van to go down to the beach so we could learn to surf. We all put on our borrowed wetsuits and my uncle taught us the basics of surfing. Shannon went into the water with the surfboard first, so Ryan and I boogie boarded a few yards away. To our disbelief, the wetsuits really did keep us comfortable in the cold water. Once Shannon was done surfing, it was my turn. Though I didn’t stand on the board, I did get to my knees, and I was pretty satisfied with that. On my last attempt, I remember looking down and seeing the nose of the board tipping forward, and at that point I knew I was going to take a beating. The crashing wave pushed me over the board, and I plummeted into the ocean. I rolled around underwater with my eyes closed and I felt my head smack into the sand (which was surprisingly hard), and then I felt water rush into my ear canal. It took me a minute to find my footing, but then my head came above water and I stood up. Everything was spinning and I could barely stand. I tried taking a step and almost fell. Then I finally got some of my balance back and walked over to Shannon. She walked me up to where our belongings were and sat me down. My head was pounding and I was afraid that I had a concussion. What scared me even more was what happened to my ear. It was throbbing and I couldn’t hear out of it. I’ve always had problems with my ears and being in water, so going surfing was probably very poor judgment on my part. I’m certainly not invincible. Soon enough the dizziness went away, but my ear was still injured. When we decided to leave the beach, we stopped at CVS and picked up some drops to dry out the water. Our next stop was the pool to meet Sharon, my Uncle Steve and his wife and kids, and my grandma. We got there and the first thing I did was sit down. Minutes later I had Ryan put in the drops. Almost instantly my inner ear started burning from the alcohol-based drops and as much as I tried to hold back my tears, the pain was too much and I started crying. Ryan hugged me and rubbed my back, and eventually the pain ceased. I decided that I was NEVER going to place those drops in my ear again.
The entire family made their way back to Sheryl’s house for a little barbecue. Unfortunately my ear still bothered me and I went to lie down for a little bit to drain the water out. Hours passed and Ryan waited with me. I still felt like my ear had more water to drain, and so we waited. My younger cousin Emily came in to talk to us and helped distract me from the pain. She’s a very sweet-natured girl and she’s probably one of the younger cousins that I connect most with. Although my other cousins don’t remember me too well, she’s always right there waiting to talk to me like she sees me all of the time. I can’t help but to have an attachment to her, and sometimes I get afraid that people are going to walk all over her. At the same time, she’s very mature for her age and I think that’s another thing that makes me feel so bonded with her.
Emily asked me if my ear was okay and then she brought me some fruit. We talked about how she felt about her sister (Brittany) getting married and moving to North Dakota with her husband, and she admitted that she felt very lonely since Brittany was the sister she felt closest to. It made my heart sink a little and I gave her a hug and tried to reassure her that they can still be close. She told Ryan that he had really pretty eyes, and then she talked about a Demi Lovato concert the previous day. She told me about school, soccer, and cross-country. Then we both shared how neither of us liked running. However, she does love to play soccer.
Finally after being fed up with my ear not draining, we all walked out of the room and started talking to everyone. As time went on, everyone had to leave and all of cousins went out back to take group photos. I said my goodbyes to everyone and told them I’d see them again in December. I gathered my belongings for the departure to Yosemite the next morning, and watched part of a movie with Sheryl and her kids. Then I went into the room Ryan and I were staying in, and before I knew it, I fell asleep. I woke up with a little bit of diluted blood that had drained out of my ear and decided that I’d go to the doctor’s in the morning. After cleaning my ear and determining I had most likely ruptured my eardrum for the umpteenth time, I went back to sleep. In the morning my aunt and uncle left to drop off the kids at school and go to work. Before they left, we said our goodbyes and she told me where to go about my ear. Then a little while later, Ryan and I went to the doctor’s.
Once we got to the counter, the front desk lady told me that they do not accept HMO’s (the type of insurance that I’m on), and that put a damper on things. It was a $100 charge for visiting the doctor’s but we decided to stay. After signing in and waiting to be called back, the nurse called my name. We were taken into a little room where I sat on the patient table and Ryan sat in the chair. Finally the doctor came in and looked at my ear. I expected to get ear drops to prevent an infection, but she instead told me I should see an ear doctor. Feeling a little frustrated, I said thank you and she gave me a number to call. Ryan and I sat in the car and I started crying out of frustration from my ear and also because I found out that my insurance cannot be used outside of Pennsylvania. Finally I made the appointment for the ear specialist and we waited around until the appointment time. Once we got in, the doctor had me lie back in a chair and he took a look into my ear. He told me there was definitely a perforated eardrum and lots of scar tissue (gee, I’ve never heard that before). He then sucked some of the fluid and white gunk out of my ear and said it may or may not heal. He seemed a bit egotistical, and I knew that my eardrum would heal because this isn’t this first time I’ve had a ruptured eardrum. He added to my annoyance as he me it was silly of me to be going into the water and recommended that I stay away from things such a s scuba diving, surfing, swimming, etc. Though he really irked me, I felt satisfied when he prescribed me ear drops. I would have asked him if there was anything to help my ear such as getting tubes or taking out my tonsils, but I decided that since he acted like my case was unusual, he probably wouldn’t know what he was talking about or give me misinformation. I guess it wouldn’t be California if I weren’t welcomed back with another ear misfortune. Oh, the nostalgia.
Interesting facts:
1. Became 31st state on September 9, 1850
2. Home to the world’s largest tree (General Sherman in Sequoia National Park)
3. Home to the original Disney theme park, Disneyland
4. Barbie was created in California. As well as Apple computers, fortune cookies, and blue jeans.
5. Named after the character Queen Califia from a book written by
Garcia de Montalvo
6. More turkeys are raised here than any other state
Likes:
1. Home state
2. The Pacific Ocean
3. Amazing food
4. Mountains
5. Santa Barbara Zoo
6. Nice people (most)
7. So many different areas
Dislikes:
1. Most populated state
2. Not enough backroads
3. Parents no longer reside here :(
Rate: 10/10 because I am biased
Ry under the pier
With Auntie Sharon
With Auntie Sheryl
BIRDS!
At the beach with Ry
I'm a bird!
My butt
Port Hueneme Pier
Shy Ryan
Cookie Monster Hill
Cousins with Grandma Bea
(First Row: Jackson, Me; Second Row from left: Averi, Sabrina, Emily, Rachel, Zane, Grandma; Third Row from left: Shannon, Bianka, Isabella, Nathan)
With Em
With Shannon ad Grandma
Taken by Emily
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