The joy and journey of being from nowhere took us to California. San Diego, California, more specifically, Chula Vista, California sits in the furthest most corner of the 48 contiguous states of our Union. Our first home in California was a townhome 3 miles from our border with Tijuana, Baja, Mexico. My introduction to diversity and vast and various cultures was immediate. I left a predominantly Caucasian high school in Addison, Illinois to join the teaming ranks of a student body that was about 85% Hispanic. More specifically, approximately 85% of my classmates were of Mexican dissent. I had obviously never seen baile folklorico. It was beautiful and amazing and quite literally a whole new world.
It Was Amazing and Beautiful
San Diego is a Navy town. In addition to the indigenous cultures represented there, you have Naval personnel from all over the U.S. and the world all nestled in a 4200 square mile county. The average year round temperature at San Diego International Airport is 68 degrees with 43 days of measurable precipitation per year. I laughed out loud when I typed that last sentence. The weather and the golf there is ridiculous. I played in the snow in the mountains and waded in the pacific the first full day that I lived there. America’s Finest City might very well be America’s most beautiful city.
Southern Blood
The joy of the journey of being from nowhere moved the Yankee to the land of sand, surf, and California girls. Notably, they speak a different language in SoCal. However, I found myself in a church full of Okies, Arkansans, and Show Me Staters and it felt like home. Many of the families had moved west to work in the defense industry. Life had come full circle and dad was pastoring “his people.” That California girl, my California girl turns out has southern blood too. The lovely Amy’s mom was from Wilmington, North Carolina. She was no Michael Jordan, but she did stick her tongue out a lot especially when she was peeling potatoes. She loved to cook and one bite of Eddie’s home cooking and you knew she was not originally from out west. Amy’s dad was born in Michigan, but raised in Kentucky and it may as well have been the deep south. Richard was a bookworm, a word connoisseur who worked the crossword puzzle every day. He loved the St. Louis Baseball Cardinals and all of the nuances of baseball that seem to be lost in today’s game.
Inseparable
Two sixteen year old kids with southern blood in common quickly became joined at the hip. Our first date was at, you guessed it, the world famous San Diego Zoo. I don’t remember seeing any animals that day. I was solely focused on mustering the courage to hold Amy’s hand. A five year courtship, with more ups and downs than the roller coaster at Belmont Park, has led to a lifetime of love. The adventure of dating was just the beginning. Would we have changed some things? Absolutely, but we couldn’t be happier about where we are today. 38 years and 315 days down and only God knows how many more. The joy and the journey of being from nowhere continues.
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