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My mom had two back surgeries to try to help relieve some of the pain she has been in.  After a stay in the hospital and a rehab center she was finally released to come home.  I flew to CA to help her in her recovery last week and I'm so glad I did.  It was a great week.  I didn't do too much to help my Mom and Dad except cook and offer moral support but it was just nice to have that time with them.  It's been a while since I've been back at home all by myself and with quite a bit of time to myself.  I found that I was getting a bit nostalgic and just feeling grateful for my family and for the fact that I have a place to come back to where the air is thick with happy memories.   I even started taking pictures of some things that I was nostalgic about.  

One morning, my dad took my mom to an appointment so I had the morning to kill by myself.  I decided to go hit tennis balls at the park.  This was one of my favorite pastimes as a kid, mostly in high school once I got really into tennis.  It was a great way to go get some aggression or extra energy out.  I was even hitting balls against this wall when Joe called me to ask me on our first date.  The surface is really messed up now and there have always been constant battles against graffiti, so it doesn't look like much, but it sure means a lot to me.

That park holds so many memories for me, too.  There's the oak tree we used to climb as kids.  I wonder how I got up there--did we climb on trash cans?  It's looking a bit dead now.  There's the swing that I sat on and tried to count as high as I could.  I think I got past 500 before giving up. There's the gazebo that I tried to climb on top of as a kid and where I slipped and scraped my thigh on a bolt. I still have the scar from that.  There's the field where we played sports as a family, where my mom taught me to make daisy chains, and where we had church parties with good friends.  So many happy memories, in what to anyone else would just look like a dingy, worn-down old park.  

When my mom first came home, she couldn't move much so we were bringing her meals to her in bed.  My dad was using this tray:

I love that tray.  We used that same green tray whenever we were making breakfast in bed for someone when I was growing up.  I remember my mom bringing meals to me on that tray when I was sick, too.  Just the sight of it makes me happy. :)

 I got to go to one of my favorite spots in Stockton with one of my favorite people, too:

 

That Chili's holds so many great memories for me.  I went there probably an average of once a week in high school.  I also decided on this trip that it is one of the best Chili's restaurants.  We've been disappointed in the food at the ones we've been to in other places.  It was so fun to catch up with Jessica in our regular spot.  We stayed there talking for hours.  I'm sure the waitress was happy to see us go.  I love that it's like hardly any time has passed when we get together.

I also discovered a new place and a new reason to love my hometown when I was there.  I had to get in my long run for the week so I decided to just take the path I would always run on when I was younger and follow it.  This time I ran way past the point I would in high school (I was never much of a distance runner, even when I was in great shape) and just kept going and going.  The pavement ran out and turned to gravel.  It was another foggy morning in the valley and I loved just running by the water watching the birds.  There was hardly anyone out there.  It was so beautiful to me that I risked my remaining battery power on my phone because I just had to take pictures:

 

Sure enough, my phone died right after I took those so I had to run the whole way home without any music.  That is a big challenge for me, but I did it!  I ran farther than I've ever run in my life--over 8 miles!  I felt really good, despite some minor pains.  I'm feeling like this half-marathon might just be a possibility now.

Stockton gets a really bad rap, what with crime and bankruptcy, but I just love that place.  I think it's a pretty rare and special thing to be able to go back to the house I spent all of my childhood in.  Still, even if my parents sell the house and move away some day, I'll be alright.  I'll have all of my happy memories to hold on to.

Lastly, I have to give a shout-out to my amazing husband who held down the fort while I was away.  He has been feeling kind of swamped with work that needs to get done but when I mentioned that I wanted to go he didn't hesitate to encourage me.  Somehow, he managed to juggle it all while I was gone and did a pretty darn good job, too.  He never fails to support me in anything I want or need to do and for that I am so grateful. He's the best. :)