California Adventure

I didn't actually go to California Adventure. This is the girl who hasn't done Disney in less than 4 days since my age was in the single digits, so to only have 2 days in the park, I stuck to my beloved Disneyland. Usually my BFF is with me, but this was my first solo visit. Kind of depressing, but the only thing I really hated was that there was no one to take my picture, or worse, to take a picture with. Still, it's my favorite place. And for those 2 days, I forgot about the mountain of cares on my back and was reminded of simpler times.

The reason I was in California in the first place was to take a jewelry class. A gem identification class, to be specific. I can't say enough about it, both about how intimidated and overwhelmed I was on day 1, and about how much I learned by the end. Simply amazing to me that with a few (relatively) simple tests involving a few (relatively) simple machines, you can identify a gemstone. Any gemstone. And anyone can learn it. When I got handed my box of 5 stones for the final exam, at first glance I totally panicked. They were harder than anything we had practiced, but even with the handful of basic tests we had learned, I was able to identify 4 of the 5 correctly. I couldn't believe it! And I was sad to leave, not just the class, but the entire Gemological Institute of America campus, which is beautiful and steps away from the ocean.

 My hotel was also steps away from the ocean, and my routine became class, then beach. At some point I'd drive myself somewhere for dinner, eat it while reading a book, back to the beach for the sunset, then I'd do it all over the next day. Idyllic. Charming. And so, so sunny. What a whole new world California is, and even though I was getting up at 6 every morning and studying and learning all day, it felt so much like a vacation. Probably because of the weekend bookends, Disney on one end, and some time with my Aunt A in San Diego and La Jolla on the other. She lives a life that is not reality, except it is. It is her reality, and it is wealth I cannot begin to fathom. I was happy just to bask in the luxury of it all, even if only for a day.