I grew up in California. I ran away from it in 1996 and ended up in Colorado. As much as I LOVED my home state, I needed to get away from my family, the crazy growing population of the Bay Area, and figure out what I was going to do with my life. Now while I didn't figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up until MUCH later in life, and as much as I claimed to NOT miss California, I missed it dearly. That didn't really hit until I went home recently for my brother's wedding. And it was only enhanced by the start of a tattoo back piece, paying tribute to my home state, with my artist who is also from there (why do you think I picked him to do it? ;)). So that's why I'm sitting here now, reminiscing about my former life in California, and writing a compact blog about what I remember. Some good, some bad, but definitely different than your typical blog from me. So if you ever wanted to know how I grew up, here you go...
I grew up in Saratoga, CA, or the "Slums of Saratoga" as we affectionately called the six street annex of Saratoga in which we lived. On the other side of the tracks (literally) where we were still middle-class, just not in the part of Saratoga where Steve Young lived. My grandfather died when I was seven months old. He is the reason I am musically gifted. And then my grandmother got cancer and had to be driven to Kaiser in San Jose (from their house in Aptos) for treatments. I don't remember the treatments because I was too young to go in, but I do remember her losing her hair and my mom taking me and my brother to the park across the street while we waited. She died 10 days before my fifth birthday, but my mom still went ahead with the party. I think this may be where my crazy memory with dates comes from. I still have dolls that she handmade for me. We went to Aptos often to help keep the house up so we could rent it out. My brother and I acted out movies in the front yard as we raked up the leaves. Everything from the script to the theme music. Shocked that he became an actor? Not so much... I remember going to the Boardwalk often, probably as a solace from everything surrounding the house at the time, but we just knew it as beach and roller coaster time. And probably why I still hold it very close to my heart to this day. My mother couldn't wait until I got tall enough to go on the Giant Dipper with her. That's also where we spent Senior Ditch Day in high school, riding the Giant Dipper WAY too many times. But in high school, my friends and I would drive up Highway 1 to Scott Creek because Santa Cruz had gotten too crowded. We also went to downtown Los Gatos during the World Cup in 1994 and danced with the Brazilians, who had just beat the U.S. team on the Fourth of July. Call us unpatriotic, but the Brazilians and 30,000 other people knew how to party. Our softball team went to the Little League Softball World Series in 1991, where we finished...second. Honestly, I'm still a little bitter about that, but hey, we were second in the whole country. Freaking Florida.. ;) I grew up going to Yosemite National Park pretty much two to three times a year when I was younger. I wouldn't be shocked at all if I was conceived there. I remember taking camping precautions to ensure that the bears didn't get our food. I took a field trip to Alcatraz in the fifth grade and all I can remember is us getting locked in a cell. I was home alone when the 1989 earthquake hit. I remember every detail of that day, from the time the earthquake hit on. I remember having my breath taken away every time I saw the Golden Gate Bridge. I once walked across it AT NIGHT in shorts and a sweatshirt and wasn't cold. At all. The seals at Pier 39 still crack me up. The Demon was the best roller coaster at Great America. I think we skied at literally every resort in Tahoe. I thought it was the coolest thing that if you went to the top at Heavenly, you were half in California and half in Nevada. My favorite part about the Monterey Bay Aquarium was playing with the starfish. I ditched class at West Valley College and drove to the beach on my birthday. My best friend and I would drive to Half Moon Bay, singing show tunes the whole way, and then, get a loaf of what we described as "orgasmic" sourdough bread at Moonside Bakery and then, turn around and drive home. I never truly appreciated the small beach town until I got older. The only reason I went to church was to sing in the choir. I took figure skating lessons at Vallco WAY too early in the morning. My mom would bribe me with peanut butter toast and a trip to the Hello Kitty store to get me out of bed. :) I sliced off my left thumbnail with a dumpster lever when I was 4. I proudly showed off the splint and that is probably the last time I screamed bloody murder. I knew the six freeways we had to take to get to my grandparents' house in Sacramento before I even got behind the wheel of a car. I knew every twist and turn of Highway 17 before I got behind the wheel of a car. I was in a professional saxophone quartet and taught saxophone lessons when I was 18. I thought it was a TON of money at the time when I made (maybe) $400/month. I rooted loud and proud for the 49ers and the A's. I still have Walt Weiss' autograph from his rookie year with the A's. The Giants and Will Clark were the devil. I booed loudly when the Raiders moved back to Oakland. I was happy as hell that we got a hockey team, but I didn't fully understand the game until I became an Avs fan. My friends and I went camping and hiking at Pinnacles National Monument consistently. I remember slightly testing the speed limits on the way down. ;) I remember going to my family's condo in Eden, UT, to ski one winter break and my dad hit black ice while going through Nevada. It ended up being almost -30 and we had to get the car towed to Ogden to warm it up enough for it to start. We drove to South Dakota for a family reunion when I was in high school. Since I had just gotten my license, I got to drive. Everywhere. We went to Custer State Park and saw buffalo. The giant burros ate part of my brother's shirt. On our way home, we drove through Denver and saw a Rockies game when they still played at Mile High and when McNichols Arena was still in the parking lot. Not once did I think, I'm totally gonna live in this state in three years. ;)
Now, I'm totally happy with my life in Colorado. I have amazing friends. I work at one of the best physical therapy offices in the state. I absolutely LOVE what I do for a living. Not to mention that awesome tattoo shop where I'm getting that back piece and the artist from Cali. ;) But I am a Californian. I think regardless of how long I live outside the state, I will always be a Californian. I still prefer the ocean to the mountains. The Rockies are trying hard to sway me, but the Pacific still has more pull. So maybe I just need more frequent trips back to the Bay so that I don't miss it so desperately next time. :)
