We landed in sunny Cali in the morning, and after settling in, and grabbing a bite to eat, we went to pick up the kids, Micah and Ella, whom we had not seen for two years. Micah instantly remembered me and gave me a big and shy smile. Ella was a couple of weeks old when I saw her last so she did not remember me. It was quickly established that she preferred ‘Uncle Aaron’ right from the beginning 😀 I was glad to see my close friends’ babies love Aaron as much I loved them. Micah is my buddy and has always been. He used to be so excited to see me when I visited. In fact, when he was just barely a year old, I went to Southern California from San Francisco for his one-year celebration. He was beside himself with joy and ran around like an excited puppy, wanting me to pick him and play with him. I love these children so much!
I used to live in Redlands before I moved back to India in 2007, so it was real trip down memory lane for me. And one of the highlights of living in Redlands was Farmers’ Market every week. Farmers’ Markets in California are unparalleled. Aaron was like a kid in a candy store and I could not keep him by my side any longer. He was reunited with one of his favorite things about California, and Ella went along for the ride.
We were greeted by pony rides, a huge slide for kids, fresh fruits galore, some of the best Mexican food we have had in a very long time, rock and roll music, children dancing and running through the fountains, people loading up their strollers with flowers and fruits and breads, and standing in long lines to get a bite to eat. It was so fun, alive and throbbing with activity. It was wonderful to be out, walking around with one of my favorite people, Fiona, her beautiful babies, and my darling husband. I was taking it all in. We loved every minute of it and stayed quite late so we wouldn’t miss anything 🙂
