Labor Day Weekend

What's the good version of "when it rains, it pours"? I just had an overflow of guests and friends with the long weekend, and first up was Anja and her boyfriend Hannes. I hadn't seen Anja since July 2012 when she visited me in New York City and we took our vacation to Florida. And I had never met Hannes before, so I was excited to see her again and then meet Hannes and show them around Riverside!

They are on a huge Vacation Extraordinaire all over California, and since I was leaving on Friday for San Diego, we just got our one Thursday night together, but still well worth it! We went all over Riverside and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant outdoors, then went into the Mission Inn's Presidential Lounge and closed the place down.

The Presidential Lounge is aptly named, because like, all the presidents have stayed there since the Mission Inn has been in existence (or something like that) (and not Obama yet, sadface). So there are all these presidents' pictures everywhere, and I could only name like 2 or 3 of them. (Remember this, it will come up again). We walked back to my place and had more drinks, and Khaleesi tried to get to know the guests and we crashed around 2am and then I had to get up for work in the morning, yuck! I left Anja with a map and some pencils and well wishes, and I had to leave ASAP since we were having a staff retreat.

So at the staff retreat, we played some games to start and when I won one, I got to pick a prize, and what was so appropriate was this puzzle!

I love puzzles anyway, but after my embarrassing show of my lack of knowledge of the presidents, now I got something to help me learn them!

After the staff retreat I got to hit the road to San Diego, which was actually somewhat miserable with all the traffic, and pick up Jayna, who had flown in from North Carolina for the weekend, even in time to visit with Pam, Doug, Jack and Deb for a glass of wine on their deck overlooking the skyline and airport.

Well let's see; it was a great weekend (a little on the warm side, even in SD) full of fun and festivities, including (but not limited to) spa time, Gaslamp dinner and drinks, Old Town San Diego, Coronado, beach time, Mexico, Hillcrest brunch, Balboa Park, and both of our first times at Mission San Diego! I shall allow the pictures to tell the stories...

The start of it all, in Priya's beautiful condo. Priya's chez is our chez!

Old Town brunchy brunch

Inside San Diego's first schoolhouse. 

Class is in session

Don't worry, she's okay!

My Old Town bank with the space technology of an ATM!

Mission San Diego!

A warning that there was a wedding in progress would have been nice...

Last USA exit before...

Mexico! Notice how easy it is to enter...

Bienvenidos!

Tijuana mart

Lookin' good girl! She even got an offer for a Mexican boyfriend

Michelada, michelada, michelada...!

Adios!

I just realized that we basically recreated the same scene. Mexican Jayna and American Jayna look very similar, although her hair is only blowing in the wind in the US

At J6's rooftop bar. "Say Francisco!" "...and from different angles"

Historic Heart!

Balboa Park hospitality houses... Jayna's home!

I was reduced to playing in the fountain with the children. It was smoldering hot

Friends

Still friends

Catching up on some Game of Thrones!

My totally awesome super candid reading on the beach shot

Can you see the dolphin??

...what about now??

Jayna bought that ceramic chihuahua in Mexico and her real chihuahua apparently didn't take to it too well

I will say though, that I was completely, completely unaware of the atrocious conditions for getting back into the United States by car or by foot from Tijuana. Jayna and I got in line at 5:04pm. We stepped onto US soil with our things by 8:48pm. That was 3h44m of standing and waiting. And without being mentally prepared... yikes. However, because Jayna is my HBO Special, it actually wasn't too painful and we had plenty to talk and laugh about and made it back home with even enough energy to get some rooftop drinks in the Gaslamp.

There were so many amazing quotes from the weekend (aren't there always??) although the one I keep remembering that I can't stop laughing about is from during our wait in line in Tijuana...

A little girl walks by and stops in front of us, and starts juggling in an attempt to earn money. Jayna immediately turns away, saying "I can't look! I won't look! I don't want to be obligated to pay!" I am looking forward but can see her in my peripheral.

"I'm pretty impressed that she can juggle though," I say.

"Me too, but she needs to keep it moving!"

If you think of any more one-liners Jayna, shout 'em out!

Until next Labor Day... when Jayna and I will be reunited again, only this time, East Coast! (We decided to keep it Labor Day weekend since we met as coworkers. Only appropriate).

9.8.2014 Update: I just remembered Jayna and I met some guys while we were in the spa. During the conversation it came up that Jayna was from Germany and they asked if she was from the town of Dumbledorf. LOLOLOL!