California Here We Come

My mom had a sister in California and she had offered us her home and my mom and her shared this place together. It was me, my sisters, my mom, my aunt and her son, Jay.
 Jay was about 11 months younger than me. We lived in a Town-House in San Diego. I was just a little over two, and we lived in San Diego for a couple of years. I was almost three years old when I met my birth father for the first time. I was so wow-ed by him. I thought that he was the greatest guy in the whole world. 
  My sister didn't think so. My older sister thought that he was kind of a jerk and would tell me sometimes. I was always surprised that she thought that way, I mean... It was her dad too! I would say I wish dad would come and she would say, "He is never coming, why do you always talk about dad, he doesn't love us because if he did he would see us all the time, get over it" In retrospect, I wish I had her wits. I wish I would have been able to forget my birth father as easily as she had. I think that it would have helped me heal from years of pain that my birth father cause by believing all his lies. Now, mind you, He would be well intended. He would say, I am coming back tomorrow, or I am going to have you and your sister stay with me in the Summer, we can do many things in Alaska in the Summer, or he would say, If you behave I will buy you more clothes when I see you. Another one was "Do you like Jewelry? Well, I will give you all the Jewelry you want if you mind your mom and do what she says" I remember that one because I love jewelry and heck, yeah I wanted all the jewelry ... But it never came. 
  More highlights to my memories living in California.
 We would go to the Balboa Park and we would  play in the fountain. That is, until the Park Ranger would come by and tell us that we are not allowed to play in it. We would also go to the beaches on the bus and we would eat at Jack in the Box. I liked Jack in the Box. We moved out of my aunts place because she got married to a Mexican and we had an out door Wedding for her. It was really pretty wedding.  Danae and I were dressed like twins. We were Rice Girls. We passed rice to all the guests to throw at the Bride and Groom after they married. (***Sad Side Note***: Later you will find the reason my aunt Marriage dissolved, but it did)
 We moved to a place that for some reason to this day I hate little dogs. There is a specific reason for this. First of all I never thought little dogs were the least bit cute. Ever. 

This was taken about the time we were living in California. My birth father would have seen me about this age for the first time. Hard to imagine something so cute he would tell my mom I am not his, Huh? Yep, He did that.

 There is a reason I hate poodles, too.  There was a poodle that lived behind us. To the left of the Gully. We lived in the top of the Gully and there was a door going to the back streets and the side walk to the swinging bridge. I liked going to the swinging bride. I did not like walking near the house with the gray poodle. It would always bark so viciously and bare teeth. Right next to that home was the home with a German Shepard, who was so docile, I thought it was the sweetest dog in the world. I  once ran away from home with my red radio flyer wagon, a blanket and some food and was going to the swinging bride when I thought that the poodle was going to be nice to me, because it did not bark as ı walked by so I stuck my head in the iron bars to get a closer look at the dog when it started jumping at me and barking and scratching my face. A lady with a huge Cherry Red really cool looking Chevy pulled up on the side of the house and jumped out. I had seen the truck before and I am sure she was the owner of the house. She had a deeper voice, was wearing a tank top and had these really weird looking tattoos in her arms, but she was so nice because she helped free me from the poodle, and   after that I would see her and wave to her. My mom would have a lady come to talk to me, and the lady would bring me puzzles to play with, she would ask me questions and she would give me books to read. I have no idea her reasoning for being there. But I liked reading the books and the puzzles.