Last Stop in Cali

Oakland, CA

After a total of 12 cities in California, things were finally coming to a close.  We were concluding our last and final stop in the Golden State, but not without a bang. 

And since Oakland itself didn’t exactly have a lot to offer and wasn’t exactly the safest, we all ventured into the famed and well known, San Francisco.  While some chose to walk through the city, others chose to bike from Pier 39 with the Sea Lions to and across the Golden Gate Bridge and through Sausalito to ferry back to the beginning for Lombard Street and night views of the city. 

San Fran is also home to Mrs. Doubtfire’s (who was portrayed by the late Robin Williams) house as well as the Full House, house which is set to return to television soon!  Ahh that took me back to my childhood after hearing that.  

Speaking of childhood, I was also reunited with my very first skating coach!  She was the one who dried my tears and got me to step foot on the ice for my first private lesson at group lessons.  She is the reason I am still skating today because without her, I may never have left my Dad’s side.

Needless to say, I was really excited to go skating and fell in love with Kristi Yamaguchi (who also comes into the story a little later) and I wanted to be just like her, but that first day the nerves got the best of me.  All the loud voices and crowds of people intimidated me.  Adding to it, my skates weren’t tied right and I had never been out of reach of my parents in a public place before.  I was overwhelmed. 

And all of a sudden just as my dad was loosing patience with me and told me that if I didn’t stop, we were leaving, this voice and open hand takes me to the ice.   And just like that, I start gliding and moving across the ice and before I knew it, my tears were dried and I was on my way. 

Years and years later (20 almost to the week to be exact) we were reunited and it couldn’t have felt any better.  I cannot thank Olympic Ice Dancers and Inventors of Rockerz, Beata Handra and Charles Sinick enough! 

And just when I thought things couldn’t get any better; they did! 

As I mentioned above, Kristi Yamaguchi is my all-time favorite skater and guess who came to the show?!?!  Exactly!  I was officially star-struck. 

Here I was as a little girl always looking up to her and wanting to be like her, watching each performance she did and now she was in the audience and I was the one performing.  It is a feeling that I can’t quite explain, but it was almost as if it were magical. 

Coming back from Cloud 9, it was time to get moving and off to the home of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games!