Stardust

We had one last night. Flew to San Jose, drove to Monterey, picked up our middle child for dinner. My husband was looking for a restaurant online, I said I wanted Steak Frites. He looked and looked. Finally gave me an address, I drove to it and we circled twice because we could see the lights on the roof but no parking.

We parked in the neighborhood and made our way to the hotel in front. The lobby inside reminiscent of our hotel in Minori, the gentleman at the desk says, looking for the restaurant, we nod, he points us down a hall and a staircase to the roof. A speakeasy restaurant.

Monterey is 50 degrees at night this time of year so every table has at least one heater and we make our way to a corner spot. We drink and eat, talk for hours, call our oldest on FaceTime, order dessert and hot tea. We explain to our waitress, do you still call them that—no, server, sorry. We explain to our server, we wanted to all be together. She asks if we are local and we explain he is pointing at the Loop—in school. She tells us the same—studying to be a teacher. We tell her we flew in from Arizona, she says she lived in Arizona. And there it is.

She is studying to be a teacher and she went to Mason’s middle school. I give her my contact info and let her know we are working on our California certification and she should do ASU online once she finishes her AA. I can help. It is the best.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing the right job, impacting the right things, making enough of an impact. I’m a person that needs a lot of validation, my husband will tell you, I’ll agree.

We fly 1000 miles to see our kid and run into someone that lived in our neighborhood. And she’s going to be a teacher. Stardust. Impact. Validation. A wink.

Also great restaurant, great food, great location, great drinks, best time.