Wednesday was a day of goodbyes. First I took Andrea to the badass new International terminal at SFO, where we were stunned by the big shiny-ness of it all. We also had some issues figuring out where she needed to check in, it seems like you check in by flight so even though you stand in a line for several check in people, you can only be serviced by one or two of them. But really, I have no idea.

For once we were there early and I managed to sneak (okay, boldly walk because nobody in authoritah was paying attention) to the passengers-only section of the gate. Ma and Pa Tan were late, having waited upstairs because they figured I couldn't go into that magic area. The flight was headed to Tokyo so all of the announcements were first in Japanese, then English. Very surreal and I felt more white than usual.

After a teary goodbye I left the Tan clan at the gate and tried to get back to my car in the new parking garage, which was so new that the employees didn't know where it was. I got lost but eventually found my way back to the LizMobile.

There I was, driving down 101, minding my own business when I saw a little maroon Acura and thought hey, maybe that's Marci, my sister-in-law, a thought that was immediately followed by 'holy shit! That IS Marci!!' I honked and waved but she was in the Zone and didn't hear me. I used my trusty cell phone to call her and say 'look to your left.' She did and there I was, waving madly. We pulled over and talked.

What I'd dreaded hearing, what I didn't want to know but somehow knew, is that she's leaving. Moving to Vermont next Tuesday. It's not my place to share their business here but the whole thing makes me very very very sad. I miss her already. As we pulled away, me to make a right, she to make a left, I waved and blinked back tears, knowing that it was probably the last time I'd see her.

Of course, the paranoid in me made me also wonder if Andrea would return from her trip so it was a rough day. Around 1 am she called from Tokyo, where they'd arrived safely. She even held the phone out so I could hear the Airport People announcing stuff in Japanese, minus the English translation I'd had at the airport.