We arrived at the San Jose Airport for a mid-morning flight to Long Beach. It was my first time to ever fly JetBlue Airlines. We had been packed into a Buick Enclave for 10 days so this flight was a welcomed ride. It was great for me because the flight from San Jose to Long Beach was $39.00 plus tax so all five of us flew for less than $250 total. When we boarded the plane, one of the first things all of us noticed was that JetBlue offers DirectTV at each seat. How cool is that? Catching up on ESPN made the trip pass quickly. We landed in the Long Beach airport and discovered that it was about the size of Bush Field in Augusta. We rented a van and headed to Anaheim.
Once in Anaheim, we stopped at a local Mexican Restaurant for lunch. This place had been in business for nearly 50 years. It was clean and very nice, but the food had a similar taste as the Mexican Restaurant in Oakhurst. So, it dawned on me that California Mexican food tastes different than Tex-Mex or good old Pablano’s or Veracruz back home. I prefer Tex-Mex. After lunch we made an agreement that said, “No more Mexican food on this trip.”
When we checked into the Embassy Suites, the boys rushed to find out if the television had input capabilities. It did … whew. Input capabilities provided Stuart and Samuel the ability to connect the X-Box and play NCAA College Football 2010. Yes, we took the X-Box from Augusta to California. I know a lot of parents complain about X-Box and so forth but not us.
It was neat that the boys could play MLB game with San Francisco Giants verses the San Diego Padres on X-Box and then go to ATT park and see it live. MLB is great, but nothing is better than NCAA College Football. One reason that we live this game is that Samuel has mastered the game much to Stuart’s chagrin.
What does it mean for Samuel to have mastered the game? It means that the University of South Carolina typically wins the National Championship every season. The graphics in this game are amazing and also with a little ingenuity you can download the actual rosters, so when South Carolina plays UGA, the quarterback is Stephen Garcia. We know that the game is fictional but when you are lost in the moment, you get that championship feeling.
While the boys were playing Xbox, I took the girls to have their nails done. We found a salon in Anaheim where the stylists declared that Patty was Sarah’s sister and not the mother. I think that they walked out with mixed emotions. Patty left thinking, “All that money that I have invested in high dollar skin cream must be working.” Sarah left thinking, “What? Are they blind? Can they not see? So, that’s what happens when you sniff nail polish for extended periods of time?”
While the girls were in the salon, I made my way over to the neighborhood Wal-Mart. It was here that I decided that over all Californians are friendly. I think that I went to California thinking that it would be like New York, but I was wrong. The managers in this store were helpful, the cashiers were talkative and the customers were considerate. Seriously, I thought that Southerners were the friendliest people in America. Well, that may be true, but those folks on the West Coast are close behind.
As I think back over my shopping excursions, the week before this nail salon experience, we were in Wal-Mart in Arcadia, CA and a lady asked me to help her reach some Vanilla Wafers on the top shelf. I was glad to help and I said, “You are not making banana pudding with those wafers, are you?” Of course, when I say the words, “banana pudding” my Southern accent kicks in. She said, “Yes.” I responded, “I did not think that people in California knew how to make banana pudding.” She said, “I’ve got Southern roots.” We both laughed and went on. Later that evening, we had dinner that evening in Downtown Disney at the Rain Forest Café. It was a great evening and got us mentally prepared for the next day at Disneyland.
On Wednesday, we got up early and ate breakfast and headed to Disneyland. It was the perfect time to visit a theme park. By this time, we had seen a lot natural beauty and had experienced a little sports and some culture. Now, it was time for a roller coaster. We bought a park hopper ticket and started the day at California Adventure. Our first ride was a simulated ride that made you think that you were flying over the state of California. Patty, Samuel and I had ridden this ride two years ago when we vacationed in Southern California and loved it. We wanted Stuart and Sarah to experience this ride too. It’s phenomenal especially since we had just visited Yosemite, San Francisco and the like. As you flew over the orange groves a scent of oranges was released in the room. It made the flight seem so real. We left there and hit the Ferris wheels and the roller coasters. We had lunch and then headed across the way to Disney. Disney was great. The Disney Corporation is a notch above most companies in America. They play at the top of their game. They know how to create experiences that allow people to make lasting memories. We enjoyed our day at Disney. Thanks Micky, Minnie and all the gang!
We made it back to the hotel exhausted and ready for a good night’s rest. We were all in one room that night which meant that we got to go to sleep with the sounds of X-box or ESPN Sports Center playing in the background. At the Baker household, we don’t need many channels, only a few ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN NEWS and ESPN Classic.
On Thursday, we traveled down to Artesia where we toured the Olea Kiosk and Exhibit Company. This company provides Patty and SecureGive most of the units that they market. The owner, Frank Olea, gave us a personal tour and showed us their process. They were in the middle of producing 1200 units for one deployment, but in the middle of that deployment we noticed two units that had church names on them and that meant that they were headed to SecureGive churches. It was funny because the IT guy heard that I was there and came down and said, “Since you are here, I am having a problem with a Pin Pad on a church kiosk. Can you take a look at it.” I agreed. As I was going through the software setup and so forth, this thought hit me, “I am working on a computer on an assembly line in a warehouse in Southern California.” I never thought that I would be doing that. Well, long story short, after twenty minutes or so, I could not figure it out. I said to myself, “No, I am on vacation.” I agreed to remote back in later if a solution came to my mind. I later found out that it was not our fault, nor was it Olea’s fault, but the bank did not set up the account for PIN debit. Oh, the details.
We left Olea and drove to Long Beach where we checked into the Hyatt Regency. If you have never been to Long Beach, you are missing out. It was one of the nicest places on the trip. The hotel was on the small harbor there. The shore was lined with a beautiful walkway and several restaurants. It was great, but when we arrived there, it was a reminder that our vacation was coming to a close and that we had to change gears.
We were staying at Long Beach because that is where the National Association of Church Business Administrators Annual Conference was being held. The NACBA is the grand-daddy of all church business conferences. Patty had a booth for SecureGive at the conference and she, Stuart and Sarah worked that booth. I, on the other hand, hung out at the Bank of the West booth. This bank, who holds the mortgages for Stevens Creek Church, is the leader in church lending. They stepped in two years ago and provided us with funding that local banks could not touch. We are deeply appreciative of their kindness and their willingness to fund our expansion. So, once or twice a year (maybe three times this year) I am a non-paid representative for Bank of the West at trade shows.
Well, there’s a little more to the story. Bank of the West is a Business partner with SecureGive. They sell giving kiosks with the Bank of the West branding on it, but the machinery and the software is powered by SecureGive. It’s nice to have them on your side. Here’s a side note. Two years ago, the President of Church Lending for Bank of the West, Dan Mikes, submitted the giving kiosk in their parent company’s most innovative products contest. Bank of the West is owned by a French Bank that is one of the top five banks in the world. They flew Dan to Paris to receive a second place award for the most innovative product of the year. It would have been nice to have the inventor of the giving kiosk on that trip, wouldn’t it? Oh well. That’s life. We are almost done. Stay tuned for one more round.
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