"Do you know the way to San Jose...

.... I've got a lot of friends in San Jose." Actually I don't have friends in San Jose but lots of family, some I've never even met. This is the home town of my mother and her siblings as well as my grandmother's home town. The popular song in 1968 always reminds me of my many visits to San Jose to see my grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousins.

I recently made a trip to San Jose to visit my brother who now lives there. It was such a short trip as it was business trip for my husband. But I did have a good time even though it was quite short.

While in San Jose we ate at an cool retro restaurant called Johnny Rockets. Its such a nostalgia place with red bar stools, and waiters dressed in 1940's outfits. They have good old fashion burgers and sodas. It's reminiscent of what was called the soda shops in that time period.

For me it reminded me of the summer I spent with my grandma when I was 13 and would meet her after she got off work and then ride the bus together to go downtown for dinner. We would visit her sister at a department store where she worked. Later, we went to Walgreen's which was a really small drug store with a soda counter and bar stools much like the one's at Johnny Rockets.

We had a wonderful dinner at this diner but I had a hard time holding back the tears as I reminisced of the times I spent with my grandma. Grandma went on to be with the Lord on September 10, 2001. The day before the crash of the twin towers. I will never forget that day when my siblings and I got the news on the way to visit grandma in the hospital.

On September 11, we were to fly home but due to the crash all flights were canceled. So my sister and I rented a car to make our journey home to OK and TX. At that time we weren't sure what was to happen next. All we could think of was getting home to our families and making sure our children were safe. Not that we could do anything mind you but just wanted to be home with our children and our husbands. We did make it home safely.