The Four-Hour Pass

Farmer's Market, Riverside

The day started off with a quick trip to the farmer's market, downtown Riverside. They have the most wonderful organic fruits and vegetables, artisan breads and hummus. I picked up another tub of cilantro hummus which is fabulous with just about anything, a loaf of miner's sourdough bread, a variety of summer squash and a few peaches.

Today daughter got her first pass from rehab - four hours to fill anyway she chose. So how does a girl spend time? Shopping of course. We went to the Plaza and our first stop was at Borders where she and the boys had a Javanilla shake topped with a huge mound of whipped cream. Spent some time in the bookstore before we headed to Gottschalks. She wanted an outfit she could wear to future interviews and needed some shoes. We bought a black,brown and white print shell, slim brown skirt, brown slacks, 2 pair of shoes and a leather purse. She said that when she went out last week job hunting the only shoes she had were a half size too small and her feet hurt all day. She looked great in all the purchases and though this shouldn't matter - everything was on sale.

We then went to Islands for lunch and it was great to watch her interact with the boys. The atmosphere was very relaxed and we all had a good time.

After lunch we went to Paneras so she could bring a treat back to the girls in her apartment. We bought chocolate chip, oatmeal-raisin and shortbread cookies for them and I picked up a couple of cinnamon rolls for the husband that stayed home.

It was then back to the bookstore to pick up a few more items before we brought her back to her facility. We got there about 10 minutes before her deadline; if they are late it is a very serious matter. Lots of hugs, kisses and off she went. She is such a short-timer that that is probably her first and last pass. What a great day!