Disneyland (3 Blog Stories)

There are so many great stories today from Disneyland that I can't decide what story I should tell for the blog. So since I can't decide I will give you my top three. Here goes:

Blog Number 1-Title: Guest of the Day

Coming into Disneyland this morning, James, Sydney and I were awarded the Guest of the Day by the Disneyland Transportation Department. This means we were able to park in the very first spot in the Pinnochio parking lot (54 steps away from the tram drop off-yes I counted)


Blog Number 2-Title: Somebody Really Likes Dumbo (Hint: It's Not Joshua or Dad)










Blog Number 3-Title: The Cutest Girls in the World











If I had only done one of these blogs which one would have been the been the best?

Stores Closing

I got the email below and I am not sure if any of this is true but thought I would pass it on. Frankly, I don't see anyone spending less, every store I go to has long lines. The other day at Macy's the children's department alone had lines over 20 people deep. But the economy is tanking.......

Anyway, here is the email: If you have gift certificates to any of these stores you might want to use them quickly.
Watch those store money cards and gift cards.. and credit slips! Stores that informed the Security Exchange of closing plans between October 2008 and January 2009:


Circuit City stores... most recent (? how many)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered
Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down all stores
J. Jill closing all stores
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores
Macy's to close 9 store s after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pacific Sunware closing stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Lowes to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores.

Outside My Office Window (Take 2)

The other day, Tim wrote a blog stating that the highlight of his work year is when the window washer comes to clean the window. RO! This was one of my very first blog topics back in October 2006.

Check out Tim's view outside his office window in the blog entitled Window Washing

then

Check out my blog entitled Outside My Office Window

I think it's interesting that Tim wishes he could be a window washer because it's so cool and the thought of it absolutely terrifies me. I guess that's the difference between boys and girls.

P.S. When I pulled up Tim's profile right now, I was the 222nd person to view it. Cool huh?

Famous Star Friday

In elementary school everybody looked forward to getting to Junior High and one of the main reasons was because the big junior highers had Carl's Jr Famous stars delivered to them on Friday. You could stand in line at the lunch tables and buy your Famous Star with cheese for 2 bucks.

I haven't had a Famous Star since than, until today. My Carls Jr sandwich of choice is the Sante Fe Chicken but for some reason when I was waiting in the drivethrough today I had a hankering for a Famous Star, which made me think of Jr high, which led me to this blog topic.

24 The Redemption

Make sure you don't miss the redemption of 24 movie this Sunday!!!!!!!

On Fox, 8/7c

I am so happy that so many people started watching 24 at my suggestion. I am not happy with those that have not tried or watched 24 at my suggestion. No, I am not happy at all.

Flashback Friday (25)

Me and Dad

When Mike Buys Dinner

You get fat......










Bread
Mozzarella Garlic Bread
Margherita Pizza
Chopped Antipasto Salad
Caesar Salad
Chicken Parmigiana
Chianti Braised Short Ribs
Lasagna
Fettuccine Alfredo
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Homemade Cheesecake
Double Dark Chocolate Cake

and check out the waitresses name!!!!!!!

"I'm It"

Does the driver of this Toyota have a high opinion of themselves or are they in the midst of a game of tag? (That's the question before me and James today) Nice coincidence on the Kim's Hapkido too.

BFF's With Their Bottles

Can't you just see these two at Starbucks in 20 years?

Newsflash California!

Prop 8 passed! Whether you were for it or against it, it passed. The people spoke. Why is it that so many on the left (not all) only approve of our Democratic Nation when the vote goes their way? Since the Presidential election I have heard over and over (Referring to Obama's victory) that "This was the first time in 8 years that the people were heard". Really???? Give me a break, the people spoke, Obama won. 4 years ago, the people spoke and George Bush won, 4 years before that, the people spoke and George Bush won, 4 years before that, the people spoke and Bill Clinton won. That's how it works!

In California this Prop 8 protesting is becoming really annoying. Today, the 101 freeway was shut down because of protesters, there was another large protest I saw in Pasadena, basically there are protesters everywhere. (Note pictures below). I'm sorry folks but the people voted "Yes" 52% to 47%-Whether you like it or not, prop 8 won.

Happy Birthday....On the Sidebar!

In the last 3 weeks I have heard a number of comments suggesting that my blog had become the family blog and that it was basically not nearly as interesting. I looked back and indeed there were a lot of birthday's, anniversary's and special events and not very many stories.

So......changes are a coming.

I am changing the birthday/event celebration to be in the sidebar. If I find something particularly amusing for the birthday I may do a regular post but if not it will be on the sidebar. Love you, love your show!

Barb is the first sidebar celebration!!!!!!! Check it out today!!!!

Flashback Friday (24)

The best mom! I Love You!

These Are Your Leaders

(Formerly titled bizarre makeovers)

Overheard at Starbucks

Barista taking order: Blah blah blah blah
Customer: Blah blah blah blah
Barista taking order: Blah blah blah blah
Customer: Blah blah blah blah
Barista taking order: And what is your name?
Customer: Row, R-O.
***KT's interest immediately peaks***
***KT begins visually assessing Ro and the contents of her purse and learns the following:*** (Another, reason not to carry a purse-prying eyes)

• Ro's full name is Rozanna Rozy
• Ro carries a purse
• Ro lives in Pasadena

Ro with her stuff sprawled all over the counter to KT: I'm sorry for taking so long
KT: That's okay, take your time.
Ro with her stuff sprawled all over the counter to KT: OK

***Ro takes her time gathering her crap while KT continues to gather information on Ro***:

• Ro has a regular AAA card not a gold card like me
• Ro is a Raiders fan
• Ro is a mom of two
• Ro orders white chocolate mocha's
• Ro is odd (When the Barista asked KT if there was money on her gold card and KT answered yes Ro responded for everyone to hear "That's because she is rich"
• Ro has a terrible hair cut

SLA's and Penalties at Circuit City

If you order something online at www.circuitcity.com it is guaranteed to be ready for in-store pickup within 24 minutes. I wonder who came up with this? I like it but how did they come up with the measurement. Staffing and workload is not the same at every location but they must staff to be able to turn an item around in 24 minutes. When considering staffing do they factor in the odds that most people probably won't be there within 24 minutes?

If the item is big (like a projection 60 inch TV) it would cause more manpower (potentially) and effort than a pair of noise cancelling headphones. If you are there and your item is not ready in 24 minutes than you will receive a $24.oo Circuit City gift card. I am sure they measure how many gift cards are given out by sales associates and I wonder how many cards you have give out before you are disciplined. Do the managers consider the volume of work when disciplining?

Rewind 3 Weeks

Three weeks ago I was in Georgia. I went there on a trip with my BFF to visit somebody that we had been stalking over the Internet. It was a fantastic visit and we ended up staying with the family we were stalking. As a bonus, I got to meet Paula and learn about the Brighter Side of Life while having fun with funaholics. The first night, I didn't see much more than this but I got to talk and hang out in the office. The second day consisted of fun, fun and more fun-we even filmed episode 3 of the Kim and Laura show. It all ended up with a big bowl of jambalaya-Actually the best jambalaya on the planet. The whole trip was stocked full of Southern hospitality and I was very happy that we picked someone so cool to befriend.

So three weeks later I pretend that I have returned to Georgia by making the best jambalaya in Southern California (with my mom). It was so good! I even bought the same hot sauce as Jim and Andrea. Delicious! It was a big hit with everyone in the family.

I officially want to thank the Braun's for letting us stay at their lovely bed and breakfast. I miss all of you and can't wait to see you again!!!!!!

P.S. For all of you that may be wondering how we met this family: Jane and I stumbled across her blog and one of us said "She looks cool, lets make her our friend". Andrea, we are sooo glad that we did! Hugs and Kisses for the whole family from California!

The Newspaper Container Police

The other day Larry and I were walking up Lake Avenue for lunch and I noticed that several of the newspaper and magazine containers had Pasadena PD tickets. Really? Do newspaper containers really get tickets? Don't the cops have better things to do than this? I wonder what happens if you don't pay it or fix it?

Flashback Friday (23)

When Andrew got up before noon.

Liz, Kim, Sydney and the Wish Trees

Tonight, Liz was in town and Sydney and I ventured to old town Pasadena with her. After partaking in my favorite Sushi (yum yum, Shima roll) We discovered Wish Tree Pasadena, which is part of Yoko Ono's Imagine Peace tribute to John Lennon. There were 21 wish trees and you could take part by placing your wish on the tree. The wishes will be collected at the end of this week and sent to Yoko Ono. They will ultimately be sent to Iceland for inclusion in the Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island off the main shore.

The wish trees were really cool and they included all kinds of wishes ranging from the sincere "I wish my dad didn't have cancer" to the dreamer "I wish I was like Michael Phelps" to the funny "I wish you were like me". So of course, we took some pictures for the blog:






Note my attempt above to get a picture without cutting off Sydney's head. Below is me putting my wish on the wish tree. I thought and thought trying to come up with the perfect wish. On the list in my head there was "I wish I won the lottery", "I wish work decisions were easier", "I wish Palin was elected VP". There were many wishes I considered but I finally came up with this one:

Fun at Sky Harbor Airport

From last week....

Election Results-Facebook Style

Here is a compilation of my Facebook friend's election related statuses tonight. (After results were in) What a diverse group of people! God Bless America!

Jeff is wondering from all his friends "What was their number one reason FOR voting Obama?"
Kevin is not watching the news tonight
Monique is watching the election. This is SO exciting!
Nicole is drinking a margarita and getting ready to celebrate.
Dan is looking at the Confederate States. Do they know he's only half black?
Tim will begin stocking up on canned goods and guns for the coming depression – God help us and forgive the Obamdisciples.
Carol needs to pray for the leaders of our country more than ever.
Donna is going to start FERVENT prayer for our new president.
Kris MAY GOD HELP US ALL!!!!!!!.
Dannell says Barack Obama is the next President of the United States. We are ready for change!!!
Paula is a little worried.
William i pledge allegiance.... to the flag... of the United Socialist States of America.
Ruth is now waiting for prop results.
Jamie is crying.... HALLELUJAH!!!!
Ricarda is celebrating our 44th president elect!!!
Laura is not happy with electoral college votes.
Linda is thankful that God is sovereign.
Noel is glad to be alive, to see this day!!!!!!!
Olivia is watching history......and loving every moment of it!
Jenn does not like the electoral college either.
Kfug wants to know what is the purpose of the popular vote??
Marla is praying!
Sara is pondering where to hide my "wealth" - hey, it's not much, but I earned it and would like to keep it!
Regina is blessed to live in a nation where we all have a choice, built by immigrants from all nations and all colors.
Courtney thinks that getting majority in both the Senate AND the House should speak for itself.
Marci voted just minutes before 8:00 (after the race had already been determined) and it still felt incredible!!!
Pat is Defecting.
John is surprisingly impressed.
Courtney thinks it doesn't really matter who the President is, because GOD is still in charge!
Bill is having fun reading everyone's Status Updates and seeing everyone's take on tonight's election.
Christian believes that yes we can!
Hazel is amazed at the tears flowing down my face during the acceptance speech!!!
Kyle God Help Us.
John is sad we didn't win but is still very proud to be an American.
Duane is so humbled and hopeful. The President of the United States of America has my full support!
James is where do we begin? Lord help us.
Pietro is wondering if people voted for Obama just because of it being History or because of the kool-aid he put in everyones cup.
Michelle is having mixed feeling about everything tonight.
Rich Congrats to us all. We now have our president and after a tear inducing speech of "YES WE CAN", I am once again optimistic about America!

Oh, and mine: Kimberly is wishing the election produced different results.

Two Elections Stories and a Fact

(1) First, my cousin's son, Christian voted for the first time. It is awesome voting for the first time! The first time I voted I lost too, Christian. :Here is the story from Christie:

Today is Christian's first time voting! How great this was :) First we went and had the normal at Starbucks. Venti, white chocolate mocha with an extra shot, extra hot, with whip. Mr. Nathan had some iced thing...Then stood in line for almost an hour to vote. Nathan was hoping this would take all day to miss school...lol! he cracks me up....

(2) This sign was at my polling place. When I saw it It made me feel bad for the the Russian's and all of the others that have been left off. After all this is America.......

A fact: No democrat has been elected to the senate from Kansas since 1932. Love you, Jules.

Monday's Adventures

This morning, I got up, under protest attended the now 7:00AM Operations Call and took Sydney to grandma's. I was working from home today so that I could get caught up on my outstanding tasks so I returned home and spent the next 3.5 hours working. I went out at 11:00 to go grab a Starbucks and as soon as I walked out of the house I realized that I had locked myself out.

The couple times I have locked myself out before I just climbed in through one of our 1938 windows but this weekend our 1938 windows were removed and replaced with 2008 windows. It is much more difficult to break into 2008 windows. So what does a girl do? She calls her mom and says "Can you please bring over my spare keys. I know it will be a pain to put all 3 kids in the car but please?" She starts to say "Sure" and then remembers that the FIRST time I forgot to leave Sydney's car seat at her house was today. OF COURSE!!!! So, I decide that I will walk the 2 miles to mom's house.

I make a couple of calls and on the way over I have to swap my Blackberry battery. I may not have my house/car keys but I did have my spare Blackberry battery in my pocket. (I know I am a freak) At this point, mom calls and states the following: "The kids and I are going for a walk so how about we meet you on the way" I thought this was super nice and would no doubt save me alot of time. So we meet.....it happens to be in front of address 2207 (Of course) I ask mom for the keys and she looks at me and says "Oh, I haven't looked for them yet". I say back to her "What? Then what are you doing here" and she says back "Well, I didn't even think about bringing them we just thought it would be nice to meet you".

So all and I all it worked out ok because Andrew got up and drove me home....but as I write that I am wondering why we just didn't get him up a half hour earlier and have him drive the keys over. If he had though I would have missed out on taking these great pictures:

Mozzarella Sticks and A New Kitchen

In August of 2004, I had a miscarriage. I was hanging out and not working for a couple days, depressed and just watching TV. I stopped at the Food Network on "Everyday Italian". Now, it is important to note that I rarely cooked. We did alot of ordering out in the early years of our marriage. Anyhow, as I watched Giada De Laurentiis I had an epiphany, "I can cook", "I can made that" and more importantly "I want to cook". So what was she making? Mozzarella sticks.

I leaned over to David and I said "I need a gourmet kitchen, if you get me one I will cook all the time". Next I said, "I want to make Mozzarella sticks". So, David went off to the grocery store and picked up all the ingredients and I made the best mozzarella sticks ever! Oh and 5 months later our kitchen had been transformed from this:









to this:










Thanks for the kitchen, honey! P.S. If you want to make the best mozzarella sticks at home, here is Giada's great recipe:

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Italian-style dried breadcrumbs
1 1/3 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
2 (16-ounce) blocks pasteurized mozzarella cut into 4 by 1/2-inch sticks
4 large eggs, beaten to blend
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 cups Marinara Sauce

Directions
Stir the bread crumbs, 1 cup of Parmesan and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl to blend. Dip the cheese in the eggs to coat completely and allow the excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Coat the cheese in the bread crumb mixture, patting to adhere and coat completely. Place the cheese sticks on a baking sheet. Repeat dipping the cheese sticks in the egg and bread crumb mixture to coat a second time. Cover and freeze until frozen, about 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the cheese until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer the fried cheese to plates. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve with the Marinara Sauce.

Life's Lessons Caught On Camera