Some Weekend Fun

This weekend has been quite enjoyable, if I do say so myself. Friday, I was feeling a little down in the dumps and didn't want to do much. But we had already planned to meet some friends for the Berlin concert and I thought we should keep that commitment. So we went out to the Canyon Club and it was actually really fun. I only knew two of the songs - Take My Breath Away & Riding on the Metro - but the band wasn't half bad and the lead singer had some chops, so the whole show was pretty good. And I needed to get out of the house when I was feeling so blah.

On Saturday, I had a baby shower to go to. I wasn't looking forward to that either. (Let's be honest, I'm a little jealous of mothers-to-be. I know that's a horrible thing to say, but Hubs and I have had a hard time getting pregnant for the past year+ and sometimes I feel pretty envious. I also knew I would hear "You're next" about 30 times and it was so frustrating! So anyway, sitting through a baby shower wasn't at the top of the list for me.) Luckily I kept busy taking pictures and visiting with some of the in-laws. But I was still relieved when it was over. I rushed home and got out of my fancy clothes so we could eat some dinner. Had Daphne's (yum) and decided NOT to go to Target so we wouldn't spend extra money. Instead we walked over to the Linen's and Things and Shoe Pavilion, which are both going out of business, and spent WAY more than we would have at Target. So that didn't go according to plan, but it was fun...

After shopping, we met up with everybody to visit a local haunted house. The people that put on this haunted house every year seriously go all out! They start building the sets in August and finish just a couple days before Halloween. It is seriously so amazing. One of our best friends is behind the controls, and its something I look forward to seeing every year. And they really outdid themselves this time. It was a Wizard of Odz theme and I was totally blown away. Super, super fun and cool. And see how scared we look?

We drove around looking for more haunted houses, but I think the rest will be opening next weekend. Our options were running out since it was already getting so late at this point, but we did have just enough time to make it to Castaways. It's this awesome restaurant on top of the mountain that overlooks the whole city. They have firepits outside and it was just really nice. The 10 of us hung out there until they closed and then made our way to Bob's Big Boy - just like the good old days. It used to be our hangout every single weekend. But as we've gotten older (and chubbier) we don't go quite as often. So it was fun having the whole group together (minus one) and going back. We were like celebrities walking in with our entourage. The waiters know us and were happy to see all of us there. We had some major, major fun and I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. Literally crying, stomach aches, sore cheeks - the whole bit. It was hilarious.

Disney Day 2...and More!

This place just went from a mad-house to a little too quiet in a matter of seconds. I had my sister, nephew, brother and Dad visiting for the weekend and they just left to get on the road. It has been over a year since I've seen my pops and it was good to have him around for a bit. The cutest nephew in the world is walking now and it would just amaze me every time I looked at him. He's so funny pointing at everything, and laughing all the time, and being as stubborn as can be when it's time for a nap. Sister has been so good with him. She's been around him every day and it shows in his personality that he is loved and well taken care of. My brother was here just a couple weeks ago, but it is always good to see him too. He's just a cool cat - you know. Senior in high school. Goes with the flow. Funny too.

They all arrived Wednesday evening and we had dinner at Zankou - so dad could experience the best chicken in LA County. On Thursday we went to Disneyland and California Adventure all day. We were there long enough to get a second and then a third wind. And everyone seemed to have a blast. I think the Hidden Mickeys scavenger hunt went well. We all got pretty good at spotting them by the end of the day. The baby went on quite a few rides and then we took turns watching him so everyone could go on the roller coasters. For the cherry on top, we had great seats for the fireworks show. It is literally the best fireworks show I've ever seen in my life. I don't know how many times I've seen it now - and I'm not like a huge fan of fireworks - but it is so awesome. I feel like I'm 5 when I'm watching because my eyes light up and I'm just in awe with the whole thing.

On Friday after a pizza lunch, we kind of split up and the boys went to a movie while sissy and I went shopping. Then we all met up for dinner at BJ's Brewhouse. (If you can't tell yet - I totally over-ate this weekend!) We also ordered a movie on demand and munched on popcorn and soda until we were too tired and full to go on.

Saturday we decided to go to the Griffith Park Observatory since Dad wanted to see all the new renovations they made a couple years ago. We also got to see a show in the Planetarium. I didn't have high expectations for that, but it was actually really good and interesting. We then headed off for a sushi lunch with Hubby's parents and that was a lot of fun. They brought birthday presents for the baby (he will be 1 in a few days!) and our dads got to finally sit down together and swap stories. It was like a match made in heaven. Haha. After some relaxing and TV watching, the rest of the gang went for a late dinner at Bob's Big Boy while the Husband and I stayed here with the sleeping baby.

Today, we all just sort of hung out and took some time to unwind from the busy weekend. We grabbed a quick lunch and watched some movies on TV before they decided it was time to go. But I'm glad that they all came and I hope they had as much fun as I did. Thanks for the memories, Fam.

Disney Day 1

So we got a pretty good group together for Dineyland this past weekend. There were 8-9 friends that ended up going and it was a really fun day. We arrived at the park around lunchtime and pigged out before hitting the rides. We got on all the big ones (thank goodness for the FastPass) and even a few smaller ones - which were sometimes even scarier than the roller coasters! We pumped ourselves up with high fives all around and made everything exciting. Some people hadn't been to the park in so long that it was almost like the first time. We took in the sights and the park was even decorated for Halloween, so that made it extra adorable. The husband almost got in trouble for spinning me on the teacups too fast, but nothing a little Tylenol couldn't fix. I bought my first Mickey Mouse t-shirt and even clip on ears for me and the birthday girl. The spirit of Disneyland just really got to me! Which is good because I'm going again on Thursday while my family is here visiting. And I'm still excited even though the two trips are so close together. I also have a new hobby of trying to spot "Hidden Mickeys" and bought a book so we can have a scavenger hunt through the park. Should be pretty great!

But anyway - thank you, friends, for an awesome day. Hopefully we will do it again before another 10 years pass by. Loves to my besties.

Employed

So I very quickly and randomly got a job as a Photography Assistant for a company that does school pictures. Today was my first day. There were a couple pros and cons. The pros are that with this company, you get 6 weeks off during the winter and 8 weeks off during the summer. It's also a fairly easy gig. I'm not behind the camera yet, just assisting the other photogs and trying to keep the day running smoothly. The cons are that I'm on the Waking-Up-At-The-Butt-Crack-Of-Dawn schedule (again), the days are long and the pay is practically nothing. So I'm happy that I found something so quickly but just need to try it out for a couple weeks to see if I like it enough to be waking up at 4:30 or 5am every day.

One thing is for sure - school pictures have come a long way!

Exploring Possibilities

This week has been busy and good. I've started looking for some part-time work because things with the home business have slowed down a lot. We are expecting next summer to be completely insane again, but for the time being I feel like I have a really good opportunity to try some new things that I've been curious about. My schedule is flexible, I don't have the ties of a corporate job holding me back for the first time in my life, and my husband is super supportive - what better time to explore the possibilities? I'm online every day looking for various types of jobs so we'll see what comes of that.

And I'm not the only one exploring possibilities. This weekend my Mom and youngest brother came into town to help move my bro (who has been staying with us the past 5 months) into his very own apartment! He didn't have much, but moving always seems to be exhausting no matter what. He is excited to be on his own and he will be starting a new job soon, so its all pretty great. I never expected that he'd want to stay and live in L.A. but it grows on you - can't blame the guy! I'm really happy that he stayed close by and he's really happy that he's not sleeping in our dining room anymore. Haha. Lots of good things will come to him for working hard and taking chances.

I've also explored the possibility of taking one of my besties to Disneyland for her birthday and we decided to go next weekend. I'm so excited. It has been determined that I will likely take lots of pics and that we will have loads of fun. Can't wait.