Disney Date

Seriously Disneyland is one of the best date nights if you happen to live in Southern California and have a season pass. Even when I was a single gal - it is a great, easy night that you can do for free.

So we went last night (March 28th) and committed a HUGE tactical mistake. It was Spring Break and there could have been a BAZILLION people there. All attractions that included a fun ride of any sort was now out of the question, so we (me, Darren, Lexi, Casey) did the more neglected attractions of Disneyland. Maybe the ones no one really wants to do but just happens to have no lines and who likes being in a line?

So this off-the-beaten-track Disneyland was a fun blast from the past. We started with the train ride that circles around Disneyland, watched Honey I Shrunk The Audience (which I think was way more fun when I was about 15) and finished up with:

That's right - it is The Enchanted Tiki Room - you know where all of the birds and flowers talk? This was a hidden treat because my Mom always insisted on going to this attraction. It was strangely enough one of her favorites. She always thought the attractions were "so neat." That was her favorite terms when she liked something. However, it was fun to be in there and have Darren point out that she probably liked it because she finally got a chance to sit down and relax. Which was probably true!!!! Coming to Disneyland with a few kids would be tricky but 11 or so would be probably not very enjoyable for any poor mother. :)

So here's to the forgotten parts of Disneyland. Next time I am going to try and visit something else that is partially forgotten :)

Sad Neglect

My blog screams sad neglect every time I see the same old header. Which someday I promise I will change. I have so much to post - we had Bethany's wedding, Biggest Loser Competition, St. Paddy's Day and Easter - So the old posts will be in order, but sadly behind... So just to keep the sanity, I am going to actually do them slowly and surely.

One Sick Little Boy

And one terrible person with a camera.



Do you know how you have those moments in life when you can be a good person? And then you decide to be a bad person? This was one of those moments.

Enter my nephew Ezekiel, otherwise known as EZ. Such a sweet little guy. Who happened to get sick with a stomach bug this weekend in Arizona. True to form he didn't cry a lot, he just endured a sleepless night. Which unfortunately caught up with him in the morning. He simply crashed.

He fell asleep on his Mom's pregnant lap. As you can see, he is having a hard time resting his head because of her cute tummy. And being the bad people we are, my brother and I ran for the camera.

But come on - how can we resist? This guy is so cute!!!!

Lack Of Communication

This is a reference to my lack of effective communication with my 2 year old niece Arden. When we arrived at 10pm - she was awake because she is a party person. If there is fun anywhere in my house - she needs to be a part of it.

I had packed a free purse that someone at work had given me. It was a cheap, purple velvet number that had a heart on it. Something I would never use but perfect for a little girl. When I saw her I told her I had a present for her and proceeded to open my cosmetics bag to get the purple purse.

At that point she spotted a bag of my Kazuri beads, and exclaimed - "You brought me necklaces?????" I tried to explain that the necklaces were mine and the cheap purple purse was hers. She definitely has an eye for the more expensive item. She hardly paid any attention to her actual present. She was generous enough to let me take some pictures with all of her loot. And like the bad aunt I am - I took the necklaces back when she fell asleep in them.The purple purse is PERFECT for holding her new necklaces!


***As a sidenote I bought the Kazuri beads while in Kenya. They are handmade, hand-painted beads from a factory in Nairobi. Some of them were presents from my new family, so if there had not been a sentimental attachment, she probably would have went home with them.

Dropping like flies.....

So many people have been getting sick!!! My husband, sister, sister-in-laws, co-workers, neighbors - I am scared it is only a matter of time until I drop as well. This respiratory season has been terrible and from a business standpoint I love it. I sell antibiotics. I could make a killing. But as I was sitting in a doctor's office waiting to peddle some drugs, there were people hacking up lungs all around me. This particular office had a pediatrician practice as well and there were soooo many little people running around coughing on everything. Including me :) I am not typically a germophobe, but this season has kind of turned me into one.

I am now a freaky hand washer. Correction, I have always been consistent at washing hands, but now I have now taken it to a level where my hands get chapped more often than not. Every time I see one a container of hand sanitizer, I instinctively reach for it. On average, I am in 9 offices a day that doesn't even include the mini spray bottle of hand sanitizer in my car. So I am washing on the upwards of 20 plus times a day. In hopes I can kill those little guys before they take me down.

Wish me luck!

My newest best friend:

My Brother, The Biggest Loser?

Oh no, my brother got voted off the Biggest Loser!


Just kidding. This is Mark - one of my favorite contestants on the show. I am a fan and was bummed to see him go, but was it because he looks like my own brother so much? You decide:
I am not the only one that sees the resemblance. Let it be known, Tim is better looking and younger and never weighed upwards of 3 buck, however the grin and eyes and some facial expressions are pretty similar. When I mentioned how much they look alike to Tim, then forced him to watch an episode, I think he was offended. In his opinion, he has never been a big guy that needed to go to a fat camp to solve his bad habits. So he probably won't be too pleased with this post. :)

The Fun of Family

So let's talk about how much I sincerely enjoy my family. There is an instant friendship with all cousins, aunt, uncles - you name it - we just are a bonded group that enjoys each other. This is due in a large part to the fact that we try to meet together annually. This is a tough feat to pull off but worthwhile. Because of the efforts of my family, I can go to most cities in the Western Hemisphere and visit a family member.

In fact, I remember going to Israel in 2000 and having my mom email and remind me that my cousin Irene was in Haifa with her husband. We never met up but not for a lack of trying - our schedules just didn't permit the time.

So last night was a fun surprise. Darren and I were getting ready for bed on Sunday night and we hear a knock at the door at 10pm. Thinking to myself - who on earth can that be?, I open the door to see my cousin JB standing on my porch! I just starting laughing. I haven't seen in him about 3 years - and now he is the father to 2 children. Santa Vaca! So he came in and we chatted for about 45 minutes. Turns out he was visiting a friend that happens to live in my apartment complex and they mentioned I live around the corner and he decided to pop in for a visit and catch me up on the Jack Brown family news . It was a pleasant surprise and there was no worries about how messy things are or the fact that I am in sweats and ugg boots. Come on, it's family. Seeing how I often drop in unannounced on various family members, I sure hope they like the surprise as much as I do!

Picture from the 2005 Brown Family Reunion. This picture shows about 1/8th of the attendees.