Day Off? Disneyland!

So the reason I was able to go to Santa Barbara with Brian on Monday, was that I had the day off from work! I also had the day off on Tuesday, so we decided to go to Disneyland during the day (which we very rarely do). To me, this meant only one thing...petting zoo! Because I'm obsessed with animals and have a secret desire to live on a farm someday.









And that was the end to a great five days of freedom! Now it's back to the grind...

Calico Ghost Town

This past weekend my family and Brian (minus Mom) went camping with the Wolfs and extended family to celebrate Bad Grandpa's 80th Birthday. His great grandchildren coined that nickname and I think it's great. He's a trickster and practical joker so the whole weekend was basically about getting back at him. He got whip cream in his face, water balloons, and silly string! Not your typical 80th birthday, huh?

I went to Calico a lot when I was little, and Brian had been once before but didn't really remember anything. We had a good time seeing the sights. Here they are:


The entrance to the town. You can see Calico on the hill.


Brian and I being silly.


One of my favorites, the glass bottle house!


The old school house.


An overall view of the town.


Maggie's Mine, which Brian and I went into.


Brian's favorite picture! Here I am in the Chinese Bath Tub not ready to have my picture taken haha. Apparently there's a picture of me, Christian, and Jessica in it when we are little. I barely fit in it now!


Calico Cemetery - I didn't go because I was asleep. Hmph.


The train! Brian and I rode it - seemed a lot faster when I was a kid.


Well, that's it! We had a lot of fun exploring the town and even did some shopping. I bought an arrowhead, a magnet, and Brian bought me a jar candle from the Calico candle shop. We left Sunday afternoon, and the next morning Brian and I drove up to Santa Barbara so he could get some paperwork done and meet with Marcuse. We also caught up with friends and had a nice dinner at a Japanese restaurant. A very enjoyable weekend!

Moon Ring

The night before we went camping (post to follow on that), the moon had a ring around it. It was so beautiful - I had never seen anything like it before. I tried to take some pictures but it wouldn't come out. I think I need some kind of special camera or a filter. But I did find this picture from weather.com - although I think the moon I saw was bigger and brighter than this one.



I even woke up my mom and dad to come outside and look at it with us. Apparently it's caused by ice crystals. Awesome.

The Flood

Sorry about the lame title...I need to work on those. Anyway, last week we had some crazy weather in the Southern California area. I decided to visit Brian one day for lunch only to be told his entire street was flooded and it was impossible to get anywhere near his street. This of course intrigued me so I came anyway. Our street has never flooded before, but apparently this is a common occurrence in Brian's neighborhood.

I had to take some different side streets to get to his house, but I did. And here's what I found! And remember, this was AFTER it had gotten better.

Brian introduces me to the new lakefront property!


The water was higher than the sidewalk.


Brian's car being attacked by trashcans that someone decided to put out. No trash man today!


Brian heads out into the deep to pick up the trash cans.


We could have sailed or kayaked!



Thank goodness I had my cute polka dot rain boots. I was able to make it safely for lunch. It's supposed to rain tomorrow as well, and I say bring it on!

Funny Conversations

They may not be my kids, but as a nanny I tend to have just as many cute/funny conversations with the kids as any parent. I wish I was better at remembering them all! Here was Monday's conversation with Cameron, age 6.

Cameron: So did you do anything special this weekend? (After telling me about his weekend trip skiing).
Me: Not really, why?
Cameron: You didn't go anywhere?
Me: Well I went to Brian's house Friday and Saturday.
Cameron: That's special!
Me: It is?
Cameron: Yeah, going to Brian's house is special because you're getting married so it is special when you are together.
Me: You're right, it is special.

I love kids, they really have a neat perspective on life.