After my last post it occurred to me that I haven't shared my love for the game Carcassonne yet. Maybe I have, but I don't think so. Anyway, this is another great game that Holly & Craig introduced us to a while back. We went absolutely nuts over it. We have the deluxe game with lots of extensions as well as the Xbox version. Our boys love to play it and we are surprised at how good they are getting at it. We had expected it to be over their heads, but they caught on pretty quickly. If you ever have the chance to play... do it! You'll be hooked too.

If you know me at all, then you know I am a sucker for board games. I'm one of those people who could, would and wants to stay up all night long playing game after game. Well, tonight I was introduced to two games I had never played before by Holly & Craig (family & fellow game enthusiasts). The first game we played is called Cutthroat Caverns. It was one of those games that sounds overly complicated until you start playing and it all just falls into place. It's a great game for people with a good attitude because a bit of backstabbing is necessary. Can't wait to play thi sgame again and again!

The second game we played is called Blokus. It's a strategic tile game that is super simple, but loads of fun. I think my boys would even enjoy playing this one. Good for the whole family! I'm pretty sure this game has been around for a while, but somehow it had eluded me until now. I feel like I have to make up for lost time on this one.

What is are your favorite board games? We are always looking for games to add to our collection and fun people to play them with.

Do you remember Pup 'N' Taco? If so, then you probably remember their delicious taco burgers and grape & cherry slushes. Oooh, the fabulous fattening goodness! That is the taste of childhood for me. If I only had a time machine, I would go back to 1980 just to have a taco burger and a cherry slush one last time. I can even remember the taste of their hot sauce that I use to pour all over it. Mmmmm

My Uncle Skip was good friends with Russell Wendell (who is the founder of both Pup 'N' Taco and Big DoNut. Yep, the place with the GIANT doughnut on the roof in Inglewood). According to my Mom, my Grandfather liked to go and help in the kitchen of the South Normandie store just for fun after he retired. She says he liked to be compensated for his work in silver dollars that he shared with his grandchildren on their birthdays. The manager of the Normandie store was Barry Harmon, my uncles best friend since the first grade. I guess that's why we were there so much.

Sadly, Taco Bell bought all the Pup 'N' Taco stores (nearly 100 locations) in the 80's. I guess that's where they got the idea for the Bell-Beefer, which was good but not the same. {hmph!}

"In a monumental victory for the gay rights movement, the California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on gay marriage today in a ruling that would allow same-sex couples in the nation's biggest state to tie the knot."

How freakin' cool is that? I am so excited to see these kind of changes taking place in our world. It gives me hope that humans are continuing to evolve. It gives me hope for the world my children are growing up in. It's a small step towards a brighter future.

I believe in LOVE and I believe in FAMILY. Every human being deserves both. That's all there is to it!

Labels: politics

We had a really exciting weekend! Friday I took my Mom to see Made Of Honor with Patrick Dempsey. It was cute. I don't watch a lot of chick flicks, but my Mom loved it. Saturday was Drew's birthday so we all went out to breakfast then caught an early showing of Speed Racer, which I had high hopes for when I first heard about it. I expected it to be terrific. After hearing the early reviews I was worried it would be painful to sit through. It wasn't either of those. It was fine and somewhat entertaining. The kids thought it was awesome and that's what counts. Drew and I dropped Mom and the boys off at home and headed out to the Roller Derby.

The fabulous OC Roller Girls hosted "Roll For A Cure" this weekend along with Keep A Breast Foundation and Breast Cancer Angels. They had a silent auction that included several plaster castings of roller girl torsos that were painted/tiled/collaged/etc by local artists, which were quite impressive. (That refers to the actual busts and the artwork.) Loads of people were walking around with "I love boobies" stickers on and the OC Roller Girls wore special pink t-shirts proclaiming their love of boobies. There were even boob cupcakes for sale. Drew got one with a piercing that was hilarious! I would also like to mention, the food vendors had great food and amazing prices. The live music was a nice touch too. I wish I would have taken my camera on Saturday to catch the glory of it all. I did remember it Sunday when we took the kids, but they took most of the pictures (see below).

There were teams from Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and California. Not to forget Team Awesome who are a handpicked team of kick-ass all-stars from leagues all over the country. We couldn't get enough. We went back for more on Sunday after my massage, manicure and lunch date for Mother's Day. This time we took the boys with us to see what they thought of all the craziness. They liked it a lot. Noah was screaming and cheering for the girls. He especially liked Kina Wahine and Chris XX Cross. Cole was distracted by the cotton candy, but he enjoyed it too.

Ok, now I gotta tell ya... I had always loved watching the Roller Derby when I was a kid and sitting there really got me excited. I am seriously considering joining in the fun! The biggest concerns I have right now are that I need quite a bit of skate practice (easy enough) and their practice nights are the same nights I go to Fight Club. I'll have to figure something out if I really want to skate, I guess. I spent some time talking to Roxie from OC Roller Girls and picking her brain. She is a doll and the boys loved her. She introduced me to a few members of the team who were all very nice, especially to Cole. Everyone always falls in love with his mohawk and galoshes.

So, to make a long story short...
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ROLLER GIRLS!

Labels: OC Roller Girls, Roller Derby

As many of you know, our family loves Disneyland! Well, I am excited to share that our little family has been given our own gallery at DisneylandClub33.com. You can view our family gallery here. Sadly, I didn't take out the camera on most of our visits. I think it's a nice thing that our boys will get to look forward to the gallery updates after each visit. It's a great site!

Drew and I try to get to Disneyland whenever possible. Unlike many of the locals who go to Disneyland after school for play dates, our children only go to Disneyland on their birthdays. We are trying to maintain the magic for them as long as possible. It saddens to me to hear Noah's first grade classmates who are already bored with the happiest place on Earth. Going to Disneyland should be a MUCH bigger deal than going to the park, but that is just my personal opinion.

Enjoy!

Labels: Club 33, Disney, Disneyland

I am passing on this fun little Flickr! Challenge today. I found it on a really cool blog that I love to read by Suzanne Broughton called "Emphasis Mine". She's a local woman I can really relate too. Check it out here http://emphasisallmine.typepad.com/

1. Go to flickr
2. Type your answer to each question in the “search” box.
3. Using only the first page, pick an image.
4. Copy and paste the picture to your blog.

1. What is your first name?
Karen



2. What is your favorite food?
Chicken & sausage Gumbo from Ragin Cajun Cafe in Hermosa Beach.



3. What high school did you go to?
I graduated from North Torrance High School - Class of 1987



4. What is your favorite color?
Today I can't choose just one color. It's a rainbow day!



5. Who is your celebrity crush?
Josh Holloway (Sawyer on Lost)



6. Favorite drink?
I really do love champagne!



7. Dream vacation?
Today I would rather be:
Kayaking with Drew in Bora Bora.


Exploring Bran Castle in Romania (home of Prince Vlad Tepes - AKA Dracula).


Visiting various locations from Sound of Music in Austria.



8. Favorite dessert?
Mmm... right now I am dreaming of Claim Jumper's chocolate chip calzone.



9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be confident.


Now, it's your turn. Don't forget to post a message here letting me know you did it so I can take a peek. : )
Have a great Tuesday!

Labels: tagged

You should see my grocery list for today. It's all junk food!

Tonight we will kick the weekend off by taking Cole out to dinner while Noah attends a birthday party at one of those cool indoor bounce palaces. Then it's straight home for camping out in the living room. The boys have yet to decide if they want to sleep in their clubhouse or in a tent. Daddy has promised the boys there would be s'mores and other various gooey goodies. We probably should have camped BEFORE we cleaned our carpet last weekend!

Tomorrow morning I will sneak out for my Krav Maga class while they eat breakfast. Uncle Matt & Uncle Mark are coming over so we can all catch an early showing of Iron Man together before lunch. Matt & Mark are coming to celebrate Drew's birthday (a week early) with game night! I am ordering a huge sushi boat and a pizza and then once the kids are in bed it's video games, twinkies, klondike bars, vodka and Red Bull until dawn. I won't go near a scale for the rest of the week!

Sunday will be pajama day, which means lots of snuggling on the couch and movies. I think salad and fresh fruit will be in order too.

Labels: Krav Maga

(copied from OC Register)
In a sight never seen locally, three World War II-era fighter aircraft and three bombers will fly will fly in formation along the northern Orange County coastline early this afternoon as they travel to Long Beach for a show.
Hunter Chaney, the events spokesman, says that “two P-51 Mustangs and a P-38 Lightning) and three bombers (B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell and B-17 Flying Fortress) will be together flying formation as the ‘Wings of Freedom.”

The planes will be coming up the coast and should be over Laguna Beach about 1:30 p.m. The planes will then circle the area around John Wayne Airport before returning to the coast. The planes will be flying from Newport Beach to Seal Beach about 1:40 p.m. Chaney says the planes will be traveling about 1,000 feet high, with the bombers in the lead and the fighter planes trailing slightly behind and above the other aircraft.