birthday Kate

I'll be honest. I've been sitting here for a couple of minutes, trying to think up a good pun that involves subsituting "Kate" for "cake" and my brain isn't up to the task. The closest I got was "Cake Danley" but I think that requires a visual, don't you? Like a cake made in the shape of a Kate? But I'm not a baker and not all that great with photoshop either, so it would end up like this:



Which isn't a Cake Wreck, per se, but still... it doesn't do dear Kate any justice. SO: you get a title like "birthday Kate" instead. *Ahem*

Anyway, as you may surmise, this is Kate's birthday week! On her actual birthday, we went to Disneyland to take advantage of their birthday promotion and it seems that everyone in America came out to celebrate! It was the Perfect Storm of Disney Nerds... the last day that the cheap annual passholders (guilty!) could go before the summer black-out days, the premiere of the new fireworks and Fantasmic show, plus some other summer promo stuff. The parking lots were all over capacity and we heard that shortly before we arrived they were turning people away at the gate, which means it was pretty darn busy! We had to park about a mile away, but we still had fun and got our fix of crack pasta and then had some of Kate's famous popcorn cake. Plus, her mom sent some birthday goodies, like dinosaur rings for us to wear -- which we did to the envy of every kid around! HA!



We toodled, we browsed, we watched people get their silhouette portraits done.... then we headed over to California Adventure (Disneyland's lame-duck cousin) to watch the newly improved Electrical Parade and ride Toy Story Midway Mania (where Kate was generous enough to let me win, even though she's the expert! I think she pitied me a little because the Japanese family behind us in line had a different definition of 'personal space' and the kids were literally on my back the entire wait).

It was super fun, despite the crazy crowds - including a toothless lady who smelled like a dumpster who stormed into the bookstore in Downtown Disney (the adjacent shopping area, not operated by Disney) and shoved me aside to scream at the top of her lungs multiple expletives (in front of small children) because she was unhappy about having to park so far away from Disneyland. My hat was off to the bookshop girls, who apparently had been getting this kind of harrassment all day, who just gave her the facts (keep to your right, the park is down that way, we work for the bookstore, etc.) in a calm voice. I was about to yell right back at her - for berating the bookstore staff, screaming like a crazy person, cursing up a storm in front of small kids, as well as smelling like something from a sewer - but I thought better of it because she looked like she'd stab me with her keys. Plus, there is nothing to be gained by talking back to crazy people. Nothing. (As it was, she went outside and started her F-bomb spiel on anyone who happened to be standing in her way, mostly other families who were grabbing to cover their toddler's ears.)

Needless to say, it was an EXCITING day! I smiled so much that I am pretty sure my cheeks are sprained. I also got in about 3 miles of walking 'exercise' so, thank you to Kate for getting born. You're improving my health! Laughter being the best medicine and exercise being the best attack against fat-butt syndrome! I owe you tremendously!