"Happy Birthday! It's Karolyn's Birthday!"

This morning when I got up to fix my breakfast (birthday pancakes that I made for myself and my family last night) my dad came down the stairs dancing and singing the "Donald Duck Birthday Song," but replaced my name with Donald's. For those of you who did not watch Disney specials back in the 80's (I'm sorry), here is the song that I found on YouTube:

Donald Duck Birthday Song (originally aired in 1984)

Now, when my mom came down the stairs and sang the birthday song to me she sang it like I did when I was little... something like... "Happy birthday! I never seen a/no dino!" Um, yeah... not sure what I thinking, but according to my parents I belted it out like those were really the words! I can't believe that after over 20 years my mom still remembers my goofy lyrics I sang to the Donald Duck Birthday Song. Ha ha!

My parents gave me some wonderful birthday presents before I left for work. Later my mom will be fixing me a special birthday dinner and then Dan will be taking me out. I'm not sure what he has planned for us, but I'm sure that it'll be fun!

I'm still 25... and so is LeAnn Rimes

Well, tomorrow is my birthday! Did you know that I share the exact same birthday with LeAnn Rimes? To the day! So tomorrow I'll be celebrating my birthday with country-singing superstar, LeAnn Rimes. Well, not with her personally... but in spirit. Last year when I went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with my sister I came across the hand prints of LeAnn Rimes in some cement outside a Hard Rock Cafe. I placed my hands in the groves that shaped the singer's hands and much to my surprise I discovered that our hands are exactly the same size! It was a perfect fit! Who knows how much more we have in common! Well, I don't have a music contract, millions of dollars, or blonde hair... but in every other aspect, I'm sure that we're twins! Okay, maybe not... but sharing the same birthday with her is pretty cool.

Surprise, Dan!

Oh man... I have been holding this secret in all summer long! On Saturday, August 23rd I pulled off a surprise party for Dan at ESPN Zone in Chicago! I have been planning this party since April... and it feels so good to finally have it out! It's hard keeping in a good secret... especially when it is a secret that you have to hold in for months! The final moments were the hardest, but I am so grateful that I was able to keep cool and make everything work out. Whew!

So here are the details: On Saturday I took Dan downtown so that we could celebrate his birthday. Each year we a plan a little special something for each other on our birthday and since we were in California for Dan's birthday I pushed back our little celebration for him to the 23rd. I wanted to take him somewhere fun, so I picked ESPN Zone in Chicago. All along he thought it was only him and I going out... when actually his best friend from college (Myk) had a group of Dan's friends and family waiting for him at the restaurant! Dan was very surprised when we got seated at a table with 12 unexpected guests! His sister (Stefanie) came down with her husband (Thomas) from Minnesota, his other sister (Mandy) came from Wisconsin, and Myk came in early from Colorado just for Dan's party! There were also camp friends, school friends, church friends... it was a wonderful bunch!

A special Thank You to Myk for helping me plan this awesome surprise for Dan and thank you to everyone who came out and helped make Dan's 21st birthday a birthday he'll always remember!

California Adventure

Dan and I are back from California! We had a great time visiting his parents! Here is a breakdown of what we did while in California:

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Dan and I had short days at work. We had lunch at my house and my parents had birthday cake and birthday presents for Dan before we left for the airport. Our flight was due to depart O'Hare Airport at 6:50 p.m. (central time) We had to transfer planes in Phoenix, Arizona and then we arrived in Ontario International Airport around 11:00 p.m. (pacific time). You'd think we'd be tired from traveling, but we stayed up to chat and play Wii Fit with Dan's folks until about 1:00 a.m. (pacific time). I guess we weren't too tired... but Wii Fit kinda made us tired.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Late morning we departed for San Diego. After checking into our hotel we went to Seaport Village to have some lunch. We went over to Coronado Island to check out the Hotel de Coronado and do some shopping. Then, Dan and I did some more shopping at the Seaport Village while his folks went back to the hotel to get cleaned up for dinner. That evening we went to Ruth's Chris Steak House for Dan's special birthday dinner. The whole meal was perfect from start to finish. Of course Dan can always go for a nice steak, especially in honor of his birthday!

Friday, August 15, 2008

We left San Diego to go to a nice outdoor mall. After lunch at Ruby's Diner and some shopping we departed for Huntington Beach. Dan and I had a blast body surfing on the waves. At first I was a little nervous but I got used to the waves rather quickly. Dan's dad came out and joined us for a long time. We're still learning, but it is something that I would love to do again! Later that evening we did some shopping and had dinner at Huntington Beach before we returned to the apartment.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Dan's 21st birthday! We got up bright and early Saturday morning to get ready for Disneyland. I woke up Dan by giving him his birthday present and birthday card... and I videotaped it just like he did last year when we went to Disney World for my birthday. We left for the park just after 7:00 a.m. so that we could be there when the park opened up promptly at 8:00 a.m. We had a blast at Disneyland! We got park hoppers so we hopped over to Disney's California Adventure for part of the day. There we had dinner at the Golden Vine Winery. After dinner we went back over to Disneyland. After the "Remember... Dreams Come True" fireworks Dan's parents went to chill at Downtown Disney while Dan and I went on a couple more rides. The park closed at midnight... so you know we were there as long as possible. We got back just after 1:00 a.m. and I surprised Dan with one last birthday gift before he went to bed.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

We were all very tired from our Disney outting (but it was totally worth it), so we slept in and went to a later church service. After church we went out for lunch and then did a little bit of shopping at a local outlet mall. We went back to the apartment to relax for a bit before we went to a different mall to shop and have dinner. For dinner we went to a Japanese sushi restaurant. I had sushi for the very first time! It was pretty good... I'd eat it again.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Our last morning in California. Sadly it was time to go home. Our flight left Onterio at 12:40 p.m. Again, we had to fly to Phoneix first, but we made it back to Chicago just after 8:00 p.m. (central time).

I'm still pretty tired and I still have to unpack, but it's all been worth it! I had a great time and I hope that I get to go back soon!

"California... California... Here we come!"

Today has finally arrived! This evening, Dan and I are flying out to California! Woohoo! Needless to say, I am very excited about this trip! I've been talking with Dan's mom (Carol) and she and her husband (Dan) have quite the itinerary for us! I haven't been to California in about 11 years, so I'm anxious to see the west coast again.

Well, if I don't write for a while it's because I'm having too much fun in Cali... and I'm sure that I'll recap all the fun and excitement sometime after I return (Monday). Until then... surfs up, dudes!

Missing My Sister

Kathleen left for Minnesota this past Saturday. I miss her so much already! Saturday morning the five of us (me, Kathleen, Dan, Mom, and Dad) went out for breakfast and then she left around lunchtime. She stopped in the cities for a couple of days to visit with some friends before she went all the way up north. She's back safe and I'm happy, but I miss my little sister!

Sunday was the church picnic. We had a very nice turn out and the weather was awesome! Dan and I won the bean bag tournament while my parents won one game of the water balloon toss. It was a wonderful morning/afternoon. I always look forward to the picnic. Last year Dan and I missed it because we were on our way to Florida (Disney World).

Tomorrow Dan and I will be flying out to California to visit with his parents until Monday. I'm pretty much all packed, so that's a major plus. I just have some odds and ends to wrap up and I should be good to go. Our flight isn't until tomorrow evening, so I'll be at work for a couple of hours before it's time to go to the airport. That means I'll be working on the Sunday bulletin tomorrow. I think I might even get a jump start right now, not much is going on.

Zach on American Idol

Well, some of you may know, but another one of my Phantom Ranch friends is trying out for a different reality show. Zach Mauga is trying out for American Idol in Kansas City, Missouri at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow (Friday) morning. He sent me a link via Facebook IM so that I could see him on Channel 4 FOX News which aired on Wednesday, August 6th.

For those of you who have attened the Something from Jessie Spaghetti Dinner, Zach was the first praise band leader when we officially switched over from Walk-A-Thon to Spaghetti Dinner.

If you're on Facebook and would like to show your support for Zach, join the group Support Zach Mauga The Next American Idol!!

Movie in Grant Park

Last night the Young Adults went to see The Day the Earth Stood Still for the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park. We had a great turnout despite the humidity. Some sat on blankets while others sat on chairs and we all munched on chips and cookies while we hung out and watched the movie. I recently heard that Hollywood is making an updated version of the movie starring Keanu Reeves (due to come out 12.12.2008). Anyway, as a group we've been doing a lot of activities lately. Just this past Sunday we had a cookout and bonfire at Chris' home. Tonight is our weekly Bible study... needless to say, we've been seeing a lot of each other lately and that's a good thing!

Dan and I leave for California in one week! I am so excited, I've been counting down the days on my Facebook profile. I'm trying to keep busy and not think about it so time doesn't crawl by too slow. Although, the anticipation is always a fun build up! Soon I'll have to do laundry and begin packing. Yay!

Timber!

Last night we were hit with a pretty nasty storm. Kathleen and I had just arrived at Oak Brook Mall around 7:30 p.m. to have dinner with our cousin, Jess, when things really started to rumble. Tornado sirens were blaring through the area as black clouds quickly engulfed the area we stood. There was some panic around us, but we remained calm and cool as we looked for the Thai place we had chosen for dinner. Thankfully we chose a place on the lower level and tucked away from all the nasty weather. The lights threatened to go out a couple of times, but we stayed put and enjoyed our dinner.

On our way home I asked Kathleen if she wanted to stop by where Dan was staying and surprise him with a visit. She agreed it would be fun so I called home to let the 'rents know we were safe and going to stop by Dan's for a bit. My dad told me that we lost power at home at about 8:30 p.m. Anyway, Dan was definitely surprised and happy to see us when we arrived in his room. Dan still had power at Jeff's, so we were able to watch the news and find out what was going on around the area.

This morning when I got up for work I was surprised at what I saw outside my bedroom window! Our neighbor has been working hard at taking down that tree all summer... I guess he got a little help from Mother Nature! Thankfully, it doesn't look like the fence is damage.

In other news, I got a new cell phone when I renewed my contract with Verizon! I got a great deal on the Venus and even managed to get some sweet accessories for free! I'm enjoying this new phone and so far have had no problems with it. The more I use it, the more I like it! It features a touch screen as well as a keyboard when you slide it open. I've already customized my phone with special ringtones (which Dan found for me for free online) and picture ID's!