Janice had a convention in Los Angeles last weekend, so she had to fly down for the weekend. Naturally, she can't go alone so I went with her. The weekend started off fantastic as we got bumped into First Class. Even the water tastes better. I didn't feel bad at all as I watched all the peasants file by to ride in storage class. :)
It was the LA Times Travel and Tourism Convention in downtown. So, on Saturday and Sunday, she worked and I checked out all the places I'll probably never go, unless I win the Lotto.
It was really nice in Downtown LA and we ate at some great restaurants. We just lived it up.
But on Monday, we decided to hit Disneyland for the DAY!!! It rained like crazy, which was fantastic to keep the lines short. Disneyland must have a conspiracy with the weather because we bought the $138 for tickets, $15 for ponchos, and $40 for hats and we had just walked in the gates...I guess we were trying to recover the economy on our own in one shot.
We got to meet up with two of our fantastic friends from college, Derek - Hailey, and the cutest little girl in the world, Miss Vivian. She met Janice and asked her, "Are you Cinderella?" Then, after a couple hours hugged my leg and said, "I love Mr. Corey..." I have to admit, she is so cute that if she asked me to rob a bank I'd say, "Just a second sweetie, let me get my coat!" It's so great to see Derek and Hailey who'd drive 90 minutes to see us at Disneyland in the rain. Although it rained until they got there, stopped and turned into great weather. But as soon as they left it started raining again! Talk about incredible friends!
We hit all our rides and never waited more than 5 minutes. The walk to a ride was longer than the wait! In fact, at the end of the night, we stayed on Splash Mountain for three trips straight. The girl said, "No one's in line. Want to go again?" After that third time, the Brer Rabbit song kinda gets annoying though...
Speaking of, here's a pic of my Dad when he was in the service and Darren's basic pick from a long time ago who is currently in the service and heading back to Iraq...uncanny. Apparently the looks ran out by the time I got here, so I rely on humor as a defense mechanism.
Corey, Todd, Darren, Grams, and Pops
My brother is home on leave for 15 days from Iraq. Today, we watched the Super Bowl at his house with his family and my nieces. It was nice because my Dad & Mom were there, Aunt Joan, my Grandma, and an some other family members I haven't seen for years. It was a great day to spend some time and see him and hear some stories from Iraq. He's a soldier, and serving his country. It's amazing to hear firsthand of things that are happening and what you hear on tv or news. He shared how there is a constant smell of trash and stench and burning smells, and a poverty that you could never imagine until you drive through the streets. There are many incredible things our soldiers do over in that country that do not get credit or noticed. My brother was able to share some pictures from Iraq that he's captured and it makes me glad to be living in America, and to have the freedoms and life we live because of soldiers who protect our rights, and others. He heads back on Monday to finish the rest of his tour with the 81st from Washington. 
