Is this legal?

I have been buying music from gomusic.ru for a little while now. I think it was Karen who first told me about it. So Karen, if you are reading this - please explain how this site can be SO much cheaper than iTunes. We are talking entire album downloads for 79 cents. I was just browsing iTunes and the new Wilco album isn't going to be released by Apple until June 30th, but on gomusic you can already buy the entire album, for a whopping $1.48. Earlier this morning I downloaded this album. I had never heard of him until I started listening to the Away We Go soundtrack and for 89 cents who wouldn't?

Surprise!

A must read for this post if you haven't already.

Yesterday, Diane got it in her head that she should vacuum out the air intake vent in the wall. I can't say this has ever happened to me, but thank goodness she is made that way. How Cohen got Eric's ring inside the vent is beyond me. Now the real question is whether we think Eric will actually wear it now that it's been found....

Could you do it?

A public restroom in Houston. Made from one-way glass.

I (i mean ethan) survived his first year of school!

Thursday was Ethan's last day of Kindergarten. I must say he's come a long way since his first day. His hair sure is a lot more shaggy. Don't blame me, his father won't let me cut it. We debated about putting Ethan in Kindergarten this year... for one, he was the youngest in his class, but I think he survived it well. One would never know he's the youngest because he's just as big or bigger than most of the kids in his class. He made lots of friends; Jacob, Mason, LeMar, Dustin, Sammy, and Sean to name a few. His favorite part of K was the play he got to be in. When asked if he would miss K, he said "no mom, Kindergarten was like 100 days of school, and that is way too much".



Nanny Goats play - he's the big bee!


Mrs. Gustafson


Ethan's final day picnic party





Face painting

We're talking double digits here.

Friday was the big 1-0. I have been a Brown for 10 years! Eric still gives me crap because I cried in the car on our way to the reception because I was no longer a Christensen. Yep, I cried. I do that sometimes. On occasion. Ok, rarely, but for some reason at that moment it really hit home. Maybe I was just tired. I mean a last name could be A LOT worse right?

So, in October, the ADA has it's annual meeting in Oahu and Eric and I are going to go and fully celebrate our 10 year anniversary back where it started. We got to go there on our honeymoon and it was a first for both of us. We loved it an can't wait to go back!

Panic

Just FYI. Eric is currently searching for his wedding ring which he hasn't seen in a month or two. I would like to think that he's looking for it because he can't celebrate our 10 year anniversary tomorrow without it, but part of me thinks it's because two women hit on him at the office today. Maybe he lost it on purpose????

Quick lunch

Blogging, there are so many pro's and con's.

Pro: an easy way to journal/scrapbook
Con: time spent
Pro: family and friends can catch up on my life easily
Con: no more one on one contact/conversation, ie, just check my blog
Pro: reconnecting with long lost friends
Con: stalkers exist - people who if I knew visited my blog I might go private

The list could go on, but I think all in all the pro's outweigh the con's. Case in point, today, after what...10 years, I got to sit down and have lunch with Amanda. We knew each other at the U, didn't hang out a ton, and now regret it. By the way, if you've never visited her blog then you are missing out. She's a hilarious, real, amazing writer and mother of four. It's blogging what brought us back in contact and I hope it can do the same for more of my long lost friends. That's one good thing about living in Southern California, people tend to vacation here - too bad the weather wasn't great this week, that's why they call it June gloom. Anyway, it was good to sit and chat for a quick lunch, thanks for making time during your vaca.

Camera bag

Thanks to my REI membership and the 20% off coupon I got a while back, I managed to find this sweet bag at a discounted price. It's from a company named Crumpler. Their website is intense so beware. They make bags for everything imaginable... laptops, cameras, biking, day use, everything. I have always been partial to Lowepro but not anymore.

Bonus Time

It's worth it just for the cute bag! Thank you Nordstrom.

Lesson learned

Do not go on a water ride unless it's at least 80 degrees and the sun is out. Monday night a little group of friends ditched out on FHE and went to California Adventure. It was my first time (I am not much of a Disney fan) but I had fun (probably because I wasn't dealing with the kids)! I think the whole reason I avoid Disneyland is because 1. I hate lines, 2. My kids hate lines and their boredom is eventually turned on ME, and 3. It's expensive. So, back to the lesson learned....







WE GOT SOAKED! As you can see Cortney was none too pleased. My shirt was pretty much see-through and I had put on my sweatshirt to avoid having a see-through shirt but it didn't help. I just ended up carrying around a soaking wet, 5lb hoodie for the rest of the night. We were all freezing. My pants were still wet even after we went out to dinner. At least the free cheesecake made up for it.

Mooooooooooooooooo

Branding.
1. Get the cows into the corral
2. Move the cows through the shoot to the squeezy thing
3. Piece the cows ear with a numbered tag
4. Inject the cows with antibiotics
5. Shave the hair off so that you can get a good brand
6. Brand the cow
7. Release the cow
8. Repeat 40 some odd times!

See for yourself...



If you couldn't tell, my kids were no where near the corral. Ethan was on the outside the whole time except for when Eric dragged him in to watch for a few minutes, he was not pleased. Cohen, sat in the car for the majority of it, just watching movies. And me, well, I had a job to do documenting the whole thing, I was so disappointed that nobody else brought a camera, I mean I love cows, and mud, and snotty cow noses and the burning flesh smell, it really upset me.

Teacher, my mom says it's not safe to play with shotguns.

"Ok kids, it's time for recess, grab your boots and your jacket because today we are going to play on the playground! It's only 14 degrees out today, nothing like yesterday's 9 degrees. Yikes, it was a rough one yesterday. Don't forget your hats and gloves. Oh, and Ethan, can you grab me the shotgun, it's in the closet with the scissors and construction paper.... I'm gonna hunt me some moose for dinner tonight, it will only take a minute while you kids are getting bundled up. Hopefully, there won't be too much blood, we wouldn't want you kids playing in bloody snow now would we? Are you all set class? Wait until you hear the second shot and then feel free to come out and play."

(eric wants to move to wyoming)

So, all it takes is a Capri Sun and a bag of chips?

J: Ethan, are you sad you don't have baseball anymore?
E: No, I just liked the snacks that were at the end.

You mean to tell me you suffered through 20+ games, 1.5 hours a piece, plus multiple practices just for a boxed drink and some triangle shaped crunchy carbs? He seemed like he was enjoying himself, but now that I think about it he did always have his trash and baseball paraphernalia picked up before anybody else so he could be first in line for snacks. If I had know this I would have made him do chores around the house and rewarded him with such snacks if he got them all done. Ok, maybe not, but still, the laundry alone....

Next

You all know I couldn't keep up on your blogs unless I had Google Reader. Well, I have always wished there was a way I could see your actual blog while using GR and come to find out there is! If you use GR and want to see the actual post on the persons blog and be able to comment like normal do this:

Go to the Google Reader homepage and sign in
Click Settings
Click on the Goodies tab, which will bring you to this page: (follow instructions)



If you have a favorites bar at the top of your browser, just drag the NEXT button into that line of websites. Then click Next to see the first updated blog. Once you've read it, click Next again. It will cycle through until you have "reached the end of the internet." The only thing it doesn't do is tell you how many unread posts there are so every time you click it's like rolling the dice, see what little excitement there is to be had around here.

Things one wouldn't find in Santa Margarita, CA

Springtime in May

Rusty yard tools

Uncle Dean

Handmade corncob pipe

Weather vanes

Horseshoes

Ethan in a cowboy hat

Two baby colts, born a few days apart

Eric relaxing on the porch

John Deere apparel

Ethan on Diane's back instead of Ed's

A backdrop like this

A real life Stetson man

Cows