#56 !! Happy Birthday To ME!!!!

Wow !!! It's that time of year again.....my birthday has arrived once again and thankfully I am still here to celebrate it!!!

Patrick and I took the day off to celebrate my birthday because we plan to start out the celebration at....DISNEYLAND !!, ok I can hear you saying to yourself already, "You guys go there all the time anyway so what's the big deal about going there on your birthday?" Ok,well let me tell you. First off, I love Disneyland, I can never go too many times. Also, this year, you get in free on your Birthday!
But,since we already have out Annual Pass and I would have gotten in using it, Disney gave me a $69 Disney gift card!!! Now...if that is not worth going to Disneyland on your Birthday, I don't know what is!!

So, we have planned on going to Disneyland before we found out about the getting in on your birthday thing. Ever since we have been going to Disneyland we have always wanted to go on a week day so it would not be really crowded and that way we could ride more rides and not have to stand in long line. Patrick did this last year with our nephew Darren and they rode almost all the rides in Disneyland and did not have to wait in lines. Also that it was totally raining that day probably helped to!!
So we had our game plan all figured out on where we were going to start and what rides we were going to hit first, you the whole thing planned out and we were excited! Then....we got to Disneyland around 11am. One of the first questions we asked was "Why are we having to park on the top of the parking structure?", that in itself was a bad sign. We got out and started to the tram to take us to the Park and my jaw dropped....The tram loading area...was TOTALLY packed with people. Now the first thing I thought was " Not all of these people could have the same birthday as me??!!" Well I can sum it up for you in two words....Spring Break. Yep that's right, Spring Break, I have never seen so many people at the Disney Parks, not even at Christmas, honest. My heart just fell,there went our plans of a nice weekday at the Park. I seriously wanted to cry, I was so dissappointed. I told Patrick I had just rather go do something else but he would not have it. So we waited, and waited for our turn on the Tram and then we had to wait in line at ticket counter to get the gift card. Now we have never had to wait in the ticket line before we buy our Annual Pass online, so this was someething new, and interesting. So once we got my gift card, we decided to go to California Adventure first and ride my favorite ride, Soaring over California, and then head to Disneyland. The lines to get in were long for both Parks, so once we got in we headed over to get our fast past for Soaring.
Wrong!! The time for the fast pass return was 6:30 pm, it was now 11:45!! We would not even be in the Park at that time so we just passed it up. We did walk around the Park and went over to the Toy Story ride (a new fav). After a couple of hours of wandering around we headed over to Disneyland and walked around. Even though we did not get to do what we had hoped, we still have a fun time. One neat thing was, since I was wearing my "Birthday Button", all everyone would wish you Happy Birthday and I got to see alot of other people who share my birthday! I was a a neat experience.

So later in the afternoon we headed back to get changed because we were going out to dinner at an undisclosed location, at least to me. Patrick would not tell me where he was taking me for dinner, and what a very nice surprise it was!

Patrick made reservations at a really nice restaurant in Pasadena called "Roy's".
It serves Hawaiian fusion cusine. It was a beautiful place with a very diverse group of people eating there. As we approaced the restaurant you could see people eating ourdoors most of the guys had on jackets and I immediately felt I was underdressed but Patrick told me not to worry. As we approached the door, it opened and out came a group of people in T shirts and shorts, so I felt much better. We only had to wait a few minutes to be seated, and as we were seated the young lady asked which one of us were having Birthday. That kinda surprised me and I told her it was me and she handed me my menu and wished me a happy birthday. I was really surprised when I opened my menu and the first page was addressed especially to me, by name!! I know I did a double take when I saw a greeting addressing me by name on the page!
It just said they hoped I had a great birthday and thanks for chosing to celebrate with them and it then went on to wish me Happy Birthday in Hawaiian. It was a nice surprise. The next surprise of the evening was our waiter, Michael. He was a HOTTIE!
seriously he was, even Patrick thought so. He was really nice and helpful and alot of fun. He was an excellant waiter. The food was very good and we finshed it off
with their VERY excellant Molten Lava chocolate cake, with ice cream...to die for!
At the end of dessert, Michael asked Patrick to sit next to me so we could take our picture as a remembrance of our evening. It was truly a fun and delicious evening.


We were suppose to have another Birthday Cake with the family but we got home late and everyone was in bed, so we will to that tomorrow night.

It was a great Day!! I sure hated it had to end, but then again..there is alway next year!!

later

ps..in case your are interested...www.roysrestaurant.com...we HIGHly recomend it.

My Partner's In Crime.....

I do not think I have mentioned this before, but I share my Birthdate with two very special people...my niece, Sarah ...and her twin brother...John. Now for 25 years I got to celebrate MY Birthday, it was MY day. But let me tell you, once the twins were born on MY Birthday, I cease to have a day to celebrate. From then on it was the
"TWIN'S Birthday",never Jaymes and the Twins Birthday, no siree, it was only the TWIN'S Birthday...not that I am bitter or anything mind you!

When the twins were about to be born and it was pretty clear that they were going to be born close to midnight on March 18th, I am told from some pretty good sources that my brother BEGGED their Mom to hold off until after midnight. He just knew I was gonna be upset if they were born on MY Birthday. But you know babies, they have a mind of their own and they wanted out,NOW! So now MY special Day is OUR special day and I would not have it any other way.

I found out only a few years ago that the Twins have a custom they celebrate on their birthday that until recently I was not included in. They try and see which one of them can call the other one the soonest after midnight that starts our Birthday.
So when I found out about this, I wanted IN!! You see, when it is midnight in Texas where they are, it is only 10pm here where I am!! ha ha ha!! And once I call them right after midnight their time, I have learned to turn off my cellphone because you can bet that John will set his clock and call me back right at midnight, MY time!!
How do I know this you ask..he has done it the last 2 years in a row!! Yep he sure did, so this year I turned off my cell after I called him. He told me he almost called the house phone, but he did not want to have to answer to his Uncle Patrick the next time he sees him, smart boy!

They are both really great kids (they will always be kids to me). Sarah is now married to a great guy and they have 2 children and she is an awesome Mom.
John now raises his two kids as a single Dad, and he is a awesome Dad. I could not be prouder of both of them.

Happy Birthday to you both!!

later

ps... in this picture I am celebrating my 32nd birthday and they are celebrating their 7th. Notice there are 2 birthday cakes in the picture...my Mom made mine and the one off to the right is their's...store bought.

Pretty Quiet Weekend

Well since it is Sunday night, I guess that means the weekend is just about over.
Since we started out this weekend with not many plans, it turned out to be a pretty quiet weekend, which is NOT a bad thing!

Patrick and I started off our Saturday morning with a trip to the dentist. Orginally I had an appt a couple of weeks ago but changed it to this past Saturday, without knowing Patrick had an appt too. Matter of fact until they called him on Friday, he did not remember he had a appt!! So it worked out nice. We both love our dentist, Dr.Jerry. Beside being really cute (and Asian!!), he is an excellent dentist. Patrick has been seeing him for years and when I needed a dentist after I moved here (and after an AWFUL ordeal with a diffent dentist) I started seeing him too.
We both went in for cleanings and I don't have to go back for several months, but Patrick was not so lucky,he has a chipped tooth and will be back in a couple of weeks.

Every three months we have to go down to the Outlet at Cabazon to visit our favorite
jewler, Janet. So we decided to go Saturday. Actually, we bought our Wedding rings from a Jewlery Store there and we have to take them in every 3 months to have them cleaned and the diamonds checked to make sure they are securely in their settings so the warranty on them stays current.
Since the store is a chain, we could actually take them to one closer to us but we have a very big loyalty to the manager of the store in Cabazon, Janet. Several years ago (9 to be exact) when Patrick and I were looking for engagement rings,
we went to several jewlery stores here in LA and were treated, how shall I say this?, badly. We had stores where no one would wait on us and in one store when the guy waiting on us found out the rings were for us,he just walked away and would not wait on us. So one weekend when Patrick was down in Palm Springs, we went to the Outlets to hang out. We passed the jewlrey store and decided to go in and see what they had.
Well guess what, they had just the ring we liked (Patrick had seen the ring in a store in LA and loved it). Janet came up and started talking with us and we immediately fell in love with her. She helpd us get our ring sizes right (since I had not idea what size I wore)and she ordered my ring since they had Patricks' size in the store. We thanked her for helping us and told her what bad experiences we had had. She could not believe it,but we are very glad we found her. She called me the next week when my ring came in and I went in and picked it up. One thing that has always surprised me. After the first time she helped us,it was several weeks before we were at the Outlets again, and immediately when we walked in she called out our names and came and gave us a hug. Through the years when ever we need some type of jewlrey, we go see Janet. When we had our Holy Union, we went to see her and she helped us choose our Wedding bands. A year of so later when we decided to upgrade out Bands to something with diamonds, we went to see Janet, and she helped up get the rings we have now. She has helped us pick our special gifts for different members of our family and friends. We have always stopped by to see her when we are in Palm Springs or just in the area. She is just a part of our extended family. We know her all about her daughter and grandkids.

Since we were down close to Palm Sprigs, we drove into Palm Springs and had lunch with one of my best friends, Gary and his partner Rick. Some of you may know then as
Goya and Eunice, yes they are the same people. Now if you find that strange, let me share something else with you. For those of you who know Goya and Eunice, I am known as Norma and so far Patrick is known as Missy. I am sure as time passed, Missy's name will change. It just a Gay think, ok? Anyway we visited with them and a nice lunch and then we headed to the Outlets. It was so over cast and gloomy here but it was beautiful clear sky and pretty warm in Palm Springs.

So after we left the Outlets we headed back to overcast and gloomy LA. The freeways we so packed coming home, it really surprised me. But we made it safely.

Today for me was pretty much a stay at home day. I actually never left the house
except to walk over to Patrick's parents a couple of times. I cleaned some around the house in the morning and just veged the rest of the day. I was a delightful day!!

Now on to the new week. As I was reading this afternoon the thought crossed my mind, "This is the last week I will be 55!!!!", next weekend I will be 56!!
Scary, very scary!!

later

Getting Ready To Welcome Our New Niece....

One of the great things about being Gay is....you have lot of different "nieces and nephews". I am Uncle Jaymes to so many great kids. So Uncle Patrick and I are very excited that very soon we are going to have a new niece!!!

Last weekend we got together with our very dear friends Farah and Dan,(and soon to be big brother)Max to celebrate the upcoming birth of their new daughter,Aileen.
Farah's cousins gave her and Aileen a baby shower and Patrick and I went to help celebrate. As usual, we had a great time!

Since Uncle Jaymes is old and forgetful(yes I totally forgot the camera!), you can go over to www.silverjungle.net and see the pictures from the party.

We are all anxiously awaiting Miss Aileen's arrival which is set for March 24!
That is if she doesn't decided to make a surprise entrance before then!!

I'll let you know!! later!

Tip About Posting Comments..

I wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who takes the time to ready my blog. I have certainly enjoyed this adventure and already have some posts planned out that I will be sharing with you.

I have gotten several comments on different posts and I can not tell you how excited I get when someone leaves a post !! I also have gotten several emails from different people letting me know they have enjoyed a certain post and wanted me to know but did not know how to leave a comment.

It is easy, if you know how! At the end of the post you can see the number of comments a post has recieved and just below that you will see "post a comment". Just click that and it will take you to where you make your comment. Once you write your comment, please sign your name so I will know who you are, and check Anonymous and hit save.
You don't have to have a Google sign in or anything, just post it like that and it will show up under comments on the blog, and if you listen really good, you can hear me squell like a little girl when I see someone has left a comment! Or if you had rather not leave a message for all to read, please just sent it to me, Atexaninla@earthlink.net, and you will still get to hear me squell!!

Any questions, just let me know!! Thanks again for reading my blog!!

jaymes

Now Where Was I ? O Yeah, Valentines Day..

Yeah I know, I am a little behind on my posts and I am sorry for that. Have tried to think of a good reason, and well, life has just been getting in the way (well that sound pretty impressive huh?) Actually my work has been so very busy these past few weeks I haven't had the energy when I get home. Hopefully now that we are on Daylight Saving Time (YEA!!)I will have more energy!

So before I go on to other things, I wanted to let you know how our Valentines Day at Disney went. We actually decided to go to California Adventure first. There are several things we always do at California Adventure when we go to the parks, Soaring Over California(my favorite ride!)and the new Toy Story Ride,another of our favorites(Sorry Buzz Lightyear). This time I really lucked out and beat Patrick. We get really competitive on these kinds of rides!

The thing that really surprised us when we got there is...both parks were PACKED!
And I mean packed. If you have ever been there during Christmas, it was like that.
We had thought since the economy is not good right now they may be slow,but let me tell you, there is no recession at Disneyland!! Because it was so packed we decided to just stay at California Adventure since we were coming back to Disneyland for my birthday (March 18!!). We had a really good time as always and were both tired when we finally left the park. On the way out we had ice cream at the Burr-bank Ice Cream Shoppe, which we recommend!! lol.

It was a very nice way to spend Valentine Day together!

later!!

Pics From Our Valentine Adventure

Me, If I Don't Lose Some Weight !!

My Life In A Nutshell