Panera: La Bakery-Cafe Magnifique

I'm thrilled to announce that a new Panera has opened in Pasadena!!! I was first introduced to this scrumtrillescent bakery-cafe in Ohio, and a few years later, another Panera happened to open near my hometown in PA, which was just delightful. However, there haven't been any Paneras in this neck of the woods... UNTIL NOW!!! Tim and I went for lunch today, and it was aaaahhhh-some. How can you go wrong with trendy warm colors, plentiful seating, fresh-baked breads and pastries, muy delicioso sandwiches, soups, and salads, and free Wi-Fi??

Fortunately it wasn't too busy, but we got there around maybe 1:45, so I guess the lunch crowd had thinned. (After we ordered, we managed to score the only available booth, as they were apparently in high demand. But don't worry, the tables are fine and comfy too.) After a little bit of careful consideration, Tim ordered a tasty foccacia sandwich (which came with crispy chips), and I got a half-sandwich/half-salad combo (which came with a chunk of their warm and crusty French loaf). I also highly recommend the soup-in-a-bread-bowl, and they also make wicked-awesome bagels and spreads (I adore the French Toast bagel or Cinnamon Crunch bagel with Honey Walnut).

Anyway, in honor of this newest Panera franchise, I would like to formally set aside today as a day of MONUMENTAL CELEBRATION. Yaaaaaay Panera! If you live in Pasadena, and you're EVER considering going to Panera for lunch but you're trying to find a buddy, well my friend, you know who to call. :-)

Mad TV 300th Episode!

Last night Tim and I braved the freeways to attend a taping of Mad TV at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood. It was so fun!! We arrived around 7:30 and got in line (a line that was much less entertaining than at Disneyland), and then they finally started letting people in around 8:45. The theater was really cool-looking, and there was a DJ blasting music while we waited for the taping to start. We also had an emcee of sorts, Blas, who pretty much just got us energized and kept us excited between tapings by throwing candy, asking questions, and telling jokes.

Little did we know, the Mad TV episode that we attended was the 300th episode, so a couple former cast members (Mo Collins, aka Stewart's mom, and Debra Wilson, aka Whitney Houston) were back. Hooray!! The cast members interacted with the audience a little bit (Bobby Lee especially, and he's hilarious), but mostly we were just there to provide applause during their live sketches (which they performed on stage) and also their recorded sketches (which we watched on a big screen and laughed at). There was also a stand-up comic who performed (a friend of Bobby Lee's), and he was pretty funny too. All in all, it was a great time, and it was especially awesome to see the whole cast at the end. The only downside was that we were sitting in front of this guy who was apparently starving, and would reach over our heads and run out into the aisle again and again in order to catch the candy that Blas was throwing. Dude, calm down, they're just Starbursts. Oh, and Tim's my hero, because he caught a Starburst at one point and gave it to me. I'm in love... :-)

The 300th episode airs this Saturday at 11:00 PM! Yay!!

I Can't Say the Word "February"

I have a problem. I can't say the word "February." I've never been able to say it correctly, I don't think. But now I'm expecting a baby in February, and people ask me all the time when he's due. Usually when I say it, it sounds like a bizarre, slurred version of "Februhry." It's only when I really, truly focus on all four syllables (Feb-yoo-air-ee) that it sort of sounds normal. Apparently my lack of interest in learning the correct pronunciation when I was a child is now coming back to bite me. :-)

Just a Hop, a Skip, and a Jump Away

So, I told my superbud Lauri that whenever I neglect to carry my camera around with me, the blog sits idly by. Haha! Sorry about that. I realized that if I'm going to be a diligent blogger, I need to carry the ol' Nikon with me regularly.

So last night, I decided to bring it along for a last-minute, two-hour visit to Disneyland. (The park usually closes at 8:00 PM now, so that means we have to concentrate our super-happy-fun into just a few hours sometimes.) Tim and I have been working very hard this week on our various works and homeworks, and decided to reward ourselves with a little Disney magic.

Stupid 210!!! Okay, so the Disney magic didn't start immediately. But at least we were moving... sometimes we just sit there and inhale exhaust and stare at our fellow bravers-of-the-210-at-rush-hour.

When we finally arrived, California Adventure was set to close soon, so we ran in to the Mission Tortilla Factory and got our delicious, warm, free tortillas at the end of the mini-tour. And we spotted a couple of new annual passholders, Sarah and Chloe!! We chatted with them for a few minutes, while Chloe (19-20 months?) kept escaping, causing Sarah to have to chase her repeatedly. Welcome to the Disney obsession, you two!! You will never get away, haha. By the looks of it, we'll probably run into them regularly, because I think Sarah is already in love with Disneyland, after being a passholder for one day. Yay!

After that, we ran over to the Tower of Terror, which Tim happily rode, while I waited in the gift shop. ("Expectant mothers should not ride." The bane of my existence right now.) Note the picture of Tim on the ride, looking off to the side, slightly bemused. What a kook.

By the time we left the Tower of Terror, California Adventure was closed, so we headed over to Disneyland, bought our standard churros (although sometimes we substitute pineapple whips or those giant cookies near Winnie the Pooh), and continued with the rides. Even though it was the evening, it was actually pretty slow, so we didn't have to spend much time waiting in lines. We went on Haunted Mansion again (which is required, since it's Nightmare Before Christmas-themed right now), Pirates of the Caribbean, Mad Tea Party, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (which we like to call "Mr. Toad's Rapid and Delirious Descent into Hell"), and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Then we watched some of the nightly super-happy-nostalgic parade, ran off to Tomorrowland, and went on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. (154,000!! Nice, Tim!!) Anyway, it was a great time, especially considering that we were only there for like two hours. Here are some more photos:

This is a totally awful picture that I took as we were walking into Pirates of the Caribbean. There were other people behind us, and I didn't want to be one of those people who stops and makes others wait while they take a picture in line. So, I tried to be considerate, but unfortunately, I'm just not very good at aiming the lens while in motion.

Pregnant Jean picture! (25 weeks) That's the Sword in the Stone in Fantasyland, with the castle in the background.

This is what I stare at every time we go on the Mad Tea Party. Tim is an insane teacup spinner, and he gets that thing to go really, really, really fast. It's awesome.

After the park closed, we went to Rainforest Cafe for dinner, and had a really fun waiter who mostly cracked himself up, but sometimes made us laugh too. I always get the China Island Chicken Salad, and it was delectable as usual. We came to the conclusion that the Rainforest Cafe would be a much more interesting and genuine "safari" adventure if they released jaguars every now and then, just to keep the diners on their toes. There would be a few maulings every night, but boy, would it be exciting!!! :-)

Monkey and D

This is ridiculously late in posting, but this year for Halloween, Tim and I dressed up as Dwight and Angela from The Office. Tim made genuine Dunder-Mifflin letterhead (which I used to make notes for the Party Planning Committee), and he also made us Dunder-Mifflin nametags. He (being the bomb) also made me a "We miss you, Sprinkles" sticker, which I wore proudly as a display of my mourning and remembrance. So, after our church's Trunk or Treat party (an opportunity for the children to collect a bounty of chocolately goodness in record time), we hit the town (aka Jacob and Tak's apartment) for a sweet Halloween party, dressed up as Monkey and D, and as it turned out, our boss Michael Scott (aka Jason) was also in attendance.

That's what she said.