No photos today, as my digital camera’s battery is just about dead. You can bet, however, that the day was packed with activities. Katie and I began our Friday at IKEA, where we had breakfast. We spent about an hour walking through the store. My only purchase, besides a small lamp for my desk at the newspaper, was a food dish and a water dish for my cat, Frank. The dishes are lime green and were just 25¢ each!

After IKEA, Katie and I headed to Disneyland, where we rode a million rides. (OK, maybe not a million, but it was a lot.) We had a drink in the bar at the Grand Californian Hotel, which is at the park. Then, we met Billy at this great little bar/grill called Heroes in downtown Fullerton. My French dip was mighty tasty, I must say.

The three of us headed back to the apartment, where we crashed for the night.

About meeting Rufus Wainwright. Jason and I drove to Iowa City last Friday to see Rufus Wainwright play the University of Iowa campus. No big deal, right? About two hours before the show, Jason and I are having dinner at Mickey’s, a great little pub in downtown Iowa City. We’re sitting in a booth near the window when we see Rufus walk by, look in and head down the street. It took us both a second to realize what had just happened. Jason’s eyes grow wide as he says, “Grab your camera!”

Out the door we run, Jason slightly ahead of me, as we chase down Rufus. Rufus seemed flattered to be followed down by two fans, so he stopped and posed for a photo, which was taken by a random stranger. (Whoever you are, thank you!)

Needless to say, it was difficult to eat after something like that happened. We were in shock for a few moments, to say the least. After a few drinks, we headed over to the campus for the concert, which was amazing. Rufus performed for two solid hours, which included a few encores. What I also enjoyed was his banter with the audience. It really bothers me when artists/bands ignore the audience (who paid to be there, I might add) just for the sake of art.

Rufus, thank you for a memorable evening :-)

My first day in California was lovely. After arriving around 10 this morning, my sister and I did some shopping. I found a lovely tweed jacket at this store in downtown Brea for $9! The jacket originally sold for $42, if you can believe it. Quite the steal, I’d say. I also picked up a lovely light pink blouse from Forever 21. It’s sheer with short sleeves and delicate ruffles around the collar. So very feminine! That one cost me $18.

After our shopping outing, Katie and I stopped by my new favorite West Coast grocery store, Henry’s Marketplace. It’s so adorable! It’s certainly not an oversized grocery store with bright lights, which is what I’m used to. Much of the food is organic, and their produce section, according to my sister, is top notch. I loved it so much, I snapped a few photos :-)

Tomorrow, it’s off to Disneyland.

That’s right. I’m in Fullerton, Calif., visiting my sister through Monday. I took a few photos today, which I’ll post later. The weather here is gorgeous, about 40 degrees warmer than when I left Omaha this morning.

More news: I met Rufus Wainwright last Friday in Iowa City. No joke. I even have the photo to prove it. Stay tuned.

P.S. Thank you to Matthew, my sweetheart, for taking me to the airport this morning at 5:30. I love you, buddy!

My new favorite food: Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts. I love them like mad.

This cartoon from my aunt makes me chuckle, because it’s so accurate! In fact, I’m posting to my blog from my bed this evening :-)

He’s 3 months old and still without a name. Matthew’s still hanging on to Tolkien. I’m leaning toward Sebastian, Simon or Oscar. Decisions, decisions.

In other news, we celebrated Jason’s last day at the Leader with a BBQ at my house. It was lovely, except for the bee sting I received on the middle finger of my right hand. My dominant hand. It hurts. Bad. My middle finger is rather swollen and tender to the touch. I hope it’s healed by tomorrow. I haven’t been stung by a bee since I was a kid.

You read that right. Thanks to a patient boyfriend and the WONDERFUL staff of the Nebraska Humane Society, I’m, once again, a cat owner! Matthew and I spent a few hours at the humane society Wednesday, before the Rilo Kiley concert. We found an adorable, 3-month-old kitten, named Gene. We played with Gene for more than an hour before we decided this was the one. (We decided to ditch the name Gene to something more suitable. I’m leaning toward Oscar. Matthew wants Tolkien.)

I picked him up Thursday after work and he has been mine ever since. He’s very playful but enjoys napping and being held, too. It’s so much fun! This kitten is so much more loving and playful than the first. Or, maybe it’s just that I’ve learned a few things the second time around ;-)

For whatever reason, I scheduled three Wendy Only appointments this week: a dental appointment Tuesday afternoon; a haircut Wednesday afternoon; and an eye exam Friday afternoon. I’m getting a cavity filled and a much-needed haircut this week. As for the eye exam, I have a hunch my prescription has changed since my last exam two years ago. On most Web browsers, I up the text size (especially when posting to my blog). When shadowing a high school student for a front-page feature two weeks ago, I could barely read the blackboard from my back row desk.

My Bellevue Leader buddy and music supplier, Jason Keese, ran in the Omaha Marathon this morning in downtown Omaha. Jason opted for the half-marathon (13 miles), but plans to run the entire marathon (26 miles) next year. Best wishes to Jason this morning!

Jason Keese, dreaming of a first-place finish.

EDIT: This just in. Jason finished 37th out of 574 runners, with a time of 1:33:58. Way to go, Jason!