k.c. and m-e in the o.c.

If anyone has noticed (or cared) that I haven’t been posting or checking email the last few days, it’s because I have been in California for almost a week for work.

OK, so I have a pretty cool job. Sandwiched between long days as a state employee, I get to travel to cool places and do some pretty fun stuff. For about the past week or so, I attended an international travel conference in Anaheim, California. Sure, I worked during the day promoting Mississippi to Japanese and European travelers, but at night was a different story.

The first night of the conference, Disneyland closed the park just for us. Here’s where I give props to Walt Disney: the man was clearly beyond genius. Something about little fake towns, larger-than-life mice and a big castle makes adults go wild and act like children. Yes, Walt figured out years ago that people will buy ANYTHING with Mickey’s likeness on it and pay top dollar without question. I know this because I bought three pairs of Mickey ears and left 40 of my hard-earned dollars at the World of Disney store.

We were treated like royalty – free food, open bar, blinking Mickey ears (didn’t have to pay for those) and virtually no lines at any of the rides. It actually rained the night of the event, and we were given MICKEY PONCHOS. I of course made someone take a picture of my back to share this with you all. Needless to say we had a blast.

On Wednesday night, my boss Kristen and I were getting fired up for the final night party when our arms were twisted to eat at In-N-Out Burger. Now, many of you may have never heard of this place, but anyone with a penchant for celebrity gossip knows what I’m talking about. Weight Watchers be damned, I had a cheeseburger and some French fries served up “animal style” – with sautéed onions and cheese. Our cab driver really thought we were mentally ill, but when in Rome…From the famous burger joint, we headed back into downtown Anaheim to hear K.C. and the Sunshine Band. Pretty fun even though I was shocked (and a little disappointed) to learn that K.C. was a white guy. Monday – back to the real world.