LAKERS. Repeat NBA Champs!!!

What a nerve-wracking game. Kobe was taking bad shots, Pau wasn’t making his free throws, the Celtics were leading by 13 (!!!)… it was a mess. But after Derek made the 3-pointer to tie the game in the 4th quarter, the Lakers turned it around. AWWW YEAH.

Rob got so excited when the momentum shifted in favor of the Lakers that he almost broke his hand after he punched our floor to celebrate another 3-pointer — this time by RonRon. His hand is totally swollen right now. LOL.

Oh man. What a great way to head into the weekend.

A few weekends ago, Rob and I went to the Team LA store at the Staples Center to see what Lakers goodies we could find. Sadly, not much. They had A LOT of stuff but nothing particularly exciting. So disappointing. I mean, LA is a long way from Orange County. Wowzers. I did find this awesome Mickey Mouse tee and had to take a picture of it. No, I didn’t buy it. (They didn’t carry it in women’s sizes, heh).

The following weekend Rob and I “crashed” an old friend’s surprise 30th birthday party. HEE! We were invited by a friend who actually WAS invited. That’s not technically crashing, right? Anyway, he had a freaking In-N-Out truck at his party. I took full advantage and enjoyed a Double Double cheeseburger. Sooo good.

And yes, I cut my hair. I go back and forth between liking it and not. It’s a *tad* shorter than I wanted. Oh well.

Finally, this past weekend on the 4th of July, we went to a barbecue at Daniel and Carolyn’s place across town. There was this guy using the grill next to us (he’s behind me in the above pic) and he was wearing… get this… cargo shorts, white sunglasses, a red/white/green wristband, Louis Vuitton belt, Gucci loafers… and no shirt. He was such a character! My friend Rob (not to be confused with the hubs) really wanted a picture of him so he pretended to take pictures of me. Too bad I leaned over too far and got in the way. We’re so mean! I’m going to rot in hell, aren’t I?

Anyway, no SYTYCD updates tonight. Rob’s out of town again so I have to wait to watch this week’s episode until he returns. Can’t wait!

We arrived just after the 8am park opening and there were already TONS of purple and gold faithful lining Main Street waiting for the 10am parade. Rob decided to stake out a seat for us in front of the Fire Dept/City Hall area while I got my morning coffee and croissant. YUM.

Here we are happily waiting for the parade to start. It was cool and overcast in the morning but as it got later, the sun came out and beat down on us. It was so hot I was afraid of getting a sunglass tan. (I do have priorities).

Kobe’s approaching! You could *feel* the anticipation in the air.

The lead banner of the parade. SQUEE.

Finally. There’s Kobe’s coming around the corner! WITH MICKEY. WOOOOOOOOOO. The parade was just 1 float accompanied by a handful of Disney characters and dancers dressed in Lakers jerseys but there was something about being there with so many other fans that made the “event” feel bigger than it really was. I’m glad I got to be a part of it.

Before heading home to go back to work, we managed to fit in a quick ride on Space Mountain (still the best ride ever). On our way out of the park, I spotted this cast member selling purple and gold balloons so I had to get my picture taken with them. And no, I was not the only person doing this. It was a great start to my day.

Growing up in Southern CA, you can’t escape the Lakers. They’re everywhere. But it was definitely my grandma who first showed me what it means to be a fan. She took care of me when I was younger and the 2 things we always watched together were soap operas (on ABC, specifically) and Lakers basketball. Then of course, I met and married Rob, one of the biggest Lakers fans I know. The love he has for the Lakers is infectious and he’s taught me to enjoy and appreciate the game more and more each year. He even passed on the Lakers craziness to our “little ones”…

I like to think that Diesel and Bub were actually the secret weapons in this championship. Hee.