Comments

So, aparently there are a lot of people reading my blog that i had no idea about.

Thanks for reading this! I'm so glad you're here!

I know that there has been issues with leaving comments, but I think i may have fixed it. Feel free to give it a try and see if it works. i sure hope it does- I don't think I've ever had a comment on my blog! I'd love to hear who is reading this and what you think. i really haven't heard from anyone much since I've been in Florida. Start sending cards people! Just kidding- unless you want to. i love getting mail too! :)

Soul surfer

So, this blog has nothing to do with Disney, but I feel like i have to say something.
I'm sitting in my apartment right now watching Soul Surfer with my roommates, waiting for my phone interview with Disney for my professional internship. We're about half way through the movie, and I've had tears in my eyes for at least the last 20 minutes.

It's very strange to watch this movie, and i know that my experiences are not in any way the sames as Bethany Hamilton's, but i can't help but feel so much of what she's feeling. There's a scene in the movie where she is at the grocery store and there is a little girl in a cart with her mom and she says, "mommy, what happened to that girls arm?" I completely lost it there and when she asks Carrie Underwood's character how her loosing her arm is a part of God's plan. I had many kids ask their parents the same question about my legs and asked that same question countless times to my family, my friends at church, and God. I'm watching this almost feeling like I'm watching myself and it hurts.

People have told me throughout my ordeal and continue to tell me how strong i am, but i am not nearly as strong as Bethany Hamilton is portrayed in this movie. I know that she had hard days too, and that this movie is not showing everything, because the truth is, any handicap is so much more than what can be put in just a couple hours by a movie director. Everything she says has been something that I've said numerous times. She kept her faith stronger than i ever did. Part of me wishes this movie had come out while i was dealing with my ordeal. Maybe i wouldn't hurt as much as i still do now, inside.

If you ever had a moment where you wondered what i felt like, watch this movie. This is my story too, even if i wasn't attacked by a shark while surfing and i still have my limbs. The story is the same, the pain is the same, and the emotions are the same. Soul Surfer is an incredible movie that i would highly recommend to everyone I meet. If you know someone with a disability or who has dealt with a handicap, this movie will be very enlightening for you.

pumpkin cheesecake recipe

Yep, two posts in one day! I had to share this recipe that i found for pumpkin cheesecake. It is so yummy and it will make your kitchen smell A-MAZ-ING!!!

Preheat oven to 350. Crush up vanilla wafers and melted butter (you can also combine ground pecans, but with my allergies i can't). I originally used 45 wafers and 1 stick butter, but ended up using more. Press cookie mixture into bottom of cupcake liners, or directly into bottom of a pan.

blend 2 pounds of cream cheese (cut up and softened) until smooth. Add 1 cup packed light brown sugar to cream cheese and blend until combined.

Add 6 eggs, one at at time, until incorporated, then blend in 1/2 cup heavy cream. Add 1/2 cup flour, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

add pure vanilla extract (recipe says 1 teaspoon, but if you're like me, the 2 ingredients I don't ever measure are peanut butter and vanilla).

pour filling over cookie crust. bake until cheesecake is set, at least 45 minutes for cupcakes and 1 hour 15 minutes for whole cake.

I tend to be messy in the kitchen as you can see. :)

Bam! Pumpkin cheesecake! (Yes, it's an Emeril recipe.) Enjoy the cheesecake and especially the smell. Enjoy! Let me know if you make it and what you think.

I'm a 10

So, one of my goals down here at Disney was to loose weight. I've never been a small girl, and really don't have any intentions of being a size 2. I'd look funny being that small. i have a more athletic build that I've always been proud of. I didn't really have body issues like many teen girls have. When i had to stop playing sports because of my knees, i gained weight. Let's face it, when you have no choice but to sit on your butt for months on end because you are in an immobilizer, you naturally gain weight. i had tried to loose weight before but never had much luck. Twice before when I was on vacation i did loose weight however. I wondered if maybe because i wasn't in my normal environment that would help me loose some extra pounds. i also knew that each apartment complex had fitness centers and i had every intention of utilizing it when i got here.

Cut to today- i have yet to set foot in the fitness center. Oops. The truth is that I just don't have time. I don't like working in a gym with other people watching me. Plus it makes me feel like i am back in physical therapy again and it gives me panic attacks. (sorry scott, you know I love ya but physical therapy is not fun!) I had already noticed though that i was loosing weight. After I did the 5k walk a couple of weeks ago, I started walking most mornings. I got a pedometer at the walk and wore it around on my first walk to see how far it was. Turned out to be about 2 miles. Great! I can handle that.

That night i wore the pedometer to work. Mind you, i work in the resort, not the park. i work in a small store. Nothing is that far away and i don't the shops are relatively small. Imagine my surprise when I got home and realized that the walk from my apartment to the bus stop, walking at work, and walking back home from the bus stop was over 5 miles! For real? Yes, for real. No wonder i was loosing weight. I was walking so much at work, especially compared to sitting at a desk at my job back home, plus, i don't know if you know this or not, but Florida gets really hot in the summer. Hot like, you will see the salt from your sweat on your skin. i was literally sweating off inches.

I have had to get a new costume at work 3 times. This is exciting. But i didn't know how that would translate into normal clothes. i love Disney, but no matter who you are, those costumes will give you a complex about your size and weight. i wasn't sure how my weight loss would translate outside of my costume. I mean, i knew my shorts weren't fitting (they were starting to fall of literally) but I wasn't sure exactly what size i was anymore.

I walked over the outlet malls by my apartment (i have no car, so i can only walk anywhere, whole other issue that i won't get into) because the temperature has been getting much more comfortable here lately. i thought I'd try on some jeans since i needed some anyway.

Imagine how excited i was when I tried these on and saw that i looked like that in the mirror!!! I Couldn't believe it! i really am looking pretty good! i fit into a size 10! Now, honestly speaking, i have never been a size 10. Even when i was in middle and high school i was at least a 12. Most women don't want to say what size they wear, but whatever. i don't really care that much. I've always been bigger, but i dressed in my size so I never looked as big as I was, if that makes sense. i dressed for my body, not the body i wished that i had.

I am so happy to show you my jeans and the size tag. i can't believe that i've managed to loose that much weight. i am so excited and proud of myself for this. I think it's been a combination of getting out of my old environment that i had been in for 24 years and that also reminded me on a daily basis of all my knee problems, having a job where i am on my feet all day, getting out and walking, eating better since i don't have a car to get fast food all the time, and having to walk anywhere i need to go. When you get into the parks at Disney for free and you can't go anywhere else, you walk a lot. It's been amazing. I am just so happy and excited! Who thought I'd ever be able to say i was a 10! :)