For these, I am truly thankful

This thanksgiving, i have so much to be thankful for. i almost don't even know where to start!
1. I am thankful for my mom and brother who have been so supportive of me and moving to Florida. They supported me even when everyone else thought I was crazy.
2. i am thankful for my family. It's so weird not being with them this thanksgiving, and i will definitely miss family dinner and all our interesting, and completely inappropriate, dinner conversations.
3. i am thankful for my wonderful job that i enjoy doing every day and that has led to more opportunities than I thought possible with the magical moments team I was put on.
4. i am thankful for my managers who are simply the best. i got really lucky.
5. i am thankful for my amazing fellow cast members who i love to see every day at work and who make me laugh all the time. Again, I got really lucky.
6. i am thankful to live in Florida and being able to go to Disneyworld whenever i want. :)
7. i am thankful to have 4 amazing roommates who all get along and who I want to hang out with. Not everyone likes their roommates and mine have become my family here.
8. i am thankful for my friends back home who have been supportive of my move here.
9. i am thankful for my professor who has been so patient with me and getting my assignments turned in much later than the original due dates. :)
10. i am thankful for the chance to prove people wrong. i know that one sounds kind of mean, but i know some people who read this blog who were not supportive of me when i first applied to this program and who didn't think I would stay. I am glad that i was strong enough to prove those people wrong.

I could probably go on and on of things i am thankful for today, but those are my top choices.
I hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving and enjoys the time spent with friends and family.

we interrupt this broadcast...

I know I've been slacking on blogging lately, but things are crazy busy here in good old Orlando.

I promise to catch up soon.

Mickey's very merry christmas party

So, last night I went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom. Holy Cow! It was so amazing! i had the absolute best time ever. I think the pictures do most of the talking here, so i won't add many words. i have them all posted on my facebook, so either friend me or check them out if we're already friends. (and if we aren't, what the heck are you waiting for? :) )

Dopey went MIA for some reason during some photos- feel free to call me the 8th dwarf- Clumsy. :)

Yay! I finally got my picture with Minnie and Mickey!

Isn't it gorgeous?! and it's a thousand times prettier than even the pictures show.

This is my friend Julie who was visiting for a week who i went to the party with. She was a CP as well, and still works for Disney.

Bet you can't guess what will probably happen with this picture. :)

Brilliant!

Christmas is in the air- can you feel it?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Sorry for a short and sweet post today, but I'm having a bad pain day and just not feeling that great. However, I am super excited because Christmas is in full swing here at Disney. Tomorrow night i am going to Mickey's Christmas party with a friend from school who is here visiting and i cannot wait! Trust me, there will be tons more pictures in the next few days!

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.