Well boys and girls, it's official - I will be starting the next chapter of my life come Saturday. It's technically already started, but not actually.
So, I bet you are wondering what that next chapter is, huh? Well, you are about to find out!
If you recall, a few weeks ago, I made the post about how my epic Disney day was not going to happen anymore. It was a sad sad day. However, there were a few reasons for it not happening. The first, most major reason was that I found out I had yet another stress fracture in my foot and so the doctor put me in a boot and crutches. I hate crutches, they are going to be the death of me. I have been using them off and on for the last 15 years, give or take a few months. The first time I had to use crutches was when my growth plate moved out of place due to an incident during after-school cheerleading. Long story, that, but I was in an air cast and crutches for at least 6 weeks. I literally wore that thing out. I am not kidding you, either. A day or two before I was allowed to take it off, it fell apart. Not only am I good at injuring myself, I'm also really good at causing medical equipment to fail.
The other reason that my Disney epic day did not happen was because, even though my annual pass was about to expire, I did not have to worry about having to save up to visit Disney anytime I wanted to. Well, you may ask me, how is that? The reason, dear readers, is because I have new pass! Yaaayyyy!!!!!! Except you are probably confused as to how I got one or why when I was complaining about the cost. Well, it's because it didn't cost me anything. How is that possible?
It's all thanks to that little button right there.
That's right, ladies and gentlemen, your favourite blogger (or at least I will pretend I'm your favourite blogger) is now a Disney Cast Member!!!!! Woohoo!!!! Let's throw a party! (Seriously, I like parties!)
So, that is Phase 2 of the next chapter of my life - working for Disney. But as you may know, as of right now, I have to drive around 70 miles to get to work, at Disney, indeed the most magical place on Earth. It is not fun, nor is it convenient. So, that is where Phase 3 comes in - I must move! Again. For the 4th time in 2 years.
The first move I ever made outside of my hometown was a little less than 2 years ago, when I moved to the Tampa area to attend school at the University of South Florida. In fact, I started this blog right around that time. Not even 6 months later, I was moving again, although not very far at all, just into another apartment of the same complex. Then last summer, I moved to where I am now and now, come the end of summer, I will move again, to the Orlando area.
You may notice I skipped a phase there, however. I skipped Phase 1. But that's because Phase 1 happened already, almost 2 months ago. Phase 1 was when I became single again. It was not exactly my choice, but it happened. But that's how life is, it changes on you in an instant. It may not always be what you want, sometimes it changes to something you despise, other times the change makes you the happiest person on the planet. But it's life and it is unpredictable so you just go with it.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Father's Day Poem
Father's Day happened a week ago and I called my dad that day and we talked, but I was at my place because of classes. Well, I am visiting my parents for a few days and my dad, while looking for something else, happened upon a Father's Day Poem I had written for him, ca. 1997. It was not just a poem but a whole collage, with the poem on it. I thought I would share it with y'all because it clearly shows my artistic ability when I younger. So, without further ado....
I'm going to explain everything because some of it is hard to see with this picture. In the top right corner is my attempt at Mickey Mouse wearing Mickey Ears. The images are a golfer, a cherry cake, ham, wine on a table, tulips, fireworks, poker cards, etc. The green thing on top of my amazingly drawn pizza is a pepper. The hammer looking thing is my beautifully mastered golf club and the words on the left side say "building & fixing", "Favorite Colors, Blue, Red, Purple, Yellow" (which is colored over in purple because yellow crayon does not show up on Yellow paper), also around the poem it say "love is in the air" and "I Love You" (but is depicted as an eyeball, with lashes, a heart and the letter "U").
I'm pretty awesome, right? Well apparently I'm even more awesome, according to the poem I wrote. Here is the text, as written on the paper, so you can read for yourself my mad writing skills at the age of 8.
Father's Day Poem
My father is a golfer
He lets me be his tee
He puts his ball upon my
nose, And hits it right off
me. He says that I can
share the joy of every ball
he hits. Oh, ain't it grand
to have a dad Who spends
time with his kid!
Like I said, mad skills. Also, apparently I let my dad use my nose as a tee. I can tell you right now my father never would have allowed that and I have no recollection of that ever occurring, so why I wrote a poem about it is beyond me. But I was 8, so who knows what was going through my mind at the time. We did play golf together, but never in that fashion.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day and many more with their Dad!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Post
Life is hard. I mean life is really really really hard. No one ever tells you that. You are never prepared for what life is going to throw at you. I don't know if anyone ever is. It's not like life is hard in the same way for any two people, either. Some people struggle with an illness, others with bad luck. Some people struggle with who they are, others with never being loved. Some people struggle because nothing seems to be going right, while others are always struggling with doing what's right. Life is a struggle and it's hard. But all you ever hear about in our society is how you are expected to go to college or start out immediately in the work force. If you take the college path, once you are done then you have your career picked out for you and then you go do that, you get married, settle down and have kids, you become a soccer mom or an office dad. Everything is expected of you. Our parents love us, but while they love us, sometimes that love gets misdirected into pushing us to do what they think we should. They do know better - I should know, I fought my parents every step of the way in life and still do today. But sometimes they have an idea of what you are supposed to do and when it doesn't work out the way they expected, they tend to freak out a little bit.
Probably what's even worse is that because of the society we live in, and it being in America, it's not like many people can follow their dreams the way they once did. These days, the people who want to follow their dreams have to add 10 years to their plan because things just aren't working out right.
Add to that, people like me. We are dreamers and want to follow that dream no matter what and we are stubborn as hell. Except for an even worse problem - we don't exactly know what we want to do with our lives. We've been through college, switched majors too many times and have even graduate, only to realise we made a potentially huge mistake. I am proud of myself for having a degree, but I realised that, the degree I have, may not be what I want to do in life. I have had so many experiences and so much has happened in less than a quarter of a century that is my life, and yet I have no direction. I know I want to keep learning and keep experiencing, but that's not a career. There's no way I can afford that, either. So what do I do?
Most likely, I will have to put my adventures on hold until I can pay off my student debt. I can work and do some pretty cool stuff, but not what I want to do. I know it's not what I want to do because I don't feel excited and get giddy. I don't even need a degree for my job. But I do love the company and I know I will enjoy it. But I know it's not quite what I want to do for the rest of my life. But when I ask myself what I do want that to be, I come up blank. I have no idea what I want to do and really, if I'm being honest, I have no idea who I am. That is the probably the hardest thing to come to terms with in my life, is knowing who I am.
I've been told that everyone is trying to figure that out, but if you knew me, you would realise how much it affects me. I'm a planner. I have always had a plan, I have always known what I wanted to do. I am very ambitious and I am very determined. When I realised that I had no idea who I was though, that hit me hard. I didn't cry, but I then realised that I had no idea what kind of emotion you're supposed to feel when you don't know who you are. Do you cry? Do you laugh? Are you depressed? Are you sad? Are you happy because you get to discover yourself through a journey of crazy trials and temptations? Or are you supposed to feel blank?
Then I wonder, maybe I am supposed to feel blank because this is where I get to start over. I get to figure out who I am from the start, feelings and all. Do I abandon my family and everyone I love in the process? Maybe. Maybe I need to, for the time being, so that I can figure out who I am. Maybe I'm supposed to start all over, sell most of my things, throw a dart at a map and just go! Be adventurous, be crazy, do stupid things, eat weird foods, make-out with strangers, get lost in crowd, create amazing memories and find myself along the way, even if it is in bits and pieces. That's what being young is all about, right? Making mistakes and loving and losing and fighting and just living.
So, until next time--
Probably what's even worse is that because of the society we live in, and it being in America, it's not like many people can follow their dreams the way they once did. These days, the people who want to follow their dreams have to add 10 years to their plan because things just aren't working out right.
Add to that, people like me. We are dreamers and want to follow that dream no matter what and we are stubborn as hell. Except for an even worse problem - we don't exactly know what we want to do with our lives. We've been through college, switched majors too many times and have even graduate, only to realise we made a potentially huge mistake. I am proud of myself for having a degree, but I realised that, the degree I have, may not be what I want to do in life. I have had so many experiences and so much has happened in less than a quarter of a century that is my life, and yet I have no direction. I know I want to keep learning and keep experiencing, but that's not a career. There's no way I can afford that, either. So what do I do?
Most likely, I will have to put my adventures on hold until I can pay off my student debt. I can work and do some pretty cool stuff, but not what I want to do. I know it's not what I want to do because I don't feel excited and get giddy. I don't even need a degree for my job. But I do love the company and I know I will enjoy it. But I know it's not quite what I want to do for the rest of my life. But when I ask myself what I do want that to be, I come up blank. I have no idea what I want to do and really, if I'm being honest, I have no idea who I am. That is the probably the hardest thing to come to terms with in my life, is knowing who I am.
I've been told that everyone is trying to figure that out, but if you knew me, you would realise how much it affects me. I'm a planner. I have always had a plan, I have always known what I wanted to do. I am very ambitious and I am very determined. When I realised that I had no idea who I was though, that hit me hard. I didn't cry, but I then realised that I had no idea what kind of emotion you're supposed to feel when you don't know who you are. Do you cry? Do you laugh? Are you depressed? Are you sad? Are you happy because you get to discover yourself through a journey of crazy trials and temptations? Or are you supposed to feel blank?
Then I wonder, maybe I am supposed to feel blank because this is where I get to start over. I get to figure out who I am from the start, feelings and all. Do I abandon my family and everyone I love in the process? Maybe. Maybe I need to, for the time being, so that I can figure out who I am. Maybe I'm supposed to start all over, sell most of my things, throw a dart at a map and just go! Be adventurous, be crazy, do stupid things, eat weird foods, make-out with strangers, get lost in crowd, create amazing memories and find myself along the way, even if it is in bits and pieces. That's what being young is all about, right? Making mistakes and loving and losing and fighting and just living.
So, until next time--
Friday, June 14, 2013
Epic Disney Day!!!!
http://blogs.disney.com/oh-my-disney/
It is fabulous things about Disney, from Disney. Including old photos, cute stories and photos and so much Disney love.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
What 'Harry Potter' and my glasses have in common
I imagine that you have heard about the 'Harry Potter' series at this point in your life. If you have not, you have seriously, truly lived under a rock, or you are still a toddler and are not that advanced in reading yet. Regardless, you should have heard about 'Harry Potter' by now. It first was published 15 years ago That's right! 15 years ago! (Well, the U.S., that is.) Makes you feel old, doesn't it?! Well, it makes me feel old, anyways. I digress. Although, not really because what 'Harry Potter' and my glasses have in common did indeed start 15 years ago....
I was in the 4th grade and had been having trouble seeing the board in class. But I always read when I was supposed to be doing math or science or anything else in class. I also read when I finished my work early. (I've always been a nerd.) My teacher was Mrs. B and to this day is still my most favourite teacher ever. I do have a few other favourites, but she changed my life forever. She actually changed my life for the better. She was the one who realized that I needed glasses and told my parents to get me checked. I needed them badly. This is back in 1998. That means I've had glasses for 15 years as well. Starting to get the correlation a bit? Well, there's more to it.
Not too long after I got my glasses, Mrs. B realized that I was being bullied for having them. It was the 90s, and well, kids have always been cruel. So, she introduced me to book. A book about a little boy, who was not too much older than I was, who had glasses and wait for it.... was bullied. Although, his bully was a Dark Lord and this little boy got to use magic. He was also know around the world. Well, at least the wizarding world. If you haven't quite caught on yet, that little boy was Harry Potter.
Not only did my life change in 1998, it changed in a way that still affects me today, almost 15 years later. But the way that my life changed, has ultimately been for the better. It has shaped who I am and how I act. I am seem crazy for being obsessed with Harry Potter, even now, 2 years after the last film was released, but the truth is, there are so many people out there like me. But also, I really don't care if people think I'm crazy. I got to not only grow up with the book Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Snape and McGonagall and every other character in the series, I was even luckier, I got to grow up with the actors of those characters. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Bonnie Wright, Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith. I love all of them and don't even mind seeing them in other productions. In fact, it has helped me to watch other films and plays I would not have normally watched.
So, that's it. That is what 'Harry Potter' and my glasses have in common. 1998 and Mrs. B. Two simple things. But at the same time, it is so much more than that. More than I can put into words, so you will just have to take me word for it. Even though it may not have seemed like it at the time, I have come to realize that getting glasses and then being swallowed into the 'Harry Potter' fandom, those two events in my life were probably the best things to ever happen to me.
Has anything changed your life that you will never forget? Do you have something in your life with an odd connection like mine?
I was in the 4th grade and had been having trouble seeing the board in class. But I always read when I was supposed to be doing math or science or anything else in class. I also read when I finished my work early. (I've always been a nerd.) My teacher was Mrs. B and to this day is still my most favourite teacher ever. I do have a few other favourites, but she changed my life forever. She actually changed my life for the better. She was the one who realized that I needed glasses and told my parents to get me checked. I needed them badly. This is back in 1998. That means I've had glasses for 15 years as well. Starting to get the correlation a bit? Well, there's more to it.
Not too long after I got my glasses, Mrs. B realized that I was being bullied for having them. It was the 90s, and well, kids have always been cruel. So, she introduced me to book. A book about a little boy, who was not too much older than I was, who had glasses and wait for it.... was bullied. Although, his bully was a Dark Lord and this little boy got to use magic. He was also know around the world. Well, at least the wizarding world. If you haven't quite caught on yet, that little boy was Harry Potter.
Not only did my life change in 1998, it changed in a way that still affects me today, almost 15 years later. But the way that my life changed, has ultimately been for the better. It has shaped who I am and how I act. I am seem crazy for being obsessed with Harry Potter, even now, 2 years after the last film was released, but the truth is, there are so many people out there like me. But also, I really don't care if people think I'm crazy. I got to not only grow up with the book Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Snape and McGonagall and every other character in the series, I was even luckier, I got to grow up with the actors of those characters. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Bonnie Wright, Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith. I love all of them and don't even mind seeing them in other productions. In fact, it has helped me to watch other films and plays I would not have normally watched.
So, that's it. That is what 'Harry Potter' and my glasses have in common. 1998 and Mrs. B. Two simple things. But at the same time, it is so much more than that. More than I can put into words, so you will just have to take me word for it. Even though it may not have seemed like it at the time, I have come to realize that getting glasses and then being swallowed into the 'Harry Potter' fandom, those two events in my life were probably the best things to ever happen to me.
Has anything changed your life that you will never forget? Do you have something in your life with an odd connection like mine?
Friday, June 7, 2013
Waiting on hold
What is is with automated messages and systems when trying to call a doctor's office, a university, customer service or other such places? I understand WHY they are there - there is not enough man power to answer the phones and even if there was, the chances that every single one of those people being able to answer just about any question that someone can ask is very small.
However, I have noticed that almost every time I call a company and have to go through one of the automated systems, I get put on hold (at some point during the call) for at LEAST 10 consecutive minutes. For example, right now, I am trying to get a hold of my university and was on hold for precisely 19 minutes and 36 seconds before I got to speak to an actual person.
Why is it that companies and businesses let this kind of thing happen? If you just need someone to answer the phone to lead to happier customers, patients, whoever, then why not hired 1 or 2 people JUST to answer the phones? I know that may seem like a lot of people when you consider how many companies should do that but hey, it might fix the unemployment problem, right? Especially in areas like Tampa, where a university alone would have to hire probably close to 100 people to fix just that problem. Just imagine! But I digress.
My phone call lasted exact 24 minutes. So, let's do the math, shall we? Out of 24 minutes, 19 and half were on hold, not even talking to someone. Probably 30 seconds of that was pushing buttons so that I could get to the right avenue. That means that for only 4 and a half minutes I was talking to someone. In what world is that okay?
Okay, so maybe I'm being a brat about it, but it's just very obnoxious and when this kind of situation happens after an incident where you are furious about a service or product, it can seriously get on your nerves! At least, it gets on mine. Like when the gas company was taking double payment and no one bothered to fix it until I called them up. And even then after that, I had to call back another time to make sure they were following up. I remember that day I was on hold for about 10 minutes and my nerves were very thin. Everything worked out with that and with today's call. But, is it really necessary? Are offices really that busy on a Friday afternoon? I'm pretty sure most people who work in an office, by the time 2:00 PM hits, they just mess around until they can clock out.
Anyone else have any fun stories to share about being put on hold?
However, I have noticed that almost every time I call a company and have to go through one of the automated systems, I get put on hold (at some point during the call) for at LEAST 10 consecutive minutes. For example, right now, I am trying to get a hold of my university and was on hold for precisely 19 minutes and 36 seconds before I got to speak to an actual person.
Why is it that companies and businesses let this kind of thing happen? If you just need someone to answer the phone to lead to happier customers, patients, whoever, then why not hired 1 or 2 people JUST to answer the phones? I know that may seem like a lot of people when you consider how many companies should do that but hey, it might fix the unemployment problem, right? Especially in areas like Tampa, where a university alone would have to hire probably close to 100 people to fix just that problem. Just imagine! But I digress.
My phone call lasted exact 24 minutes. So, let's do the math, shall we? Out of 24 minutes, 19 and half were on hold, not even talking to someone. Probably 30 seconds of that was pushing buttons so that I could get to the right avenue. That means that for only 4 and a half minutes I was talking to someone. In what world is that okay?
Okay, so maybe I'm being a brat about it, but it's just very obnoxious and when this kind of situation happens after an incident where you are furious about a service or product, it can seriously get on your nerves! At least, it gets on mine. Like when the gas company was taking double payment and no one bothered to fix it until I called them up. And even then after that, I had to call back another time to make sure they were following up. I remember that day I was on hold for about 10 minutes and my nerves were very thin. Everything worked out with that and with today's call. But, is it really necessary? Are offices really that busy on a Friday afternoon? I'm pretty sure most people who work in an office, by the time 2:00 PM hits, they just mess around until they can clock out.
Anyone else have any fun stories to share about being put on hold?
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Solo Theme Park Visits
I LOVE theme parks. I don't just like them, I LOVE them. If I could afford it, I would have annual passes to every single park in the state of Florida. Why? Well, because I live near-by and it would be easy to visit, but also because, like I said, I LOVE THEME PARKS!!!!
So, last summer, I got a Disney Annual Pass, along with the boyfriend. We went to all of the Disney Parks way too many times. We went enough times to pay for like, 4 or 5 Annual Passes. Those things are NOT cheap and neither is a single day visit. But it works out to be much cheaper when you get the Annual Pass. For example, right now, Disney ticket's cost $90 a day. When we got the Annual Passes, it was a little over $400 for the entire year. That means in 5 days of visiting the parks (we had access to all 4), we got our money's worth. But of course we went even more that those 5 days! In fact, by September we had already been at least 5 times. Plus the multiple days that we went with my Sister and her kids. So already, we got more than our money-worth. Not to mention the benefits of merchandise discounts, getting into parks early or staying late and of course getting to see the New Fantasyland before it was even open to the public and other special events. Definitely worth the $400.
But every time I have ever gone to a theme park, I always people watch, because it's fun and interesting. I would always notice the people who were by themselves, though. I used to feel sorry for them. I thought about how sad it must be, to be at the park, which-ever one we were at, the most magical place in the world, alone. I felt bad for those people, until finally, today. Today, I visited Animal Kingdom AND Hollywood Studios by myself, and can I just say.... I now feel bad for the people who are NOT alone!
When you have your kids, or nieces/nephews, cousins, parents, spouse, whoever, anyone with you, it is actually kind of a drag. Not that I don't love my family and friends and that you should not. However, when you are at a theme park with someone, you have to consider someone else's opinion on what rides to go on, which shows to see, how fast you are walking, how to avoid the crowds, keeping track of everyone, etc. But when you are by yourself, you are FREEEE!!!!! You can make your own schedule, it's easy to side-step the hundreds of strollers, you can go as fast (or slow if you're well, not me) as you want and you don't have to worry about decisions. They can be changed on a fly, all you have to do is well, do it.
There is a sad part about going to a theme park alone - you don't have anyone to share the magic and memories with, you don't have someone to take pictures with and you can't banter with someone about what is going on. Sure, you can talk to other random people who are at the park, but it is definitely beneficial to have someone with you. It is also just plain nice.
That being said, I'm not sure which I prefer. I love being by myself because it makes the visit easier and you can get places quicker. Especially if your companions are children. Unfortunately, children make every task more difficult and slower. But, it is really nice to create memories with your friends and family. Especially at Disney - seriously, how much more magical can they make that place? Apparently a LOT more, because after all, they are!
However, I will enjoy the last day of my Disney Annual Pass. Maybe more than any other day that I ever visited a Disney Theme Park. I think the day I got to go to Fantasyland before it opened was the best day ever because let's face it - Belle is my favourite princess and I not only got to be in the Enchanted Tales with her, but I also got to eat in the 'Be Our Guest' restaurant. I don't think anyone will ever be able to make a reservation there - it is always PACKED and every reservation is always taken. I've been trying since they allowed you to even START making reservations, which was 180 days (that's 5 MONTHS) before they even officially OPENED that part of the park! But I digress.
What I am most excited for is.....
MY EPIC DISNEY DAY!!!!
That's right, I said Epic and Disney in the same sentence. Pretty obviously usually, but I mean this is going to be a SUPER DUPER EPIC DISNEY DAY! Why, you may ask? Well, I will be going to not 1, not 2, not even 3 of the parks. I will be going to ALL FOUR WALT DISNEY WORLD PARKS IN A SINGLE DAY!
It sounds INSANE, I know! But I have always wanted to park hop, my pass is expiring and I will have 13 hours where my puppy is going to be taken care of in order to do it. Granted, 2 of those hours will be just driving to and from the Disney property. That means I will have approximately 2 1/2 hours in each park to do the things I want to do. While I have had a year to do every single thing in every single park, the absolutely CRAZIEST thing is, I actually HAVEN'T! But, that's the beauty of being a Disney fan. I will have to share my Epic Disney Day with you all when it happens. I will also be posting, once my Annual Pass has officially expired, a synopsis of my year at Disney. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It will be a long, albeit, enjoyable post.
Anyone else have any thoughts on solo theme park visits? Do you think I'm absolutely insane for going to all 4 parks in an 11 hours period? (I'm already predicting the answer is going to be yes.)
So, last summer, I got a Disney Annual Pass, along with the boyfriend. We went to all of the Disney Parks way too many times. We went enough times to pay for like, 4 or 5 Annual Passes. Those things are NOT cheap and neither is a single day visit. But it works out to be much cheaper when you get the Annual Pass. For example, right now, Disney ticket's cost $90 a day. When we got the Annual Passes, it was a little over $400 for the entire year. That means in 5 days of visiting the parks (we had access to all 4), we got our money's worth. But of course we went even more that those 5 days! In fact, by September we had already been at least 5 times. Plus the multiple days that we went with my Sister and her kids. So already, we got more than our money-worth. Not to mention the benefits of merchandise discounts, getting into parks early or staying late and of course getting to see the New Fantasyland before it was even open to the public and other special events. Definitely worth the $400.
But every time I have ever gone to a theme park, I always people watch, because it's fun and interesting. I would always notice the people who were by themselves, though. I used to feel sorry for them. I thought about how sad it must be, to be at the park, which-ever one we were at, the most magical place in the world, alone. I felt bad for those people, until finally, today. Today, I visited Animal Kingdom AND Hollywood Studios by myself, and can I just say.... I now feel bad for the people who are NOT alone!
When you have your kids, or nieces/nephews, cousins, parents, spouse, whoever, anyone with you, it is actually kind of a drag. Not that I don't love my family and friends and that you should not. However, when you are at a theme park with someone, you have to consider someone else's opinion on what rides to go on, which shows to see, how fast you are walking, how to avoid the crowds, keeping track of everyone, etc. But when you are by yourself, you are FREEEE!!!!! You can make your own schedule, it's easy to side-step the hundreds of strollers, you can go as fast (or slow if you're well, not me) as you want and you don't have to worry about decisions. They can be changed on a fly, all you have to do is well, do it.
There is a sad part about going to a theme park alone - you don't have anyone to share the magic and memories with, you don't have someone to take pictures with and you can't banter with someone about what is going on. Sure, you can talk to other random people who are at the park, but it is definitely beneficial to have someone with you. It is also just plain nice.
That being said, I'm not sure which I prefer. I love being by myself because it makes the visit easier and you can get places quicker. Especially if your companions are children. Unfortunately, children make every task more difficult and slower. But, it is really nice to create memories with your friends and family. Especially at Disney - seriously, how much more magical can they make that place? Apparently a LOT more, because after all, they are!
However, I will enjoy the last day of my Disney Annual Pass. Maybe more than any other day that I ever visited a Disney Theme Park. I think the day I got to go to Fantasyland before it opened was the best day ever because let's face it - Belle is my favourite princess and I not only got to be in the Enchanted Tales with her, but I also got to eat in the 'Be Our Guest' restaurant. I don't think anyone will ever be able to make a reservation there - it is always PACKED and every reservation is always taken. I've been trying since they allowed you to even START making reservations, which was 180 days (that's 5 MONTHS) before they even officially OPENED that part of the park! But I digress.
What I am most excited for is.....
MY EPIC DISNEY DAY!!!!
That's right, I said Epic and Disney in the same sentence. Pretty obviously usually, but I mean this is going to be a SUPER DUPER EPIC DISNEY DAY! Why, you may ask? Well, I will be going to not 1, not 2, not even 3 of the parks. I will be going to ALL FOUR WALT DISNEY WORLD PARKS IN A SINGLE DAY!
It sounds INSANE, I know! But I have always wanted to park hop, my pass is expiring and I will have 13 hours where my puppy is going to be taken care of in order to do it. Granted, 2 of those hours will be just driving to and from the Disney property. That means I will have approximately 2 1/2 hours in each park to do the things I want to do. While I have had a year to do every single thing in every single park, the absolutely CRAZIEST thing is, I actually HAVEN'T! But, that's the beauty of being a Disney fan. I will have to share my Epic Disney Day with you all when it happens. I will also be posting, once my Annual Pass has officially expired, a synopsis of my year at Disney. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It will be a long, albeit, enjoyable post.
Anyone else have any thoughts on solo theme park visits? Do you think I'm absolutely insane for going to all 4 parks in an 11 hours period? (I'm already predicting the answer is going to be yes.)
Friday, April 5, 2013
New Products from Garnier Fructis
It's time to spill a secret....
I am.... a
Okay, that wasn't that hard to admit but this next thing is....
I have dandruff and dry scalp! Yikes!
Okay, that wasn't that hard either. But that's not why I brought you here today. Today, I wanted to talk about two products that I got from BzzAgent recently that I love so much that I HAVE to write a blog post about it! And I've been getting all sorts of things so this is a special treat.
In two separate campaigns, I got the Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil and the Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge System. I LOVE Garnier Fructis products to begin with but I made sure to keep an open mind in case I *gasp* didn't like one of the prodcuts.
Well, I am here to tell you - I DO like both products!!!! In fact, I LOVE the Hydra Recharge System! In my BzzKits, I got full-size bottles of all of the products, which is perfect.
Normally, I can only wash my hair 2 or 3 times a week because it is very dry, brittle, thick and I get dandruff and dry scalp. It's bad and when I use bad products, even though I just got out of the shower, my head it already itchy. It stinks! But, I have been using both products for almost 4 weeks now and together, they are perfect!
I can wash my hair every other day with the Hydra Recharge Shampoo, Conditioner and 1-Minute Moisture-Plenish (which like I said, I got FULL SIZE of each!) and then after the shower, while my hair is still damp, I was using the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-In Conditioning Cream (which I bought on my own). The Conditioning Cream is helpful in keeping your hair curly and less frizzy, which I learned from another blogger. And boy does it! But my hair is the kind of hair that frizzes up like nobody's business and so not even that works on it's own. So, bringing in the Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil instead of the Conditioning Cream was one solution, again while my hair was damp. Although after two days, my hair was starting to feel a little greasy. So, what I tried yesterday morning was the Hydra Recharge System with the Conditioning Cream while my hair was damp. As my hair started to dry out, I sprayed two times over my hair with the Dry Oil and well, here are the results! I took a few pictures yesterday and then the last one is from today. My hair feels sooooo soft and it's just PERFECT! I found my new curly hair-care regimen! You should definitely try these products out if you have curly or wavy or frizzy or dry hair!
If you would like to sign-up as a BzzAgent, let me know and I can hook you up! You get free stuff and discounts ALL the time! And it's FREE for you!
I am.... a
Okay, that wasn't that hard to admit but this next thing is....
I have dandruff and dry scalp! Yikes!
Okay, that wasn't that hard either. But that's not why I brought you here today. Today, I wanted to talk about two products that I got from BzzAgent recently that I love so much that I HAVE to write a blog post about it! And I've been getting all sorts of things so this is a special treat.
In two separate campaigns, I got the Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil and the Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge System. I LOVE Garnier Fructis products to begin with but I made sure to keep an open mind in case I *gasp* didn't like one of the prodcuts.
Here's what they look like all nice in ads:
Well, I am here to tell you - I DO like both products!!!! In fact, I LOVE the Hydra Recharge System! In my BzzKits, I got full-size bottles of all of the products, which is perfect.
Normally, I can only wash my hair 2 or 3 times a week because it is very dry, brittle, thick and I get dandruff and dry scalp. It's bad and when I use bad products, even though I just got out of the shower, my head it already itchy. It stinks! But, I have been using both products for almost 4 weeks now and together, they are perfect!
I can wash my hair every other day with the Hydra Recharge Shampoo, Conditioner and 1-Minute Moisture-Plenish (which like I said, I got FULL SIZE of each!) and then after the shower, while my hair is still damp, I was using the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Leave-In Conditioning Cream (which I bought on my own). The Conditioning Cream is helpful in keeping your hair curly and less frizzy, which I learned from another blogger. And boy does it! But my hair is the kind of hair that frizzes up like nobody's business and so not even that works on it's own. So, bringing in the Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil instead of the Conditioning Cream was one solution, again while my hair was damp. Although after two days, my hair was starting to feel a little greasy. So, what I tried yesterday morning was the Hydra Recharge System with the Conditioning Cream while my hair was damp. As my hair started to dry out, I sprayed two times over my hair with the Dry Oil and well, here are the results! I took a few pictures yesterday and then the last one is from today. My hair feels sooooo soft and it's just PERFECT! I found my new curly hair-care regimen! You should definitely try these products out if you have curly or wavy or frizzy or dry hair!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Movie Preview
Guess who just came back of a free movie preview? That's right, I did! I must saw, being able to see a film in advance is a very cool experience and it's not the first time I have gotten to. However, this preview is a little different from previous previews I have seen. For one, I really enjoyed the film and am going to be writing up a FULL critique. Another HUGE way this preview is different from previous ones is that the film that I saw does not get released to theatres for THREE MORE WEEKS. Now, while I am not technically legally bound to keep my mouth shut, I also want to keep getting to see previews for free as well as write up a good review and not spoil it for everyone. Also, I sadly do not get paid for critiques or well, anything much these days and so I am going to keep my opinions to myself for now. But, I will let y'all know when I post my review because it will be a good one and you will want to read it, although it will contain spoilers because well, they are too good to not tell you about.
Oh, and if you would like to know what film I saw, here's the movie poster....
Get alive! Or excited, whichever works for you. ;)
Oh, and if you would like to know what film I saw, here's the movie poster....
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Pinterest Dinners: The Food Part 1
I am going to preface all of these with the fact that I lost my 9 by 13 pan so I only have a 8 by 8 pan. I had two but one was silicone and we used a very sharp knife when cutting and well, we are trying to fix that up if possible before we use it to bake/cook anymore right now. So Dinners 1 & 2 were done using a 8 by 8 pan and a circular pan that is 9 inches in diameter. Sadly, these are the only three dinners we have gotten to make because of the holidays, finals, travel and my birthday. BUT, we have made the roll-ups twice already and I found a recipe to make them but with chicken and white sauce so I will upload that as well. Since the semester starts on Monday we will get back to this challenge and I will have more dinners for you!
Dinner 1: Caprese Lasagna Roll-Ups Recipe: http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/10/caprese-lasagna-roll-ups.html
We followed this almost 100%. Except we forgot to buy Ricotta Cheese. Oops. But, that little mistake worked well for us because both boyfriend and I do NOT like Ricotta in Lasagna. Both of us have weird texture issues when it comes to food. The only thing I would have changed is the tomatoes, just chop them up instead of slice them. I'll admit it - I stink at slicing anything thin unless I have a cutter that has those lines for me. But even besides that, it is REALLY hard to roll these up with slices. Also, the amount of sauce you need is probably closer to 16 oz. than 12, unless you put a super thin layer on the bottom. Another note is to have two greased cookie sheets ready to prepare the rolls otherwise you will run out of space and things may get messy. This is one of my favourite recipes ever - I loved it so much! If you reheat any portions (two people can only eat so much!), do it in two segments of two minutes each. Enjoy!
Dinner 2: Doritos Taco Bake Recipe: http://twomaidsamilking.blogspot.com/2011/04/hunk-of-meat-monday-taco-bake.html
So, I am suggesting a few changes to this after having made it. First off, if you use crescent rolls, make them ridiculously super thin and use the original ones. The only ones i had on hand were the sweet honey flaky ones - bad idea. We ended up flipping our portions upside down on our plates to pull the rolls off. They did not bake all the way through, either. Next time, we will be trying crushed tortilla chips on the bottom since we know we both would enjoy that. Once I do it, I will post my version of the recipe for y'all. Besides that, I accidentally forgot to mix in the taco seasoning while cooking the meat. Another oops. But it tastes fine without it. This recipe totally works in two pans, by the way and in fact if anything you can take it out sooner unless you like it to be more cooked, although there really isn't a difference because anything that needs to be cooked is cooked before the oven time. Note: The funnest part of making this dish is liking all the Doritos dust off of your hands at the end. It probably should not be my favourite part but it is. Enjoy!
Dinner 3: Chicken Parm Meatballs Recipe: http://www.dinneralovestory.com/chicken-parm-meatballs/
I am one lucky girl! The boyfriend made this dinner while I was at work one night! I love him - he's so fantastic. Anywhos, as far as ingredients, we were missing the fennel, we had used all the mozz with dinner 1 so we just used shredded parm. He also left out onion, I'm not sure why but he did. I asked boyfriend to give his comments and this is what he had to say: "Meat is squishy, less garlic and a more biter spice like basil or something (or more pepper). More cheese!!!!" The more cheese is his way of expressing his love for cheese. He loves cheese and lots of it, no matter what the entree is. We actually only had 1 pound of ground chicken so maybe that's why the garlic was too much for him. Personally, I would have said more but it does have plenty of garlic the way he made them so I'm happy. Maybe a little bit of a warning, the parsley makes it have a sweet little surprise in the taste so if that's not your thing, like boyfriend said, substitute it out for basil or maybe the addition of fennel seeds will help. This is yet another recipe that I absolutely LOVE! We somehow ended up with only 8 meatballs though, so maybe it was that extra 1/4 pound of meat but well, we were gluttonous and ate it all in one night so no reheating instructions for you this time. Enjoy!
Dinner 1: Caprese Lasagna Roll-Ups Recipe: http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/10/caprese-lasagna-roll-ups.html
We followed this almost 100%. Except we forgot to buy Ricotta Cheese. Oops. But, that little mistake worked well for us because both boyfriend and I do NOT like Ricotta in Lasagna. Both of us have weird texture issues when it comes to food. The only thing I would have changed is the tomatoes, just chop them up instead of slice them. I'll admit it - I stink at slicing anything thin unless I have a cutter that has those lines for me. But even besides that, it is REALLY hard to roll these up with slices. Also, the amount of sauce you need is probably closer to 16 oz. than 12, unless you put a super thin layer on the bottom. Another note is to have two greased cookie sheets ready to prepare the rolls otherwise you will run out of space and things may get messy. This is one of my favourite recipes ever - I loved it so much! If you reheat any portions (two people can only eat so much!), do it in two segments of two minutes each. Enjoy!
Dinner 2: Doritos Taco Bake Recipe: http://twomaidsamilking.blogspot.com/2011/04/hunk-of-meat-monday-taco-bake.html
So, I am suggesting a few changes to this after having made it. First off, if you use crescent rolls, make them ridiculously super thin and use the original ones. The only ones i had on hand were the sweet honey flaky ones - bad idea. We ended up flipping our portions upside down on our plates to pull the rolls off. They did not bake all the way through, either. Next time, we will be trying crushed tortilla chips on the bottom since we know we both would enjoy that. Once I do it, I will post my version of the recipe for y'all. Besides that, I accidentally forgot to mix in the taco seasoning while cooking the meat. Another oops. But it tastes fine without it. This recipe totally works in two pans, by the way and in fact if anything you can take it out sooner unless you like it to be more cooked, although there really isn't a difference because anything that needs to be cooked is cooked before the oven time. Note: The funnest part of making this dish is liking all the Doritos dust off of your hands at the end. It probably should not be my favourite part but it is. Enjoy!
Dinner 3: Chicken Parm Meatballs Recipe: http://www.dinneralovestory.com/chicken-parm-meatballs/
I am one lucky girl! The boyfriend made this dinner while I was at work one night! I love him - he's so fantastic. Anywhos, as far as ingredients, we were missing the fennel, we had used all the mozz with dinner 1 so we just used shredded parm. He also left out onion, I'm not sure why but he did. I asked boyfriend to give his comments and this is what he had to say: "Meat is squishy, less garlic and a more biter spice like basil or something (or more pepper). More cheese!!!!" The more cheese is his way of expressing his love for cheese. He loves cheese and lots of it, no matter what the entree is. We actually only had 1 pound of ground chicken so maybe that's why the garlic was too much for him. Personally, I would have said more but it does have plenty of garlic the way he made them so I'm happy. Maybe a little bit of a warning, the parsley makes it have a sweet little surprise in the taste so if that's not your thing, like boyfriend said, substitute it out for basil or maybe the addition of fennel seeds will help. This is yet another recipe that I absolutely LOVE! We somehow ended up with only 8 meatballs though, so maybe it was that extra 1/4 pound of meat but well, we were gluttonous and ate it all in one night so no reheating instructions for you this time. Enjoy!
Thoughts on College and My Future Career
Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm sane - either way, I think I just changed my mind again about what exactly I want to do once I graduate from college. One thing is for certain, though - I HAVE finally secured that I will graduate at the end of this new semester with my Art History Degree. At the point that I will graduate, I will have been enrolled in college for 4 1/2 years, but it will have been 5 years since I graduated high school. Most people I know now don't actually know what happened once I graduated from high school - that's because most of them I did not even meet until after I had graduated or even a year later. It's not a problem, just that there is a huge thing that has caused me to take so long to get a single degree.
Right after I graduated high school, I had a job. Not even a month after graduating, I had a full time job working with people that I went to high school at a computer company. We worked for the school board imaging computers so they could be "school appropriate". You know all those proxies and firewalls and blocks and very specific programs and applications on every single computer in the school? Well, that's what I did - we would hook up the computers with external drives and literally put an image of what the computer could/should be allowed to do and have on each computer. By August, I had made a few thousand dollars, had worked all over the county, worked in two other counties and got my first car. (Which I am still paying for, but I couldn't love another car more than mine and I'm already well over 80,000 miles.) As the new school year got started, I saw no reason to give up my job and so I asked for an extension for my admission to Drexel University in Philadelphia, the only college I had bothered to apply to. They granted me a year extension - I wanted to keep working also because $50,0000 a year for my degree was so not cool and needed to be funded because I was not getting a bunch of scholarships like my friends were.
Unfortunately, the recession was starting to hit really hard and we started to get less and less contracts with the school boards in the companies' repertoire. I decided it was time to quit, I did not want to be let go and I still had a whole 6-7 months in which I had to find something to do before I moved to Philly. Well, I enrolled in my local community college and took on a full course load and found a part-time job at a lawyers office. Needless to say, that was the WEIRDEST job experience I have ever had, but it was also very awesome because I got to learn about law. Well, because I took some courses, I had to reapply to Drexel and got reaccepted but by the end of the summer semester and I left the law office because of medical problems, I decided that I would just finish out and get my associates degree because that would make transferring so much easier. Or so I thought. I then spent another 2 whole years in community college, not always with a job before I finally said enough, they clearly don't want to help me graduate and I moved to Tampa.
I am very glad that it will have only taken 2 years at the university I am at now because seriously - it gets aggravating when you are told oh, you only have a few more classes or one more class or that you are almost done but when you go do a check-up a little later, just kidding, not at all.
Having spent 4 1/2 years now on getting a single degree, not having it until 5 years after having graduating from high school is a blow to ego even if it's not that big of a deal and I am half-way to a second degree as well. Besides that though, having spent so much time working towards school, when I think that I will still need to do another year for a second degree is daunting. I would LOVE to have a degree in Art History and Anthropology - I would love to be an archaeologist and museum curator - but the thought of having the spend 5 1/2 years in undergraduate schooling, and then anywhere from 1 1/2 to 7 more years getting the other degrees I want so that I can get the positions that I want makes me want to not even bother. The problem is that in order to be a museum curator, one has to have at least a Masters of Fine Arts degree. AT LEAST! Well, that is just a little messed up, don't you think? Even if I had done the 4 years for my undergraduate degree and then the minimum of 1 1/2 years for graduate degree - that's a lot of money, student debt and school. I would have to pick the degrees and career that take a minimum of 6 1/2 years and a maximum of 12 years (or more!).
Having realized how long it will take me to get my degrees and knowing that I will not like how daunting it is, it makes me wonder if it's what I really want to do, because it's just so.... UGH! It makes me want to scream. Maybe it is what I want to do and I'm just stressing out about the fact that I don't want to put off starting my life and a family just because of school. I do know that I want to do one amazing, fun thing; Study Abroad in Italy. I really don't care how I do it or if it's for college credit but the chance of spending months in Italy studying the influence of Greek and Roman art on Renaissance Art. That is what I want to do with my life, but how to make a career out of that is another thing and may not be possible.
Anyone else out there have something you are worried about when it comes to your higher education or career?
Right after I graduated high school, I had a job. Not even a month after graduating, I had a full time job working with people that I went to high school at a computer company. We worked for the school board imaging computers so they could be "school appropriate". You know all those proxies and firewalls and blocks and very specific programs and applications on every single computer in the school? Well, that's what I did - we would hook up the computers with external drives and literally put an image of what the computer could/should be allowed to do and have on each computer. By August, I had made a few thousand dollars, had worked all over the county, worked in two other counties and got my first car. (Which I am still paying for, but I couldn't love another car more than mine and I'm already well over 80,000 miles.) As the new school year got started, I saw no reason to give up my job and so I asked for an extension for my admission to Drexel University in Philadelphia, the only college I had bothered to apply to. They granted me a year extension - I wanted to keep working also because $50,0000 a year for my degree was so not cool and needed to be funded because I was not getting a bunch of scholarships like my friends were.
Unfortunately, the recession was starting to hit really hard and we started to get less and less contracts with the school boards in the companies' repertoire. I decided it was time to quit, I did not want to be let go and I still had a whole 6-7 months in which I had to find something to do before I moved to Philly. Well, I enrolled in my local community college and took on a full course load and found a part-time job at a lawyers office. Needless to say, that was the WEIRDEST job experience I have ever had, but it was also very awesome because I got to learn about law. Well, because I took some courses, I had to reapply to Drexel and got reaccepted but by the end of the summer semester and I left the law office because of medical problems, I decided that I would just finish out and get my associates degree because that would make transferring so much easier. Or so I thought. I then spent another 2 whole years in community college, not always with a job before I finally said enough, they clearly don't want to help me graduate and I moved to Tampa.
I am very glad that it will have only taken 2 years at the university I am at now because seriously - it gets aggravating when you are told oh, you only have a few more classes or one more class or that you are almost done but when you go do a check-up a little later, just kidding, not at all.
Having spent 4 1/2 years now on getting a single degree, not having it until 5 years after having graduating from high school is a blow to ego even if it's not that big of a deal and I am half-way to a second degree as well. Besides that though, having spent so much time working towards school, when I think that I will still need to do another year for a second degree is daunting. I would LOVE to have a degree in Art History and Anthropology - I would love to be an archaeologist and museum curator - but the thought of having the spend 5 1/2 years in undergraduate schooling, and then anywhere from 1 1/2 to 7 more years getting the other degrees I want so that I can get the positions that I want makes me want to not even bother. The problem is that in order to be a museum curator, one has to have at least a Masters of Fine Arts degree. AT LEAST! Well, that is just a little messed up, don't you think? Even if I had done the 4 years for my undergraduate degree and then the minimum of 1 1/2 years for graduate degree - that's a lot of money, student debt and school. I would have to pick the degrees and career that take a minimum of 6 1/2 years and a maximum of 12 years (or more!).
Having realized how long it will take me to get my degrees and knowing that I will not like how daunting it is, it makes me wonder if it's what I really want to do, because it's just so.... UGH! It makes me want to scream. Maybe it is what I want to do and I'm just stressing out about the fact that I don't want to put off starting my life and a family just because of school. I do know that I want to do one amazing, fun thing; Study Abroad in Italy. I really don't care how I do it or if it's for college credit but the chance of spending months in Italy studying the influence of Greek and Roman art on Renaissance Art. That is what I want to do with my life, but how to make a career out of that is another thing and may not be possible.
Anyone else out there have something you are worried about when it comes to your higher education or career?
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