The 5oz Foodie

Today while working I mentioned to a few of my co-workers that I will be going home for my High School Reunion this summer. The response I received from one of them left me feeling shame towards people of this country and pride in our unsung heroes. Since I don't like to use friends names for their own privacy I will here on out refer to him as Sam. Sam graduated with 42 guys in his class; out of those 42, 28 of them including Sam went to Vietnam. The plan for his platoon is that they would be dropped in, because of a miscalculation by the powers that be, they were dropped to soon behind the line and directly into an ambush. When Sam awoke in the Hospital, without his dog tags, he was the only one of the 28 from his High Class that had survived. His family in Puerto Rico received a telegram and an American flag stating that he was dead because his body was not recovered.  With the help from a military priest, he was able to contact his family to let them know he had...

Why is it that when some people get into a relationship, whether it be dating or friendship, they completely forget about what matters to themselves and they only do what they believe is important to keep the other person in their life happy. Basically, they are a people pleaser. They don't see the value in their own life and time, because they are worried if they don't do things for that other person they will lose them. It's crazy because that is me... I have spent so many years of my life trying to make others happy, through taking time away from myself to do something for them, or spending money on them that I don't really have, all because I am afraid that if i don't do these things they won't want me around. I had stopped taking care of my well being because I didn't believe I was worth it or that I mattered. But I am finally realizing after all of this time, that I can't forget about me. I spend so much time changing my plans to accommodate othe...

I have this great neighbor that stopped by this evening while I was working out in the yard. She was asking about our upcoming cable TV switch and we started chatting about different things and she told me this random story about her sweet late mother. Now, first I have to explain, my neighbor is from England and her sweet mother was a double let amputee just above her knees. So, my neighbor used to have a Ram truck and so she would have to lift her mother into the cab and when she did her Mum would grab the Oh Crap handle, as we call it, and then pull herself into the seat. Well, this particular trip to the store she was going to help her out of her wheel chair and into the car, so she counted one, two, three and when she went to lift her Mum, her Mum passed gas rather loudly. This caused her Mum to miss the handle and fall into the foot well of the truck in a fit of hysterical laughter. The more she laughed, the more gas she would pass and so she started crying she was lau...

I heard some words of truth from a dear friend of mine today about my blog, things that in the past may have caused me pause but today that brought a new light into me. Her words really touched me as the words I write touch her. They also shared this fantastic quote with me about friendship, since I have blogging a lot about friendship lately. I hope you know who your roots are, like I learning who mine are... Some people come into your life for a lifetime and some come for a season. You have to know which is which. I put everybody that comes into my life in the category of a tree. Some people are leaves on a tree. The wind blows, they go to the left. The wind blows from the other way, they go to the right. They are just unstable. You can't count on them for nothing. All they ever do is take from that tree. What you need to understand about a leaf is that it has a season. It'll wither and die and blow away.There ain't no need to be praying over a leaf to be resurrected....

What an adventure today has been... I learned a little bit more about myself, thanks to my bff letting me talk and cry and talk a little more. I realized I still have a lot of fear when it comes to certain types of relationships and it explains why I have a hard time looking in the face of the person staring back at me from the mirror. I am glad I realized this but I also realized I still have a long way to go before I Am 100% o.k.. I think it's just really good that I know what my issues are with myself so I can work towards a solution. Love, peace and learning to love me... Musicsongbird

Today was amazing. I got to train two new trainers and get to hear an incredible story and see this amazing photo of Walt Disney. My trainer trainee Shawn received this photo of Walt from her best friend, Mary, when they were younger. The man and woman in the foreground are Mary's Mom and Dad. Her dad was Gordon Yaeger, if you don't know who he is I can tell you, he flew the Rocket Belt over 700 times during his life. The Rocket Belt is a jet pack that allowed the pilot to fly through the air for up to 30 seconds. You may recognize the Rocket Belt from the James Bond classic "Thunderball," but it wasn't Sean Connery up in the air it was Gordon.  So, you are probably thinking, "why is this such a big deal to you?" Well, it just blew me away.  One because Shawn's friend got to meet Uncle Walt face to face, but also because of the amazing thing he was able to do. This photo shows him flying low in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. I can only imagi...

Have you ever gotten a hug from someone it's just a simple hug? or what about that one that you stop hugging before the other person so you hug them harder because they are still hugging you? I guess I just realized the zen behind the true friend hug. I can hear all these voices saying, the Zen of hugging? Is that even real? Well, if I say it is then it must be because I just invented it! Think about it. You run into someone you know and they give you that one arm quick hug. It's like an informal handshake. Then you have the bro handshake. The one where two guys go for the handshake and then throw an arm around each other. You have the Aunt that always tries to kiss you on the mouth hug where you force your head sideways and just hug them hard to avoid lip contact and you strain your neck. One of my favorites is the hug of someone you really love or care about...That's the one where you snuggle in and you don't want to let go and neither do they. The one that sa...

Another end to a great day. I had a fantastic day at work, a fantastic dinner at a restaurant I'd never been to before and just plain old fun before my friends had to leave. It's been a great reminder how truly important catching up with old friends can be as well as making new friends. I have so many great memories of this weekend that words really can't describe it.  Tears can only express my sadness of their leaving. So big hugs and safe trip to my friends. Have a magical trip home and know you can always always come again. Maybe we can get into the Rose and Crown next time. ;) Love, peace and Magical treats! Musicsongbird

I learned an important thing today, if you give yourself a chance to open yourself up to new things and new people you may find a new passion and you may find some great new friends. I know this is short but it was a long day with some fantastic friends, I just wish it hadn't had to end but when your body tells you it needs rest and care than you better listen. Remember? I wrote about that this past week. ;) Love, Peace and take some aspirin and call me in the morning Musicsongbird

Please pardon any typos, bloggin from my phone...from the french quarter deep in the heart of ...Disney! I have to admit I was a little nefvous Bout meeting and spending the wvening with not one but two women I have never met and another one I haven't seen in nearly 12 years, but it has been amazing. We have laughed and laughed some more. You would thimk as we get older we would get braver but I think we r so much braver when we are younger. I remember back when we were kids and it didnt matter who came over to play and if u knew them or not, all were welcome. Now we r so afraid what others will think of us that we r fearful of what others will think. So lets try and take some time to remember that strangers are possible friends that,we just havent met yet. Love, peace and strangers have the best candy Musicsongbird

It's funny, when we are younger we believe are friendships will last forever. We even write things like Friends forever and Love you like a sister in each other's yearbooks. I can't tell you how many people wrote that in my books over the years or that I wrote it in, but in reality a lot of people we are friends with in High School have a tendency to slip away, even a huge chunk of those you get close to in college. I remember hanging out with tons of people during those years, thinking years from now we will all be hanging out having families together and raising our kids and working together. Am I the only one that thought this? Since I am having a record year of seeing friends from the past, this weekend included, it has made me think about my past relationships and reflect on the legitimacy of them. I was very good friends with a person throughout Jr. and Sr. High that I met up with a few years back. The short time spent with them was awkward almost like I...

Why do we hold on to hurtful feelings like, hate and jealousy? I am the queen bee when it comes to this. I wasted nearly 20 years of my life harboring resentful jealous feelings towards a person that didn't deserve it. I have missed out on a potentially great friendship because of my own behavior.  I feel horrible for ever feeling this way towards another person. It's crazy I can choose to forgive someone who did a horrible thing to me when I was a child but I can't forgive someone else that was just living their own life?  I'm sure some money hungry shrink somewhere is thinking that they could make mega money off of my story of lunacy. Everyone always says that when you have a problem that controls your life you have to hit rock bottom before you can look up to find your way out of the hole you are in. Love, peace and forgiveness Musicsongbird

If you know me I have this interest in the Chinese culture and I love talking to the new cast from there and learning more about how they think and learning new things about their culture and lives. There are so many stereotypes about our friends from the other side of the world, some slightly accurate and some completely inaccurate. In the Chinese culture, respecting and revering your elders is such an integral part of their lives. It is very rare for a child to say no to a parent about choices that they want to make in their own lives, they generally go with what the parent wants for them because they do not want to offend their family or bring shame. I'm assuming for boys it isn't as unheard of but for girls, at least the girls I have met, they are afraid to disappoint their parents.  Even when it comes to dating and marriage.  So, when my friend shared with me how she ended up working with me, I knew what I needed to share... my appologies if I don't have everything...

I gotta a text from an old friend today...I got a little choked up, she told me she is coming to visit this weekend. We haven't seen each other face to face in nearly 12 years. This is a person I was close with years and as we got older we kind of went our separate ways. We lost touch for many years only to be reunited via Myspace ( I don't think anyone even uses it anymore).  Like many friendships we have been through our ups and downs but I believe this visit will be opportunity for healing and new beginnings for us. A chance to reminisce about old times and hear all about the new things in our lives. Sometimes God allows different people to go in and out of our lives, so we can grow... Some go for the good of our lives and some come back to make a good life better.... Love, peace and reunions Musicsongbird

We need to learn to listen to our bodies. This winter / spring I have really been struggling with sinus problems off and on, more on than off. I am learning through all of this that when my body starts to feel different, not in a good way, then it means sinus problems are coming.  When we start paying attention to what our body is telling us, then we will begin to get better. You are probably thinking, alright..where are you going with this? I have battled a food addiction since I was young. I ate to feed my emotions. The young me didn't have another outlet to deal with the craziness of my early years and food was safe to me. The more I ate the better I felt. Unfortunately, all of that food added on the weight. I have struggled for more than 30 years and I not only do I want the struggle to be over, I need it to be so I can be a healthy weight. I need to learn to listen better to my body. So how do I listen or more specifically what am I listening for? Slow down when I eat....

One of my co-workers asked me today, "so what is this 365 thing you are posting? " I told her,  "it's my blog." Her response, "you're blogging, how nerdy. Does anyone read it?" I told her, "a lot of people do I guess." "are they people you know?" "Not all of them. I'm over 2000 hits now." And the conversation ended. I guess it's kind of hard for people to understand why another person would write about their life and put it out for others to see. I know I have explained this before but I blog because it helps with my recovery. If you are asking yourself, what recovery is she talking about, then you need to go back 30 or 40 days. This is my life journey and I want to share it with others in hopes that people can see their own struggles through mine and see what I did to get beyond it and maybe they can too. I used to have this dream, back when I was an attender of weight watcher meetings, that one ...

I had a pretty good day today. I was teaching the safety class at work and during my first class one of my co trainers sat in for a bit. Afterward she told me how much she loves to see me teach, how I can make a class as boring as Safety seem interesting and enjoyable and memorable.  Then following my second class, one of the international cast members stayed behind. She said, "I want to tell you and I mean this very much. You are my idol. I want to be like you. You are always smiling and having fun. You make great jokes and you made the class fun." She went on to ask if I am sensitive. I thought it was a strange question, then she went on to say that being sensitive is bad.  I explained to her that I am sensitive to the needs of others, that in the past I was much more emotionally sensitive to what others would say to me, but through the jobs and experiences I have had, I have had to grow a toughness, like a shell, to protect myself from things others may say. I try to no...

Isn't it crazy how life works? Your Mommy and Daddy meet, they fall in love, they get married (or not), they make a baby, YOU. They spend the next nine months preparing for your arrival. Buying clothes and diapers, a bed and blankies and bunnies. When you arrive they spend their time caring for you, bathing you, feeding you, loving you. As you grow they continue to love and care for you. When you fall down they are there to kiss your owies. When you get great grades, they celebrate with you. When you fall in love for the first time they cautiously watch and usually except them, and then when you break up with that first love they help you through the heartbreak. They watch you grow into the adult you are and are still there through good times and bad. The sad thing is when the time comes for them to need you, some aren't so willing. Some children leave it to one sibling believing their lives are just to hectic forgetting who was there for them from the start. They forget that...

I had such an incredible evening. I had the honor of hosting a Weight Watchers "Me Moments" Party at my home and so invited some of my friends over and we laughed and talked and ate and laughed some more. If reminded me that Me moments are really important but what the most important thing is is to share time with people you love. I can honestly say I love each and every person that was present at my home tonight and I feel incredibly blessed to call them friends and family. These are the ladies and gentleman that have been by my side through all of the craziness of recent months and for some years of my life. I thank God He has put me where I am. We go through our lives meeting and making new friends along the way. Some are here are a time and then drift away into our memories and some are here to stay. I want to believe these are my friends that are here to stay. To my "Me Moment" pals, thanks for an amazing fun night. Can't wait for our next "We Mo...

Tonight I went to the Home Owners Association Meeting where I live. I do not enjoy going to them but I promised my mom I would go because of the special meeting they were having about some upcoming changes in our neighborhood. I know as we get older things start to go, like sight and hearing but apparently patience isn't far behind. In fact I would have to relate it to when I worked in a day care. I think I had more control over a room full of Toddlers than the HOA President had tonight. It was like everyone was chattering and they would ask them to be quiet so everyone could hear and then as soon as a member of the board was up they would all start chattering again and then people couldn't hear, so they would be asked to be quiet again. If that weren't enough the snarky comments from people thinking they are being quiet but because they are older they talk louder so I can hear them from across the room. They are worse than Teenage girls. The guest speakers were brought...

Yeah Bonus blog! So, what am I doing up so horribly early? I can't sleep. I woke up having a hard time breathing and so I came to the living room to get my inhaler. That was 2.5 hours ago. The tightness in my throat scared me something awful. Even after puffing the only thing that felt better was my pulse. The pain in my throat continued. An hour and 45 minutes later I decide maybe it's heart burn... BINGO! However, I am still awake... I am on three different meds and atleast two of them can mess with your sleep. SURPRISE! I have played my facebook games now I am trying writing. I just want to sleep but all I do is lay there. This is not magical by any means. I guess I could clean. I just have to be quiet about it cuz Mom is still asleep. Well, I guess I will try that. Thanks for listening... Love, peace and I need to get some zzzzzz's musicsongbird

It's so strange going through stuff I had packed away awhile back. Actually not so much strange a it is interesting. Trying to figure out why I saved something, or didn't realize I even had it. Isn't it funny how we spend so much time packing things away only to go through them later and wonder, "what did I need this for anyway?" But it also can work against you, because you can be like, "Oh my gosh, I can't throw that button away! I might need it for a craft project!" So, I'm learning to let go. musicsongbird

Sound the trumpets! Doot doot doot doooooo! It is Day 100 of my blog and I am still going strong! KNow what else that I can hardly believe? I have had 1,901 hits as of writing this moment! I am so incredibly blown away by the response I have gotten from my little life journey and I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my blog and for those that are just starting...what took you so long? lol! So, now that I am done with the pomp and circumstance on with the journey... So once again I have to tell everyone how much I love and appreciate my mom. She is really trying hard to get me and the way I do things that isn't always the way she would do them. Round of applause for my mom!!!! What is it that she is being patient with this time? Well, you see I am not your normal cleaner, especially if there is a project involved with cleaning. So my project that has been on going is our three season room. It has gone from being a place for me to crash before I moved in, to a ...

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you all took a moment today to think about what today truly represents. For me it isn't about the bunny leaving candy, but he does still visit me, it's about the price that was paid. The life that was given for me...and for everyone else in this world. As I drove in this morning to the number 1 vacation destination in the US, for the first time in a long time I saw all of the cars driving in a head of me and thought, imagine what it would be like if all of these people traveling to these four parks and all of the cast members working in just these four parks we pulling in to local churches to celebrate this Easter. It would be incredible. But everyone celebrates in their own way or ignores this time of year in their own way. He is Risen!

Picture with me if you can,  A little girl in a younger land Running, playing, laughing  Growing stronger Now the aging limbs have failed,  And the rosy cheeks are paled Look behind the lines till you remember She’s still the same girl,  Flying down the hill She’s still the same girl,  Memories vivid still Listen to her story,  And her eyes will glow She’s still the same girl,  And she needs you so Picture with me if you will,  A long white dress and a wedding veil Two young dreamers pledge their love together Now her lifelong friend is gone,  And she spends her days alone Look behind the lines till you remember She’s still the same girl,  Walking down the aisle She’s still the same girl,  With the shining smile Listen to her story,  And her eyes will glow She’s still the same girl,  Same girl She’s still the same girl,  Wiser for the years She’s still the same girl,  Stronger for the tears Listen to her story,...

Today has been a really great day. I spent time with my mom working on our house this morning, working side by side creating something beautiful. Until it started to rain...Then everything we drug out of the shed was crammed back in for tomorrow. Then it was off to lunch and shopping! I feel so incredibly blessed to get to spend time with mom like I do. I don't know how I survived my first three years here in Florida without her. I'm not going to lie, I learned a lot in that time but there is nothing like spending time with your mom. I love that we have such a close relationship and she is there for mew whenever I need her. My heart breaks for my friends that are separated from their Moms, whether by distance, anger or heaven. I'm not going to say everything is always perfect with us but that's what great about the love we have for each other will never be broken no matter how mad either one of us gets. I count my blessings everyday I wake up and get to know she i...

I think anyone who is being reading my blog from the beginning knows that this is so true... I saw this as a friends post and my heart hurt a little when reading this. I see families in my park every day that make me want to scream back at when they yell at the their child out of stress. I want to tell them, Mom, Dad it's not about you, your child is tired, hungry, hot, scared etc.... Parents yell and say stupid things like, "we paid a lot for this trip and you have to go with us and it's not about what you want to do." Hello obnoxious parent! You are the one that planned this trip for your children isn't it? So guess what? It's not about YOU Mom and Dad. If they are tired let them rest, if they are hungry get them something to eat, if they are hot take them into a cool place. And the big one is, if they get lost, and I mean this... DO NOT YELL AT THEM! They were scared enough when you weren't with them. Children are children and they rely on you to m...

I ran into several friends today that stopped me to tell me they read this blog everyday. Thank you for your kind words and this really is a labor of love. It takes a lot to come up with something to write about everyday, but I made this commitment to myself to finally really finish what I have started. It's also therapy for me; I have many people tell me they think I am brave letting people know my inner most thoughts and hurts and happiness's, but I think it's a little insanity actually. If you truly know me you will agree wholeheartedly. ;-) I just heard the best quote of the day, Randy Jackson told one of the contestants to, "stop thinking it and start living it," and I think that goes towards a lot of things in our lives. I think so very often and I know for me this has been true as well, I over think things and spend so much time thinking about it that I never actually find myself ever completing what I started or even starting it. So epiphany for me...I...

Hi ho neighbors! So today was great until I went to the store on the way home. This particular store is a place I only stop at out of necessity not just for regular shopping. It's a big box store and unfortunately this one happens to be the one where I college cast and the tourists all go to so trying to run in and out is like trying to come out the victor in the Hunger games. ;-) lol! Nearly impossible. As I zig zagged through the isles to pick up the few items I needed I went from walking with the crowd to against them and then even walking out of the way of them. Smiles were few and far between so I forced my best smile in hopes that my smile would be contagious. Well, I was doing really well with the smiling thing until I got to the holiday candy isle and I was looking for Brachs candies to scan ( I do these phone scanning reward sites that I do) and this woman behind me grabbed a big bag of Haribo Bears off the shelf and in the process and bag of tootsie rolls...

Had a great day training a new trainer in my home location. It's nice to see another person that is as passionate about our company as I am and as excited to share their knowledge with the new cast. It is very sad to see the people I work with that have lost their passion, it just has become a place they come to each day, go through the motion and fake happiness but leave at a sprint after clocking out. Like staying there one more minute will result in eminent death or something equally terrible. I spoke with two of my leaders today about the stuff I have been going through and again they reminded me that I can't let someone else poor attitude and work ethic effect me. If they want to be bitter and unhappy that is their problem. All I should do is keep being the person I am and let them have their own pity party.  The vest thing I heard today was my trainer shadow asked one of our managers what they expect from her as a new trainer and she replied to her, "Be like ...

Seven years ago today my baby Belle was born. She was the middle sister in her litter of three. On the third I got to meet her face to face. She was born in a little town in Illinois at my niece and nephew's house. When I walked over to the box Belle and her siblings were in with their Birth Mom Maggie. When I approached Maggie looked at me and knew the babies were safe so she took a moment to go eat and use the liter box so I could meet Belle. I know you aren't supposed to touch baby animals but I believe Maggie gave me her permission and I pet Belle on the nose. I think that sealed it for her, she knew who her Mommy was from that moment on. Normal kittens and puppies take 8 weeks at least to ween but Belle weened herself by 6 weeks. She stopped nursing and started eating cat food. She showed her birth family she was ready to go live with her Mommy in Missouri. From the day she came home to live with me she was with me non stop. When she wanted to be held she would climb u...