The 5oz Foodie

One more time I just want to say Happy Birthday to the best Mom in the world... I have really enjoyed getting to spend the past week with you celebrating you... Now back to me... Lol! A Text I sent earlier today : I ate too much again... :(  I've had it... I am worth so much more than this... I have hit an all time high and it is making me sick... I don't mean emotionally sick but physically... I am having a horrible time sleeping at night... I am having heartburn (which I have never suffered from)... I have a lack of energy... I am having a hard time fitting into clothes that I just purchased a few months ago and still looking nice...  The numbness is back in my hands and forearms... And the headaches/migraines have been happening more frequently lately... I can't do this anymore... I deserve better than this... Musicsongbird

Another great day spending time with my Mom... Her 70th Birthday is tomorrow and I love that I have been able to celebrate with her over the course of this last month... This morning at church was especially sweet because she hates when people know it's her birthday and each week the pastor always asks who's birthdays are in the coming week... Well, Mom certainly wasn't going to raise her hand so I did the very adult thing and started pointing over her head to get the pastor' attention... When the pastor announced to the congregation that it was her birthday her reaction was to sweet for words... She had the biggest smile on her face and not a shed of embarrassment was showing... I love these little moments when I see pure joy in her face... It makes me feel so good to see her so happy... I am very thankful that Mom decided to retire and move down here with me and I am thankful I get to celebrate her... Musicsongbird

I guess I can mark one more thing off of my bucket list...  Giving yourself a bloody nose... CHECK! So of course there is a story to go with this, however I feel like the biggest dork... So this morning I woke up with the onset of  one of my fantastic migraines... So I took allergy meds and drank a bunch of water in the hopes it was just from hunger or the ever changing weather forecast... Mom and I did some running around getting groceries and stuff and upon returning my head wasn't any better... I then decided it was time to try the netty pot... After flushing out my sinuses I started to feel better, but I figured I should finish it all off with a sinus spray...I sprayed the one nostril and just as I was about to spray the second, my fingers slid off the sides of the bottle and I crammed the sprayer up my nose which caused my first ever honest to goodness nose bleeds... I quickly grabbed tissues and put my head back and Mom grabbed me an ice pack... Within minutes

What an amazing way to begin my day... I awoke to the alarm at 6:30 am... I quickly got dressed and headed down to the beach from our hotel room... It was so quiet and peaceful except for the rolling waves going in and out... I turned on some music on my phone and enjoyed a mini worship session as the sun began it's ascent into the morning sky... The beach also began to fill as the sun made it's way up... People from all around made their way on to the beach to enjoy the incredible morning... When I made my way back toward the hotel, I noticed the drier sand, racing it's way across the wet sand, in what reminded me of snow drifts on the road just after a fresh snow... It was incredible... Musicsongbird

Sometimes things happen that are out of your control and all you can do is know that God has a plan greater than you... I had a moment sitting on the balcony with the waves crashing on the beach and darkness around me... I began to cry... And then the door opened to the balcony and my Mom came out... We talked a bit, I cried a bit and then she reassured me that everything was fine and that we can get through anything together... This has been an incredible Birthday trip with my Mom and BFF and I realized a lot about me and my little family here in Florida...    This is my family. I found it all on my own. It's little and broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good. As long as we have each other, that is all that matters...I love them and nothing will change that... Musicsongbird

What a fun day... All diet thoughts were gone, but I don't really think I was that off the path... Breakfast at Wawa and then the revealing of Mom's mystery trip... Da da da daaaaa!!!!!!!!! Tybee Island!!!!!!!!!!! She was very excited and happy and we were on our way... The trip was long but quite enjoyable... Bad jokes, bad singing and big laughs... We are in a Ocean facing room on the top floor (4th) of our resort... It is an amazing view and the sounds of the waves crashing outside is incredible... Just sitting and listening the waves makes a person feel so small... So excited to see what happens tomorrow... Musicsongbird

I am very excited for tomorrow... Taking Mom on a Birthday adventure... I don't want to give anything away so I will just say this...  I love my Mom very much and I am so happy she moved down here and that I get the opportunity to spend time with her everyday... Time to wrap up the preparations for tomorrow! Musicsongbird

There is nothing worse than having to buy new bras and going into the fitting room with that floor length mirror so you can watch yourself struggle to get a band of elastic to rotate around your mid section that may or may not be the right size for you and then struggle to get the straps up and afraid you are going to destroy this item of unpurchased clothing before you even get it on... Then to make matters worse, I am looking at this person in the mirror that is struggling horribly and I feel bad for her and I see how much added weight she is carrying around and then I snap back in reality when I accept that the poor woman is me... All I can think is, how... How did I allow this to happen? How did I let myself get to this point... And I can't think of one thing in response... I have no viable defense for what I have allowed to happen to my body... What I have allowed food to become to me... I know it didn't happen over night and I think about all of these years that it ha

New / Old work location, but new mindset on how I need to live... How I need to treat myself and my body... I am tired of the struggles and tired of just being tired... I need to make my mind up and not turn back... The struggle comes into play when things get labeled... It gets harder when people start to notice changes because if you mess up than they are quick to point that out, but not necessarily to your face... Oh no, it would be rude of them to say that you have fallen off the wagon to your face, but they will say it behind your back... I know because I am the pot calling the kettle... And I am ashamed... I have no room to talk to put down someone else's battle... I should be encouraging them not enabling them... Something I still need to work on and do better at is excepting a compliment when it is given... I still struggle with this... I need to learn to say thank you and not ignore them or blow it off... Sometimes others see things we don't and we should thank the

I hate when I wake up and all I want to do is go back to bed because I am just that tired or my head hurts that badly... That is what happened today... However I had a very important breakfast date with Mom and BFF for part 3 of Mom's 70 th Bday celebration... We ate at the Polynesian and it was delicious... We also informed Mom that she has 3 days to back her suitcase for a 3 day and 2 night mystery trip... It could be anywhere, but she won't be given any clues as to where it is... When we returned home I was back to bed for a few hours in hopes that the head pain I was experiencing would subside, however when I awoke it was still there... In fact it didn't go away until almost 7pm tonight... After a fantastic PartyLite Party combination HouseParty.com party, I'd say over all it was a fantastic day. Musicsongbird

Over done... My head is reeling... Over did it at work I think so it's early to bed... Take care of you... Musicsongbird

I am having such a good time celebrating my Mom's 70 years and the fun isn't over yet... It's a month long celebration... What better person is there in your life that deserves to be celebrated... Mom and I were talking tonight and she said this is the best Birthday she has had in her adult life... I was shocked to hear her tell me she had not had a birthday party since she was a little girl... My favorite Birthday story of hers is when she was in the 6th grade.  She invited all the kids at school over and didn't tell my Grandma... Thankfully Grandma always made a cake for her birthday so everything was OK... So very often people are so wrapped up and worried about what our parents will do for us, that as we forget to do for them... Our parents give so much of themselves to us and never expect anything in return... I just want mine to know how much she means to myself and my brothers and those around her... It's not her birthday yet, but then again... I shou

Never stop learning... When you choose not to learn something new because it seems hard or impossible is when you give up on yourself... You are worth more than that... Others may give up on you, but you should never give up on yourself... If people get mad or upset with you for trying to make your life better, than those are the people you shouldn't be around... You want to surround yourself with people that will lift you up not tear you down... Love and support you for who you are not what you can do for them... Live each day to the fullest, have no regrets... So many of us regret not saying things to people that have left our lives, either by walking or running away or by divine intervention... We can't base our whole life on what if... We have to learn to love and forgive ourselves and realize what has past is the past and all we can do is look to the future... Now don't misunderstand what I am trying to say... Forgiving yourself doesn't mean you have done any

Another day gone and done... Meeting new people, reuniting with old... And there are still so many people to see and things to learn...  Today I was again told by co-workers that they couldn't wait for me to come back... It still feels amazing... If the moment hits you and you want to compliment someone or pass on encouraging words to them; don't let that moment pass you by... Because sadly enough, you don't know if you will ever get that opportunity again... Musicsongbird

What an amazing day... I received such warm welcomes and it was good to be home... I am still getting settled in to my new work space, but I have put up my name plate, my Norway Flag and my beautiful shadow box given to me by my Typhoon Training family... It was a crazy morning meeting a lot of the Food and Wine cast and getting organized and learning about my new areas.... This afternoon I had the opportunity to return to my Safety role and facilitate Safety in Motion for a group of our new F&W cast... While heading over to facilitate I ran into a group of my training buddies that I haven't seen in months and all I could do was throw my hands out and belt out my best Babs singing, "I've come home.....at last......" Which resulted in many hugs and welcome homes... I had an amazing time doing SIMs and just had an over all good day... Now I just wish I didn't feel sick... :(  I hate congestion and phlegm... Musicsongbird

I saw this picture today and it really struck a chord with me... Throughout my life I have learned that Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real... This takes that and breaks it down even more... Fear is something we create in our minds when we don't want to face something... I get extremely fearful when it rains and I am driving down the highway, because I hydroplaned once and spun off the road... Does that keep me from driving? No, I face my fears and try and be more careful... I have a fear of being bit by snakes, but when I go to Gatorland, I have held a giant python, because there are handlers there to protect me... However, if I see a snake in front of my house, the danger is very real that I can be hurt and I turn the other way... We have to learn to see Fear for what it is... Most Fears can not hurt us unless we allow it to run our lives... I no longer need to fear that the man that hurt me will ever return... My fear of men is in my mind... Not every man is out to h

Sometimes the day goes by so slowly and then you take a nap and it's almost done... But sometimes you just need that time to rest and get your snuggle on with your favorite pillow or pet... I think I need some more snuggle time... Musicsongbird

I love when the day starts out like any other day... On Fridays, Mom, BFF and I usually start off at Wawa for Breakfast and then off to buy groceries... Well today started out pretty similar, except instead of groceries we went to the Magic Kingdom and spent the day playing and sweating in the Florida humidity... I won Magic Backstage, which is a Cast Member give away that you sign up for... I wont the chance to be a part of the My Magic + ticket tests, which BFF did too but not until the next day after I found out and his was for Epcot, but we had already made surprise reservations for lunch at the Crystal Palace so that Mom could eat with her favorite Disney character, Winnie the Pooh!!! The picture pretty much says it all... She loved it and BFF and I loved the ham as well ;) We rode some rides so we could test the Fast Pass system with the My Magic + enabled park tickets, which was extremely fun... BFF and I were able to go on Splash Mountain for the first time in I don't

I am leaving the most amazing group of people to begin my new adventure... I have never felt so much love and appreciation as I did this week at the Lagoon... Short of moving away from home to fly off to Neverland... Everywhere I went this week in the park, I was getting hugs and sweet notes and requests not to leave... On Sunday I had the opportunity to assist in choosing the Big Kahuna for the day... He was an adorable 7 year old boy from Ohio and he had lots of questions for the Life Guard showing him around the park... One of the things the Big Kahuna is responsible for is to make sure all of the Life Guards and Slide Operators working that day are ready to open the park, so they walk over to the morning breakout session... When the Big Kahuna appears everyone cheers... Well, I was walking behind the Big Kahuna's family bringing up the rear and when we walked through the group everyone began to cheer and welcome them in true Disney style... As we were continuing on, there wer

I feel truly proud to be a member of my family today... I wish I could have taken part but, my Dear Uncle and Cousin got together a group of over 26 friends and neighbors and they went out on the bridge over Highway 94 at the Hammond, Wisconsin exit and waved American Flags showing their support for the men, women and children that died 12 years ago during 9/11. My Uncle started doing this a few years ago... He would go out on the overpass for all of the military holidays, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Flag Day, Veteran's Day... He also puts on his Santa Suit and goes out on Christmas as well...He has others come out and wave for a bit with him, but this was just amazing... We must never forget... Musicsongbird

I heard this great line on Touched by an Angel tonight... The young girls lost her father to cancer and Monica told her, "You didn't have him for a lifetime, you had him for the right time..." This time of year is always a little rough for my family... In 1998 my Dad's battle with cancer came to an end on September 13... Then just 3 short years later, our nation was rocked to it's foundations on 9/11... When times are hard like this all I can do is look up and give it all to God... Now going back to the quote... It is very true... Sometimes we are only meant to have people in our lives for a season... Whether they are friends that you need for a time and then you go your separate ways, or a loved one you lose... You need to remember the impact they made on you life and the good that came from them... And each year you will mourn them less and celebrate what they meant to you more... Musicsongbird

Sometimes we are put into situations where we believe our faith may be tested, but God doesn't work that way... We don't have to prove anything to God... He takes us as we are... We don't have to be perfect, because we never will be... He takes us where we are and He picks us up and brushes us off and wipes away the tears... He helps put joy back into our lives and a song into our hearts... The only thing He asks for in return is our Hearts... Musicsongbird

Day 5 and counting down... Today was my first day of going to the morning meetings and starting to say my "See you real Soons..." I got a little emotional and I know it won't be the end but I think it helped to start taking things down and taking them home... It's like when you are getting ready to move... You get everything packed up and organized and when you look around you begin to lose your attachment to it... Yeah right... It's still not easy... I still have my Norway ribbon hanging... It's the first thing I put up and it will be the last thing to come down on Thursday (besides my name plate)... Musicsongbird

Today was my recovery from yesterday's sleep fest... Obviously my body needed the rest and so today I took it easy... I relaxed on the couch and had a Torchwood marathon on my computer... I just realized that I don't allow myself that time anymore... I remember when I used to lay and read or watch a movie or hours of my favorite show... No internet, no interruptions; just a little time for me... It was nice and I plan on doing it a little more often... For now, my ear is causing me a little pain and I'm getting a little congested so I think I will head off to wonderland and get a little extra sleep before I have to be up for my last week working at Typhoon... Sweet dreams... Musicsongbird

Slept for the entire afternoon... Not feeling great still... Falling asleep sitting here... Need more rest... Musicsongbird

What a day... You know it's just going to be an interesting day when you go to get out of bed and an 800 pound creature is laying on your legs and to make matters worse the comforter is wrapped around your legs, so just trying to wriggle free from the creature is next to impossible... And then after about 5 or 6 attempts to wake the beast holding you captive, they open their sweet kitty cat eyes and demurely look at you as if in shock and say, "Oh! Am I in your way?"  Then she will stretch and take her typical extended time removing herself from your legs so you can get yourself free from the constraints of the comforter... If that were all that happened, then this would be a VERY boring entry... After getting ready for work, I was running ahead of time, which meant I would have plenty of time to stop for breakfast and gas at Wawa... Or so I thought... When I went to get my purse and car keys, I noticed the car keys were MIA... I frantically dug through my purse, then

As much as I am trying to not think about it, the mental count down is happening to leaving Typhoon for Epcot... The closer I get the anxiety kicks a little higher... Every day I feel like I have to tell someone else about my leaving and I hear incredibly kind words... My favorite response so far came from one of my bartenders that also interviewed for the same role... She shadowed me in preparation for her interview two weeks ago tomorrow (Thursday), before I was called to interview the following day... I wasn't sure what her response would be when she found out I was getting the role, so I was hesitant to tell her... Well yesterday I ran into her in the break room and I knew I needed to tell her I would be leaving and she grabbed me, pulled me outside and excitedly gave me the biggest hug... She told me she was so happy for me and she was glad it was me getting the role... She shared a few others things and that was that... Today my leader sent out an email about my leaving to

Oh what a night... Tonight was the Water Parks and Mini Golf Cast End of Summer celebration... What an amazingly fun time to spend with my friends and family... We were all able to attend along with three non-cast attendees... Since BFF had to close, Mom and I went without him and experienced the magic of the Lagoon... This was Mom's first time to a Disney Water Park and I don't believe it will be her last... We both opted out of swimming and so we spent our time eating our free dinner and our Yum Yum Truck Cupcakes, walking around the park and watching people play in the wave pool... It was so exciting watch my Mom and see her reaction to everything... I love seeing the park for the first time through other people's eyes... Once 8:30 hit we all gathered around the clock tower for some giveaways, bad X-Factor type singing and an interesting music video created by the leadership... NO, my number was NOT called during the giveaway, but I still had an amazing time...

Many of us grow up with a favorite toy, like a doll or a teddy bear... I see plenty of small children that come with those special friends... I have even been a part of rescue missions when the plush friends have gone missing... To see the faces of those dear little ones when their companions go missing, it just breaks your heart... Plus I can totally relate to them... When I was very young, my Grandmother gave my Mom a quilt and over time, the quilt became mine... I was one that loved feeling the soft, some kids called it the silkie but I liked that soft feeling... For me, the soft was the stuffing inside the quilt... Through the years,as the quilt got worn spots, it would reveal more soft... I liked to tear the soft and through the year the quilt became holier and torn... When it got bad enough once I was in college, I was given a Pocahontas Pillow Case from Schmoopie (one of my besties) and the quilt was loaded into the pillow case and then sewn shut to become a snuggly pillow...

What I have learned in the past six months... I am not the same person I was then... I am more secure and confident in my job... I am me and no one can change who I am except me...  When things go crazy with those around me, I need to keep calm and remember that it's not about me... I am ready for my next story to begin... Musicsongbird