One Run at a Time

I hate having asthma. Today was my last chance to get in a long run before flying to Walt Disney World in a couple days for The Tower of Terror 10 mile race and a stupid truck spewing black smoke went and ruined it. I feel like a failure because I didn’t even make it to 2 miles. I felt an asthma attack coming on and so I stepped off to the side of the road to take my inhaler and call my dad to pick me up. I’ve never been so disappointed in a workout before. 😞

I guess it also doesn’t help that where I live the seasons are starting to change. With the arrival of fall comes cooler temperatures (mid 60s) and a wind that feels like it cuts through you. A dangerous combination for an asthmatic runner, even under the best circumstances (I.e. no black smoke from trucks filling already compromised lungs which are working hard already.)

Luckily, I was recently introduced to a great Disney running support group on Facebook and they were there to lift my spirits.

Different members commented that they too had asthma and knew how challenging running could be.

I have asthma also 😦 u have trained up, one last long run isn’t going to make or break a race! Go, have fun, trust your training! You will do great!!! Bring your inhaler 😉

Look back at all the successes you have had in your training–I bet you have way more “wins” than “losses”! It’s all the work you have put in over the last few months that will get you across the finish line strong! Have fun at ToT–that’s a race on my bucket list for sure!

I have had my share of ups and downs during my training….dealing with blisters that refused to pop and heal…

And then there was the day I discovered I’d actually been running 8 miles when I thought I’d only been going 6! And on hilly, country roads!

When the ToT race starts, trust your body to adjust your pace. Don’t worry about your time or pace. Enjoy the course and of course the after party.

I feel so very blessed that these people I’ve never met before believe in me. I am as ready as I’ll ever be at this point. I WILL cross that finish line Saturday night and it won’t matter what place I’m in or the time on the board. All that matters to me right now is crossing the line and proving to myself, asthma and all, I’m able to tackle 10 miles with strength, determination and a little pixie dust!

Will you be running at Walt Disney World this weekend?!

DIY Fabric Birthday Crown

My 25th birthday was on Saturday, September 14th, and to celebrate I decided to do something different. I signed up to run a 5K that morning. More specifically, the Mad Hatter 5K. In the registration, it said that hats were encouraged, but not required. And it got me thinking, if I was going to do this race, I wanted a BIRTHDAY CROWN for my hat! I started looking online for pre-made fabric hats. I found a few that were cute and just what I had in mind. Then I came to my senses and realized a few things:

1. Those hats were adorable, but they were all the same. I needed something special, something uniquely “me.”
2. There was NO WAY I was paying $25 PLUS shipping for a fabric crown that MAY OR MAY NOT arrive in time for my race.
3. Why don’t I use the 10 years of sewing 4H I have under my belt and MAKE MY OWN crown (Genius, I know!)

SOMEONE, QUICK! GET THE CAMERA! AFTER YEARS OF BEING ON SEWING RETIREMENT AND SWEARING SHE WOULD NEVER GO HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH THE SEWING MACHINE AGAIN, SHE’S VOLUNTARILY GOING TO SEW….FOR FUN!  

So here it is ladies and gentlemen, my step by step instructions on how you too can make your one-of-a-kind FABRIC BIRTHDAY CROWN!

You will need (See photo below):

• Fabric (I used a combination of felt and fleece we had lying around the house from past 4H projects and Halloween costumes)
• Interfacing (I used a combination of light-weight iron-on and heavy-duty stuff that must be sewn)
• Cardboard crown from Burger King to use as a sizing template
• Chalk
• Printer paper
• Sewing Machine (unless you are willing to hand sew the whole thing — I sure wasn’t) – Not pictured
• Straight pins – Not pictured
• Thread – Not pictured
• Shape patterns to decorate the crown — pictured further down
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Puffy Paint — pictured further down

Step 1 (This is going to seem like a lot, but it’s all pictured below):

Use the cardboard crown from Burger King to measure the circumference of your head.  Tape together computer paper until you have the desired length.  Then draw out the design for your crown on the paper. You are creating a pattern to use when cutting out your fabric.

Step 2:

When you have a design you are happy with on paper, cut it out. Once again, use this pattern to measure around your head. It never hurts to double or triple check the sizing. It took me two paper patterns before I got the sizing perfect for my crown. When you are satisfied, lay it out on your fabric. You can either trace around it with chalk or use pins to keep it in place while cutting. (I used chalk because I didn’t feel like locating straight pins.) You will need two pieces – a front and a back!

Step 3:

Using the same paper pattern, cut out your interfacing. To make sure my crown was stiff enough to stand on it’s own while it was on my head, I cut out 4 layers of iron-on interfacing (2 for the inside of the front piece and 2 for the inside of the back piece) and 1 layer of the heavy duty sew-on interfacing for the middle layer.

Step 4:

Carefully iron-on your pieces of interfacing. Don’t make the same mistake I did many years ago when I was first learning to sew. ALWAYS double check that the bumpy beads of glue are against your fabric and NOT the iron — when they melt and stick to the hot surface of the iron you will have a MAJOR mess on your hands. As I mentioned above, I have 4 pieces of iron-on interfacing. I put two on the inside of the front piece and two on the inside of the back piece. (Note: Make sure the interfacing for the front is on the opposite side of the fabric than those for the back, this way they will be on the inside when you sew everything together,)

Step 5:

Figure out the designs you want on the outside of your crown. My mom cut me these paper patterns using her Cricket and various Cricket cartridges. Lay everything out so you can get the spacing and sizing right.

Step 6:

You guessed it! Once you have the pattern pieces for the designs for the outside of your crown, it’s time to pin them to the fabric and cut them out. You could also trace using chalk if you’d like.

Step 7:

Pin the designs (and ribbon if you chose to include some like I did) to the front piece of your crown. You will sew these down BEFORE you sew all the layers of your crown together.

Step 8:

Carefully top stitch around the designs. Once again, you should be sewing these to the front piece of your crown ONLY. Word to the wise, if you are going through multiple layers of fabric as you see here with my 25 (pink and black), sew those two pieces together FIRST then sew that one piece to the crown. It will make it easier for you to keep everything lined up and provide an extra layer of stitching as reinforcement.

Step 9:

Time to sew all the layers of your crown together. As seen below in the picture, I have my front piece with decorative designs already sewn down, the middle piece is that heavy-duty interfacing and the bottom piece is the back piece of my crown with the light-weight interfacing side up (this will go on the inside as the other side is yellow to match the front piece).  You will need to stack these pieces together like a sandwich and then pin them securely in place. (See picture 2)

Picture 1

Picture 2

Step 10:

Slowly and carefully, sew these three layers together. You may need to take the pins out one at a time as you come up to them with the sewing machine. To make sharp point turns on your crown, stop at the point where you want the corner with the sewing machine needle all the way down into the fabric. Lift the presser foot (the flat silver piece that slides over the fabric) and turn the fabric until you have reached your desired angle, then put the presser foot down and continue sewing. When you have gone all the way around the crown, I recommend back stitching just to reinforce the seam.

Step 11:

For my crown, I decided the best way to keep it on my head securely during my race was to use Velcro squares. These squares had a sticky, adhesive back that allowed me to position them just right (this took a couple trial and errors before I had the spacing and proper fit for my head). Make sure the pairs of Velcro are on opposite sides of your crown so that when you go to stick them together they will form a circle with the Velcro pieces meeting in the middle of the front and back pieces of your crown. Then I sewed down each individual square because I didn’t want them falling off during my race.

Step 12:

Now if you think your crown needs a little extra pizzazz, you can decorate it with puffy paint! (See photo) And that’s it! You have yourself one custom made, totally unique, birthday/celebration/because you are royalty and deserve it fabric crown!

In all, this took me maybe 10 – 12 hours total to make. I worked on it a few hours each night after work the week leading up to the race. I even had it finished a day early so I could take it to work on Friday to show my coworkers who couldn’t fully grasp the craftiness I was trying so desperately to explain.

I hope you’ll give this a try sometime, and when you do, post a link to your photos so I can see how your special crown turned out!

Happy crafting everyone!  

Wordless Wednesday – 9/25/13

Baby selfie ❤

Wordless Wednesday – 9/18/13

Apples – bringing new friends together! ❤

The last photo…

Here it is, a photo of me ready for the high school football game in 60 degree and rainy weather. This is also the last photo of 24 year old me as tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY!

Life’s little turns

Blogtember theme – Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

The moment that comes so suddenly to mind would be the day I was accepted into the Disney College program three years ago. Check out this post from my old blog to read about my journey to becoming a cast member.

My time as a cast member, just shy of one full year, changed me. While there I learned to live with roommates, something I’d never done before, learned to budget, cook and manage my time. I became more responsible knowing my parents weren’t there to fall back on. I began to overcome my shyness, at least on-stage. Every time I was in my costume I reminded myself I was wearing my “show shoes” and that meant it was time to play a character. For my entire shift I was someone else, someone outgoing. I saw a different, more confident side of myself. I fell in love, had my heart-broken a couple of times and met my best and closest friends.

My time there was not just fun and games either, I took four classes for college credit and networked. I knew even then that when I eventually came home to finish my degree (which I did last August, has it really been a year already?! Yikes the time sure does fly!) that I wanted to return to work for The Walt Disney Company©.

I had the opportunity to meet people from around the world, to hear the stories and career journeys of some of the Disney legends. I saw where these people where and I envisioned myself there, too.  For a short while I was part of the magic. Nothing can describe seeing someone’s face the first time they walk down Main Street U.S.A. and see Cinderella’s Castle or watch “Wishes,” Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks show.

I was forever changed because I witnessed the magic. I made the magic. I saw the wonder and joy on the guests faces, even when they were less than pleasant to the cast members. There are no words to describe the effect working there has had on me, but I can say that it restored my hope that there is some love and magic and happiness still left in the world, because it didn’t matter how bad my day was as long as I was able to bring a smile to at least one guest’s face.

To visit Walt Disney World as a guest is one thing and to work there is something completely different. It takes a lot of people and a lot of work behind the scenes to make the magic possible and every day I long to return. And it’s a dream I refuse to give up, no matter how long it takes me to achieve. I know where I belong and I will do just about anything to make it a reality.

It’s all in your personality…

Blogtember topic – Take this short personality test and respond to your results. (when you get your results, under the “You” tab click “self awareness and personal growth” for a detailed personality profile description.)

Here are my results:

Let’s dig a little deeper and find out what this REALLY means….

INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people — a product of the Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious “soul mates.”

Well then, that’s a case book description of me to the T if I’ve even seen one. 

Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills….

INFJs have a knack for fluency in language and facility in communication. In addition, nonverbal sensitivity enables the INFJ to know and be known by others intimately.

Writing, counseling, public service and even politics are areas where INFJs frequently find their niche.

 Okay, now this is just getting freaky….

According to the website these are some famous INFJs:

• Chaucer
• Mother Teresa of Calcutta
• Billy Crystal
• Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader, martyr
• Nelson Mandela
• Mel Gibson
• Jamie Foxx
• Nicole Kidman

INFJs are effective in occupations involving substantial intellectual work, caring for other people, and requiring creativity. INFJs build successful careers in a broad range of organizations. Social and community care services, counseling, teachers of humanities and social sciences, healthcare workers (both in administration and in medical services), various service-oriented professions as well as religious services and social movements are just some of the examples of occupations favourable to INFJs.

In my job, I work in the Public Relations Department at the local hospital. I spend a good amount of my time designing things for our social media pages and I have some various graphic design projects in the works for different departments, so I guess I am true to what it says. I am doing something that lets me showcase my creativity. 

Blogtember – A Catch-up!

First off, I’d like to thank The Daily Post for writing a whole post about the different blog events going on and providing useful links to them! It was thanks to that post I found the Blogtember Challenge on the blog Story of My Life and thought, why not?! Unfortunately, I found this post a few days after it started and decided I’d just do one LARGE catch-up on everything I’ve missed!

So, away we go!

September 3, 2013 –  Describe where or what you come from.

I wrote this when I was in high school but I think it still applies:

Where I’m From

With gratitude to George Ella Lyon

COPY CHANGE BY THE UNDERCOVER PRINCESS

I am from a hairbrush,

The computer and a single rose,

Deep red and elegant, standing tall and proud.

I am from the Carousel Theater and sliding into third base, breaking my ankle.

I am from chocolate and my radio,

From Diamond and the beach.

I’m from once in a blue moon…

And everyone saying, SHUT UP! When they are excited.

I’m from Wonder Woman and Hermione.

I’m from pickles and olives.

I’m from my mom, my dad, and my grandparents.

I’m from stardom and a singing career. 

September 4, 2013 –  If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do? (bonus points for fun photos.)

I would travel to all the places I’ve only been once and to all the places I’ve always dreamed of seeing – the latter list includes England, Scotland, Italy, Australia, South America, the list is endless!

I love to fly and travel! Life is an ADVENTURE!

My family at The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

It’s hard to tell, but standing on The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Hanging out in Central Park in NYC

My sisters and I on the Top of The Rock in NYC

Riding the subway for the first time in New York City

On the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls

My family at Niagara Falls

Looking out at Niagara Falls

At a bull fight in Madrid, Spain

Riding a camel in Morocco

Saying goodbye to Jesus, our Spanish tour guide

September 5, 2013 – Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered.

My mom always says this to my sisters and I: “If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. But if you teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.”

Basically, in order to succeed in life, we need to learn to become self-sufficient, independent individuals. Yes, it’s nice when other people are there to take care of you, but what happens when the day comes when someone isn’t there to do those things anymore? Will you know how to go on? I think I will, and it’s got a great deal to do with my mom…and dad. 🙂

September 6, 2013 – A story about a time you were very afraid.

I’m not really sure what story to share…. my Not So Sweet 16th Birthday comes to mind….

Then there was the time I was caught in a terrible thunderstorm at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

And when we found out my little sister had cancer. — yes, this one had me the most afraid because even though we fight from time to time, I’d be lost without her! And I’m happy to report that her scans are clean and we couldn’t be more excited! 🙂

Phew, now that I’m all caught up, fingers crossed I wont get behind again!

Hair Anxiety Attack

“A woman’s hair is her crown.” – Shon Stoker

I love my hair. Other than my eyes, I honestly think its my best feature.

I have been platinum blonde:

A redhead:

A warm brown:

And golden blonde:

Just to name a few… it’s been long, short and layered, even bangs now and again. Growing up, my mom use to tell us that she didn’t care what we did to our hair because it would grow back eventually, and if that’s the worst we ever did then we were set.

I am very attached to my hair. I know the style I like and the colors that look good with my coloring. And I’ve been changing the color of my hair for so long now that I couldn’t tell you what my natural color is. I have learned over the years that short hair looks TERRIBLE on me due to the structure of my face, long layers are the way to go. The problem is when I find a style and color I like, I tend to stick with it for a LONG time. Change, especially when it comes to my hair, makes me uneasy.

Recently I have been freaking out about turning 25 (only 9 more days, still not looking forward to it). I don’t know why exactly, but it has me on edge. Maybe it’s because I’ve been feeling like my life is at a stand still and I’m trying to figure out what my great purpose in life is. Whatever the reason, I’m on pins and needles.

And I have been obsessing with my hair, nit-picking everything that is wrong with it. It’s too thin, too stringy, the color is ugly, there are tons of split ends, it doesn’t look professional, it falls out easily, the list goes on and on. And then I was reminded that my license needed renewed before my birthday and I wanted to burst into tears because I was going to have an awful photo with terrible hair for the next four years, it was just too much. This called for an emergency hair appointment, STAT.

I am very picky about who touches my hair. In my lifetime, there have only been three stylists who have seriously cut my hair. (Okay, so my grandmother use to cut my bangs, but didn’t all grandma’s in the ’90 do that with scotch tape and scissors? There were some tears shed in her kitchen over the years. Love you grandma!) Thank goodness one of my hair stylists had an open appointment yesterday afternoon.

I went in with a photo of style I liked and no idea for the color. I knew I wanted it darker as we head into fall and I needed it to be professional for work, other than that, I left the decision in the stylist’s capable and knowledgeable hands. i figured she was better at determining what shades and colors would look best with my skin tone and eye color. But I’ll be honest, I was nervous to see the results.

Saw this taped to the mirror at the hair salon. “Blessed are the hair stylists – for they bring out the beauty in others.”

For me, it is a very relaxing experience to go and have my hair done. I love hearing all the gossip, catching up on family news and just laughing and enjoying my time. It’s a wonderful feeling to have someone else tend to your hair. It’s almost like you are getting a head message during the shampoo and conditioning phase. And there really are no words to describe how relaxing it is to have another person comb and brush out your hair. If I ever won the lottery (I guess I would have to start playing first, though…), I would hire my own personal hair stylist to wash, brush and style my hair everyday for the rest of my life.

I was proud of myself, I didn’t panic during the coloring, but when the scissors came out, part of me contemplated fleeing the building. I knew a few inches of my lovely long hair would need to be cut to get rid of the split-ends and to even everything back up to make it pretty. I wasn’t expecting to see THIS much hair falling though:

I put on my big girl pants and soldiered through it. Thankfully there were no tears. And once she started to dry my hair and style it, my anxiety started to fade. I could see it, the new me. Where there was this wanna-be adult when I walked in, a fierce and somewhat attractive woman had mysteriously taken her place. I was shocked. No words, that doesn’t happen to me often. It’s very different. It’s dark and short and I have these funky swoopy bangs. A stranger greeted me in the bathroom mirror this morning, but she has stylish hair so she can stay.

The transformation: Before and After

And because this story NEEDS an extra happy ending, I went to get my new license photo today and it’s the PERFECT picture! It looks like a model head shot! I don’t always think I look pretty, and certainly never beautiful, but today I felt just a little bit more comfortable in my skin, maybe all I needed was a mini makeover to remind myself I’m someone special. And now to embrace life as a dark brunette and discover what adventures lie ahead!

Adventures in the kitchen: Berry Bread

Here’s what I LOVE about blogging, it connects you with people from all over the world who share similar interests. A few days ago I was poking around on blue sky vitality and discovered she posted a recipe for Berry Bread.  Her photo looked delicious and it seemed simple enough to make, and there it was, a new challenge!

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to bake. I can’t cook to save my life, but baking and I are tight! I find it enjoyable and relaxing to mix cookies, brownies, fudge and cakes. And now, for the first time, I’ll be adding bread to that list!

Here’s the ingredient list from blue sky vitality:

Berry Bread

2 cups almond meal/flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs, whisked
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 cup mixed berries (defrosted if frozen)

Okay, before I started throwing ingredients into the bowl, I had to FIND one key ingredient… almond meal. It took me three different stores before I located it in the organic/gluten-free section of a local grocery store. Let me inform you know, because I was kind of shocked, this stuff isn’t cheap!

Since I had today off (Happy Labor Day everyone!), I decided today was the PERFECT day to try this out, and I thought it would make a nice breakfast surprise for my family. So what do you say, care to join me in the kitchen?!

I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I’m baking, I like to have all the ingredients together and waiting from the start. I can think of nothing worse than getting half the ingredients mixed only to discover you are missing something. So here’s everything from the above mentioned list of essentials for this bread!

Step 1: Preheat oven to 325º F. Mix together almond meal, cinnamon and baking soda.

Step 2: In a separate bowl mix together all other ingredients (except berries).

Step 3: Mix together wet and dry ingredients until they are well combine.

Step 4: Gently fold in the berries. (I used half a cup of blackberries and half a cup of raspberries, but you can use whatever berries you like best! Mix and match, have some fun with different combinations and colors!)

Step 5: Pour mixture into a greased loaf tin and cook for 30 to 35 mins. (For my oven, I ended up baking my bread closer to 40 – 42 minutes thanks to the toothpick test – insert a toothpick into the bread and when it comes out clean you know it’s finished baking!)

Step 6: Serve warm with butter.

I am very pleased to report that this was very easy to make and soon had my kitchen smelling delicious!

Now for that all important question – “How did it taste?!” There’s not really a way for me to describe it. The texture was different, which I expected because of the almond meal. It was very moist and the berries were wonderful warm. To be honest, it will take some time for me to get use to the taste because it’s different from regular bread, but I did enjoy it, and what’s better, my family seemed to as well!

All in all, I think we will call this one a success in the books and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves to bake and likes to try different kinds of food!