Part IV: The Final Chapter

So I talked to my Dad and stepmother about going back to college and they said that if I moved to PA (where they live), they would pay for it. Didn't have to tell me twice, the minute the internship in Disney was over, I packed up my things and didn't take a second look back. I enrolled at Millersville University in Lancaster, PA and I worked my butt off for the next three years. My last year there I had my student teaching assignment. My first week there was ok, but the second week two guys from another college also began student teaching in the English department with me. I remember sizing the guys up at a meeting that we had..."Hmmm that guy is cute, and so is that guy...he looks really nice". The second guy would turn out the be Brian, the man that I ended up marrying five years later.
So during our first year of marriage we started TTC and I thought that it would be a long, arduous process, but about a month after our 1st anniversary we got the good news (that's a story for another time). So here we are...still trying to comprehend it all!

Part III: The Saga continues

So when I got on stage it was pretty empty because not too many people had made it to the back of the park yet. I went to the gift shop and immediately everyone there started asking me what was going on. I told them what I knew and was quickly quieted by a manager who said, "We are not discussing the situation in NY in front of the guests." Less than an hour later the same manager came around again and said that we were evacuating the park. This would be only the second time in Disney World history that the park was evacuated, the first time being Hurricane Floyd. We were all pretty freaked out.
I made it back to my apartment around 1pm and sat around the TV with the rest of my roommates, watching CNN and trying to call our families and friends. My one roommate was pretty upset because her boyfriend was in the national guard and she was sure he would have to get involved. A lot of people talked about going home, but I wanted to stay. It was rough. Our hours were cut and weren't making that much money to begin with. I spent a lot of time going to the parks, because it was free, and sitting around the apartment because I had no money. I decided at that point I had to get my act together and finish college once and for all because I never wanted to be that broke again.
Tune in tomorrow for the "exciting" conclusion...

--Sarah

Part II: How it all began

So yes my second week in the happiest place on Earth...all hell breaks loose. It is a day we all will never forget, but for me it was particularly memorable. I had to work that day at 9am so I left my apartment at 7. It took about a half an hour to get to the park and then you had to park at a satellite parking lot and take a shuttle to the park. When you arrive at the park you are taken to the underground tunnels where the cast and characters get ready before going on stage. When I got there I had to get my costume (a lovely flannel shirt and Mom jeans ensemble) and change in the locker room. While I was changing that day I heard on the radio that they had on that a plane had flown in the World Trade Center. I am originally from Baltimore and I knew that they had a WTC there, so I immediately thought it was there. I remember thinking, "Wow that stinks, I wonder if the pilot fell asleep or something". I then started the trek upstairs and I passed a break room where a television was broadcasting the situation and we all watched as the second plane flew into the second tower. Everyone was speechless. We had no idea what to say because we didn't know what we were looking at. I went ahead and clocked in and took the elevator up to Frontier Land. TBC....

--Sarah

Here's how it all began...

Well I guess I should start at the very beginning. How did I end up with a beautiful one month old little girl and married to my best friend? I guess I would have to give Mickey Mouse the credit.
So after some lack of direction after I graduated high school, I got a full time job at a Doctor's office. It was an ok job, but I had always wanted to be a teacher and although I wasn't currently on that track, I knew that was what I wanted to do with my life. So I decided to go back to school, but I really didn't have the means so I started out at a Community College. Then because I had nothing really tying me down, and I figured, "Hey at this rate, I am trying to get my Bachelor's degree for the rest of my life, why not waste a semester"... I decided to do the Walt Disney World College Intern Program.
Basically I would move to FL and work in one of the Disney parks for a semester. I figured I would get away from my situation and see what was really out there. Maybe I would fall in love with FL and decide to move there...nothing was out of the realm of possibility. For my job I was placed in the Magic Kingdom in the gift shop that you have to walk through off of the Splash Mountain ride. I was in the Fall program and I would leave in August. Unfortunately I chose the Fall program of 2001 and two weeks after I arrived in FL, September 11th happened....TO BE CONTINUED

--Sarah

Happy 1 month Bday

We made it! Maggie is one month old today. We are doing pretty awesome and I couldn't be happier. We still have a little heat rash, some baby acne, a little diaper rash, some goop in the left eye, occasional gagging/coughing and some rare spitting up, but overall Maggie is doing great. We had some family over today and we got some more clothes, some toys, and batteries (a lot of batteries, because everything takes "D" batteries!!) It was so nice to see everyone and we really enjoyed hanging out.
I can't believe that Maggie is a month old already. It really feels like just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant (fun story, I'll share later), but here we are.

Here are some things I have learned about Maggie so far:
-You are the stretching queen and when awakened you love to stretch your head almost back to your feet
-You can toot/burp with the best of them
-The only time you really cry is when you are hungry, or the one time you nicked yourself on the face with your fingernail
-Your smile is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (getting a little choked up here
-You make the cutest noises
-You make the cutest faces

So in celebration of the big day here's a little photo shoot we did today:









--Sarah

Music

So I added some music to my page...hopefully it's not too annoying.

I LOVE music. It is such a huge part of my life. This obsession is something that my husband and I share and we hope to share with Maggie one day. The songs that I added to this playlist are ones that make me think of Maggie today. I say today because I'm sure on a different day I would add different songs. So here is why I picked them:

"Sweet Disposition"-- Well I think already that Maggie has one
"The only exception"-- Maggie is definitely the only exception when it comes to waking Mommy up
"Just to see you smile"-- Yep I would do just about anything
"Daughter"--I heard this song on someone else's blog and it is beautiful
"Isn't she lovely"-- Come on..no explanation needed
"Beautiful girl"-- See above

--Sarah

Cutest pic ever...

Well at least in my opinion...I may be biased...




This is Maggie hanging out with her Daddy's bunny that he has had since he was a baby. You can see that this bunny was loved. Hopefully Maggie will have something that she loves this much.

Movies

So my last post was a movie of Maggie and I complained that there wasn't a way to make a longer video for free...then my husband politely pointed out to me that I have a program on my computer where I can create a movie as long as I want for absolutely nothing (duh!!). So I started working on that last night, but I got shiny with True Blood, so I will work on it later.

On to another topic...I got the "privilege" of watching the movie "Last Song" OnDemand a couple of days ago and here are my two cents. So let me start with a little background on me...I am a MOVIE BUFF. I love movies. I can sit and watch movie, after movie, after movie... I can watch old movies, new movies, any genre (except some horror movies...esp. zombie movies...I hate the idea of someone trying to eat you), and I can watch the same movie multiple times. Also you should now that I ruin surprises. I have a little obsession with knowing exactly what is coming next. This means that during movies I try to guess what is coming next and I am normally right. And then if I can't figure it out, I have been known to jump on Wikipedia to find out the answer. In real life this means that if someone is trying to plan a surprise for me, I pretty much figure it out and in general it has been a long time since I have been truly surprised. Don't get me wrong it's not that I don't like surprises, it's just that I like knowing what to expect a lot more!

So anyways, back to my review of "Last Song". First, I would like to say that I have enjoyed a couple of Nicholas Spark's books, specifically The Wedding and The Notebook. Unfortunately, when it comes to the film adaptation of Spark's movies, I only enjoyed "The Notebook". But I thought I would give this movie a chance, even though I did not read the book. I was a little skeptical with Miley Cyrus helming the movie, but I thought that I had read some good reviews, and there was nothing on t.v. [Spoiler alert-- do not read ahead if you don't want the movie spoiled] So right off the bat, I predicted that the father was sick and the hot guy was rich. Very disappointing that that was about it for the entire movie. I had thought from the previews and things that I read about this movie, that there would be some great twist and revelation. Nope, none of that here. Just a totally cliched movie, with really bad acting from Cyrus. And the worst scene, the one that should have been the tear jerker...when she realizes that her father is dying and crawls into his hospital bed crying "Daddy...Daddy"...horrible. Overall, I thought the movie was way too predictable and if you ask me, both of these plots have been done better in other movies. If you want to see the terminally ill father tries to reach out to dysfunctional teen child by kidnapping him for a summer of growth and maturity...watch "Life as a House". Kevin Kline is amazing as the dying Dad trying to connect with the ok Hayden Christensen as the rebellious teen. And for the rich kid falls for the girl from the wrong side of the tracks movie, go for the classic "Pretty in Pink". The best parts of this movie? The turtle scene and the kid brother. Were they worth watching the whole movie?? No. In my opinion, not worth your time.

--Sarah

Maggie Video

Just a little something that I made to celebrate Maggie... It is very little slideshow, little, because the site only allows you 30 seconds for free...I think I may look online to see if there are any other sites that would allow more time for free...but anyways here it is...

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Short hair??

So as a naive young woman I always wondered why a lot of women decide to chop off their hair when they become Moms. Although I have only been a Mom for 3 weeks, I am starting to understand the attraction. Long hair really gets in the way. I mean she really can't grasp anything, but just picking her up a couple of times she has inadvertently tugged on my hair, and it hurts!!! Also, after a nice luxurious shower (yes that is what they have become) fighting with the tangles really becomes a chore, because I want to get back to my favorite pastime, watching my daughter. So although I see the attraction, I don't think that I will be going to the salon anytime soon. I have always loved my long hair and want to keep it as long as possible, but now I see the other side!

Well Hello there!

So in celebration of Maggie's 3 week bday, I have decided to start things off on my new blog with a top ten list.

Top Ten Things I LOVE doing with the Magster:

10. Dressing her up in cute outfits.
9. Playing wit her toesies.
8. Looking into her beautiful eyes.
7. Playing with her luscious locks (really just rubbing her head...)
6. Reading to her.
5. Listening to the little noises she makes as she falls asleep.
4. Giving her a bath.
3. Having her Tummy Time on my chest.
2. Feeling her grip my finger with all her might.

1. Holding her in my arms and having her fall into a deep sleep.

Here are a couple of things that I am not loving right now... diaper rash, her blocked tear duct (so much green eye goop), her gagging/choking (that no one but me seems to be concerned about) and finally the fact that I don't really sleep at night anymore because I am so worried about her. Don't get me wrong, she is sleeping fine...almost 5 hours at a stretch, but I jump at every noise that sounds weird and I also jump when I don't hear anything. It takes me about an hour to get to sleep and then I am up all the time worried...I know this too shall pass...but right now it is pretty frustrating.