"Mom....Mom....Mom....Happy Birthday!!!"

One evening, my little sister's calling for my mom cracked me up.  All I can say is it resembled this:


(Except minus the laughing and running away once she answered!)

This past weekend we had plenty of opportunities to recreate the scene, as we spent the weekend together celebrating Mom's birthday!  I'm the kind of person who LOVES to celebrate birthdays.  To me, birthdays aren't just about getting older, they're about celebrating the joy that the birthday person brings to the world.  I love to do things that helps the birthday person feel as wonderful and special as they are.  So, what better way to do that then at Disney World! 

Mom wanted to have a special lunch and visit the parks, and we were blessed with a BEAUTIFUL day.  We parked at the Magic Kingdom, then traveled to the Grand Floridian for lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe.

So fancy, they don't have bottles of condiments on the table

Mom's salad with strawberries and cashews

Gina's Grand Sandwich (ham, turkey, bacon and a boursin cheese sauce on foccacia).

Mom and I both had the Grand Floridian Burger (topped with asparagus, lobster and hollandaise sauce) - for some reason I couldn't get the picture rotated....

 After lunch, we went to play at the Magic Kingdom - first stopping off to get a birthday button for Mom!

Mom with her birthday button!


We had so much fun!  And the birthday gods must have been smiling on us that day, 'cause we hardly had to wait in any lines.  We practically walked on Cinderella's Golden Carousel - which Mom had never been on. (how is that possible?)

Birthday Princess on the carousel!

Me and Gina

We went to Mickey's
Philharmagic next.  It was a good crowd - they clapped and everything.  (Have I mentioned yet in this post how much I love Disney?)

"Roads?  Where we're going we don't need roads!"

We were feeling pretty brave, so we headed over to the Teacups.....

Luckily, we didn't lose our lunches....but we got some great pictures!

(Gina took this shot of me just as the ride was coming to a stop.  I thought it was hilarious.  And hilariously unflattering.  But I think it captures the essence of what a spin on the teacups is like!)

We were ready for a little break, so we went to a little cafe Gina knew about at the Polynesian for some Dole Whip.  And while there, a little family of ducks waddled by.






Then, it was on to Disney's Hollywood Studios to ride the Tower of Terror, just in time before the park closed.

If only I'd bought the picture - Gina's face was uber-cool.

It had been a long day....

And yet, Mom still had the energy to go dancing!  She's amazing!

I pretty much have the greatest mother in the world. :)

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

We all scream....

....for ice cream, of course.

On rare occasions, I discover things that are cool on my own.  But most of the time, I'm introduced to it by my sisters.  That's how I found out about this video, which became one of the most enjoyable aspects of my Friday night (don't judge).
                   

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Ice Cream Fight With Jimmy Fallon
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

    Once I stopped laughing, it made think: if I ever had an ice cream flavor named after *me* what would it be called?  Maybe "Sparkleberry" - a pink (of course) cotton candy-flavored ice cream with edible sparkles and berries mixed in.  Or "Legendairy Swirl" - a lactose-free chocolate with marshmallow and caramel.  Or "Theatrical - licious" - a dramatic dark chocolate with nuts and chocolate flakes.  Maybe I don't have a future in development at Ben & Jerry's, but it's fun it's kind of fun to think up ice cream flavors that express a little bit about yourself.  What would yours be?
      

Didn't I see this in a sitcom somewhere?

My body has not been very cooperative lately.  Sometimes I wish it came with replacement parts, so that when something isn't working properly, or causing pain or inconvenience, I could just switch it out - just like WALL-e! 






Seriously, how great would that be?
Well, my jaw has been giving me issues all week.  At first I thought I must've slept on it wrong.  Or maybe I chewed on an overwhelmingly tough Red Vine.  Whatever the case, it just kept getting worse and worse.  It was such a pain in the neck (or jaw), that it made the flu-like illness that kept me laid up all week seem like a birthday party compared to the pain.  It got so bad that I couldn't yawn or eat anything harder than oatmeal.  I thought I was on the road to recovery as I took it easy and iced it, sure that the self-diagnosed case of TMD (Temporomandibular disorders, according to WebMD) that I had would soon go away.

Today I woke up and thought that I had squashed my face against the pillow in a weird way during the night - you know how it feels when you wake up with pillowcase indentations on your cheek? - as my skin was sore around my jaw.  Asking the expert of the house (aka Mom) to take a look at my cheek/jaw, she said it looked infected, as the bottom left side of my jaw was all red and inflamed.  At least I could move my jaw, but this spot on my face sure hurt.  Early this afternoon, we finally made it to the local Urgent Care facility, which advertises that you can see a doctor in 15 minutes or less.

40 minutes later, I saw the doctor.  After the preliminary poking and prodding, he eventually deduced that I had cellulitis.  My first reaction was, "ok, I know I need to get to the gym to tone up a little bit, but should it be this painful??"  (Note: cellulitis is much different from cellulite.  See here.)

He wrote me a prescription for antibiotics, and then, sitting on the butcher-paper-covered examining table, states that he is going to "mark the area of infection" so that "if the redness spreads above the line" I should come back to get a different antibiotic.  I thought I had heard him wrong, but no.  He then proceeded to outline the infected area of my face with his ballpoint pen.



The conversation then proceeded as follows.

Me:  Sooo... what do I do if I need to shower?

Doctor:  (while drawing on my face)  Just let the water run over it.  Don't scrub it off.

(Silence.)

Me:  Okay.

I thought about asking him what I was supposed to do about work, my internship, and socializing, but decided against it.  Apparently he thought nothing of me going about my business with ink on my face. 

Needless to say, I wasn't the happiest camper as I left the doctor's office.  In the space of an hour, my mother laughed and looked incredulously at the outline on my face, and the cashier at CVS Pharmacy asked if I had a tattoo on my face.  Having my own share of insecurities about my looks has not been helped by the fact that I now look like I decided to try out a do-it-yourself home tattooing kit.

In the midst of my discomfort and self-consciousness, the thought has occurred to me that the whole situation seems like something out of an episode of prime-time television.  (Can't you just see something like this happening on "Friends," or "Sex and the City"?  Ross or Carrie comes in to the coffee shop or diner with pen on his/her face and says, "My body was defaced against my will."  "Oh, honey!" comes the response from close friends.  Laughter from the audience.)

Sadly, I'm not a character on a hit TV series (although I do have my own theme song....just kidding).  So I've been thinking about ways to deal with this crazy situation:






#1.)  Turn the mark on my face into something cool like a dragon, a Pac-man ghost, or map of Australia.










#2.)  Wear a scarf around my face a la Penelope.

#3.)  Pretend I don't know what people are talking about when they ask about my face.

Any ideas , just post a comment.  And here are some visuals to inspire you.

Yep, that was made with a ballpoint pen.  I knew I should've become a doctor!

I Believe in Love

I am a fan of love.  And since it's Valentine's Day, in the words of Natalie Cole, "I've got love on my mind" - more so than usual, that is.  The problem is, I don't know how to devote an entire post to love without incessantly quoting love songs....or movies....I guess because they all just say it so well.  So, this is my tribute to:

Romantic Love
"Above all things I believe in love.  Love is like oxygen.  Love is a many-splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love! ~ Moulin Rouge

"Love doesn't come in a minute.  Sometimes it doesn't come at all.  I only know that when I'm in it, it isn't silly - no, it isn't silly, love isn't silly at all."              ~ Paul McCartney & Wings

"The way you cut a rug, watching you is the only drug I need.  So gangster, I'm so thug, you're the only one I'm dreaming of.  
You see, I can be myself now finally.  In fact, there's nothing I can't be.  I want the world to see you'll be with me...."
 ~ Train

"Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back.  And how do you find him?  Forget your head and listen to your heart... Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back.  Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this.  To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all.  You have to try.  Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived." ~ Meet Joe Black

As Lumiere once sighed, "Ah, l'amour...."  And for those like me who may not have a romantic love of their own, it's okay - we just haven't met them yet!


"Brotherly" (Family) Love

"Meet Joe Black" is one LOOOOONG movie....but it does have some great quotes.  One in particular really captures the unconditional love among a family.  When asked how he knows if his wife loves him, Jeffrey Tambor's character lovingly explains, "Because she knows the worst thing about me and it's okay."  Even when I feel flawed and inadequate, my family's love is always constant, giving me strength and buoying me up to become better.  Having the love and support of my parents, my siblings, and my extended family is truly one of the most precious gifts I have ever been blessed with.  I am truly thankful for the love of my family.

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”  ~ Dr. Seuss

Friendship Love
"Friends help you when you're in danger, friends are people who are not strangers.  Friends help you shift to a new place, tell you if you've got food on your face."  ~ Flight of the Conchords 

 








"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."  

 

"I get by with a little help from my friends." 

~ The Beatles

Charity - the Pure Love of Christ

"And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.....charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever..."  (The Book of Mormon, Moroni 7:45-47)

Of course the greatest love that has cause for celebration on this holiday that celebrates love is the pure love of Christ.  It is His love that gives power to all other forms of love, and is perfect and eternal.  I love this quote by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

"Life has its share of some fear and some failure. Sometimes things fall short, don’t quite measure up. Sometimes in both personal and public life, we are seemingly left without strength to go on.  Sometimes people fail us, or economies and circumstance fail us, and life with its hardship and heartache can leave us feeling very alone.  But when such difficult moments come to us, I testify that there is one thing which will never, ever fail us. One thing alone will stand the test of all time, of all tribulation, all trouble, and all transgression.  One thing only never faileth—and that is the pure love of Christ....I testify that having loved us who are in the world, Christ loves us to the end.  His pure love never fails us.  Not now.  Not ever.  Not ever."  ("He Loved Them Unto the End," Ensign, Nov. 1989, 25.)

"In His Light" by Greg Olsen

I add my testimony to Elder Holland's.  I know that Christ's love is real, perfect, powerful, and true - and it is available every single day of the year, not just on Valentine's Day.  It is my hope that I can learn to love a little bit more like the Savior each day.

And may we continue to celebrate love all year long.

A Needed Reprieve

  
 For when it all just seems like "too much," this beautiful hymn always brings peace to my soul, reminding me that my Shepherd is watching over me, and will always supply my need.  


 I love these lyrics by Isaac Watts:

"My Shepherd will supply my need,
Jehovah is His Name.
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back
When I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy's sake,
In paths of truth and grace.


When I walk through the shades of death 
Thy presence is my stay;
One word of Thy supporting grace
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thine oil anoints my head


The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days.
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,  
While others go and come.
No more a stranger nor a guest,
But like a child at home.


What a beautiful reminder of such simple, yet powerful truths. 

Glitter makes everything more fun

I think I have ADD, because sometimes I feel like I can't just sit and watch TV - I have to be doing something else.  (Actually I think a more appropriate term for what I have is ADOS - see below.)

When I was younger, I used to color, make jewelry, sculpt or draw while watching my favorite movies and shows, but I guess I've gotten pretty lazy and boring because now all I do is eat Capt'n Crunch.....
Luckily for my waistline, I was in charge of getting the decorations for the latest YSA dance, and because I had a pretty difficult time finding stuff for the "Awesome 80's" theme (unless I wanted to shell out a ton of money on ebay), my sister suggested I make some of the wall hangings for the dance. 

And, because I'm me, I made them sparkly. :)

If only I'd had more time, I would've made a giant Rubix Cube.  Oh, well - maybe next year!

What is the statute of limitations......

......on time between blog posts?

Since I don't know, I'm hoping that - if there IS one - I can slip this in under the wire. **Insert smiley face.**
I really don't know how I let so much time go by without a post, and the worst thing about it is....is really doesn't make any difference because I mainly do this blog for me.  And my dad.  (Hi, Daddy!)

Here are a few of the highlights from the past couple of months that I failed to mention - perhaps one of them will get a full blog post in the future....

1. Gina and I hit up Disney World

They now have Kermit and R2-D2 Mickey Ears.  How awesome is that??

We saw the Castle lit up.....

















And fell in love all over again with Donald Duck.  (Check out his cute winter outfit.)

 2. My obsession with "Despicable Me" and "Tangled" began

 You MUST see these movies!!

I really want a pet chameleon....
































And a boat ride like this......

And I wouldn't mind one of these.

3.  Reunited with Mick after 5 years!

 My uber-successful bestest bud took time out from rockin' Z104.3 FM for a little visit to Florida, and we had a chance to catch up (once I found my way through the maze of confusion that are the Florida roadways).
Hopefully we can get together again in LESS than 5 years - maybe for some spaghetti.
 
4.  All of the Gabriel siblings were together for Christmas for the first time in 5 years!

Joy, Joe, Mia, Me and Gina - it was the best Christmas ever!!!!

 
5. The annual trip to the Grand Floridian to see the Christmas decorations

As always, it was gorgeous!

Mom, Gina, Me, and Mia in front of the Grand Floridian Christmas Tree

6.  Daddy-Daughters Sushi Date (and "Tangled" again)

Sushi + "Tangled" = Super fun Daddy-Daughters Date. 
Seriously, what could be better??

No Unagi, but the Sweet Potato Roll was pretty darn good, too!

Gina and Daddy huddle to keep warm.  The restaurant had great food, but was FREEZING!!

7.  We made Dessert Sushi

Take some Rice Krispies Treats, Fruit By the Foot, Swedish Fish, and presto!  Dessert Sushi!  (Thanks to Gina for finding such a gem!)

 
8.. Gina and I hit up Disney again.....

And we met the characters from "Tangled"!!!!
(Yes, I waited in line for an hour and a half to meet them.  I am not ashamed.)

This is the best profile picture I've had since the one of me in the T-Rex's mouth.

And I got "Tangled" crayons and a coloring page.  Best. Day. Ever.

These are just a few of the highlights!  Hopefully I'll do better at keeping the good ol' blog up to date.  Especially for you, Dad. (**Insert winky smiley here.**)  TTFN.