YOU Create The Magic

I resisted for too long. It is time to tell my adventures and lessons learned here while participating in the Disney College Program, and then some.

This blog isn't to "reveal the magic" or uncover "hidden" secrets of working at Disneyland, that wouldn't be fun anyways. What this is going to be, is a public written record of what I think is most important, RIGHT NOW.

Lesson 1: We create the magic. On the first day of being a Cast Member at the Disneyland Resort, I walked through my first "Cast Member Only" door to walk on stage IN Disneyland. Out of about 6 people in the group I was the one who opened it. From this moment on, Disneyland would never be the same. People always ask me if the magic is gone. No, it's still there...but thank you for wondering about my well being. 

The magic hasn't left me, in fact...the magic has only grown stronger because of the guests I interact with. Every day I go into work, I get to make people's dreams come true. The other day, there was no wait to meet Anna and Elsa, so I had the opportunity to pull some families to meet them without a wait. Although it didn't seem like a big deal to me, I had two families track me down WAY later in the day telling me how grateful they were for me. One mom said I made her daughter's dreams come true. The other mom was confused and kept saying "Well, why are you being so nice to us? Why us? How did we get so lucky? Thank you so much!" I had never had a more grateful guest in the park, and this made me want to go even more above and beyond for this family. On the other hand, there was another family who wasn't so nice to a Cast Member before we opened up the line, so we didn't make the magic for that family. 

So here are my challenges for you:

I have two major points here that I want to address. One: You can create magic for people in your day to day life. I'm challenging you to go out of your path to help someone. This can be a small task, or a grand task. Even if you just hold the door open for someone, DO IT. Second note: You can get SO MUCH FURTHER by being nice to someone, even if you are frustrated. Your iPhone is broken? Okay. It is not the Apple Store worker's problem that it happened, it just happened. If you are nice, things will go a lot smoother. If you are rude, then someone will be a lot more reluctant to help you out. 

Try this out, and let me know how it goes.

Xo, Brooke

"Diets" Can Make You Unhealthy

Diets aren't always a good thing. ESPECIALLY crash diets. There are good diets (eating healthy foods and exercising) and there are bad diets (not eating anything, crash diets, etc.)

If you aren't eating anything at all because you think you are losing weight easier that way, it is only going to come back to haunt you. Sure, you slim down a lot. But, the body rects to the loss of nutrients and you start to lose the muscle in your body. The body does this on it's own because it isn't sure when the next time you are going to feed it. It can also go the other way, where if you don't eat then the body just holds on to the fat because like I said before, the body doesn't know when it is going to be replenished.

If you do a cleanse, it can be a good thing. But if you cleanse one week, don't go back to eating bad foods, because you will gain most of the lost weight back. If your cleanse, push the body back into "normal" healthy foods instead of having the mentality of thinking "Oh I lost 5 pounds last week, I'll have a burger, fries, and a shake." 

Please do not do a crash diet. Your body deserves so much more. You can obtain a healthy body (and mind) by exercising a little at least 3 days a week and eating healthy at least 80% of the time. I still indulge in cookies or ice cream at least once or twice a week, but I just workout that much harder. 

This is just my opinion that I have seen and have experienced, it could be different for you.

Be healthy, live better.

Xo-B

Cadbury Blondies

These are so great. I cannot stop eating them!!! Happy Easter to everyone!

2 cups of Flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups of butter (that's 1 1/2 sticks)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk (so you will need 2 eggs total, but you only need the yolk of the second one).

1 Bag of mini Cadbury eggs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1. Melt the butter in the microwave for about 1 minute until melted. 

2. Combine melted butter and sugars. Cream together for about 40 seconds.

3. Add the eggs and vanilla to the sugar and combine until mixed.

4. In a seperate bowl, combine flour (sifted if you want), baking soda, and salt.

5. Slowly mix in the flower mixture to the sugar/egg mixture.

6. Fold in Cadbury eggs and put into an 8x8 greased pan.

7. Put in oven for about 35-40 minutes. To see if they are done, stick a toothpick in the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are probably done.  

8. Wait about 30 minutes for them to cool.

They are delicious.

 

Trying to be Healthy this Easter?

Are you trying to eat healthy this Easter? Well, step AWAY from the chocolate. Just kidding, you can have chocolate. But be responsible for what you eat. Limit yourself to one chocolate per day. This is how I regulate my chocolate intake:

I only eat one per day! And I hold myself accountable. 

Xo-B

Hiking The Mountain of Life

Hiking The Mountain of Life

Today I went on a hike with my brother Brent. The hike was REALLY dang hard, whereas a lot of it was so steep! We were hiking up to the "Y" on "Y Mountain." I think we can relate life to hiking. There were so many times I wanted to stop the hike because it was getting to hard. For most of the hike, we couldn't even see the "Y" on the mountain. There were a lot of times that I slipped on the trail. And there were a lot of times we had to slow down either to enjoy what was around us, or to take a deep breath. Luckily I had my brother there to talk to. While we were hiking, I got a very important call for college. There were a lot of things like this thrown at me while I was hiking up to the top. When we got to the top, the view was worth it. I said to my brother "I feel good." And I really did feel good. I did something, and I finished strong.

In life, there are a lot of times we want to give up, but we cannot! There are a lot of times you can't see your goal (like the "Y" on the mountain). But don't worry, it is there. Of course we slip up sometimes, but you dust yourself off, get up, and try again. Sometimes in life we need to slow down and enjoy what is going on around us. Take everything in. It all will not always be there someday. Family is important because they will always be there whether they like it or not! There are a lot of important calls in lives and a lot of opportunities thrown at you, you won't be able to take them all, but you will know which ones are right. We can finish this life strong,  endure to the end. You will be happy.

Life can be tough! You will finish strong, I promise. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Cauliflower Pizza

Whether you are Gluten Free, Carb Counting, or just trying to eat healthy, than this is the pizza for you. I originally found this recipe through Pinterest. There are a lot of recipes out there, but I think this one is pretty good especially for beginners. Cauliflower pizza can be delicious. This recipe will make one individual pizza. I usually eat half of it, and save the rest for the next day, and it's equally delicious. 

Cauliflower Pizza

Yield: 1 individual pizza
Time: A little under 40 minutes
Results: Delicious

Ingredients: 

For the Pizza Crust:
1 head cauliflower
1/3 Cup Mozzarella Cheese (I buy the block of cheese because it is cheaper than pre shredded)
About 1 Tablespoon of Italian Seasoning (or oregano, whatever floats your boat)*
A pinch of salt
1 egg

For the topping (For traditional cheese pizza):
About 1/2 cup pizza sauce or tomato sauce*
About a 1/2 cup of Mozzarella Cheese*
And whatever toppings you want (Precooked meat, Vegetables, etc.)

Stage One: Cauliflower Rice
PREHEAT OVEN TO 450 degrees
1. Wash the cauliflower and cut into flowerettes if they are not already precut. Let Caluiflower dry as much as it can. You can pat them down with paper towels or regular towels. 
I bought precut from Costco and used half of the bag.

2. Put cauliflower into a food processor (OR if you do not have a food processor, grate the cauliflower) until it looks similar to rice.

3. Put the "cauliflower rice" into a microwave safe bowl, cover, and heat for 7 minutes. 
4. Fluff the rice once it is done. (NOTE: At this stage, the cauliflower can be eaten as rice! You can use this recipe up to this point for Cauliflower Rice.

5. Put the "rice" into a tea cloth and squeeze the water out (Note: It WILL be hot. So wait. Be patient.) The crust will crisp better when the cauliflower is dryer.

Stage 2: Pizza Time
6. Put the cauliflower "rice" into a small to medium bowl. 
7. Add 1/3 cup mozerella cheese, one egg, and about 1 tablespoon italian seasoning. Mix.

8. Put the mixture on a greased pan (I used Pam) and shape however you would like.

9. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is starting to brown. YOU CAN STOP HERE IF YOU JUST WANT "BREAD" or "BREADSTICKS.

10. Take out, turn the oven off and turn the broiler on. Add toppings to pizza and put back into the oven until cheese is melted and bubbling. (I love sprinkling garlic salt on top of everything, it's delicious). 

11. Remove from the oven, let cool for about 5-10 minutes, cut, and ENJOY!

This can be reheated the next day. 

THIS RECIPE WAS ADAPTED FROM here, I just made my special changes!

Yes, it's a pain...but it's delicious. No, it's not the same as regular pizza, but it's pretty darn good!

Xo- B

Makeup Wipes

In life, there are things your should splurge on and some things you shouldn't. I used to always think that Mac had the best makeup wipes (I'm a firm Mac supporter). BUT, in my opinion the best (or just as good) makeup wipes are Neutrogena. You can get a huge box of them for cheaper than one package of Mac wipes. But trust me, Neutrogena is just as good, if not better. (Even Celebs use these)...

Xo- B