To the Past, Present, and Future

Trivia fact: More people have the birthday October 5^th then any other calendar date.

It has been a busy week down here between celebrating a national holiday, working, and recovering from the race. Official race times were for Lauren 5 miles 58:30 with a 12:11 min/mile and for me I finished 8.1 miles in 1:25:33 with a 10:18 pace. In all we finished the 13.1 miles in 2:24:04 with a 10:59 min/mile. Not too shabby for first crack and I am now hooked, already looking into running a 10k in November and a full half marathon in February. I ran about 4 miles on Tuesday and felt something I wasn’t used to feeling. No it wasn’t pain in my legs, it was the sense of accomplishment. There are so many things I’ve tried; theater camp even though I can’t sing, lacrosse even though I cried after games, a horseshow, even though a blind kid beat me, and countless other things I tried and didn’t succeed in. Playing the piano is the only thing I did for ten years straight and although at the time I didn’t care I am mad at myself now because if I would have practiced even just a little I could have been really great instead of just ok. But running this race made me feel that I had accomplished something I put my mind to. There were plenty of times I could have stopped but I didn’t. It’s a really great feeling and maybe a sign of growing up.

Thank you to Mrs. Wood, our official sponsor of the shirts!

Our medals! 

I look sweaty and ridiculous, but hell I finished 

Just chillin' with some characters

Monday was not a day of rest. I went to work and afterwards met Lauren and her mom, sister, and aunt in Epcot for dinner. They had dinner at the pizza place, you know the one with the hot waiters, and let’s just say the dinner was delicious. And so was the pizza. At one point I was mesmerized in the waiter’s eyes I couldn’t even answer a simple question of if I would like birthday wine or not. I asked him if he had any single friends and he brought over this amazingly cute (and single) waiter who is on the college program as well. I would love to be those guys; they get to flirt with everyone, get flirted with, and I’m sure they get good tips. Overall the dinner was really great and I love Lauren’s mom and sister. I already invited myself over for next October for the Texas State Fair (something I’ve wanted to go to for a while) and she had the great idea of meeting in Orlando to run the half marathon and then going to Texas. It’s already on my calendar.

October 5^th. The day started out normal and to be completely honest it didn’t feel like my birthday at all until I went into the kitchen and saw a card and chocolate chip muffins from Lauren. She said since she had to go work early she didn't want me waking up alone so she left a surprise. Pause for the awwws, I know I did.  It’s weird being at Disney on your birthday because it is a place that prides itself on everyone being a kid and not having to grow up. Speaking of growing up, it was also hard not being home for the first time in 23 years for my birthday. Even in college, I would come home for the long weekend to celebrate with family and friends. I know that there may be more birthdays to come where I won’t be home, but home is where the birthday cake is.  As for my birthday cakes, they seem to always be blown out by my short stack, Alicia. This is just one of the pictures of her beaming over my cupcake platter circa 1993.

After work a few of the girls and I met up at Howl at the Moon, a piano bar in Orlando. It was a lot different then the Disney one we normally go to but it was really fun. Since it was my birthday I got in for free which was even better news for Colleen who offered to pay my $5 cover. We mingled with some local guys and eventually grabbed a table. Some older guy who could have easily been my dad came up to us and long story short ended up buying me a birthday shot. Because this is a family friendly blog I won’t get into the details of what kind of shot it was and won’t put up the pictures but let’s just say Kodak memories were made. Probably the best part of the night is when Colleen and Jacki had the piano guy say “Happy Birthday, Lariza!” Yes, I am still wearing that name and no I don’t plan on wearing my new one when it comes in.

Me, Colleen, Jacki, Lauren, and Lauren 

Michael, my buddy I wrote about in an earlier blog, sent me a birthday card and email to his favorite Disney cast member, Lariza. It made me smile so much that in just one week I was able to make a kid’s vacation. I don’t know if the parents have figured out yet that my name is Sarah, but that’s ok, it’s all a part of the magic.

Thursday night we went to our usual hang out and I got to see all my work friends. It as always was a fun night and I love that my new Disney family came out to celebrate my birthday. On Friday we weren’t going to do anything but Lauren, Colleen, and I just went to JellyRolls, the piano bar on the Boardwalk, just for a bit. Standing there (since it was standing room only for once) in my Mickey fleece and sweatpants I realized that 1) I look like a bum and a tourist and 2) whoever decided wearing Hawaiian shirts with socks and sandals was a good look was horribly mistaken. I also realized that a place like this would be an awesome date. I am always scoping out good date places like some people scope out good new restaurants. But think about it, you can enjoy great live entertainment, eat free popcorn, drink moderately priced drinks, and if the date is going well and you want to chat you have to purposely lean in because its loud and if it’s going bad you can choose to ignore them because of the noise level. Amazing. My kind of night.

Being deployed to my new resort is going really well, as I’ve said before. Everyone is so nice and encouraging and for the first time in four months I’ve been told I’m actually pretty good at my job. I was starting to think I wasn’t right for the job because I didn’t get any feedback but only six days at the new resort they are telling me I’m very good. Nothing makes you want to do even better then by someone saying how happy they are to have you on their team. The other day before the movie I was talking to a guest as he was coloring his Mufasa mask (the movie was The Lion King, obvi) and we started talking about the job and all that. He said he worked at ESPN in CT and was giving me all these pointers on how the system here works. I ended up telling him my name was Sarah and he said I have a great Puerto Rican accent. After the movie, he came up to me with his adorable two sons and handed me his business card and said to email him with any questions I may have. Yes sir, I will be emailing you and my last name is Thornton, spelled T-H-O-R-N-T-O-N. 

Friday morning I was asked to come in a little early to play “guest in distress” for the life guard practice for their competition at the end of the month. It was really fun being able to play someone with an amputated leg, a stick in their eye, blinded by chorine, and unconscious in the pool. I was really glad I decided to shave because otherwise this would have been an awkward experience for all involved. After I got lifted out of the pool, I went into unconsciousness to full cardiac arrest and the guards put the AED pads on me. Nothing is scarier then praying the AED they are using is a practice one and won’t really shock the crap out of you. Overall it was fun and I offered to do it again next week.

This week the technology world lost an icon, innovator, and a guy who loves forbidden fruit. Steve Jobs was a game changer and has changed society in how we get our music, download apps, and receive phone calls. Some don’t know he part owned Pixar and Disney bought Pixar, so Jobs has a huge share in Disney. Disney was also a game changer in how society views life. When we say we want to be a princess, we always say which Disney princess we want to be. When we see a deer in the road, it’s Bambi, and when we finally meet “the one” he is Prince Charming. We all secretly wish our toys would talk, our animals would rescue us from danger, and a fairy Godmother would make all our wishes come true. O how different our lives would be without those thoughts.

And how different many of our lives would be  if one person didn’t touch it. I was home two weekends ago for a memorial service honoring Lauren, Rutgers Prep class of 2007 and Rutgers University class of 2011, a life that left us too early. During the service many spoke of how inspiring she was and how her work in activism would continue because of how much she cared about her causes. When I talk to people about what made Prep so different, I always say it was a family where the teachers are more then just teachers, the students are more then just friends you see in the hallways, and the memories you make are more then just pictures for the yearbook. Two weekends ago the family had come back together; faculty, past and present, students, and all the memories we shared flooded back as if we had all been together this whole time. Although this was not the reunion the class of 2007 had in mind, many of us who haven’t seen each other since we walked across the stage four years ago were able to get together and remember a friend and classmate.

There was one picture I wanted to add to this blog for my birthday. It’s a great picture, one of my favorites, but I forgot it at home and since we are without a scanner and internet at home, I couldn’t ask someone to send it to me. I’ll describe the picture to you instead and I think you will understand why it’s a favorite.

It’s 2003 and I’m turning fifteen. I’m wearing an orange shirt with purple lettering on it from American Eagle. I have long hair with blonde highlights and for once it’s brushed. I’m in my dining room, back to the French doors that overlook the view of the hills. A birthday cake from Shop Rite (vanilla icing, vanilla cake, banana filling) is in front of me and behind me there is one of the most special people in my life. It’s not Alicia, it’s my Grandma, and it’s the last birthday she would be able to celebrate with me. At that time I didn’t realize that in just a year and four days she would be gone and so I didn’t appreciate the significance of that day or that picture.

365 days later I turn 16. As promised I get my first cell phone and after school I go to Grandma’s house where all the women in the family are seated around the dining room table, a table that has seen countless holidays and birthdays, drinking coffee and attempting to make the afternoon about my birthday even though there is a dark cloud hanging over. It’s time to blow out my candles and since she hasn’t missed me blow out my candles in 16 years, she wasn’t going to start now. Being helped down the stairs, too weak to even sit up herself, she sits at the head of the table and watches her granddaughter blow out her 16 candles. On my brand new cell phone I take a picture of her, she is smiling. Four days later she passed away and I appreciated the significance of that day and that picture.