Magical Memories

I have been meaning to finally sit down and write and up date my blog but it has not happened... until now. Sooo... here comes an attempt at a short and brief 4 week update of all my happenings here in Orlando.

First of all, I absolutely love it here! Florida is such a beautiful place! My only complaint is the heat, but I am not a fan of summer weather anyways so it really does not matter. The weather here is a lot different than it is back in Memphis obviously. Back at home, I had to worry about tornadoes, here... it's hurricanes. Hurricane season is from now until November, and let's hope that is something that I wont have to worry about... especially because I live on the third floor. Oh and another thing, my apartment. My apartment is AWESOME. I have 5 other roommates and we all seem to get along very well. There are two girls for every room, which basically means its a three bedroom apartment. Also another neat thing is that there is a full bathroom in each room so the only person that I share the bathroom with is my roommate Sara.

Second item of business... my job. I LOVE it. I can't tell too much of what I do because we have to preserve the magic of course. I think my official job title is Costuming Hostess, I am not too sure about that but that's what I think. I work at Epcot in the character room, which is the only park where there are no shows or parades. There are parades and shows in the other three parks, just not in Epcot. But if you do have questions about what I do, feel free to shoot me a message via text, email or facebook. :) Oh, but I really like the people that I work with. We are all have our quirks... definitely all costuming people, but I don't know how many of the people that I work with have theater backgrounds... but regardless its fun and I am learning a whole lot! There has been, of course, as there always is, some of the older ladies that I work with that I am not fond of... or pretty sure they are not fond of me, but regardless, I just smile and be cordial to them.

Hmm...oh and the parks! I have finally gone to all four parks. The only park that I have left that requires MAJOR exploring is Hollywood Studios. The only thing I have done at Hollywood Studios (or MGM) is seen their big show, Fantasmic and ride "The Great Movie Ride." I need to take a day and just go explore everything and ride some rides. Last week was the first time that I finally went to go explore my park. I have ridden several rides and have walked through the World's Showcase, but I would like to spend more time in each other countries because so far I have only done a bit of exploring in Mexico, Italy, France... and just a little bit of time in Morocco and Japan. The first park I visited after I had finally gotten my ID to get in for free was Animal Kingdom and explored that entire park in one day. I found Animal Kingdom to be very relaxing, compared to the other three. But I think that is because of all the animals and wildlife that are there. But my favorite park by far has to me Magic Kingdom. Now that is one park where I have pretty much explored and rode almost all rides possible there. I have also developed a tiny obsession with Cinderella's Castle too. (Magic Kingdom is the first Disney park I have ever been to, so it will obviously hold a special place in my heart)

I have been here for close to a month and it has yet to really sink in that I work here. On my days off, I can go play at one of the parks all day for free... and its those moments where it becomes surreal... Its a feeling that I can't really describe because I am there as a "guest" who is also an employee. And its also neat to see all the families that come to Disney... and I am always curious about the family stories and what brings them to Disney World. The only part that I don't like is that I don't have any guest interaction, therefore I don't get the chance to create "magical moments"... but there are times when I am out with my roommates at the parks as a "guest" and we attempt to create magical moments... and hear about what brings them to Disney and all the fun and magic they have experienced.

That is all that I can think of right now, but if you have any questions or anything... feel free to message me via, text (if you have my number of course), facebook or email.

Here is to hoping for many magical moments to come... :)

Roommate Rundown

With all my updates on my journey to Disney, I forgot to do a  posting about one very important thing, the five ladies that I will be embarking on this journey with. I know, five other girls... thats insane! Well here is the quick rundown of what I have gathered and read about what the housing will be like:

Apartments: There are three apartment complexes: Vista Way, Chatham Square and Patterson Court. I have gotten very different opinions or viewpoints as to what each one is like. Vista, I got the impression is the party apartments, but they are also the oldest apartment complexes to the program. Next is Chatham, slightly newer than Vista and apparently a lot nicer. And then there is Patterson, the ones where my roommates and I will hopefully be living in. These are the newer and much nicer looking apartments. I believe Patterson is only about 10 years old too.

Wellness and Non-wellness: This is how they break down the apartments even further. Wellness is for those who are 18-20 who are, obviously not old enough to drink. Also, if you are 21 and older and chose to refrain from alcohol, you can choose to live there too, so its not exclusive to only 18-20 year olds. Now non-wellness on the other hand is exclusive. That is for those who are 21 and older and can choose to drink or have alcohol in their apartment.

My roommates and I are looking, and hoping to have a 3 bedroom apartment in Patterson, non-wellness. And for those who actually do read my blog, allow me to explain one thing. I am not a heavy drinker, nor do I feel it necessary to drink in order to have a good time, but I do like to have the occasional glass of wine with my dinner, or after work. And my thing is that I don't feel convicted about having wine because I am not drinking with the intention of getting drunk. Also, for those readers who truly know me, know that yes I do like to drink... but that is all in my past. If you have questions about this or about my past involving all this jazz... feel free to ask me! Because I am not going to lie about stuff I have done in the past, and say that I have never done it.

But I digress...

On to the roommates!!

I will have five other roommates. Here is the break down of how the six of us will be paired off: Sara and I, Caitlin and Amber, and then our newest additions... Leah and Rachel will be rooming together. (And for the life of me, I can't remember what everyone's positions will be in the college program) Also, if you want to know what they look like, go stalk me on Facebook, you should be able to easily find them on my page. (I didn't include their last name for privacy sake)

Sara, my roommate is from Illinois and will be graduating this weekend. Caitlin is from Texas and will also be graduating this weekend. Amber, our little tour guide, is a junior from New Orleans. Leah, I believe is also from Illinois and  I think is also a junior. And finally, there is Rachel who is from Kansas... I think she too will be graduating this weekend.

So far, from what I can tell of all the conversations that the six of us have had (we have a running thread of facebook messages right now that is well over 200 messages) we will all get along pretty well. We have yet to have a problem finding stuff to talk about, but we do have a problem with us ending conversations... which I believe to be a very good thing!

I have had Facebook chat conversations with Caitlin and Amber. Caitlin and I seem to have a whole lot in common... she and I both have tattoos, and have talked about getting our second ones while we are down there. That should be funny. Then there is Amber, she is our little tour guide... I am pretty sure she has read the guide book she got from cover to cover. She is one of the youngest girls living with us, and also the only one has never lived with other people before, she is also quite sheltered. But I have absolutely no fear that that will not be a problem at all with us.

Sara, my roommate and I seem to have a lot in common too. She and I seem to have a lot of similar life and boy experiences. Which we have found will make for some fun late night girl talk sessions in the apartment.

I also have been deemed, unofficial roommate spokesperson and group coordinator. I have been the one to email housing to get the specifics about what the six of us need to to in order to ensure that we get the apartment that we want, and more specifically that the six of us stay together. I also helped coordinate the search for our last set of girls (Rachel and Leah) by posting on ALL of the Disney pages, from the fall program page to the roommate finder page. And every time I felt like I was whoring out myself and my roommates in our hopes of finding that last set. I felt like I was posting a personal ad, looking and hoping for someone to read it and like us enough to want to be our roommates. But luckily, Rachel and Leah came to our rescue and saved us from a life of squalor and degradation!

We have also come up with a calendar system of sorts, we are going to have two dry erase calendar boards in our apartment, one will be strictly for our work schedules... the other... our social calendar. :) And with our social calendar.. we will have birthday weeks blocked off. Since my birthday is the first to be celebrated, I will get to be the guinea pig of how we are going to do our birthday week celebrations. Also, we have decided that those who have had birthdays that already passed, they are still getting a birthday week, that way no one feels left out. I also think we have two birthday weeks back to back... that should make for some fun memories!

I think that will be all for now. Although there is probably tons more that I could write, but I must save all that for another day! Stay tuned!

25 more days until Orlando!!!

New "Stage" in Life

Let me just simply state this, so I can get it out of my system...
I AM FINALLY A COLLEGE GRADUATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I graduated yesterday morning at 10am from Blue Mountain College. The ceremony itself was short, sweet and to the point. There was only 121 students graduating, and I think that includes those graduating from the graduate program. This class is apparently the largest class to graduate from the Mountain, to date. Its been a long arduous journey, chock full of heart ache, pain, death, happiness, and every emotion in between. Memories have been made... some that will last forever, and some that I wish would just go away. But all in all, its been a good journey, I can't complain about anything that has happened, or anyone that I have crossed paths with during my time in college, because they helped make my college experience what it really was. I graduated and now am off to my next adventure in life... the Disney College Program.

I am excited and nervous about it, so we will see what happens from June 6th to January 3rd. Its going to be an adventure for sure! I am going to try and keep my blog updated as much as possible, and will for sure be uploading pictures on Facebook.

Lessons Learned from College

As graduation draws near, it has me thinking about my time in college and all the things that I heave learned. So with this, I thought why not just make a list of everything that I have learned, and hopefully my readers will learn similar lessons or will take heed in mistakes and lessons I have learned. 

Lesson 1: NEVER take friendships for granted. You never know when they will be taken away from you for forever. 

Lesson 2: Treasure every moment. No matter where you go, or who you are with, you are always making a memory... even if it seems like a horrible moment at that time, you will later be able to look back and laugh. 


Lesson 3: Be careful of who you surround yourself with. They always have a greater impact on you, and how others view you than you think.

Lesson 4: Be considerate of others. You lived in a shared space with other people for several years, so be aware of what you do.

Lesson 5: Do not be an idiot. Use context clues around you to figure out problems. Also signs are also valuable sources of information.

Lesson 6: Respect. Respect the upperclassman, as well as those in your own class... you may never know how much that will help you later on in college. And upperclassmen, befriend the freshmen... they look up to us. And its nice to know too, that come graduation that you will be missed.

Lesson 7: Never be to proud to apologize. You never know when and if you will get the chance to tell them you are sorry.

Lesson 8: REAL friends will call you out when you need it, even when you think you don't need it. They do it not call you on your errors, but they do it in order to show you where you can improve.

Lesson 9: NEVER do anything you don't want your momma to find out, because whether or not... she WILL find out. It may not be right away, but moms have a way of finding out hidden information.

Lesson 10: If you did something and am embarrassed to talk about it, thats because you probably should not have done it in the first place. Don't do anything that you would be ashamed for someone else to find out. 

Disney Update

Well, I have no idea where to start with all this. My last post was about when I was able to finally complete and submit my application to Disneyland and the result from my web based interview. Well here is a brief overview of what has happened. I lie... It wont be brief. I will just break it up into several different posts.

I am going to start with my interview that I had for Disneyland. The interview was scheduled for Tuesday March 29th at 12:30. I had my creative dramatics class that morning at 10:50 and we usually got out by 11:30, sometimes earlier, but it all depended on what we did that day. Creative dramatics is Garrett, which was a perfect place to go to have my phone interview. So after class that morning I went down to the dressing rooms and planted myself in there and prepared for my interview. I sat in front of the mirror and did my vocal warm ups that we would have to do for shows, to make sure that I spoke clearly and distinctly on the phone. I sat down there and stared at my phone, anxiously awaiting for 12:30 to arrive and for my phone to ring. Twelve thirty came... no phone call yet. Twelve thirty-one, nothing. It was like that until they finally called at 12:45. When she called it was a short 20 minute interview... we talked about my application, the roles that I had marked interest in and then talked about my work as an RA in the dorm. The interview ended and I felt pretty okay about it, and she told me that I would hear back from them in about 3 to 4 weeks. I am currently on week 4 and have not heard anything.

Fast forward about a week or two. (During that time I finally caved in and filled out my application for Disney World and submitted it). Now we are to Thursday or Friday April 7th or 8th, I forget which one. Either way, that afternoon I was sitting in Jojo's room on her bed and she and I were searching the internet looking for jobs after graduation. She talked me into calling Disney World to set up my phone interview. I finally called them after a little coaxing and set up my interview, it was set for Sunday night at 8pm.

Sunday finally got here and Audrey and I were going to be sleeping at the apartment that night because the air was out due to the fire alarm being reset. We got to the apartment at about 7:45 and I ran upstairs to "my" room and pulled all of my stuff out and started preparing for my interview. I had all of my Disney information in front of me, rehearsed for my interview and had been well versed in all the roles I applied for and had them narrowed down to top 5 favorite positions. I also had my verses written on the bottom of my feet and had prayed with my mom over the phone, and had prayed with Audrey.

The time for my interview finally rolled around. I was interviewed by the very delightful and highly energetic Brandon. I had a good old time talking to him during my interview. He, unlike my interviewer for Disneyland,  asked more about my work in theater and being a camp counselor instead of my work as an RA. I felt real confident during my interview, even smiled and laughed during my interview, which is something they look for during interviews. When my interview was over 20 minutes later, he told me that I would hear back from them in 3-4 weeks. When I got off the phone, I pulled out my calendar and estimated the time as to when I should be hearing back from them... which would have been the week of graduation, or the week after.

Fast forward to Wednesday, April 13th. That day I finished class at around lunch, and finally laid down to take a nap with the intent of getting up with enough time to make it to dinner. I did what I did every time after I take a nap... I went to go check my email. I went to the computer lab to check it not expecting anything to be there... but lo and behold things were not that way. I opened up my hotmail email and there it was... an email from Disney College Recruiting. I opened it and there it was... CONGRATULATIONS!!! It was my acceptance email saying that I had been accepted into the program. After several minutes of letting it soak in, I finally scrolled down to see what position I had been offered. I scrolled down to find that I had been hired for the exact position I had wanted... costuming. And the funny thing is, before I had opened my email, I had just posted a status on facebook saying something about bye-bye Mississippi, hello (insert state name here).

After reading over the email several times and calling all my family members, I found out that upon my acceptance into the program, I had to pay $300 dollars. This was a concern for me because I sure as heck didn't have that much money right on hand, and neither did my parents. Thankfully the Friday before I had received a refund check that would easily cover my program fees if I was accepted to Disneyland ($850... they asked for 1st month's rent up front) or Disney World (just $300). I wasnt able to log in and accept my position until that weekend. It was then that I had to pick my arrival date.

When I first applied, my goal was to get hired for the fall program that started in August and would have given me three months at home with my family to work and to save up for when it came time to finally leave. Apparently, that was not the plan for me. I was hired for Fall Advantage which started in May/June... which means I would only have a month, give or take at home with family before I had to leave for Orlando for 8 months. I logged in and accepted my position and my arrival date. The latest that I could choose from was June 6th, and thats the one I chose. And this my friends... leads into my Disney adventure and into several more posts. Stay tuned!!

Speechless

First of all... I am seriously learning and understanding how amazing our God is... I just applied for an internship in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. I know that things like that, they don't ever just happen. Everything happens for a reason, and everything happens at the correct time for a reason... we may never know why, but thats not for us to really know. I have to explain how all of this began.

Several months ago, I started gathering information for my resume and started to look for jobs following graduation in May. I told myself that by spring break I was going to have my resume and cover letter completed and sent out to newspapers, magazines, schools and anywhere else where English degree was listed as a requirement in the job qualifications. During my job search, I started looking into internships and wondering and praying if it would be best for me to do a summer internship for the work experience and then look for a job. And the more I looked into, the more appealing and logical thing for me to do.

Over spring break, I went down to Jackson, MS to see my sister and brother-in-law. On Sunday we met with my sister, the hubs and her in-laws for lunch before heading back. At lunch, I was talking with Sylvia, Eric's mom and she was asking me what I was looking into doing following graduation (the standard question for all college graduates) and told her my plans. I also told her its something that I have been praying and wondering about for awhile. Sunday night I get back to my dorm at school. (<--- not important to the story) Tuesday after class, I go to check my email and lo and behold I have an email from my mom... its an email about a paid internship for college students working at the Disney World or Disneyland resorts. I opened that and pretty much thought... "Ok God, is this what you were talking about? Is this what I needed to be patient about... I mean, its Disney...?!" I mean... its not an email that you get everyday. My mom recieved the email about the job and then forwarded it on to me.

So that afternoon, I was supposed to meet David Harrell in Garrett to shoot my interview for our documentary we are working on. I get over there well before my scheduled time, and end up meeting with my council for Alpha Psi. While there, we got neccessary jobs done, and the girls helped me fill out my application. As I started to work on it, you are supposed to use the drop box and find your college. Lo and behold... Blue Mountain College is not listed, but Blue Mountain Community College in Oregon is listed. I took that as a sign and God telling me to be patient. Wait. So I followed the directions and emailed the tech department to get BMC added to the list. I did that Tuesday, its Friday and they have yet to email me back; even though it said that they would get back to me in 1 business day (I got an automated message back saying they were out of the office and should reply in the next business day). I have obsessively checked my email since then hoping for an email from them saying the mountain had been listed. Nothing yet...

Tonight, I get back to my dorm after working on the documentary from 6-12 and decide for kicks and giggles to look into applying for Disneyland in California. I did it expecting the same results... to not be able to finish my application. I was proven wrong. On the application for California, there was the OTHER  option to where I could simply write out the name of my college. I was able to finish and submit my application. I got an email saying that my application and resume has been accepted and put into the database. After finishing my application, I am supposed to complete a web-based interview. After completing it, I was very surprised when it came back saying, that I was identified as being a strong candidate! (I applied for 16 positions...) Following my results from my interview, it gave me instructions for setting up my phone interview that needs to be completed in the next 3 business days.

I am in complete and utter shock. I have applied for a job/internship in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. I never once thought that a) I would apply to work for Disney b) apply for a job on the western seaboard c) that such a door would ever be opened for me. I know this is a total and complete God thing. There is no way that if it was not for Him I would not be doing anything that I would be doing or talking about now. I understand that Disney is a semi-controversial company, given their support of the gay community... but I firmly believe that this door has been opened to me for a reason. God opened this door and this chance for me for a reason. If it was left to me and my own devices, a chance such as this would not have ever fallen into my lap. I am just glad that I have even given the opportunity to apply for such a job. All I can do is thank God... for everything. And if I am seen to hired by them... there is nothing that says that I can't use Disneyland as my mission field. I can share my faith with others in whatever capacity. God, you are so good!!! This all shows me that the plans I have for myself are nothing. God obviously has bigger and better plans for me than I could have ever imagined. I am not saying, or writing as if I am going to get the job... but really?! Applying for Disneyland.... NEVER in my plans. My plans were to stay and live in Memphis, but obviously God might have other plans for me. Southern California. This week has shown me that I am not my own, and my plans mean nothing... God has bigger and better plans for me. All I can do is praise Him for just being able to fill out a simple application. An application!! Ahhh! Praise Him from which all glory flows! (I hope I got that saying right)

God, you got this. I am just looking to you for my direction and guidance. All I can do is praise him.. for an application. Simply put, I am speechless.

I will do my best to keep everyone updated, especially though who have followed my status updates and problems I have incurred on facebook. :)

Stay tuned folks... :)

Spring Break Epiphanies

Things I have learned over spring break:

1. Having no internet at home sucks. (I am writing this at my sister's house)
2. I text A LOT. My inbox holds 300 messages and I have had to empty it, who knows how many times.
3. Too many red heads in the same room is a bad idea.
4. My grandma has been loosing at hide and seeks, this saddens me greatly because she is a beast.
5. Late at night, the noises that come from my kitchen scare me.
6. I love being at home, and being with my family but not having my own room and sleeping on the couch every night is not my idea of fun.... or comfortable.
7. I have apparently lost my ability to stay up until 2 every night.
8. Finishing my resume has been harder than I had anticipated.
9. I am loving the fact that certain relationships in my life are slowly getting back to normal. :)
10. I think my grandma likes to insert big smarty pants words into conversation every chance she gets.
11. Nothing makes me more happy than when I can be in the same room and house as my sister and brother 
12. I have an intense addiction to chapstick.
13. My new glasses actually make me look like I am 22. 
14. I don't have anything else new that I have learned, other than I dont like to end things on an odd number