End of a Decade

Wow, 2010 will be over in 6 1/2 hours. This year has been a whirlwind - it's the only way I can really describe it. I've experienced, love, heart break, trust, betrayal, happiness, anger, satisfaction, frustration--you name it.

I feel like I am a completely different person than I was on January 1. It's amazing where life takes you, ya know? In 2010 alone, I've spent the night in over 6 states, flown through a couple more, drove through even more. I caught the traveling bug ;-)

People have left my life, re-entered, or completely joined. The people I have met this year have truly changed my life and I thank you for that - you guys know who you are =)

Overall, I've grown up. I graduated college, learned to cook (and love it!) and started a legit internship where it was like finance boot camp. I worked my butt off and I'm proud to say that effective January 9, 2011, I will be a Financial Analyst with The Walt Disney Company.

I'm eager for 2011, bring it on!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Another Fail

So the month of October flew by with many visitors and such. So sorry!!

Work has been going great! I've worked on a variety of things and have gotten great exposure to the systems we use. I really enjoy my team and things are really picking up! 2 months left and it's so scary! Job app time is coming up as is our final presentation, dun dun dun. haha

I know this was short, but I just wanted to write a little note that I've alive and well! Going to KY next weekend and then home after that. See you soon!

Evangeline's

So my life was consumed by my Finance Fundamentals project. We were given the pro-forma and year 1 actual results of a restaurant. We had to come up with a theme and then also changes that would be made to make the restaurant perform better in year 2 - to essentially get it back on the path.

Our team, titled the Goof Troop, created Evangeline's located at Port Orleans French Quarter. It was based on Princess and the Frog - a nice romantic, elegant restaurant. We made some adjustments and had a pretty solid case. We presented on Wednesday to a group full of managers, executives and fellow interns. I thought we did really well - all the groups did. I'm really proud of all of us!

Now that it is over, my schedule is freeing up a bit, though we started our Department Overviews which is a series of presentations from different finance departments so we have a good idea of different areas when we want to do meet and greets and start applying.

I'm still working on promotional analysis in addition to other odds and ends. Liz and Megan came into town last weekend - Disney in 2 days. WOO! I think I finally recovered hahaha Just in time too - Victor comes in this weekend. It's a busy busy month!!

FAIL ON UPDATING

Yeah, I know. It's been a month. Life has been a bit busy. Let's see where I left off.

I did go home, and saw family and some friends so that was really nice. Exhausting but nice. It's hard to travel home when you work M-F.

Work has gone by so fast! I've been working on my Finance Fundamentals project (information will be disclosed after the presentation haha) and the analysis of the QSR promotion. It's been a fantastic learning experience. My leaders and peers have kind of let me run with it. I'm getting great experience with the data pulling tools that we have. I went to training classes before on it, but I learn best by experiencing it.

This week I got to go to an All Hands meeting and hear about this past quarters results some more and then listen to presentations on the new cruise ship (Dream) and the new fall line up/movie released. Let me just say, CANNOT wait to go on a cruise haha

Also this week was a team afternoon. The fiscal year is winding down so everyone is celebrating a job well done. We went around Epcot on a picture scavenger hunt, it was a nice team builder, so much fun!

My life this week has been a bit busy. I've been in and out of the building for various meetings, I think I had a total of maybe 8 hours working time. Oye! Its' stressful but kinda cool haha

Outside of work, as mentioned I went home. Summer and I had a tourist day, we needed a little Disney magic in our life. I got a big group together to go to Mama Melrose's and that was just awesome. How I managed to get 9 people together, I will never know. Last night we went to Disney on Ice. I love how I have found people who are driven and intelligent, but still have that passion for things like Disney on Ice. It's nice =)

I need to start working on my resume and apply for some other internships. I can start applying for full time positions in November, dun dun dun!

Time is Flying

Last week was forecast week, and it was interesting with two of our leaders out in CA. It was pretty hectic. I offered my services to anyone that needed them haha. I worked on budgets for most of the week. I met with one of the pricing cast members to discuss the analysis done on promotions. I like getting a feel for the other areas that work closely with mine to see how everything comes together.

This past week I met with my mentor for a bit and discussed meet and greets, that protocol and such. We had another meeting for our class during which we met our team adviser. The class itself this week was pretty interesting - a lot of valuable real world stuff which I appreciate. I also started to learn more about programs we use to pull data from so I can help with random requests. I'm excited!

The working life is pretty good, I realize though that time is flying so I'm starting to think about January. We all are. Everyone is a bit stressed since the majority of us have graduated, it's nice to know I'm not alone in that. We're all supporting each other and I couldn't ask for anything more. I actually bought a GMAT test prep book. I figured knock it out and it's good for a few years.

Two of my old college program roommates are back for another program, so we had a little reunion. It's weird that so many people are back! It's nice though. Some attractions are closing for refurbishment and Summer Nightastic is ending, so we made a trip to studios to enjoy some of it one last time. Tonight, Wishes returns and I could not be more excited. I'm goin!

I'm traveling home next weekend to celebrate some birthdays, go to my cousins baby shower and my sister's birthday party. It'll be nice to see the fam!

Pat on the Back

Let me just say - I am proud how often I have updated this. I'm patting myself on the back haha much improvement from my college program days haha.

My busy calendar mildly fell apart this week, but that's ok. I went to my first promotions meeting and met with Amy who is the go to person for all promotions and that was awesome. She was really chill, a nice welcoming vibe. My promotions analysis meeting got pushed to next week.

I had my first meeting with my Finance Fundamentals team and it was very productive. We have to prepare a budget for year 2 for a restaurant and figure out why it didn't bring in as much cash as expected. We discussed the numbers and developed a pretty awesome theme, which I will not reveal.

Our second class in Finance Fundamentals was on financial reporting, so naturally I really enjoyed it, others not so much. The next day we had a class on Excel which was very helpful.

Friday was a busy day for me! I met with someone on my team and discussed how to work on a budget. Then I had a brownbag lunch with some executives and then back to work on my budget. I'm pretty excited about this - it's the real deal ya know?

Next week is forecast week so everyone is going to be in a tizzy. I'm working a longer day tomorrow - I want to get in early to sign up for the cast choir in the candlelight processional but then I have a meeting until 5.

I hung out with some of the other finance interns on Friday - that was nice. To see everyone out of the working world with their game face on haha. I started going to the dance studio I found that has adult classes and it's awesome. The guy that runs it choreographs professionally and used to work for Disney! It's a lot of fun.

I've had a pretty chill weekend, tonight I'm making Mamma Mia Meatloaf. I know - you're jealous. =P

Corporate Barbie

I've fallen into quite the routine here. I wake up, take a shower, put on my corporate gear, chat with Summer, make breakfast/lunch, head to work. I have reports to do on Monday/Tuesday as well as catch up from happenings over the weekend. Go to lunch, work on whatever, pack up go home, have dinner, hang out with friends, go to sleep. Wash, Rinse Repeat.

Last week, I met with my mentor. As mentioned before we have a leader, coach and mentor. Our mentor is someone still in finance, but outside the department. Kind of a safety zone. They are there to help you with anything. I immediately loved her. She has worked a variety of jobs, having just transitioned into a new role at Downtown Disney - my former home! We sat and talked for an hour, and I expressed to her I wanted to pursue more accounting and that I was interested in pricing. She thought of some departments for me, taking notes, thinking of ways to get me in on shadow opportunities. I get to meet with her every 3 weeks. Next time, we're getting Earl of Sandwich =)

I also got to pick the brain of my leader last week. After the forecast meeting, I went through the presentation deck and just wrote down questions. Some were legit 'what is this chart?' and others where just general 'why is this like this?'. I only got through a handful in our blocked time (which we went over...). Next time!

One of our team members also transitioned into a new role. We had a farewell lunch for him and he came to me and told me if I needed anyone to talk to, he was there. He had been through the intern program and such. I'm going to miss him! He was fun, and I really appreciate his offer of advice. I told him I would probably harass him haha

This past week has been pretty quiet. A lot of the team is on vacation, including my leader. During my check-in with my coach, I expressed to her how much I enjoyed tracking the quick service coupon promotion and I'd like to learn more about it. We get up, walk around the building, she introduces me to some people who are involved and got me in on the weekly meetings. Then she took me around the building some more and I spoke with one of the cast members that designs the stores. He showed me some previous projects which was really neat. He worked on the new cruise ship stores and will be working on the Hawaii resort stores.

I set up time to meet with one of the pricing cast members to review how they analyze promotions and then I also have time with another cast member who works in merchandise planning to hear her input on the promotions gig.

Also during my check-in, Duranne decided to pull me from the SAP class and put me in the merchandise training class instead. I felt pretty special not having to do all the typical intern classes haha. The class was really interesting. It was on contract and policy compliance. Basically the rules and steps that have to followed and taken in order for a product to be released. Making sure its not a rip off and what to do if it is a royalty.

I started my finance fundamentals class on Wednesday. It was much like my PDS class during my college program, but now I think I can appreciate it more. The highlight of this class was I met the woman that interviewed me. I went up and introduced myself and told her how stress-free my interview was and such. I mean, my interview was a conversation. I actually laughed during it. It wasn't me putting up this prim and proper face. I was honest and I guess that's why I'm here now.

I am really jazzed for next week - my calendar has a lot on it, I love it!

From a personal life standpoint, I've been running around, having fun. I can't have too many lazy days, thanks to my Papa for that. I got a new roomie, Alisha, on Monday and she's pretty cool. She's working at the Land - extended her internship. So far so good there!

We do a lot of gather around and eat dinner things haha Still doing our weekly dinner and some impromptu dinners with the neighbors. Last week we went to the Polynesian, sat on the beach and watch the water pageant/fireworks. I saw Fantasmic the other night and spent the afternoon at Cocoa Beach yesterday.

Everyday is different. I've been doing a lot of soul searching/what am I doing with my life after January thinking. I just got a flash of the scene in Pocahontas during Just Around the Riverbend. "Should I choose the smoothest course, steady as the beating drum...."

Copy, Paste Values

This week was a bit long. I was busy at work and outside of work with the 4th and birthdays and such.

The week has been a lot of me sitting and listening to one the members of my team explain what he does at month end for closing and forecasting since he is changing jobs. It was overwhelming. I wasn't the only one feeling that way, even finance professionals did too so I shouldn't feel that bad, but it does make me question finance as my field. I enjoy accounting more which is less grey - I like black and white. But we'll see.

I started editing a file to set it up for the quarter 3 summary, and started matching item numbers to papers with merchandise on it that are held in the royalty department.

I sat in on the forecast meeting and went to training on presentations as well at the end of the week. I have more training coming up and then my finance fundamentals class starts the week after.

I think I've heard the phrase "copy, past values" more than anything this week haha, oh excel.

I'm enjoying my time here, socially and professionally - so far so good!

Enjoying Your 2nd Dinner?

Last Saturday I spent a few hours in the Animal Kingdom and then came home and made my famous Mamma Mia Baked Ziti for dinner. Michael made Banana Foster which was so good!

So Monday was day 2 of orientation (backstage at Hollywood Studios) where we learned more about what to do in order to further our career, definitely valuable information. After that we took a little walk to our lunch location which was in a room meant for events like this, but in true Disney fashion it was decorated with old props from shows/parades. There were puppets from the Lion King show at Magic Kingdom (pre Philharmagic) and contraptions from the Tapestry of Nations parade. We had lunch with a few executives who spoke to us about their history and what we should do during our time here. It was stressful haha but a good experience none the less.

After lunch we took a walk through DHS and rode Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster. It was important for us to experience what we are supporting. To see the guests faces and see how this machine runs. Awesome day of orientation =)

This week I also had another SAP training class and a welcome lunch (aww). At the office I ran my first report (this one on mail order merchandise) and acquired a couple others to do weekly. One is the weekly volume report (attendance etc) and one tracking how the quick service coupon promotion is going.

I also was working on pulling numbers for a deep dive analysis and my leader was really pleased with it so I got a project to take it one step further. I'm not sure how much I can say but it's a benchmarking type assignment. Next week is dealing with month end and forecasting so it'll be busy for my team! I am now finished all the online trainings as well, go me! haha it's been good at the office. I'm getting lost less and less.

From a non-work perspective, life has been busy too! I feel like I've eaten more than anything this week, enjoying second and third dinners haha. Tuesday night, Summer and I tried out the Zumba class here at the apartments and then went for a 2 mile walk. It was wonderful! We're going to train for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. I've always wanted to do something like that, so I'm excited =)

Wednesday night was the cast preview of Captain EO, which was opening officially on Friday. So after work I met up with Summer, Corinne and Adam - enjoyed some dinner in Japan and then headed to see Michael. I did not remember it haha but it was fun! Friday we did our traditional Epcot and Magic Kingdom experiencing Space Mountain twice (woo!).

We decided to do the 4th of July Magic Kingdom fireworks on Saturday to avoid the crowd and it was just absolutely stunning. We did some attractions afterwards - Adam hasn't experienced the world, just the land so we had to introduce him to some of world's magic.

Today I am cleaning up, doing laundry and then headed to the Studios to meet up with friends for the fireworks there. I have a busy week ahead and I'm excited for it! Happy 4th of July Everyone!

First 40 Hours

Tuesday morning I arrived bright and early and started knocking out some of the online trainings set up for me. We have 45 days to complete them, but I wanted to get them done during my settle in, get used to my surroundings period. I was invited to go to lunch with some of my co-workers, so that was really nice. It was a chill day at the office, followed by an adventuresome night at the food store/cooking dinner with Brandon, who is Italian so the cooking process was ever so fun.

Wednesday I had a lot of meet and greets with the team. I think I had 5 of them, each lasting about a half hour. I learned what everyone does and some projects they want me to assist on. One team member wants me to help track how a soon to be promotion effects revenue. I'll also be helping track mail order sales.

I was pulled in on a meeting for the annual plan for the next fiscal year. I love just being a fly on the wall and seeing how all this works. Wednesday was definitely a busy but incredibly awesome day. Everyone was so welcoming and supportive.

Thursday I had an SAP training class in the morning, followed by more online training and meet and greets. Duranne took me to a couple conference rooms with products laid out in them. My building holds product development and such - the creative minds, in addition to us boring finance people. I had a meet and greet with the director - he is in charge of merchandise and sports finance. I was a little hesitant since we had to reschedule this and I couldn't really form an opinion of him in the meeting I sat in on.

He was awesome! He sat down real casually with me and expressed how much he wants me to do well. He said he could tell I was enthusiastic with that Disney pixie dust and everyone on the team wants me to succeed. I left that meeting feeling really energized.

Friday morning I had a meet and greet with my leader, Adam. I initially thought it was going to be me asking a bunch of questions on the annual plan meeting I sat in on in addition to the reports and presentations they gave me in a binder. (When I arrived, they made me a welcoming binder with lots of great info, including a list of acronyms which has been my savior lately). I came in all prepared and he says "let's take a walk, can I buy you a cup of coffee?" I graciously accepted and we headed down to the little coffee shop in our building.

We sat there and talked for an hour. Our meeting was only supposed to be a half hour, but he took time out of his morning to get to know me and give me advice for my program. I really like Adam, ever since that first phone call back in April. He told me he had an open door policy, that he would meet with me at least once a month (I meet with Duranne officially weekly, but talk with her everyday). He told me his background and asked about me and what I want to do. It was an awesome meet and greet.

It was someone's birthday in the office, so we had cake. I can never turn down cake! I continued with those online trainings, but my mind was numbing from being told how to make a slide in power point. Duranne rescued me by showing me some more of the building (including where the cappuccino machine is and more of the display rooms) and giving me a little project. I'm researching some other retailers and their trends over the years. It's exciting!

Overall, my first week was great. I have never felt so welcome and never felt so much support in an internship. Everyone wants to see me do well and is actively there coaching me. The office has the Disney magic too. Conference rooms are named after characters as well as the kitchens (I am by Gaston and Mrs. Pott's Kitchen). I am waiting for the day where I don't get lost going to the bathroom or exiting the building. I almost made it yesterday, but I went down a wrong way and ended up at the wrong exit haha.

To celebrate our first week, Summer (my roomie), Michael (my neighbor) and Samantha (Michael's friend) went to Epcot and then to Magic Kingdom since they were open until 12. It was the perfect ending to a great week.

Let me tell you about the friends I've mentioned so far in my blog. Corinne is my roommate who is in guest relations at Magic Kingdom. I met her on my college program - it was so weird being placed together! Fate maybe? Summer is my other roommate who is an education presenter at Animal Kingdom. Brandon is also in guest relations and the magical kingdom, I met him during check in. Michael is my neighbor who is also in finance - represent! haha Eric is also our neighbor who is doing marine animal programs in Epcot Samantha I just met last night but she is back doing a summer alumni program as a safari driver.

Today there is talks of Animal Kingdom to visit friends on their safari and then our weekly dinner with the neighbors. Tomorrow is laundry day in addition to an ice cream social they're holding here at the apartment complex. Monday is day 2 of orientation where we get to eat lunch with executives. I have NO idea what to ask. Hopefully it'll just be natural conversation. I have a training class next week, along with a couple meet and greets and team meetings.

I really like that I get to see what goes on behind the scenes - especially with merchandise. I experienced it first hand on my college program, and now I get to see the work put into it behind closed doors.

So far so good here in Orlando!

First Day

After my post on Saturday, I finally finished unpacking. I managed to fit my clothes and personal items in only half the drawers in case a new roomie comes in. I am very proud of myself. I ran to the outlet mall with Corinne to get her shoes since she is Guest Relations and needs a specific kind. During our outing, it started down pouring, ruining fireworks plans for later. Instead, our neighbors came over for an intense game of Disney Scene It.

Most people started work on Sunday, so I had the apartment to myself. I woke up early, went to the gym, caught up on my photo uploads and then became epically bored. As soon as I was about to get up and run to Wal Mart for odds and ends, it again started monsooning, so I popped in Sex and the City. One season and one disc later, I knew I was in bad shape. Luckily, Brandon, who I met during check-in, rescued me with a little Toy Story 2.

So today was my first official day on the job! My first day of orientation was in the morning, located backstage at Hollywood Studios. It was pretty awesome driving next to the Tower of Terror on my way into work. They had a little breakfast for us with coffee, bagels, muffins, fruit etc. The morning stated off with introductions and an ice-breaker with all the interns and the leaders/coaches. Each intern has a leader, coach and mentor. Your leader gives performance evaluations while you work with your coach day to day, and your mentor is from a different department that helps you with your professional career and such.

Throughout the morning we got an overview of the structure of finance in addition to what to expect over the internship, along with business etiquette and how to use our resources. I was really excited to hear about the program - they really take care of us, mold us I guess. They put us through a lot of training classes, including a class which we have to do a group presentation. The overview reminded me of the Finance class I took on my college program. At the end of the program we have to give a presentation on the long term project that we'll be assigned in our department.

Around noon, my coach, Duranne - who I spoke with several times and met on Friday at the Toy Story 3 party, picked me up for lunch. My leader was supposed to join us, but he was held up in a meeting. We ate at Olivia's at Old Key West, and chatted about the department. After lunch, we headed back to the Studio's and I got to sit in on one a talk. Every month this year they have a finance executive speak about a cause they believe in and then have some sort of fundraiser or volunteer event. The speaker was coming from CA, hooked up via video conference.

After the meeting, I followed Duranne back to the office which is right by Animal Kingdom. The office used to be a mall (how appropriate!). Maneuvering through is difficult - it will take me awhile to get used to the turns and such. I was introduced to some of the staff, including my leader Adam. I was led to my cube which had a nice welcome sign and Up! poster. I spent the remainder of my work day (which wasn't much) setting up my computer, and looking out my schedule - making sure I had everything in my calendar.

In addition to all the training classes, they set up meet and greets for me with each of the people in my area. I also have opportunities to do little meet and greets with managers in other finance areas to learn about what they do.

Overall, I am pleased with the program so far. They really want to develop us and that will be really beneficial for whichever career path I choose. Tomorrow I have a couple meet and greets, and then I'll probably work on some of the web based training they have set up for me. My first in class training is on Thursday, and day 2 of orientation is on Monday. During day 2 of orientation, I have lunch with executives and get to go on some attractions!

I was insanely nervous, I mean when I walked in, I felt completely out of place. I started wondering if this is really for me. But then during orientation, I heard the words I needed to hear. I was told that I'm never going to find that class that tells me how to do my job, that they're not expecting me to know what to do right off the bat. They'll show us, train us.

This is going to be a really good test if finance is the route for me. If it's not, then who knows!!

It's only the beginning =)

The Trip/Beginning

I'm trying to update this as much as I can haha and I'm already behind.

Let's see. Packing took epically long, I was still not done Friday night which was my going away party. That was a lot of fun, one last hoorah with my MD buddies. Saturday I packed and then went to the baseball game with my mom. Sunday morning Katie and I hit the road!

We drove down to Savannah, got a hotel and then immediately got dinner and went on a ghost tour. It was of the Sorrell Weed/Carriage House which was featured on Ghost Hunters. The guide took us around Savannah a bit and then to the house. I had forgotten the episode but they gave us a little recap. All the paranormal occurrences were not that positive, so I felt the tour was disrespectful. All the recordings that had were the spirits telling us to get out. I felt so bad!

The next morning we headed back to the historic district for a tour of SCAD after which we walked around the town. I wish we had more time there, I wanted to see more. It is a beautiful town and pretty interesting!

We hit the road to FL and arrived around 5pm, checked into our hotel and then headed to my former home of Downtown Disney. I ran into an old co-worker so that was lovely! We shopped and ate then headed back to the hotel for some exploring and pool time.

Next morning we had an amazing character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, where I fell in love with Tigger. We were the last breakfast shift so we could relax a lot more, we were one of the lasts to leave. Normally I feel rushed but this time we stayed for over an hour haha.

We spent the day in Magic Kingdom. The day started off pretty awesome with the people mover. As we went through Space Mountain, the lights were on! AH! So cool. We did a lot of the indoor attractions including the Laugh Factory, which my joke made it into! Thanks Jason for your "dad" joke! =)

That evening we were apart of the Fireworks Dessert Party. Prime seating for the fireworks in addition to a dessert buffet. YES PLEASE. I will not lie, I freaked out when I saw our table was the best seat in the house. And I may or may not have cried during the fireworks....

The Electric Light Parade was classic as usual and we sat by some really nice people, one of which handed out lollipops!! The next morning I had some business in casting to take care of, but after that we headed to Hollywood Studios so check out the re-imagined Tower of Terror. Nothing TOO major, but it was still lovely.

Wednesday was insanely hot so we had to take a lot of breaks. One of which was waiting to see Lotso from Toy Story 3. We got in line a 1/2 hour early, making me the first in line. I was sooooo excited!! It was worth the wait. He was so soft and plushy and so huggable =P

We headed to Epcot after riding Tower one last time. We of course paid Figment a visit and walked around the world. Katie's flight was that night so we headed back to pack up.

Thursday morning I got up bright and early to move into my new apartment. I was in line around some cool people which helped ease the stressful transition. They had pre-placed us so we couldn't make any requests, but I ended up in a 2 bedroom as I wanted. AND I ended up with a friend of mine from the college program! How weird!?

After finally getting my stuff to my room, I had to head back to casting for more check in. While in line I met my old recruiter from my campus rep days. I harassed him through email a lot haha. It was really great to meet him in person!

Check in was quick and easy since I was still active in the system and had gotten my fingerprints done the previous day. There was a little finance meeting which I ended up staying at for a couple hours, talking with my fellow interns - one of which, Michael, is my neighbor!

I started the unpacking process and soon found out my bedroomie had to leave because some of her paperwork would not come in until next month. I was so sad!! Carol seemed really great. At least she will be allowed to do the program next session. See you then Carol =)

That night, my roomies (Corinne and Summer)and I went to dinner and got a couple items at the food store. It was a nice bonding adventure. I don't know how I lucked out AGAIN with roomies. The apartment is really nice, pictures will come soon. After everything is unpacked hahaha

The next morning I got up bright and early to go to a Finance Premiere Party for Toy Story 3! Coolest first day of work EVER. I met my coach and a few member of my team. Everyone seems really nice. Of course it was a little awkward since I was the only intern so I was totally out of place, but that;s the typical transition into a new environment. The party had a breakfast for us, raffles and trivia. It was really nice, and the movie was amazing.

After my morning of "work" I headed back to the apartment to change, had lunch, a quick nap and then back out to get my new ID. After my adventure I had to go to the housing meeting (woo....).

Then we all went to Wal Mart to get food and supplies to cook dinner. Michael made us dinner for helping him with his stuff during move in. He made a fabulous vegetable lasagna and we brought the sides: salad, garlic bread and ice cream. It was a lot of fun bonding with our neighbors, we're hoping to do it weekly.

Today is my day to catch up (ie this post) and finish unpacking. I officially start Monday, so I have a couple days to relax and get ready. Orientation is Monday morning and then I go to lunch with my coach/leader and then head to where I will be working.

I am insanely nervous since I don't know EXACTLY what I'm doing, but it will be an adventure and a good test to see what I want to do in life.

AH!

I feel like I JUST posted in this - time has flown! I hit the road in 6 days! I am no where near packed - I'm still in the organizing my disaster of a room phase. It'll get done, though I realized all the errands I have to run now.

They changed my apartment complex, but it is a hop skip and a jump away from where I was previously living, and thus a hop skip and a jump away from my old CP friends =). The place seems really nice!! I get my own washer and dryer - yay no more paying for laundry!!

I got a call from my coach again and she is trying to go through the procedures so that I can attend a premiere party with Merchandise Finance for Toy Story 3 - SO COOL!! I'm starting to get insanely excited, though nerves are still there.

I decided if I end up hating this, I'm just going to start heavily training for the Festival of the Lion King show.

Aaaahhh savenya....

3 Weeks to Go

I changed my blog to be more generic, rather than a vacation-travel blog, it's my travels through life. Life is a big adventure and I have a lot to see and experience!

On Monday, I officially commenced my undergraduate career. I graduated with a BA in Mathematics and a Certificate in Accounting. It was bittersweet - it was great to graduate and finally be done haha but it was also sad because I knew this was the last time I'd see some people.

The past month has been pretty crazy with me leaving my internship in the Office of Audit, and then finishing up schools. I was picked to be featured on the school's Class of 2010 website which led to me being interviewed for a story in the Washington Post. It's nice to be recognized!

I spent the last couple days trying to recover from finals - I was lucky enough to get sick during finals week. The constant studying and poor sleeping/eating habits prolonged this illness, but I'm starting to feel better minus a few sniffles and coughs here and there.

Since my last post, I found out I have been placed in Merchandise Finance and I could not be more excited! I love merchandise haha so I think this is a good fit. My manager and my coach have both called me, welcoming me and giving me a little bit of information and being completely open to questions, concerns etc. This is why I love Disney - they are willing to help you even when you are not a guest!

My sister and I will be heading down June 13th, arriving in FL the 14th and playing around the Orlando area for a couple days. Summer Nightastic is going on and you can meet Lottsa from Toy Story 3 - I wanted to make sure I get this in before work starts!

I'm excited and nervous. It's a 6 month long job interview, so that is no pressure at all haha but I am excited to experience this and see if this is the right path for me.

Another Disney Adventure

So! March 2, I officially applied for two Disney Professional Internships: Finance/Accounting and Pricing. I had my initial screening interview, then soon had a transcript request from F/A and then an interview request from F/A. Then an interview request from Pricing. Yesterday, as I'm in class, my phone rings. A wonderfully nice lady named Katherine left me a message informing me this was the final step of the application process. I called her back, left a message and anxiously awaited for her to call me back. An hour later, while I'm driving on the highway. I decided to be an unsafe driver and answer.

After a few questions like if I can provide my own transportation and such, she said I have been offered one of the Finance/Accounting positions! After discussing with her, finding out that if Pricing decided to also give me an offer, I could choose between the two with no hard feelings, I accepted my offer and almost started crying from excitement. I had time for two phone calls and a couple texts, and then I had to go to work. On my break I sent a mass text to inform everyone of my good news. If you texted me back and I didn't respond - I'm sorry! I had a short break!!

I accepted my offer and finally got in my housing deposit this morning after battling my computer. I'll be in Disney housing again - hopefully less rules under the PI, but we shall see!

So I start my Disney PI June 17 and will be there until January 7. I'm going to try and do a better job of updating this.

A Year Later

I had my Disney anniversary last week which led to a lot of reflection. I thought about how much I have grown up and matured over the past 365 days, and a lot of it is thanks to my experience on the Disney College Program. I had to survive on my own hundreds of miles away from home, kinda have to grow up then. I learned how to be more open and work well in a team. Most of all I learned to stop being so scared.

I feared growing up, in fact, I was angry when I turned 20. I wasn't a teenager anymore, I had to start taking some responsibility in my life. I didn't want to graduate - I had no idea what I was going to do without the set plan of academia. I still don't know exactly what I'll do, but I'm ready for the real world.

Disney Professional Internship applications go up soon. Hopefully I'll have another to update my blog on =)

DCP Reflection

I love the Pantry, I really do. I’ve grew so close to some of the cast members. I had a lot of guests ask about the program and I gladly told them everything and how fantastic it is. I’ve learned a lot about organization, team work, independence, responsibility etc. I can take what I’ve learned here to any job I earn in the future. I enjoyed going to work. I know a lot of people thought I was goofing off, but that’s really not true. I worked my tush off, I was discovering what the world had to offer. Yes, I did have a lot of fun – is it a crime to enjoy life?

I started my class at the end of February and I loved it! A couple of finance professionals came in every week and lecture us on a topic but also give us their history and how they got to where they are in the company. I found myself eager to hear what they had to say and excited to see where I could go with my starting point. We were assigned a project of designing our own resort. The project was hard and incredibly challenging, but after two and a half hours of straight brainstorming, we got the numbers and we had something great.

I’m a campus rep now so I’m going to really promote the program on my campus. I want people to experience this – you learn a lot about you: who you want to be, what you want to do. I’m hoping to get the program known so that future participants can get credit for it or for the classes they take. I recommend it to everyone.

I feel like working for Disney really is something I want to do in the future. After I graduate I hope to participate in their professional internship and hopefully get a full time job from there. I like making people happy – working for a company that is all about tat seems great to me.

So my last day was one of the hardest days of my life – and as I type about it, it makes me want to cry. I had to say goodbye to people that changed my life. They made me want to live life to the fullest – I experienced so many new things with them – we went through ups and downs. We laughed and cried together. It’s amazing how incredibly close I got to these people. I don’t know if it’s the program and we’re thrown into this situation, or if it’s because you meet people a lot like you – that get you. I hardly felt judged, I felt welcome and accepted. It was an amazing feeling – I had so much support and encouragement. I think about everyone everyday and try to keep in touch. Everyone touched my life in some way and I will love each and every one of them forever.

Ginourmous Recap Post

After I left you, I soon started my class. The first day was an intro session talking about what to expect and how things would be run, so I was released early – which I didn’t mind since Elliott, Charlie and I had the plan to go to Universal for the day. I felt a little ashamed for going to the competition, but honestly, Universal has nothing on Disney. They try to be Disney with the name tags and pin trading, but the guest service is no where near Disney’s. We first went to Islands of Adventure and then over to the Studios for a bit. The attractions are very good, I will admit that. They all seem to have fire and water haha. Unfortunately, while at Universal, I received a call from home telling me my cat was doing incredibly worse and that it was time to put her down. When I got home I booked a flight home, and then made my first dinner – meatloaf, I needed comfort food.

The next day, I worked and then attended a college program party for the Downtown Disney CPs. It was nice to hang out with everyone and push aside my worries of my cat. It was at DisneyQuest, so there were free games and food – it was awesome. The next day, I worked then headed to airport. I was home for less than 24 hours, no one really knew I was coming home. I spent time with my cat and then said my goodbye. I got to see my grandparents and eat at the Double T Diner which I had missed, and then boarded right back on the plane. I know a lot of people think I’m crazy for going home to put my cat down, but she was my cat – I found her. It was just something I had to do. When I got back, I was surrounded by supportive friends and that was just incredibly nice.

A few days later, I managed to switch a shift so I could go to the Take Action Tour over at the House of Blues. I got off work at 5:00, quickly changed, and headed over to the West Side of DTD. Charlie had gotten the tickets early, and had special backstage passes but we had missed the meet and greet. The guy felt bad for us, so he let us into the “Pass The Line” line, which is the line that gets to go in first. That line is when you eat in the restaurant or but something at the store prior to the show. The show included five acts, and by the time the main act, Cute Is What We Aim For, came on, we were at the front bar. I had never been front row before so that was an awesome experience. The show was excellent!

This concert kicked off my series of concerts – I can’t help that Florida gets amazing acts haha. Me and four of the roomies piled in the car and drove to Tampa bright and early. We spent the day at the beach and then got all pretty for the Britney Spears concert. We all got major sunburn, I had an interesting pattern thanks to me applying sunscreen very poorly haha. I was a bit dehydrated too – I almost passed out in the crowd waiting to get to the upper level of the arena, not good. The show was amazing though. The Pussycat Dolls opened and I absolutely LOVE them, and then Britney did not disappoint! When we got back, all of our sunburn had started to show itself. The next three days we were hobbling around in pain. The next day I had stock training, I warned my trainer about my terrible sunburn, so if I winced everytime I moved, that was why. It finally went away about a month later….yeah….Sylvia always told me she liked my striped socks haha

About a week later, Janet’s parents were coming for a visit. It was her mom’s birthday, so we got up early and headed to their hotel to decorate the room. I had a blast and the end result was great, her mom was very pleasantly surprised! We all went to Magic Kingdom and hung out there before I had to head to Downtown to meet up with my Pantry folks and go to the Bowl-A-Thon which was a VoluntEARs event. We were the Pantry Pirates! ARR!! That was tons of fun, my fellow CPs were there and we just laughed all night.

A few days later, I had a special visit! Liz was in Florida for Spring Break, so she took a day to come check out Magic Kingdom. I had to leave her after an hour because I was auditioning to extend my program in Entertainment. I had scrambled to write a performance resume and had Charlie take/edit my headshot (I was abusing his art skills haha). Turns out they didn’t want either of that. I was really nervous, but once I got in there I had a blast. I was there WAY longer then I thought I would be. I got there at 3:15, the audition started at 4, I didn’t leave until 9:30. I made it as far as any CP could go, which was: you passed the audition, we just don’t know how many roles we have to offer, you’ll find out April 13 or 14 (I’ll come back to this!). I was really really proud of myself. I was totally bummed that I couldn’t meet back up with Liz. I was hoping to see her for more than an hour, but at least I got an hour!

The next day I had an early early shift so I could participate in Goofy’s Mystery Tour. Yeah this week was hectic haha. Goofy’s Mystery Tour is when teams of 4 run around Hollywood Studios after the park has closed, receiving clues and solving puzzles in order to gain points and solve the final mystery. First was a trivia test which was INSANELY hard and then the scavenger hunt. I kind of took over Stephanie’s captainship – I was leading the way and kind of taking charge of the clues. It was hard! You have to do this all while bungeed together. It was a lot of fun - I definitely hope to do it again. WE had matching shirts and signed them – it was awesome. I was completely exhausted after my week of non-stopness.

I had a couple days to recover, before Kt arrived! I got up early, packed up my junk and headed over to meet Boo Boo at the Contemporary, which is absolutely gorgeous by the way. We had a stunning view and the beds had the most amazing pillows haha. We headed into Magic Kingdom first and started the day off with character dining at the Crystal Palace – which we had to run for! After a lovely brunch, we ran around MK meeting tons of characters and going to many attractions. By 6:00 we were pooped so we headed back to check out the room and take a lil nappy before our reservations that night at the SciFi Café. With our new found energy we hit up Tower of Terror, enjoyed a lovely meal and then the Great Movie Ride. We headed to bed and got up early for another day which we spent at Epcot. The flower and garden show had started so there’s beautiful topiary all around the park. We of course rode Figment and walked around World Showcase for a bit. I had to leave a little after lunch in order to run back to Chatham, grab some things for my class in the morning and head to work.

The next day I had class, so Katie did a Backstage Tour. After she completed her tour, we met up and went to Animal Kingdom since there were Extra Magic Hours. We stumbled into Charlie and then ran into Ashly. We got to ride Everest in the front car and then again in the back car – definitely amazing. We hit up Dinosaur and then went to Downtown Disney where Katie met a few more of my peeps from here in Florida. We then ran over to T-Rex so we could get some yum yums before it closed. After a lovely dinner we headed back to the hotel and had a midnight swim! We were the only ones in the pool so that was pretty cool. The hot tub was so relaxing.

We head to bed and once again got up early for extra magic hours over at Magic Kingdom. We ran to Space Mountain, got fast passes and also got in line. We wanted to do both tracks since it was closing soon for refurbishment. We met up with Cinderella’s step mom and step sisters and Donald in his coon-skin cap! We checked out Pirates and I was starting to get cranky thanks to my lack of coffee and food. So we had a mid-morning funnel cake – yummmmm. We ran into the Fairy Godmother as we made our way back over to Space Mountain. We saw the Country Bear Jamboree and had an amazing lunch over at Tony’s – so cute. I couldn’t help but wish Kt was a boy and not my sister…..oh well. Haha just kidding – love! We made our way over to Toon Town, but decided 70 minutes for the Fairies was not worth it. We saw the White Rabbit get off the tea cups (I KNOW, I'm so jealous of who rode with him) and had a meet and greet with him. We hit up Big Thunder and then caught a bus to Downtown Disney for some shopping.

After downtown, we headed over to the Beach Club to get the kitchen sink of ice cream. Charlie, Jared, Janet and Ashly joined us so they could meet Kt. We hard time finishing it but it was SO good. We all headed back to the Contemporary so everyone could see the room, and so I could grab somethings for class since I got moved off the waitlist for the Haunted Mansion tour at 6am the next morning.

I was up late working on my project and slept about 4 hours in Chatham and then walked over to the Commons to catch the bus. Charlie was lucky enough to be able to nap before work – I on the other hand had class and a sister to entertain =P . The tour was awesome, we got to do a whole walk through and learn all the little ins and outs. I don’t want to reveal too much, so I’ll just say it truly is amazing and remains in my top attractions.

After class I met up with Boo at the Studios where we encountered some citizens of Hollywood. We checked out the animation building and met Bolt, Rhino and Mittens. We bolted (haha!) over to the Prime Time Café for our linner. We had an really awesome server who didn’t blame Kt for not finishing her veggies hahaha the opposite of what they’re supposed to do but he was honest! I did get yelled at for elbows on the table.

We shopped as we digested then used our FastPasses for Rockin Roller Coaster – we waited for front car since I think it’s the way to go. Naturally we HAD to ride Tower of Terror before heading back to the Contemporary for a Pin Trading event. Katie got an awesome Figment pin and I got a Maleficent one. I took a phone call as she was a kid in a candy store looking at all the pins she wanted.

After our first official trading event, we headed over to Epcot for EMH. Epcot at night is so peaceful! We did Spaceship Earth and then Mission Space. We decided to make a trip around the world. It was nice to stroll around world showcase and just chat, laugh and get some yum yums along the way (true Boo & Loo fashion). We left Epcot after midnight and got up bright and early yet again.

We headed to the Studios, and while on a search for the Singin in the Rain umbrella we stumbled upon the Honey I Shrunk The Kids playground which brought back SO many memories. There were students filming in the Streets of America so part of it was blocked off, it was cool though to see the Studios being well a Studio.

We caught the American Idol show which I was really entertained with. I had a blast and had wished I tried it out when there was the Cast Preview – I may have won! After Idol we had to go to Pizza Planet, I mean come on – it’s Pizza Planet. After lunch we went to meet Mike and Sully. NO one was there so we had some extra fun times. Mike walked out with us – he was going to ride Tower with us! But he was yelled at and had to go back inside. I love Sully – his hugs are so safe and warm.

We stumbled upon some Toy Story friends and then took the animation class since we thought it was Dopey. Nope – it was Pooh, my Pooh looked like the Joker. I put it on my wall when I got back and it scared some people. Yeah, Kt got all those jeans. We rolled out of Studios, taking the boat over to the Boardwalk (another blast from the past) and headed to downtown where I dropped Katie off at DisneyQuest and headed to work. Ashly met up with Kt and I was jealous of their adventures.

The next morning we had a character breakfast at the Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. I enjoyed many plates of food and their delicious Jungle Juice. It started to rain so we put off the safari and hung out with Lilo & Stitch instead. We went to It’s Tough To Be A Bug which I swear got worse over the past 10 years. I really don’t have to do that again…

The rain settled a bit so we took a 2 week safari, which was a little bit longer thanks to a duck in the road, but we had a fantastic driver. We rode Everest and Dinosaur again and then made our way to Camp Minnie Mickey to find Pocahontas. I didn’t know what to say when I finally met her, I was intimidated haha. The rain really picked up so we bought ponchos, but as we were walking to catch the Epcot bus, Kt stepped in a huge puddle, so we went back the room for some dry socks.

In Epcot we did our meet and greet for being Disney Visa members and learned some info on the Kim Possible around the world adventure which we never got around to but definitely wanted to do haha. We did single rider line for Test Track and then I bounced since I had work again. While at work I got a text from Kt telling me to meet her at MK since there were Extra Magic Hours until 1am. So I took the bus back to the Contemporary and hurried over. My bag tightly packed with various pieces of clothing haha. We ran around checking out different Fantasyland attractions and then I got the popcorn I had been speaking about the whole week. We enjoyed Carousel of Progress and then headed back to do some packing since it was our last night  well we mainly left because it was 1am haha

The next morning we packed up our bags and headed out to Studios to do the Backlot Tour since it had just re-opened. I wasn’t feeling so good so I wasn’t much fun but the Journey of the Little Mermaid show made me feel better – oh I love how Disney has that effect. We went back to Magic Kingdom so Katie could get one last look at the castle and of course last minute shopping. After a tearful goodbye, I dragged my bags to work and passed out when I got back to Chatham.

I worked the next night and had two days off! I went into work to say goodbye to Lansy and Carine for they were returning home, it was so sad! I then made my way over to Animal Kingdom to say hi to those I hadn’t seen in awhile since I was running around with Boo. Ashly and I rode the bus home and of course snuggled haha

Janet and I did some shopping the next day and then headed over to Vista to watch the Volleyball game. That weekend I had dinner with Mr. & Mrs. Cassidy which was so amazing. I hadn’t seen them in years and I loved being able to sit and chat with them. I missed them so much!!!

The next day I worked a few extra hours for Bette, but I was still energized and ready for the night. We were going to the House of Blues for Janet’s birthday. While we were getting ready, a group of British men knocked on our door saying they had just arrived – a couple of them were our new neighbors. So we invited them along! They came out with us despite having only been in the states for 7 hours and had to go to a meeting bright and early the next day. They were good company even if we had to babysit them and help them find the buses at 3:00am. It was definitely an adventure.

The Lady Gaga concert was that Monday – so Ashly and I took the day, did some shopping and got all dolled up for a FABULOUS show. It was absolutely amazing, though afterwards we were exhausted. We got back around 1 and went immediately to bed. I don’t think we said hi or even changed. We were pooped!! I worked Tuesday then had my normal Wednesday off. I woke up feeling a bit under the weather but pushed it aside and went to Epcot to check out the butterfly garden which was not as good as I expected, though I still enjoyed it since I do love butterflies.

That Saturday, I got off work at 4, quickly changed and headed over to Epcot to catch Herman’s Hermits who were performing for the Flower and Garden Show. I arrive EXACTLY on time – got a snow-cone in Japan and enjoyed the show in America. I was the youngest one there who actually wanted to be there haha I do love oldies. I enjoyed the view of World Showcase before heading back to Chatham.

Easter was the next day – so we had an Easter breakfast in 13302 with eggs, pancakes, toast – the works!! A few of us went to Magic Kingdom for some shopping before we all had to work. We caught part of the Easter parade – Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny are quite cute! The next day I had a 10-4pm shift so I made my way over to Animal Kingdom and found my love Ashly. We ate at Pizzafari and watched the Festival of the Lion King show and enjoyed the evening. Of course we harassed our custodial buddies too ;-)

I of course had another concert this week – it was my month of concerts! We spent the day at Universal and then headed to the House of Blues for the Bamboozle Road Show. It was packed thanks to it being spring break, but I still enjoyed the show.

The next week I had really had it with all the excuses on why I hadn’t found out about my extension. Everyone was telling me the Entertainment side had needed more time so it was taking longer. I called and discovered there was in fact no room for me to extend. Of course, I called before work. Bad move. I was working and asked my manager if I could talk to him when he had time. I was outside with Sylvia. She immediately tells him to take me inside because she knew I’d start crying again. I insisted I was fine, but of course the tears came. He made some calls and told me he would work more on it the next day when the College Recruiting office was open.

The next day Janet, Ashly and I embarked on the adventure of dress shopping. I had my phone close by for any news from my favorite manager Chris haha 7 hours later, and 400 dresses later we all finally had one. The formal was just a week away so we had to get this done! After a long day of shopping, Janet passed out but the rest of us got dolled up, hit up the Boardwalk and then went over to Epcot. We had a grand ole time with Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore! We walked half way around the world, enjoyed Illuminations and then headed back to the apartment. We were surprised by a few visitors, we all just hung out and had a good time

The next day I had my presentation for class and I caught wind of someone turning down their extension in the store across the way from me. So I ran over to the office, and was placed on the phone with a very mean lady who told me I was S.O.L. I told Chris about my phone call and he told me he was handing it off to another manager since he would be gone for a week. I put my worries aside since it was another concert night! This time Charlie and I had to venture over to UCF to see Hey Monday, All Time Low, Cobra Starship and Fall Out Boy. With bad bus adventures, traffic caused by rush hour and a bus catching fire (yeah, scary stuff) we finally arrived 20 minutes before show time thanks to Janet Banet – she saved us! The show was good – I let loose and forgot about all the stresses of where I would be a month from then.

During that next week of work Ashley (another manager) did everything she could and got the real scoop for me. I couldn’t extend since it was first come first serve and I waited awhile to put in my extension since I waited until after my audition. So it was official, I was going home. My final weeks were hard – I wanted to do everything, spend as much time with everyone. I fell in love with the program, everyone in it, everything to do with it.

That Wednesday was a day of free meals. I had my final class in Epcot in Seimen’s VIP Lounge. They provided breakfast and lunch and talked about their partnership with Disney. We got our Mouseters and got to ride Spaceship Earth. A couple friends from class and I hit up Test Track and then headed back to Chatham for it was formal day! Stephi did everyone’s hair – so sweet of her! After hours of primping we were ready to go! The formal was at Coronado Springs and was so much fun. I didn’t get to meet the characters since the line was outrageous – I spent my time mingling and dancing. After we got back, we visited our neighbors who couldn’t go. We changed and dug into some ice cream while starting the movie Bedtime Stories. I woke up a couple hours later to Ashly saying “Mia….do you want to move?” she fell asleep on the floor and I on the couch haha.

The next morning I was half awake when I heard my phone go off somewhere in the next room. I really debated on getting up to read the text haha I eventually decided to get up since it was 10:40 – and it was from Charlie saying I better be getting ready. I knew there had been talks of Universal but I wasn’t sure, plus I thought him and Janet had class until noon. Well about 5 minutes later in walk Janet and Charlie while I am still half asleep haha. I quickly got ready and had a fun filled day at Universal. That night a couple of us got ice cream at Planet Hollywood and met up with a ton of people for the midnight showing of Wolverine.

Stephanie, my wife at the Pantry, and I had a date night in Magic Kingdom. We were on a character hunt but of course hit up rides like Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain and Astro Orbiters (which I had never done!). We watched Spectro-Magic and Wishes and then called it a night. It was a lovely date!!

Cinco De Mayo was a fun day – a few of us piled in the car, again, and went to Daytona Beach. On the way we stopped at the Harley Davidson shop and other interesting stores haha I learned my lesson about sunscreen in Tampa haha so I did not burn! You can actually drive on the beach which was awesome. We enjoyed just chillin on the beach and then walked around the shops a bit. We headed back to Orlando for it was out dinner at Ohana! We met up with Laura, who I learned won a car on The Price is Right, how cool?! The food was great, the company was amazing. When we got back, we pulled our mattresses out and had a slumber party in the living room – this lasted until we left. So it was a 10 day slumber party, it was the best!

The next day I had my campus rep interview – 10 minutes after my phone rang, I was officially a campus rep!!! I was so excited, I squealed haha. This meant I got to keep my cast membership and recruit kids for the program. After my interview all of the graduates in 13302 headed over to graduation where we got our ears and certificates. Again there was free food and characters along with prizes! Stephi won a caricature drawing which was quite awesome. We had a blast – we stuck around til the very end and danced with the characters, it was definitely a memory I will never forget.

The next day I didn’t feel so hot, but I went to work anyway since I felt a lot better after taking tons of medicine. After the medicine wore off, I felt pretty bad and luckily Mari let me go home an hour early. I said welcome back to Jared and went straight to bed. Sleeping was hard, not because of the ongoing slumber party but because I was pretty sick. I woke up with a huge fever, so I immediately called in to work before I could change my mind haha. I called my doctor at home and he called in a prescription for me. It was no the swine! I was not coughing! Ashly went with me to pick up my medicine and other sick people essentials. We watched Disney movies all day and ended up falling asleep a lot haha. Everyone stopped in before heading over to Jared’s but Ashly, Carlos and Janet stayed behind. Carlos made cinnamon rolls – Ecuadorian style haha. I moved my mattress back for the night so they wouldn’t have to worry about waking me.

The next morning I felt so much better. I took it easy so I would over do it, though I did go to the concert I had tickets for haha. This time it was Alkaline Trio – a good show and we were front row for all of it!! The next day they thought I called in, but it was all due to a typo from labor services (I later learned it was my friend Ariel who called in – her personnel number is only one digit off from mine, small world!). The next day a few of us went to Wishes for one last time. It was really nice to watch it dead center of Main Street, it was a moment again I won’t forget.

I had planned the next day to go to Studios but my running around was catching up with me, so I slept until work haha. It was my going away party – Peggy cooked meatball subs and a delicious cake! Sylvia brought this amazing chicken salad. They pitched in and bought be a cook book and gave me cards that brought me to tears. Rhonda gave me a guest service fanatic – my first one! I was really proud. This day was really hard for me, it was the last time I’d see Bette. I got really close to her so this sent me into tears (I know, I cried a lot haha).

Jared had a gathering for all of us leaving that week. It was really bittersweet – it was hard to say goodbyes but it was fun hanging out with everyone. The next day was my very last day of work. I almost cried but they wouldn’t let me. I said all my goodbyes and headed back to Chatham. I should have packed but I enjoyed everyone’s company and then packed…until 4:30am….then got up 3 hours later.

The next day was my last. I’ll save my meaningful goodbyes for my reflection post. The morning was hectic with shipping stuff home and check out. Ashly and I went to the airport together so that made things a bit easier. I was back in Maryland at 4:30pm.

Oops

So I realize I failed to update this for half my program. My apologies! I'll do a recap of fun things I did, then a reflection of my program overall.

Stay tuned.

Busy Busy Busy

I last update 20 days ago....does not seem that long ago. I hate that time is flying by so fast. I have all these things I want to do and I'm afraid of running out of time. I'm not really wasting time either, I hardly sleep haha - I'm always off doing something.

The Pantry is like a little family. Peggy is my grandma, Rhonda is my mom, Bette is my aunt, Cindy is my cousin, Duron is my brother, Stephanie is my sister, etc. We all look out of each other and get along well. Bette even ordered me to go home and not find my roommates at Epcot because she was concerned I wasn't sleeping much. Oh the Pantry, I love you.

I've met some really cool people at work. I get excited when I meet a Marylander. Some guests aren't fun to talk to, they don't really wanna talk to me, so I'm not too chatty. One night there was a couple who were just a blast. Sure they may have been mildly intoxicated, but they still appreciated everything that I did for them that night. Whenever I can help someone or surprise them with an act of kindness, it makes me feel like I have done something with my day.

I almost yelled at one guest. He was being quite the jerk about the engraving I did on his bracelet. I was told not to touch the settings - just put in the name, hit the yellow diamond, then the green start button. Repeat if necessary. He was convinced it was crooked and ugh. I tried to keep my cool, and I think I handled it fairly well. He was just a jerk.

I met someone who is a campus rep for the college program. I really want to do that - I mean UMBC really lacks any form of knowledge about this program, and I really think its a fabulous experience. I also get to keep some perks =P

I really do love my job - 90% of the time I look forward to going. At the end of the day my back really hurts but it's worth it. I really enjoy what I do.

So what have I been up to the past 20 days besides working? Lots!

There was another welcome party - the House of Mouse Dance Party. I told some people I'd get some pizza for them, so I came prepared with foil and bags in my backpack. It, as always, was a blast. Not only did I get to dance - but Captain Hook and Smee came out and got down with us. Of course we got to meet Mickey and Minnie too! =)

The weather was finally getting out of its cold streak of course when I had to work, but Charlie and I still set out on an adventure to Disney's Hollywood Studios bright and early since I worked at 6pm. We headed to Sunset and got some Fastpasses for Rockin Roller Coaster and waited in line for Tower of Terror. That ride is just so amazing.

Everyone knows I'm big into characters, so of course we visited Chip n Dale. There was probably a group of 5 characters out but I knew time was limited so I chose them, and I'm satisfied with my choice. The character attendant ended up walking away, so we asked the family behind us to take our picture. Well the woman was fabulous for she captured everything. Dale ended up taking me away, taking my ring and proposing to me, of course after teasing everyone else. I gladly accepted hahaha it was definitely one of those magical Disney moments that I loooooooove.

We went back and used up our Fastpasses, enjoying the front car, which is really the best. On our way back to Muppet Vision we ran into a couple cops who pretty much made my day. One of them just blew his whistle, no words. The other had a huge bucket, flashlight and crazy shoes haha. We enjoyed seeing Sweetums and walking around the back parts of DHS. After lunch we set to find Janet and Cait - we found Janet! After talking to her for a bit, it was time for me to catch the bus to Port Orleans and then to Downtown Disney for my shift.

The next day Ashly and I met up with my co-worker, Stephanie, and some of her friends and hit up Disney Quest. There was so much to do there. It was a blast from the past since I did it before with my family back in 2001. Ashly and I kicked butt at the Astro Blaster, we were a darn good team! Elliott and Charlie were in the Downtown Disney Area so we met up with them for lunch and a ride to Wal Mart/home. I took the opportunity to get a group photo in front of the beautiful water of DTD on a beautiful day.

The next day was day 2 of my weekend, and a lot of us did have off, so we went to the Polynesian to soak up some sun since the weather was still being very kind to us. That resort is absolutely gorgeous! We did some shopping in their gift shop, 4 of us finding cute skirts/dresses which led to the idea of getting all dolled up and heading to Magic Kingdom. We did just that! Someone let us through the Fastpass line of Jungle Cruise....I think we should get dressed up more often haha. We played around in the Pirate store and then enjoyed some Dole Whip - my first time. It was absolutely amazing! We managed to squeeze in It's a Small World and Peter Pan's Flight before some made it to Space Mountain haha. I did not, but that's fine, I caught part of Wishes, which will seriously never get old to me. It is stunning.

I worked my first 8 1/2 hour shift on what actually was Valentines Day haha. It was surprisingly not bad at all - I was busy and left in a good mood. Maybe because Ashly informed me she was making a special dinner and dessert. I love my roomie, she is fantastic and loves to cook for people (that really is just bonus points). She made Chicken Alfredo and Cheesecake. Yum!

My next day off I decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings with the girls. I've heard so much buzz about it and decided to check it out. I spent more time getting ready then actually there haha. It's a karaoke place and was way too crowded. A few of us left early for some Taco Bell and headed back to the apartment to just chill. It was still a fun night.

Day 2 of my weekend again, I did not waste! Elliott, Charlie, Cassandra, Joel and I set off for Magic Kingdom. It started pouring rain when we arrived, but soon cleared up for a beautiful day. The park was empty so I got a beautiful view of the castle. We hit up Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain (yay Big Thunder!). We also got Dole Whip again haha that stuff is amazing. On our way over to Space Mountain I caught site of Baloo and Rafiki. I called out to stop but no one heard except Charlie. We got really excited for Baloo - he was dancing with us while we were in line. We had to go through Rafiki first though. The cahracter attendant kept calling out picture poses for us, it was a blast. We get to Baloo - so not fun. One random picture and we were sent on our way. Lame!

We found the rest of the group and headed over to the Studios since the main event of the day was Fantasmic! We had time for Muppet Vision and to grab a quick snack before we met with Janet and Alexa for the show. We had amazing seats thanks to Janets expertise of the area =) Fantasmic is honestly breathtaking. I can't wait to go again.

The next day was Ashly's birthday. I unfortunately had to work during her birthday dinner, BUT they all came to DTD for some ice cream at Ghiridelli. We all laughed and had a good time =)

My class starts on Wednesday and I'm REALLY excited. I think it's going to be really interesting. I'm not getting credit for any of this and I really don't care. This experience is incredible and it will look fabulous on my resume.

Boo Boo comes to visit in about a month!!! YAY!!