Home Sweet Home

I have been in my hometown for one full week. It has definitely been an interesting adjustment and of course I really miss Florida! But it’s time to move on with what’s happening in the Panhandle. I start summer classes in two days and I’m back to running my snocone stand.

I will be traveling some more during the summer. I’m going to Pennsylvania to go to Hershey Park with Kris, MiCole, Ben and hopefully Tiffany in the middle of June. In July, I will go back to Florida for a week to pick up a few shifts so that my six month time period lands in December. After Florida, I will fly back up to Pennsylvania to staff the Miss Teen of PA pageant with Carlene and Sunny. Then my summer will pretty much be over as it will be time for Renee’s Wedding and school to start back up.

I’m also moving into a new place during June/July and Leslie will be my housemate :) Some exciting changes will be happening over the summer. I figure this is not my last post. I know there will be a few more posts with papers I’ve done for school projects this semester and possibly some memory posts of what I miss most about Disney.

Until then, thanks for following along as much as you did; it's been fun!

The Trip Home...

Saturday

We started out with Starbucks, filled up with fuel and a $6 pizza with a free liter of Orange Soda, then we hit the road for Cocoa beach. Again, I wore my sunscreen and did not get sun burnt. This was Leslie’s first time to a beach. It was exciting, plus I just love the beach. We spent about 3 hours at the beach and then headed on down the road to St. Augustine’s historical downtown. We ate at a really neat Taco Shop, pretty authentic. We explored the stores more and then hit the road again for Savannah, Georgia.

It was really sad to leave Orlando and know that I wasn’t coming back to Patterson Court after the day at the beach and all the roomies had parted different ways as well. But Leslie and I managed and she put up with me.

Sunday

We decided to be adventurous and go outside of our comfort zone to attend a local church in Savannah – Overcoming faith church. Their pastor, Ricky Temple, recently published a book –Why Smart People Make Dumb Choices. At the end of the service, he asked where his visitors were again and gave it to the visitors (Leslie and I). After church, we hit the mall for some shopping time, then we headed over to Juliette Gordon Low’s Birthplace House for a tour. That night we had dinner in Atlanta with Sunny Hylton, one of my Miss Teen Directors. It was great to see her and catch up.

Juliette Low just had an amazing story. Besides the fact that she founded Girl Scouts in America, she was also extremely creative and artsy too. Her house carries so much history within it. I’m really glad I had to opportunity to stop and visit. I’d love to take a Girl Scout Troop back sometime in the future.

Monday

We slept in and then at some brunch at Ihop, but they were out of hashbrowns! Thirty minutes later, I was taking an exit on the edge of Birmingham, AL when Jetta died on us. I had her in fifth gear and as I slowed down for traffic, I did not put her into neutral so the next time I accelerated, I killed it. No big deal right? Usually, I switch the key off and start her right back up. Well, this time she decided not to start for me. The battery was completely dead; I did not even have enough juice to run my flashers.

One lady tried to stop and help us, but she didn’t quite know what she was doing with the jumper cables so we told her “Thank you” and let her go on her way. Fortunately the state of Alabama has something called ASAP (Alabama Service and Assistance Patrol). A man came out in his big yellow truck and helped us to roll start Jetta and we drove her to an Exxon to have the battery replaced.

After this incident, Leslie and I decided we were ready to be home. We had fulfilled our adventure for the week. We ended up driving all night and reached Guymon at 6AM on Tuesday morning.

Leslie Arrives

Unfortunately, Leslie had to wait at the airport for me from 7pm to 10pm. I worked a long shift from 9:45AM – 9:30PM. I put in for an Early Release (ER) but that did not happen. I was really excited to see her and for her to be in Florida! She loved the palm trees everywhere. That seemed to be the only thing she could talk about on the way back to the apartment.

I had my last day of work the day after Leslie got to Florida. It was sad, but I am a seasonal cast member now so as long as I work once every six months, I will keep my proficiencies of being trained on the Barnstormer.

The rest of the week consisted of fun and packing. I took Leslie to Magic Kingdom(MK), my favorite park. We played all day and it wore us out. She was able to watch Wishes too. While Teresa and I cried a little, it was a good time at MK. Tinkerbell did not even fly for us (insert sad face here), but we got over that and went home to pack some more. Thursday night was just full of sadness as everyone in the apartment packed up their final things and we went through kitchen stuff.

Friday was check out day and Leslie and I ended up shipping a few boxes through UPS so that everything else would fit in the car. Jetta was plum full of stuff and that made for an interesting trip home. Friday night, Leslie and I stayed in a local motel and went to Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios.

My phrase for the trip home would be, “If this is the worst thing that happens to me today... then I will be alright.”

Miscellaneous

With my program coming to an end, everything in May kind of runs together in my mind. And May was more of a social month than all of the others especially with classes being over!

Teresa and I took advantage one last time of our annual pass to SeaWorld. Kris, Carla, Nydia and her brother joined us for the adventure. We hit a couple shows and rode the rides multiple times.

Plus, two different nights, Kris, MiCole, and I did some resort hopping. We spent an evening at the All Star Sports, Music, and Movies and another night exploring at the Port Orleans. A different night, we ended up at a supposedly haunted house. I only became scared when they mentioned the possibility of alligators lurking in the water as we went out on the dock. I even went on a legit date with Kris to Winter Summerland Mini Golf Course.

Another day, Teresa, Ben, Adam, Kris, and I went to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, which are both water parks on Disney property. I wore my sunscreen and had a blast. There are wave pools, slides, and lazy rivers at both places. Blizzard Beach is known for the Summit Plummet which is a straight down water slide that gives you the biggest wedgie ever!

Originally, the roomies had planned a goodbye dinner for the apartment, but when the time came, I was unable to get off work to join them in the Hoop-de-doo Review. They had a really good time and really good food, from what I heard. My actual roommate, Kaitlyn left a week early; I had the room to myself for a week. It was nice, but sad because it meant it was really time to pack up and leave.

Toonie Goodbye Party

Tuesday May 11

Toontown had five girls leaving May 14 and then I left the following week. We teamed up for one big going away party. We had dinner at Big River on Boardwalk. This was my first time to boardwalk all semester. Boardwalk reminded me of Downtown Disney, but it was still fun.

After dinner, we ventured across the way to Beaches and Cream for the well known “Kitchen Sink.” This is a huge bowl designed to look like a kitchen sink, however, they fill it with tons of junk – eight scoops of ice cream, every topping in the house, brownies, coffee cake, and a whole can of whipcream. YUM. It was good in the beginning, but as it started melted and running together, it became a goopy mess.

It was weird to have a goodbye party a week earlier than I left, but since the Graduation was at the end of April, I already felt done with everything. It was also really sad to say goodbye to everyone. I had a really good experience working in Toontown. We really became close like a family, but I know I’ll see most of them in the future!

Formal

Wednesday May 5

The Housing Operations Team held numerous events throughout the semester for us. The big bang at the end was the Formal – Bright Lights, Big City. It was themed with backdrops of major cities and of course characters were present. The best way to describe this event is similar to prom, but definitely extremely better than high school prom. It was at the Coronado Resort and I went with Carla and Teresa.

We later met up with all six roommates and finally got a picture with all of us in it! It’s about time, eh? Then, I was able to meet up with Toonies(people from Toontown that I work with) and afterwards we ended up at Steak’N’Shake for some late night ice cream. That is one thing I can not pass up; I love ice cream!

Completion Celebration

Today marks three weeks until my departure date as well as the date of my graduation.

Graduation was held at Mickey's Retreat, which is just down the street across from Chatham Square.

Once you entered, you picked up your diploma as well as your Mickey Ears with a tassel. Then, there were carnival games set up such as rings on the bottles, knocking over the cans, bean bag toss, and a hole in one. Each booth had small prizes like keychains, posters, plastic megaphones, and notepads.

Then, you could have your picture taken with Donald, Chip & Dale, Goofy & Pluto, or Mickey & Minnie. Of course, Teresa and I made our way around to all of the above.
A DJ was set up in the middle of all the fun. Unfortunately the Cupid Shuffle, my all time favorite song, came on when I was stuck out on a lake, but we’ll get to that later. I was able to dance to the Cha Cha Slide.

Free food again! Lunch was provided – chicken wrap or BLT, fruit, chips, pasta, cookies, and sodas.

Then, Teresa and I signed up for paddle boat races. First place was a picture frame with the castles from each of the five parks around the world and second place was a snow white ceramic keepsake box. Teresa wanted to place second for that prize, but I wanted first place. So, after all was over, we did end up in first place, but the event workers were nice enough to let Teresa have the second place prize. Paddle boats are a bit of a workout – just a side note.

General Motors was even set up with some cars and brochures. They are usually in Test Track in Epcot, so Teresa knew the guys working the booth. We took our picture in the yellow camero and got some beads for signing up for something or other.

Once we’d hit all the spots of main interest, we headed home. But, it was a fun graduation. It’s a little hard to believe it’s already time to start thinking about packing up and heading home.

Random happenings in April

April always proves to be a busy month. Therefore, I have several small happenings that happened. Imagine that. But, somehow did not ever end up in a blog. So this is the post that catches us up to date.

At one point in time during the month of April, we randomly decided to go swimming at midnight. I thought it was fun, everyone else was freezing. Well, I admit that I was freezing too, but that’s besides the point. Kaitlyn, Betsy, Teresa, and I jumped in the pool for a cool swim. It was actually our first time in the pool all semester.

Later, in the month of April, I had lunch with a friend from high school, Chris. He is moving to Florida to attend college near Tampa. He was in town for the week scoping out the area and visiting campus so we met up for lunch. It was fun to hang out and compare how things have changed amongst our lives.

Then, a couple days later in the month of April, my favorite cousin Joshua and his little niece Ava came to visit. We went to Magic Kingdom for the afternoon. I realized that you get treated with much more priority when you have a small child with you. Ava was able to visit the Princesses. And we got ice cream later – the ultimate Dole Whip Pineapple Soft Serve.

Also, during the month of April, Teresa and I watched a movie called, Letters to God. I recommend it. I believe I mentioned it in the Give Kids the World(GKTW) post. It was sad, happy, and funny. But the boy in the movie, Tyler, had a medulloblastoma brain tumor which happens to be the same type of tumor my brother had years ago. Therefore, I found the movie relatable. Plus, most people can simply relate with the idea of knowing atleast one person who has had cancer.

I recently finished reading the book, “The Guardian,” by Nicholas Sparks. I recommend this as well. I had three days off this last week, and honestly sat on the couch from 10AM until I was finished with the book. I had some small breaks in that time, but did not want to put the book down.

This last Thursday, I volunteered again at GKTW. I felt like we were not used to our full potential, but I always enjoy being on property and helping. Tiffany, Micole, and I worked in Katie’s Kitchen, filling orders and delivering orders. We peaked next door in the Ice Cream Palace to see if Tim and Art were working from several weeks back and they were. It was neat to see them again.

After working in the Kitchen, the girls wanted Boston Market, which is what is served in Katie’s Kitchen. I had never had Boston Market so I was up for the adventure. Teresa and I also went for ice cream at Friendly’s tonight which is what they serve in the Ice Cream Palace. Yum. It is comparable to Braum’s at home… maybe even better than Braum’s.

I think that wraps up my catch up for random events in April.

Night of the Stars!

Every semester, one of the big events for CPs is Night of the Stars. It is very much a talent show. However, all the people have tried out previously and the participants have been narrowed down. This semester it was hosted at House of Blues in Downtown Disney.

The show was about two hours, but very well worth my time. There was a variety of entries from singing, dancing, readings, instrumentals, and so forth.

My two favorites of originals writings – a guy wrote his own song about Tomorrowland and another group, calling themselves, “The Disney Point,” performed to the tune of “Single Ladies” by Beyonce, however, it was a parody called “Single Riders.” It was rather hilarious.

The hosts of the show, David and Jennifer, were awesome too. I have had class with both of them. There was a lot of crowd interaction and the crowd won prizes throughout the night as well.

Plus, food and drinks were provided. These Disney people really know how to put on events for us college people. Free and entertaining, what else could you need?

Fun Day!

My work schedule came out and they randomly scheduled me off on a Friday and believe me, we took full advantage of it. As soon as Teresa and I realized this miracle, Teresa put her shift up for grabs and before we knew it, we were headed to the Tampa area again for a day packed full of fun.

We started out at Busch Gardens(BG). Rollercoasters = Ah-mazing. While we hit all the major coasters and visited a few animals, our last stop was the best. Our pre-lunch was a huge banana split. First of all, because Teresa had never had a banana split before so we had to fix that and second of all, because there was a special to get five scoops of ice cream instead of three and extra toppings for just a dollar more. Let me tell you, this treat was delicious.

After our time at BG, we headed out for the beach. We decided to sample some gulf coast of Florida and headed for Treasure Island. But, first we found lunch at a local buffet place. It was sketchy at first, but once we got inside and got plates, we decided it was decent food.

We took a seven mile bridge out to Treasure Island. Humorously, there was a sign “Long Bridge Ahead, Check Gas.” Teresa and I wondered how many people ran out of gas on the bridge that they had to put that sign up.

Treasure Island was beautiful and I much prefer it over Cocoa Beach. AND! I did not get sunburnt! Yippee!

After the beach, we drove back to the Orlando area and grabbed dinner at The Rainforest Café in Downtown Disney. Then, we watched a movie, Date Night.

It was a full day. Plus, once we got home, we still had to wash out the tie dye we did the day before. 7AM – 2AM is a long day. But, well worth it.

Tie-Dye

Well, we all knew it was coming eventually. Traveling Tie Dye has to tie dye some t-shirts at one point in her journey.

Teresa and I have been saving up shirts since we started the program. I had a white blood donor shirt, white skydiving shirt, and white Disney college program shirt. Do we see a trend of the word, “white?” Well as of last week, they are no longer white!

I love being crafty so it was a good afternoon. I have only tie dyed once before this occasion since my obsession with tie dye began. Yes, I believe it might be an obsession, but on some scale, it’s not my fault. People just keep buying me tie dyed things.

Last summer for my demonstration speech in speech class, I did “How to Tie Dye.” And the night before the speech was full of tie dying with Leslie. It was a fun adventure and I got some cool shirts out of it.

Last week was even more successful; I love experimenting. For small details, we did a couple swirls, bulls eye, crumple, and a folded one. I bet that last sentence makes no sense, but it’s variations of tie dye. The thing I love most about tie dye is that you will never have the same results. Different folds and different colors will always result in a new surprise.

However, the most important thing about tie dye is to have no expectations. If you want it to turn out a specific way, it most likely will not so it’s best to just not have expectations when you start. Teresa struggled with this idea. She might even be a bit of a perfectionist.

Oh yes, I might add that we attempted and conquered the Mickey head as well!

Enjoy the pictures!

Disney University

Well, I wanted to fill you in on my Disney classes and what’s been happening in them. I have two courses – Marketing You and Leadership Exploration Series.

Marketing You is all about, who, me! Each week I have class for four hours and we cover different topics. We had a Dream Job Strategy week discussing what we wanted to be when we were little and what we are studying now in school. Later, we covered transferable skills and our personal development.

For homework, we did a career interest inventory where it asked a million questions about what we like/dislike and then gave us a report of what type of things we would work well with. Then, we did a “30 second commercial,” which is basically learning how to formally introduce yourself to people. We also had to order personal business cards. We wrote a paper with three achievements on the college program and I attended an alumni speaker series with people in the field of communications for networking. I also had a formal interview with one of my managers discussing how he got to where he is, why he likes it, and all that jazz.

Just today we turned in a cover letter, resume, and reference page. Next week will be our professionalism paper basically wrapping up all the assignments into a five page paper of what we’ve learned and discovered throughout the semester. Finally, our last week is presentation week, where we present about a job we are interested in. It will be set up like a science/job fair. I chose to research a Computer Programmer so we’ll see how that goes!

My Leadership Exploration Series is a bit different. There is no homework for the course. It has not quite been what I expected, but it is interesting. We only meet for 2 hours each week and so far it has been lecture stuff about leadership within the company. I guess my impression was that we would meet more leaders and hear from them, but we’ve only had one guest speaker so far. I’m pretty jealous that Teresa’s Heritage Class met Meg Crofton, President of the Walt Disney World® Resort.

I am constantly learning more and more about the company and the people within it. I think it’s really neat that everyone has a story of how they ended up at Disney and why they chose to stay. I am really interested in coming back out to Florida for a Professional Internship within Management or IT once I graduate.

There are days that I regret taking online classes because it can be a lot to keep up with between working 35-40 hours a week, attending the two mentioned classes, keeping up with dishes, laundry, and roomies, and enjoying the Florida area. But, the pros always outweigh the cons, because I would have lost my Presidential Scholarship and what not if I had not stayed full time. I have two online classes – Microeconomics and Statistics, two arranged classes – humanities and business communications, and then my two Disney classes. Whew.

Enough about class work, I need to go enjoy the rest of my day off at Epcot with Betsy!

Give Kids The World

Give Kids The World (GKTW) Village is a 70-acre, non-profit resort in Central Florida that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It is located about twenty minutes from my apartment.

In 1986, Henry Landwirth was the manager of a hotel in the area when he was contacted to compensate a hotel room to make a child’s wish come true to visit Walt Disney World (WDW). Unfortunately, during the process of making arrangements, Amy, the ill child, passed away and Henry was contacted to be notified that they would no longer be coming to Florida.

This situation inspired Henry to found GKTW so that every child with a life-threatening illness with the wish to come to WDW could make it here before passing on. Time is the one thing these children do not have. It wasn’t until 1989 that the actual village opened up, but the village is something else.
The village had 140 villas for families to stay in for one week. GKTW partners with 250 wish foundations from across the world to bring children to central Florida. Just a month or so ago, GKTW welcomed their 1,000,000 family. People have visited from all 50 states and over 70 countries.

If a child’s wish is to come to central Florida, GKTW can have them here in 48 hours – cost free to the family. The resort has everything from food places like the Gingerbread house, Katie’s Kitchen, and the Ice Cream Palace to mini golf, arcade, swimming pool, fishing pond and a movie theater. The families have access to anything in the area that they wish to go to – Walt Disney World, Seaworld, Universal, Gatorland, Kennedy Space Center – any attraction in the area. Again, families enjoy this week long adventure cost free – what an amazing blessing.

A good video with the story and tour of the area:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo1haStdWuQ
Or visit their website: www.gktw.org

It is such a fascinating place. I share this with you because I volunteered at GKTW two weeks ago with my group from work. But, last Saturday, I attended orientation so that I may volunteer on my own. When I went with my work group, I worked in the Ice Cream Palace and Katie’s Kitchen. Now that I have completed orientation, I can go back at anytime and work a variety of shifts. I’m looking forward to volunteering there more before my program ends in May.

Give Kids The World is also featured in a movie that was just released April 9 called Letters to God. It’s based on a true story of a boy with cancer writing letters to God during his illness. The boy the movie is based on actually spent a week at GKTW and his star is on the ceiling of the castle (if you watched the youtube video, you understand the stars). Also, the co-star, Bailey Madison was on property the night I volunteered and she actually came into the Ice Cream Palace and served ice cream. She is a sweetheart.

I hope you enjoyed learning about this small piece of heaven for children with life-threatening illnesses. I had never heard of it until I moved down here, so I wanted to share!

Shuttle Launch & Cocoa Beach

Discovery STS-131 headed for the Space Station on April 5, 2010 at 6:21AM. Five of us made the trek to the Kennedy Space Center to see such a sight. Originally, the launch was supposed to take place in mid-March when my family was due to visit, but for some reason or another AFTER we purchased tickets, the date was changed. I love their disclaimer, “Launching humans into space is a very complex business and dates can be changed at any time for thousands of reasons.” However, no refunds so I finally found people to purchase the tickets from me and come along for the adventure.

I was off work at 11:30PM, so I headed home and prepared to leave. We headed out around 2AM because we had to arrive at the space center by 4AM. Then, I napped until 5:45, grabbed some hot chocolate and watched Discovery launch. I honestly was not as impressed with this launch – maybe because of our location/viewing, maybe because of the time of day – the sun was starting to rise – or maybe just because the first one I experienced in February was the cherry on the ice cream.

By the time people cleared out, it was close to 7AM and Teresa was ready to explore. We stayed at the space center until noon. We watched some clips on the Hubble Telescope on IMAX screen. It was neat, but we’d be awake all night, so several of us dosed off…

We took the tour out to see the Saturn Rocket that took crews to the moon. Overall, it was a really neat place. A big mind opener for how much bigger this place is outside of Earth. The Earth as a whole is like a grain of sand; it’s amazing.

After the space center and souvenir shopping, Teresa, Erin, and I headed to Cocoa Beach. We made a pit stop at the skydiving place to pick up my long lost hoodie. The beach was crazy busy, but we found a spot and sorta passed out. Don’t forget, we had all been awake a while now working full shifts the previous day. I would like to mention that I did apply sunscreen to myself, but later that evening when we returned home, it was noted that my sunscreen was not effective as I was as red as a lobster. Now, a week later, I am healed of my sunburn and done peeling. Yipee!

I very much enjoyed my time at the beach. I think it’s really neat to look out for miles and miles and it’s just water. The ocean looks so huge, but then I remember the space center and how tiny we really are. It’s a hard concept to wrap your brain around.

Skydiving Video

My first jump in video format. 15,000 feet at approximately 120 MPH. Skydive Space Center is in Titusville, Florida. You can definitely see the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. Everyone needs to try this atleast once in their life! :)

Skydiving!

I finally was able to skydive! After two reschedules, we successfully jumped on Friday March 19! Our first attempt, it was too windy. Our second attempt, it was pouring rain. Our third attempt was successful. It was a beautiful day outside – clear skies and windless.

My family was here too, so that made it neat. Nick, my brother, did the jump too. We arrived in Titusville about 10AM. Nick had to fill out all that long “sign your life away” paperwork. Several other people came out to jump that day as well. Since Teresa and I were reschedules, we were priority, so we got on the first plane.

There was a waiting period. But, finally they pulled the plane out and suited us up in harnesses. I also ordered a video. I’ll try to post it on here, but I haven’t been successful with facebook so I don’t know if it will load on here either.

It was such a neat experience. I recommend everyone to do one jump in their life. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Many people have asked, “What is like a rollercoaster or what?!” I am a rollercoaster junkie and I must say, it felt nothing like a rollercoaster.

It was also such a beautiful view. I was nervous for three seconds. Before I knew it, we were loaded into the plane and the plane was taking off. I did not jump solo; I had an instructor person strapped to me. The training was like two minutes so literally anyone can do this jump.

15,000 feet rushing at 120 MPH = Amazing

My instructor was pointing out the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Canaveral, and The Kennedy Space Center to me. My three seconds of nervousness came when that door opened and it was almost time. The plane honestly leveled out and it felt like we were floating. The standby light turned green and we moved closer to the door to jump.
Nick jumped in front of me. Then, I went out. Teresa brought up the rear. However, Teresa also flew the plane a little bit. We had met the pilot previously when our jump was canceled, so she made buddies with him and he actually let her steer a little bit since she was sitting at the back by him.

I love watching my video over and over to in a sense repeat the experience. However, it was just awesome. I was out in the sky, falling, still hard to believe myself that I did it because it happened so fast. I had to pop my ears a couple of times. And in the video, when we pull the parachute to go under canopy, I look like I almost passed out, but I didn’t. It was just a jolt to go from horizontal to vertical in a few seconds. But, then we drifted the rest of the way down and I was even able to steer my chute by pulling on the sides to turn and spin circles.

We landed on the ground successfully and it was a good day.

Afterwards, for the family, we drove by the Kennedy Space Center and stopped at Cocoa Beach for about an hour. My Aunt had never been out to Florida so we wanted to show her more than just Disney!

Family Visit :)

I am officially behind on everything… including this blog! Therefore, please do not be overwhelmed by three posts in a row.

My family arrived Wednesday March 17 – mom, dad, Nick and Aunt Nancy. They stayed at my cousin Jeff’s house about fifteen miles away. My mom’s brother, Joe and his wife Cynthia live here as well.

The first night, we went to Downtown Disney to walk around. Many locals go here to hang out all the time. It’s always alive and boomin’ with people. I apparently wore them out walking, but little did they know the parks for a full day at a time would be much worse than an evening in Downtown Disney.

Thursday was spent in Magic Kingdom. My favorite park of course because I work there! We ventured around between the different lands and rode some rides. We ate in the park too and it was scrumptious. Magic Kingdom’s nighttime spectacular is Wishes and they have a night parade called SpectroMagic. We hung out and watched both of those before heading home. I always enjoy Wishes because I can sing along. But, I don’t normally get to watch it from the front of the castle; I always watch it back from Toontown at work.

Friday will be an entirely separate blog. Stay tuned.

Saturday we spent the day in E.P.C.O.T.; Experimental Prototype Communities Of Tomorrow. I have only been there once so I enjoyed exploring this park. The front half is Future World and the back half is The World Showcase. I had not been to the countries in the showcase before of memory. As a family we came to WDW (Walt Disney World) four time with family Radio Shack trips. Epcot’s nighttime show is Illuminations: Reflections of the Earth. It’s pretty extravagant.

Sunday we spent the morning in Animal Kingdom and the evening in Hollywood Studios. We had a down pour in the middle, but luckily we were eating a late lunch in the Rainforest Café and missed the big part of the rain. Fantasmic is Hollywood Studios nighttime show and it was magical. Mickey always finds a way to ward off those evil villains in every show.

Then, Monday we had a scheduled tour, Keys the the Kingdom, which takes place at Magic Kingdom. It was about 5 hours of walking and learning about the park and Walt’s dreams and plans. It was similar to my park orientation; I heard many things repeated, but it was neat for my family to see backstage and the Utilador. If you did not know, Magic Kingdom where the guests are is the second floor of the park. There is a floor underneath where the guests play and that’s how we navigate around to different spots. My location is not connected to it though, Toontown gets its own little bus stop.

Tuesday was a lazy day and packing for the family. They flew out in the evening and I worked at 4pm. We parted ways and I told them I’d see them in two months.

I cannot believe my program is already more than half way over.

Catch Up!

First of all, I have a humorous story for you. If any of you know my flash player download story; it could be considered very similar. For dinner one evening, I wanted to cook my chicken pot pie. It takes an hour in the oven and only 6 minutes in the microwave oven. I was obviously misinformed about microwaves and microwave ovens, because I thought they were two different things. For microwave oven instructions I was supposed to leave the pie in the box and just open the side. This did not really seem logical when I placed it in our, what I now know as “Toaster Oven,” but I placed it in there and cranked the dial to six minutes. I am intelligent, sometimes, so I made the connection that the cardboard box would not survive the toaster oven. I sat diligently waiting, and sure enough the box began smoking. This is when I decided a microwave and a microwave oven must be the same thing. However, it still amazes me that it only takes six minutes verse an hour in the real oven.

That same night, I went on a Toonie Outing for Micole’s birthday. We gathered at TGI Fridays and enjoyed each other’s company for a while. I think it’s always fun to get together and hang out outside of work.

I realized that I have been here for two months and not really mentioned much about my roommates. Disney’s theme of the CP is Living, Learning, and Earning. Obviously living on your own and with roomies is a big part of the program. Let me give you a short bio of each member of the apartment.

Kaitlyn – is the direct roommate. She sleeps across the carpet from me. She is from Indiana and attends Ball State University where she is an entrepreneur major. You have sorta kind of already heard about her since she was a prearranged roommate. Kaitlyn works at Wilderness Lodge as a bell hop dispatch.

Teresa – is from Indiana as well and attends Indiana University where she majors in astronomy and physics. I believe you have heard tiny pieces about her as she tends to be the one that I go on adventures with. Teresa works in Epcot at Test Track and Mission Space Merchandise.

Erin – is Teresa’s roomie. She is from Wisconsin and happens to be friends with Mickey, Minnie, Lilo, Stich, Donald, Daisy, and so forth. She actually has a degree in mortuary science; she was previously employed by a funeral home.

Betsy – is from Michigan. I believe she majors in Business. Betsy works at the Polynesian Resort as a bell hop dispatch. We have definitely deemed her “best dressed” in our apartment.

Kourtney – is Betsy’s roomie. She is from Las Vegas. Kourtney works in outdoor food and beverage in Hollywood Studios. She is looking to extend her program until August and transfer out to a Florida college and go part time with Disney.

I think we have a very unique mixture of girls in our apartment. I enjoy living with them. We all have our quirks and pet peeves, but life goes on. I’m certainly looking forward to a room to myself again.

Next update much sooner! :)

Productivity

Teresa and I decided to be productive one morning. We scoped out the Florida Blood Center and donated. The center was very nice and welcoming and overall I had a good donation. Sometimes I’m low in iron, other times, I get light headed while donating, but neither of those occurred this time.

We also received a “Local Heros” blood donor t-shirt. We have started a pile of t-shirts to tye-dye. In April, we are going to have one big roomie tye-dye party! I’m pretty excited about that! Last week, at property damages, I found two white shirts with 2010 Disney stuff on it and couldn’t find anything wrong with them. They are also in the tye-dye t-shirt pile. I’m researching mickey tye-dye patterns too so we can attempt that!

After donating blood, we found a Hair Masters to get our hair trimmed at. It is always interesting to travel outside of the “Disney Bubble.” At work and around the apartment, we are surrounded by cast members, so everyone you meet is pretty nice. But when we venture out, you never know what you will encounter. However, giving blood and getting my hair trimmed, I came across extremely nice people. I felt like I was still in the Disney Bubble.

Last Sunday I found a church nearby to attend. Fellowship Orlando is nondenominational and contemporary. I went by myself, which I surprised myself because normally that would be out of my comfort zone. I really enjoyed the church. I haven’t decided if I will go back, or try another, or what.

Monday was our apartment inspection. Of course, we passed with flying colors. We are pretty clean people so it wasn’t extremely difficult to tidy up the place for inspection. We should have gotten the “White Glove” Award. Basically, the guy told us we didn’t get it cause our trash wasn’t empty and some beds weren’t made. Well, one, we live here and the trash was empty until we all woke up and made breakfast and what not, but the trash was not over flowing out of control. And, second, the beds that were not made were people that just woke up when they knocked on the door to do the inspection. It was all a tad humorous to me, but hey, we got M&M Cookies out of the deal.

Monday night, Erin, Teresa, Betsy, and I participated in a Cast Quest Interactive Gaming Competition at Disney Quest in Downtown Disney. It was a CP Event that people signed up teams for. While we did not win anything, it was a fun evening running around Disney Quest for free.

My family will be here in about a week. I’m really excited to spend time with them. Plus, I’m ready to enjoy the parks. I have been to all four parks once with the exception of Magic Kingdom. With work, we are scheduled two days off a week, but my classes are on those days. Plus, I’m trying to keep up with online classes and my blog. It’s hard to venture out into the parks and enjoy them when I’m always catching stuff up. It will be a very nice week with them here. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the days I requested off for while they are here, so I’m in the process of giving those shifts away.

Also, skydiving is rescheduled for Friday March 19 with Teresa and Nick!!!

Tampa Adventure

Saturday February 27 marked my first point on my record card at work. Unfortunately, I made plans with roomies to go to a concert, but could not find anyone to take my shift for me. Therefore, I had to call in personal, which was fine, I’m proud of my personal day. Besides, it ended up being a rainy day at work, so they did not miss me.

Teresa and I purchased an annual passport for Busch Gardens – Tampa and Seaworld – Orlando. We left really early Saturday to get to Busch Gardens by opening time. Of course, it ended up being rainy, but the park was empty and awesome. I’m stuck on this concept of the law of diminishing marginal utility. I was told in the efficiency class that guest’s ride per capita is 8.5. So, to feel like they got their monies worth out of their ticket, they have to ride 8.5 rides.

Teresa and I thought of this at Busch Gardens and since lines were so low, we rode everything twice. We rode SheiKra four times though. It’s hilarious to judge the rides by front row, back row, middle and so forth. I’ve come to the conclusion that the front row will always be the best simply because nothing is in front of you and you can take it all in.

I guess, I am a thrill seeker. I LOVE ROLLERCOASTERS! Disney rides are great and family oriented, but intense rollercoasters are my favorite – huge drops and fast speeds are exciting.

Teresa let us eat Subway for dinner. You may think that sentence is worded funny, but at home, my friends don’t like to eat Subway as much as I do, so therefore Teresa “let” me eat it. Haha!

We arrived at the concert about 5:30 and found some cheap parking. Then, we walked up to the entrance to find our seats. I have to admit, I do not know these bands as well as Teresa, but I recognized way more songs than I thought I would. The concert was Flyleaf, Breaking Benjamin, and Three Days Grace. It was pretty decent entertainment.

Can you believe tomorrow is March already?

Rain Check

Unfortunately, skydiving did not happen, again! Story of my life - cancel and reschedule. Feb 24 turned out to be a rainy day. Teresa and I ended up just going to Animal Kingdom most of the day and then Hollywood Studios for closing.

I apologize for the recent lack of posts, but it’s been pretty busy on my end. I went and watched Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios with a girl I work with, Lindsey. It was a really good show. I’ve also had another Marketing You class. We have been working on personal commercials, business cards, and networking.

Animal Kingdom was really awesome. I rode Expedition Everest seven times; this is the big rollercoaster in DAK(Disney’s Animal Kingdom). We also walked around and saw most all of the animals. It’s really neat that Disney can incorporate a theme park into a zoo. After DAK, we went to Studios and walked around the park. Studios has the “Streets of America” so you can walk the streets of San Francisco and New York City. Studios also has an exhibit of Walt’s life; that was a super neat walk through. I learn something new every day about Disney it feels like. Overall, it was a very good day and I have officially been to all four parks now. It only took me a month and a half.

I also had two more training sessions. One was an efficiency class where we discussed ways to be more efficient at each position during busier times. We like to minimize wait times for guests. My other “training” was actually a CP Welcome Session. We met in an auditorium and watched videos and listened to people speak about the company. Information is always repeated several times to us, I feel like, but repetition is how we remember it.

An interesting fact I learned: THREE Magic Kingdoms can fit into Epcot, but the entire DisneyLAND can fit into Magic Kingdom’s parking lot.

Florida Bucket List

I finally had a chance to sit down and write out all the things I would like to do in the five months I am here. Of course, I probably won’t be able to complete all of the items on my list, but having it written down is the first step to making it happen.

1. Visit parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios,
and Animal Kingdom (Done)
2. Watch a day and night shuttle launch
(Night Done 2/8/10, Day – hopefully April 5)
3. Skydiving (Rescheduling)
4. SeaWorld
5. Universal Studios – Islands of Adventure
6. Busch Gardens (Done 2/27/10)
7. Beaches – Daytona and Cocoa
8. Kennedy Space Center
9. Gatorland
10. Medieval Times
11. Discovery Cove – Swim with Dolphins
12. Watch the Peabody Ducks
13. Mini Golf
14. Parasailing
15. The Holy Land Experience
16. Seafood
17. Concert (Done – Flyleaf, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace 2/27/10)
18. House of Blues
19. Clubs
20. Zoo
21. Aquarium
22. Cirque du Soleil
23. Water Parks – Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach
24. Richard Petty Driving Experience
25. Snorkeling
26. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium
27. Old Town
28. Ice Skating
29. Bowling
30. Museum
31. Visit St. Augustine
32. Visit Tampa
33. Visit Miami
34. Visit Savanah, GA to see Juliet Low’s House
35. Disney Cruise

Evacuate the Barnstormer

Unfortunately, I had to take a rain check on skydiving. The wind gusts were too much and if it shifted suddenly it would cause your parachute to collapse. Yikes. But, we rescheduled for February 24! Instead, Teresa and I went to Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. The cast members have a 50% off discount on merchandise until Feb. 11 so we finished up our last minute shopping at half price. We rode the Tower of Terror and the Rockin' Rollercoaster. AWESOME! It was nice to enjoy the parks for once. We also ate dinner at the cutest place called “Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant.” The tables are all shaped like cars and there is a large screen playing short clips like you are at a drive in. It was very cute!

Since last Wednesday, I have just been working and keeping up with stuff – laundry, homework, etc. Work has been alright. I worked a long shift on Valentine’s Day until 2AM and I work a ten hour shift yesterday. We did have an exciting moment at work. Something flagged the sensor on The Barnstormer so the ride auto emergency stopped itself. Guests were stopped on the lift and at hold (the waiting portion before arriving back in the station). It was a good learning experience to go through the drill of call maintenance, call a manager, call the coordinator, spiel to the guests to remain seated and then actually evacuating them out of the carts was exciting. After all guests had exited the ride, we were able to reset zones and get it back up and working. It definitely made my shift go by faster.

I also had my first homeroom meeting with my manager, Julie. I have around 12 managers and 10 or so coordinators in the Magic Kingdom, so it’s different people every day. But, Julie is my homeroom manager. With the college program, I am supposed to have three formal sit down meetings with her to discuss my expectations and progress.

For lunch on my day off, I went on a Toonie Outing! We ate at Sanaa located at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was African/Indian mix of food. I had chicken with red curry sauce, beef, basalti rice, naan bread, and mango chuckling. It was very different, but I really enjoyed it. It’s nice to get out with your co-workers too. From the restaurant, you could see giraffes and zebras just hanging out. It was a really neat place and cast members get 40% off!

I also had my second Marketing You class and she went over all of our homework for the entire course. Time to get ahead on things(again)!

Endeavor Launch 2/8/10

Endeavor launches at 4:14AM on February 8, 2010 from the Kennedy Space Center. Teresa and I are located at Space View Park in Titusville, FL, basically the closest free spot!

The video starts recording at 90 seconds until launch so give it some time before you see the light. This was the last night launch before the shuttle is retired. Also, Teresa is an astronomy major so you will hear her excitement loud and clear! :)

To infinity and beyond!

As Buzz lightyear from Toy Story would say, “To infinity and beyond!”

Teresa and I have had quite the adventure the past couple of days. First of all, we have had on our calendars for two weeks now, “Sunday - 4:39AM Launch.” On Saturday, I got off work at 10:30PM, was home by 11PM and we were on the road by 11:30PM. It is only an hour drive, but most people we talked to recommended being there four hours prior to the launch. I let Teresa do the research of who, what, when, and where.

We arrived in Titusville by 12:30AM, but little did we know how unprepared we were. It was insane the number of people camped out with tents and everything. We drove around the area to check out what we got ourselves into and we found a parking spot about five blocks from the park.

After finding a spot inside the park, Teresa and I watched “Beauty and the Beast” on her ipod to pass the time. It was rather cold and we realized many things we should have brought – chairs, thicker blankets, and a flashlight. After sitting for four hours, it was down to twenty minutes until launch and they scrubbed it. Weather conditions would not allow the launch to take place. It was unbelievable to us, but as we made our way home, sleep deprived and all, we decided we’d be back the next night to see the launch.

Our second attempt and Endeavor’s second attempt was successful. I was off work at 7:30PM Sunday evening so I was able to cook up some dinner and do some online homework before we left. We left about the same time, 11:30PM, but we were on the hunt for chairs. Our closest Walmart was actually out of the fold up camping chairs and I thought it was just normal for small town Walmarts to run out of stuff when big events are happening. We found chairs at another Walmart and hit the road.
Through discussion, we decided it would be less packed for several reasons. First, it was not a weekend anymore so families would not be out there with their kids because they have school. Second, the Superbowl was on so many people would rather be on that band wagon. Last, it was much colder outside. Our theory turned out to be true because we actually arrived later and found closer seats. It was worth it to come back and try again.

I curled up in my chair and went to sleep from 1AM until about 3:45AM. There were a couple of times the mission turned red for weather conditions, but it cleared up just in time and all was green. I couldn’t believe it was actually launching; I honestly half-expected it to be scrubbed again.

But, at 4:14AM, Endeavor gracefully rose about the horizon into the sky and everyone cheered. We videoed it happening and it honestly looks like the sun is rising. Once it hits the clouds, it looks like a giant fireball. It was so cool, but it still seemed unreal.

In between the launch and work, I have had about 7 hours of sleep in 2 days.

Let’s just say it was a really long two days.

What's next? Catching up on sleep. Skydiving Wednesday!

And so it begins.

I am finally starting to settle into my schedule and catch up on my online homework. My Disney class starts next week and I got my book for it in the mail yesterday. I feel like I’m finally in a routine! I work out in the mornings with Teresa in the fitness center. Then, I clean up and pack my lunch/dinner. I typically work from around noon until seven or later – it depends if it’s a six or eight hour shift. Then, return home to prepare to start all over again!

I want to share some of my favorite parts about work so far. First of all, I drive through the Walt Disney World gate almost every day. There is just something about it that makes it feel “magicial.” Second, The Barnstormer is most kids first rollercoaster. I’ve decided 35’’ height is between 3-5 years old. I love seeing the excitement on their face or the fear. Most of the kids that left the station with fear on their face come back ready to get back in line and ride again. There are a few that return to the station bawling. But I definitely enjoy seeing that burst of excitement.

Also, Disney trains the cast members to treat everyone as an individual first and then assist with any disabilities or language barriers. I encountered my first Make a Wish family that came to ride the rollercoaster and it was really touching to give them the first rows and let them stay on and ride a second time. It’s also really nice when guests call me by my name just as we acknowledge their birthday, engagement, or anniversary buttons.

The most important things we strive for are safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency – in that order. The four service basics are simple sentences and Disney posts them everywhere: I project a positive image and energy. I am courteous and respectful to all Guests, including children. I stay in character and play the part. I go above and beyond. And our common goal: We create happiness by providing the finest entertainment for people of all ages everywhere. That is my training summarized in a paragraph!

Not that I’m running out of things to blog about, but the days are not as new and exciting as the first days, so I’d love to hear if any of you have specific questions about the program, the parks, the area, anything. A questions answered blog will be interesting so ask away!

If you do not have a Google account with the capacity to leave comments, email questions to kimberly.tuttle@students.opsu.edu

Training Assessment Passed? Check!

Howdy folks! Since my last update, I completed my third day of training and had my assessment the following day. My assessment went smoothly. I took a 90 question test over The Barnstormer and a 50 question test over Mickey’s Toontown Fair. Then, I had my Performance Assessment where I worked each position for ten to fifteen minutes. Later, I had an hour long meeting with a manager to go over the point system and what was expected of me.

I got to take the red ribbon that said “Earning my Ears” off of my name tag. I am all on my own! I have already worked two full shifts since my completion of training. I still have a few questions every now and then, but after a while I’m sure I’ll have it down great. The guests tend to have the same questions over and over so once I perfect my answer, haha, I’ll be good. Plus, the people I work with are a lot of fun. There are several other CPs or ICPs (International College Program). My co workers really make me feel at home and they are very encouraging.

City driving is an experience. I have lived in Guymon my entire life so small town driving is what I’m used to, but I’m very good at planning when I need to leave and what not to arrive on time. It is ten miles to work which computes to twenty minutes drive time for me. I have not really been out on the roads at rush hour times so I’m doing okay there. However, I have a gotten a couple of honks, which make me wish I had tinted windows. Sorry! I like to hope they blame it on my plates and think “Silly Oklahomans!”

I finally did my laundry the other morning. Since passing my assessment, I have had evening shifts; it’s nice. But our laundry matt is something else. We purchase a card and load it with money so that we do not deal with quarters. When you are ready to do a load, you put the card in and select your cycle and it takes a dollar off the card and shows your remaining balance. I got myself a free load because the washer next to mine was blinking “Reselect Cycle.” I opened it and there was nothing in it so I loaded it up and pressed a cycle and it ran without me using my card! I was pretty stoked!

I have been in Florida two weeks already! Time sure does fly! Happy February!

Enjoying my first days off!

I was so excited about my days off! I actually woke up naturally at 5 and had to make myself go back to sleep. Kaitlyn and I went to Magic Kingdom! I was such a little kid the whole way there – so excited! We rode Space Mountain, Buzz Lightgear, Barnstormer, Pirates, and Thunder Mountain. Obviously, transforming from backstage to on stage as a guest is different and I was critiquing the cast members on their friendliness and “Disney Point.” It is offensive in some countries to point with one finger, so the Disney point is two fingers or we use a full hand.

After magic Kingdom, Kaitlyn and I discovered Cast Connection which is Disney merchandise discounted for cast members. Then, next door is a property damages store, so because one thing or another was wrong with it, items are 75% off. I found a really cute light black jacket originally $55, which I purchased for $13. Of course, once I got home I figured out what was wrong with it – the zipper does not work. BUT, I hardly use zippers, soooo I’m good! J

It’s terrible that the head cold I have waited until my days off to attack me, but once I returned from Magic Kingdom, I doctored myself up with some chicken noodle soup and two full glasses of orange juice and completely crashed for like six hours. I woke up around 9pm and had some more chicken noodle soup and crashed back out for the rest of the night. Kaitlyn had to be up at 3:45 for a bus at 4:45 to be to work by 6. Those crazy early mornings are tough; I know my first few stunk!

My second day off, I slept in until 8 and it felt like Noon! I went grocery shopping and fueled up my car. Teresa and I went to Epcot for the evening and rode Test Track, Mission Space, and Soarin’. Then, we grabbed some fish and chips to wait for the fireworks. Oh, the fireworks were so beautiful; I’m looking forward to many more firework shows in the parks!

I’m ready for another full week of work. Wednesday is my closing training and Thursday is my assessment. My assessment includes two tests (90 questions over the Barnstormer and 50 questions over Minnie & Mickey’s House). Plus a performance test where someone stands back and observes me in the five spots of Greeter, Grouper, Front Lap Bar, Rear Lap Bar, and Panel.

I’m looking forward to being done with training, but then I’m mostly on evening shifts.

It’s a new adventure everyday!