So I've been here at Disney for 5 days now. I LOVE IT! My roommates are awesome and I've already made some wonderful friends. Our apartment is just the right size. I'm pretty much all settled in and everything is unpacked and in its place. I'm working at Downtown Disney. I will potentially be working 3 different stores: The Art of Disney, Making Memories, and Design A Tee. Yesterday was my first day of training. 3:30-midnight. Looooong hours but myself, Claire, Jenny, and Josh had a lot of fun with it because of our amazing trainer Jeanette. That woman was hilarious! I have today off. Tomorrow I have Merchantainment. Hopefully that will go by quickly. Then another day off on Sunday before more training M-Th. Thursday doesn't really count though because I only have a 2 hour Create-a-Hat training. Yay for customized Mickey Ear Hats! I also get to learn how to one-stitch embroider names on them. Kinda nervous about that. I went and bought my hideous granny shoes for work to go along with my not so attractive costume. It's seriously like they didn't want to come up with a different costume for the women so we got exactly what the men wear: black pants, white dress shirt, and a tie. And not a classy tie. A bright obnoxious tie that fades from color to color; red, orange, yellow, and purple. All covered in drawings of Mickey. Oh, and did I mention Polyester?? Haha. Love it. Not. Oh well, I knew it was coming. I really think I'm going to enjoy my work locations. They're all small and best of all, AIR CONDITIONED! I was so afraid I'd get stuck at some cart outside in this awful Florida heat. My thermometer in the car read 100 degrees when I left for training yesterday. Insane heat. So yeah, nothing too exciting yet in the life of this Disney CP. It's really nice to be able to just go to the parks when I'm bored though and there's always someone to go with! I absolutely love it here and can't wait for all of my family and friends from back home to come visit!

You're Almost Here!

Yesterday I got my "You're Almost Here!" e-mail from Disney. While I'm ridiculously excited, I am also slightly terrified. I've lived on my own before, for 2 years actually, but I was still only 2 hours from home and I could go back anytime I wanted to. Now I'll be 8 hours away, not exactly doable for a day trip. But I have Cindy, my "Florida Mommy" up in Jacksonville and I can't wait to see her and the family. It's been forever! My mom also has several girlfriends she used to work with who live in Florida, so I'm sure there will be people checking up on me. And Jaime and Jimmy recently moved from Illinois to Sarasota so now I have people I can go visit at the beach!

I can't believe that Sunday morning I'll really be driving to Orlando. I've dreamed about living there for as long as I can remember. And now it's really happening. Although I'm still kinda bummed that Erika can no longer do the program, I've met 3 great girls through the wonders of Facebook and I honestly can't wait to move in with Crystal, LaToya, and Ellen. Everything happens for a reason and this is just part of the plan that I wasn't aware of. I know it will all be for the best.

I haven't packed much yet. I might need to get on it, I am moving in only 5 more days afterall and since today is pretty much over, it's more like 4 days, and since Sunday I'll be driving it's really more like 3 days. Oh wow, I really need to start packing. I don't know what I want to wear tomorrow, how am I supposed to pack for 4 months!?

On another note, I only have 2 more days with my wonderful little munchkins down the street. When I took that job, I had no idea that I would fall so in love with those 3 kids. I'm going to miss Trinity, Isaac, and Charlotte so much. They've truly become a part of my family and I hope they get to come visit. Charlotte is at the perfect age for Disney World and she LOVES Sleeping Beauty so I think it would be wonderful to be able to see her face light up as she meets her for the first time.

On the 14th I had my going away party before everyone started school again. It was a blast and it made me realize even more just how much I'm going to miss my best friends. I've been with these girls through thick and thin for the past 7ish+ years. We're throwing together an impromptu dinner Saturday night for one last girls night with everyone together. Not seeing them all the time will be an adjustment. Thankfully we have cell phones and Skype.

Speaking of Skype, I set up an account for my parents today. Mom is amazed that she can SEE me when I'm not with her. Hopefully that will help with any homesickness.

At this point I'm just babbling pointlessly. I probably won't update again until I'm in Orlando. So until then, make a wish and do as dreamers do...

ºOº

It's finally AUGUST! Move-in month! ºOº

Well August is finally here and at the end of the month I will be in Orlando. And the roommate crisis is OVER. I have 3 wonderful girls to share and apartment with and it seems to be even more perfect than before. Maybe this is just the way things were meant to be. I'm super excited. I actually started packing some stuff up today. It's becoming so REAL! ºOº

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And today everything changed. I no longer have a roommate. 1 month until check-in and I'm starting over.

This. Sucks.

A Lot.

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It's about the MAGIC

Wow. I can't believe that I will be living in Orlando in less than 50 days. It all seems so surreal! Erika has her plane ticket and will be flying into Atlanta on August 28th. Then we'll drive to Orlando together on the 29th and check in to the Holiday Inn Sunspree. Dinner with Cinderella that night. I doubt we'll sleep much. We'll be far too excited about checking in bright and early the next morning. After talking, we've decided to try to get a 1 bedroom at Chatham or Patterson. If we can't get a 1 bedroom, we'll go for a 2 bedroom and hope we get decent roomies. It's just too much of a hassle to try to find people right now. As excited as I am about starting my program, I have something I need to vent about right now. If you don't want to read my complaints, I suggest you exit out of this screen now. Don't say you weren't warned.

I've been reading a lot of other CP blogs and checking Facebook and Twitter statuses. While the majority of them are positive, upbeat, and have an overall cheery outlook in regards to the program, not all are this way. I am astonished by the number of people who are currently on the program or have not even started the program yet who are bashing it. The pay isn't the greatest. The hours can suck too. You might hate your trainer and managers. You might hate your location. But you know this going into the program. You agreed to uncertainty when you accepted your position. You agreed to the role and the pay rate. YOU did not object and YOU certainly had the chance. Yes, it's Disney, but, like with any job, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. If you go into the program with the thought that it's some horrible way for a company to take advantage of lowly college students and work you to death then that's what it will be. Because that's what YOU want it to be. For those of us who truly want this with all their hearts, it's not about the pay or the hours or partying and getting wasted every night. It's about the experience. And that experience is what YOU make of it. It's about being a part of the MAGIC. It's about watching the expressions on the faces of kids and adults alike when they see Cinderella's castle for the first time. It's about being in a place full of wonder and amazement that some people only dream about. It's about larger than life turkey legs, giant huggable mice and chipmunks, and fireworks every night. It's about every boy and girl being treated as a prince or princess. It's about the MAGIC. So please, if you don't truly want this, don't go. Don't ruin the magic for someone else because you aren't ready to deal with the ups and downs of the real world.

You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality. -- Walt Disney

Yay Roomie!

The wait might kill me. But at least I have someone else who understands now that I can talk to. I have a roomie! Yay Erika! We've got lots of planning to do and I can't wait to go on adventures around Orlando! Alligators RAWR CHOMP! Haha. Hopefully we'll be able to find a couple more girls to live with us before August. Seems like there aren't a lot of people arriving on August 30th, or those who are won't be 21 so they have to live in a wellness apartment. Oh well, we'll find other roomies eventually. If you're a DCP person reading this and you know someone who is arriving August 30th and will be in a non-wellness apartment have them contact me.

163 Days Until Disney! ºOº

August 30, 2010

Today it became even more official. I've paid my fees and selected my check in date. It's really happening! On August 30, 2010 I will check in to Vista Way as an official Walt Disney World Resort Cast Member! Excitement doesn't even begin to cover the emotions I am feeling. Now I just have to wait for that darn purple folder to come in mail!