Out in the Streets

Today was my first day on the streets by myself…I want my restroom back! Lol. I know I know, I said I wasn’t going to like restrooms, but apparently I lied. Restrooms are so flippin’ easy compared to streets. The only good thing about streets is the guest interaction. I love talking to people! And pin trading with the guest is so much fun, especially the kids.

So this morning I clocked in and got my assignment. When you’re on streets you either get a zone or an assignment. So mine said to go pick the planters until a certain time. So by the time walked all the way to Splash to pick the planters, it was time for me to go back and get my next assignment. And this time it told me to take over Pecos zone and give some lady her break. I get on the radio and try to call her and what do you know, I can’t get a hold of her. So I have to go find someone to help me…again. I found this really nice guy and together we walked all over the place to find this lady and come to find out her radio wasn’t even turned on. So I take the radio and I’m on my own to try to figure out what to do in this zone. And usually in the CDS break rooms they have what we call “grab and go’s” that tell us what trash cans are in what zones. But of course they didn’t have one for Pecos! So I had to try to figure it out myself. Pecos zone is the area surrounding the Pecos Bill’s restaurant. So I was pulling trash when one of my coordinators came up to me and was like you’re doing parade clean up, we tried to contact you. I look down and my radio is off. I’m like great, I have a stupid radio that doesn’t work. So I go back stage to get ready for parade clean up. It was pretty cool because I got to see the floats and the characters getting ready for the parade. The Chilean miners were in Disney today. They were the grand marshals in the parade. So after parade clean up, I went back to my zone and eventually got a call on the radio saying that someone had my break and to meet them in front of the popcorn stand. I dump my trash down the stupid AVAC and rushed to the cart. I waited there for 15 minutes and no one ever showed up. So I went back to pulling trash because I didn’t want to get in trouble for not doing anything. After about 30 minutes someone called me again with the same message and this time they actually showed up. So I took my 15 minute break an hour late. After my break I got another assignment and it told me to got sweep pop corn over by Big Thunder for 15 minutes. So I did. And then I was told to take over Big Thunder which is like the worse zone. And of course I would get his on my first day. Just like yesterday. So I started pulling trash and this is where my first cute kid story comes into play. I was sweeping pop corn and this gentleman came up and asked me how to get to Fantasy land. He had two little boys in a stroller with him. One was about 1 and the other one couldn’t be any older than 3. Well after the 3 year old asked me what I was doing. I told him I was cleaning and he looked at me and said “you’re doing a great job cleaning”. He put the biggest smile on my face. And then the dad told me he gave me credit for being so sweet and having a smile on my face while dealing with trash. And then as they were walking away the little boy looked back at me and told me to have a good day. It was the cutest thing ever. Also while I was I was in Big Thunder Maria came and saw me! She pin traded with me and asked me directions to ridiculous places just so she could talk to me. lol. I was so glad she came and saw me. It made my day. Then I was deployed back to Pecos where I finished out my night. I didn’t have to pull trash right away because the guy before me was awesome and did it right before I showed up. So I just got to walk around and sweep and talk to people. Then the Main Street Electrical parade came through. I probably should have been closing my cans, but instead I watched the parade. Lol. I love the Electrical parade! It’s amazing. After the parade I started to close my cans, but then realized it was time for me to clock out. I kind of panicked because I had only done like 4 out of 17 cans. But I went ahead and clocked out because if you don’t clock out on time you get a point on your record. (Three points is a reprimand and when you get four reprimands you get terminated). So I’m kind of worried about not closing my zone right. But I really didn’t have time even if I would of started during the parade. Because the parade didn’t end until 7:40 and the park closed at 8 and that’s the same time I got off. So I blame it on the scheduling. Lol. But I did get to catch the first part of Wishes before I had to go backstage. I love the Wishes theme song!

Tomorrow I work 3:30 to 9:30 in the streets. Which means I actually have a closing shift not a weird mid shift. So it should go smoother tomorrow. I guess we’ll see.

Costume

I totally forgot to post a picture of my costume. So here ya go...

I know you're super jealous! ;)

Veranda?! 10-9!

Today was my first day of work all by myself. It was freaking crazy! Let me tell ya…

So I got to sleep in this morning. Woooohooooo! It’s was amazing I’m not gonna lie. I woke up around noon and then headed to work around 1:20 even though my shift didn’t start until 3:30. I had to go to costuming and I wanted to try to get to Cast Connections and Property Control again. Well…once again, it was an epic fail. Seriously walked around the whole parking lot and still couldn’t find my way to other side of the fence. And I really need on the other side of that fence! There’s stuff I need to buy people! Lol. So after giving up miserably, I went to costuming to get pants that might actually fit me. And thank goodness they had my size this time. So I went to work and sat in the locker room for an hour just wasting time because I was so gosh dang early. At this point I was nervous about my day, but not too overly nervous. So finally it’s time for me to get my pan and broom and find my way to the custodial break room thingy in sleepy hollow. This is wear things kind of take a turn for the worse…

I get my pan and broom out of my locker and start walking to the sleepy hollow CDS (the computer we clock in on) 15 minutes early because we can clock in 15 minutes early. My schedule said I was going to be in restrooms today, but I didn’t want to get keys yet until I was sure. Now mind you…the keys for the restrooms are located at the custodial base which is right by my pan and broom locker and the sleepy hollow CDS break room is about three hallways away upstairs. Because I was early I thought I would have enough time after I clocked in to come back down stairs and get keys. Wrong. I clocked in and printed out my assignment that said “please take over Female 2 – Veranda/LTT w/ radio call MK16, bumpout Antia”. Now, I don’t know what any of this freaking means and I start flippin’ out. Especially since the time is on there and everyone is always talking about how you have to be on time all the time. So I practically run back down stairs through the long hallways of the tunnel to base and get a flippin’ set of keys and speed walk all the way back up to sleepy. My day has barely even started and I’m sweating like none other. So I get back and I still have no clue what to do. So I ask some dude if he wants to help me. Lol. And of course he was super nice about the whole thing and helped me. I love the later shifts because there are actually people my age working. The morning shifts are all older people. But anyway…I had to call this chick on the base radio that stays by the computer, and tell her I was coming to give her her bumpout. Now here’s the thing, about 75% (give or take) of the custodial team is Haitian or from some other country. Which means you can’t understand them! So when I finally figured out how to work the daggum radio I couldn’t understand her anyway. So the guy who was helping me kindly walked me over the Veranda restroom because I had no clue where it was.

Ok, Female 2 is Veranda and LTT which is Liberty Tree Tavern. This means who have two restrooms to maintain. Now, Veranda is the largest, busiest restroom in the Magic Kingdom. And yes, this was my assignment on my FIRST day by myself! Shoot me please. So I finally meet up with the Antia lady and she hands me the restroom radio and says something that I absolutely cannot understand. And then everyone leaves. Then I start to freak out even more because I’m completely overwhelmed and have no clue what to do from here. So I sign into the restroom with the scanner that’s on the bottom of the radio. We have to do this every time we enter or leave a restroom. We also have to tell the scanner what we did such as clean toilets, wipe sinks, pull trash ect. So I’m walking around sweeping because I don’t know what else to do. Then I remember that I’m supposed to be cleaning and sanitizing everything so I attempt to try to find the supply closet. And even though we were shown during our training, I couldn’t for the life of me remember where the Veranda supply closet was! I looked like a chicken with my head cut off, sticking keys in every door I could find. So I finally spot another custodian in the bathroom, who is Haitian, and try to ask her where the closet is. She showed me and then just walked off. So after I grab what I think I need from supply, I walk out and one of my managers and one of my coordinators spots me and calls me over. So now I’m freaking out majorly because I think I’ve already done something terribly wrong. But they just wanted to help me and see if I needed anything. It seriously took everything I had not to break down and start crying while they were talking to me. I was just so overwhelmed and I’m one of those people who just starts crying when I’m overwhelmed or stressed. But I held it together. They were super nice and all they wanted to do was help and make sure I was ok. So my coordinator showed me the Liberty Tree Tavern restroom and told what I needed to do and not to hesitate to call her on the radio if I needed anything. And then she left me and I was all by myself again. And it really wasn’t that bad once I started getting the hang of things. The Veranda restroom was super freaking busy and I had a hard time remembering what toilets I had or hadn’t cleaned yet. But I pretty much spent my day walking around and making sure everything was clean. I pulled trash when it got full, wiped off the counters with my squeegee when they were wet, sanitized toilets when I felt like it, swept the floor, replaced paper towels and toilet paper when needed, and said hi to princesses all day. Restrooms are pretty easy. Every time when another cast member would ask what bathroom I had they would say I feel so sorry for you, but they said that after having Veranda on my first day, everything else will be a piece of cake.

Since I had two restrooms, every now and then I would have to go check on Liberty. And I would have to sign in and out of each restroom when I did this. Super annoying. But liberty is in a restaurant and is super small. So that one was easy. And I kind of had an assistant through out my shift and they would go over there most of the time and keep up that one. But I did have my first Code V today! It was over in Liberty and it was all over the sink and floor. We could use Vo Ban (sawdust basically) on the floor, but not on the sink. Vo Ban is amazing because it absorbs everything right up and totally covers up the smell. So even though I had to clean most of it by hand, it wasn’t too bad. I think working in a daycare really helped me in this situation. Lol.

I got one 15 minute break and then a 45 minute “lunch”. After my “lunch” it was time to start closing my restrooms down. When I was done with Liberty, I was scanning everything I did with the scanner and then it wouldn’t let me sign out. And in order to sign in at the other restroom, you have to scan out of the one your in first. So I started to kind of freak out because I only have an hour left to close Veranda which is going to take forever. And I thought I broke the scanner. And if the scanner doesn’t work you have to write everything by hand and I didn’t have time for that! So I had to go back to sleepy and figure out what to do. And thank goodness Jackie was there! (My trainer) It was good to see her except she laughed when I told her I was in Veranda. But she fixed my scanner and I was on my way. Closing veranda took me an hour and 15 minutes. It’s a huge restroom. But I did it! And it looked amazing if I do say so myself. Even one of the managers told someone I did a great job for my first day. The only thing that absolutely sucks about restrooms at night is that you completely miss Wishes. And what makes it worse is that they play the Wishes music and dialog over the loud speakers across the whole park, even the restrooms apparently. So while I’m bent over scrubbing toilets I’m tortured with the Wishes theme song and fireworks that sound like bombs going off. But it still brought a smile to my face and I did sing along…loudly because the bathroom was dead because everyone was watching the show.

I got to clock out at 11:15 even though my schedule said 11:30 because we get a 15 minute walk time when we’re in restrooms because we have to return our keys. My feet hurt sooo incredibly bad! Like I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone. Even when I sit down my feel start to throb. What I wouldn’t give for a foot massage! And what makes it worse is that in the tunnels right under the castle the floor slopes up so you have to walk up this hill at the end of your shift when you’re butt tired. But I made it! Then I had to endure the 40 minute bus ride home.

I had a frozen pizza, guacamole chips, and a huge glass of Dr. Pepper for dinner. It was delicious!

The schedule for next week was posted and I’m off on audition day! Yay! I’m so excited!

Tomorrow I’m in the streets. I’m pretty pumped about it. Especially since I got my pin lanyard yesterday and I can pin trade with guest.

Even though it was tough, I did it! Custodial is not for people who are not going to work hard because it is a lot of work. But I like having a job where I’m doing something productive. And I’m constantly doing something, so the time went by really fast. Even though it’s not the most glamorous job, it’s so worth it when you hear a guest say “this bathroom smells good and looks amazing” and thanks you for your hard work. J

I love Disney!

I Got the Magic!

So here's the deal...I'm freaking exhuauted. So exhausted that I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes open while typing. So I'll go into more detail about my day today, tomorrow. But here's the highlights:
Woke up late.
Passed my assessment. Yay...I have officially earned my ears!
Went straight back up stairs after clocking out to go play.
Played in the park until 9:00 with Maria and Heather and Trevor and one of Trevor's friends.
HAD A GREAT TIME!
Danced with Goofy in Movie it Shake it Celebrate it.
Had my first Dole Whip.
Watched wishes for the first time and is was amazing.
I get to sleep in tomorrow!!!
I also work by myself tomorrow night for the first time and I'll be in RR. Should be interesting.
I'm going to bed. Sooooooooooo tired....

Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It!

So today was my official second day of on the job training. And it was restroom training. =/ I know right? I can tell you right now that I’m not going to be a fan of restrooms. And it’s not because I think they’re gross or anything, I mean they are, but I don’t like them because there is a lot to cleaning the restrooms. A lot you have to do and remember.

First of all you have to remember where all the bathrooms are and most bathrooms are paired with another bathroom so you have to remember which restrooms are paired with which, which is super confusing because some of our bathrooms are under refurbishment so all the pairings are messed up. And all the restrooms are assigned a number and some have two numbers, but there’s no number 8. I don’t know! Super confusing. But anyway…

It was me, my trainer Jackie, and the another trainee again today. We talked in the break room again this morning for like an hour and a half before we went on stage. And somehow we got on the subject of Tinkerbell! Of course we would. So after our awesome long talk that I could barely keep my eyes open through, we walked all the bathrooms which took forever.

And then at 12:30 it was time for Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! This doesn’t happen in the West, it happens in the Hub in the South right in front of the castle, but Jackie is an awesome trainer and took us over and let us dance. For those who don’t know, Move it Shake it is a street party. It’s where 5 floats with characters on them and dancers on the street come down Main Street with loud music and park at the Hub. After they park some of the characters get off the floats and then guest get to dance in the street with the dancers and characters. What’s super cool is that it’s the only thing other than character dining’s where guest get to really interact with some of the characters. And it’s so fun to watch the parents get into it as well. I’m not gonna lie, I took everything I had not to cry (tears of joy!). Disney will never cease to amaze me. It’s just awesome to watch cast members interact with guest and I can’t even describe to you how amazing it feels to watch little kids light up when they see the characters. It’s incredible to be a part of something so wonderful. So yes, as lame as it sound, I did almost cry. But I held it back and danced my butt off in the street! It’s so much fun to pull kids in the street and have them dance with you. And everyone’s doing it so you don’t fell like such a goofball. Lol. And I love the music to move it shake it! It will put you in a good mood no matter what kind of day you’re having. The only thing that sucks about move it shake it is that at the end they pop streamers and we have to get them out of the bushes and trees. Lol. (youtube it if you want to see what it is).

So after we danced we went to lunch and then it was time to do some actual cleaning in one of the bathrooms. So we went down to the Splash Mountain restroom and you would think it wouldn’t be that busy because Splash Mountain is closed until the 1^st, but it was really busy. And after we cleaned for a bit and learned everything we needed to know, we were done for the day. It really wasn’t a bad day and it went by really fast. So I’m done with training! Yay! Oh and I did get an earning my ears sticker today. Go figure. Lol. Tomorrow is my assessment and then I start by myself on Sunday.

I cannot wait for Sunday because my shift doesn’t start until 3:15 which mean I get to sleep in!!! I just have to get through tomorrow. And I’m planning on just staying in the park after my shift ends tomorrow because I have to get a funnel cake or just some type park food! It smells so flippin’ delicious! J

Train, Trainer, Trainee, Training!

So I’m sitting in my room listening to Illuminations go off in the background. You can’t see them, but you can definitely hear them. Same with Wishes at 8:00. I just got done skyping my whole family. It was the first family night without me. =(

So I know I said yesterday was my first day of on the job training, but apparently I lied. Today was the first official day. And it was sooo much better than anything I’ve had to do so far. Today we actually got to go on stage and do things that we’ll being doing everyday. Today was street training. But first I have to let you know that I did finally find my daggum locker! And I hate my name tag. It seriously takes me like 10 minutes just put it on!

My trainer was awesome! Her name was Jackie and she started at Disney with her college program back in spring 2007. There was also another girl training with me. The three of us talked in the break room for an hour before we actually did anything. Let me tell you, it’s really weird to sit in the break room and hear horses going down Main Street above your head. Lol. Jackie pulled out a map and showed us where all the different zones are in the West. There’s only like a million. There’s Diamond Horseshoe, Potato, Hula, Sleepy, Big Thunder, Briar, Golden Oak, Pirates, Jungle, and a whole bunch I’m forgetting.  So after we wasted an hour just talking, we went and got our lovely pan and brooms and went up to the sleepy hollow custodial break room. I only met like a hundred people today. Did you know that there are 600 custodial cast members in the Magic Kingdom alone?! Crazy huh?

Today was pumped full of information just like every other day is. There is so much you have to know in custodial. Like I can’t get over it. One thing that is really confusing is the radios. I mean they’re not that confusing, but they’re a pain in the butt. And if you’re pulling trash or pushing the power vac it’s really hard to hear it and then try to answer it. I’m just so worried about messing up or not doing something right.

But anyway…so the first thing we did on stage was polish some water fountains. It’s one of the tasks you have to do if you open the park. Which I probably never will, because as people around here like to say, CP doesn’t stand for College Program, it stands for Closing People. Which is pretty much true. I mean just look at my schedule after I get done with training.

So it seriously took us an hour to polish four water fountains. People at Disney don’t do anything half ass that’s for sure. But those water fountains were the shiniest water fountains I’ve ever seen. And while we were polishing the water fountains, someone came up to us and asked where the Princess and the Bullfrog was. It took everything I had not to bust out laughing. Speaking of, I did get to see Princess Tiana today. She and her Prince are in Liberty Square. Her dress is my favorite of all the princesses. Then we took a 15 minute break because we had been working so hard. Lol.

Then it was time for track talk. Which is like a custodial staff meeting that happens every morning and every evening. So the West Side custodial met in some restaurant that wasn’t open yet and had like a 15 minute talk with one of our leaders for the day. It was actually kind of fun. Our leader went over some housekeeping things and stuff going on in the park that day and then you end the meeting with a little bit of Disney trivia and history. Did you know Dopey was originally cast to be the sorcerers apprentice in Fantasia? So it was kind of interesting. And then after track talk we walked the entire West Side and discussed the different zones. It took us 2 hours! Like I said, there’s like a million zones with like a million and one trash cans in each zone. And in some zones you even have to bus some tables. I think I read today that there are 1100 trash can in the Magic Kingdom. But don’t quote me on that. I just know there’s a freaking lot. Like seriously there’s one every two feet.

Let me tell you! I love working in the park, but it really sucks to have to work and smell all of this flippin’ delicious food and not be able to eat any of it. It’s like the worst ever. I can’t tell you how bad I wanted a funnel cake today. Lol. And I’ve also decided that I have to try a chruro before I leave. They smell amazing!

So we went to each zone and walked it and Jackie showed us pretty much each can in each zone. And some of the cans are in the attractions and getting to them can be extremely tricky. Jackie kept saying that we can cut in line as much as we want, but we can never ride the rides. =/ lol. There are so many cast only entrances and secret passage ways and stairs. If you look hard enough, you see them every where. But guest are so busy worrying about playing that they never see any of it. But I must admit it is really cool to be able to use doors and stairs that no one else can use. We also got to see Splash Mountain with no one on it. It has been closed all month for refurbishment because they added lap bars to the boats and we got to see them test it out today. I caught myself a couple times today saying to myself, “are we allowed to go in here?”, but then I remember that I’m a cast member! Lol.

And it’s official! I’m an official cast member, because today for the first time I used the Disney point when directing a guest! Lol. For those of you who don’t know what the Disney point is, it is a point using two fingers, not one. In some places that’s really offensive. So we use two fingers to point. Or the whole had, but two fingers is way cooler. And I can’t wait to start pin trading while working! My trainer got stopped at least 10 times today by kids asking to see her pins. She ended up having a completely different set of pins at the end of the day than what she started with. I LOVE THE GUEST INTERACTION! It’s the best thing about custodial that I’ve seen so far. We got stopped so many times today. People asking anything from where’s the nearest bathroom to where’s Pirates of the Caribbean to where can I find a certain type of food to where can I find Pluto. And I love people with accents. Even though I have no clue what they’re saying, it’s fun to talk to them. I also used my pan and broom for the first time today. It’s a lot harder than it looks. Especially since we try to sweep and keep walking at the same time. It’s definitely going to take some time to get it down right. And I officially hate popcorn. You don’t realize how much of it people eat until that’s all you’re sweeping up.

I’ve decided that I really like the Adventure Land zones better than the others. Adventure land just seems like more fun. And there are more kids. I have feeling I will be starting a collection of things I find while working. Just little things like weird business cards people drop. We found a little paper booklet today that said “Jesus love you” in some foreign language. It was kind of neat.

So after we went over every flippin’ zone it was finally time for lunch and Jackie ate with us which was cool. Disney trainers are so nice. Lunch was awesome…we got to sit down! When you’re in custodial, you are on your feel ALL day! It really sucks going from a job where I sat down 95% of the time to a job where I stand 100% of the time.

After lunch we went to a zone and did a full trash run. We went to the Diamond Horseshoe zone. I think it has like 17 cans or something. So in order to do a run you have to go get a dolly and push it around to each can and check each can and dump the trash and then after you’ve done all the cans you have to go back to the AVAC tube and dump all the trash in there. There’s like a hundred more steps between all those, but it would take me forever to write it all out, but that’s the gist of it. And then if you’re in a zone that the parade runs through, you have to do parade clean up which consist of running that really big vacuum thingy I was talking about yesterday. Well it’s called a power vac and yes, I did get to run it today and I’m sure it was really funny to see me behind it. It’s super loud and all the guest stare at you when you’re going down the street with it. I had someone seriously take a picture of me while pushing it today. =/ lol.

Then we were finally done for the day. And tomorrow we get to learn all about how to clean the restrooms. Yippy freaking Skippy. No, custodial really isn’t that bad. I don’t think. I get to see the parades every day and when I work late I’ll se the fireworks every night. And I get to talk to people and roam by myself.

I was talking to Jackie today and she said when you check into the computer you get either a zone or an assignment. When you get a zone you do trash runs and keep your area looking nice. When you get an assignment, it can be anything from just panning and brooming, to picking trash out of flower beds, to getting autographs. Yes, getting autographs is actually an assignment you can get. That means you go around and ask little girls dressed like princesses for their autographs! We also do pre parade, which means you go out and give stickers to kids and blow bubbles before the parade. Once you get past the trash and restroom part of the job it’s pretty awesome. Just being in the park every day is amazing. You really do believe in magic when you work here.

I was walking in the tunnels today and every now and then there will be a tour group down there and I over heard one tour guide today tell the group that when in the tunnels cast members don’t have to smile. I just thought it was funny to hear that. Because it’s so true. And most of the time we’re not smiling when backstage just because our cheeks hurt from smiling so much on stage! Lol. And we’re butt tired and don’t really care to smile at each other. We’re all in the same boat.

Maria and I went to the Patterson welcome party tonight. There were sooo many people. We didn’t stay long because we were so darn tired. I’m actually looking forward to the days where I work later. That way I get to sleep in and then go to work.

But I still absolutely love it here. J

West Side!

So today was my first day of on the job training. Which is stupid because it was pretty much just another orientation class.

Ok, so first of all I got up at 6:00 to catch a flippin’ bus when I didn’t even have to be there until 8:00. Don’t get me wrong, the buses are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be and they are super convenient. But it really sucks when you have to get up an hour earlier than you should have to and you get home an hour later than you should. But anyway…I finally arrived at the Magic Kingdom Utilidors like an hour earlier than my shift was suppose to start so I was going to try to find my locker. Well that was an epic fail. The Utilidors are so freaking confusing! I know it’s just one big giant circle, but still! And I don’t know if it’s just me, but the tunnels (utilidors) are super ghetto. Like they’re not joking when they say they put all their effort into putting on a show on stage. Because it’s apparent that backstage gets no attention what so ever. I mean it’s not horrible, but I would so rather be on stage than off.

So I didn’t want to look like a dumb CP that didn’t know what they were doing, even though that’s exactly what I was! So I just kept walking and walking until I found the white bench I was suppose to meet my trainers at. And then I sat there for 40 minutes because I was so dang early.

Today was my first day to wear my costume. And I know I said I would have pictures, but I was so flippin’ tired after work that I didn’t want to put the effort into taking a picture. But soon though! So my costume…first of all, it’s white which is absolutely retarded for custodians to wear if you ask me. Second of all, it literally took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to put my stupid name tag on. And let me just tell you, I have never had so much stuff on my belt loop in my life. I’m not exaggerating, there was something hanging off every one of my belt loops! I had my pouch, my squeegee, my gum scrapper, my water bottle, and towels! I was like seriously? This costume already swallows me and now I’m not going to be able to walk because it’s weighing me down! Lol. And OMG…there is sooooooooo much freaking information that goes along with custodial! I’m seriously on over load. First we have to know which chemicals to use on what because there’s only like a biggilion! And then we have to know the park inside and out. We have to know what time the shows start, where every flippin’ restroom is, what time other parks close, what food is sold where, where the smoking areas are, and all these freaking phone extensions that call a million different things. Then we have to now where to clock in, how to get our assignments. We have a laminated card with like a gaggilion radio codes on it. We have to figure out how to use the radios, how to get restroom keys, where the supplies are. We have to figure out which stair cases leads to what opening on stage. It’s freaking ridiculous! Like I said, overload! But I’m hoping once I actually start doing stuff on stage, everything will get better. I hope.

So because I’m training I’m suppose to have an “Earning my Ears” sticker for my name tag. But I never got one. Everyone else has one, but not me. I was forgotten. Which I’ve decided is not a bad thing because this way not everyone knows you’re a new dumb CP. Lol. But I’m sure I’ll get one tomorrow.

So back to the beginning of my day…we started out with stupid flippin’ e-learning again! I’m so tired of sitting at a freaking computer for hours and staring at the screen while a monotone voice tells you stuff you’re never going to remember. It’s awful! Especially when you can’t keep your eyes open for nothing! So after that was done, I really can’t remember what we did. Boring crap. Eventually we took a lunch break and then got back to boring stuff. We went down and figured out our pan and broom locker situation. I’m sharing a locker with some dude. I think his name is Jonathan. We have a bottom locker and when you open it roaches scatter. Yah, awesome right?! So we all got brand new pan and brooms and were warned that they will get stolen. I was like, well that’s real reassuring. But I guess that’s what the custodians do; they steal each others pan and brooms. Especially if they’re new. My goal is to be that very small percentage of CP’s who keep their same pan and broom the entire session. We’ll see. Then we finally went on stage to do another freaking tour. We went up and down so many stairs and in and out so many dang doors! I have never been so confused.

I can’t remember if I said where I’m working. But I’m working the West Side! I feel like a gangster every time I say that. Lol. The west side consists of Adventure Land, Frontier Land, and Liberty Square. So that’ll be my domain unless for some reason someone calls out and they put me somewhere else. Just incase you’re wondering, the East Side is Fantasy Land and Tomorrow Land. And the South Side is Main Street. I would of loved south because they get the parade and get to watch the fireworks from the best view, but Main Street is also super super busy. So I’ll stick with my West Side.

So after I clocked out I tried to find my clothes/personal locker again. And what do you know, I still couldn’t find it. I have never seen so many lockers in my life. So tomorrow I’m going to take the time to work myself through the maze of over a few thousand lockers, literally, and find mine. 803 has to be in there somewhere! After work, I was going to go to Cast Connections and Property Control to shop, but I couldn’t figure out how to get to them. They’re in the back of the cast parking lot, but there’s a huge fence that I can’t figure out how to get around. So I walked the huge parking lot for 15 minutes trying to figure it out with no luck. So I went to costuming instead and got an undershirt because my jacket swallows me and a super sexy hat that eats my head. Yah, great day. But I do have to say I really enjoyed hearing Owl City in the tunnels while walking to lunch today. I almost burst out singing. Adam Young can turn anyone’s day around.

So I came home and went straight to sweat and a tank top. Then I had to lie down for a few minutes because I was exhausted. But I didn’t want to sleep so long that I couldn’t go to sleep tonight, so I got up and had some roman noodles and watched Hannah Montana and now I’m going to bed. Yay! Hopefully I’ll actually get to do some training tomorrow.

So after today let’s just say I’m really hoping to get character performer because I just can’t see my little self lifting humungous trash cans and pushing that humungous vacuum thingy (I can’t remember what it’s called) that they push around after parades that sucks up trash. Seriously, it’s as big as I am. So I’m thinking little, green fairy, pixie hollow thoughts. J

Bad to Good

I had a pretty sucky morning. But my night made up for that. I colored which is always fun. Trevor came over and hung out with us. He ate the rest of my cheesy spaghetti and we baked cookies. Then we all played Disney Apples to Apples and Jenga. Super excited about training tomorrow. :)

Sorry

I'm so sorry if I had to add you to read my blog. I had to block it for stupid reasons. It amazes me how immature some people can be.
Anyway...I'm off today. I did my first load of laundry! I had to buy a laundry card which is dumb. It's two dollars to do a full load; wash and dry. Oh well. But I did get a free pair of Chatham shorts that were left in the dryer. So that was pretty awesome.
We haven't decided if we're going to do anything tonight. It's suppose to storm really bad. I want to go out to get my mind off of things, but I really don't feel like getting drentched. I don't know, we'll see.
I hope everyone has a great day!

First Day Off!

So today has been the first boring day since I’ve been here. And it wasn’t really boring, I just didn’t do anything. Which was awesome! The last few days have completely worn me out!

Today I was off and so was Broghan, my roommate. So we went to Wal-Mart and got some stuff we needed. I got my sexy black shoes for work and a step stool because I’m so short that I can’t reach some of the cabinets in our kitchen. And then when our other roommates got home, I cooked dinner. I made cheesy chicken spaghetti. And it was delicious! I was proud of myself for making it all by myself. I almost burnt it, but yah know. Lol.

So I just realized that I told you I got my costume the other day, but I didn’t tell you anything about it. Well…I’m still not going to until Wednesday when I wear it for the first time. Hehe. Suspense people. Disney is really big on suspense and anticipation. So I’m just practicing. Lol. No, I just don’t want to put it on at the moment and take a picture.

But I did finally unpack! I’ve been here for a week and a half and still hadn’t unpacked. Sad but true. I’ve just been so busy!

All I see is Tinkerbell! Of course. I’m really trying not to get my hopes up, but it’s kind of impossible.

So I went on the Hub today to see if anymore of my schedule was up and there were a few extra days up. I really hate military time and that’s what Disney goes by. Anyway…here it is:

TUESDAY: Off

WEDNESDAY: 8:00 – 16:45 “For our Guest” training

THURSDAY: 8:00 – 16:45 Streets training

FRIDAY: 8:00 – 16:45 Restroom training

SATURDAY: 8:00 – 14:45 Assessment

SUNDAY: 15:30 – 23:30 RR

MONDAY: 14:00 – 20:00 Streets

TUESDAY: 15:15 – 21:15 RR

WEDNESDAY: OFF

THRUSDAY: OFF

FRIDAY: 14:30 -20:30 St/RR

SATURDAY: 17:15 – 23:15 Streets

Paint With All the Colors of the Wind

I’m starting to get my days really mixed up! It does not feel like tomorrow is Monday. It’s probably because I have tomorrow and Tuesday off.

Today’s training was ok. Definitely nothing exciting. I had custodial core training. It was at Disney University and I was in a classroom all day going over custodial basics. We learned how to clean up a blood spill, how to scrap gum, how to do a trash run, and of course learned how to clean up the all important code V or protein spill aka…vomit. It really won’t be as bad as everyone thinks it will. We have this really good chemical that absorbs it right up and then we just sweep it into our pans. Training wasn’t bad, but it will be so much better and a lot more fun when we’re actually out doing it in hands on or field training. I was having such a hard time keeping my eyes open today, it was awful. And then after lunch in the Mouseketeria we had computer training which was just as bad as morning class training. We sat at computers for three hours watching boring, but I guess important, videos about blood borne pathogens, guest with disabilities, chemicals, and we also got a tour of the Hub. Which is Disney’s own personal part of the internet. It’s where our schedules are posted, where we can find discounts, and check out other activities going on. So after I finally got done with that boringness I went to go catch the bus home. And of course right as I’m walking to the bus stop I see the housing bus pull away. I was like really? So I had to sit there for 20 minutes until the next one came. (Because our housing buses usually run every 20 minutes from each location). And taking the buses really isn’t as horrible as everyone makes them out to be. I think there awesome. They come very frequently and you get to where you’re going safely and without the worry of getting lost. And you meet a lot of people. I love taking the bus that goes to Epcot because that’s the bus all the International CP’s take. I love hearing all the different languages and accents. It’s so much fun!

I really wanted to just go home and sleep because I was so exhausted, but of course I went out and played instead. Maria and Heather had the day off and spent the day at Hollywood Studios, so I met up with them.

We waited in line for Tower of Terror, rode that, and then met up with the boys who were already standing in the Fantasmic show line. The 6:30 was already full so we had to stand for an hour and half and wait for the 8:00 showing. And they’re only showing Fantasmic two days a week now so we really wanted to see it. And oh my goodness…it was amazing! Definitely worth the wait!

I’m finding that it’s really easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of your job and job training here and forget where we are. So Fantasmic tonight really reminded me again of just where I am and what I’m calling home.

Every now and then there will be a certain song that plays while I’m at the parks that will really just blow me away and remind me of just how amazing Disney is and what an amazing opportunity I have to be here. Tonight it was “Color’s of the Wind” from Pocahontas during Fantasmic. I almost cried, I’m not going to lie. Just watching the amazing effects and being surrounded by amazing people and an amazing company is just awesome. I’m so busy here, but I realized tonight that no matter how busy I get, I need to stop everyday and just appreciate where I am and that’s Disney! I’m living at Disney. I’m literally eating, sleeping, drinking, dreaming, and breathing Disney! It’s the coolest thing.

The top of my right foot is still really swollen for some reason. I have no idea what I did to it. It’s been swollen and hurting ever since mom and I went to the parks last Tuesday. I don’t know if I pulled something or just really bruised it. But of course it can’t get better because I’m constantly walking all the time here! So I’m icing it right now in hopes that it will help.

OMG! Exciting news…all us CP’s received an email last week saying that there will be female character look a-like performer try outs on February 9th. I’ve decided that I’m going for it! I mean why not?? I have nothing to lose. So I was doing research and I’m too short to be any of the princesses, but I’m perfect height and weight to be Wendy from Peter Pan or any of the Fairy’s from Pixie Hollow! My dream would to be Tinker Bell. J So here’s hoping I’m not scheduled for that day or that my schedule will work out to where I can audition. I’m super excited! It’s kind of a long shot, but this journey is all about adventure and taking risks and stepping out of my comfort zone. So here I go!

Magic Magic and more Magic!

Oh…my…goodness…today was so much fun, but sooo flippin’ exhausting! If anyone ever gets the chance to do this program…DO IT! It’s amazing and you will have the time of your life.

Everyone says to wear flats to “Once Upon A Time…Is Now” training, but just like yesterday no matter what you wear is going to suck. I stood and walked so much today that there was no prayer for my little feet.

Like I said, I had “Once Upon A Time…Is Now” training today which is the park orientation for cast members working in the Magic Kingdom. There’s a lot I can’t talk about, which sucks because you know I would so tell you every little detail. But I would get termed and I really like it here. Lol. But I’ll hit the highlights of what I can tell you or think I can. There are so many rules here and so much to remember. There was sooo much information today that I’m totally on overload!

So I had to get up at 5:30 this morning to catch a bus to Disney University. It was sooo cold today. The high was 60 and felt like it was below freezing. Or at least to me it did. In this training class today they take you on a tour of the Park or at least as much as they can in 4 hours. We didn’t even get through half the park. But it was cool to listen to the history and learn fun little facts you never knew. You will never look at the park the same after you do this program. There are so many little details that a lot of people don’t realize because they’re going through the park so fast. We also got to ride Buzz Lightyear and the Haunted Mansion. And keep in mind, I did all this and got paid for it. It’s a pretty good deal if you ask me. And then after 4 hours of tour we split up into small groups with our trainers and did some more exploring. I got lucky and got a custodial group of just three of us and our trainer. His name was Ryan and he was awesome! And pretty cute I’m not gonna lie. ;) We walked around and talked about custodial things and saw Philharmagic and rode Pirates of the Caribbean.

Cool fun fact: they were filming the new TBS show “Are We There Yet?” in the Magic Kingdom today.

I also got my costume today! The costume building is seriously like a mall. It’s way cool. And I’m so happy that they play normal people music and not Disney music in costuming and backstage. It keeps us from going crazy. Lol.

 I also got my schedule for the coming week. Tomorrow I have Custodial Core training and then I have Monday and Tuesday off. And then I have training Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. :/ I’m excited though. Ryan got us really pumped up to be on the custodial team. We really do have the best job in the parks.

After I got home after a 9 hour day of training I came home, changed, and then was out the door again and headed BACK to Magic Kingdom to play with the roomies. It was so cold!

We rode Pirates and Haunted Mansion and then we caught the Disney Electrical parade! It was sooo cool! Watching the parade really does make you feel like a little kid. I waved to everyone and I decided that I’m in love with Peter Pan! I want to find and meet him so bad! J

I skyped my family tonight! It was so much fun and definitely something I’ll be doing a lot of!

I’m sure there is something interesting I’m missing, but I’m so flippin’ exhausted I can’t even think straight.

Welcom to Our Family!

Welcome to Our Family!

This blog is going to be the death of me. I get home late every night and have to get up early, but feel like I have to write. Oh well…I really want to be able to look back on this one day and relive all of the AMAZING memories I’m making.

Today we were officially welcomed with open arms into the Disney family. The song “Welcome to our Family” from brother bear is playing in my head. It’s pretty much perfect.

I had Traditions this afternoon. I would of rather had it in the morning so I would have had the rest of the day off, but Broghan and I had is this afternoon at 2:00 which was ok because we got to sleep in. In every other CP blog I’ve read, everyone says you’re not supposed to talk about Traditions, but no one said anything about that today. So I’m going to hit the highlights anyway. I won’t go into detail though just in case. So Traditions is just where they go over how to work for Disney and what we should be doing as Cast Members and blah blah blah. It was a 4 and a half hour class. And they try to make it fun, but just like with check in, you can only do so much to make it entertaining. We did get to go to the Magic Kingdom through backstage which is totally wicked! And we got to wear flippin’ sweet ear pieces! The only thing that SUCKED was walking around in business clothes while it’s absolutely pouring and having to share an umbrella. We were soaked. And because they cancel the parades when it's raining, we were the 3:00 parade. lol. And then Mickey Mouse came and visited us and officially welcomed us into the family and gave us our name tags! :D

And then it was finally over and I got to go home and get dry clothes and take off my shoes that were torturing my poor feet. Everyone says to wear flats to Traditions because you do a lot of walking, but honestly, any shoe you wear is going to kill you especially when it’s raining cats and dogs.

So after Traditions, even though I was exhausted, I met up with Matt, Chris, Adam, and Brian to go watch Illuminations at Epcot. We ate at Mexico and it was pretty darn delicious. Then we watched the fireworks!

I think it’s safe to say I could get use to watching fireworks every night. J

Well tomorrow morning I have “Once Upon A Time...is Now” training at 7:15. :/ So I guess I better get to bed.

HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!

Goodbyes Abu Life Guards Random Dancing and Tough Ballerinas

Oh wow…what a day! :D I just can’t get over how amazing every day is here.

I woke up this morning at 9:30, after staying up until 3:30 with the roomies, to go eat breakfast with my mommy before her flight. We went to ihop and it was yummy. Then she dropped me off back at my apartment and we said our goodbyes. It was hard, but I did a lot better than I thought I was going to. Don’t get me wrong, tears were shed and I miss my mother terribly, but it wasn’t the sob fest I was anticipating.

So after the goodbye, I took a shower in our TINY shower and got ready to go with Maria at 1:00 to an informational meeting about the classes Disney offers. So we walk over to the building a couple minutes early which was in Vista. I tend to find more and more perks about living here everyday. The door was locked so we had to wait and while we were waiting we met Trevor. He is super nice and is really good at keeping conversations going. I love people like that. So we got to talking and 1:00 comes and goes. I looked at our paper and the flippin’ class started at 12:00 not 1:00! We all felt really dumb. But we all could have sworn the lady at casting said 1, but I guess we should have double checked our paper. So we decided to catch a bus over to Patterson Court and check it out because we live at Vista and Trevor lives at Chatham and we wanted to know just how nice Patterson is. And let me tell ya…it’s nice. Super quiet. Like almost creepy quiet. But it’s so nice. And then we found a random girl, names Kristen who was nice enough to let us see her apartment. Yep, super flippin’ nice. But they don’t have a bus stop.

So from there Maria and I went back home to an empty apartment. Come to find out Broghan and Heather found someone who could let them in the parks. So we just hung out until the next meeting time. So at 4:00 Maria and I tried this whole information class again. Lol. Trevor saved us seast. I ended up signing up for Creativity and Innovation and the Exploration Leadership class. Maria and I have the leadership class together.

Then it was time to get ready for the Arabian Nights Welcome Party! Which was literally in our backyard. We could see it from our building. We got free pizza, there was a DJ, and Genie, Abu, Aladdin, and Jasmine all came to see us!

We got our picture with the Genie and Abu who is seriously the cutest thing ever! But by the time we got to Aladdin and Jasmine they had to leave. Soooooo….we went to Downtown Disney with a few people. We walked Downtown twice and stopped at Lego land and Maria and I danced randomly in front of a large crowd. Disney is definitely getting me out of my comfort zone. It was so much to hang out with everybody! I’m amazed at all the amazing people I’m meeting already! It’s only day two people!

When we got back home Broghan and Heather were there. So we all talked about our days around the kitchen table while all on our computers. Being on our computers at the same time, usually all on facebook, seems to be a nightly ritual. Then we played Apples to Apples Disney! So much fun! We played until all 80 green cards were gone. We ended up with some interesting combinations like though ballerinas and we would all break out randomly in song. We all sang the Hannah Montana theme song at one point. And yes, if you turned on our TV right now it would be on the Disney channel. Lol.

Today was another beautiful 75 degree day. It snowed 3 inches back home.

Tomorrow is Traditions! I get my name tag and my ID which means free park admission!!! We’ve already made plans to for sure watch Wishes at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow night. Cant’ wait!

Aparatment Picturess

Your Journey Begins Here!

CHECK IN!!! It’s here it’s here it’s here! After 87 days of waiting, I’m here! Check in went so well. I don’t think it could have been any better. Disney has it down to a science.

We all met up at 20 of 7 J at Vista Way and got in line. We were only about 50 or so people back. Promptly at 8:00 they let us in and we walked to the Welcoming Center where we were greeted and given a name tag.

Then we signed some papers and went through some lines and met so many people. Housing was the only thing I was really nervous about because I wanted all four of us to be together. But it all worked out! We didn’t get either of the complexes we wanted. We wanted a 2 bedroom Patterson, but our only options we’re a 2 bedroom Vista Way or a 4 bedroom Chatham. And there was no way we were going to room with 4 more girls! So we took the lesser complex so we could be together. And it’s really not bad. The apartment isn’t the greatest, but it will work. J And everything happens for a reason! We’re also ok with Vista Way because the buses stop here first and almost everything is held here. Then we went to casting!

At casting, as soon as we walked in we stood in a line where they came around and told us where we are working. Cody, my college rep., told me a couple weeks ago because he had the list. So I already knew, but it was to know for sure. I’m working in the Magic Kingdom! And so are Broghan and Heather! And Maria is working at the Caribbean Beach Resort. I’m sooo excited! I get to see the castle every day and watch the parades and see the fireworks! It’s going to be awesome. And my sticker says custodial streets, so I’m really hoping that means no rest rooms, but I’m going to be ok with whatever. We also got our training schedules. Tomorrow we have the day off and then traditions is Friday. Heather and Maria have AM and me and Broghan have PM. I wanted AM so we would have the rest of the day to hang out, but this way I get to sleep in. J Check in only took a grand total of 3 hours. And they made it as fun as check in could be. There’s really only so much fun that can be had while waiting in lines. But after being shuffled through line after line and receiving paper after paper, we were finally able to go check out our new home. Then after unloading all of our luggage we had to go to the mandatory housing welcome meeting which is really really long. The first hour or so wasn’t so bad but after the hour and a half mark I was ready to leave! And ours was earlier in the day so we were done by 5 which gave us the rest of the evening to finish unpacking and go get stuff we needed from the stores.

It was great day. Extremely exhausting, but really good. 

Tomorrow we have the day off so I’m going to breakfast with my mommy before she leaves and then I think I’m going to go the informational meeting about the classes offered and then we’re all going to the welcoming party! It’s themed Arabian Nights so Aladdin and Jasmine and Gene will be there. J It’s going to be super fun!

It’s only going to get better from here!

mom on tower of terror

This is the video I took of mom on Tower of Terror. Super hilarious!

The Most Perfectmous Day Ever!

I would have not traded today for the world!

Originally we were going to go to Wal-Mart and Target for the things I didn’t get last night, but instead we ended up playing in the parks ALL day for FREE! Here’s what went down:

We got a call around 9:00 from Joe (my best friends step dad who use to work at Disney) saying he knows someone who can get us in for free. Mom and I had been talking about buying tickets to go to the parks today, but decided against it and were going to go shopping instead. Well once we heard all four Disney parks for free all day we said forget shopping lets play! So we threw on some clothes on and we were out the door. We were so excited we literally forgot to eat breakfast! So after driving to Downtown Disney to park and riding two buses we finally made it to Magic Kingdom where a very nice lady of the name, Stacey, let us in. She was really sweet! So after talking to her for a little bit we were ready to do as much playing as we could.

And there it was…the castle!

I just can’t believe I get to see it every day for the next 7 months. It truly is magical. So we did a complete circle around the park taking in all the sites and stopping for a couple street shows. After riding It’s a Small World we decided to go over to Hollywood Studios.

The last time mom was at Disney they were just building the Tower of Terror so she had to ride it and I made her. I also decided to film this excursion and O.M.G. funniest thing EVER!!! My mother does not do roller coaster or anything of the sort. So it just completely made my day. She totally freaked out.

After our wonderful trip to the twilight zone we caught the 3:00 Pixar’s Countdown to Fun parade. And I got a hilarious picture of Mrs. Incredible breaking it down:

Then we decided that we should eat since we hadn’t eaten anything all day. We were too busy playing to worry about eating. So we chose the Sci Fi Dine In Theater. It was so neat! And our burger was pretty delicious. After we scarfed down our food we went over to Rockin’ Rollin’ Rollercoaster because we had fast passes. Again, mom doesn’t do roller coaster, but I made her. So we get on the ride and right before we’re suppose to take off the ride stops and the intercom comes on and says they’re having technical difficulties. So we both start to kind of freak out. I don’t want to ride it if it’s going to break down! So we sat there for a good 15 minutes and it finally started moving. Needless to say, we didn’t ride that again.

We were going to end the park with the Muppets, but we had to be at Downtown Disney at 6:00 for dinner so skipped that and headed to the buses so we would have enough time. Well, we ended up being 20 minutes late anyway. The buses take a while and it seems like none of them go directly to where you want to go! So after we got off the bus we decided that we would walk to rest of the way instead of wait for a bus because it’s already 6:00. Well that was a mistake! We had to walk ALL the way around the lake and then to the OTHER side of Downtown Disney to get to Planet Hollywood! I walked the whole way with no shoes because my feet hurt so badly.

We finally made though and met up with everyone. Dinner was great! There were 11 of us. The four roomies and our parents. Everyone is sooo nice and I’m sooo excited to be rooming with an amazing bunch of girls. We all get along so well. Dinner was delicious!

After saying goodbye and figuring out what time we were meeting in the morning (20 of 7 aka 6:40 lol), mom and I decided that we would end our day with Illuminations at Epcot. So again, we ride 2 buses to get to Epcot. Mom wanted to ride Figment before the show, but after running like crazy to find it we found out that it closed at 7:00. So we headed to the World Show case. We had plenty of time so we just walked around enjoying the beautiful night. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day! Mom got an adult beverage in Italy and I got a funnel cake in who know where lol. She said the drink was really good and I really believe her ;) After this really cute guy flirted with me and mom and after we gave him the rest of our funnel cake which he was really appreciative of, Illuminations started. It was a great ending to a great day!

Then we rode another million buses and walked another billion miles to our car. Now I’m laying in bed thinking about how excited I am for check in tomorrow! 87 days went to 0 really fast!

So I better get some rest, 20 of 7 is going to be here earlier than I care for. LoL.

Well Hello Orlando!

So I woke up at 5:30 this morning! Ugh…it was pretty awful. I did some last minute packing in my carry on and then we we’re out the door and on our way to the airport. So let me paint this scene for you:

Mom and I go to check in while Stephen parked the car. After dealing with a very grumpy check in person and checking my bags in and saying a little prayer that my bags end up in the same destination as me, we headed up the escalator to head to security. As we top the escalator all I see are bright green posters. Kayli and Kristen had made me signs! Sammy and Mike were there too! And they were all blowing Mickey Mouse party blowers. I’m super glad they were there to say goodbye. I seriously have the best friends ever…

I hate goodbyes! I started to tear up when I hugged Mike, Kristen, Sammy, and Kayli, but I completely lost it when I turned around and saw my baby sister bawling her little eyes out. We’ve never been separated or away from each other for longer than a week.

So after all the goodbyes, me and mom went through security and headed to our gate and the long day that lay before us. While waiting for our first flight I colored a Mickey picture:

We had a lay over in Dallas Fort Worth and then a long, 30 minute delayed, 2 and a half hour flight to Orlando. James was with me all day: 

And then finally…we made it! I’m actually in Florida and it’s beautiful here! Even though it was raining and foggy all day, it’s warm and gorgeous. So we check in to our hotel and then headed out to try to find dinner. We seriously drove around for an hour trying to find a Mexican restaurant because that’s what we wanted. And we finally found a little whole in the wall that wasn’t too bad. Then we ventured to Wal-Mart to try to get most of the stuff I needed, but half way through, me and mom both looked at each other and decided that we were too flippin’ tired from traveling ALL day to shop any more. So we’re going to finish tomorrow after we sleep in! There are already so many CP’s here! They we’re all over Wal-Mart and there are a lot staying in our hotel. I met one on the elevator when we arrived and there is a very loud group of CP guys in the room next to us. Wal-mart was pretty picked over too because everyone needs the same stuff. So we’re going to the Wal-mart a little down the way to see if they’re not as picked over.

I can’t believe I’m actually here and everything is fixing to start! I’m ready to have the time of my life!