I have a piece of graham cracker stuck between my F4 and F5 keys. It is REALLY starting to annoy me. Before I started typing this, I spent a good amount of time shaking my laptop upside down and trying to blow it out. Didn't work. I can still see it taunting me as I'm trying to think what to write about that starts with the letter "H". Also, my toilet just flushed by itself... kinda freaks me out.
I talked to my parents this week about when I am flying home for Kim's wedding. We talked on Tuesday night, and let's just say all of Wednesday I was a little homesick. Ok maybe more than a little... for crying out the window, I got really excited for Christmas after a guest came in that had a cinnamon aftershave or something. I'm pretty sure it wasn't really Christmas I was excited for, but the fact that at Christmas time I will be at BYU with my roommates, and all will be right in the world once more.
I'm not homesick ALL of the time. Just after my mom sends me pictures of my dog. Or after my roommates and I talk about Peanut Butter Bars. Or when I see my sister's bridal pictures. In fact, today marks my one month anniversary of being here! It's crazy how fast the time has gone. Weeks are just flying by. Work makes it go by fast, and luckily I am having a lot of fun with it. I love the people I work with, and even the work that I do.
We have a task called "Towel Run" at work. It is surprisingly exhausting. You have to bring empty carts to all of the towel bins throughout the park, and replace the full bins with empty ones. When you bring a full cart backstage, you have to empty it into a metro by means of this complex machine that you have to be 18 years or older to run. The machine basically grabs the cart, lifts it up then tilts it so that it empties into the metro. Then you have to use the long metal shepard's hook to grab the rest of the towels and pull them into the metro as well. I usually have to work the machine about three times per towel run, because some of the bins don't get used as much as others and you can just transfer the towels into a partially full bin instead of replacing the bin completely (I know this is SO exciting... but pay attention). Anyway... I did this job two days in a row. And I felt totally exhilarated. Yes, I was exhausted afterwards. Yes, I felt like the guests thought of me as a slave. Yes, I ended up completely drenched with sweat. But it felt soooo good to do physical labor and know I was getting paid for it. Not to mention I felt really cool when I got to work the Crank.
One thing I love about work is all of the British/English guests that visit. They come here on "Holiday" and truly treat it like one. They are so nice! I love helping them. After every single thing you say, they respond with gratitude. Whether it be "Thanks", "Thank You", or "Cheers", they say it after EVERY sentence. You could tell them their total was $400.12 and they would say "That's just lovely, thanks!". And they are totally sincere about it! No sarcasm whatsoever! Love it. Love them. And they have the cutest little kids that are always named Henry or something. So adorable. It's funny because after I've helped a British family, I'm always on such a high afterwards, and when another family comes up that's not British, it's just... bleh. Not bad, but not particularly fulfilling either. I'm just so glad that the English love waterparks.
I'm starting to get into a routine here, so I'm sorry that nothing I'm writing is super exciting. I literally had to sit down and thing about things that might be remotely interesting to you. I'll try to have a more exciting life from now on. One thing that is cool is how many times my religion has come up with guests and even friends at work. "Are you Mormon?". You better believe it.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Games, Great food, and Ghirardelli Chocolate
Have you ever had Ghirardelli Chocolate? You haven't? Hmm that's funny. You probably hate joy and steal little children's play toys too, huh? Let me tell you what happens when you eat Ghirardelli chocolate. You're happy. It's like everything wrong in the world melts away (that's punny because if you sit there pondering this serenity too long, the chocolate literally DOES melt away). You could be in some foreign land, with some complete stranger who lives in the apartment beneath you AND who hates Utah Mormons (which is what you are- a Utah Mormon), and this chocolate -nay, this antidote- can strengthen your ability to resist any ounce of discomfort you already acquired from being around such an individual. Yes. Ghirardelli chocolate is THAT good. I would know, because (as you may or may not have already guessed) this exact same scenario happened to me on Tuesday! I ordered a Ghiradelli Cookie-Bottom Sundae, and as soon as that spoon went into my mouth, I wouldn't have cared if it had started snowing outside (I threw that in there for all of you suckers who actually did get snow).
So on Tuesday I did end up going to Downtown Disney to get Ghirardelli's as I said before. But I only went because of what happened on Monday night. For FHE, our ward played the game "Where's Waldo" at Downtown Disney. This is a game where people from the ward dress up and try to blend into their surrounding crowd as the members of the ward look for them. And thus began my first problem: I have NO idea who anyone in the ward is or what they look like. Needless to say, I wasn't a huge help to my team. But here is the second problem: Throughout Downtown Disney one can smell the aroma of freshly made Ghirardelli waffle cones. This wouldn't seem like any problem at all.... if you had brought money to buy one of those delicious smelling treats. And guess who hadn't brought money to FHE. Yup. So that's why I went back to Downtown Disney on Tuesday. I know.... terribly exciting.
Yesterday turned out to be a lot of fun. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon cast members had "Spring Fling" (just a work party) at Typhoon Lagoon after all the guests had gone. I had never been to Typhoon, and let me just say.... it's pretty cool. Its wave pool has like actual waves. I was watching some guys "boogie boarding" on the wave, only to find out they didn't actually have boards! That's how strong the wave was! It was really cool, and so we have decided we are going to go back as soon as we can. Since the party started at 6:30 and I was working at Blizzard until 7 (add in a bunch of traveling time on the bus), I hadn't planned on swimming or anything. I was just going to have dinner. And I'm sure glad I did. Bubbalicious BBQ was served, and it was amazing!! I had pulled pork with mac&cheese (yes Mom, I still get mac&cheese when I go out). It was so nice to have real food! And good food too! I may or may not have gone back for seconds...
Just one last thing before I go. On Tuesday, we were with a girl who wasn't LDS. Another one of the girls that I was with knew her well, and they started talking about the church. They were talking for a really long time, and the subject kept coming back up. I wanted to say something so bad! But when I tried to come up with words.... nothing. I was so confused as to why Heavenly Father wouldn't want me to contribute to the situation, and honestly, it almost made me lose confidence in myself that I wasn't getting inspired to say anything. Then later, the girls were talking and the one said how she wanted to talk just one-on-one because she felt very intimidated by the situation. That's when I realized that by not doing anything, I was really doing something! I was listening to the spirit's promptings to not say anything so that this girl wouldn't feel overwhelmed and get scared off. It was really cool to hear the girls talk, and although I wanted to pitch in so many times, I'm glad I didn't and that I listened to Heavenly Father's promptings.
Heavenly Father has given me so much guidance and love here. He sends his comfort to me continually. Whenever someone notices the "Brigham Young University" on my name tag, it makes me feel so good. I feel even better when that same person tells me they are also from Utah. It is like a little piece of home has followed me here to humid Florida. It's great fun, and I'm learning more about myself than I ever have. Love you all and miss you!
So on Tuesday I did end up going to Downtown Disney to get Ghirardelli's as I said before. But I only went because of what happened on Monday night. For FHE, our ward played the game "Where's Waldo" at Downtown Disney. This is a game where people from the ward dress up and try to blend into their surrounding crowd as the members of the ward look for them. And thus began my first problem: I have NO idea who anyone in the ward is or what they look like. Needless to say, I wasn't a huge help to my team. But here is the second problem: Throughout Downtown Disney one can smell the aroma of freshly made Ghirardelli waffle cones. This wouldn't seem like any problem at all.... if you had brought money to buy one of those delicious smelling treats. And guess who hadn't brought money to FHE. Yup. So that's why I went back to Downtown Disney on Tuesday. I know.... terribly exciting.
Yesterday turned out to be a lot of fun. Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon cast members had "Spring Fling" (just a work party) at Typhoon Lagoon after all the guests had gone. I had never been to Typhoon, and let me just say.... it's pretty cool. Its wave pool has like actual waves. I was watching some guys "boogie boarding" on the wave, only to find out they didn't actually have boards! That's how strong the wave was! It was really cool, and so we have decided we are going to go back as soon as we can. Since the party started at 6:30 and I was working at Blizzard until 7 (add in a bunch of traveling time on the bus), I hadn't planned on swimming or anything. I was just going to have dinner. And I'm sure glad I did. Bubbalicious BBQ was served, and it was amazing!! I had pulled pork with mac&cheese (yes Mom, I still get mac&cheese when I go out). It was so nice to have real food! And good food too! I may or may not have gone back for seconds...
Just one last thing before I go. On Tuesday, we were with a girl who wasn't LDS. Another one of the girls that I was with knew her well, and they started talking about the church. They were talking for a really long time, and the subject kept coming back up. I wanted to say something so bad! But when I tried to come up with words.... nothing. I was so confused as to why Heavenly Father wouldn't want me to contribute to the situation, and honestly, it almost made me lose confidence in myself that I wasn't getting inspired to say anything. Then later, the girls were talking and the one said how she wanted to talk just one-on-one because she felt very intimidated by the situation. That's when I realized that by not doing anything, I was really doing something! I was listening to the spirit's promptings to not say anything so that this girl wouldn't feel overwhelmed and get scared off. It was really cool to hear the girls talk, and although I wanted to pitch in so many times, I'm glad I didn't and that I listened to Heavenly Father's promptings.
Heavenly Father has given me so much guidance and love here. He sends his comfort to me continually. Whenever someone notices the "Brigham Young University" on my name tag, it makes me feel so good. I feel even better when that same person tells me they are also from Utah. It is like a little piece of home has followed me here to humid Florida. It's great fun, and I'm learning more about myself than I ever have. Love you all and miss you!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Fame, Freak Accidents, and Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th lived up to its reputation for me this week.... only it came a day late. Today is Saturday (the day after Friday), and I just got back from one crazy day at work. Everything started out normal -aside from me seeing like 10 new cast members I never knew existed- but then later in the day, things started getting a little hectic. Around 2 p.m., I had the assignment of stocking pins at the Shade Shack -a job I kind of dislike because you get soooo hot and start sweating from just stocking pins... not even anything super physically exerting. Anyway... The day had been a little overcast, and as I'm stocking pins I hear a lady say ".... No, it's not going to rain for awhile...." It was like that phrase was the password for the clouds to open and release every ounce of water they had ever held, because immediately after that (I'm talking seconds here!), it started pouring. And it's a funny thing too, because even though these guests are at a WATERpark, where they run around in their too-tight swimsuits all day and get wet, they all scramble (like the ship is going down) to get under the nearest shelter when it starts raining. And you guessed it- the nearest shelter for people today was the Shade Shack. So I'm stuck in this hut with like 25 people who aren't fully clothed... hmmm.
But that's just the beginning! I actually had to go home an hour early because of the rain, which I thought was great considering I was soaked and freezing. So I got off at 4 and had to wait a bit for the next bus. On the way home, all of a sudden the bus starts going really slow and then just stops on the side of the road. Everybody is kinda looking around, wondering what the heck is going on (only some people don't say heck). The bus driver tries to start the bus and .... nothing. Then he tries again. And again. So we're stuck on the side of the road, in the pouring rain, and I'm just waiting for either a serial killer or Sasquatch to come out of the bushes and kill us all. Luckily that didn't happen, and now -an hour and a half later- I'm dry and toasty in my apartment, writing this blog for you all to read.
So that covers Freak Accidents and my Friday the 13th experience. On to Fame! On Friday I went to clock in backstage (a fancy term used for the back of the store where only employees go), and as I was walking out to start work, I see my picture on the Service Basics poster hung on the door! The Service Basics are just like rules that Disney has to make sure we give great customer service. One of the Basics is "I project a positive attitude and energy", and under it was the picture of me helping a guest. I felt so cool! Then later, my manager tells me that I was one of the top three sellers this week.... and I'd only been working a week! I felt even better! And to top it all off, my manager gave me a Service Basics card after she saw me help a guest, and I had to go drop it into a little black box thing, and I think they have a drawing or something out of it! Yes! Sorry that was all bragging, but it made me so happy.
So as it turns out, my Friday the 13th was actually fantastic. That same day, I was feeling kinda crummy at the start of work because of the night before, but then some guests came in that were from Utah. They saw my name tag and were like "Hey! We're from Utah! Look at his BYU hat!". Haha It was a group of older people that were all kinda crazy... I could barely hold their attention because they were all over the place. And it was even more difficult because both the group and myself were so excited that we were from the same place. One thing that made me feel so great was when the "Leader Lady" (I can't think of anything else to call her) was like "I totally knew you were LDS when I saw you." That group is what started the attitude that made me feel so happy at the end of the day. Thank you, crazy old LDS group!
So that wraps up the exciting events that have taken place in my life over the last two days. Work is still great, and I'm meeting some great people too. Everyone is so nice, and for the first time in my life, I love going to work. I daresay I'd rather be at work than at home! (But hey, it's only been a week)
But that's just the beginning! I actually had to go home an hour early because of the rain, which I thought was great considering I was soaked and freezing. So I got off at 4 and had to wait a bit for the next bus. On the way home, all of a sudden the bus starts going really slow and then just stops on the side of the road. Everybody is kinda looking around, wondering what the heck is going on (only some people don't say heck). The bus driver tries to start the bus and .... nothing. Then he tries again. And again. So we're stuck on the side of the road, in the pouring rain, and I'm just waiting for either a serial killer or Sasquatch to come out of the bushes and kill us all. Luckily that didn't happen, and now -an hour and a half later- I'm dry and toasty in my apartment, writing this blog for you all to read.
So that covers Freak Accidents and my Friday the 13th experience. On to Fame! On Friday I went to clock in backstage (a fancy term used for the back of the store where only employees go), and as I was walking out to start work, I see my picture on the Service Basics poster hung on the door! The Service Basics are just like rules that Disney has to make sure we give great customer service. One of the Basics is "I project a positive attitude and energy", and under it was the picture of me helping a guest. I felt so cool! Then later, my manager tells me that I was one of the top three sellers this week.... and I'd only been working a week! I felt even better! And to top it all off, my manager gave me a Service Basics card after she saw me help a guest, and I had to go drop it into a little black box thing, and I think they have a drawing or something out of it! Yes! Sorry that was all bragging, but it made me so happy.
So as it turns out, my Friday the 13th was actually fantastic. That same day, I was feeling kinda crummy at the start of work because of the night before, but then some guests came in that were from Utah. They saw my name tag and were like "Hey! We're from Utah! Look at his BYU hat!". Haha It was a group of older people that were all kinda crazy... I could barely hold their attention because they were all over the place. And it was even more difficult because both the group and myself were so excited that we were from the same place. One thing that made me feel so great was when the "Leader Lady" (I can't think of anything else to call her) was like "I totally knew you were LDS when I saw you." That group is what started the attitude that made me feel so happy at the end of the day. Thank you, crazy old LDS group!
So that wraps up the exciting events that have taken place in my life over the last two days. Work is still great, and I'm meeting some great people too. Everyone is so nice, and for the first time in my life, I love going to work. I daresay I'd rather be at work than at home! (But hey, it's only been a week)
Monday, May 9, 2011
Eating, Elephants, and Not-so-Epic Epiphanies
Remember how I said that for my costume I wear a Hawaiian shirt and puffy shorts? Well on Thursday I had an epiphany about the bottom half of my outfit.... I had been wearing men's shorts! That's why they were so puffy! Or so I thought. Here's how I came to that conclusion: I had pockets on the back of my shorts. My trainer had pockets on the back of his shorts. I saw one girl I worked with, and she DIDN'T have pockets on the back of her shorts. I looked at another girls shorts... no pockets! I felt embarrassed but definitely relieved that the reason my shorts were so weird was because I had grabbed the wrong kind. I was on cloud nine for about half an hour, just thinking of all the different maneuvers I could pull off once I traded in my men's shorts for female shorts. Then it happened. I saw a different female worker with pockets on her shorts. Dang it. They are just puffy shorts.
So on the same day as my great puffy shorts discovery (not), my work location celebrated 730 days of accident-freeness-that's 2yrs! I guess you don't get too banged up behind a register, handing people locker keys all day. Anyway... at lunch they fed us a gourmet meal- steak, shrimp, potatoes, and the best store-made cake I've ever eaten! Seriously so good! I wanted more of the cake (I'm thinking the altitude/humidity difference had something to do with its deliciousness), but I had already told about five people that I was majoring in Dietetics (nutrition) and I didn't want to seem contradictory (but it always seems that I'm eating some sort of greasy thing when people ask me what I'm going into anyway, so I guess I should get used to it). It was funny though, because I had literally only been there two days, and they were already giving me a five-star meal. I'm thinking, "What's on the menu for next week?". Needless to say, it turned out to be a great day of training. After 20 bowls of fruit loops, and 10 peanut butter sandwiches, it was nice to have some real food in my stomach.
As many of you know (thanks for the facebook comments and texts/calls!), it was my nineteenth birthday on Saturday. What an exciting way to spend a birthday, right? I'm in Florida.... with access to all of the Disney parks.... for free. It's a recipe for perfection. So I went to Animal Kingdom-yes, I went alone because all of my roommates were working or gone... thanks for pointing that out (haha)- and I saw the Lion King show, went on a Safari (cut short due to poachers ), and even ate funnel cake! And you'll never guess what happened. I'm sitting there at the table, eating my funnel cake, and Pocahontas-yes, THE Pocahontas- just walks right up to me and starts talking! That's right-SHE walked up to ME! Can you say "Celebrity"? haha just kidding... kind of. Anyway. After Animal Kingdom I went to Epcot, got some Fish and Chips, and watched the fireworks. What a way to end a birthday (what's even better is that it rhymed). It was a great day, but it did make me miss all of my family and friends at home. So all of the people who sent me messages (and even those who didn't), thank you! You made me feel loved even from all those thousands of miles away.
Unfortunately, I feel like my writing skills are quickly diminishing, and if you haven't died of boredom already, you are in luck because I have just one more experience to share. I told you I went to Epcot on Saturday evening, and I did end up going with one of my roommates when she got home. When we were looking for food, we went to different places and ended up getting separated. She didn't have her phone and after the fireworks, there was no way I was going to find her in all of the exiting crowds. I waited on the side of the pathway for a bit, thinking that maybe I would see her walk by. I kept thinking in my head, "Heavenly Father, please help me find her." I just repeated it over and over. I started walking into the crowds, not really knowing if it was of any use. I paused for a second, closed my eyes and said an actual silent prayer (meaning I closed my eyes, and ended it the appropriate way). When I opened my eyes I saw my roommate walking in the other direction. Can you believe it?! I called to her and we made it home just fine. That's one in many experiences I've had with prayers being immediately answered.
Well, love ya and leave ya. But I did want to quickly thank my mother for being the most wonderful woman in the world and teaching me so much about life and everything that goes with it. Love you MOM!! And a shout out to my roommates and family for being so fantastic and loving!
So on the same day as my great puffy shorts discovery (not), my work location celebrated 730 days of accident-freeness-that's 2yrs! I guess you don't get too banged up behind a register, handing people locker keys all day. Anyway... at lunch they fed us a gourmet meal- steak, shrimp, potatoes, and the best store-made cake I've ever eaten! Seriously so good! I wanted more of the cake (I'm thinking the altitude/humidity difference had something to do with its deliciousness), but I had already told about five people that I was majoring in Dietetics (nutrition) and I didn't want to seem contradictory (but it always seems that I'm eating some sort of greasy thing when people ask me what I'm going into anyway, so I guess I should get used to it). It was funny though, because I had literally only been there two days, and they were already giving me a five-star meal. I'm thinking, "What's on the menu for next week?". Needless to say, it turned out to be a great day of training. After 20 bowls of fruit loops, and 10 peanut butter sandwiches, it was nice to have some real food in my stomach.
As many of you know (thanks for the facebook comments and texts/calls!), it was my nineteenth birthday on Saturday. What an exciting way to spend a birthday, right? I'm in Florida.... with access to all of the Disney parks.... for free. It's a recipe for perfection. So I went to Animal Kingdom-yes, I went alone because all of my roommates were working or gone... thanks for pointing that out (haha)- and I saw the Lion King show, went on a Safari (cut short due to poachers ), and even ate funnel cake! And you'll never guess what happened. I'm sitting there at the table, eating my funnel cake, and Pocahontas-yes, THE Pocahontas- just walks right up to me and starts talking! That's right-SHE walked up to ME! Can you say "Celebrity"? haha just kidding... kind of. Anyway. After Animal Kingdom I went to Epcot, got some Fish and Chips, and watched the fireworks. What a way to end a birthday (what's even better is that it rhymed). It was a great day, but it did make me miss all of my family and friends at home. So all of the people who sent me messages (and even those who didn't), thank you! You made me feel loved even from all those thousands of miles away.
Unfortunately, I feel like my writing skills are quickly diminishing, and if you haven't died of boredom already, you are in luck because I have just one more experience to share. I told you I went to Epcot on Saturday evening, and I did end up going with one of my roommates when she got home. When we were looking for food, we went to different places and ended up getting separated. She didn't have her phone and after the fireworks, there was no way I was going to find her in all of the exiting crowds. I waited on the side of the pathway for a bit, thinking that maybe I would see her walk by. I kept thinking in my head, "Heavenly Father, please help me find her." I just repeated it over and over. I started walking into the crowds, not really knowing if it was of any use. I paused for a second, closed my eyes and said an actual silent prayer (meaning I closed my eyes, and ended it the appropriate way). When I opened my eyes I saw my roommate walking in the other direction. Can you believe it?! I called to her and we made it home just fine. That's one in many experiences I've had with prayers being immediately answered.
Well, love ya and leave ya. But I did want to quickly thank my mother for being the most wonderful woman in the world and teaching me so much about life and everything that goes with it. Love you MOM!! And a shout out to my roommates and family for being so fantastic and loving!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Dogs, Dreams, and Disney-Themed Dances
I had a dream. What an epic way to start a blog post. Haha! But seriously, Monday night I had a dream that I had about 16 dogs. All shapes and sizes- puppies, huge dogs, regular-sized dogs (lol). But all of these different dogs were my sled dogs. There were so many in my kitchen at home, and I was about ready to attach them to the sled but then I thought, "Where are all of my other dogs? How am I supposed to have a sled dog team with only these dogs?". I then remembered that the other dogs would be in my bedroom. So I went down there, and sure enough.... about 20 other dogs were lounging around in my bedroom. As soon as I walked into the room all of the dogs started running out, like they knew it was time to go. All of them came out -including a huge dog like the one from Sandlot- and I looked around to make sure none were left, and I saw this black thing in the corner of my room. I said, "Who's that?" (like the dog was going to answer, right? lol) but then my dog zak (my real dog, the one who is actually alive right now) stood up, all old and slow-like and came over to me, wet like he had just run through the sprinklers, but all excited, and I said "Oh, it's my favorite dog!" and hugged him. Hahaha. And that was it. Think I miss my dog much? Yeah!
I've been having the STRANGEST dreams since I have gotten here. I've had one every day but once I think. My favorite one to think about and tell is the one I had on Sunday night. Here it is:
So my brother, Jason, and I were in like a mansion/castle place, and he told me that orcs -yes, like from Lord of the Rings- were coming to get us in the room we were in, and that I was going to have to help him kill all of them. I was terrified and just wanted to get the heck out of there. But then the orcs started coming in. I had climbed up this little staircase that was in the room and an orc came up to me. I had a sword, and I tried to hit him, but my sword was made of plastic! Like one of those play swords you can't swing fast because there is air in the plastic and such. I was so frustrated. Luckily, Jason had an ax that was NOT plastic. He got all of them. So for our "heroic deed" of killing the orcs, we were getting crowned. But the crowns were made of marshmallows... like four marshmallows. Hahaha and my marshmallow crown wouldn't stay together so I ended up mushing it all together and eating it. Then the whole situation shifted. I was still in the same room, but now I was with someone in my BYU ward and he was teasing my cat. So I grabbed my cat and comforted him. My cat's name was Mortimer. Like Mortimer Mouse, the name Mickey Mouse was supposed to have LOL. What has Disney done to me?
So enough with weird dreams. On Monday night, the College Program had it's Spring Formal. It was called The Cellar- a Villain Themed Dance. It was so great! We went to a convention room in Disney's Colorado Springs Resort. The room was decorated like a creepy cellar, and in each corner, a different Disney villain stood for guests to take pictures with. There was Lady Tremain (Cinderella), Sorcerer Mickey, the Snow Queen (Snow White), Maleficent, Jafar, Hades, Cruella, and the Mirror on the Wall. We didn't actually get pictures WITH the villains because the line was so long, but we got pictures OF them. They provided dinner, which was fantastic, and the dancing was great too (except we left the dance a little early because a group of guys started grinding like right by us haha). It was kind of crazy a little, but I don't think I made too big of a fool out of my self because of my dance moves. But one can only hope.
I've been through a couple of days of training now, and I feel like I'm really going to get some great work experience here. I learned how to work the Disney Cash Registers today, and I think I fulfilled a childhood dream of mine (Haha). I always wanted scan things with the little gun and print out receipts and stuff! It's great! These next two days I have an opening shift and a closing shift so I know what to expect for each. Also! My trainer looks and sounds a lot like Pres. Eyring! It's funny! And it seems like most of the people I will be working with will be elderly ladies with a lot of spice! One more cool thing that happened was yesterday I was in the Merchandise cafeteria on break and an older hispanic lady came up to me, read my name tag, and in broken English said "Brigham Young.... Are you Mormon?". Kind of surprised I said that I was, and she got really excited. She was like "So am I! I go to the Osceola Spanish Branch!". It was so cool that we somehow ran into each other- two of the few LDS castmembers at Blizzard Beach! Ok, I'm done now, because I think this post is getting rather long :)
I've been having the STRANGEST dreams since I have gotten here. I've had one every day but once I think. My favorite one to think about and tell is the one I had on Sunday night. Here it is:
So my brother, Jason, and I were in like a mansion/castle place, and he told me that orcs -yes, like from Lord of the Rings- were coming to get us in the room we were in, and that I was going to have to help him kill all of them. I was terrified and just wanted to get the heck out of there. But then the orcs started coming in. I had climbed up this little staircase that was in the room and an orc came up to me. I had a sword, and I tried to hit him, but my sword was made of plastic! Like one of those play swords you can't swing fast because there is air in the plastic and such. I was so frustrated. Luckily, Jason had an ax that was NOT plastic. He got all of them. So for our "heroic deed" of killing the orcs, we were getting crowned. But the crowns were made of marshmallows... like four marshmallows. Hahaha and my marshmallow crown wouldn't stay together so I ended up mushing it all together and eating it. Then the whole situation shifted. I was still in the same room, but now I was with someone in my BYU ward and he was teasing my cat. So I grabbed my cat and comforted him. My cat's name was Mortimer. Like Mortimer Mouse, the name Mickey Mouse was supposed to have LOL. What has Disney done to me?
So enough with weird dreams. On Monday night, the College Program had it's Spring Formal. It was called The Cellar- a Villain Themed Dance. It was so great! We went to a convention room in Disney's Colorado Springs Resort. The room was decorated like a creepy cellar, and in each corner, a different Disney villain stood for guests to take pictures with. There was Lady Tremain (Cinderella), Sorcerer Mickey, the Snow Queen (Snow White), Maleficent, Jafar, Hades, Cruella, and the Mirror on the Wall. We didn't actually get pictures WITH the villains because the line was so long, but we got pictures OF them. They provided dinner, which was fantastic, and the dancing was great too (except we left the dance a little early because a group of guys started grinding like right by us haha). It was kind of crazy a little, but I don't think I made too big of a fool out of my self because of my dance moves. But one can only hope.
I've been through a couple of days of training now, and I feel like I'm really going to get some great work experience here. I learned how to work the Disney Cash Registers today, and I think I fulfilled a childhood dream of mine (Haha). I always wanted scan things with the little gun and print out receipts and stuff! It's great! These next two days I have an opening shift and a closing shift so I know what to expect for each. Also! My trainer looks and sounds a lot like Pres. Eyring! It's funny! And it seems like most of the people I will be working with will be elderly ladies with a lot of spice! One more cool thing that happened was yesterday I was in the Merchandise cafeteria on break and an older hispanic lady came up to me, read my name tag, and in broken English said "Brigham Young.... Are you Mormon?". Kind of surprised I said that I was, and she got really excited. She was like "So am I! I go to the Osceola Spanish Branch!". It was so cool that we somehow ran into each other- two of the few LDS castmembers at Blizzard Beach! Ok, I'm done now, because I think this post is getting rather long :)
Monday, May 2, 2011
Church, Chatham Square, and Chilly Places
Well the good news is I think I'm going to like the place I work. The bad news is apparently my problem with the "love bugs" is going to get worse. I went to my first day of training and one of my fellow cast members informed me that in June the bug population almost doubles. Great! Luckily I'm going to be working inside, so I'm hoping my nerve for these insects won't be tested. On Saturday I had planned to spend my entire afternoon at the pool, but I got there, was attacked by bugs, and decided I don't love swimming THAT much. My approximate pool side time was 30 minutes. I guess I will just have to save my aquatic passion for after the sun goes down.
So I'm living in a quaint little community named Chatham Square. You pronounce it like chat-ham. No "th" sound. When I first found out I'd be living here, I thought you said it with the "th" sound, and I thought it was so cool because it sounded like "Gotham"-Batman's city. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. But Chatham is still great nonetheless. I live in a two bedroom apartment, which means there are four girls total. To be honest I was really happy because after my first year at BYU and only living with two other roommates, I think going to five roommates might've killed me. I've posted some pictures of the apartment on here so you can see where I'm living. It is really nice. Also! Today I successfully completed my first load of laundry at a laundromat! Yay!
There is a great system of transportation here. The buses are fantastic! Not. It's nice that they provide them, but it also makes getting to places- like church- a little tricky. Speaking of church... I was having some serious anxiety (sorry mom and dad) about how I was going to get to church, and where I was supposed to go. I looked up on the church website what ward I was in and called that bishop, who directed me to a different bishop, and when I called him his sweet wife answered. She gave me all the info on where to meet for a ride to the church building and the later meeting time for college program members. It was an answer to my prayers! Thank you Sister Mills!
I mentioned earlier that I had my first day of training. Like I said, I'm working at Blizzard Beach in the Beach Haus selling merchandise. The story of Blizzard Beach goes like this: One summer in Florida, a freak snowstorm hit, leaving inches of snow in the center of Florida. Imagineers came up with a plan to utilize the snow and build a ski resort. Unfortunately, after the resort was built, the snow began to melt and run down the mountain, causing it to become quite slick. The imagineers were down-hearted and were about to abandon the project when they heard a yell from the top of the mountain. They looked up only to see and alligator (known as Ice Gator) sliding down the mountain. They then got the idea to turn this old ski resort into a waterpark that had both summer and winter elements. And there you have it. Blizzard Beach! The detail work that went into the park is incredible. And, living up to the Disney reputation, every morning one family gets chosen from the line outside to be "Ski Captains" for the day. This means they get to come in early and "open" the park by being the first guests that go down Summit Plummet- a 120 ft body waterslide! Another exciting things is that I got my costume! Hawaiian shirt and Puffy Shorts! Hahaha.... At least I'm not the only person wearing it.
This next week is just going to be full of training for me (except I actually get my birthday off!). And I really am starting to love it down here. The Disney Company is taking such great care of me. I don't think I've ever had a job where the employees -excuse me- CASTMEMBERS are so nice.
One last thing I wanted to mention has to do with church yesterday. Because it was Fast Sunday the 2nd Counselor of our ward bore his testimony during our short meeting. God was truly speaking to me through him. Everything he said I had been worrying about and stressing over. I felt so much comfort from the words he spoke and the love I felt. Heavenly Father answers prayers.
So I'm living in a quaint little community named Chatham Square. You pronounce it like chat-ham. No "th" sound. When I first found out I'd be living here, I thought you said it with the "th" sound, and I thought it was so cool because it sounded like "Gotham"-Batman's city. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. But Chatham is still great nonetheless. I live in a two bedroom apartment, which means there are four girls total. To be honest I was really happy because after my first year at BYU and only living with two other roommates, I think going to five roommates might've killed me. I've posted some pictures of the apartment on here so you can see where I'm living. It is really nice. Also! Today I successfully completed my first load of laundry at a laundromat! Yay!
There is a great system of transportation here. The buses are fantastic! Not. It's nice that they provide them, but it also makes getting to places- like church- a little tricky. Speaking of church... I was having some serious anxiety (sorry mom and dad) about how I was going to get to church, and where I was supposed to go. I looked up on the church website what ward I was in and called that bishop, who directed me to a different bishop, and when I called him his sweet wife answered. She gave me all the info on where to meet for a ride to the church building and the later meeting time for college program members. It was an answer to my prayers! Thank you Sister Mills!
I mentioned earlier that I had my first day of training. Like I said, I'm working at Blizzard Beach in the Beach Haus selling merchandise. The story of Blizzard Beach goes like this: One summer in Florida, a freak snowstorm hit, leaving inches of snow in the center of Florida. Imagineers came up with a plan to utilize the snow and build a ski resort. Unfortunately, after the resort was built, the snow began to melt and run down the mountain, causing it to become quite slick. The imagineers were down-hearted and were about to abandon the project when they heard a yell from the top of the mountain. They looked up only to see and alligator (known as Ice Gator) sliding down the mountain. They then got the idea to turn this old ski resort into a waterpark that had both summer and winter elements. And there you have it. Blizzard Beach! The detail work that went into the park is incredible. And, living up to the Disney reputation, every morning one family gets chosen from the line outside to be "Ski Captains" for the day. This means they get to come in early and "open" the park by being the first guests that go down Summit Plummet- a 120 ft body waterslide! Another exciting things is that I got my costume! Hawaiian shirt and Puffy Shorts! Hahaha.... At least I'm not the only person wearing it.
This next week is just going to be full of training for me (except I actually get my birthday off!). And I really am starting to love it down here. The Disney Company is taking such great care of me. I don't think I've ever had a job where the employees -excuse me- CASTMEMBERS are so nice.
One last thing I wanted to mention has to do with church yesterday. Because it was Fast Sunday the 2nd Counselor of our ward bore his testimony during our short meeting. God was truly speaking to me through him. Everything he said I had been worrying about and stressing over. I felt so much comfort from the words he spoke and the love I felt. Heavenly Father answers prayers.
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