It's finished. I've done it. I've eaten my last box of Macaroni & Cheese. And I bought a Jedi Robe. (The latter is very much a side note, and will be explained later in this post). But I'm seriously sitting here, with the last bowl of leftover mac&cheese that I will ever eat while in Florida. Okay, maybe this isn't as big of a deal as I'm making, but let's be honest- I couldn't really think of things to write about that started with the letter 'N'.
So on to my Star Wars robe. On Monday my friend and I went to Hollywood Studios to ride Toy Story Mania. It was awesome (not two hours waiting in line awesome- which is good because we got a fastpass), but the REAL highlight of my day was STAR TOURS. I've kind of become a little bit of a Star Wars fan while I've been down here. And when I say a little bit, I mean a lot bit. After my first time riding Star Tours, I came home and watched Star Wars for the rest of the weekend. Nerd! But anyway... I had been having a little bit of a problem each time I rode Star Tours: I couldn't get off the flipping Wookie Planet! Which is significant because everyone was like, "Yeah, there are like 54 scenarios you can get on Star Tours. It should be different each time you go!". Well guess what... the Wookies loved me (hence the reason I'm going to get a Wookie T-shirt). I wanted to go to Naboo or some other planet so bad! And on Monday... it finally happened! We got on and went to Tatooine! I was so happy... but also missed my Wookies just a little bit. After the ride, some lady was doing a survey and had a paper showing all of the different scenarios you can get. As it turns out, almost every time we had ridden, we had also visited some part of Naboo... figures.
That night we came back and rode Star Tours a couple more times. Then the moment finally came. I bought my Jedi robe (and a Star Wars T-shirt). I know you may think I'm a complete nerd, but I don't care. When I wear that robe.... it's like the force is laughing at you for laughing at me. Haha Ok, I may have stepped over the nerd line there. But when we walked out of the store, I put my robe on, the hood up, and my friend helped me tuck my arms into my sleeves. I totally looked like a Sith for sure, and I walked like that until my body temperature and ego couldn't take it any longer.
Yesterday was just magical. I had my CP Graduation! I got my diploma, Mickey graduation ears, and a really cool picture frame! I also got my picture taken with Graduation Mickey and Minnie. Yeah, that's right. But afterward, we went and got our names embroidered onto our hats (it's free for CP's) at Magic Kingdom. My three friends and I had our little graduation caps and watched Wishes (MK's firework show). It was so emotional! Not tears-wise, but just like "Hey, this isn't real life". I mean, of course it's real life, but this whole going to the parks every day thing and watching the shows and seeing the characters thing isn't going to last forever. And it hit me last night. I feel so lucky to be in this "Neverland" state of being right now. That was an awkward sentence, but you know what I mean. I'm seriously living the dream and making memories that will last a lifetime. I'm so extremely grateful for this experience and all that has come with it.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Mugs, Muggles, and My Last Month Mark
You know....movie premieres used to be a big deal. Well, let's be honest. They still are. But I remember when the midnight showing of a movie practically made headlines (that's what I get for being from little ole' Sandy, Utah). But now... it's different. Now people are getting to see it at like six o' clock on the day before the movie even comes out. I feel like that's cheating. That's like a premiere premiere. A "pre-premiere". And then there's those people who work at the movie theaters who get to see it like two days before it comes out. Why didn't they just make that earlier date the release date? People these days...
I did go to the Harry Potter midnight showing this Thursday night/ Friday morning. The REAL premiere, none of that early preview business. The friends I went with were hilarious. One dressed up as Bellatrix, which was way sweet. And our theater was soooo loud. Everyone was so excited, and I even started a slow clap -which, for those of you who don't know, is a HUGE deal (not really, but it is to me). The hour before was so funny because we all started chanting things like "When I say Harry, you say Potter.... Harry! (Potter!) Harry! (Potter!)". I think we did it with almost all of the characters' names. Then this one girl was like, "When I say Ginny, you say Weasley.... Ginny!" and everyone was like "NO!!" hahaha. I guess no one likes Ginny that much.
The movie was really good, but I feel like I'm still recovering from my lack of sleep. I think I got 4 hours of sleep after getting home, which is no good. With my schedule, I'm used to maybe 9 hours of sleep, which is fantastic. But the REAL highlight of my night (and when I say "real", I mean it wasn't really a highlight at all, but just something to talk about) was when I saw Cedric Diggory walking towards me in the concession line (see Facebook status from Friday morning.......yes, I just referenced Facebook). This kid looked EXACTLY like Edward Cullen (for those of you who don't know, Edward Cullen and Cedric Diggory are played by the same actor). My mouth actually dropped open. I almost followed him into his theater.... I said almost.
Not only was this past week significant because of the Harry Potter movie, but also because it marked my one month date until I go home! Yup, that's right folks. Good old Allison's coming back to Sandy. A month from this last Tuesday, my program will officially be over, and I'll leave sunny Florida (it's actually really wet and rainy right now) and head to the home of the greatest snow on earth. I have mixed feelings about this event. I've been dying to come home a lot while I've been down here, but I really am going to miss Florida. Ok, maybe I won't miss Florida exactly (with all its bugs and humidity), but just Disney, and my work, and all of my great friends. It's crazy how fast time flies. This experience has been one I will never forget, and I just keep reminding myself how lucky I am to be here.
Work is going great, but is so crazy because it's "Brazilian Season"- meaning there are thousands of Spanish/Portuguese speaking guests who may or may not have swimsuits that actually fit their bodies (that includes men as well.... for some reason they think speedos ok). I walked onto the floor the other day, and actually had a hard time getting to the register, because there were just bodies everywhere. Like sardines in a wooden box (bad analogy, but you get the idea). And then it started raining, so even more people came into the store for shelter! I was like... this isn't good. Too many people, too small of a space. Then I got put on mug cart. So here's the thing about mug cart: it's supposed to be for convenience, so people who just need to return their key don't have to wait in the huge register line that forms whenever we have a thunderstorm. That whole convenience concept doesn't actually work when people, faced with the ultimate question: "Would you like $5 or a mug?", freeze up, like if they don't answer correctly, they just might be shipped off the planet. People. It's just a mug. If you change your mind, you can always come back and get one. Whenever I'm on mug cart, I don't sell a lot of mugs... I wonder why.
Well, that's it for another letter of the alphabet. My mother told me I have 16 more to go until I reach the end. Who knows if that's going to happen. I guess we'll both have to wait and find out. I love you all and can't wait until I get to see and talk to you "for reals for reals"!
I did go to the Harry Potter midnight showing this Thursday night/ Friday morning. The REAL premiere, none of that early preview business. The friends I went with were hilarious. One dressed up as Bellatrix, which was way sweet. And our theater was soooo loud. Everyone was so excited, and I even started a slow clap -which, for those of you who don't know, is a HUGE deal (not really, but it is to me). The hour before was so funny because we all started chanting things like "When I say Harry, you say Potter.... Harry! (Potter!) Harry! (Potter!)". I think we did it with almost all of the characters' names. Then this one girl was like, "When I say Ginny, you say Weasley.... Ginny!" and everyone was like "NO!!" hahaha. I guess no one likes Ginny that much.
The movie was really good, but I feel like I'm still recovering from my lack of sleep. I think I got 4 hours of sleep after getting home, which is no good. With my schedule, I'm used to maybe 9 hours of sleep, which is fantastic. But the REAL highlight of my night (and when I say "real", I mean it wasn't really a highlight at all, but just something to talk about) was when I saw Cedric Diggory walking towards me in the concession line (see Facebook status from Friday morning.......yes, I just referenced Facebook). This kid looked EXACTLY like Edward Cullen (for those of you who don't know, Edward Cullen and Cedric Diggory are played by the same actor). My mouth actually dropped open. I almost followed him into his theater.... I said almost.
Not only was this past week significant because of the Harry Potter movie, but also because it marked my one month date until I go home! Yup, that's right folks. Good old Allison's coming back to Sandy. A month from this last Tuesday, my program will officially be over, and I'll leave sunny Florida (it's actually really wet and rainy right now) and head to the home of the greatest snow on earth. I have mixed feelings about this event. I've been dying to come home a lot while I've been down here, but I really am going to miss Florida. Ok, maybe I won't miss Florida exactly (with all its bugs and humidity), but just Disney, and my work, and all of my great friends. It's crazy how fast time flies. This experience has been one I will never forget, and I just keep reminding myself how lucky I am to be here.
Work is going great, but is so crazy because it's "Brazilian Season"- meaning there are thousands of Spanish/Portuguese speaking guests who may or may not have swimsuits that actually fit their bodies (that includes men as well.... for some reason they think speedos ok). I walked onto the floor the other day, and actually had a hard time getting to the register, because there were just bodies everywhere. Like sardines in a wooden box (bad analogy, but you get the idea). And then it started raining, so even more people came into the store for shelter! I was like... this isn't good. Too many people, too small of a space. Then I got put on mug cart. So here's the thing about mug cart: it's supposed to be for convenience, so people who just need to return their key don't have to wait in the huge register line that forms whenever we have a thunderstorm. That whole convenience concept doesn't actually work when people, faced with the ultimate question: "Would you like $5 or a mug?", freeze up, like if they don't answer correctly, they just might be shipped off the planet. People. It's just a mug. If you change your mind, you can always come back and get one. Whenever I'm on mug cart, I don't sell a lot of mugs... I wonder why.
Well, that's it for another letter of the alphabet. My mother told me I have 16 more to go until I reach the end. Who knows if that's going to happen. I guess we'll both have to wait and find out. I love you all and can't wait until I get to see and talk to you "for reals for reals"!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Life, Lion King, and Lucile with one "L"
Do you know what sound a giraffe makes? I do. Did. Kinda.... So here's what happened. On Tuesday I went to the Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom. Basically, it is a dance/vocal show that features all of the Lion King songs. There are four main performers that each sing different LK songs, but before the actual show begins, they have audience members come up and participate. The theater is kind of amphitheater-ish, with the audience split into four different sections, and for the pre-show entertainment they assign each of those sections a different animal that they have to imitate. They always assign the same four animals: elephant, lion, warthog, and -yup- giraffe. THEN they choose an audience member to come on stage and "lead" the section.... you can see where this is going, can't you? So we're sitting on the third row (when I say we, I mean my two work friends and me), and the performer comes up to at least four different little kids and asks if they want to come up. Each one says no. My friends grab my hand and yell, "She wants to, she wants to!" while waving it frantically in the air. (Meanwhile I'm fighting them to let go, because let's face it.... no one wants to get up in front of an entire audience and imitate a giraffe.) BUT, she saw it. Too late now. So she comes up to me and asks if I want to go up. I go on stage and the lady introduces my name and where I'm from (insert thunderous applause here), then asks me to make a giraffe sound into the microphone. "Baah?" was all I could come up with. And there you have it... my 15 seconds of Disney glory.
You can just imagine how the rest of my Tuesday went- it was fantastic! So here's some background info: I wasn't super happy about my old roommate situation. So on Monday night, I spur-of-the-moment decided to switch apartments (which I'm so happy about- my new roommate is so awesome). Anyway, on Tuesday is when I actually went to talk to Housing Management and they said I could switch. So that put me in a great mood for the long and fun- filled day ahead. That's when we went to Animal Kingdom, and I had my little "performance". After the show, I was telling my friends that for my birthday I had come to Animal Kingdom by myself, because I hadn't really met any friends down here yet. That's when they got the idea to do my Birthday "Redo". So we got buttons and headed to get lunch. Well, at lunch the worker saw my button and got me a free dessert! It was great. After, we went on the Safari ride, and as we were walking into the line, the worker at the front sees my button and wishes me a happy birthday. So nice.... but later as we were waiting in that line, the announcer comes on the intercom and says "We'd like to wish Allison a happy birthday in Swahili....". Then he said happy birthday in Swahili, but I can't remember the exact phrase (although I do remember that Jumbo means "hello").
After Animal Kingdom, we went to Epcot to do the Kim Possible missions, and so that I could get a snack at all the different countries (I only got a Pretzel and ice cream... sad). But it was really cool. I thought the missions were gonna be lame like... "Go find this building, then come back. Good Job." But they were so integrated into the country displays. Like one country -I won't say which, because I'm going to do them with my family when they come- sends a smoke signal out of a building's roof. It was so fun. After our "missions" we went to Hollywood Studios to ride the new Star Tours. We ended up riding it like three times that night (and let me just say, I can't get of the flippin' Wookie Planet- I get it EVERY time!). But we also saw Fantasmic, which I love! It is a water/light/action/firework/movie show that is sooooo good. It makes me so happy every time I watch it. All in all, it was a fantastic day, and the best Birthday Redo ever!
So as I'm loving life, I sometimes get pulled back into reality. Like when my Mom texted me this week to let me know that my grandma had passed away. That was just a weird feeling. I actually didn't cry when she told me, and I still haven't cried (I'm guessing all the water works are retaining themselves for the funeral). But I just felt so happy. My grandma Lucile was 93 years old, and had an amazing life. I was thinking about all of the different places she traveled to, and all of the different eras she's seen. It's incredible. She was such an amazing woman, and was so much fun to be with. I have so many memories of her. Kim and I would always sleep over at her house, and go swimming, eat macaroni and cheese, and watch Little Women. She would always give us wafer cookies and she made the best cooked carrots I have ever had. One thing that really sticks out to me was how important the temple was to her. It was like she understood some secret about its sacredness and importance. Unfortunately, I never got to the age where I was able to talk to her about it, but I know someday I'll get the opportunity to. When that day comes, I'll be glad and excited to share in her understanding and to sing "Springtime in the Rockies" with my grandma again.
You can just imagine how the rest of my Tuesday went- it was fantastic! So here's some background info: I wasn't super happy about my old roommate situation. So on Monday night, I spur-of-the-moment decided to switch apartments (which I'm so happy about- my new roommate is so awesome). Anyway, on Tuesday is when I actually went to talk to Housing Management and they said I could switch. So that put me in a great mood for the long and fun- filled day ahead. That's when we went to Animal Kingdom, and I had my little "performance". After the show, I was telling my friends that for my birthday I had come to Animal Kingdom by myself, because I hadn't really met any friends down here yet. That's when they got the idea to do my Birthday "Redo". So we got buttons and headed to get lunch. Well, at lunch the worker saw my button and got me a free dessert! It was great. After, we went on the Safari ride, and as we were walking into the line, the worker at the front sees my button and wishes me a happy birthday. So nice.... but later as we were waiting in that line, the announcer comes on the intercom and says "We'd like to wish Allison a happy birthday in Swahili....". Then he said happy birthday in Swahili, but I can't remember the exact phrase (although I do remember that Jumbo means "hello").
After Animal Kingdom, we went to Epcot to do the Kim Possible missions, and so that I could get a snack at all the different countries (I only got a Pretzel and ice cream... sad). But it was really cool. I thought the missions were gonna be lame like... "Go find this building, then come back. Good Job." But they were so integrated into the country displays. Like one country -I won't say which, because I'm going to do them with my family when they come- sends a smoke signal out of a building's roof. It was so fun. After our "missions" we went to Hollywood Studios to ride the new Star Tours. We ended up riding it like three times that night (and let me just say, I can't get of the flippin' Wookie Planet- I get it EVERY time!). But we also saw Fantasmic, which I love! It is a water/light/action/firework/movie show that is sooooo good. It makes me so happy every time I watch it. All in all, it was a fantastic day, and the best Birthday Redo ever!
So as I'm loving life, I sometimes get pulled back into reality. Like when my Mom texted me this week to let me know that my grandma had passed away. That was just a weird feeling. I actually didn't cry when she told me, and I still haven't cried (I'm guessing all the water works are retaining themselves for the funeral). But I just felt so happy. My grandma Lucile was 93 years old, and had an amazing life. I was thinking about all of the different places she traveled to, and all of the different eras she's seen. It's incredible. She was such an amazing woman, and was so much fun to be with. I have so many memories of her. Kim and I would always sleep over at her house, and go swimming, eat macaroni and cheese, and watch Little Women. She would always give us wafer cookies and she made the best cooked carrots I have ever had. One thing that really sticks out to me was how important the temple was to her. It was like she understood some secret about its sacredness and importance. Unfortunately, I never got to the age where I was able to talk to her about it, but I know someday I'll get the opportunity to. When that day comes, I'll be glad and excited to share in her understanding and to sing "Springtime in the Rockies" with my grandma again.
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