I'm not super familiar with the humor of ripping your pants. Can someone enlighten me? Because it doesn't seem very funny to me if you rip your favorite pair of jeans on some no-name chair in the Marriot Center, and have to go the entire day positioning your backpack over your shoulder in such a way so that it covers this so-called rip.So I went home that night and got all Martha Stewart on those jeans. I actually don't know if Martha Stewart sews... she was just a name I came up with. I almost said Betty Crocker, but she cooks, so obviously I couldn't put her name down. Anyway.I fixed the tear, which ended up being only like an inch big. At the time it happened, I felt like I had ripped my pants in half and was completely exposed. So I go on for the next week or so happy as a clam with my newly repaired skinny jeans that so nicely tuck into winter boots. Then, while I was making my Halloween costume (which turned out awesome, by the way) at my brother and sister-in-law's house, I get this huge (and when I say huge, I mean HUGE) rip on the inner part of my thigh area. Uh, Hello!
So the pants are over with. Sadly, I just don't think they can take anymore repair, and frankly, I don't want to risk getting another rip like that in them while I am in public. So I've moved on to my black skinny jeans which don't exactly go with every outfit, but do suffice. In a way, I feel like this transition of pants is a good thing for me. It makes think about my outfits. I feel like I'm actually trying to look cute now, compared to these last few months where it's been hoodie-central all over the place. Luckily, I have my cute, lime green and navy striped Disney hoodie, so I looked half decent (Thank you, cast discount!).
Like I said earlier, my Halloween costume was (or IS) awesome! My sister-in-law, Alison, helped me make it. Also, this is a side note, but you know how earlier I couldn't think of anyone who is like awesome at sewing? Well I could've said something like, "I got all Alison on those jeans!", because she's that awesome. Anywho. She helped me make my costume and totally sewed like a whole tunic thing in one day! And I surged. It was really exciting.
Speaking of sewing, the past few days I have been working on a Christmas cross-stitch. Actually the past few days I have been doing all sorts of motherly things. On Friday I spent the day cleaning, baking cookies, and doing my cross-stitch while watching SuperNanny. So not only is my house clean and my cross-stitch done, but I also now know how to discipline unruly children.
Hopefully you enjoyed reading this blog, because heaven knows I would rather write this thing than my Plan B assignment for Intro to Dietetics (Don't worry, I'll whip it out tomorrow in like 20 minutes). But everything here is going great. We just got the ward menu... I mean... ward directory. So I think we'll start to learn more people's names and stuff. Hope everything this week goes great for you! Bye!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Questions, Quizzes, and Qui Gon Jinn
Do you want to know how many bubbles there are on an average bubblesheet that you pick up at the BYU testing center? There's 160. Ok, technically there are 160 questions, with like 10 bubbles each. So in that case... there's 1600. But guess who had to use all of the questions on that bubble sheet for ONE Interior design class? That's right. Me. The good news is that I was only in the testing center for like an hour and a half... which (if you do the deduction) means that I actually knew the material. The bad news is that after that test, I haven't been able to stop analyzing different pieces of furniture and architecture for their style and "good design". So basically... I'm a shmuck. I've told myself that I was going to write in my blog every weekend for like the past two months. And, uh. Yeah. It didn't happen... until now! How exciting! Now you all get to hear what's been happening for the first semester of my sophomore year at BYU.
My new ward is great. And I was called to be the Secretary in the Relief Society! I was really nervous at first, because I'm not really savvy with computer stuff. But I have learned to love it because it kind of makes me feel like a secret agent. Let me explain. I have to enter in all of the Visiting Teaching reports in this tiny room in the Marb that has like two computers in it and no windows. To get into the room you have to enter a code on the doorknob. So the other day I go up to the door and there's this guy sitting right outside the room. I punched in the code and the door does this victorious unlocking noise. I smirk at him and think, "That's right... I have the code." I bet he didn't even realize I was opening a locked door, but I felt pretty cool.
Also, we may have the coolest neighbors in the world. A couple of weeks ago we went up (they live in the apartment above us) to have a "Tangled Tuesday" where we watched Tangled and ate braided breadsticks. It was so fun! But let's be real. One of the biggest reasons I love them is because they share a similar passion as me. That's right, folks. STAR WARS. We've already had a Star Wars movie night, complete with C3PO cardboard cutout (he only had the cutout because his work was giving it away... but still!). And last night, as Shelby and I were sitting at our dining room table, we heard this noise outside. I slowly pulled open the blinds and one of our neighbors was staring back at me through the window in a Boba Fett helmet! It was scary, but totally awesome at the same time! Also, if you don't know who Boba Fett is... a) you probably actually have a life and b) he's just a character in Star Wars. No biggie. Anyway. It makes me pretty excited to have neighbors who have the same weirdo fandoms as my roommates and me. And when I say my roommates and me... I basically mean me, although Felicia and Shelby do their best to support me in all of my strange obsessions.
Well, that's a little taste of what's happening down here, but don't worry, I should be getting to the 'R' blog in the next few days. I feel like I have some pretty good stories to tell, and I'm starting to feel my creative juices coming back to life... which is perfect, because Halloween is in the next few weeks. Anywho. Hope you all have a great few days, anticipating the moment when I once again write in this very exciting blog. :)
My new ward is great. And I was called to be the Secretary in the Relief Society! I was really nervous at first, because I'm not really savvy with computer stuff. But I have learned to love it because it kind of makes me feel like a secret agent. Let me explain. I have to enter in all of the Visiting Teaching reports in this tiny room in the Marb that has like two computers in it and no windows. To get into the room you have to enter a code on the doorknob. So the other day I go up to the door and there's this guy sitting right outside the room. I punched in the code and the door does this victorious unlocking noise. I smirk at him and think, "That's right... I have the code." I bet he didn't even realize I was opening a locked door, but I felt pretty cool.
Also, we may have the coolest neighbors in the world. A couple of weeks ago we went up (they live in the apartment above us) to have a "Tangled Tuesday" where we watched Tangled and ate braided breadsticks. It was so fun! But let's be real. One of the biggest reasons I love them is because they share a similar passion as me. That's right, folks. STAR WARS. We've already had a Star Wars movie night, complete with C3PO cardboard cutout (he only had the cutout because his work was giving it away... but still!). And last night, as Shelby and I were sitting at our dining room table, we heard this noise outside. I slowly pulled open the blinds and one of our neighbors was staring back at me through the window in a Boba Fett helmet! It was scary, but totally awesome at the same time! Also, if you don't know who Boba Fett is... a) you probably actually have a life and b) he's just a character in Star Wars. No biggie. Anyway. It makes me pretty excited to have neighbors who have the same weirdo fandoms as my roommates and me. And when I say my roommates and me... I basically mean me, although Felicia and Shelby do their best to support me in all of my strange obsessions.
Well, that's a little taste of what's happening down here, but don't worry, I should be getting to the 'R' blog in the next few days. I feel like I have some pretty good stories to tell, and I'm starting to feel my creative juices coming back to life... which is perfect, because Halloween is in the next few weeks. Anywho. Hope you all have a great few days, anticipating the moment when I once again write in this very exciting blog. :)
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
People and Parting
People! Ok, I know I have totally slacked on my blog. Dang. Remember how I said I didn't want this blog to become one of those things that I keep up for a while, then totally forget? Well it happened anyway. And I feel like that is the real shame here. The fact that I practically warned myself that I was going to neglect my writing, and then I actually did neglect it. Anyway....
In case you didn't know, I'm in Utah. And I'm LOVING IT! I can get out of the shower in the morning and actually dry off. That didn't happen very often in Florida. This next week should be exciting- the first week back to college! Hopefully then I'll have some more exciting things to write about. Not that nothing exciting has happened in the last two weeks. Because believe me... it has. But I feel just slightly overwhelmed trying to write everything down. In the words of my old Book of Mormon professor (who actually is quoting someone else, but I have no idea who. And who also has a voice that sounds like Piglet's from Winnie the Pooh): "There is too much.... let me sum up."
Beginning of the Summary: My parents came to pick me up from Florida the week of August 12th. My older sister also came with them. We had a ton of fun, but also got exhausted from all the walking and the Florida heat/humidity. We hit all of the parks (some of them multiple times), and even got to go to my home for the past 3 months, Blizzard Beach. It was so great to show them everything, and they absolutely LOVED Toy Story Mania (I am happy to say that I got the high score both times we went). While I practically drooled over Fantasmic, their favorite firework show was Magic Kingdom's, and- let's be honest- who can blame them?
Middle of the Summary: We flew home Saturday, which, in itself, is a story. The kid sitting next to me threw up.... twice. I didn't sleep the entire plane ride because I was so anxious that he was going to lose his lunch on me. I about died. Needless to say, it wasn't the most enjoyable flying experience. The flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake went a lot smoother- no puking children.
End of summary: I'm now just hanging out here in Sandy until I move into my apartment on Friday. I've gone through my old clothes (about three garbage bags full) and I'm all packed up, and ready to go (aside from the fact that I haven't paid tuition yet or purchased any of my books.... yikes!). I've had some time to hang out with my roommates, and we even went to the Zoo! It was awesome, and the guy at the gate let us in for half price. Score! I also had the chance to make homemade cupcakes. Yup, homemade.... from scratch... without a cake mix. They turned out fabulous (if I do say so myself), and when my family tasted them, I made them use a fork just like the judges on Cupcake Wars.
Well, as they say wherever they say it, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." I'm hoping that this next week I'll have some experiences that will make my creative juices start flowing again. Until then you'll just have to grin and bear it.
In case you didn't know, I'm in Utah. And I'm LOVING IT! I can get out of the shower in the morning and actually dry off. That didn't happen very often in Florida. This next week should be exciting- the first week back to college! Hopefully then I'll have some more exciting things to write about. Not that nothing exciting has happened in the last two weeks. Because believe me... it has. But I feel just slightly overwhelmed trying to write everything down. In the words of my old Book of Mormon professor (who actually is quoting someone else, but I have no idea who. And who also has a voice that sounds like Piglet's from Winnie the Pooh): "There is too much.... let me sum up."
Beginning of the Summary: My parents came to pick me up from Florida the week of August 12th. My older sister also came with them. We had a ton of fun, but also got exhausted from all the walking and the Florida heat/humidity. We hit all of the parks (some of them multiple times), and even got to go to my home for the past 3 months, Blizzard Beach. It was so great to show them everything, and they absolutely LOVED Toy Story Mania (I am happy to say that I got the high score both times we went). While I practically drooled over Fantasmic, their favorite firework show was Magic Kingdom's, and- let's be honest- who can blame them?
Middle of the Summary: We flew home Saturday, which, in itself, is a story. The kid sitting next to me threw up.... twice. I didn't sleep the entire plane ride because I was so anxious that he was going to lose his lunch on me. I about died. Needless to say, it wasn't the most enjoyable flying experience. The flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake went a lot smoother- no puking children.
End of summary: I'm now just hanging out here in Sandy until I move into my apartment on Friday. I've gone through my old clothes (about three garbage bags full) and I'm all packed up, and ready to go (aside from the fact that I haven't paid tuition yet or purchased any of my books.... yikes!). I've had some time to hang out with my roommates, and we even went to the Zoo! It was awesome, and the guy at the gate let us in for half price. Score! I also had the chance to make homemade cupcakes. Yup, homemade.... from scratch... without a cake mix. They turned out fabulous (if I do say so myself), and when my family tasted them, I made them use a fork just like the judges on Cupcake Wars.
Well, as they say wherever they say it, "Parting is such sweet sorrow." I'm hoping that this next week I'll have some experiences that will make my creative juices start flowing again. Until then you'll just have to grin and bear it.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Oakleys, Oops, and Operation
Ok, you have to promise me something. You will stop freaking out because I just used the word "Operation" in my title. I didn't have an operation. No one I know is having an operation. I didn't have to perform an operation.... but I kinda perform "operation" every time I'm at work. Let me explain. I've mentioned before how I sometimes have to do the beloved mug cart. And when I say "beloved", I am most definitely being sarcastic. Mug cart really isn't that bad. You just have to be in the right mind frame. When doing mug cart, there is always at least one guest who comes up to return their key when it's still on their wrist. They stick out their arm to me and I'm like, "Yeah? That's a shame your arm sticks out that way. Oh what? You want me to take the key off of your wrist for you?". Epitome of laziness. So I gingerly try to take it off their wrist without touching them at all, because that's just awkward. Sometimes it gets stuck, so I'm not that gentle. It's like the game Operation. I feel like if I touch their skin some huge buzzer is going to go off and everyone is going to know that I lost. That's usually when I just yank the key off their wrist.
This week everyone at work had to attend an information meeting about Oakley sunglasses. It wasn't terrible, just boring. I had just eaten and was out at Shade Shack (the exile position that no one wants) when I was sent to the meeting. We listened to this guy talk about sunglasses in this nice, air conditioned room. I about zonked out. But during his presentation, he was talking about how durable Oakleys are. He took out some sunglasses and showed us some imprints on the glasses. He told us that those marks were from a pellet gun held at four feet away. I think he thought it would impress us, and it did... but I was just thinking, "Why are you shooting a pellet gun four feet away from people's faces?". Who knows. What really got me was when he pulled out a heavy metal stake thing and was like, "Then we dropped these on the sunglasses from a height of five feet." Ok sir, next time I'm hunting vampires and need to use one of those stakes, I'll be sure to wear some Oakleys, so in case the vampire gets the stake, holds it five feet from me head, and drops it, my eyes will be protected.
I had a big Oopsie this week. No, not like that. I meant work related. I was taking care of the Premium and Umbrella space rentals when two guests came up and were like, "We were both assigned to this specific umbrella position". Uh oh. That's never good. Luckily, my manager was right there and we got it all figured out. We walked over to the sandy umbrella section and had to figure out who was assigned to where. It was confusing, but the whole time my manager was like, "You got this, just take your time and figure it out." He wanted me to solve the whole mess, which was nice because I felt like he trusted me. My managers are so awesome, and the people who were all in the different areas were so nice and weren't the grumpy kind of guests that would just go off on you. I've been really lucky to not have any guest really treat me crummy. So that incident turned out not to be that bad.
That's basically all that's happening in my life right now. I'm so excited that the Gustafsons come down this week and my family comes down next! I'm so excited to see all of them! These last two weeks are gonna fly by!
This week everyone at work had to attend an information meeting about Oakley sunglasses. It wasn't terrible, just boring. I had just eaten and was out at Shade Shack (the exile position that no one wants) when I was sent to the meeting. We listened to this guy talk about sunglasses in this nice, air conditioned room. I about zonked out. But during his presentation, he was talking about how durable Oakleys are. He took out some sunglasses and showed us some imprints on the glasses. He told us that those marks were from a pellet gun held at four feet away. I think he thought it would impress us, and it did... but I was just thinking, "Why are you shooting a pellet gun four feet away from people's faces?". Who knows. What really got me was when he pulled out a heavy metal stake thing and was like, "Then we dropped these on the sunglasses from a height of five feet." Ok sir, next time I'm hunting vampires and need to use one of those stakes, I'll be sure to wear some Oakleys, so in case the vampire gets the stake, holds it five feet from me head, and drops it, my eyes will be protected.
I had a big Oopsie this week. No, not like that. I meant work related. I was taking care of the Premium and Umbrella space rentals when two guests came up and were like, "We were both assigned to this specific umbrella position". Uh oh. That's never good. Luckily, my manager was right there and we got it all figured out. We walked over to the sandy umbrella section and had to figure out who was assigned to where. It was confusing, but the whole time my manager was like, "You got this, just take your time and figure it out." He wanted me to solve the whole mess, which was nice because I felt like he trusted me. My managers are so awesome, and the people who were all in the different areas were so nice and weren't the grumpy kind of guests that would just go off on you. I've been really lucky to not have any guest really treat me crummy. So that incident turned out not to be that bad.
That's basically all that's happening in my life right now. I'm so excited that the Gustafsons come down this week and my family comes down next! I'm so excited to see all of them! These last two weeks are gonna fly by!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Noodles, Naboo, and Never-Neverland
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.
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.
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.
Monday, June 20, 2011
KIM
So I'm back... in the airplane... again. Name that movie! (It was Jurassic Park for all you people out there who don't constantly quote movies and actually come up with original things to say in everyday conversations. Also, in the movie he says "car" instead of "airplane". So this actually may not qualify as a quote at all.... nevertheless.) I just barely got home from the Florida airport and let me tell you... the company on my return trip was infinitely better than my company on the departing. On my four hour flight from Orlando to Phoenix (Ok side note- I now know how to correctly spell Phoenix thanks to the spell check on my Blackberry), I got on the plane only to find this old Indian couple in aisle and middle seat in the row I was supposed to be in. So that means I had the window seat... which can be tricky to get to if people are already sitting down in the conjoining seats. So I assumed this couple would stand up to let me get to my seat. Wrong. They just sit there, so I have to maneuver my way around them while carrying my backpack in one hand and my family's souvenirs in the other. So the trip had already started off on a sour note for me. During the entire flight I listened to my Ipod and tried to sleep. And if I wasn't really asleep, I pretended to be asleep, because if I looked at all to my left, the Indian guy would sharply turn his head to look at me. Needless to say, I had a nice view of the clouds for the entire trip. Then, about halfway through the flight, this couple pulls out who knows what from a tinfoil pouch. It smelled so strong! Then after they ate, the guy started coughing with this really bad hacking noise. I'm like, well if I ate something that smelled that strong, then I'd probably be making the same noise!
The flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake was better. I was only stuck between two old guys. No Indian people. The flight from Phoenix to SLC is only about an hour and fifteen minutes, so you can basically endure anything that long. Except on my return flight to Orlando, I didn't want the first connecting flight to Phoenix to go that fast, because I WASN'T sitting next to some old guys. I was sitting next to some guys my age. That went to BYU. And that were wearing muscley shirts. Not that I noticed... I was much too busy reading my new book (I bought four new books when I went to Barnes and Noble. I only went in to get two, but I overheard some of the workers talking about the two other books). Seriously though, I must've been bitten by the shy fly, because I didn't say a word to them the entire trip. I'm still kicking myself for that one. Oh well... you win some, you lose some. The flight from Phoenix to Orlando went so fast, and I can't help thinking that I'm going to get used to this routine of flights.
So I'm back in Florida. But I had such an amazing time in Utah! When I arrived, I walked off the plane, and could basically hear my skin crack because of the lack of humidity. But I didn't care. I was just so glad to be home! I was so excited to see my family, my roommates, my dog (except he wasn't that excited to see me- sad! When I came home he sat kinda sat there. Nothing. I was like... Hello! I'm kinda the one who prayed for you to be here! You're welcome!). Anyway, Kim's wedding on Saturday was incredible! She looked beautiful, happy, and so full of love. I am so happy for her. The reception was amazing, and I really think I want to have my reception at the same place -wouldn't that be funny, because I've basically copied everything Kim's done since the day I was born, and now I'm wanting to copy her wedding reception place too!
I just had some thoughts I wanted to share in regards to weddings and such. I talked to Kim the day before she was getting married and was just like.... think about how you've had to live your life to get to this point. It totally hasn't been easy, but I know she wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I think that ever since I've grown out of Young Women's, I've lost my focus on how important it is to go to the temple. Not that I didn't want to go... it just wasn't the focus of my preparations.I feel like In YW they push it so much, and of course a temple marriage has always been my goal. But in Relief Society, the audience is a little different. Most of the women in there are already married. Their focus is a bit different. I was really glad I got to see Kim go to the temple, because it reminded me of just how special it is and that right now, that is what I'm supposed to be preparing for.
The reminder is so good for me right now, because I have a problem with feeling a bit "stagnant". You know that in-between feeling of not really regressing, but not necessarily progressing either. It was/is totally happening to me. I had lost my focus. My family and roommates reminded me that I always have to be working at something. Always. They also told me to stop focusing on myself so much- which explained a lot of my self pity crap. But I just wanted to thank them for listening to me and helping me instead of just feeling content to let me mope. I know I can always count on them to slap me out of whatever bad mood I'm in. Thank you, people!
I just wanted to end with a kind of tribute to my sister that I've followed around since I learned to walk. I am so grateful for Kim's example to me. This last year (and my first year) at college definitely had it's challenges. But it was so nice to have a sister down in Provo with me that I could always go to if I needed help. At Conference time, Kim actually let my roommate and me come eat breakfast and watch Conference with her and Mike. We really were such an inconvenience, but she welcomed us with open arms, and a loving heart, which just exemplifies everything she is. We had a class everyday together (Women's Chorus), and it was so much fun to spend that time with her. We also had some good times in our Greek and Roman Mythology class (It's PRACTICAL that Hermes would be carrying the infant Dionysus). You wouldn't understand that last side note if you weren't Kim... so basically no one knows what that was about because Kim is on her Honeymoon and probably won't read this post for a while. Anyway. She has been the best big sister anyone could ask for, and it's a miracle she still loves me after all the stunts I've pulled. I'm so glad that she's found her perfect match, and couldn't be happier for her. Love you, KIMBUNNY!
The flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake was better. I was only stuck between two old guys. No Indian people. The flight from Phoenix to SLC is only about an hour and fifteen minutes, so you can basically endure anything that long. Except on my return flight to Orlando, I didn't want the first connecting flight to Phoenix to go that fast, because I WASN'T sitting next to some old guys. I was sitting next to some guys my age. That went to BYU. And that were wearing muscley shirts. Not that I noticed... I was much too busy reading my new book (I bought four new books when I went to Barnes and Noble. I only went in to get two, but I overheard some of the workers talking about the two other books). Seriously though, I must've been bitten by the shy fly, because I didn't say a word to them the entire trip. I'm still kicking myself for that one. Oh well... you win some, you lose some. The flight from Phoenix to Orlando went so fast, and I can't help thinking that I'm going to get used to this routine of flights.
So I'm back in Florida. But I had such an amazing time in Utah! When I arrived, I walked off the plane, and could basically hear my skin crack because of the lack of humidity. But I didn't care. I was just so glad to be home! I was so excited to see my family, my roommates, my dog (except he wasn't that excited to see me- sad! When I came home he sat kinda sat there. Nothing. I was like... Hello! I'm kinda the one who prayed for you to be here! You're welcome!). Anyway, Kim's wedding on Saturday was incredible! She looked beautiful, happy, and so full of love. I am so happy for her. The reception was amazing, and I really think I want to have my reception at the same place -wouldn't that be funny, because I've basically copied everything Kim's done since the day I was born, and now I'm wanting to copy her wedding reception place too!
I just had some thoughts I wanted to share in regards to weddings and such. I talked to Kim the day before she was getting married and was just like.... think about how you've had to live your life to get to this point. It totally hasn't been easy, but I know she wouldn't have wanted it any other way. I think that ever since I've grown out of Young Women's, I've lost my focus on how important it is to go to the temple. Not that I didn't want to go... it just wasn't the focus of my preparations.I feel like In YW they push it so much, and of course a temple marriage has always been my goal. But in Relief Society, the audience is a little different. Most of the women in there are already married. Their focus is a bit different. I was really glad I got to see Kim go to the temple, because it reminded me of just how special it is and that right now, that is what I'm supposed to be preparing for.
The reminder is so good for me right now, because I have a problem with feeling a bit "stagnant". You know that in-between feeling of not really regressing, but not necessarily progressing either. It was/is totally happening to me. I had lost my focus. My family and roommates reminded me that I always have to be working at something. Always. They also told me to stop focusing on myself so much- which explained a lot of my self pity crap. But I just wanted to thank them for listening to me and helping me instead of just feeling content to let me mope. I know I can always count on them to slap me out of whatever bad mood I'm in. Thank you, people!
I just wanted to end with a kind of tribute to my sister that I've followed around since I learned to walk. I am so grateful for Kim's example to me. This last year (and my first year) at college definitely had it's challenges. But it was so nice to have a sister down in Provo with me that I could always go to if I needed help. At Conference time, Kim actually let my roommate and me come eat breakfast and watch Conference with her and Mike. We really were such an inconvenience, but she welcomed us with open arms, and a loving heart, which just exemplifies everything she is. We had a class everyday together (Women's Chorus), and it was so much fun to spend that time with her. We also had some good times in our Greek and Roman Mythology class (It's PRACTICAL that Hermes would be carrying the infant Dionysus). You wouldn't understand that last side note if you weren't Kim... so basically no one knows what that was about because Kim is on her Honeymoon and probably won't read this post for a while. Anyway. She has been the best big sister anyone could ask for, and it's a miracle she still loves me after all the stunts I've pulled. I'm so glad that she's found her perfect match, and couldn't be happier for her. Love you, KIMBUNNY!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Jews, Jingle Bells, and Just Five More Days!
A Jew, Lutheran, Catholic, and Mormon are all sitting at the dinner table.... sounds like a joke, right? Well, we are. I say "we" because the religions above each match one of the girls in our "Blizzardian" group. There's a whole story that goes along with the term "Blizzardians", but I'm just going to leave it at that. It is so fun to hang out with these girls. During the first two weeks here, I never thought I would form such close friendships, but these girls are making time go by so fast! I'm having a blast!
Today I started singing "This Land is Your Land" (the patriotic song) at work today. I can't find any explanation for it except that I may or may not have heard it in Frontier Land in Magic Kingdom last night. It reminded me of when I worked at Cowabunga last summer and would get Hawaiian songs stuck in my head. "Mango, coconut (boom), and some papaya". But this summer, I get listen to Christmas songs all day! (Except sometimes they play regular music over the holiday stuff). My favorite song they play is "Sleigh-ride". My friend KellyAnn and I always like the whip part, and will make the whip motion with our hands.
Work is going just great. I'm having so much fun, and as always I love the people I'm working with. Some of them are starting to become my Blizzard "family". There is a lady, Daisy, who is like everyone's mom. But it's funny because her pet name for all of the girls is "mommy". Actually all of the Hispanic ladies call the girls "mommy". It's actually really cute. But Daisy is great. She is always asking how I am and is so sweet and hilarious. I was at Shade Shack (the outdoor gift shop) the other day, and I got a call on the phone. The person told me that I was force extended to work 3 hours later than I was originally supposed to! I was like.... what????? Then I looked over at Rentals (about 100 feet away), and I see Daisy on the phone! She was the one who had called me instead of the managers! She thought it was pretty funny, but I was just happy I really got to go home at the right time.
Another person I love is Janet. She is like the short, feisty grandma around here. She saw me after I had done a towel run and was like "Oh, poor babygirl! You look so exhausted. Babygirl!". I think she is so adorable and so fun to work with. Also, she always smells like men's cologne... which is strange. But I was talking to her one day and found out that she and her husband (who also works at Blizzard Beach-cute!) have been together since they were fourteen years old! How cool is that!
And then there's Richard. He is the new Coordinator that transferred from Typhoon Lagoon. He is probably one of my favorite people. EVER. He always calls us girls "sweetheart" and "darling" and "princess". All of us girls just love him. He has an accent that is like part German/ Puerto Rican/ American. It is really so fun to listen to. He is kinda like our father figure around here. He hasn't been here very long, but we all love him so much.
We also got some new French boys at Blizzard. How exciting! They aren't like super attractive... but they're foreign... nobody can resist that. For a couple of days, all of us girls were so excited to get some actual guys around. But we'll see how long that lasts.
I feel like I really don't have that much else to say, except that I come home in five days!!!!! I'm so excited! Earlier this week I cried for the first time since being down here, and let's just say.... it was definitely needed. I had just talked to my dad earlier that night, then I started listening to his favorite band, Joshua Creek. That's when the tears hit. I felt better the next morning. Oh! Another exciting thing I just remembered! I bought earplugs on Thursday! Best purchase I've ever made. Anyway.... I'm excited to come home and tell you all in person the experiences I've had and the people I've met. Should make for some interesting conversations. Love you all! See you REAL soon!
Today I started singing "This Land is Your Land" (the patriotic song) at work today. I can't find any explanation for it except that I may or may not have heard it in Frontier Land in Magic Kingdom last night. It reminded me of when I worked at Cowabunga last summer and would get Hawaiian songs stuck in my head. "Mango, coconut (boom), and some papaya". But this summer, I get listen to Christmas songs all day! (Except sometimes they play regular music over the holiday stuff). My favorite song they play is "Sleigh-ride". My friend KellyAnn and I always like the whip part, and will make the whip motion with our hands.
Work is going just great. I'm having so much fun, and as always I love the people I'm working with. Some of them are starting to become my Blizzard "family". There is a lady, Daisy, who is like everyone's mom. But it's funny because her pet name for all of the girls is "mommy". Actually all of the Hispanic ladies call the girls "mommy". It's actually really cute. But Daisy is great. She is always asking how I am and is so sweet and hilarious. I was at Shade Shack (the outdoor gift shop) the other day, and I got a call on the phone. The person told me that I was force extended to work 3 hours later than I was originally supposed to! I was like.... what????? Then I looked over at Rentals (about 100 feet away), and I see Daisy on the phone! She was the one who had called me instead of the managers! She thought it was pretty funny, but I was just happy I really got to go home at the right time.
Another person I love is Janet. She is like the short, feisty grandma around here. She saw me after I had done a towel run and was like "Oh, poor babygirl! You look so exhausted. Babygirl!". I think she is so adorable and so fun to work with. Also, she always smells like men's cologne... which is strange. But I was talking to her one day and found out that she and her husband (who also works at Blizzard Beach-cute!) have been together since they were fourteen years old! How cool is that!
And then there's Richard. He is the new Coordinator that transferred from Typhoon Lagoon. He is probably one of my favorite people. EVER. He always calls us girls "sweetheart" and "darling" and "princess". All of us girls just love him. He has an accent that is like part German/ Puerto Rican/ American. It is really so fun to listen to. He is kinda like our father figure around here. He hasn't been here very long, but we all love him so much.
We also got some new French boys at Blizzard. How exciting! They aren't like super attractive... but they're foreign... nobody can resist that. For a couple of days, all of us girls were so excited to get some actual guys around. But we'll see how long that lasts.
I feel like I really don't have that much else to say, except that I come home in five days!!!!! I'm so excited! Earlier this week I cried for the first time since being down here, and let's just say.... it was definitely needed. I had just talked to my dad earlier that night, then I started listening to his favorite band, Joshua Creek. That's when the tears hit. I felt better the next morning. Oh! Another exciting thing I just remembered! I bought earplugs on Thursday! Best purchase I've ever made. Anyway.... I'm excited to come home and tell you all in person the experiences I've had and the people I've met. Should make for some interesting conversations. Love you all! See you REAL soon!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Iguanas, Internationals, and Icey Places
Well hello there. Been awhile, hasn't it? That makes me sad, because I don't want this blog to turn into one of those things you start, but after some time you just don't bother with it anymore. Like those really big meatballs that Hedy made for us that one time. I tried EVERY condiment I could think of, and I still couldn't finish that thing. But that's beside the point. The point is.... I'm getting into a routine here, so not a lot of stuff worth writing about is happening. Especially things starting with the letter "I".
The lizards are going nuts. They are everywhere, and kinda starting to get aggressive! I'm like ok, I understand that you reproduce and replenish like there's no tomorrow, but that's no reason to run TOWARDS my foot when I'm just trying to walk around you. At closing earlier this week, one of the lizards was actually in the space where we stand behind the register. I was watching it out of the corner of my eye as I helped the last guests in the store. When the guests left, I grabbed a hanger and tried to "guide" it out of the store. Bad idea. He went crazy! Running all over the place and I'm running after him with a hanger, like some sort of lunatic. Thanks lizard. Thanks a lot.
Work is going great. I've been having so much fun, and I love the people I work with. A group of us girls went out to dinner a couple times this week, and that was a blast. But the hours for Blizzard are starting to get longer, so last week we opened at 9 instead of 10, and this week we are closing at 6 instead of 5. Then the week that I'm coming home we stay open until 8 for the rest of the summer. Crazy! But on the bright side, that means I will either work later and not have to get up so early, or I will work early and get off in the afternoon. So that will be nice. It's starting to get really busy too, and apparently we haven't even hit the Brazilian season yet. I heard that gets nuts though.
I was saying that the girls I work with and I hang out a lot. It's so great! We went to Planet Hollywood and Prime Time Cafe for dinner. I got the Pot roast at Prime Time, and it made me miss home way bad. I wanted my Sunday roast, potatoes, and rolls. So maybe the Sunday that I'm home we'll have something like that...(hint hint wink wink nudge nudge). But speaking of the girls I work with.... there is one international girl (she's from Canada-ok technically Ukraine-wait, didn't she say she lived in Israel?) who is exactly like what I just explained in the parentheses...confusing! She rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Luckily I think she is ok with me, so I haven't really had a confrontation with her yet. But I do have a few more months here. Who knows what will happen. Anyway, she makes for some very interesting conversations at work -to say the least.
Other than the couple of fun times I had at the park this week, nothing is really going on. I still talk to my roommates at home for hours at a time. I'm still getting a picture of Zak once a day (which I love). And I'm still alive! Which is the most important thing. One other cool thing is that my friend from work is coming to night sacrament meeting with me today. I'm so excited- it should be great! She's talked with the missionaries and I think they wanted to set up another appointment- hopefully this time I get to come! Love you all, and I'll see you in 11 days!
The lizards are going nuts. They are everywhere, and kinda starting to get aggressive! I'm like ok, I understand that you reproduce and replenish like there's no tomorrow, but that's no reason to run TOWARDS my foot when I'm just trying to walk around you. At closing earlier this week, one of the lizards was actually in the space where we stand behind the register. I was watching it out of the corner of my eye as I helped the last guests in the store. When the guests left, I grabbed a hanger and tried to "guide" it out of the store. Bad idea. He went crazy! Running all over the place and I'm running after him with a hanger, like some sort of lunatic. Thanks lizard. Thanks a lot.
Work is going great. I've been having so much fun, and I love the people I work with. A group of us girls went out to dinner a couple times this week, and that was a blast. But the hours for Blizzard are starting to get longer, so last week we opened at 9 instead of 10, and this week we are closing at 6 instead of 5. Then the week that I'm coming home we stay open until 8 for the rest of the summer. Crazy! But on the bright side, that means I will either work later and not have to get up so early, or I will work early and get off in the afternoon. So that will be nice. It's starting to get really busy too, and apparently we haven't even hit the Brazilian season yet. I heard that gets nuts though.
I was saying that the girls I work with and I hang out a lot. It's so great! We went to Planet Hollywood and Prime Time Cafe for dinner. I got the Pot roast at Prime Time, and it made me miss home way bad. I wanted my Sunday roast, potatoes, and rolls. So maybe the Sunday that I'm home we'll have something like that...(hint hint wink wink nudge nudge). But speaking of the girls I work with.... there is one international girl (she's from Canada-ok technically Ukraine-wait, didn't she say she lived in Israel?) who is exactly like what I just explained in the parentheses...confusing! She rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Luckily I think she is ok with me, so I haven't really had a confrontation with her yet. But I do have a few more months here. Who knows what will happen. Anyway, she makes for some very interesting conversations at work -to say the least.
Other than the couple of fun times I had at the park this week, nothing is really going on. I still talk to my roommates at home for hours at a time. I'm still getting a picture of Zak once a day (which I love). And I'm still alive! Which is the most important thing. One other cool thing is that my friend from work is coming to night sacrament meeting with me today. I'm so excited- it should be great! She's talked with the missionaries and I think they wanted to set up another appointment- hopefully this time I get to come! Love you all, and I'll see you in 11 days!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Home, Holidays, and Handling Heavy Machinery
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Beaches, Bugs, Best Friends and Beauty
I hate bugs. Always have, most likely always will. There are bugs in Florida-A LOT of bugs. Let me give you an analogy to help clarify: Mormon is to Utah as Bug is to Florida. Yes. THAT many. And to make matters worse..... it's mating season for them. So you see a ton of these "double" black bugs that just fly right into you. It's worse than BYU in springtime (that was a joke).The first few days here I felt like I shouldn't even open my mouth for fear of something flying in there. But now I've calmed down a bit- Calm it down! Calm it down! Calm. It. Down. At one of my orientations our speaker was telling us about keeping our windows completely shut so no bugs or lizards could get in. I'm wondering what in the world place I'm living in where lizards would come in through the windows. But anyway....
On Thursday my roommates and I went to Cocoa Beach-home of the most famous Ron Jon's Surf Shop. We didn't go to it, but still! It took us almost twice as long to get there as it should have, because none of us really know our way down here. But eventually we found it and had a marvelous time. Ok, we basically slept on the beach the whole time and ended up with sunburns, but it was a great time. To get to Cocoa Beach you have to cross this bridge that goes over a lake. On our way home we went over the bridge and were deciding which road to take to get back to Orlando. We thought we were going the right way, but before we knew it, we were going back over the bridge! Apparently we had done a huge circle that was taking us right back to Cocoa Beach. It was so funny. We eventually made it back to our apartments safe and sound.
In my title I mentioned Best Friends. Isn't it funny how much someone can influence your life and you have no idea about it? I'm just barely recognizing how strong of a bond I had with my roommates Felicia and Shelby at BYU. It's been so hard to be here without them. Luckily, I can see them in about a month, but I just wanted them to know how much I love them. (For Felicia and Shelby) I miss you guys so much! And I'm so grateful for how much support and unconditional love you always show me! You truly have become my sisters in the gospel."Friends on Earth and Friends Above" has never meant as much to me as it does now. I love you guys with all of my heart!
I should also mention how great of a family I have for supporting my decision to come down here and for helping me along the way. I love you all so much!! I can't wait to see you in June! Mom and Dad are on their way home now, so all will go back to normal (haha). And give Zak a big hug for me!
One last thing I want to mention is how Beautiful life is. It is so Beautiful that Heavenly Father directs our paths and comes with us everywhere he sends us. It is so Beautiful to know that whatever happens, His love provides comfort and strength. It is so Beautiful to know that he speaks directly to us through scriptures and thoughts and feelings. It is Beautiful down here, and although I miss everyone a lot already, I'm enjoying every minute of my time. Love you all!
****More to come on work, my apartment, and people I've met!****
On Thursday my roommates and I went to Cocoa Beach-home of the most famous Ron Jon's Surf Shop. We didn't go to it, but still! It took us almost twice as long to get there as it should have, because none of us really know our way down here. But eventually we found it and had a marvelous time. Ok, we basically slept on the beach the whole time and ended up with sunburns, but it was a great time. To get to Cocoa Beach you have to cross this bridge that goes over a lake. On our way home we went over the bridge and were deciding which road to take to get back to Orlando. We thought we were going the right way, but before we knew it, we were going back over the bridge! Apparently we had done a huge circle that was taking us right back to Cocoa Beach. It was so funny. We eventually made it back to our apartments safe and sound.
In my title I mentioned Best Friends. Isn't it funny how much someone can influence your life and you have no idea about it? I'm just barely recognizing how strong of a bond I had with my roommates Felicia and Shelby at BYU. It's been so hard to be here without them. Luckily, I can see them in about a month, but I just wanted them to know how much I love them. (For Felicia and Shelby) I miss you guys so much! And I'm so grateful for how much support and unconditional love you always show me! You truly have become my sisters in the gospel."Friends on Earth and Friends Above" has never meant as much to me as it does now. I love you guys with all of my heart!
I should also mention how great of a family I have for supporting my decision to come down here and for helping me along the way. I love you all so much!! I can't wait to see you in June! Mom and Dad are on their way home now, so all will go back to normal (haha). And give Zak a big hug for me!
One last thing I want to mention is how Beautiful life is. It is so Beautiful that Heavenly Father directs our paths and comes with us everywhere he sends us. It is so Beautiful to know that whatever happens, His love provides comfort and strength. It is so Beautiful to know that he speaks directly to us through scriptures and thoughts and feelings. It is Beautiful down here, and although I miss everyone a lot already, I'm enjoying every minute of my time. Love you all!
****More to come on work, my apartment, and people I've met!****
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Airplanes, Alchemy, and Other Things of That Sort
You know that little kid in movies that always kicks the main character's seat when they're on an airplane? I met him on Monday. Yup, he sat RIGHT behind me. I thought about getting his autograph, but the forward lurching movement of my seat wouldn't allow for me to do so. Anyway... during our flight, my mother and I were watching "Life with Father" (an old black and white movie that my mom has been dying to watch because she likes the way they say "bap-tized". And if you ever bring it up around her, you too will have the privilege of hearing her impersonate it at least four times before you have the wits to change the subject. Anyway....). So we're watching this movie, and all of a sudden our plane swoons to the left-yes, i just used the word "swoon". And then a whole bunch of bumps and veers follow, until I realize that watching a movie and being thrown into the airplane wall do NOT mesh well together. I turned to tell my mother that we should stop watching, and she is grasping the arm rests of her seat with her eyes pinched shut. After much settling of the stomach, the plane landed safely into Orlando. Later, we heard the flight attendant saying that after 10 years of flying, that was one of the worst cases of turbulence she's experienced-- thanks lady!
So the point of me telling you my flight experience is to inform everyone of why in the heck we were flying in the first place. This summer I am working at Blizzard Beach in Disneyworld selling merchandise. My friend Kyler told me to start a blog, and I said I couldn't start one without a cute name. Luckily, my wonderful and adorable roommate Shelby, approved of the title "Afternoons with Allison". Thanks Shelbster! Hopefully I can keep everyone who doesn't have better things to do amused by relaying what happens in my life over the next three months.... don't feel obligated to keep reading though. It's mostly for my own sanity :)Anyway....
On to the Alchemy portion of my title. On Tuesday, my father, mother, and I took a spur of the moment trip to Universal Studios and-dare I say it- HARRY POTTER WORLD!!! Ok, sorry for the caps lock. But Harry Potter World deserves caps lock. As you walk up to the entry of HPW, you can hear the tinkling of the HP theme song. I felt like I was actually walking into Diagon Alley (spell check), but then I had to turn around so my parents could take my picture-good feeling gone. I really wanted to get some butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and chocolate frogs... but my mom restrained me, which was probably for the best considering we still had to go on the "Forbidden Journey" in Hogwarts castle. Anyway.... HPW was amazing, and I think I will probably be going back there due to the fact that my new roommate loves HP too (Thank goodness)!
****More to come regarding my new living conditions and such!****
So the point of me telling you my flight experience is to inform everyone of why in the heck we were flying in the first place. This summer I am working at Blizzard Beach in Disneyworld selling merchandise. My friend Kyler told me to start a blog, and I said I couldn't start one without a cute name. Luckily, my wonderful and adorable roommate Shelby, approved of the title "Afternoons with Allison". Thanks Shelbster! Hopefully I can keep everyone who doesn't have better things to do amused by relaying what happens in my life over the next three months.... don't feel obligated to keep reading though. It's mostly for my own sanity :)Anyway....
On to the Alchemy portion of my title. On Tuesday, my father, mother, and I took a spur of the moment trip to Universal Studios and-dare I say it- HARRY POTTER WORLD!!! Ok, sorry for the caps lock. But Harry Potter World deserves caps lock. As you walk up to the entry of HPW, you can hear the tinkling of the HP theme song. I felt like I was actually walking into Diagon Alley (spell check), but then I had to turn around so my parents could take my picture-good feeling gone. I really wanted to get some butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and chocolate frogs... but my mom restrained me, which was probably for the best considering we still had to go on the "Forbidden Journey" in Hogwarts castle. Anyway.... HPW was amazing, and I think I will probably be going back there due to the fact that my new roommate loves HP too (Thank goodness)!
****More to come regarding my new living conditions and such!****
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