Tuesday

Mickey's Not So Scary!

The last few weeks I have been working during the Halloween Party. Last Tueday both Courtney and I were off so we decided to attend the party as guests rather than cast members! It was so fun! We had a hard time deciding on costumes. We were going to wear the princess dresses, yes the little girl ones, but we decided to not spend the money. Instead, we went with a baseball theme. It turned out to be the right choice because it was so comfy!

The night was amazing. It honestly was my favorite thing I have done since I've been here! My favorite part was the dance party with Goofy. It was Goofy, Stitch, and Pluto. Goofy was the man of the hour. He was singing the song and teaching us the dance. It was awesome! Then he came down on the floor and actually danced with us! It was a dream come true :) Haha.

The parade was seriously amazing. There were all the villians singing "It's good to be bad" as well as the good guys singing "Trick or Treat... Boo..To..You" with Alice whispering "With more treats and less tricks!" Courtney's favorite part was all the candy haha. We went there thinking we would ride all the rides because everyone would be busy with the party, but we ended up being just like them... we were too distracted to ride any rides! Haha

I LOVED the Hallowishes fireworks. I already have a love for fireworks, but these ones lit the whole sky! They were amazing, and the music was perfect, completely set the mood. The whole thing was just amazing. I can't explain the fun we had!! I hope everyone gets the chance to be a part of it someday!

Monday

The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected.

This morning I had to work early (6:30 am!), so I was off really early. All my roommates are closing the parks tonight. I really don't like when we are on opposite shifts like that because I spend time alone and it gives me the opportunity to start thinking about all of the things I miss! So, while I was at home missing every thing, I made a little collage of all the things I really miss today. The pictures include: friday night football games in my home town, my best friend Perla, my parents, pine trees, Jaycee, watching my little brother play sports, Arizona, my athletic days and high school friends, Socorro, the air being cool enough to wear a hoodie, my life in Italy, snowboarding, holding hands, Skippy of course, my best friend Whitney, Flagstaff air that makes a beanie a requirement and not just a fashion statement, my favorite missionary and best friend Brindi, the fall, the changing trees, the cold air, and most of all... my family.

Thanks for being patient while I whine a bit about the things I miss. It's not like I have it bad at all :) just some things seem more important than enjoying all these adventures because they can't be enjoyed with the ones I love!

Friday

My job!

Ok so... here is where I work...
Where people come to visit these lovely ladies...


And not to mention these friends of mine...Every day we have dance parties. I work with mostly kids. I will admit, the job can be tiring. There are many strict rules. But, there are many positions at Disney that make it hard for people to enjoy their job at all. Mine isn't one of them. We have fun! I am learning to love the job, and not just it's perks ;)

The sun and the sand

Ok so who are we kidding? Working for Disney is fun, but it is exhausting! It takes a lot of energy to be smiley and peppy and upbeat all the time. I do love all the hugs and smiles, but it wears a person down. So, the other day my roommate Holly and I decided to go to the beach! We went to Daytona. It was such a wonderful day! It was so well needed. Just the water, the warmth, relaxing in the sand... it was paradise. I could sit there alllll day and still be perfectly happy! We took so many fun pictures. Both of us are in to taking pictures, and different types of photography, so the both of us together really put together some fun photos.

We both enjoyed the well needed break!

Magic Kingdom

Since my first trip to Magic Kingdom that first week, I have visited once more. I went with my awesome roomies, Holly and Kaitlyn. We did all the touristy things, acted like we were guests! It was a blast! All the wait times were really short, so we spent very little time standing in lines. When we first got there, we watched the parade. I love it! The characters are so much fun! It was nice to see them all dressed up. Working backstage, I often run in to Cinderella in a robe with only her make up and wig, or Tinkerbell in jeans and converse shoes listening to her iPod. It is a trip to be honest. I still get star struck when I see them though! It is just a strange contrast to the image of them in my mind! So the parade helped me to remember that they are princesses and beautiful ones at that!The rest of the day was spent riding rides and eating Mickey head ice cream bars. It was a blast! Thanks girls for the fun times!!

First week as a Disney Cast Member!

My first week at Disney was, in a word, BUSY! We did SO MUCH training and learning, it was exhausting! But, it had it's perks. I visited both Epcot and Magic Kingdom for my very first time :) Magic Kingdom is a lot like Disneyland, so of course I enjoyed it. My favoirte, though, was Epcot. It was simply beautiful. I love traveling and diversity and learning about cultures and different types of people. It was just so charming and wonderful. We only had a little bit of time there, so we went to dinner in Japan, and then ate gelato in Italy. Right after getting the gelato, the fireworks show started. It was so beautiful! My favorite I have ever seen!! I can't even explain it. It helped me to realize that those are the moments I am going to remember about this place. Working for Disney is just like other jobs. It is work. But the perks to it, such as moments at Epcot with ice cream and new friends, those are the reasons I am here. It was so peaceful and wonderful, I loved it! Here are a few pictures from those first visits. All the people in them are my roommates and new friends. They are all such wonderful people, I love them!

Nowhere to go and all day to get there....

When I learned I had been accepted in to the Disney Program, I decided I wanted to have my car there with me. I went without one in Italy, and it was completely fine, but if I had the option, I'd rather keep my girl with me. When I told my mom, she said she didn't want me to drive all the way here all by myself so she decided to come! At the last minute my sister wanted to come too! It was an amazing adventure with the three of us! We were sad Lacy wasn't there, but she was off doing better (for lack of a better word) things (honeymooning!). We started in Winslow, and headed to Albequerque. We stayed there that night. The next morning we headed toward Oklahoma City. That was a long drive, but we saw alot of beautiful and fun things on the way, including the Cadillac Ranch!
Oklahoma City was BEAUTIFUL! I loved it there :) We went to the Oklahoma City bombing Memorial when we pulled in to town because my uncle (he is the ultimate destination tourguide) claimed it was absolutely necessary to see it at night. It was breathtaking, and very humbling. The statue simply said "And Jesus wept," it surely took my breath away.
The next day we had lunch in OKC and then headed to Missouri. We stayed the night in Bransen because we had hoped to see a musical the next day, but unfortunately none of them were playing that week (just that one week in the whole year, weird). So we stayed the night and then headed the next day toward St. Louis. We went to the Gateway Arch and did the tour to the top. It was a wonderful view!
Afterward, we went to Louisville. That was one of my favorite cities we saw! We went to the Louisville Slugger Museum, and Churchill Downs. So much FUN! I would recommend them both!

Our next destination was in Gastonia, North Carolina. It was a little (A LOT) weird to be headed to NC, with Skippy being there and all. But my cousin Matt was recently married and lives there, so we wanted to visit. He used to live in Winslow so we saw him often, we miss him! On the way there went through the Smokey Mountains and through... yep... none other than Waynesville, North Carolina. It was SO WEIRD. I was going a bit crazy worrying that I would run in to Skip. I was even worried about getting out to take a picture. We jumped out quickly, took a picture, and then left. It was beautiful there!! And the night at Matt's was wonderful.

The next day we went to Savannah, GA. That was by far my favorite place! It is BEAUTIFUL there! I have wanted to go there my whole life (well, since I read the Work and the Glory, so for a few years). It was so pretty. We just walked the street on the river front and enjoyed the beautiful view and come shopping. It was lovely :)


After Savannah, we were on the last leg of the trip. We were headed to Daytona, the only place Kymber was genuinely happy to visit! It is beautiful there, it was so nice and relaxing, and the perfect way to finish a trip. My poor mom got a little shower from a bird overhead, the poor girl! It was AWFUL! But other than that, all was great :)


Thanks to mom and Kymber for the best week of my life! I love the two of you so dearly. I miss you so much! Please know how much the time we spend together means to me, the world!

Thursday

My new love :)

Meet my new love :) I am not sure if the link will work, if not just copy and paste it. He has an AMAZING voice. I already love this song. He fixed it and made it from Romeo's point of view. It's beautiful :) LOVE IT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VF4nh7hEeg

Tuesday

I can hear the bells

Congratulations to my sister and brother in law. August 15, 2008. A beautiful day to start a forever. I hope you two know I love and care about you! Welcome to the family Chet, good luck with that. Haha.

Thursday

I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday.

I really need to take the time to update my blog. I have so much to updatee about such as the end of the fire season, our roadtrip, and my first week in Florida. I plan on doing that SOON! But right now I just wanted to say a little something about a little experience I had today.

I have been pretty sick the past few days, nothing serious, just sniffly and sneazy. I have just felt awful. I also am adjusting to a new place, missing my family (especially my baby girls), I haven't heard from Skip in a while because of the whole moving thing, etc. Needless to say I was a little stressed out. I was just being a little negative Nancy all day long. This afternoon I gave one of my friends a ride to Disney. On my way home, I just felt a little broke down. I decided I wanted to find the temple so I could know where it was. I typed it in my GPS and headed in that direction. I was getting more and more frustrated the further I drove because my mind was racing with all sorts of negative thoughts. All of the sudden, I pulled up over the top of this hill, and there stood the most beautiful sight I'd seen in ages. The temple stood across the way looking more magnificent than I thought possible. It hit me as a loving beacon of hope, and I just broke in to tears. I had never been so overwhelmed with the peaceful, calming power of the temple. It instantly comforted ever frustration I had, and I was at peace once again. It was so beautiful and powerful to feel it's loving embrace take all my fears away.

I realized what a love I have for that wonderful place. I have yet to see it's most wonderful places but I do have the chance to simply sit and feel it's spirit. I instantly called the number and asked how soon I could do baptisms. The kind worker told me I could go tonight at 6:30. I was so excited! I went and joined up with some youth from around the area and felt the spirit so strongly. It was just the ticket, exactly what I needed. I hope to go back as often as possible while I am here.

It is amazing to me that I can travel all the way across the continent and still go to one place to feel at home. I know the temple is the House of the Lord. I know it is the only place to go for eternal joy and happiness! I simply can not wait to attend for myself, but until then I will not forget what a wonderful peace it brings. This gospel is so beautiful, so amazing. I know it is the way to eternal life. I know through following it's teachings we can return to live with Him again. I know it with all my heart. I truely love to see the temple, and AM (no matter what!) going there someday :)