"Do a good job. You don't have to worry about the money; it will take care of itself. Just do your best work - then try to trump it," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,

So this post will probably be short and sweet (and not just because I'll be referencing candy ;)).  

Friday and Saturday: I never usually couple days together but these two days felt like that movie with Eric Von Detten where it's Christmas Day, on repeat, for week....Yes well these two days I woke up at 11:00 did some cleaning and resume work, ate food, got coffee and went to work.

Sunday: Sunday was almost the same as Friday and Saturday except when I went to get coffee at Starbucks I actually stayed there and was able to submit two applications for Disney Professional Internships and revamped my LinkedIn profile so I felt accomplished.  

Monday: I must admit it is nice to have a work week that makes Monday my "Friday." So while the rest of the week is starting their work week...I'm ending mine :)  (Friday-Sunday of everyone else's week is a little depressing for me I'm not gonna lie).  So Monday/Friday - whichever - it was a really good day.  Woke up early enough, 9 am, and headed to bus to meet up with my friend Gina.  Gina and I work together at the Emporium.  Gina is from Nottingham in England so naturally I knew we'd be best friends ;)  So my new favorite Brit and I headed to Downtown Disney on Monday morning to see our boys, One Direction, in the fan cut of their movie "This Is Us."  We were the only ones in the theater, allowing us to sing at the top of our lungs and get up and dance around in the isles if we had wanted to (but we were enjoying the comfy chairs to much).  The lads were lovely as always and it got us talking about some UK/US cultural differences and similarities.  We did a little shopping in the World of Disney and Curl before getting caught in a DOWNPOUR....side note: we forgot umbrellas.  Needless to say we got on the bus soaked and freezing.  Gina got to go home and relax because she was off.  I only had enough time to run home and get a hot shower before running to work (I was still grateful for the hot shower).  I also made myself some pumpkin coffee so it made the trip to work a little more warm and bearable.  The storms kept the crowds away, Magic Kingdom was very quiet and Main Street seemed like a ghost town at times (very appropriate with all the Halloween decor around).  The lack of activity did allow for more guest interaction with the guests that were in the store and I had some great Magical moments including giving "I'm celebrating" and "Happily Ever After" buttons to a man who's daughter had gotten married over the weekend and I played peek a boo with a 1 year old :)

I got home from work so exhausted and went right to bed.

Tuesday:  Although Tuesday was my Saturday I still had a very early start at 7 am. My friend Mary Kate was nice enough to drive me to the medical building I had to go to get bloodwork done.  We confused the woman at the front desk (typical). The actual paperwork took double the amount of time than the actual blood work so that was nice.  I spent the rest of the morning running errands.  I came home and took a nap in the early afternoon and before I knew it it was time to get ready for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party :) 

Thea, Mallorie and a few of Mallorie's friends from work got dressed up, made up, and headed to the MK for trick or treating and other good times.  We met up Kali once we were in the park.  We stopped into The Emporium so I could get a small tiara to complete my look. We saw a lot of our co workers who were excited to see us! It was funny being at the Emporium all dressed up and people told us we looked great! 

Breakfast at Tiffany's

It started to rain a little bit and I was the only one to remember an umbrella (lesson learned from Monday).  We decided to go meet Tarzan, Jane, and Kirk.  Sadly Tarzan went to go have some banana shakes for dinner so we wound up only meeting Jane and Kirk.  

Jane, me, and Kirk

Mallorie, Thea, Kali, and I waiting in the queue

After the meet and greet we went around to the trick or treat trail all around the park. We went to see some more characters and caught some of the parade (that we've several times from the store and got to see a preview of).  We walked around Tomorrowland and Adventureland.  Before we knew it it was time to see Celebrate the Magic and the fireworks. I had been told Hallowishes is the coolest thing ever to witness at Disney - right up there with Fantasmic.  Well let me just say Hallowishes was, indeed, the COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN! So many fireworks - fireworks everywhere - and lots of cool colors.  I caught myself at one point with my mouth open. Yes I stood there in literal "awe."

From there we went to get more candy and met the Seven Dwafs which was awesome because there were seven girls in our group.  Mallorie's friends headed to see the Princesses and the rest of us walked around to get more candy.  We saw Peter Pan was open and basically had no line so we ran on because we knew that would never happen again (everyday that ride has at least a 70 min. wait).  We also went on The Haunted Mansion, even creepier in the Halloween atmosphere. Outside the ride there was this ghost on the lawn that did a whole comedy routine - so funny.  We saw a lot of characters dressed up and that was really cool. We JUST missed seeing Pooh, Eore, Piglet, and Tigger :(

We ended the night hanging on Main Street.  The party of a lot fun indeed.  After leaving Magic Kingdom we went to the Waffle House and I had some hash browns - they were good. 

At one point Thea just turned to us and said "Oh my god I feel like I'm in a scene from the Gilmore Girls"; I couldn't stop laughing.  

It was such a fun night.

Hallowishes - AMAZING!

Main Street :)

Candy, Candy, Candy :)

Kali, Thea, and I outside work

Goodnight Magic Kingdom!

Wednesday: Today I slept in and have been lazy....must change that.  Brit and I headed to Wawa for lunch so today was still very successful! :)  Hope to get some more errands done today and apply for some more internships.

In regards to title --- these internships have be nervous about the future but, as Walt said, as long as I do a good job I know I'll be fine.  

Keep Dreaming,

Mary-Kate 

"We can ill afford to rest on our laurels, even to pause in retrospect. Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,

The other night, I called home and talked to my Dad and Eddie for a little bit and it was really nice.  I came to realize how quickly by time in Disney is flying by.  Part of the reason I think it feels so past paced is my work schedule here in Disney has left me with an unconventional work week.  Thursdays are my Mondays and Mondays are my Fridays.  It's fun on Mondays but kind of a struggle on Thursdays.
Anyway let me recap the rest of last week and my "long weekend."

Friday: I was sad I was going to be missing the Villains night at Hollywood Studios on Friday the 13th but from the sounds of it there was major traffic and crowd problems so perhaps I was spared, though, of course, my room mates still made sure they made the most of it and had a good time!
Friday night at work for me marked by first floor stock shift flying solo. I must admit I like stocking because, while it is solitary and really repetitive, I feel the shifts go a lot faster.

Saturday:  For the majority of Saturday I took it easy knowing I'd be in work late.  Saturday marked another stock shift, a long one, but everything went smoothly.  I'm fortunate to work with really nice and funny people so they help in making things less stressful at closing time. I had a few magic moments coloring with little princesses, just like the CornerKids days.  Kenzie was nice enough to drive me, Kate, and Thea home and we a had a typical, 2:30 am, girls, laughing hysterically, car ride home.

Sunday: Sunday marked my longest shift to date: 10 hours, with a fun training/welcome session thrown in.  New CPs at the Emporium got to meet with our "CP Champions" (our leaders who have, in many cases, also done the college program) and be formally welcomed in our new work location and review all the rules, etc.  Leaving the meeting feeling empowered and inspired, and with a pen that I won in trivia, I started my third stock shift in a row.  Sunday's shift also went very fast and there were several other people also assigned to my area so the work load never felt overwhelming.  It was an amazing feeling when 2 AM came around knowing I'd have the next three days off.  After work Kenzie and I stopped at McDonald's and when we realized we were outnumbered by party goers (when we had just been working for eight hours) we skipped dinning their and just took our meals home.

Monday: Every other week so far in Disney I have always I have had off Tuesday and Wednesday but this week I was given off Monday and Tuesday (not that I'm complaining).  I slept in and was slow to wake up and get ready.  By the time I sorted myself Kenzie was already outside waiting for me.  We stopped by to pick up Thea and her room mate Mallorie and were off to the Magic Kingdom. In true tourist style I documented most every moment.  I still find the process of getting on the tram car and the monorail to get into Magic Kingdom so incredibly neat :).  Of course everyday spent in the Magic Kingdom is a fun day and every day you have off spent in the Magic Kingdom is very fun but we entered the MK on a mission: to enjoy another cast member perk and see the Princess Fairytale Hall before anyone else (it formally opened yesterday). We met up with Kate and Kali (two girls we work with at the Emporium) and set off on our adventure.  It was so cool to see where Rapunzel and other Princesses hang out and Cinderella was nice enough to put their portraits in her foyer :).  After getting some pictures (please see FB) we grab some ring pops, from our Prince Charmings of course and set about to have a fun filled day in the park.
We met Terrence and Tinker Bell and Merida and went on the People Mover and Winnie the Pooh and the Carousel (which caused me to feel like I was at the shore for a spilt second and miss it).  We also went on Space Mountain, timing it perfectly as to miss the a huge thunderstorm outside.  There was a dance party in Tomorrowland that was a lot of fun.
We also saw the "Celebrate a Dream Come True" Parade.  The sunshine came out just in time for it. I'm usually at work, indoors, while the parade is going on and so I only catch bits here and there.  It was great to be able to see the whole thing and get caught up in the excitement of it all.  We got ice cream at the ice cream polar walked around some of the places where Mallorie works before calling it a day.  A great day indeed!

Making memories! 

Kenzie, Mallorie, Terrence, Thea and myself

Merida and I :)

That night we went to Olive Garden.  Thea and Mallorie are from Australia and wanted to do something "American" so Kenzie and I decided Olive Garden was the perfect place to have dinner (because we weren't going to take them to Outback but told them about the Bloom'n'Onion :)).  Thea and Mallorie really seemed to enjoy it and I'd say there's another Olive Garden trip in the future. And don't worry family strong nothing can replace the fondness I have for going to Club OG and our memories there :)

Thea and Mallorie's first Olive Garden experience :)

Tuesday:  Tuesday morning I slept in, again. Haha. I went to the gym and got ready before heading to Vista to meet up with my friend Hannah so we could go to tea.  We had plans to go for the past week.  I had told Hannah about my desire to go to a proper tea and she said she'd love to join (she was born in England and lived there almost half her life before her family moved to Germany and now she goes to school in Scotland).  We had a lovely time having full tea at the Garden View at the Grand Floridan.  I remembered walking around the hotel when I was little. Hannah and I felt so elegant in our dressing, taking pictures on the staircases, and listening to the pianist and the band that played upstairs. It was a wonderful afternoon and we hope to go back a few more times (definitely around Christmas time).    

Hannah and I at tea :)

I'll share a facebook status I made from Tuesday: "Hopped off the monorail at Epcot with a dream and a wishing heart.  There truly is nothing cooler than working in Disney." I had this moment while on the monorail from the transportation center to Epcot when I realized how fortunate I was to work in Walt Disney World and how these "oh let me just jump on the bus or monorail to Magic Kingdom then to Epcot then Hollywood Studios then Animal Kingdom FOR FREE" moments - will never happen again. So I'm appreciate it and make the most of it and savor it all while I can.  Once in Epcot I waited for Mallorie and Thea in Starbucks (they had been there since earlier in the day and were on the Ellen ride which is about 40 minutes).  Once the ride was over they met up with me and got drinks themselves - Thea had only gotten Starbucks like twice before in her life and Mallorie never had so NATURALLY this moment was documented.

Slowly corrupting Mallorie and Thea into a Starbucks addition like me :)

We continued to walk around the world show case and stopped in the UK - duh.  As we "walked down high street" we heard some music and Thea sprinted towards it.  We found the source of the music around the bend in a private garden area and a pavilion.  In the pavilion a band was performing their cover of The Who's "Who are you".  The crowd was really into it, and it was grand. We continued to walk down through the Asian countries and stopped in Morocco for dinner, Thea and Mallorie had their eyes on it all day! The girls really enjoyed their meals and as we sat and chatted about CV vs Resumes (typical CP conversation) Hannah met up with us and then we all continued walking around the nations.  We stopped in Mexico to all the festive items.  Before we knew it, it was time in secure a spot for illuMinations.  We stopped in front of Norway and set up camp.  Note: Norway is a great place to watch illuMinations - you're directly across from France :)  

Quick stop home.

illuMinations

After illuMinations we all ventured home tired but happy we all had a great day.  When I got home I finally got to see ALL of Pitch Perfect before heading to bed.  LOVED THE MOVIE and I ashamed it took me so long to see the whole thing haha.

Wednesday:  I was originally scheduled to work Wednesday night but gave my shift away in order to attend a Professional Internships Insight Seminar. I weighted the pros and cons of giving up some time (and pay) in order to attend this and saw it as a benefit to my future - so I went - and it was!  After some confusion of going earlier in the day (east coast vs west coast time issue) I returned home, worked out, shower, got into my professional wear and went back.  I knew I was on the wait list so I arrived an hour early and was second in the wait list line.  Fortunately, for all of us on the wait list, there were a lot of no shows so we got to go in.  The seminar was really beneficial and I took some great notes and was able to network.  Now I'm all set to apply to some professional internships :)

Thursday: Today I woke up and typed this blog.  Alexis, Brittany, Lauren and I went to Starbucks and now were gonna lay out by the pool.  I have work tonight and I'm gonna go early because it's cast appreciation day and I'm gonna go buy a ticket for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for next Tuesday - wish me luck! 

My time in Disney is certainly flying by, and while I am mindful I must take the time to enjoy the small moments, I can't help but feel a certain anxiety about what will happen once my program is over.  Starting the process of applying to professional internships and jobs within the company this week that caused this anxiety to heighten a little.  I know I must remind myself to breath and take it one day at time, because though the competition is steep and the future uncertain, I guess I'm doing well with Walt's advice in so far as I am not ignorant to the future or its possibilities.  So here's to applying to internships, and jobs, and networking, and making the most of the four months left in my College Program :)

Thank you who take the time out of your day to read this blog (or only to look at the pictures ;)).  Your support means the world to me.

Keep Dreaming,
Mary-Kate

"Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it's done right," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,

Today's blog post title really encapsulates how I've been feeling the past week...for all the right reasons and you'll just have to read til the end to see what I mean.

Sunday:  Sunday turned out to be the best day of work I've had so far.  Why?! Well one the perks of being a CP - college program aka closing the park cast member - with really nice managers, when you work late enough, you get to see dress rehearsals of the parades befor the public.  That's right I sat on Main Street USA with roughly 100 cast members as we watched fellow cast members bring Mickey's Not So Scary "Boo to You" Halloween Parade to life.
(Please note: I have never been to parks as a guests during anytime of the holiday season...and I believe when we came down in Sept. 2002 we must have JUST missed as the pre-Halloween festivities).
I have been told the Halloween Parade and Halloween fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom are two of the best shows Disney puts on in the parks.  Well I can now say without a doubt the Halloween parade was the coolest thing I have ever seen.  Let's just say there was a real dog, a real horse, crazy villains, and costumes, AWESOME dancers, shovels, and naughty cowboys (that only my friend, Gina, and I picked up on - hilarious).
Sorry no pictures...can't get fired now can I ;)  You'll all just have to come down one year and see if for yourself.
It was great to be with all the girls I work with at the Emporium, sitting outside the Emporium, watching a parade...with music and lights, on Main Street, in the Magic Kingdom, and nothing else. Even with the parade the atmosphere was so intimate and I had another magic moment of thinking this was truly what the magic of Disney is all about.  That also had to be one of the best dress rehearsals the cast members in the parade could have asked for because we were, indeed, felt/acted like we were five years old..and it was all genuine and totally worth it.  Did I mention there was free popcorn left over from the food carts that we got to eat.  Well the was :)
I went home really excited and couldn't fall asleep til 3 am.

Monday:  I woke up early to get to the park before work. It was a beautiful morning and since it was my "Friday" I thought I'd treat myself to Starbucks and take a picture of the moment.

I should take out stock for Starbucks and become a member of their PR department ;)

My friends and I still couldn't get over how cool the night before was and we thought that, even if we couldn't make it to a Halloween party (because even with ticket discounts the tickets are still expensive), we saw the main attraction, except the fireworks but I'm sure I'll catch them.
My Monday work day went really well and I went home and relax before going out with the roomies at night for a couple of drinks. They were airing Monday night football so I got to see that the birds won, EAGLES.  Yay.

Tuesday: I had a bit of rough night sleep Monday night and decided not to join Katie and Lauren as they ventured to Animal Kingdom and favored sleeping for another two hours, but the rest was well worth it. In the afternoon I met up with up them to see some ballet.  Perk of being a Cast Member #2: the Orlando Ballet Company practices at the ESPN World Wide of Sports and to "thank" Disney allows Cast Members to sit in on rehearsals from time to time.  I was totally in "Center Stage" mindset. It was really nice to see some classic ballet preformed by truly amazing dancers.  I felt very posh ;). We saw bits of performances of "Romero and Juliet", "Cameron", "Swan Lake", as well as dances from their "Hollywood on Point" showcase, aka ballet dancers to music from Hollywood movies.  There was a male dancer who preformed a solo called "Time" that he choreographed and composed the music for himself.  The music was amazing.  There was also a dancer from Philly in the company who preformed and she was really good! Go Philly!!!  Their last performance was a modern, fun piece called "La Cafe".  It was evident on the dancers faces that they enjoyed preforming it. It's always fun watching performers when you can see/know they are having fun.  At the performance I also met a CP named Hanna from England.  Overall it was a lovely afternoon.  Hanna and I decided we will definitely be going to see the final production in October in downtown Orlando. We did note though how sometimes seeing rehearsals is actually a better experience because, even though it is sometimes not fully polished, it is more raw and real.  No costumes or lights to hide the sweat and struggle of it all.  During a lot of numbers you could hear a pin drop and when the music was low (or not on at all) you could hear the dancers breathing heavily and their feet hitting the floor.   It also served as a wonderful creative writing inspiration experience...so I've been rolling along with that.
Tuesday night, Britt, Lauren and I went to Citywalk to see what the competition does wrong ;).  We made the most of it as they were not a lot of people out.  We went into a club called The Groove and tore up the dance floor.  Britt and I just wanted to dance. It was evident we were the youngest people there by 15 years and I guy told us a majority of the people there were members of some company in Orlando for a science conference at the Orange County Convention Center.  Some good moments, some funny moments...Britt and I even made a magical moment at Universal... The cutest little boy was dancing around outside to the music that was playing over the speakers. We saw him and cheered him on and danced around.  His older brother then proceeded to throw his small basketball at us so we had a little catch.  The parents were laughing and seemed to be appreciative. So appreciative they asked if we would be in a picture and we said yes of course.   And that's how it's done folks hahaha.
Tuesday was also my Grandmom's birthday and I was happy she got her Minnie ears and autograph book that I sent her so she's all set for her trip!

Wednesday:  I spent Wednesday filling out some professional internship applications.  I wanted to go to Magic Kingdom at 5 pm for the retiring of the flag as it was 9/11 but I realized I missed the bus I should have taken.  I went to bed early Wednesday night.

Thursday: Yesterday I had work from 12:45-7:15.  It went fast as my day was broken up by a training session that was Halloween themed.  It was neat and we got candy - yes!!! I also had two magic moments at work yesterday. Magic moment #1: I saw a little Princess Belle and said "Hi Princess."  She turned so that she was facing me at attention, said nothing, just curtsied. I curtsied back  It was adorable.  Magic Moment #2: I met a couple from NH who told me (after I told them where SJU/where I was from) that everyone they've ever met from Philly was a (quote) "real person".  I thanked them for the compliment and it made me really proud to be where I'm from.  Miss you Philly!
Last night I came home and went back out to the Oktoberfest housing event that was being put on by WDW housing.  I spent my time there with my friend from work named Thea.  We had a lovely chat and were laughing at all the kids dancing. I promised her we'd make sure she'd learned all the dances that she had been told she'd need to know in order to be able to attend American wedding.  You all know them - electric slide, cotton eyed joe, cupid shuffle, wobble, da whop, electric slide part 2, single ladies...the classic and the new classics.  We talked about school and what gap years are like...I am in total support of the US adopting this concept.
I personally think a lot of American students are starting to take "gap years" when college is over and Thea said that's what a lot of Americans she's met on her travels have said too.  The norm is go right into school, not knowing what you want to do with your life, and finish school, with loads of debt, still not fully knowing what you want  to do with your life (or so this has been the case for me and many of my friends).
 I suppose you could say my time in Disney is in fact a "gap half year." I am taking it as a great opportunity to get started with the Disney Company but in all honesty I'm also here because I didn't have a full idea of what I wanted/should do next.  I knew I will go to grad school (and I'm grateful for that) but this experience is helping me figure the rest out.
We also concluded that guys, no matter where they're from, that are in their early 20s are the same aka dumb haha.  I promised her I'd try vegemite, though I'm scared.  She also told me some of her plans after her program is over (for international CPs the program is a year long) and how she plans to go live/work in London.  I told her I was jealous/I find a way to come over so I can work and live their too - since we realized that's our shared dream haha.
I returned home and Lauren and I watched a little bit of Pitch Perfect before going to bed. I am ashamed to say I haven't seen the whole thing but I will soon haha. What I saw was really funny.

Friday: Today I woke up and came to Starbucks to work on cover letters and blog. I heard a crow or raven when I walked outside this morning and that was a little unnerving considering it's Friday the 13th.   I am at the Starbucks near Vista - it has so much more seating as it is a proper, full store, Starbucks.  I had a flashback moment to the Starbucks in Covenant Garden as they are set up/look very similar.
I know several of my room mates are going to the Disney Friday the 13th Villains gathering at Hollywood Studios tonight but, alas, I'll be working.  I'm in the middle of my work week but I have Monday and Tuesday (and hopefully Wednesday off).

Now in regards to this week title. First of all I love the phrase "dog it" and want to bring it back into mainstream America in a classy way. But I digress...after this past week I look at it/consider Walt's words in a manner of gratitude.  Gratitude because, though my experience at Disney hasn't been all I thought it was going to be, I can truly say it has given me the kick I needed to start writing again.  Writing, everyday, for the sake of it, because it is what I love to do.  I guess being surrounded by the world's leading/largest creative company 24/7 can have the affect on you.  I knew before coming down to Disney I'd love to be in their creative field.  My time here in Disney has made me see that indeed a creative position is where I'd love to see myself in the company in the future - whether it'd be Disney creative teams or ABC or any of Disney's affiliated companies!

I have been writing non stop and have been feeling really creative - which I haven't felt in while and it feels like a saving grace at times.  Now it's time to start putting the pieces, figuratively and literally, together to make things happen for myself.  I also have been reading a lot more which has helped and I can't wait to read some books about Walt.

Keep Dreaming,
Mary-Kate

"You can design, create and build the most wonderful place in the World, but it takes people to make the Dream a reality," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,
Its seems, despite by best efforts to blog twice a week, I've only been able to blog once a week - Saturdays.  And yet it is Sunday so with that let me recap my most recent week in Disney.  I must admit it has been a rough week health wise and that is part of the reason I am only getting to post today.  At least I can say that after this week, with thankfulness and appreciate, that I am indeed surrounded by great people here at Disney.

Sunday: The first day of September...thoughts of fall in the air...but fall is from Florida my friends.  Having to adjust to the weather has probably been the most unforseen difficulty that I've faced so far during my time in Disney.  Though it seems so obvious, though I knew coming down it'd be hot and humid, I guess it didn't really occur to me how much of a lack of three separate season (summer, fall, and winter) I'd face until I was faced with the reality of the endless hot, humid, heavy rainfall, summer. The realization gave way to having to order a CHILLED pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks on Sunday....something I've never done before but will most likely order from here on out.
On Sunday I also went to Walmart and bought some workout clothes (new running shorts that I needed) as well as new sunglasses and a watch for work.
I had work from 7:45-3:45 am --- my latest shift so far.  I was doing well until the last hour when there was virtually no guests to keep my mind stimulated and entertained.  I got home and 4:30 am and was so happy to fall into my bed to sleep.

Monday: I had one of my last two training sessions on Monday which allowed me to have a lovely timed shift of 2-9 pm.  My training was in baby care. Baby care is a separate few small rooms next to first aid in Magic Kingdom with changing tables, a room for nursing mothers, and items sold for infants and toddlers.  To a very small degree it felt like I was back in CornerKids, yet I can actually say I have been in a child care area smaller than the playroom.  The baby care area is not meant to be a babysitting room, rather an area families with small children can escape the heat and recharge before heading into the park.  It gave me a new perspective of what it entails to bring children under the age of 3 to vacation in Walt Disney World.  My family came to Disney World for the first time in 1997 when Eddie was just over a year old.  Looking back, I don't know how my parents did it to be honest.  I'll have to see when I start my family if I'll be able to handle bringing my children at that young age down to Disney.  It's a conversation I've had with some guests who are in the store late at night shopping...after the fireworks...after the parade...with a screaming 1 year old, awake way past his/her bedtime. You want to help and cheer the child up but to some degree it's obvious they just need to sleep.  His father summed it up perfectly to me when he said, "Yeah when he's happy it's the best and when he is sad you think it can't be worse for you and him."  
I was on register for the last 2 hours of my shift.  I was able to change quickly and return to Main Street where --- after a lot of searching through the crowds --- I met up with Katie and Britt to watch Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes (the fireworks show).  We got treats of popcorn, Starbucks and really enjoyed the Magic of the entertainment.
We took the Monorail home - always exciting and Britt and Katie went to sleep. I stayed up for a little bit to talk to Allie and Lauren.  The three of us wound up watching the Modern Family Disneyland episode which is 10 times more hilarious when you, in fact, work at/for Disney, particularly in the theme park.  :) After a great day I went to bed happy and excited for a fun two days off.

Main Street Electrical Parade :)

Wishes

Tuesday: Alexis and I had a great day in Future wives of the century preparation including: building storage units, cleaning (for upcoming inspections), pool side lounging, working, and shopping. Well actually Alexis was the one who had work but before she went to work her and  I went shopping near the Magic Kingdom where cast members can get discounts --- didn't find anything yet. ;) I also ran into the Magic Kingdom to feel like a tourist for a little bit before returning home.  When I got home I noticed my allergies were really bad (despite keeping up with all my routine medications).  When my asthma started to give me trouble a little later in the day I decided to call the doctor's office I had been referred to down here and set up an appointment. I took it easy for the rest of the night but did have some drinks and fun with the roomies including watching some twerking lessons - not Miley Cyrus style - Brit was giving to everyone - hahaha.

Wednesday: Alexis was nice enough to drive me to the doctor's Wednesday morning.  They would like me to have allergy testing done so I'll be setting that up for this coming week.  After the returning from the doctor's Alexis, Britt, Katie, and I went to get our new Main Gate passes from the Disney buildings in Celebrations - nice area and nice buildings (though from the outside you would never guess they were Disney buildings).  

After getting our passes we all went to typhoon lagoon for the afternoon (haha I made a rhythm). It was a lot of fun going on all the water coasters at crush and gusher (3 different coasters - so awesome)! We also spent some relaxing minutes floating down the lazy river, as one always should when they are in the water park.  We grabbed lunch and got some nice time in the shade though we were surrounded by animals friends: squirrels (quick and mischievous though not quite the breed of SJU squirrels) and these birds -- I forget the name --- but they were black and purple and kept surrounding us from all sides - very unnerving.  After lunch we were able to find some of the tube slides and they were a lot of fun.  We also spent some time in the wave pool. Well....far back in the wave pool. Alexis had been the water park years ago and took surfing lessons in the wave pool due to the fact that it creates a perfect wave every 60 seconds. When you're just a bystander though a perfect wave coming at you every 60 seconds is very scary and it is best to hang near the water's edge (at least that is what I did).  

We stayed at the park til it closed and then returned home.

At night I decided to venture to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. Didn't find anything really ;). But since I was there I decided to go see the One Direction movie. Yep, saw it by myself, judge me, I don't care. Real fan ;).  Yes, I loved it. Yes, I'll see it again and yes, there will be a DVD viewing party for me Vicky and Katie when it is out on DVD. haha.

The only picture I took at Typhoon but it was needed to be taken because I had Dippin' Dots - #Dorneydaysthrowback

Thursday:  I had my last day of training at work - stock training. My trainer for the day was my first trainer, Amanda, so I was knew it'd be a good day. Amanda was really nice and the training wasn't anything too difficult and the shift was short - overall success. After work I went home and had a nice dinner and relaxed with some of the roomies.

Friday:  Friday I was not feeling well and took it easy for most of the day before work.  I actually had wound up sleeping on the couch for part of the night Thursday night because I was having such difficulty breathing and needed to be propped up more.  Friday I was able to get my medicines at they were finally ready and I was excited about the prospect of feeling better.  Unfortunately the medicines didn't kick in as quick as I thought they would. Lauren was nice enough to drive me into work but I had to request to leave early because I was not feeling well at all.  I was a little disappointed I wasn't feeling well enough to stay because it was the first night of Night of Joy- an annual two night event in Magic Kingdom where the park is only opened to guests who brought specific tickets.  The night is full of Christian rock music and other events. It was nice change of pace and music in the store.  Thankfully my request was approved and I got to go home and get some rest.  I was surprised to come home to find a package from my parents with goodies inside.  I know my mom had a great time putting it together.  Thanks Mom and Dad for the gifts and moral support through out this week! 

Saturday: Yesterday I was starting to feel better and ran a couple of errands with Alexis in the morning. We got Chinese was lunch so that's always a good day.  Alexis drove me into work as we both started work at about the same time.  My shift started out great as it was the second night of joy, the store was slow, I got to talk with guests and co workers, and enjoy the music.  But at around 11:30 pm I went into an asthma attack.  My medicines helped a lot but I was left feeling very weak and exhausted and was allowed to leave an hour early so I could get a ride home with Alexis. I am thankful management has been understanding of my health issues.  I don't want these past few days to be a reflection of my work ethic or performance but at the same time I know I need to take care of my health.

Sunday: Today I was really been trying to take it easy as I work til late tonight and really want/need to stay for my whole shift.  My medicines are helping though I don't feel 100%.  I hope I will soon enough - maybe after the testing I can get medication adjustments and be all set.  

As you can probably tell my blog title is two fold.  Of course Disney would not be Disney, the Disney reputation, without the Cast Members, but in my own Disney journey - especially this week - these same Cast Members and people have been there for me in more ways than one and I could not be more appreciative.  Shout to Alexis, Lauren, all my room mates, my co-workers, and managers - thank you for all your help! 

I hope you are all enjoying this blog.  

Until next post friends...

Keep Dreaming,
Mary-Kate