"I just want to leave you with this thought, that it's just been sort of a dress rehearsal, and we're just getting started...," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,

I'm finally on track with this blog again! Yay.  
The first part of this Walt Disney quote is from his July 18, 1969 address to his cast members at the 10 year celebration of the opening of Disneyland.  It encompasses some the emotions I've been having this week and I'm sure if I'll be able to articulate them.  I guess the core thing I have been feeling...something I like to thing I share in common with Mr. Disney...is knowing this experience will benefit me in my future, in ways I can't see right now or even realize.  I know that in order to make the most of this experience I had to take it for all it was worth.  This week I did that by concentrating on networking in Disney and outside of Disney in order to discover what that next step could be for me after my program is over.  I am very excited about the future. For those of you that know me well you know how much of a planner I am.  While I learning to appreciate and tackle the unexpected and be flexible, the point of something unexpected to happen when you least plan for it.  So here's to moving forward and hoping for the best.

And now to recap my week since my last post.

Saturday:  After blogging I went to work prepared to work my first expediter shift.   It was a nice change of costume though I can't say it was any more flattering for the figure.  Essentially it seems most, if not all, costumes are not necessarily designed with a woman's body in mind and; therefore, are often very unflattering.  Oh well...as Tim Gunn would say...ya gotta make it work.  Saturday's work shift went really well; I really like expediting as it makes the shift go really fast.  After work Kenzie and I went to Wawa.  I am so proud of myself that I have instilled this obsession and lifestyle in her haha.
Also, Saturday was Maggie and Jack's wedding and I know my parents had a great time. Best wishes for the newly weds.

Sunday:  Sunday was Laura (Luisi's) 23rd Birthday so I made a special shout out to my basil best.  I decided to leave for work early and go shopping as the 27th was the first day of the cast member holiday discount (40% woot woot).   I got to the park at about 4.  I was able to shop, eat lunch (which offered a perfect people watching experience), and walk around the park.  I severely over estimated how long this would all take me and wound up having three hours of nothing to do before my shift started and had to get down to our break room because there was a Halloween party.  It was nice though because I got to talk to a lot of fellow cast members and read my book.
                                                                                                                                                                         



 

Pre work stroll around the MK :)

Work went well and Kali was nice enough to drive me home.  

Monday:  I woke up, worked out, to Publix and Walgreens with Thea.  I also got Chinese for lunch. :)  It was my Friday and I could not have been more excited about it as it marked the end of my first 6 day work week.  The week was long but worth it enough...though now I see a greater value of having two days off. 

My shift Saturday went until 3 AM leaving me and my fellow cast members starving. 

So Kenzie, Kate, LeeAnn, Abby, and I went to IHOP. Naturally.  I got home at 5 AM and went to bed.

Tuesday: I did have the day off yesterday but was up at 8 AM because I had set up a meeting with David, who teaches my Disney Heritage Class, to discuss his career with Disney, particularly the roles that took him abroad. I went to Starbucks because coffee was most definitely in order.  The meeting went really well.  I explained my ultimate goal of working for Disney in London and he said it was a great goal and gave me tips on how I might achieve.  

I returned home and took a three hour nap (three hours of sleep leaves you very tired).  I woke and got ready to go to my Disney Heritage Class.  This week we learned about the opening of Disneyland and how television was used during it.  The opening of Disneyland was the first live public television event. We got to see clips from that day and the mistakes and missed ques, etc, are extremely humorous to watch now in 2013, but back on July 17, 1955, I can only imagine how amazing it was for the people who were watching live.  In the class we also talked about Disneyland '59 and the 1964 World's Fair.  

After class I went home and got changed before heading to Epcot to meet up with Kenzie, Thea, Mallorie, and Kenzie's room mate, Kaitie, to see Smash Mouth.  Unfortunately I was a little bit behind schedule and the buses didn't help my case.  I wound up getting to Epcot at about ten of 8 (Smash mouth was scheduled to go on at 8 pm). I knew I probably wouldn't make it to the venue to sit with everyone so I sent a message saying I'd meet them after.  I did a little shopping France and went to America for dinner. I was able to hear Smash Mouth as their stage was set up in front of America.  There were a lot of people so it was hard to see.  

After the show we all stayed to watch Illuminations.  Illuminations, particularly the music, is probably one of my favorite things in Walt Disney World.  

After Illuminations we traveled on the Monorail back to Magic Kingdom where Kenzie's car was parked.  We all went back to Kenzie and Kaitie's where Cliff joined us.  It was a fun night.  I also stopped back at my apartment to give Katie (one of my room mates) her birthday card as today is her birthday.  It's funny - out of six girls - three of them had October birthdays. 

I got home and went right to bed after a very enjoyable evening.   

Illuminations

Here is the caption I put with this photo on social media: 

"But you know...happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.  If only one remembers to turn on the light," Albus Dumbledore

Love these girls :)

Tuesday: Today I spelt in because, frankly, I deserved to.  I cleaned the bathroom before coming here to Starbucks to blog and apply for some jobs.  Tonight I think all the roomies are going out for Katie's birthday so it should be fun!

Here's to moving forward as Walt was always determined to do.  Here is the rest of his quote:

 "...So if any of you start resting on your laurels, I mean just forget it, because...we are just getting started," Walt Disney.

Cheers to just getting started and a future full of bright possibilities. 

Until next time friends....

Keep Dreaming,

Mary-Kate 

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leadings us down new paths," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,

In conjunction with becoming nocturnal I believe I am having more senior moments (as in I need to rely on facebook/pictures/status'/my planner) in order to figure out what I did the past week and a half.

I do apologize for my delay (I think this is the longest I've ever gone with out blogging). This past week and half has proven to be quite stressful and a little disheartening in some ways....but as Walt said in my last post title and this one....challenge is something we face everyday and perhaps the best way we can solve it is not only to move forward but move forward with innate curiosity.
I was also reminded this week that I am not alone in my struggles and challenges and support is all around me.  No matter the experience or challenge, I know I can learn from it and (ultimately) make the result/outcome a positive one.  

So in replying on social media let me recap my past week and a half with some bonus tid bits added in.....

[Probably the best tid bit ----- this post contains a lot of pictures :)]

Saturday-Monday (10/12-10/14) - The only real great important aspects of these days was I went to work and made money and had a lot of great interactions with guests.

Tuesday (10/15): Tuesday turned out to be a really enjoyable day.  I woke up around my usual time of 11:30 am and worked out before heading to my Disney Heritage Class where we learned about the early history of the Walt Disney Company. Lots of great information.  Yes, there were more tears in the class - I've gotten use to it.

Tuesday night Thea and I wanted to get out of the apartment but weren't quite up for a theme park so we decided to head to Downtown Disney.  This turned out to be the best decision we've ever made.  Right when we got there we decided to eat at Raglan Road - the Irish Pub - where I hadn't eaten before during any of my previous trips to Orlando.  We didn't call ahead to make a reservation so we knew to probably expect an hour to an hour and a half wait...but the Irish luck was on our side as we were told we could simply wait in line for patio seating so we could get seated sooner.  So we wound up being the first couple of people in that line and though the wait was still 30 mins or so we were not phased because that was the time the band (from Ireland who have only been in the states a couple of months) just so happened to be playing their set outside.  Live, authentic, Irish music...at the pub...there is nothing better.  We got to see the dancers too (who were also from Ireland)!  Lovely dancers.  I even talked to a few of them and they suggested I start taking classes again! Maybe I will!

I did feel bad as Thea could not partake in a cider so I enjoyed it for the both of us.  And I got fish and chips as my meal - classic!  It felt like I was back in Ireland/England for a moment and just reinforced in my mind how much I want to go back there!

Nothing better than Irish men singing live.  

:) 

Wednesday (10/16):  Wednesday was also a great day! I went to gym early and then took a field trip to Target with Britt.  At Target I found something I have been searching for for going on two now (almost)...yes we're going back to London for a moment.  I FOUND STELLA CIDER! That's right folks. I found it, in Target.  I, of course, bought some and immediately texted all my London lassies.  Special shout out to Laura McSherry as her place of employment is the best!!!! 

Need less to say I was one happy girl.  Britt was humored by it all.

I spent the afternoon relaxing before Alexis and I headed to Epcot for the food and wine festival at night. 

Food and Wine is an annual festival at Epcot where carts from different nations sample their best food and wines (and beers) in addition to the parade of nations.  It's literally the perfect drinking around the world opportunity....though it's probably best to do it over a matter of days/weeks. Responsibility and class people.  

We had a great time and got to end the night drinking champagne and watching Illuminations.  

Also, I really appreciated Lex drinking us back to the apartment after I realized I had forgotten my wallet.  Typical.  

Also, Illuminations music is fantastic!!! 

                                                

Food and Wine Welcome Sign in Front of Spaceship Earth!!! 

 O.K. beer in Poland :)

Guinness in Ireland :)

Chalk Writing of one of Walt's most famous quotes in front of the UK :)

Champagne and Illuminations. Just livin' the dream.  

Thursday (10/17): Thursday it was time to go back to work.  But during the day I was able to work out and get laundry done as well as send some important emails so I'd say the day was successful.  

Friday (10/18): Friday morning I went to a presentation/workshop hosted by the Disney College Program called, "Presenting with Confidence."  I learned a lot of great information I can use in interviews and the work force.  

Friday night I had work and it went well.  After work Kenzie, Kate, Thea and I went to McDonalds and it was fun...and filling haha.  

Saturday:  Thea, Kenzie, and I met up hoping to plan a Disney cruise for ourselves (and Gina) but we failed (aka nothing is available).  We hope to do a girls weekend (in the sense of a Disney weekend) soon.  Saturday night at work proved to be very stressful and I did not leave work until 4:30 am and what better way to celebrate than to go to Ihop.  That is exactly what Kenzie, Thea, Gina and I did.   We got home at about 6 am.  Yes, long night. A silver lining of this night was also seeing Caroline (one of my sorority sisters who was visiting Disney)!!!

Sunday (10/20): After getting home at 6 AM earlier that morning I spelt til about 1:30 pm and woke up with enough time to shower and get ready to head back to work for my 4:30-1 am shift.  It was perhaps the laziest day I have spent thus far on my program. I literally woke up, ate, slept, woke up, ate, and worked again.  

Monday (10/21):  Monday kind of threw me for a loop as my work day was 10:30 AM to 7:15 pm (part of this time was spent in training).  I was so tired in the beginning of the day.  And while the store is normally slow in the morning/early afternoon...on this day is was quite busy.  The highlight of this shift for me was the magical moment I got to share with a little princess who wanted pixie dust.  Luckily my friend Tink was able to spare me just enough pixie dust for this little princess.  I had her make a wish and gave her a special so she'd always remember the wish she made.  Her Mom and Grandmother were happy and it was so nice to see that little girl smile!

After the rest of my shift and training were over LeeAnn and I decided to go into MK to get dinner as we were, in every way, hangry (so hungry that we very angry).  We went to cosmic rays and literally did not speak to each other for 20 minutes as we ate our food.  I don't think I've had a more satisfying meal the whole time I've been here.  

A nice perk of getting off at work at 7:15 PM is that we got to enjoy some time actually in the park as guests.  

I wanted to go on Jungle Cruise as I hadn't been on it since it reopened in September.  Worth the wait! The skipper was so good, though I will ALWAYS wish (and am waiting for the day) to jump on one of Skipper Sheila's tours!!! Something happened at Jungle Cruise that we never happen again - it was a 5 min. wait! Unheard of!  Because we made such good time we decided to go Pirates and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Pirates was awesome.  

We got stopped by the electric parade trying to make our way over the Big Thunder Railroad.  I got to see Alexis as she works at Big Thunder  so that was cool.  We were on the ride at the start of wishes at it was amazing to see the fireworks from the roller coaster....a "this is what Disney is about" moment.  

After we got off the ride we got treats and watched the rest of Wishes....Frointerland is a great place to watch fireworks - for future reference.  I had my first Mickey Premium bar and it was as delicious as I always hoped it would be.  

                                              

My first Mickey Bar with Wishes in the Background.

After the fireworks we spent some time in the Christmas shoppe in Liberty square before heading back to Main Street.  LeeAnn went to meet up with another friend and I decided I was going to head home.  Or so I thought....  It seems there was some kind of issue in directing guests who left Crystal Palace and there was a human traffic jam.....hundreds and hundreds of people at a stand still.....it took me almost 45  mins to get from the Castle to a cast area near the Emporium.

Soon enough though I was on the bus and in bed after an amazing "Friday!"

Tuesday (10/22): Tuesday Kenzie was nice enough to drive me to my follow up doctor's appointment with my breathing doctor down here.  We got dunkin for breakfast and headed to the doctor.  We were there at the time I was told to be because I was scheduled for allergy testing.  Turns out I didn't have to be there that early so I felt bad. All my allergy tests came back negative so that was good and the doctor was happy with the improvement of my breathing.  

I told Kenzie I would treat to lunch.  We went to Wawa and I was so happy I could introduce her to the magic that is Wawa....she loved it (or at least she said so to humor me).  I got back with just enough time to make it to my class where we had a guest speaker, Michael Lyons.  Michael talked to us about the Golden Age of Animation and Walt (and the company) used television when it was introduced to benefit projects --- a lot of great information and awesome videos and recordings. I spent the night relaxing with the roomies. We watched the Pretty Little Liars Halloween Special.  There was a moment of creepy coincidence when we though something was wrong with Allie but was okay (those of you that know the show can see the connection there).  

The Wawa down here has this "how to order" sheet.  Cracks me up!

Wednesday (10/23): I picked up a shift on Wednesday night so I could make a little extra cash.  I went to the gym and spent the day cleaning and such before going to work for my shift from 8 pm-2 am.  This shift was kinda hectic and I had to deal with a few guest and housekeeping situations but it felt rewarding at the same time.  

Thursday (10/24):  Yesterday I woke up around 10 am and walked around town for a little bit.  Yesterday's weather was absolutely GORGEOUS!  71 degrees, soft breeze, no humidity.  It was almost like fall.  Put it to ya this way - I wore a sweat shirt and yoga pants comfortably.  

Work last night proved to be very busy and stressful but we survived it. Kenzie and I were so hungry after work we wanted to head to McDonald's but it was close - naturally...so we went to Perkins instead.  I'm pretty sure there were a couple of guys there who said they just out of jail (this was 4 am mind you) so we ate and left as fast as we could.  

Friday (10/25): This morning I went to another session/work shop hosted by the program called "Professionalism in the Work place" - again a lot of great information. I was able to get ready and come here to Starbucks to blog before heading to work a little early in order to pick up a different costume I have to wear tomorrow. 

For those of you that were wondering...this is my costume as I am a Hostess at the Emporium on Main Street.  1901 best dressed listed! 

Thank you to my best friends for their love and support this week.  I'm also lucky to have such amazing Disney friends.  This week has caused me to ponder a lot and I wanted to share a facebook status I wrote and posted the other day:

A dream or a wish, by themselves, can not change the past, better the present or brightened the future. They come true with the real work - blood, sweat, and tears we put into them. Holding onto hope they will come true but never being certain, until you realize the journey was really the dream and getting to a point of love and happiness was the wish. So then, just maybe, somewhere down the road when someone asks you "Did your dream or wish come true yet?" you can say..."No, something even greater than that came true."



Until next time friends!

Keep Dreaming,
Mary-Kate

"I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get along without it," Walt Disney

 Hello Friends,
I'm starting to feel as though I'm becoming nocturnal as my shifts go later and later into the evenings.  Yet, no matter what time I get home in the AM I always wake up around 11am.  So if 10 am was London, 11 am is Orlando time.

This week has been eventful and the reality of how fast time is flying is become more and more clear.  I counted it today and I leave for Horsham in 12 weeks  - crazy right.
And considering Thanksgiving week until January 3rd will be nothing but non stop work I have about 6 weeks left to really enjoy Disney for all it's work - so I'll make it count.

As for this past week:
After I finished my blog post I noticed my computer was acting up...until I realized my mouse pad stopped working.
So my Friday night to Tuesday night was spent without a working laptop but no one would have known that because the 21st century never allows you to be unconnected.  Well, you yourself could choose to remain unconnected, unattached, not chained to technology, but sadly I did not have that option. So in order to keep checking my schedule and email I trusted my phone or went to the Patterson Computer lab.

Saturday:  Saturday was Allie's Birthday and Britt and Lauren did a great job decorating her door.
Allie had some visitors in town so I didn't get to see her on her birthday but I made sure she got her card of course.  I worked out before heading to work.
All of us there for the night shift wound up getting ERs (early releases) so Kenzie, Thea, and I decided to go to Ihop because we were super hungry! I got chicken and fries and it was so good!

Allie's and Alexis' door decorated for Allie's 24th Birthday!

Sunday: Sunday - day was pretty uneventful. Woke, breakfast, work out, work. Excitement came after work at we all got ER'd again and decided to go to Ihop - again.  This time the group was of 14 of us and we got to introduce Gina to Ihop!  I literally think she did not know what to do as she was overwhelmed by the first two pages of the menu...I looked over and went "Gina, turn the page."  She did, went open mouthed, and repeat "Oh my God" at least 70 times, there were several "God Bless America"s thrown in there too :)

We all got home at 5 AM.  The Emporium Gang loves the early morning!

Monday: I had to wake up at 10 in order to get ready and get back to work on time.  I had a short training and then worked until 10 pm.  It was a long day but it was my Friday and the fun I had the night before made up for it.  I was also craving a Wawa milkshake and after Mary Kate and I fought whether the Wawa down here sold them or not (they sell THICK milkshakes but not the f'real ones) she took Tori, Marty, and I to get some. It was Tori's second time at Wawa and Marty's first - I love introducing people to Wawa - it's like taking them to my house.  Need less to say I went home and crashed.

Tuesday: Tuesday was Britt's 23rd Birthday!!! I had to get up early to head to the FL Mall and to the Apple Store. After waiting a little bit I was told the repairs wouldn't be done for a few hours. I couldn't stay as I had my first Heritage class in the afternoon so I had to let Apple know I would return after my class.  Before I left the mall I stopped in the Michael Kors shop and wished I had money but managed to pick up my own MK stylist, Nicole for when I do make my first million.  (I do think I'll treat myself to an MK bag on sale for Christmas).  

I returned home to find Katie had already decorated a lot of the door and the Britt's side of their bedroom. I had gotten supplies the night before and spent some time decorating the door and Katie finished up the bedroom and door frame.  Katie went all out on Rapunzel - way to go Katie! I place the Iron Man birthday card on the door and Katie and I realized all that was missing was a cut out of Justin Timberlake.  ;)

I was sad I wouldn't be able to see Britt's reaction when she got home but Katie assured me she'd film it. I headed to my first Disney Heritage class really, really, really excited!  

The teacher of our class - David has been with the company for almost 20 years and has had an amazing career.  During our first class we got to know more about David, his career, how the course would unfold and some about the Disney family.  Now I know I said I was excited but compared to some of these kids - I probably appeared not to have a soul let alone any feelings.  Let's put it this way - there were tears shed on day 1.  I had an "OMG"-Laura-and-I-stuck-in-the-sea-of-Emma-Watson-fans-at-Selfridge's-moment.  But I'm still so stocked for the rest of the seven weeks of the seminar.

After class I jumped back on the bus to the FL mall to get my laptop.  One fixed laptop and bus ride later I was back at the apartment where Britt and Katie picked me up and we headed to Lobster House to go to dinner for Britt's birthday. It was a really nice time. We returned home and were all really tired so we were able to get some rest. 

PS - Shout out to my Aunt Mar and Uncle Jamie for their lovely care package.

Wednesday: During the day Wednesday I cleaned, went to the gym, and sat by the pool with Britt. Alexis' boyfriend Greg came into town so it was nice to get to meet him.   That night Lauren, Britt, Katie, and I headed to Disney's boardwalk as Britt wanted to go dancing. Sadly, when we go to dance hall we found out it had been rented out for a conference - :(.  Off to BDubs (Buffalo Wild Wings) it was.  Before we left boardwalk though we go to talking to the cutest little seven year old named Sam and her mom.  Katie and Britt played chess with Sam for a little bit and I talked to her Mom.  

Alexis and Greg met up with us while we were at Boardwalk and then we all headed over to the bar where Allie met up with us after she got off work.  

It was really great having the six of us out together.  Britt seemed to have a great time on her birthday and I'm happy we got to share it with her and also be able to celebrate Allie's birthday too. 

Britt's door for her Birthday!

The 10 by 6 foot Rapunzel birthday sign - great job Katie! 

All six of us celebrating the birthday girls!

Thursday: Thursday I took time to relax as it was a fresh start of the work week.  Thankfully my shift went fast and I was able to come home and get some sleep.  

Friday: Yesterday I went over to Thea's to watch the Glee tribute episode to Cory Monteith and farewell to the character of Finn.  It was so terribly sad.  So sad in fact that we were crying so hard we forgot we had made popcorn....the popcorn burned, the fire alarm went off, and we almost were overcome by smoke.  .....So sad.  :(

After we were left feeling sad I decided to go gym and spent some time by the pool.

Before I knew it it was time to head back to work.  Last night's shift wasn't all that bad either.

Saturday: I woke up today, went to gym, showered, and came here.  This afternoon I'm heading over to Gina's apartment to watch an English TV show her and Thea love before heading back to work....and work until 4:15 AM.  It is also one of the girl's we work with, Chanelle's last night at the Emporium (before going to Food and Beverage) so I'm sure we'll be headed to IHOP.  Sunrise with the Emporium Gang - woot woot!

This week's quote is to remind me to keep pushing myself forward.  I have found out I haven't gotten three out the five internships I've applied for, but I'm still holding on hope for the last two.  In life, competition can be adversity - of all sorts.  Hope you respond and move forward after adversity and adjustments says a lot about you and I hope I'm taking all the right steps on my college program so I'll be able to get the most out of it and have a successful future.  

As always thank you all for all your support.  

I think I'll be seeing a couple of visitors I know to Walt Disney World this week so I'm looking forward to that.

Until next time friends...

Keep Dreaming,

Mary-Kate 

"Every man is captain of his own career," Walt Disney

Hello Friends,

Been a little late with this blog and I apologize for that but here it is so here we go...

This week was not the greatest week for me in Disney but it's okay because it was filled with lessons and at least I had my co-Cast Members.  It's awesome when you get to work with your friends!!!

So let's recap the past week...

Wednesday: I took time Wednesday night to upload all my pictures from Mickey's Not so Scary and catch up with some friends.

Thursday: I had a phone interview and I thought it went really well.  I dressed the part and everything. I figured no matter the outcome it would serve as great practice, which it did.  After the interview I got myself together and headed to work.  It was kind of bizarre getting off of work at 11:30pm because that meant I was ending my shift and leaving work the same day said shift started - odd. haha.
But alas, while I was at work I got an email saying I didn't get any of the internships I was interviewed for. :( I was disappointed but thankful for being able to learn from the phone interview and two thoughts: 1.) There's always next time and 2.) As a writer rejection is the thing.  What is almost a compliment is how said rejection is given to you.

Friday: I woke up a little later than I wanted to which made me a little frazzled. I headed to get coffee and apply for another internship before heading back to work.  All in all work on Friday wasn't too bad.  I got home (in the wee hours of the morning) just in time to be notified via e-mail that I didn't get the internship I had applied for in the morning.  I thought of Dory saying "just keep swimming, just keep swimming." So I decided I'd sleep and then keep swimming.

Saturday: Lauren and I spent Saturday morning cleaning our bedroom from ceiling (almost) to the floor, including the bathroom.  We opened the window to air the room, vacuumed, windexed, bleached, scrubbed, the whole nine yards.  We have both been sick/troubled with allergies so we knew it had to be done and it's really seemed to helped (as we knew it would)! I also was able to get laundry done, go to the gym, and go to the pool :) My shift on Saturday was only a six hour shift and it was a lot of fun.
There was a Halloween Party and there may or may not have been a serious dance party thrown by me, Melissa, and Kate.  When waiting for a bus at 3:30 am it's nice to have friends.  When we got home and 4 am we saw people getting ON the buses to GO to work.  Basically, Disney never sleeps.  I finally got into bed at 4:15 am :) It was also Laura McSherry's birthday on Saturday which made me remember I must get to Minnesota eventually :)
I shared this status on Sunday about my shift on Sunday:
"I only hope we never loose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse," Walt Disney. Last night at about 1 am I got to see a 5 month old baby boy receive his first Mickey Mouse stuffed animal. Every time Mickey waved at him he laughed with glee. His Mom put Mickey in the stroller and the little guy grabbed on tight and wouldn't let go. It was a magical moment. 


Sunday: Sunday I had a nice 6 hour stocking shift from 3-9 pm (same day shift woot woot)! I went to MK a little to buy a little gift for a friend of the family and then it was off to work.  Gina and I wound up being on door assignments next to each other at the start of the party (aka letting people with party wrist bands into the store while apologizing to day guests that the store - and the park - are closed for them). Needless to say there are usually quite a few angry guests but I didn't encounter any. I also saw a little boy with an SJU shirt on!  #THWND!  Also it another great aspect of getting out of work that early meant I got to see Hallowishes while waiting for the bus - classic working in Disney moment. It made my night!

Monday:  So one can look at my Monday as typical Manic Monday or TGIF (seriously)!  I'll go with the latter.  I say this because I was having a great morning.  Went to the UPS store...lalala.  On my way home from the UPS store I tripped - somehow - and fell on the concrete.  While I didn't even fall that hard my ipod did....front screen completely smashed.  I actually sat on the ground for a few while what had actually happened registered in my head.  The irony - I saw the whole thing happening, almost in slow motion and couldn't stop it.  Resigned to the fact that I'd have to get a new ipod I went to work a little frustrated already.  Monday proved to be quite busy and very hectic and just a long shift.  When I got home at 3 am I was never so happy to see my bed, fall in it, and sleep.

Tuesday: October.  New month.  New start.  Yesterday, I slept in, because I felt entitled to do so.  Soon enough it was time to head to mall and the apple to store for my ipod to face it's fate.  Aside from the two hour wait the trip to apple was a success and I made sure I bought a protective case.  I got home with just enough time to set it up for heading over to join Thea and Mallorie at their neighbor, Cliff's, apartment to play Crimes Against Humanity aka Apple to Apples for adults - SO FUN and FUNNY!
Around 8 pm we headed to the Polynesian to get dole whip and watch Wishes from the beach as our way of celebrating Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot's birthdays!!!
It was such a relaxing way to spend the evening.  And the best part: after the fireworks I got to catch a little bit of Halloweentown that was playing on the big screen.  Sadly Thea, Mallorie, and Cliff (who is from New Zealand) had never seen the movie nor had any clue what about the movie.  It was a great throwback to classic late 90s/early 00s Disney Channel.
We all returned home and went to bed.

Happy Birthday WDW, MK, and Epcot!!!!  Please note, 2nd picture: classic move America. 

Wednesday: After having the best sleep I've had since I got to Disney (10 hours to boot) I went to Starbucks to submit a final internship application for Disney. Feeling happy and accomplished I then went to Dunkin Donuts to grab munchkins for the dinner Gina was hosting at her apartment that night (classic American move). Before getting ready for dinner I was able to catch up with Rachel via facetime which was really nice; I love talking to my best friend. We always have the best conversations.  I then headed to the pool to relax in the sun. Alexis, Britt, Allie, and Katie had already been there and it was nice having five out of the six roomies together in one place since it's quite rare for that to happen with all our work schedules...We missed Lauren though of course!!!

I wound up getting a phone call from a Disney office that there was a mix up with one of my applications or something of the sort.  Long story short I got to reapply for an internship I thought I'd been previously told I wasn't been considered for - talk about some pixie dust on my side! 

After all that was taken care of I got ready for the dinner.  I went over to Thea's to taste test her dessert - apple crumble - it was so good.  We got to Gina's and hung out with Gina and her room mate Natalie before Marty arrived.  Marty works with us in the Emporium.  Natalie works in Epcot.

Dinner was a home cooked English meal Gina made Cottage pie with cheesy potatoes and side salad.  It was absolutely delicious.  We had a lovely chat over dinner about cultural differences and other things haha. After dinner we all watched the English film The Inbetweeners.  I had heard of it but had never seen it; it was so funny! Thea's apple crumble went over very well.  We were to full for munchkins haha. 

Marty, Thea, and I walked back to Patterson.  I went home and right to bed. 

Thursday: I didn't have the best night sleep Wednesday night so I woke up around 11 and ate breakfast while watching TV with Britt.  I went to the gym and surfed the web and then read before heading to work. My Monday work shift was really quiet as the store wasn't busy at all and it was only a six hour shift so it went pretty fast. 

Friday:  Today I've just been milling around a little bit. I convinced Thea to come to the gym with me so that was a success.  Allie's birthday is tomorrow and Britt's birthday is Tuesday so I have some great things to look forward to over the next week days.  Tuesday also marks the start of my Disney Heritage Class - so so so pumped for that class! 

Looking forward to a good week this week - positive thinking.  I will finally allow myself to get more into the Halloween spirit as it is officially October - bring on 13 nights of Halloween and Hocus Pocus multiple times a week :) And lots more pumpkin coffees and pumpkin flavored things (that was one thing I couldn't hold off til October for - clearly).

My family is coming in nine weeks. Seems a long way but short at the same time as the weeks do seem to fly by here! I can't wait to see them.

The title of this blog has quite a simple explanation: I must go get the job I want, go fight for it, be patient, persistent, and passionate.  I know it will all work out :) And I guess I'll forgive Walt for the male wording of his remarks...

Until next time friends...

Keep Dreaming,

Mary-Kate 

P.S. Happy Birthday shout out to Mrs. Donohoe who reads my posts :) Hope you had a great day! 

"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