Backstage Tours, SeaWorld, and More!

Several weeks ago I had the opportunity to go on a walking tour of "Dinosaur," a ride at Animal Kingdom. A group from the Polynesian merchandise team went. It was mostly CP's and we had so much fun. We got to walk the track and learn about how it worked, and then we were able to ride it. After the tour, all the CP's went to breakfast together. They are such a great group and I love working with them!

If you're a Disney fan you've probably heard about the book series "Kingdom Keepers." The series is about five teenagers that fight of villains for control of the parks. I've never read any of the books, but Nathan has read them all. The author, Ridley Pearson, was here at Disney for two days for a book signing so I went for Nathan. The first day he was at Downtown Disney and I tried to get in there but the line was insane. I decided to go the next morning to Hollywood Studios and get it signed. Luckily I only had to wait about thirty minutes there, instead of several hours.

About a week and a half ago, I had a morning shift. If you know me, you know that I hate mornings. I don't really mind getting up if it's for something that I want to do, but I sure don't like getting up for work. I was originally supposed to work at 6am but thankfully I found someone to switch with me and went in at 7:45am. The nice thing about it was that I got off at 2pm so I had plenty of time to do things. The Gentry's, Michael, Melodie, Kade, and Kassidie, were here from home so I met them at Magic Kingdom to find out how their first visit was going. They are such a sweet family and I loved hearing the kids talk about their favorite things! I came in just in time to catch the new parade, Festival of Fantasy. The first time I saw it I didn't take pictures because I wanted to take it all in. This time I was in a pretty good spot for pictures as the floats rounded the corner. It's such an amazing parade!

The amazing fire-breathing dragon!

Logan had complimentary tickets to SeaWorld so last Monday he, Jordan, her mom, Meghan, Cassie, and myself went. I had never been so I was excited for a new experience, but a little worried about the rides. They are definitely more intense than Disney rides. We had a lot of fun and it was interesting to see the differences and similarities between SeaWorld and Disney. I'm glad I can mark SeaWorld off my CP bucket list. Next on the list is Universal!

Seven Months Down

It's crazy to think that I've been here for over seven months, and the thought of leaving in less than two sickens me. I'm having so much fun and I definitely don't want it to end. I'm trying to soak up every bit of it and do all those things I've been wanting to do.

This weekend Sydney and Jordan, friends from home, came to visit during their spring break. Logan was off Tuesday, so I gave my shift away and we all went to the park together, along with his coworker Meghan. Logan's roommate CJ manages a Hollywood Studios, and he got us VIP seats for Fantasmic.

Streets of America selfless 

Wednesday we all went to Hollywood Studios for a little while, then we went to Magic Kingdom. We had so much fun together and there was never a dull moment. I laughed more in two days than I have in a long time. 

Just taking advantage of our VIP treatment and acting like a celebrity 

Gaston has some competition now! 

Someone missed the "fishy face" memo...

Continued prayers and support are appreciated as always, especially as I am still trying to make decisions about what I'm going to do after my program ends. All I know right now is that May 9th will be here before I know it, so I'm living it up!

Band Weekend

Two weekends ago Franklin County Middle and High School bands came to Disney to perform. Nathan is a percussionist in the band. I never got to see him march this year, so I gave my shifts away that weekend to see him perform and spend time with him. The two of us have never been extremely close, but we miss each other. Well, we miss the fighting anyway! Haha. He was with a sweet group of kids, several who had never been to Disney before, and I loved hanging out with them. Grace got to come as well, and I enjoyed spending time with her too!

Reunited with this precious girl!

Apparently Magic Kingdom has a "Rainy Day Parade!" Still see new things every day.

Mama couldn't take any days off from school, so she drove down Saturday morning to spend the day with us. 

The next morning we got up and came to my apartment. I have acquired a lot of stuff in the past seven months and I'll be moving back by myself in May, so I had to send a load of things back with Mama. Just packing up part of my clothes was hard enough, so I can only imagine how hard it will be in May. After that we went to Epcot. It was the first weekend of the Flower and Garden Festival and Mama wanted to see the topiaries (or tapestries as she called them). After we checked out the flowers, they headed home. It was a very short trip for Mama but I was thankful that she was able to come.