Thanksgiving week!

I'm just going to go through my entire week so far, starting with Monday. Sarah and I were both off on Monday. She wanted to go to the mall to look for a coat, so we spent a little while at the mall. Unfortunately, we found almost no jackets at all. I guess that's what we get for trying to find one in Florida. We decided to try Target next. Go figure, nothing there either. The only jackets we did find were not very thick, but very thick in price. She decided not to get something that wouldn't keep her warm. When we got back home, we watched the Christmas special of this show we both like to watch. Then we headed over to Magic Kingdom. By the way, the new maps are out and they have all the attractions for New Fantasyland on them. I know you care. It was dark outside by the time we got there. Our only reason for going was to watch the new light show on the castle. It is called "Celebrate The Magic." I really enjoyed watching it. Disney is amazing in just about everything they do and this show is no exception. I am going to have to go back to Magic Kingdom one night before I go home so I can record it for my family to watch while I am home. I'm getting off track though. When we arrived at Magic Kingdom, the first show of two was just starting. Whenever something like this happens, all guests just stop right where they are, whether or not it is a good place to stand. Unfortunately for us, this includes the tall people of the world. Since Sarah and I are both munchkin sized and really couldn't see anything, we decided to go ride something in Tomorrowland that I hadn't been on and then we would come back after fireworks to watch the second light show. They are exactly the same and we knew we could get a good spot for it. So we headed over to Tomorrowland. The Astro Orbiter had about a 15 minute wait. That never happens, so we jumped in line. This ride is a lot like Dumbo, in the sense that you are in a "flying" rocket that flies in circles and can go up and down. The thing that makes this different is that this ride is on the roof. You have to take an elevator to get up there! After we took the elevator, we had to wait another 5 or 10 minutes. While we were waiting, Wishes, the fireworks show, started! We had a great view, or would have if the other people waiting nearby hadn't stood in front of us to take pictures. Oh well. Finally, it was our turn. The fireworks were still going, which was pretty cool. We got all strapped into our rocket and we were off! Here's the best part. As soon as we were in the air, the finale of Wishes started. So we got to see the most amazing part of the fireworks from in the air! We had the best view in the entire Magic Kingdom! It was really awesome. I would say everyone should try to do this, but there's no way anyone could time it that perfectly again by trying. It just happened and it was so cool. That was definitely the best part of my day! After that, we watched Celebrate The Magic and then went back home. We were cold and tired and were getting up early the next day to go to Harry Potter World because Sarah had never been and she loves Harry Potter!

We didn't have class this week because of Thanksgiving. It was nice to get an extra day off. We headed to Islands of Adventure on Tuesday morning. Sarah loved the Harry Potter World. I know it actually has a longer name than that, and typically I like to call things by their proper name, but I can never remember exactly what it is, so it's just Harry Potter World to me! We were both hungry for lunch by the time we actually got there, so we headed over to The Three Broomsticks for lunch. We both had a salad with some kind of beef pastry sort of thing and butterbeer. It was super delicious. Plus, it was just really cool to eat at a restaurant that is based on your favorite book series and movies. I will say this, one thing Universal has done very well is Harry Potter World. It is nearly perfect. After lunch, we went on the ride inside of the castle. Just the queue line was enough for me. You walk through various parts of the castle and there are things that were in the movies. That is very cool to see. Paintings move and talk, newspaper pictures move, you see Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, and Ron and they look like they are really standing right in front of you. After the ride, we wandered around the rest of the park and ended up right back in Harry Potter World. We did stop to ride some things in Seuss Land, but ended up returning to Harry Potter World to say goodbye and get a quick snack. If you've ever seen the movies, you may find this amusing. Moaning Myrtle is in the girls' bathroom. That made me laugh. Once we were all done with the park, we headed over to Universal so I could run in and grab something from the Despicable Me gift shop. Luckily, we only had to go into City Walk to find it instead of going all the way to Universal. I got a fluffy unicorn! YAY! I was very excited. I didn't even ask for a bag. I carried it proudly all the way to my car. That concluded our trip to Harry Potter World. When we got home, Sarah went to her friend's apartment and I went to hang out with Hayden.

Wednesday I was friends with Donald at Pete's Silly Sideshow again. I didn't particularly enjoy this shift. The tent was so crowded that the characters had to go super fast. It was kind of a rough day. I hate when the lines are so long that we can't do anything but take the picture and send the guests away. That isn't fun for them and it isn't fun for us. Nothing overly excited happened during my shift. After work, I went over to Kayla's apartment. She had spent two days preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for her and some of her friends. I thought that was so nice. She's a great cook, so that made it even better. It was nice to spend some time with friends.

Yesterday, on the real Thanksgiving, I worked all day with Minnie at Character Spot in Epcot. I think at this point, everyone except my schedulers know how much I love Minnie. Yesterday was the first day since I have been here that I really just didn't want the work day to end at all. I have had lots of shifts that I enjoyed, of course. But normally, the fact that I'm tired and hungry takes over and makes me ready to leave. Not yesterday though! I would have stayed another 7 hours if I had to just because I love Minnie that much. When I got to work, I found out that all of Entertainment got free Thanksgiving lunch. This was very exciting. Free food you weren't expecting is always exciting. After work, I got a text from Sara Robbins asking if I wanted to come have Thanksgiving with her! I was very happy that she offered this to me. After getting home, showering, and skyping with my family, I headed straight over. We ate together and watched The Blind Side, even though she had already watched it earlier that day. Sara is a great friend and I'm very lucky to have her here.

Alright, now it's time for whatever comes to mind:

I desperately need to figure out my roommate situation for next semester.

I like the cold weather we have been having. I'm very into jackets, hats, and scarves. However, I have a very small supply of sweaters and long sleeved shirts, so this is starting to suck.

We have yet another apartment inspection coming up next week or the week after. I think some CP's got themselves into a bad situation and as a result everyone else has to be checked up on every month. I don't mind it much, it's just an inconvenience.

The Disney College Program Winter Formal is next Tuesday. I'm excited. Sarah and I are both going. I'm mostly just excited to dress up. I never get to dress up, so every opportunity is a good one!

Only 12 more days until I am back home!

I would lastly like to share a comment that was left on my blog yesterday morning. I found it very touching.

"Beautiful words. My family was also part of this amazing Kidd's Kids journey. All of the families walk such different paths, but we are all on the same journey...a journey of life with a chronically or terminally ill child. What a beautiful thing to be able to forget about doctors visits and hospital stays for a few days, and spend time in the most magical place on earth. There's no way to put a price tag on something like that. My son, Zach, has had one wish for the past two years...to give Mickey Mouse a high five. He finally got that wish on our last morning at breakfast. He could see the shadow of Mickey's ears just beyond the closed doors, and his little heart was racing so. The look on his face as Mickey walked in the room was something that will stay with me forever. He got his high five, and I got to be there to see his wish come true. I couldn't stop the tears then,,,and I'm typing through tears now. While I realize it might not have been you behind the mask that day...but that doesn't matter. What you do is make wishes come true. The smallest act, such as a high five or a hug, can have the most profound effect. Thank you for making wishes come true. Just like Cinderella says, a dream really is a wish your heart makes. Here's to the magic. Here's to fairy tales. Here's to happy endings. And here's to you."

Have a magical day!

Minnie's Birthday!

Today, I am in a fantastic mood. I have had a great few days here. Friday, I was reunited with my favorite character, Minnie. Saturday, I spent the evening with Donald. Yesterday was Minnie's birthday and I got to spend the evening with her AGAIN! Today, I woke up and checked my email and found out some very exciting news.

Friday night was the night of a Christmas Party in the Magic Kingdom. I was back in Storybook Circus, which is conveniently where my roommate, Sarah works! In Storybook Circus, the major attractions are Dumbo and the Barnstormer. Pete's Silly Sideshow was recently added. Here guests can meet Minnie, Daisy, Donald, and Goofy. Daisy is a fortune teller, Donald is a snake charmer, Goofy is the Great Goofini, and Minnie is a poodle trainer! Minnie's outfit is absolutely precious. She looks like a sparkly cupcake. I love her dress. So do all of the guests. If I listen closely, I can hear people waiting in line say, "Oh! Look how beautiful her dress is!" It's very fun. I really love Minnie Mouse. If I could be friends with her every single day, I would do it. Any time, any place. Unfortunately, my schedule does not provide this opportunity. When I got back into the break room after one of my sets on Friday, I was in the middle of telling a story to Goofy. As I was talking, I was also taking off my costume. I continued talking through all of this, like nothing was happening. Then I sat down and finished my story. I hadn't realized it, but there was an attendant staring at me. When I finally looked at him, he said, "You are Minnie Mouse. In and out of costume. You are just like her." Later he added that it was so cute how much I was like Minnie Mouse. That made me laugh a little. I really just love Minnie Mouse. I can't say that enough. Her mannerisms are so cute and we have the same posture and stances. Basically, she is just perfect and we should be together every single day. Side story: Later in the evening, we had no line, so I kept asking my attendants to go get me a slushy from the gift shop next door. Then the manager walked in, so I asked her! She said not right now. She left. I continued asking one particular attendant, mostly because I could tell it was annoying her and she didn't know how to respond to me. She kept saying, "Minnie, why are you doing this to me?!" That was amusing.

Saturday night, I was with Donald the snake charmer! His set is really cute. He has two large snakes on either side of him and their eyes are spinning like they have been hypnotized. For the first half of the night, we had a long line, so Donald and I really just had to hug, sign, picture, and wave. No time for fun. We have to keep the line moving. After my first set, Donald walked into Sarah's break room. All of the cast members in the break room were cracking up. I think this is partly because Donald was there, but mostly because his manager was standing right behind him. Oops. He walked out and went back to his break room. I laughed when the manager saw my face. "No meet and greets in other break rooms! And no slushies!" I had to laugh at that. I know she was kidding. I wouldn't have done any of this if any other manager had been working. Wouldn't want to risk getting in trouble! Besides, I needed some excitement. Having a long line is so boring because we don't have time to do any playing. Toward the end of the night, things started to get exciting. Every once in a while, Donald would look over at the snakes and make sure they were still good and hypnotized. We wouldn't want them coming out of it while guests were around! One of the very last families of the night was so much fun. There were two boys and then the parents. The older brother was probably 10 or so and then younger one about 4 or 5. The older boy walked up and handed Donald his book. He then asked Donald, "Hey Donald! Did you hypnotize these snakes yourself?" Oh boy. Finally! Someone understands what the heck I am doing here! I respond by nodding. I then hold up a finger, as if to say, "Wait." Then I start waving my hands and fingers back and forth while pointed at the snake. Then I turned back to the boy and continued with the waving motion. Obviously I'm hypnotizing him. He caught on. His eyes got very wide and he held very still. Once he was good and hypnotized, I held up both of my hands to say, "Stay." He moved a little, so I did it again. "Stay." He understood this time. I began signing his book. The younger brother giggled away. Once I finished signing the book, I turned back to the hypnotized boy, pointed to his right hand, which was in his front pocket, and motioned for him to lift his hand. He did. I turned his arm so he had his palm facing up. Then I placed his book in his hand and again told him to stay. He did. I love this kid. I took the little boy's book and signed his next. Then I placed it in the older boy's hand, on top of his own book. He held both. Then, I motioned for him to lift his left hand as well. I placed his pen there. Then I took the younger brother's pen and placed it there as well. He now had both pens and both books. I pointed to him, then to a path along the floor that would lead him to his parents. He walked to his parents, handed them to books and pens, and waited for further instructions. I pointed to him and then back to the spot where he had been standing beside me. He walked back, stopped when he was beside me, and waited. Stay. He stayed. He was already facing his parents, but his head was turned toward me. I put my finger on the side of his chin and turned his head until he was looking at his parents. Then I made a smile motion with my fingers. He grinned. Stay. I did the same thing to the little brother, who was already positioned perfectly for a photo. Then I posed and we took a picture. After the picture, I turned the boy toward me again. I did the waving motion I had done before and then I clapped my hands together and jumped. When I did this, he stumbled back, as if he had been released from hypnosis. It was great. I applauded him and gave both boys a hug. After that, they all left. I had so much fun with that family. They were great.

Yesterday, I checked the Disney Auditions website. I am constantly checking to see if there are any opportunities for me to audition for a face role. Finally, they are accepting electronic submissions of head shots for face roles. I am asked at least once a day if I perform any face roles. I've been asked about every character in my height range, and even some not in my height range. I hear Snow White a lot, but I'm much too short for her. I have also heard Tinkerbell, Periwinkle (Tink's sister), Alice, and Wendy. I sent in a head shot and resume yesterday. I am really hoping something comes of this. It probably won't, but it's good to at least try! Plus, now Casting will have seen my face again. The more you get your face out there, the better luck you will have. So fingers crossed, everyone! All of this aside, yesterday was Minnie's birthday! It was Mickey's birthday too, but I like Minnie better. Plus, I spent my day with her in the circus again. It was so much fun. So many people knew it was Minnie's birthday! During my first set, lots of people wished Minnie a happy birthday. Then during my second set, my friend Hayden brought Minnie a birthday button! She couldn't wear it, unfortunately, but she got to take a picture with it! She was very excited that he had been so thoughtful! During my third set, a nice couple brought Minnie a laminated card they had made for her. She was very excited. Toward the end of the set, a little girl ran up with a Minnie plush toy. She handed it to Minnie and squeezed the foot. It played Happy Birthday! The Minnie toy was also holding a Mickey balloon. On one side it said, "It's my birthday!" and on the other it said, "Minnie's birthday party!" It was super cute. After the photo, the girl and her mom started to walk away. I was still holding the Minnie. Confused, I held out the toy for them to take back. "No," the little girl said. "That is for you Minnie! See? It says it's your birthday!" I was SO EXCITED. I clapped my hands and jumped up and down a little. They couldn't see it, but I had a big smile on my face. I was so excited. Everyone in my break room was super jealous. Especially my back to back. I feel bad, but I don't get gifts very often, so I was excited. To all the people who ever plan on visiting a Disney park in their life, take this into consideration. Characters LOVE getting gifts. Honestly, even if your kid draws a picture on a napkin. We keep those. At least, I do! So next time you go to Disney, encourage your kids to make their favorite character a present. You don't even have to spend any money. Ask a character attendant for a pen and an index card. They have them. Trust me. I love the little handmade gifts. They are great.

This brings me to the final piece of today's entry. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was applying to extend. I also mentioned that I wanted to be switched to a different role. I wanted to be able to work with guests in a different way than I have been. Maybe even talk to them? Last night, as I was coming home with my awesome gifts, I thought back to the last few weeks I have had. I met Kidd's Kids, my blog count doubled in three days, I was reunited with Minnie, I hypnotized a little boy, I got to hang out with Piglet and Eeyore at a place that they are never at, and hey, I get to play at work. All of these things made me realize that I really didn't want to change roles. I didn't want to trade all of this in for a chance to talk to people sometimes. I have a phone. I can call someone if I want to talk. Or I can go to the parks, or Downtown Disney, or Walmart if I'm desperate. Plus, Michael will be here. That will be a huge help. I realized last night that I was crazy for wanting to change roles. I also realized that considering the fact that I had selected other roles above my current role for my extension that, if I even do get to extend, I probably won't have my same role. Today is the day that people start finding out if they get to extend or not. I nervously checked my status this morning. The first page popped up. "Congratulations!" Okay, that part is done. Definitely staying here with Michael until May. That is very exciting! Next page: personal information. This is the page with my role on it. Extension role: Current role/location. Thank the Lord! I get to keep my friends! Yay!! I was so excited when I saw all of this. So, to answer all questions: Yes, I am extending. I will be here until May 10. I am going home to McKinney, Texas December 5-12. I will continue working in Entertainment. My blog entries will continue! Please, everyone keep your fingers crossed that I can get a face role. Or at least be contacted about it. It would be so much to me to be considered.

I hope everyone is doing very well. I can't wait to be home! 16 days and counting!

Basically, I love Minnie Mouse.

This week has been great. Sunday, I was finally reunited with my favorite character, Minnie Mouse! I have missed her dearly, so it was wonderful to spend time with her again. You all know how much I adore her. I'm super excited because I'm friends with her today too! Monday, Sarah and I went to the store and then she went to work and I took Kayla to the doctor. She was having some ankle problems and doesn't have a car here.

Tuesday I had both of my Disney classes. My morning class was almost pointless. It was a wonderful opportunity, and had the potential to be great, but it ended up being a big waste of time. We were supposed to spend the day resort hopping and learning all about the various themes at the resorts. What we really ended up doing was spending about 20 minutes at each of two different resorts and spending about 3 hours on Disney buses or waiting for the buses. My group and I visited the Animal Kingdom Lodge and Coronado Springs. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is the resort right next to Disney's Animal Kingdom where guests can see various wild animals. It was very cool to see the resort, but since we were on such a time crunch, we didn't really get to look around as much as I would have liked to. Lucky for me, I am finally making friends! So my friend Hayden and I will go back to see some resorts again. It's really nice to have a friend now. It has taken a while, but it finally happened! So yay! After resort hopping, I went home and took a nap and then headed off to my evening class. In this class, I learned all about Epcot. We discussed when it opened, what it was like, what it was supposed to be like, and much more. It was very interesting to hear about what Walt had envisioned. His idea was to have an entire city with shops, apartments, and hotels completely enclosed by a dome. The city was supposed to be climate controlled and on the "third level" of Epcot Center. The first two levels would be where service trucks and cars would be driven. On the third level, residents and guests would use public transportation which would consist of the monorail and the peoplemover. A lot of people really wish that Epcot had been created this way, but I like it the way it is.

After class, Sarah and I went to Target to get some inexpensive Christmas decorations. Her family had given us some things while they were visiting last month, but I wanted to see if we could find anything else with a low budget. Really, I just love Christmas and want to see it at our apartment too! In the $1 section, I found lots of "A Christmas Story" merchandise. This amused me quite a bit. I also bought the movie that night because I have been wanting to watch it for a while now! We ended up purchasing a small black tree, red, silver and black ornaments, a red star, and a red tree skirt. I was really excited about this. With the red and silver garland Sarah's family gave us, it looks wonderful! We also got a few more decorative things. When we got home, we turned on the Christmas Radio on Pandora and decorated our little apartment! It was so much fun. I love Christmas.

Wednesday, I was friends with Mickey at Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is all decorated for Christmas already also. It's pretty cute. At Camp Minnie-Mickey, where you meet the classic Disney characters, there are several Christmas trees, wreaths, garland, and bows in each kiosk. Likewise, the characters are dressed in Christmas attire! Mickey wears a green Christmas sweater, red pants, and a Santa hat! The guests loved his Christmas attire. He received lots of compliments all day. Wednesday night, after work, Sara Robbins and I went to Thanksgiving dinner! The housing committee had dinner catered for all of the College Program participants. It was so good. We also got to meet Mickey and Minnie and they were dressed in Thanksgiving attire. It was super cute. I really enjoyed spending my Thanksgiving with my best friend from back home. We are the closest thing each other has to family here, so it makes sense that we spent the holiday together. It was a lot of fun. It was nice to spend time with Sara. She and I don't see each other as often as I would like.

Yesterday, I was a spare at Epcot. I started my day with Mickey at the VIP Visa location. I did three sets there and then spent a couple hours sitting on a bench, waiting to be sent somewhere or given something to do. Finally, at about 6:15 I was told to go to the UK where Piglet and Eeyore would be making a guest appearance because Tigger and Pooh needed to go check on Christopher Robin. They were so cute together. Guests were very excited to see them. They didn't quite understand how exciting it was though. Guests can't meet Piglet anywhere except Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace is a restaurant, so the only way to meet the characters is to eat there. It is extra special that Piglet and Eeyore were together last night. I had a lot of fun with it. Piglet is so cute. Everyone thinks he is a girl, but I really don't care.




Today I am friends with Minnie Mouse at Pete's Silly Sideshow. Minnie is a poodle trainer there. She wears a tiara that is very sparkly. I like it. I'm excited to work with her tonight! I hope everyone is doing well and having a wonderful day! Have a lovely weekend! :)

Wonderful People

Today was an overwhelming day for me. I was scheduled to work from 7:45 AM to 7:30 PM. That's a long day! I had to get up at about 6:30 this morning. I wasn't too excited about that part. I was excited about other things though.

Side note: The first little boy I met today was dressed exactly like Mickey Mouse. He had the mouse ears, the black tuxedo, the white shirt, the yellow bow tie, the red pants with big white buttons, the black shoes, and the white gloves with three black lines on the top. I was impressed.

I have not mentioned it on my blog at all, but Kidd's Kids are here at Disney this weekend. If anyone hasn't heard of Kidd's Kids, it's an organization started by Kidd Kraddick that sends chronically or terminally ill children and their families to Disney World. The trip is made once a year and includes over 50 families. Kidd Kraddick accepts donations all year long for this wonderful event and families can apply for the trip. Since I listen to Kidd Kraddick's radio show back at home, I have heard lots about this. I was very excited when I found out that they would be here while I was here. This is a wonderful organization and I'm glad I heard about it ahead of time. I have been keeping up with everything Kidd's Kids has been doing since they got here last night. I was really hoping I would get a chance to meet some of the families. These kids are so brave and so incredibly deserving of this opportunity. I would be honored just to be in the same room with them.

I was working in Magic Kingdom today. I got to be friends with Mickey at Town Square Theater. I love working at TST because you only see small groups of guests at a time, so if you really want to, you can take your time without having to worry about a long line of people getting angry because they are watching it happen. After my first set, I was talking to my attendant. I told her about Kidd's Kids and how much I wanted to see them. During my second set, about 3/4 through the set, in walked two families wearing white shirts that had mouse ears and said Kidd's Kids in big blue letters. I immediately felt my heart start to race. I tried so hard to concentrate on the family I was with at the time because it's unfair for Mickey to skip over any guest. He is, after all, the host of Walt Disney World. After that, a little boy walked up to me. He was wearing a Kidd's Kids shirt. He gave me a big hug. I held on for what felt like forever. He didn't let go, so neither did I. My attendant knew how excited I was to see them, so she asked the parents about Kidd's Kids and where they were from. This family was from Austin, Texas. The thing that stuck out the most to me was the last thing the dad said. "It's all thanks to Kidd Kraddick." It wasn't so much the sentence that stuck with me. It's all thanks to Kidd Kraddick. That is a very simple sentence. It was the way he said it. The feelings that came with it. Here was a little boy who was going to have a very difficult life. The parents have probably spent a ton of money on medical bills. Yet here they are at Disney World. It's all thanks to Kidd Kraddick. This little boy and his family are at Disney World because Kidd thought they should go and there were enough donations to make it possible. I think that is so wonderful. I'm not going to lie, I was crying the whole time all of this was happening. I was just so overwhelmed. The little boy was so happy to be there. And I was so happy to have him there. I've never had a hug last that long or mean that much while I was working. I don't even know anything about this kid. I wish I did. I would love to meet him face to face. I know it would be amazing. But for him, it's probably better that we met the way we did. Mickey Mouse is a hero to so many people. I'm sure this little boy was no different. The next family had three boys with them. I couldn't tell which boy was being sponsored by Kidd's Kids. I'm kind of glad about that. I don't need to know. I gave all three of them a big hug and signed their books. After a few pictures, they were on their way. I just wanted them to stay with me. I thought about going into the park during my lunch to see if I could talk to anyone with Kidd's Kids, but I decided against it. They are here to have a good time and I wanted to let them. I just still can't believe what that dad said. "It's all thanks to Kidd Kraddick." I could hear in his voice how much he appreciated everything. I was truly honored to meet each of them. While it was very overwhelming, it was very worth it.

I spent the rest of the day hoping to meet more Kidd's Kids families, but it didn't happen. I probably won't see them again, but that's okay. It was just by chance that I met them today and that is enough for me. Something else incredible happened later today. My last family of the night was very special to me. They weren't when they entered the room, but by the time they exited, they had changed my life. The first to come see me was a little girl. She was probably around 3 or 4 years old. She had blond curly hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a black dress that had big silver polka dots on it and a black bow in her hair. I know Minnie Mouse would have loved it. She was truly a beautiful little girl. She and I played for a little while and took pictures. Then I stood up so her parents could join in the picture. After the family picture, I realized there was a fourth person in the room. She was so quiet that I hadn't noticed her before. The mother walked over to her and asked, "Would you like to go meet Mickey Mouse?" The girl nodded. The father said that she was visiting from Scotland and had never been to Disney World before, so they decided to bring her while she was staying with them. I studied the girl a bit. She had her head down, her eyes closed, and her elbows bent, but close to her sides so that both hands were in front of her. The mother guided her over to me. I still had not heard her speak. I thought maybe she was autistic, or something similar. Regardless, I knew this was a situation I needed to approach delicately. When the girl was close enough, I put my left hand directly under her open right hand and raised it until her hand was resting in mine. Then I put my right hand on top of hers and held her hand in mine. When I did this, the mother said, "These are Mickey's hands." That's when I realized what was going on. This girl did not suffer from any developmental disorder. She was blind. I held her hand in mine for a few seconds and then began raising her hand to my ears. When I did so, the mother said, "Do you want to feel Mickey's ears?" Again, the girl nodded. Once I knew her hand was on Mickey's ear, I lowered my hand so that I was holding her wrist lightly. That way she could control what she touched. She smiled. "Amazing," she said. That's when I started to cry again. When I could tell she was done feeling the ears, I lowered her hand and took both of her hands in mine. I just held her there for a moment. Then I took her hands to Mickey's nose. Again, she said, "Wow. This is amazing." "Isn't it cool?" Said the mother. I lowered my hands this time. I knew she wasn't going to pull or hurt me, so I figured I should let her do what she wanted. When she was finished feeling Mickey's face, I gave her a hug. Then my attendant asked if she would like a picture with Mickey Mouse. The girl said yes. Her eyes remained closed. She will never see the picture of her and Mickey Mouse. That breaks my heart. The things we take for granted each and every day, some people will never experience. My challenge to everyone is this: Close your eyes for an hour, thirty minutes, ten minutes, even just five minutes! Try to do the things you always do, but with your eyes closed. I guarantee it will be a challenge. Then imagine living every single day that way. What would that be like? What would you do? I can tell you what you wouldn't do. You wouldn't read. You wouldn't be on Facebook. You wouldn't text. You probably wouldn't go anywhere alone.You wouldn't drive a car. I can promise you that I wouldn't go to another country by myself. That's why this girl was so amazing to me. Yes, she was blind. Lots of people are blind. Lots of people have things that make their life more challenging than the average human being. But they carry on. She has carried on. I'm so glad I was able to meet her today. As the family was leaving, I looked over and saw one of my attendants wipe some tears away. The mother came back and gave me a hug and thanked me. She said that I was wonderful and reached inside of her bag. She pulled out a little gold thing, placed it in my hand, and said, "This is for you. God bless you. God bless you. You can put it on a necklace. Thank you so much." Then she squeezed both of my hands and they left. I looked up and my attendant was wiping away more tears. I found myself wishing I could reach my eyes to wipe away the tears. Then I looked down at my hand to see what she had given me. It was a small pendant for a necklace with a figure engraved on it. At first I thought it was Jesus, but looking at it now, I think it is probably Mary. Regardless, it was very kind of that women to give it to me. Now I will always have a way to remember that family.

I posted on the Kidd's Kids Facebook saying that Mickey met some of the families today and he was very glad to have met them. Whoever runs the Facebook page responded and asked if I'm Mickey Mouse. They also put a winky face. That made me giggle. I encourage everyone who has a Facebook to look up Kidd's Kids and look at all of the pictures they are posting of their trip. It is so wonderful to see the kids' smiling faces. It brings tears to my eyes, but it still brightens my day.

I feel like everyone, myself included, could use a good laugh right now. So I will tell you some random things that have been going on. Yesterday, a little boy came to meet Sorcerer Mickey after meeting Minnie. First he said, "I wonder if his autograph will look like Minnie's?" After he saw the autograph, "Yup. Looks like Minnie's" Even though they don't look alike at all. Then, my favorite part, "He smells like Minnie, too!" Later, a little girl told Mickey that he smelled good. It must be the detergent he and Minnie use to wash their clothes or something. Also, when Mickey wears his sorcerer's hat, he kind of looks like a bobble head. Especially on days where his shoulder are narrower, like the days he and I are hanging out. Today, a little boy got Mickey's autograph and took several pictures. He then added, "Yeah, this is great, but where is Donald?" That made me laugh!

Two fun facts for you and then I'm done! One: The Carousel of Progress is the only ride/attraction at Walt Disney World that Walt Disney himself actually experienced. It was part of the 1964 New York World's Fair and at the time was called "Progressland." Two: Disney Imagineers were very excited about their ability to use trees in New Fantasyland. Because of the utilidor system in Magic Kingdom, any time trees were planted, they had to be removed once they grew to a certain size because the roots would crack the foundation. In New Fantasyland, however, there are no tunnels, so trees can grow wild and free! Yay! This adds to the feeling of New Fantasyland being the forest beyond the castle courtyard and village.

Well, there you have it ladies and gentlemen. I'm curious to know if I effectively communicated what it was like to meet the families today. I was definitely crying a lot today. Not because I was sad, but because I was honored. Truly honored. Goodnight everyone and have a magical weekend!

Family Visit!

My family arrived Tuesday, October 23. I had both of my classes that day. As soon as my second class was over, I threw some clothes into a bag and hurried over to All Star Movies, the resort we were going to stay at. I was so excited to see my family. Once I arrived at the resort and had said hi to everyone, we all went out to eat. We went to an Italian restaurant near my apartment called Uno. It was so good. I was just happy to not have Disney food or cook something myself. It was really nice to just sit and talk with my family.

On Wednesday, my parents and Alex went to the Cast Member preview of the New Fantasyland with Sara Robbins. I scheduled my preview for Friday so Chris and Tyler could go. They were not arriving until Thursday night. Andrew and I slept in that morning since we had no where to be. In the afternoon, once everyone was back, I took Dad and the boys to Disney Quest, the huge arcade in Downtown Disney. I received a Holiday Pass in the mail that allowed me to get myself and three guests into Disney Quest for free. Once I was in there, I didn't want to leave. It was so cool! I got to play Fix-It Felix Jr. which is the game featured in the new Pixar movie, Wreck-It Ralph. I had so much fun in there, but I didn't stay because I had already made plans with Mom and Sara to go to the cast member store. We ran some errands and went to Cast Connection, which Mom seemed to like. There's some cool stuff in there if you go on the right day. Sometimes it's just a bunch of junk. After Cast Connection, Sara went back home, Mom walked around Downtown Disney and went back to the resort, and I went back to Disney Quest with Dad, Andrew, and Alex. I had so much fun in there. I'm glad I was only there for a couple hours though. I feel like I would have gotten bored after a while. I'm not too much of a game junkie.

Thursday, we went to Hollywood Studios with Sara Robbins. Andrew and I realized that we had the same Captain America shirt, so we decided to wear them and match! It was pretty cute. We got a picture with TWO green army men from Toy Story! That's a big deal. Normally they stay separate. We were all set up to take a picture with the taller army man when I noticed the other one standing near by, but out of the picture. Since he was standing there, not doing anything, I asked if he would also like to be in the picture. He seemed pretty excited that I asked and happily joined in for the photo. Later, we went to Epcot and tried some awesome food from different countries. That night, Chris and Tyler arrived. When I first saw them, Chris was eating and Tyler was in line to get ice cream. When Tyler joined us at the table with his ice cream, the top scoop fell on the floor. It was sad, but also really funny to see. Poor kid had to go back and ask for another top scoop.

Friday morning was my Fantasyland preview. I was very excited about this. When we made it back to the entrance to New Fantasyland, we saw an incredibly long line that we had to find the back of. Luckily, once we made it to the back of the line, it started moving and we were able to go into New Fantasyland. When you first walk in, you see Enchanted Tales With Belle. This is a character interactive attraction.

When you enter Maurice's Cottage, you are transported through a magic mirror to Beast's Castle. Once inside Beast's Castle, you talk to the wardrobe and Lumiere. The animatronic technology was VERY impressive. The wardrobe and Lumiere looked so real! After talking to the wardrobe, who tells you that you are going to retell the story of how Belle and Beast met to Belle, you enter the library, which is where you meet Lumiere. He moves around the mantle of the fireplace, talks, and even moves his arms. Then Belle comes in and a group of about ten guests tell Belle the story of the day she and Beast met. It wasn't really something I would care to do over and over again, but it was fun to do once or twice. Next to Enchanted Tales With Belle is the Be Our Guest restaurant. It is set in the ballroom of Beast's Castle. The restaurant was beautiful. I feel like it will be very crowded once it is full, but I'm not eating there so it doesn't matter! After the castle is Gaston's Tavern and Bonjour! Gifts. Gaston's Tavern serves Roasted Pork Shanks (super delicious!) and Lefou's Brew, which is a frozen apple juice sort of thing. I really liked both.

Outside of the Tavern is where you will meet Gaston. He gets to do something called a roaming set. This means that he can wander around wherever he likes, within a certain perimeter, and his attendant, photopass photographer, and line if he has one, will follow him! He was so funny. Gaston is one of my favorite characters to meet, just because I can't stop laughing when I hear the things he says. After the gift shop, you see Prince Eric's Castle, which is there the Under the Sea ride is. On this ride, you visit Ariel and her friends in the ocean. It was very well done. I really enjoyed it. The last thing in the New Fantasyland is Ariel's Grotto, which is where you meet Ariel in her mermaid form. Ariel was pretty funny too. She asked where we were from and when we said Texas, she said, "Oh! The lonely starfish state!" Instead of Lonestar state. That gave me a laugh. I really enjoyed all of the New Fantasyland and can't wait to see what else will be added!

After the Fantasyland Preview, we stuck around in Magic Kingdom for a little while so Chris and Tyler could see some of the things they hadn't seen before. We met Woody and Jessie, Stitch, Mickey, Cinderella, Aurora, and Rapunzel. I told Cinderella I liked her new dress and hair. She said thank you and then showed me her new slippers! They were very pretty. She also showed me that there were slippers on her dress, and C's for Cinderella and Charming and a heart in the middle. It was very cute how she was showing me. I love meeting characters! Aurora could tell Alex was nervous about meeting her, so she kissed him on the cheek! Rapunzel told me she really liked the braid I had in my hair and said she was going to have to tell the people in her kingdom that they should help her do her hair that way. I got a kick out of that. After meeting the princesses, we left Magic Kingdom because there was a Halloween Party that night. We planned to go to Hollywood Studios later that night to watch Fantasmic. Unfortunately, when we were on our way to Hollywood Studios, we found out that Fantasmic had been cancelled because of the heavy wind we were having, but the park was staying open an extra hour. We decided to ride Star Tours, the Star Wars ride, and see the Muppets show, that way when we came back to Studios, we would have already done those two things. When we were leaving the Muppets show, we found characters! I was really confused at first because it is very rare to find a bunch of characters together, at night, that have nothing to do with each other. On top of that, there were characters that NEVER do meet and greets, including Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and Megara from Hercules! I was super excited. I found out later that these characters were out because Fantasmic had been cancelled, but there was no rain, so the characters could still be out. We got to see Mulan, Mary Poppins and Mr. Penguin, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Jasmine and Jafar, Meg, Pooh, and Chip and Dale. I had so much fun. After that, we went back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

The next day, we went to Epcot. Alex, Andrew, Tyler, and I all wore matching Wreck-It Ralph shirts. It was mostly my idea. I feel like a big part of the Disney experience is dressing alike to go to the parks and since Tyler had never been to Disney before, I didn't want him to miss out. Plus, I really liked the shirt. The highlight of my day was meeting Snow White. Nothing else really matters besides that. I had so much fun meeting her. She could tell I was excited, so she took extra time talking to me. She told me that I looked like her, so I told her she was my favorite princess. When I told her that, she asked why, so I told her because she was so nice, and was the first princess ever! She said those reasons were good ones, but asked me not to tell the queen because it would make her angry and her magic mirror tells her enough. Snow White told me about the time she was tricked by the queen into eating an apple. I laughed a little and she asked, "Did you hear about that?" I said yes and she added, "A lot of people seem to have heard about it. It's a little embarrassing." That made me laugh even more. She then asked me about my brothers and my Wreck-It Ralph shirt. When talking about my shirt, she said that Ralph sounded a lot like Grumpy! I told her that I agreed because I had been friends with Grumpy. We then talked about my experience with Grumpy and I told her about the kids giving Grumpy candy. She asked if he ate it and when I said yes, she said, "Well, good for him!" I really enjoyed meeting Snow White. Once we had done everything in Epcot that we were going to do for the afternoon, we went back to the resort for a nap. After napping, we went back to Epcot to watch Illuminations. I never really enjoyed Illuminations much, but I really liked it this time. Maybe that's because I had a better view this time! It really is a great show. All of the night time shows Disney offers are great.

Sunday, we went to Animal Kingdom and then back to Hollywood Studios. At Animal Kingdom, we watched Festival of the Lion King. I really like this show. It's so well done. Alex and I went to meet Chip and Dale at Camp Minnie-Mickey. That was fun. I love meeting the chipmunks! They are so funny together. Plus, Chip hugged me like we were best friends. That always brightens my day! Dale kept tickling Alex while the picture was being taken. I think the picture was better because of it because Alex actually gave a real smile. It was pretty cute. We also rode the Safari, Expedition Everest, and Dinosaur, and then watched the Flights of Wonder show and Finding Nemo The Musical. It was cool to go on Kilimanjaro Safari because just last week, zebras were added! After that, we headed back to the hotel for nap time and then to Hollywood Studios to try to see Fantasmic again! We were successful this time, thank goodness! I love Fantasmic. It is my favorite Disney show. The park was open late that night for Extra Magic Hours, so we were there late too! We went to a character dance party, too. That was pretty fun to see. Alex seemed like he would rather be anywhere else, but it's really fun to see Mickey and Minnie dancing around to kid music. I enjoyed it. My dad called it a Mickey Mosh Pit. That was pretty amusing.

Monday morning, everyone wanted to go back to Hollywood Studios to watch all the shows they hadn't seen yet. By this point, Andrew was getting sick and I was exhausted. After letting my family into the park, Andrew and I turned right back around and went back to the resort to go back to bed. We slept pretty much the entire day which was awesome! I had been so tired. After resting all day, I went to turn in my doctor's notes to Health Services to get my record card cleared. Disney works on a point system. Each time you call in, you get a point. I had 7. In order to extend my program, I needed less than 5 points. I was able to get my record card cleared, so now I only have one point! Yay! Let me add here that it was FREEZING Monday! I guess the hurricane blew in some cold weather or something because it was so cold! I had to wear a sweater, jacket, and a scarf! That night, we went back to Magic Kingdom to see the castle one last time before everyone went home. We ended up watching Wishes and the electrical parade. I had never actually watched the entire parade. It was really nice. Pete, from Pete's Dragon, saw me and said hi and then asked me what my name was. I answered him, even though I know he couldn't hear me. Then his dragon made some strange sound and Pete said, "Did you hear that? My dragon said he loves you! Elliot, what are you thinking? You don't even know that girl!" It was really funny. Things like that just make me so happy! I love when characters notice me. In my mind, it is such a big deal. We got to ride all the rides that night and I got a Winnie the Pooh Pillow Pet! Everyone did their last minute shopping and pin trading and waved goodbye to the Magic Kingdom.

The next day, I had class at 8:30 in the morning. Luckily, I got out at 11:30 instead of 12:30, so I was able to spend more time with my family! Once we had the room all packed up, we went back to Downtown Disney to wander around before saying our goodbyes. Chris and Tyler had already left for the airport, so it was just my family. I was sad to see them leave, but I will see them soon. I will be home in 33 days. That's such a short time! Plus, I have check points along the way. For example, I will find out if I am able to extend or not before then. And Thanksgiving happens before that! And the first few Christmas parties will be going on! So there's a lot going on between now and then to keep me occupied! I'm super excited to be home though. I hope I get to see everyone while I am back!

I hope everyone is doing well back home!

Finally friends with Piglet!

Hello, everyone! I will talk about my family's visit some other time. I PROMISE! I'm super exhausted though, so I will just quickly talk about the last two days! Side note, I FINALLY got to meet Snow White after being here for 3 months... I thought this picture was so cute, so I decided to share it here.

Yesterday I was friends with Donald Duck at Chef Mickey's, which is at the Contemporary Resort. I had a ton of fun. Since it was Halloween, the restaurant wasn't too busy. Thank goodness! There were a couple times where I made it all the way around the restaurant two or three times in one set. That very rarely happens on a normal day! During my next to last set, there was a boy wearing a Sorcerer Mickey hat. It was a little big on him, so I pulled it down to cover his eyes. He and his family laughed. So naturally, I did it again. And again. And again. Once I was done with that, I moved on to the next few tables. One of the tables had a foreign family at it. The grandpa at the table told me to stop messing around. So of course I put my hands on either side of my head and wiggled my fingers around, like little kids do when they say, "nanny nanny boo-boo." The kids at the table all did the same thing with their hands. It was pretty funny to see how easily I started that. I finished my set and went back to the break room. During my next set, I made it all the way around the restaurant in about 20 minutes. When I got back to the area where the foreign family and the Sorcerer Mickey boy were, I was pretty excited. They were all still there! This means that A) I could take my time because I had already seen all of the people in the restaurant and B) I could mess with them again! I pointed to the boy with the Mickey hat from across the restaurant. Then I waddled over (because ducks waddle) and pulled his hat down. Gently, if you were wondering. Donald is a nice duck. He just likes attention. The little boy's sister was LOVING it! I walked over to her and tickled her a little and then pulled the boy's hat back down. After pulling his hat down a few more times, I offered my hand to him. Truce. Then I went to the corner where the foreign family had been sitting. When I realized it was the same family, I waited until the grandpa was looking and I stuck my hands on either side of my head again. He started laughing. People LOVE when characters remember them. I played around with them for a bit and then continued my rotation around the restaurant. When I received my five minute warning, I saw a couple more tables and hurried back across the restaurant because I saw that the Sorcerer Mickey family was leaving. I pulled his hat over his eyes one last time, just for giggles and then gave him a hug. I was having so much fun.

This morning, on my way to work. I noticed that the Magic Kingdom sign at the toll booth had been painted. I was pretty excited because I never liked how the sign looked before. It used to be pink, blue, and purple and it looked very dated. Now it is bright blue and gold and it looks wonderful! Anyway.... Today I was friends with Piglet at Crystal Palace. I used to have very negative feelings about Crystal Palace, but now I love it! I'm actually excited to go back next week. Crystal Palace is the one dining location where each character gets their own attendant. It's wonderful! It's so helpful to have someone around to help you figure out which table to go to next. By my last set, Piglet had seen all of the guests in the restaurant. So we got to play in the middle of the restaurant! Piglet spent a lot of time running around with his arms out like an airplane. A pig flying. Get it? Like when pigs fly?! No? Alright. Well anyway, after that some little girls wanted to dance with me, so we danced until it was time for me to go in! It was so much fun. It was exactly what I needed today.

Tomorrow I have to wake up insanely early. I am friends with Mickey at Ohana breakfast. This is probably my least favorite shift ever. I'm just hoping it goes smoothly. Then I have a 6 hour break and then one set tomorrow night at Pete's Silly Sideshow, friends with Donald. It's going to be a long day. I plan to nap in the middle!


I applied last night for my DCP extension. I picked the 4 roles that I would like to be considered for as 1. Character Attendant, 2. Concierge, 3. Character Performer (Current Role), and 4. Hospitality (Resort front desk). I made the decision to not choose Character Performer as my top priority. If I am selected to extend my program, I would like to be selected for a role that gives me an opportunity to interact with the guests in a different way. I absolutely love me job, don't get me wrong. And I know that this is an experience I will not get anywhere else. But I never get to talk to guests, ask where they are from, give out Mickey stickers, and tell people how much fun I have here. At the same time, I don't want to not be selected to extend just because I want a different role. That's why I included my current role in my list of choices. I am really, really, really hoping I get to extend. It would be so great to be here for another semester with Michael! If I am selected, my new end date will be May 10. I am also hoping I can do another College Program in the future and/or come back as a full-time, part-time, or seasonal cast member. It would be awesome to come back and be able to do shows, parades, or face roles! It's so difficult to be considered for anything as a CP since we are here for such a short time. It is almost not worth the time it would take to train us for anything since we are only here for between four and seven months. But if I were to be here long term, it would be different! I will hear back about my extension between November 19 and 27, so keep your fingers crossed!

All of that being said, I am exhausted and have to be up SUPER early. Therefore, I need to go to bed 3 hours ago. Goodnight everyone!