One Year

It's been a year. A year since I made the phone call to say I would no longer be working for the Walt Disney Company. A year since I packed up everything I could fit in my car. A year since I said goodbye to some of the nicest people I have ever met. A year since I said goodbye to the most wonderful place. A year since I left behind all of the memorable character friends I had made. A year since I closed the door on this magical journey. It's been a year.

A lot can happen in a year.

In that year, I learned how to talk to people. Not just speak words, but listen to what they say in return. I lost a love that I thought would be there forever. I went on a date with a stranger for the first time ever. I went to parties with friends. I saw Frozen about 8 times in the theater. I lost touch with people I probably shouldn't have. I reconnected with friends from my high school years. I became friends with some of the most incredible people. I had trials at work. I had victories at work. I went to Hawaii. I learned that Hawaii is unbelievably beautiful. I learned to snorkel. I learned that 18 really is a young age. 16 is even younger. And 13, don't even go there. I purchased cowboy boots! I watched relationships blossom. I watched relationships crumble. I ate crawfish. I now love crawfish. I learned that some people just want you around when it is convenient. I learned that some people just want you around. I discovered the diamond that is the infinity scarf. I realized that people are in your life for a reason; whether it be to make you laugh, to give you a hug, to teach you a lesson, or just to listen. I saved a lot of money. I spent a lot of money. I went back to Disney twice. I learned to pour the perfect beer. I gave second chances. I took second chances. I bought an Ugly Christmas Sweater. I found the most adorable kitten. I now share a home with the most annoying cat. I started taking better care of my hair. I stopped drinking soda for 2 days. But most importantly, I grew 6 inches in 3 months.

Kidding! But I did go through a lot in this last year. In the end, I came full circle and on March 15, I found myself in Dallas... auditioning to be a Character Performer at the Walt Disney World Resort. Let's not pretend we didn't see this coming. Yes, I was miserable at the end of my College Program and was so relieved when I returned to Texas. Deep down though, we all knew my love for Disney and my character friends would win out in the end.

The audition was such a wonderful experience. Somewhere between 250 and 300 people showed up, which the Casting Directors were not expecting! The dance studio was definitely not big enough for all of us! Since there were so many people auditioning, the Casting Directors decided to take us about 40 at a time, teach us 2 short 8-counts of a dance. I say dance, but it was mostly walking. We learned the dance in about 2 minutes, did it a few times to make sure we had it, then did it across the floor in groups of 4 or 5, I can't remember. And that was it! They cut over half of the people auditioning from there! Luckily, I made it through to the next round! The next round consisted of learning an animation exercise and another dance routine. The song we danced to is "When Can I See You Again?" by Owl City. This song plays during the end credits in the movie Wreck-It Ralph. If you haven't heard the song, go listen to it. It's cute. It also plays at the set location for Ralph and Vanellope in Hollywood Studios, which was one of my favorite places to work. If anyone remembers, I LOVED Vanellope! Hearing that song brought back so many happy memories which only helped me to perform better. After learning the dance, we were separated into groups of 8.  We were told that after performing for the Casting Directors, the audition would be over and everyone could leave, but they would be asking a few people to stay after that. I was in the first group of 8. We performed and when we were done, I stood there smiling at the judges. And guess what? They said, "Okay, thank you, everyone! Number 24, we would like you to stay until we are finished with the auditions." Guess who was number 24? The girl next to me, duh. Just kidding! IT WAS ME! They asked me to stay! I was so beyond excited. I waited in another studio for what seemed like forever, wondering what they could possibly want from me. We ended up with 28 people being asked to stay until the end. When we all returned to the studio with the Casting Directors, they called the numbers of about 15 people. They took extra photos of these people, myself included. Once we were finished with that, they asked 5 people, myself included again(eek!), to join the other group who wasn't photographed. Everyone else was free to go. The people left over were divided into groups of 2 and 3 and we performed the dance again, only this time the Casting Directors recorded us performing. After that, we were finally done! All in all, I was there about 5 hours. And let me tell you, I was on cloud nine. And starving! I was so excited about how the audition went, but I had no idea if I would hear anything ever. I certainly didn't expect to hear from them within the week.

I received an email saying that I was being given a Callback! I was being considered for a potential friendship with Tinker Bell and Alice! I was given instructions for the next part of my audition. I completed that step and then last Thursday, I received a phone call saying that the next step for me is to fill out the application and have a phone interview and that I have been identified as a good friend for (can you believe it?) TINKER BELL! I was so excited when the man on the phone uttered those words. I have run into a little hiccup with my application, but I am working to get it fixed so we can get the ball rolling again! Until then, all good thoughts, vibes, and prayers are welcome and appreciated! I am so incredibly blessed to have even gotten this far. I just hope this situation is resolved soon. Wish me luck! Hopefully this blog will have some more new posts soon! :)