House Hunting in Florida!

 **A big thank you to everyone involved in helping me find a place to live. Whether you provided an opinion, drove me around, spent time with me during the trip, or offered me a place to live, THANK YOU!**

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the countdown is officially on! There are now 3 weeks left before I am in Orlando at Disney's Casting Center, checking in! Time is flying by, and it's getting to the point where I actually have to start packing and planning.

Last Wednesday, I took a quick, little trip to Orlando to search for a place to live! I had a couple of options I was considering. In the end, I decided that I am going to live in a precious blue house with some girls I knew when I did my College Program! They are super sweet and I know it is going to be great. Even though I was only in Orlando for 48 hours, I did as much as I could.

While I was at the airport, I went into one of the Disney stores. Within 30 seconds of me entering the store, a cast member asked me if I was a friend of Tinker Bell. I was confused at first because he wasn't actually looking at me when he asked the question. It turns out he was trying to see if I was in "the know," and we had a lovely chat about how great the pixie is. After the airport, I was welcomed to Orlando with a trip to Earl of Sandwich! I am so excited to live near there again. Earl of Sandwich is so good. After lunch, I got to see my future home. Then I went to Pop Century and sat by the pool for a few hours. I felt like I was taking a mini vacation, which was so nice.

The following day, my friend Dal offered me a ticket into the parks. Of course, I accepted, and we began the day at Epcot for some Starbucks. I know, it's weird to think of Disney and Starbucks as a pair, but there are now multiple Starbucks locations at Walt Disney World. It's different, but I embraced it and enjoyed a delicious frappuccino as we traveled toward Mexico to visit Donald! After spending some time with the duck, we made our way back to the park exit. Dal had to go to work, so her friend, Angela, and I decided to go over to Magic Kingdom to watch the new parade, Festival of Fantasy.

Festival of Fantasy debuted a few months ago, so I had only seen pictures and videos of it. Let it be known, it is even more beautiful in person! We had to wait about 20 minutes for the parade to reach us. It was plenty warm out; one of those days where you can sit on the concrete for about 90 seconds before the ground starts burning you through your shorts. It was entirely worth it though. I have never seen so many wonderful colors and costumes as I did while I was watching this parade. I can't wait to see it again and I am crossing my fingers that I may get to spend time with the pixie during this parade!

Following the parade, we ventured over to Adventureland for a Dole Whip! The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opened the day before, so we decided to go there next, just to look at it. The wait was 90 minutes, and upon realizing we had no where to be and no time to be there, we hopped in line. In true Disney fashion, the queue line was cute and interactive. The ride itself fits in very well with the theme of Fantasyland. It is cute, tame, and short, perfect for children. I enjoyed the ride, but I will not be waiting 90 minutes to ride it again. We wandered around Fantasyland some more and after taking a quick selfie with some foreign, teenage boys, we headed to the Haunted Mansion. I did not like this ride at all when I first began my college program, but I am happy to say that I have grown to love it. While wandering the park some more, we realized that neither of us had met who we refer to as "Talking Mickey." When you meet Mickey Mouse in Magic Kingdom now, he talks to you. You can actually carry on a conversation with him. I don't know why, but I just find this to be so weird. So naturally, we both wanted to participate in the awkwardness. We met up with my friend, Stephanie, who just began her College Program, and got in line to meet Mickey! The experience was as uncomfortable as we predicted, but it was fun. We hugged Mickey goodbye and the three of us hopped on a bus to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The park was basically empty, which was fantastic. We all shared a Darth Vader cupcake (a staple of Star Wars Weekends) and then got in line for Tower of Terror! Stephanie isn't big on thrill rides, so she waited in line with us and then took the express elevator back to the gift shop. I don't blame her for not going on the ride, but one of these days, I'll get her on there. Not for the thrill, but because you get the best view of the park from up in that elevator! After Tower of Terror, we went to Pixar Place to ride Toy Story Midway Mania. There was no wait! We finished up our day in the parks by taking a seat in the theater of One Man's Dream. There, we watched a short film about Walt's life and pursuit of his dreams. I like to watch that film as a reminder that hard work pays off.

I closed up my two day visit at City Walk with some friends to see the midnight showing of Maleficent. If you are wondering, I loved the movie. Angelina Jolie is fabulous and I found the film very entertaining. It was a perfect way to end my trip. I returned home the next afternoon in need of a nap, but relieved and excited to start the next chapter of this adventure.