Shut Up and Dance

Disclaimer: This post has taken a month to complete. I write a couple paragraphs, hit save, come back, erase and rewrite, hit save and so on. I apologize if things don't make a whole lot of sense.

Greetings! I have had the best attitude at work the last few days and it has made things so much easier here. I spent an entire evening earlier this week watching videos of children being surprised with a trip to Disney World. If that doesn't bring you joy, I don't know what would. I spent the next couple days of work pretending that each family I met was just as excited as the children in those videos when they found out they were coming to Disney World. And guess what? It made my days so much better! When I moved back to Florida and went through training again, one of my trainers said something that really stuck with me. "Always remember to feel the hug." It may seem silly to you. Feel the hug? Of course you feel the hug. If you're involved in the hug, you're going to feel it. But that's not what he meant. But there's such a difference between putting your arms around someone and actually feeling the hug. It makes everything so much better. Sometimes Minnie Mouse needs the hug just as much as you do.

The Future
Speaking of things getting better, I got some wonderful news recently. As some of you may know, I spend most of my time in the circus with Miss Minnie. It's been a good few months there, but I'm excited for something new. That's why, during the summer at least, I will be spending my weekends with Tinker Bell! I'll spend Monday and Tuesday with Mickey and Minnie in Epcot at the VISA private meet and greet area and then at Character Spot. I could not be more happy about this. I love those two meet and greet areas at Epcot more than any other! And to actually have scheduled time with my favorite fairy every single week??! I've been waiting a whole year for this.

Story Time
I had a request for funny things I've experienced working at Disney. It's difficult for me to recall specific things that happen because the second I come off set, it's almost all gone from my memory. Tink spends 70 seconds with a family and then has to create an entirely new experience for the next 70 seconds with the next family. It's hard to hold on to any specific memory when you're constantly thinking so hard to create a new experience every 70 seconds. I try though! There have been some days that I come back and start writing down things that happened during the day. Most days I don't do that though.
This has nothing to do with Disney, but both the kittens and Michael were napping beside me on the couch when Luke tried to roll over and instead he rolled off the couch. Poor baby looked so confused as he tried to stand back up and get comfortable again. That was funny to me at least. He probably didn't think so.
The other day, a family from the mainland came to visit Tink. There were three teenage daughters, one adult son, and the parents. All the girls took a group photo and then they each had individual photos with Tink. Before everyone left, the son ran up to Tink, got down on one knee, and held out his hand to her, flat as if he was expecting her to place a pumpkin muffin in his hand or something.
"What are you doing?" Tink asked.
"I'm proposing."
"Proposing what? And why are you holding out your hands like that? Is something going to happen?"
"So what's your answer?" As he's looking at the camera, not Tinker Bell.
"What is he even talking about? Nothing has happened with his hand yet."
"So will you marry me?"
"Marry you? We just met. What are you even talking about?" Looks at his parents. "He didn't even bring me pumpkin muffins. Tell him next time he proposes to a girl, whatever that is, that he should bring her a gift. Like pumpkin muffins or a really sparkly thingy."

Questions
People often ask me questions that I really can't answer. Whether it's a question about the audition process, my character friends, or what it's like to have the particular job I have, I never know exactly how to properly answer. For obvious reasons, I have to be careful what I say. Let's just leave it at this: I love my job. It's one of the coolest things I've ever done. The best part though, is the people I meet and the things I get to do. Just the other day I went bowling (where we get a huge discount) with my roommates and then we went to House Of Blues for Rewind Wednesday (which apparently we get into for free). I know people from all over the country because of this job. Next week, my roommates and I are flying to California to visit Disneyland (where we have free admission). All of these are things I would not be doing if I didn't have this job. How did I get this job? I walked into an open audition for Walt Disney World, hosted in a Dallas dance studio. What did I wear? Honestly I don't remember, but it was probably a green v-neck shirt with biker shorts from Academy Sports and Outdoors and jazz shoes. I do specifically remember that I wore my bangs braided to the side so they would not be in my face and I wore natural looking make up. The most important thing you can do on your own when attending a Disney audition is smile. Be comfortable and confident and SMILE! They want to know you are happy and having fun. Nobody wants to meet a Disney cast member who is unhappy at work. If you're at an audition, it should be because you chose to go. Nobody is paying you to be there, it's on your own time. So the assumption would be that you are happy to be there. Show it! That is truly the best thing you can do for yourself at a Disney audition!

Disneyland
Next week, after making a two day pit stop in Dallas, I'm headed to California to go to Disneyland! I got to go to Disneyland once when I was 10 or 12, but I hardly remember it. That being said, I'm going to pretend for the weekend that it's my first visit and get a "1st Visit" button to wear proudly. I don't really know what I'm in for out there. I still haven't even figured out my transportation from LAX to Disneyland Hotel. I'm excited though! I arrive early Friday morning and have the entire day to check things out before my roommates arrive! If anyone has any advice, send it my way! I want to do as much as I can in the short time I'm there, but I have no idea where to start.

My Overall Love for the Animals of the World
Due to a last minute trip to Dallas last weekend, I was able to see my babies, Luke and Leia! Luke it still our silly boy. Whenever we can't find him, we have to watch out if we walk by the bed. There's a good chance he is stalking us from under it and will pop out once we've passed him, spider monkey style. Have I mentioned how much he has grown? He's going to be a big boy! He's already 9 pounds. Leia, on the other hand, is our sweet little girl. She's becoming less shy and finally starting to grow into her personality. It's kind of a pain when she does something we don't like because she has one of those cute little faces you can never get mad at. I guess Michael is probably used to that after all his time with me though. (I'm sort of joking here. Mostly not though.) I have to admit, it was pretty smart of him to get the cats while I'm living in Florida. Ever since we got them, I have stopped asking him to come visit me here and instead ask if I can come home. This is my public announcement that I see your plan and it worked. And I'll continue to let it work because I get to see my family too! Hopefully some time soon I can go to the puppy store again to play! And this weekend my roommates and I are going to visit some very stylish pigs! (More on that later)

My Overall Love for the Tiny Humans of the World
Fairly recently, I've been able to spend some time as myself, hanging out at the parks with friends and children. Before this, I'd never really known how much I enjoyed spending time with kids. Most of my life, little ones have always preferred spending time with someone other than me, usually my brother or my boyfriend. Now that I've had my own opportunity though, I see that kids can be so fun! They say funny things and see the world in a way most adults have forgotten. Being able to see the wonder in their eyes always makes my job more fun.

I think I'm all out of thoughts to be shared this evening! I hope everyone has the most splendid week!

Standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset

Hi friends! I hope everyone out there is having the most wonderful weekend! I am happy to report that I had a fantastic week. Last weekend, my roommates and I went to the annual Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida. It was so much fun. First off, I had no idea strawberries are grown here, but now that I do, I'm in heaven. Almost as happy as I was when I had pineapple in Hawaii. Anyway, second, this Strawberry Festival is basically a cross between The State Fair of Texas and Trade Days in Canton and McKinney. We were all thrilled to pieces because I'm pretty sure this was the most "at home" any of us has felt in Florida. And third, we saw Scotty McCreery perform! I love going to concerts and his was no exception.

I started this week off with some quality time with my favorite fairy. She has been lucky enough to have some very special visitors lately! A couple weeks ago, she met my best friend, Emma, who has just begun her College Program and then on Sunday she met my former roommate, Sarah! Sarah and I had not seen each other in over two years and she's never seen me with Tinker Bell, so it was a very exciting moment! I won't lie, a few happy tears were shed. I was able to meet up with Sarah and her friend Tiera later that evening. We spent an hour or so just chatting in the new castle hub area in Magic Kingdom and then headed to Downtown Disney for a bit of shopping.

Speaking of the new castle hub area, have you seen it? Oh my goodness, it's probably my favorite part of Disney World which is both sad and amazing all at once. There are some beautiful fountains and grassy areas for guests to relax or children to play or me to have a picnic! We would sit there, chatting, and then we would bring the conversation back to how beautiful and wonderful this new grassy spot is. If you visit Disney often, go see this as soon as possible. If you don't or can't visit Disney often or ever, I completely understand and will gladly send you a picture if you ever want one!

Monday, I ventured over to Animal Kingdom to spend some time with Minnie Mouse! It was so nice to be in a different venue with her. And to have Mickey there also? Talk about magic! Tuesday and Wednesday were spent back in the circus and then Thursday I was able to go play in the parks! I met up with Sarah and Tiera for some park hopping adventures. We went to meet Hiro and Baymax and I FINALLY got my Baymax hug! The two of them also filled us in on what they've been working on lately. I must say, Baymax has some great dance moves. Shocking, I know, but also impressive. The next morning, we got up and headed to Magic Kingdom for a few hours before Sarah had to make her way to the airport. It was so nice to spend time with her after not seeing her for so long! I've really missed her. I wish she could have just stayed here, but I'm happy that she is doing well back home.

Last night, after some much needed laundry time, Emma came over. We watched the new Tinker Bell movie, Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast! It was a very cute movie, but the ending was sad and I don't understand why they didn't just call it "Fawn and the Legend of the Neverbeast" considering the movie mainly focused on Fawn. All of that aside, it was a cute movie and I would recommend it for sure! Emma and I got up this morning and went over to Hollywood Studios for a couple hours. We met Mike and Sully, during which time Sully kissed us repeatedly, gave wonderful hugs, sneezed after smelling the flowers in my hair, wiped his snot on me, and covered my face for the picture. And then he laughed about it. A lot.

Tonight was spent packing (finally) because tomorrow (really tonight because my flight leaves at 6 am which is really 5 am with the daylight saving time change) I am headed to New York City! I'm so excited. I haven't been to New York in a few years. Michael and his family invited me to join them a few years ago and now I get to go with my family! We'll be spending the first half of the week wondering the streets of Manhattan, followed by a quick stop in Philadelphia, and then spending the latter half of the week in Washington, D.C.! We're probably going to freeze, but I've done my best to soak up as much sun as possible in the last few days.

Anyway, it's 8 pm, so I should be asleep in order to wake up earlier enough to drive to the airport and such with the time change! Wish me luck and think happy thoughts for me! I'm so excited!

But Peter, How Do We Get To Neverland?

You asked for more words. Get ready for more words. Words, words, words.

Here's a random little snippet into my life. My vocabulary is very strange when I think about it. I use terms like performer, set location, backstage, onstage, casting, director... I use those words daily. And they all have one thing in common. Entertainment. People come to Disney to be entertained. Sure, they also come to escape their problems and have family time and all that jazz. But the main reason they pick Disney above other places is entertainment. You can take a trip to the beach and escape your problems and have family time. But the beach isn't set up strategically to engage all of your senses, make you experience magic, and take all of your money, all with smiling faces to reassure you that you're happy about what you're doing. People turn to Disney for entertainment. But I wonder if they ever realize how much entertainment they provide in turn? My job is to entertain, but I find myself feeling more entertained than anyone at the end of the day. 

When I get home, or even when I come off set, I always have a hard time remembering the details of what just happened. Especially when I'm with Tinker Bell. There's so much talking that happens, usually by Tink, and there are so many guests, that it's a huge challenge to recall specifics. Some things stick though! Here are a few that I can recall off the top of my head.

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Wendy, talking to a young girl: "Is that your mother? Oh, I'm sure she's a wonderful mother! Does she tell you stories? My mother tells me all kinds of stories and then-"
Mother: "Oh, just ask her your question already!"
Wendy: "Oh! Did you have a question, dear?"
Little girl: "Yeah.... Does Nana slobber?"
[In case you haven't seen Peter Pan recently, Nana is Wendy's dog. She also acts as the Nurse Maid to the children.]
Wendy, laughing and surprised: "Does Nana slobber?! Well... she is a dog. So I suppose yes, she does from time to time. But don't worry, she cleans up after herself very well. Do you have a dog also?"
Little girl: "Yes."
Wendy: "Does she slobber?"
Little girl: "YES!"
Wendy: "I thought so. Does she act as your nurse maid as well? And clean up after you and your sister?"
Little girl: "Definitely not!"
Wendy: "Do you clean up after her instead?"
Little girl: "Yup!"

Father holding his terrified toddler: "Here Minnie, will you try holding her? She's a little afraid."
Me, because Minnie is not rude like I am: No...?

Three little girls came to meet Tinker Bell. The middle girl is dressed like Fawn, who is one of Tink's friends. She is the mediator. The youngest is slightly more shy. The oldest disagrees with anything Tink says.
Middle girl: "Hi Tinker Bell! Who do you think I'm dressed as by looking at this picture on my dress?"
[The picture is of Fawn.]
Tink: "Fawn, of course! She has a dress just like that. Is she your favorite?"
Middle: "Yes! I really like her."
Youngest: "I like your puffs on your shoes!"
Oldest: "They're pom-poms."
Tink: "Actually it's dandelion fluff, and thank you!"
Oldest: "Pom-poms."
Tink: "Dandelion fluff..."
Middle: "How about we agree that it's both?"
Oldest: "No, because those are pom-poms."
Tink: "No, it's dandelion fluff. Were you there when I collected it to put it on my shoes? Nope. I didn't have pom-poms, whatever those are. I had dandelion fluff. So that's what's on my shoes. I thought it was cute."
Oldest: "Well, Silvermist is MY favorite."
Tink: "Cool! I'll tell her you said hi!"
Youngest: "My favorite is Tinker Bell..."
Middle: "My favorite is Fawn, but also Tinker Bell! But I also like everyone else."
Youngest: "I like Tinker Bell..."
Tink, to the youngest: "I like you too, come stand by me!"
Oldest: "Silvermist is still my favorite."
Tink: "And there's still dandelion fluff on my shoes."
Oldest: "Pom-poms."
Tink: "Nope. How old are you? Because I'm pretty sure you're not old enough to know everything yet."
Oldest: "I'm 9 and anyway you're like 50 years old but somehow you're still only like 18 so how does that even work?"
Tink: "Well, fairies don't measure age like humans do. We just focus on changing the seasons since that's our job."
Oldest: "Yeah? Well that's weird."

Dad of little boy who looks A LOT like Peter Pan: "Tinker Bell, he really likes you. Big fan! He watches Peter Pan at least once a week!"
Tink: "Wow! You know, you kinda look like Peter Pan! Actually, you look A LOT like Peter Pan! Wait... Are you Peter Pan? Did Zarina make pixie dust that makes you look younger? You're Peter aren't you?!"
Dad: "Show her how you crow like Peter Pan."
Little boy proceeds to make a sound with his mouth that reminds me of a cricket, not a rooster crow.
Tink: "Oh. Does it always sound like that?"
Both parents: "Not at all. Silly. Your rooster crow!"
Little boy: "OH! Okay."
He makes the rooster crow just like Peter Pan.
Tink: "You are Peter Pan, aren't you!?"
I'll add that he had a great big grin on his face the entire time.

Mother with an infant: "Tinker Bell, can you hold her?"
Tink: "Oh, my Tinker Muscles aren't really built for that, but she can sit here by me."

While Tink is interacting with a few little girls and a mother who keeps shooting down anything Tink says, this happens:
Toddler puts her hands on Tink's chest: "I like your boobies, Tinker Bell."
Tink held the little girl's hands the rest of the time.

Picture the cutest little blue-eyed, blonde boy you can. Now picture him with an adorable grin on his face. Now picture him standing next to Tinker Bell while she's knelt down to him.
Little boy: "I've seen your movies!"
Tink: "You have?! You must know a lot about fairies then, huh?"
Mom: "You and Peter Pan are his favorites, Tinker Bell."
Tink: "We are? Flitterific!"
Little boy: "Yeah." [don't forget the grin]
Tink: "But not the pirates right?"
Little boy: "Yeah." [grin]
Tink: "Because Captain Hook smells like codfish."
Little boy: "Yeah." [grin]
Tink: "Are you just going to say 'yeah' to everything I say?"
Little boy: "Yeah." [grin]
Tink: "Cool! Let's see.... Am I your favorite?"
Little boy: "Yeah." [grin]
Tink: "I knew it. Hm... Am I the best ever?"
Little boy: "Yeah." [grin]
Tink: "Great! Am I the fastest flyer ever?"
Little boy: "Yeah." [grin]
And then suddenly...
Little boy: "But I don't like you in winter. Don't go to winter. Winter is not good."
Mom: "He saw the movie about you and winter."
Tink: "Got it. So you remember Periwinkle, right? Remember how she frosted my wings to keep them warm? Now I can visit winter anytime I want! I just have to get my wings frosted, and wear a jacket, of course!"
Little boy: "Yeah." [grin]
Tink: "I think he should stay here all day and just agree with everything I say. This is kinda nice. Plus, he's really cute."

Young boy: "We saw you flying on the zip line last night in the fireworks!"
Tink: "Oh, I wasn't flying on a zip line. I was flying away. Fireworks are hot."
Photopass Photographer: "What...?"
Tink: "Have you ever touched fireworks?"
Photographer: "No. Have you?"
Tink: "Once. Now I fly away. Fast."

Family, talking about their teenage son: "Tinker Bell, can you kiss him?"
Tink: "I don't really share my pixie dust..."

On Christmas night, Donald Duck watched the fireworks at Magic Kingdom from Chef Mickey's restaurant with a family of about 8 people. He'd already been by their table a couple times, so they all just watched the fireworks together.

Most frequently asked questions to Tinker Bell:
"Can you really fly?"
"Where are your other friends?"

Most frequently asked question to Wendy:
"Where's Peter?"

Most frequently asked question to Minnie:
"Can you talk?"

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Hopefully this shows a little bit of what my days are like. Not every guest acts like these guests. Most don't speak English, so Tink sits there and talks to herself while they smile and look confused. Others understand her, but won't talk anyway. With Minnie, most people don't say anything. They'll just walk up, take the picture, and walk away. But moments like those just help to make others that much more special. It's true, I don't remember most families. I can't. My brain is big, but it's not that big! But I do realize that most families will remember me. That's what keeps me in positive spirits. They'll remember this vacation forever. Why not help make it positive?

Some other updates:
MY BEST FRIEND IS FINALLY HERE! Emma started her Disney College Program this week! She's spent all week getting settled and has Traditions tomorrow! I could not be more excited for her!

I'll be in NYC and Washington, D.C. in a month with my family! Then I plan to visit Disneyland at the end of April with my roommates! I visit home every few weeks, but don't have my next visit planned just yet.

I'm actually getting to spend time with Tinker Bell! It's the absolute best. Very few things make me happier than time with my favorite fairy.

Luke and Leia are the cutest and sweetest kittens ever.

The classic rock station was killing it tonight. As was the station playing the '80s music.

Both of my cartilage piercings have closed up.

And on that happy note, have a wonderful week everyone!

Off to Neverland!

I have now been here for seven months. I can't believe the time has flown like it has. For a while it felt like it was dragging on, but looking back now, a lot has happened so quickly. I had a great holiday season. My roommates and I were able to adopt some friends to spend Thanksgiving with. The twins made a fantastic dinner for us all and we just spent the day enjoying each others' company and watching Christmas movies. We went Black Friday shopping that evening and were in bed by 11. 

A couple weeks later, my best friend, Emma, came to visit! I was able to take her to the parks for a couple days. I think she's now fallen in love with Goofy. Who can blame her? She starts her Disney College Program in just a few weeks. I do hope she's excited, or at least getting excited. Nothing can prepare you for what it's like to move halfway across the country and start a job at a place like Disney World. But at least now she's been here in the last decade and hopefully has something to look forward to! I know I'm excited for her to be here!

Two days after Emma returned home, my 22nd birthday was here! Some friends and I went to Magic Kingdom to celebrate. I met Peter Pan for the first time. We talked about pixie dust and flying to Neverland (he was a bit disappointed that I was celebrating my birthday because that's growing up and growing up is bad) and I kind of understand now why all the girls are so obsessed with him. Don't worry, I haven't joined the club. After seeing Peter, we watched Festival of Fantasy and a Photopass photographer pulled me out into the middle of Main Street for a birthday photo shoot. Later that evening, a few more friends joined us for dinner. It was really a wonderful day. I looked back that night and realized in that moment just how lucky I am.

 

The next day, I got the best birthday present of all. My sweet boyfriend got me a plane ticket to come home for a few days. It was so nice being able to spend time with him and see my family. Before I returned to Florida, we adopted two Bengal kittens. They are the cutest and most playful little things. Oh, and they are brother and sister, so naturally we named them Luke and Leia. Nerd alert. I won't lie, I know they love me and I love them. I'm their new mom. Hooray!

I got back to Orlando just in time for my family to join me for Christmas. I had to work most of the week, but was able to score a couple days off. They were nice and didn't ask me to spend any time at the parks if I wasn't working. They even braved the crowds to come see Minnie Mouse while I was with her! On one of my days off that week, we all went to Clearwater to visit Winter the Dolphin. Apparently everyone else had the same idea because that place was packed! We had a nice time together though!

Somewhere in this timeline, I also went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party with my roommate, Susie! I had never been before, but I absolutely loved it! I was sick, unfortunately, so I had to wander around the emporium while we waited for the parade instead of standing out in the cold. I'm so glad we were able to go though! It was such a cute experience and a great way to get into the Christmas spirit!

During all of this, I've also gotten a little extra time with my favorite fairy and my new precious friend, Wendy Darling! The two of them have given me some of the best adventures.

The last few months as well as my time with Wendy and Tinker Bell have really opened my eyes to how great my life is. I don't have a lot of friends, but I have a few great ones. I was able to go to Disney World for my birthday. Disney World! The place that most people will never visit and most of the people who do visit will only go once because they spend so long saving money for it. I can go virtually any time I'd like. That's so special. And oh yeah, I have one of the coolest jobs. The people that have taken time out of their day specifically to come and find me and my character friends mean so much to me. They get the same interaction as everyone else, but they still make special time for me anyway. And everyone that has come to visit Tink or Wendy took lots of pictures and then shared them with me soon after. It means a lot that I am going to be able to remember these days because of the people involved. These amazing people have made my time here so wonderful. It got off to a bumpy start, but now I feel like I'm going strong!

I also had a fantastic weekend last week, but I'll have to make a separate post about that because this is already way too long! I was able to get some time off next week and the week after, so I am going home for a whole week! I'm so excited! Happy thoughts, everyone!