End of Training

Suzette and I finished training in our areas this past weekend, and we've begun to work our regular hour. We are told that we typically get 40-60+ hours per week, but lately we have only seen an average of 30-35. Suzette and I work nights from 7pm-2am, 11pm-5am, or somewhere in between.

This week we both have Tuesday off, and we were able to spend the day in the parks. Here is a video game we created at EPCOT: http://www.thinkingofyoupostcards.com/runtime/play/?Guestcode=KQAQCFT1RMRFSQ



Here is our victory dance.

We spent most of the day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. We rode the safari, everest and the dinosaur ride. Then, we took the resort bus to EPCOT where we played at innoventions, and last we made our way to the Studios to watch Fantasmic (WDW version is L-A-M-E compared to Disneyland).

We're meeting a lot of great new people who are more than willing to help us out by giving us tips on where to live, the best places for discounts, and even job offers/suggestions. I ran into a girl on my break who is going to try her best to get me a job shadow opportunity in an area that I'm really interested in finding a full-time position at. Suzette has been told to seek a full-time position in custodial as soon as she can.

It really seems like all our hard work is beginning to pay off. People here are recognizing our dedication to ethical work. In the next few weeks, we are going to be taking advantage of Disney's educational offerings.

At Develop U, Disney offers online classes about interviewing, resume writing, networking, and more. The Disney University also offers opportunities to learn other languages, but the waiting list is very long.

In the meantime, we will try to upload pictures as soon as possible.

Here gator gator....

Alex and I went over to Mickey's Retreat (a place for cast members to take their families to hang out, it has a "lake", beach volleyball courts, etc) to relax for a little bit before the sun went down tonight. As we were leaving we saw some CM's (Cast Members) pointing, laughing and shouting about something in the lake. We walked over to them they asked if we had seen the alligators in the lake.

There he (or she) was... just hanging out.

In the center of the photo is my first wild alligator experience ever. It was hilarious.

Quick Update

This is a quick update of the last week we've had in Orlando. :)

A quick glipse of our itinerary:

Friday
 - Checked out of our OSAT apartment (Our first home).
 - Stayed the night at the parent's.

Saturday Morning
 - Iron Men breakfast in Tulare with my dad.

Saturday Afternoon
 - "See Ya Later" lunch with Heather and Sean.
 - Stored the car at my dad's shop.
 - Went to Bakersfield for my brother's birthday party.

Saturday Night
 - Dinner and party time at the brother's house.

Sunday Morning
 - "See ya later" breakfast with the brother and his family at the hotel in Bakersfield.
 - Leave for LAX

Sunday Afternoon
 - "See ya later" lunch with the grandparent's (Five Guys) in Artesia.

Sunday Night
 - Checked into our last night in California
 - Had a really tough "See ya later" with the parent's

Monday Morning
 - Flew from LAX to St. Louis then continued to Orlando.

Monday Night
 - Stayed our first night in our new "home" state.

Tuesday
 - Went to Target, Wal-Mart, and IKEA for the basics.
 - Met some new friends at ESPN Cafe at Disney's Boardwalk.

Wednesday Morning
 - Check-in at Vista Way...then onto Leg Two : Move-In and Training

     The journey was tough, but we have eachother. I seemed to have forgotten my breifcase on the shuttle to the LAX airport, and I ran, full-sprint, nearly a quarter mile to the next terminal to catch the shuttle. Then, we arrived almost two and a half hours early to our gate, but the SWA lady said everything was fine before we found out things weren't.
     They never gave us our booking letter, and we ended up being the last to check-in. Because it's Southwest, we sat separately on both flights. Suzette was absolutely excited about our new life though. I could tell, because I heard her talking all about it three rows away.
     Once we got to Orlando, the stares began. One older lady said, "MY! That's a lot of luggage." Our response, "Well, we're moving here from California." We waited more than a half an hour to pick up our pre-paid rental car from Hertz, and scored an upgrade to a sweet Nissan Maxima. Our total luggage: 4 bags between 45 and 50 pounds, 2 carry-ons about 35lbs each, and two carry-ons about 15lbs. The car was completely loaded.
     In the end, we really like it here in Orlando. The weather is beautiful, I feel like it's a little easier to breathe, the sky is blue, and I live in the Disney World Resort. Now it's time for the next leg of our journey.
     Tomorrow morning is check-in day at our new apartments, and we'll recieve our work assignments. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.
(This was typed on Tuesday night)

Wednesday: We checked into our apartment, got our casting assignments (Alex is parking at Magic Kingdom and Suzette is Custodial at Magic Kingdom)

Thursday: Day off

Friday: Traditions-A class all Disney cast members must attend that teaches what Disney is all about.

Saturday: Alex had park orientation and Suzette had a class to teach about all of the custodial duties.

Sunday: Suzette had a day off and Alex had his first day of training.

Here's a little vlog for everyone.

A flood of emotions..

Alex and I are finally at the hotel near LAX spending our last official night in California until we don't know when. We've said our last goodbyes to family and friends. But somehow, it just doesn't seem like it will ever be enough.

I am personally so excited for the opprotunity we are about to embark on. Even though I am filled with excitement, I am also full of fear, anxiety, sadness and uncertainty. I am pretty good about distracting my mind from those negative or not so great feelings but about every 15 minutes I start thinking about how I won't see my sister for 2 months, or how we won't be able to just drive two blocks to Alex's parents house to see them, and it overwhelms me with those feelings I've tried to avoid. I've lived a life full of emotions, good and bad, and I'm not scared of letting them show or feeling them... I just try to keep myself excited so I don't become upset about moving.

Our "adventure" will start in the morning. I'm praying for smooth flights. That being said, my next post will (Lord willing) be from the safety of our hotel room in Orlando, FL!

Making some headway....

Our apartment finally feels like we're moving out, with the exception of the kitchen. We have most everything sorted and taken to where it needs to be.
Tomorrow our big goal is to move the rest of the big things that are here (the bed, the dressers and nightstands, and the fridge if we don't sell it before)

We're still looking for someone to buy our iMac, fridge and microwave, so if you know of anyone... send them our way! :)

We're officially less than a week away from our "Check-in" time. It's exciting and nerve racking for me, but Alex is mostly excited.

I'm hoping that the rest of our moving out and cleaning of the apartment goes well, and praying that our flights from LAX to St. Louis and from St. Louis to Florida go well and are safe (and most important... on time) :)

My next post will probably be when we are out of the apartment on Friday or Saturday. I'm going to take some pictures right now of the progress for my own memories. :/

Until next time.

The week from H E double hockey sticks....

This is the end of day one of our last week in the apartment and in Visalia.

Our apartment looks like a disaster, but we are steadily getting to our goal of being out by Friday morning-ish.

I just wanted to give a quick update about what is happening (cleaning and packing) while it's going on.

If anyone has free time on Thursday and would love to come do some deep cleaning so that we'll get most of our deposit back it would be much appreciated!!! :)

Now, even though it is almost 11pm (or 23:00, I need to really learn military time, because that's what the mouse uses) I am going to bake some brownies :)

The recipe for the brownies I'm going to make is here. I'll let you know how they turn out!

A lot of "last's":

There are less than 12 days until we leave for Florida and things are getting crazy. Alex and I are taking some short trips to our favorite places in California, visiting friends, selling/getting rid of things we own, and cleaning up the apartment (all while still working). We're doing a lot of "last" time things in California, since we are unsure of when we will return.

Alex finally found the part he needed to get his moped up and running. :) I'm proud of him!

 Sean and Heather took a spin around the block on the moped.

 We took our "last" trip to Disneyland before we move. It was a bittersweet trip, we are excited for the future, but sad about all we are leaving behind. We did a lot of firsts and lasts at Disneyland this time around. The weather was beautiful, warm..but not too bad.
Mickey's Silly Symphony Swings was a first.... (We actually saw a girl about to "bring up" her lunch after riding this ride) haha

 Paradise Pier during the day time.

 This quote was on the wall of the exit (used at the entrance that day) to Innoventions in Tomorrowland. We found it fitting.

 Original to Disneyland: The Matterhorn. We rode it one last time.

 The beautiful Sleeping Beauty Castle. I don't know what it is, but when I see Cinderella's Castle at the end of Main Street in pictures or in person, it just doesn't feel "right". But I'm sure it will grow on my eventually.

 A Main Street vehicle.

 Alex waiting for Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show to start. Another thing that is original to Disneyland. Entertaining and hilarious! Go see it if you have a chance.

 Here is a link to a short video of the show.... Billy Hill and the Hillbillies

 The Rivers of America were shut down because of this. They were preparing for the world premiere of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The premiere is this Saturday, May 7th!

 Some cast members working on the decorations for the premiere.

 The Columbia ship that usually sails around the Rivers of America. However for the special event it was parked right next to the seating area for added ambiance.

 We finally had the opportunity to watch The World of Color this trip. We both had our doubts, but were put in our places at the end of the show haha. It was jaw dropping! (This picture was from waiting for the show to start, I wanted to watch the show, not take pictures)
Here is a video of the World of Color show.....World of Color Show   (not as awesome as in person!)

 Alex and Pluto

 Again. (Can you guess who his favorite character is?)

 Me and Minnie. We loved these classic looking character prints.

 The Disneyland railroad building.

 Matterhorn, again.

 A view of Main Street, USA and the Railroad from "The Hub" or the Partners Statue.

 A different point of view of Pluto.

 Alex loves this statue.

 Cute little Dumbo. :)

 Astro Orbiter in the opening of Tomorrowland.

 Alex got a very high score this go around, unfortunately I didn't get the shot of the score. He was excited though!

 Our last time standing in the Disneyland Park. Right before we boarded the Monorail. :(

 (My eyes are closed)

 And we return to the disgusting air quality of the Central Valley.

This is what our apartment currently looks like... (Yes, we're using camping chairs haha)

 My first attempt at pies for Easter. They came out rather well. (All of you CP's out there should be excited for home made pies during the program, especially around the holidays.....if I have time!)

The week of Alex's spring break we took a short trip to the Central Coast, mostly Morro Bay. Our friend Chelsey got us a room at the Inn she works at. It was simply wonderful!

The Fireplace :)

 The huge comfy bed, with robes too!

 This aquarium has been in Morro Bay forever... and I don't know the lifespan of Sea Lions, but they've been there forever too! haha They just hang out and wait for guests to throw fish pieces at them.

 A beautiful view of the Bay, with some sunshine (rare)

 The hot tub we had on our balcony! :)  (Sorry it's not the right way, I'm being lazy right now)

We have many more last's to do before we leave on the 16th. I will try to get pictures of some of them to post.