A Little Work and a lot of Play

          Once again I am sorry that this hasn't been a weekly thing. I have been having the time of my life though. I am done with training for work and I love it. The other day before the parade started we had a lot of time to kill, so a couple other cast members and I started blowing bubbles. The kids loved it and we invited them to blow some too. And every once in a while as a group of adults walked by, they made comments like “you get paid for this?” “You have the best job in the world” “Do they make you blow bubbles during your job interview?” and it reminded me how incredibly lucky I am. I do have the best job. I get paid to blow bubbles and to make kids happy. I get paid to work in my favorite place. I have had some rough days at work but who doesn't? It’s just moments like that that remind me how blessed I am to be able to be doing what I am doing. I just started Pin Trading and its now one of my favorite parts of my job. The company lends cast members, if they want, a lanyard filled with pins and if guests collect pins they can come up to us and ask to trade. It adds some excitement to my day and it opens up the chance for conversations with guests. Another part I love is every night after the last parade, we have about twenty to thirty minutes to go back on stage and say bye to guests, return strollers and make sure all the tape from the parades are off the cement. This is my favorite time of night because there are only a few guests left in the park, they are all happy to still be there, and we get to roam freely around Main Street. 

             Last week I had a little piece of home come visit me. It was nice to have some familiar faces around. It’s not that I've been homesick because I’m not, I love it here and if I could, I’d stay here, but every once in a while I find myself missing everyone from back home. I think that’s pretty normal. But anyways on March 2nd, my three year old best friend, Adel, and her family came to visit for the week. I had an amazing time and I think they did as well. We spent a majority of our time in Magic Kingdom meeting characters which was a lot of fun for me. I loved watching Adel’s reactions to them and it was neat to see the characters react to her as well. I never had the opportunity to see Disney World as a child and it was really neat to be able to get to experience it from a different point of view. I am really happy they were able to come and visit me. I am thankful they are a part of my life and that I was able to share this with them.

            I couldn't be more grateful for this opportunity. I have to remind myself of this sometimes, especially on nights when I don’t want to go to work or my days not going how I want it to and my thoughts start to turn negative. When Wishes starts and the fireworks are booming over the castle and I am surrounded by the smiling faces of children and their parents and the music is playing in the background, that’s when I remember how blessed I am. As a kid, I remember begging my parents to take me to this place I had only seen in pictures and commercials. I longed for this place that was filled with pirates, princesses and pixie dust. In that moment, that place was so far away and it felt like I might never get to see it. I could have never imagined that I would be working in it, let alone living in it. It just so surreal to me that this is something I am experiencing and I am so grateful for this opportunity. I am having the time of my life with some of the sweetest people I have ever met.
            My roommates are like family to me now. We got really lucky because we all get along so well. It feels like every time I am on the bus, I hear more stories about how people aren't getting along with their roommates than ones about how they are. I've heard stories about how roommates have gone behind each other’s backs and gotten someone kicked out of the program or how they won’t even share Wi-Fi. I couldn't ask for a better group of girls to live with and I can tell that leaving on May 29th might even be as hard as it was leaving Wisconsin back in January.

              This week has probably been the hardest. I received some terrifying news on Wednesday that my dad had been admitted into the ICU due to an infection somewhere in his body. I thankfully had this day off because my roommates and I were going to Chef Mickey’s and Universal Studios and it was nice that they were all there with me. In a way it was the best worst day. If that makes any sense. I had a lot of fun with them but at the same time I was absolutely terrified of what was going on back home. But of all days for that to happen on, it was probably the best just because it was easier to keep my mind off of it. I also learned recently that my 18 year old cat, TomTom, is experiencing kidney failure. Getting TomTom is one of my first memories and I can’t remember a time without him. I hate the thought of him not being there when I get home. My mom and the vet are doing what they can to increase his kidney function so I can at least be there to say goodbye. 18 is a long time for a cat, I understand that and maybe I am being selfish but TomTom isn’t just a cat. He’s a part of our family. He’s more human than animal and he had a deal with my sister for 21. All of this is a reminder that the pixie dust and magic isn’t going to last forever and I am eventually going to have to return to reality. I just wish I could live somewhere in between the two. Both my dad and TomTom are doing okay, they both aren’t home quite yet but hopefully will be soon. I don’t want to end this on a sad note but for those who are and have prayed for me and my family, thank you. It means a lot to all of us. I’m doing okay and I just want to continue thanking you all for your support. In the near future I plan on posting a blog dedicated to just showing everyone my apartment so you can get a glimpse into where I am living. If you have any other things you’d like to know more about just contact me or my family and I will see what I can do. Thanks again.