Working at Wide World of Sports

On Friday I picked up a merchandise shift at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Wide World of Sports is a huge sports complex on Disney property where they have cheerleading competitions, soccer competitions, and the Atlanta Braves spring training. This weekend they had the package pick up for the Princess Marathon. The runners could come and pick up their shirt and running package then shop at the different vendors. I was working in the area where the official Disney merchandise was being sold. It was so different because usually when you're working in merchandise at Disney they want you to be on the floor and not standing behind your register but this time they didn't want us to leave the registers because they didn't want a line to form. Overall everything was a lot more relaxed and the rules weren't as strict. Most of the people working with me were in the college program so it was fun to talk to them and here about where they work. I am so glad I got to experience this! 

Massachusetts!

This past Thursday - Tuesday Shelby, Veronica, and I headed to Massachusetts. Shelby wanted to go home and visit her family and she invited Veronica and I to come along. She is from Wilbraham, MA in Western Massachusetts just outside Springfield.  

Veronica ended up taking a different flight than Shelby and I so we had some extra time at the airport for breakfast and drinks. It was a fun start to our trip!

Everything looked so pretty covered in snow from the plane!

It was really fun seeing all the snow. This was in front of a snow plow pile so it looks like a lot more than there actually was. 

We flew into Hartford, CT so we got to see a "Welcome to Massachusetts" sign on the way to Shelby's house!

The first night we were there Shelby's friends came over, including baby Madison!

Shelby's family has a kiln in their backyard and on Saturday they fired the pottery her mom has made. It was so cool to see how it works. They were outside in the cold all day!

Big Y is a chain of supermarkets in Massachusetts/Connecticut. Shelby has worked there for a few years and her sister Lily and Shelby's boyfriend Bryan both work there now. We went to three different Big Ys while we were there and all of them were really nice! They were sort of like a combination of Marsh and Trader Joe's. It really is a world class market.

On Sunday night Shelby's family made lobster. We went to Big Y and bought them still alive. It was really fun! 

On Monday morning we ate breakfast/lunch at Randall's. Randall's is a small store that has a really nice deli where you can order sandwiches. My sandwich was amazing! Randall's also has fresh ice cream in the summer and Shelby said it is the best.

Eating lunch at Randall's

On Monday night we went to a sushi place near Bryan and Shelby's brother Alex's apartment called Blue Water Sushi. It was really good! 

We had a scorpion bowl at the sushi restaurant. It tasted sort of like a mai thai and had a little volcano in the middle that they lit on fire.

   

We had so much fun in Massachusetts. No one wanted to go back to Florida and back to work. 

My New Costume

Finally got a few pictures to share of me in my Ohana costume. It is really nice to only have one costume at my new location. I liked getting to sometimes wear pants at my old location but this outfit is pretty comfortable and it doesn't have any crazy sleeves like one of my old costumes. Thanks Veronica for taking these awesome pictures!  

Meeting the Maders

After much anticipation, we finally got to meet Shelby's family! They arrived last Friday and stayed in an awesome room at the Boardwalk. They had a perfect view of the boardwalk and you could even seen the Magic Kingdom fireworks from their balcony. They invited us to dinner with them at France in Epcot, Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios, and Coral Reef at Epcot. We had so much fun hanging out with them! We went to Magic Kingdom on Saturday and even though it was pretty crowded because of Martin Luther King Jr Day we still had a lot of fun. Tuesday I met everyone at Universal after I got off work and we went to the Harry Potter part of the park. When I arrived they had just gotten off the Gringotts ride where they were stuck for about 15 minutes. It seems like the rides go down a lot more often at Universal. The Maders are leaving Orlando today, but we will get to see them again very soon! Veronica and I are going with Shelby when she goes home in a few weeks. We are so excited to meet Shelby's friends and see where she lives in Massachusetts. 

Fun with Dick and Peggy

In addition to spending time with the Maders, I have also been getting to see my aunt and uncle the past couple weeks! They have been here since the first week of January. Last week I went over to the condo they are staying at and Peggy made the best tacos! The condo they stay at is very nice and peaceful. It isn't too far from Disney but just far enough to stay away from the chaos. The patio looks out onto a really pretty wooded area and sometimes they see eagles. The night I went over it was raining but it was really nice to sit on the patio and listen to the rain. Last week I also showed them Cast Connection and we had a lot of fun. Today we are going to happy hour at Chuy's. I have never been there before but they always know the best places and I can't wait to try it. 

New Jobs and Old Friends

My New Ohana

Last week I started my new job. I will be working as a seater/hostess at Ohana, which is a restaurant at the Polynesian Village Resort. Ohana is open for breakfast and dinner and the food is all you care to enjoy served family style at your table. I was excited to get this assignment because Ohana had always been one of my favorite restaurants and I love the atmosphere of the Polynesian resort. My training was pretty simple. My first day of training I had a culinary day where I worked in the kitchen with the chefs and I got to try all of the food. This day was really helpful in learning more about the restaurant because it is important for everyone working there to understand how the kitchen runs. The rest of my training days were in the front where I learned how to check guests in and how to seat them. Yesterday was my last day of training and was finally set free and got to do everything by myself. I think I will really enjoy working here. I will post a photo of my costume next week! 

My Fairy Godmothers in Training

Veronica and Shelby also started their new job last week. They will be working at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique as Fairy Godmothers in Training at Downtown Disney. They get to transform girls into princesses. So far they really love it there! I know they will be making tons of magic for little princesses. It must be hard work being a fairy godmother in training because one day they came home and fell asleep in their costumes haha

Greg Comes to Florida

Last Thursday my good friend Greg flew down to Orlando. He is living in Chicago but working during the week in New York City so he has been pretty busy the last few months. It was really great to see him! I got to go to some new places here and I also got to show him some of my favorite places. We went to a bar called World of Beer which was sort of like The Tap in Blooomington, but I liked World of Beer a little better I think. We also went to Epcot and ate a the restaurant in Germany. It has been on my list of places to try for a while and I really liked it. I think my aunt and uncle (Billy and Tracy) would loveee it! Sunday we watched the colts game and I got to meet one of Greg's friends that he met while he was in Spain last summer. It was a very fun weekend!

Shelby is feeling 22

Shelby turned 22 on Monday! Even though all of us had to work, we still got to have a little fun. Her family is coming to visit on Thursday so I am sure the birthday celebrating has just begun! 

 

A Magical Moment

The morning of my first day of training at Ohana I stopped by Hollywood Studios to return my old costumes. As I pulled into the parking lot I saw some hot air balloons in the sky. It was so cool to see! They seemed so low to the ground. I think I will have to add "hot air balloon ride over Disney" to my bucket list. 

big update!

See you real soon, Allison

Today we took Allison to the airport. She is going back to California to finish her last semester of college. We went to lunch at Margaritaville at City Walk (at Universal) then headed to the airport. It was really sad to see her leave but I know we will see her in just a few weeks. We are planning a trip to California to visit Disneyland and see where Allison lives. 

People at the airport probably thought the four of us were going on a month long vacation but really it was just all of Allison's luggage.

More good-byes

I also had to say good-bye to my amazing coworkers at Mickey's of Hollywood at Hollywood Studios. Almost all of the college program-ers are going back home to finish school. I was so lucky to work with such amazing people during my time there. Even though I am going to a new location I can still pick up shifts at Mickey's. I have my first one a week from Wednesday! To celebrate the end of our program a big group of us went to IHOP after what was most people's last shift. It was the perfect end to our time at the store. 

The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Review

Sunday night we went to hoop-dee-doo. It was so much fun! It was similar to the Polynesian luau because it is a dinner show but it is at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds and it is more of a country theme. I would definetly recommend it to anyone visiting Disney. They only downside is it takes up a few hours. Check in is around 8 and we were done around 10:30. 

 

A Hidden Gem

One of my favorite parks of Hollywood Studios is the statue garden. There are busts of many influential television stars and producers. Part of the reason I love it is because I learned about many of these stars in my Communication and Culture classes at IU. If you are ever at Hollywood Studios I highly recommend taking just five minutes to walk through and check it out. 

New Adventures

We have been making some trips to downtown Orlando to visit the bars. It is sort of like Indianapolis because parking is pretty easy and there is a big area where pretty much all of the bars are. We have so much fun! And we are always safe!

Puppy Love

Veronica's family has a condo about 15 minutes away from our apartment and when they come to visit they bring their three puppies. One of our favorite things is going over to see them! Veronica's mom also makes amazing meals! 

A visit from Kate

Last week Kate, my roommate from IU last year, was in the Orlando area and we got to have dinner together! I was so happy to see her and catch up. She is studying physical therapy in the Chicago area right now and she is really enjoying it. I miss her a ton and I can't wait to see her this summer and visit her in Chicago! 

Coming Soon.....

Even though I am already halfway done with my time here in Florida there are still many adventures to be had. Tomorrow I have my first day at the Polynesian where I will be working at Ohana. Ohana is one of my favorite restaurants on property and I am so excited to work there! My aunt and uncle, Dickie and Peggy Sexson, arrive tomorrow to spend some time in Florida! I am excited for them to come back. My friend Greg is also visiting this weekend. Shelby's birthday is next Monday and her family is visiting a week from Thursday. I am sure I will have a ton of pictures and posts in the near future! 

Friendship Celebration Day

Tuesday morning we woke up earlier than we ever have before for breakfast at Crystal Palace. It was a character breakfast with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. It was really fun and after our two and a half hour breakfast we got to spend some time at Magic Kingdom in the morning which we rarely get to do together. 

This little princess was sitting next to us at breakfast dressed as Rapunzel. We saw her later in the day dressed as Cinderella and had to get a picture with her. Her parents were super excited but she was not so sure about meeting new people. 

My favorite princess, Tiana!

When Mickey is greeting guests at his area towards the front of the park he talks and does magic tricks! It is pretty funny. He did a card trick for us and talked to us for a little bit. It is a little creepy though. Veronica is still warming up to the idea.

Graduation

Another recent celebration we had was "graduating" from the college program. There was a picnic at the apartments and we got to pick up our hat and our Mousters degree. My roommates and I decided to get our names and DCP 2014 embroider on them and take some pictures in front of the castle.