I'm Alive!

So guess what? I'm still alive! My roommates have been asking me this question a lot this past week. I figure y'all probably have been too. I'm back at BYU and this first month has been insane. I've been dealing with PDWS (Post Disney Withdrawl Syndrom) apparently common in my coworkers and roommates from Florida :) I have been settling into a new ward and there is still room to grow as far as getting to know people. I've been trying to work out my new schedule and find a good balance of school, work, homework, downtime, roommate-bonding time and the like. This has been the hardest as I am juggling a biology, chemistry, and Spanish class, among others. But hey, I hear medical school is even harder. Oh joy :) This week, I've been kept in the library until some ungodly hours. Hence, I have gotten some sweet texts from concerned roommates who are looking out for my safety and sanity, "Where are you? Are you still alive? Come home safe!" I love these girls. But I don't love homework. Yeah, I guess you could call it diligence, but that doesn't make it any more fun. Not at all.

Now that I'm back from my Disney heaven, I guess it's time to alter my blog. Don't worry, it'll still be very...me...just more current. Thanks to all of you who tuned in over the summer. I loved sharing my stories with y'all and it totally gave me the motivation to keep a sort of journal, which I would so have regretted not doing. You're welcome to continue to follow, but I don't know if anything will top the magic of this summer. I'll continue to post, though. May your conscience be your guide. TTFN

Back at BYU!!!

Yay for Provo, Utah! Yay for dry weather! Yay for my wonderful roommates! Yay for mountains! Yay for school! (oh wait...not really) haha. Bucketloads of money poured out of my pockets? I'm not feeling too sincere about that "yay" at present. However, I am glad to be back to this familiar schedule and familiar people and places. Don't worry, my devoted followers, I did not fall off the face of the Earth. I simply spent some few precious days with my family. During which, I was forced to come back to reality. Sad day :( But now I get to go back to the real world. I start my job again on Monday at the International Services Office on campus as well as all of my classes. I just paid my rent and my tuition, and bought groceries and apartment and school supplies (shower curtain, hand soap, bath mat, notebooks, planner, etc.). I'm a little broke, but a lot of happy. I am thrilled to see my favorite BYU roommates and hear all their stories from this summer. I also can't wait to tell them all about Disney World! As soon as everyone gets moved in, it will feel just like a family again — our little college sisterhood. I am super excited about this next semester and this new ward. Rumor is, almost every single one of the boys is not a Freshman (that means they're RMs!!!!!) Heeheehee :) But don't worry, I'm a rational girl. I won't get into too much trouble. And I'll have so much fun too. Yay for Sophomore Year!! TTFN

Just Before 9am

So you know when you're having a REALLY good dream? You don't know it's been a dream until you wake up. But when you do, you think back and know that you liked it. Well, you know when that dream gets interrupted by an alarm clock or something at precisely 9:00? It's the worst feeling in the world, right? You know that insistent buzzing means you have to get up and get ready, but you were having the best dream for crying out loud! Where is the justice?! Now that we're on the same page...I'm afraid that's the moment I having right now. I'm sitting in the Orlando Airport with nowhere to go but forward (home), feeling I'm at about 8:59:30 seconds. Last week I was ready to be done with work, ready to see my family, and mostly ready for school. But today, I didn't want to get in the taxi, to check-in, or to walk down the hall to my gate. Unfortunately, reality has come a-calling and I have to go back to the real world. I know, I know, "all good things must come to an end." But I don't like it!! This has been the most Magical, Fantasmic, Nightastic summer of my entire life. I am so grateful that I am so insanely blessed to have had this opportunity. I will treasure this forever. TTFN

III. Birthday with Coworkers

The Kitchen Sink: Dun dun dun! To celebrate, I got a bunch of people from my location together and we all went to one of the Disney Resorts after work. We went to the Beach Club, to the little restaurant called Beaches and Cream (cute, huh?) to do a Kitchen Sink. Now, let me tell you about this Kitchen Sink. Oh boy! According to the Beaches and Cream Menu, "The Famous" Kitchen Sink is...scoops of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, and mint

chocolate chip served with all the toppings in the house and a whole can of whipped cream. A whole can?? Yes, a whole can! We devoured that massive thing!! Holy cow!! So many people ended up coming that we got two Sinks to share between everyone. But still, it was A LOT of ice cream and syrup and brownie/banana nut muffin/cherries/cookies/ice cream/sprinkles/whipped cream :)It was super fun, and really delicious, too. I'm glad I added that to the list of things to do while I live in Disney World, and that I got to do it with friends from work. TTFN

II. Birthday with Roommates

On my actual birthday, something amazing happened. All 6 of us roommates were in the same place (not the apartment) at the same time for the first time since we first got here!! Look! Here's proof.

We all got to go to church together, hooray!! And then we went to EPCOT and ate lunch at the Rose and Crown in the United Kingdom in the World Showcase. EPCOT really is the most "World"y part of Disney World and I love it! I loved being with ALL my roommates. It really did feel like a special day. Duh, my birthday :)

Oh, and by the way, Kristy does not appear in this pictue beacuse she had to bolt for work before we got around to snapping it. Bummer. TTFN

I. Birthday with Family

11 days later and I have so much to fill you in on! I'll break it into separate posts to keep with the relatively-short post thing I've got going on. You can read one now and come back for another later, or read them all right now :) Either way, I hope you enjoy the magical happenings here in Disney World.

This first part is about my birthday weekend. My family got to be here from Thursday evening to Sunday morning, and we absolutely threw the parks to shreds. We tore up Walt Disney World! It felt just like when I was a kid. When we would come back to the hotel at the end of the day and our feet would throb and eyelids droop, then get up the next morning to do it all over again :) I know I was raised right, for sure. Oh yeah. I loved celebrating my birthday with my family. All 6 of them! I missed out on both Mothers' and Fathers' Days this year and that was weird. And I had to wish EVERY one of them a Happy Birthday from a different state this year. Although it's kind of self-centered, I like that we were all together for MY birthday :) The only bum part of it was that I did not take one single picture the entire time my family was here. I just uploaded a bunch of pictures and I do not have even one of a sibling or parent. Fail! I guess it was more of a vacation for me. I felt comfortable having Daddy capture all the memories for me. Just like normal :) I loved getting to see them and share my magical world with them. That weekend, I was "The Hostess with the Mostest", the one calling the park shots. I felt powerful, taking the reins instead of following Daddy, the Disneyland Master. It was exciting. Giggle giggle. Sunday morning, they wished me a Happy Birthday and we parted ways, me to my bus and they to theirs. I miss growing up with my siblings. TTFN

Take 2

Oh fail. For a few days there I almost forgot I had a blog :) I'm leaving for work in a few minutes, but I just wanted to post and say I'm still alive. And that MY FAMILY IS COMING!!!!! ...I hope... They tried a month ago and the flights got full. Now they are trying for Take 2. I won't have my computer with me at the resort, so y'all will just have to wait until they leave for the lowdown on all our fun. I know you'll be on the edge of your desk chair/couch/bed (wherever you use your computer) all weekend, but you'll just have to be patient ;) Let's pray they make it on the flights. I'm off to work. Have a great day and a fabulous weekend! TTFN

Happy Independence Day!!

I had to work today. Booger. So I listened to the music from last General Conference all the way to/from work. I think my favorite is the BYU Men's Choir in the Priesthood session, though I could be a bit biased. (I go to one of the most talented schools...ever!) I did have an opportunity to honor my country after work by sticking around to watch the special 4th of July fireworks show at Hollywood Studios. I cannot even describe how AWESOME that show was!!! I got to see the Magic Kingdom display last night and that was magnificent. But Hollywood Studios was so much better!! It was probably the music that made the show. It was a movie-themed, rock-n-roll version of the Richmond Symphony concert. Great music, great pyrotechnics, amazingly choreographed timing, and the sparkle of Disney Magic. I the love that I am so blessed to be here. I love the legacy and standard of this company and the Disney name. And I LOVE MY LIFE!! TTFN

A Day Off at the Studios

I am so spoiled! I don't want to brag, I just want to be grateful. Yesterday, I had the day off. After sleeping in, I packed up my wallet-clipped-on-a-lanyard (a one-day-in-the-park, convenient alternative to a purse) and headed off to Hollywood Studios. I really did feel like I was walking the streets of Hollywood and seeing the shows. I got to experience The Voyage of the Little Mermaid: a super cute stage show telling the story of Ariel and her friends with puppets and actors alike, Lights, Motors, Action!: an epic, testosterone-boosting stunt show complete with custom-made cars, motorcycles, and jet-skis, Indiana Jones: a movie stunt show spectacular, and The Backlot Tour: where I got to participate in a thoroughly drenching film sequence. It was so much fun!! I don't even think residents of Hollywood, California get that much action in one day :) At the end of it all, I got to break it down at the Rock-n-Glow Dance Party to the beat of the park-local band Mulch, Sweat, & Shears (a landscaping by day, rock band by night family). I love Disney's attention to detail, storytelling ability, and the atmosphere shows and characters. Ooo! I also ate my very first funnel cake yesterday! After listening to my mom's stories of making them at Dutch Wonderland, I can't believe I've never had one before. But I'm glad my first one was a magical one :)

And now as I sit writing all of this, a thunderstorm passes by. I am crossing my fingers I won't have to face a hurricane while I'm here. But a bit of thunder and some light rain I can handle with enthusiastic satisfaction. I love the rain. I blame it on growing up in Mesa (where, when it rains, you run outside and dance in that sucker before it stops), but I think I'd love it regardless of where I grew up. It could be the cleansing the rain brings, the fresh scents of nature, the beautiful overcast lighting, or the romantic fantasy every girl thinks about :) Whatever the reason, I love this weather. TTFN

It's July!!

Wow! This means I only have a little over a month left in my program and that my 19th birthday is on it's way!! Today I had a meeting with one of my managers and a few other CPs. We talked about what we can do for Disney and what Disney can do for us, what we should be taking away from this, and that there literally is a job in the company for every major, including Biophysics :) That made me feel a bit more invested in this program. Of course I am giving it my all. But there might be more to it than just a summer job. You never know. I was also humbled to learn about how few people really do pass all the applications to be a part of the program. I am truly blessed to be here right now. In the morning, I'll talk to my academic advisor about my major and possible careers and life paths. But which one is best? And should it be Disney? Oh, the places I can go :) Just some thoughts to ponder.

And while I'm philosophizing, my roommate asked me the other day if I was ready to go home. I thought about it for a sec and answered that I loved it here but I love my family too. But after I answered, I got to thinking. I reflected on the idea of homesickness and the sense of home. I've known for a long time that I don't get homesick. I like this about myself because I think it gives me the ability to enjoy the present and have fun traveling. I also don't have a real attachment to a house since I lived in a few that summer we added the 2nd floor. And moving to Texas helped too. My idea of home is where you family is, or the people you love and trust and genuinely care about. I enjoy the present because I love where I am and what I am doing. My whole life has pretty much been like that. So thank you to all those people who help me feel at home in Arizona, Texas, Utah, Florida, and everywhere else I spend my time. You make my life wonderful and happy. Now enough deep thinking, I'm going to bed. TTFN

By the way: I love hearing from my parents that y'all are reading and loving my blog, but I'd love to see it here too. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think

What a Weekend

A glorious 3-day weekend for me. Excellent! I was scheduled to have Friday and Saturday off and then I got another girl to take my Sunday shift so I could to church. Oh how I'd missed going to church! As I am not a fan of excessively lengthy posts, I will keep these three days short.

Friday:

Catch some summer sun, fill a prescription, call the BYU advisement center to schedule a phone appointment to talk about my future, and watch a movie in the comfort of my apartment since it is dang hot outside! In case you're wondering about my academic advisor, I am still technically a Chemical Engineering major. I know that's NOT what I want to do, but I'm not quite sure what I'd rather do instead. I am leaning between Biophysics and Physical/Developmental Biology right now with the hope that I can either start a family or go to medical school upon graduation from BYU. If I do end up studying medicine, I think I'd like to be either a dermatologist, a pediatrician, or an otolaryngologist (an ear-nose-throat doctor :) And maybe I'll even serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints along the way. In any case, I need to make sure I'm on the right track to graduate in this decade :)

Saturday:

Some more sun, shopping at the Magical Warehouse of Super Cheap Disney Stuff (aka Cast Connection), and a Puerto Rican birthday party. I've started my Disney merchandise collection. I got a ton of stuff 75% off, including this fabulous Mickey Mouse watch! I love my life!! The birthday party was probably my favorite part of the day, though. I work with a guy from Puerto Rico. His name is Waldemar, but we call him Wally :) His birthday was on Tuesday and to celebrate, he wanted to make food for all of his friends. Kind of backward if you ask me. It was fun though and the food was...incredible!! I went with an open mind but I was prepared not to like it and just be polite. But it was nothing like the Mexican food I was expecting. I am a chicken when it comes to spicy, but this was nothing of the sort. Wally and his neighbor are excellent cooks and the food was so flavorful and delicious. If you ever have a chance to go to Puerto Rico or eat their food, I highly recommend it. I was pleasantly surprised and quite impressed. I may also have some new Puerto Rican buddies :)

Sunday:

Go to church (yay!), catch up on all the happenings with my BYU roommates, and take a wonderful nap in my new Disney hoodie - my, how comfortable 75% off a $55 sweatshirt feels :)

All in all it's been a great weekend but I am excited to go back to work tomorrow. TTFN

Improving My Language Skills

I have spoken more Spanish in the last two months than I have in the last two years. This is awesome! There are so many people from Spanish-speaking countries that come to Walt Disney World, both as guests and cast members. I work with a lot of puertoriqueños (Puerto Ricans) so I get to hear it around the kitchen. But also, like the 55 Brazilians the other day, I get to play charades with lots of guests. I speak as much Spanish as I can and they do the same with English. It's pretty entertaining and I feel like I'm being compassionate :) I have gotten better with my numbers as that is a big part of working on the register. When I started, I could translate single digits just fine, but multi-place value prices were not so good. I've still got some practicing to do, but I'm much better already! TTFN

A Breath of Fresh Air

Today was an exceptionally long day at work. I was one of those "I kept looking down at the clock which only made it worse" type days. I don"t know what I was so anxious for. Oh well, I guess time still exists in Disney World. I did, however, have a very heart-warming interaction right at the beginning of my shift. It caught me by surprise because I had just started my day and this woman had evidently been had quite the morning. Or maybe just a hard week. Either way, it went like this: I was at the register, being my normal, cheerful self, taking orders and wishing magic to everyone. I greeted the next guest in my queue, an older black woman, with a "Hello, how are you doing today?" [smile], expecting a "Fine, thanks" or "Doing great" etc in return. What I got was "What a..[smile]..oh, you are just a breath of fresh air." I thanked the woman modestly and continued to take her order, inside feeling pretty fine that I could...be myself...for her. She kept thanking me for being so sweet and delightful. I felt ashamed of whoever she had just dealt with earlier today who had apparently not shown her the Disney standard at its best. At the end of our 2-minute interaction, she asked me to "never change". I wish I could have told her how much I would be take her advice. I love working for Mickey Mouse and upholding the traditions Walt Disney inspired in his Cast Members. I definitely want to take what I have learned this summer and apply it to every job I will ever have. It makes work more fun, and random Wednesdays more...fresh :) I love my life! TTFN

"The Good Old Days" and 55 de Brasil

So tonight, I ate my dinner standing up in the kitchen. It reminded me of my Daddy and "the good old days" when it was just him and me in the Bungalow, at the kitchen sink, watching TV and eating dinner after a long day at work. As fun as that was, I'm kind of glad I have a bigish family. One of my coworkers is going to college in the fall and he was telling me how he is getting a dorm to himself because he hates sharing a room. My mind was blown, my socks were knocked off. I have shared a room my whole life and loved every minute of it. I guess people are just different. (Well duh!)

Disney is as fabulous as ever!! As we get farther into summer, we get busier and busier. The days are nice and warm and muggy. I sometimes wonder why summer, the most unpleasant time of year in Florida, is the busiest season for these Parks. And then I remember that some people (most people) have to plan around school. Oh well. It makes my days fuller and more fun and exciting. Today, we had a tour group of 55 Brazilian come in and order an outrageous amount of food. Then again, anything is outrageous when you are 55-strong :) I was working in the kitchen at the time and let me tell you what: I have never put so many burgers, tomatoes, and lettuce on a bacon cheese bun in so little time! It was pretty epic. As always, I love my job and love sharing it with y'all. Whoever y'all are... :) TTFN

May the Force be with You

I love Hollywood Studios! So every year we host Star Wars Weekends, a collection of Star Wars character and actor appearances. It's Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for four weekends in the Spring. I have never seen so many Jedi and Star Wars junkies, outside of a formal convention, in my whole life! :P So I got off work a bit early last Friday and met my roommate to play for a few hours in all the Star Wars fun. It was awesome!! I got to meet Chewbacca, an Ewok, and Queen Amidala. Then we watched the Hyperspace Hoopla at the end of night, a combination of Star Wars characters, comedy, music, and dancing. I loved it!! I was laughing and cheering the whole time. To share my fun, I thought some pictures would be fun. So here are some of the ones I took. TTFN

We had so much fun dancing and playing with these guys. We saw them a few times around the area. We got to be good friends :)

Chewy really is that tall! And the Ewok was so cute and tiny. I got a mini little hug from him and a huge Wookiee hug from Chewbacca :)

Future Senators in Training :)

Comment!!

It works!! Not only do I have a new template, which will hopefully be easier to read, I also fixed the "not being able to comment" issue!! When I say I fixed it, I mean my wonderful roommate Alyssa pushed a few buttons and it works!! I feel handicrapped, but she's awesome! Now that I'm open for feedback, please let me know if I can make any improvements. I hope this new color palette will be easier to read. Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from people. TTFN

P.S. I still love my job. It's been raining and I'm so mad that I work so I can't just run out and play in it! I guess that euphoria will forever belong to Mesa in monsoon season. I loved my childhood. I really did have the most amazing years anyone could ask for. My only wish, well I have two: that the rest of my life can be just as amazing and that my children will make as many or even more wonderful memories than I have. I owe a lot to all the people who have had any contact with me in the last almost 19 years. There are a lot of you :) TTFN for reals this time.

23-19! We have a 23-19!

I love having Disney moments at Disney World :) So I've been on register for a few days and I had an awesome moment! I totaled someone's order, read the list back to them, and tried really hard not to laugh. Here's how it went down :

Me: Is that all for you today?

Guest: Yeah, that's it.

Me: Okay, that comes to $23.19

Guest: [hands Me his Visa card]

Me: Don't you dare laugh, Katie Louisa. He won't think it's funny. He won't even get it. Don't you dare!

[Complete transaction]

The terrible part was that it happened several times (I wish I could remember what the order consisted of). And each time it got funnier and funnier! Needless to say, I was having a hard time keeping it together on stage. But, I thoroughly enjoyed taking the order and thinking about Monsters, Inc :)

On a completely different note, I hope you have all enjoyed my Disney Princess background. I know I have. But there is one problem. The comment link is broken. Whoever wrote the template missed a few commands. So if you've been trying to comment and couldn't, don't worry - it's not you. It's just the faulty template. Anyway, moral of the story is, I will be changing my background. I don't know what it will be, but I'm sure I'll find something amazing :) TTFN

Downtown Disney

It's a wonderfully magical place. It's like Disney-meets-Real-Life in an awesome way. Everything is themed and Disney Standard, but it's also a great shopping and dining and partying center. So far, I've seen two movies and gotten a Ghiradelli hot cocoa. There is way more to explore and I'm looking forward to it.

As far as that Ghiradelli hot cocoa was concerned...heaven in a cup, delicious, delectable, perfect, chocolate bliss, you get the picture. On top of that, the weather was serene. My roommate and I ordered our chocolate and sat at a quaint little garden table. The breeze coming off the water and the mood music and the laughter and conversation of the other people around us...wonderful. I love this atmosphere. I feel like I'm living in a novel. My life is awesome! TTFN

I love my job...

For the past few days, I've been on register. It's way fun, I get to interact with guests, and I don't have to work in the kitchen. So when we're busy, all the registers are open. But when we slow down, the coordinators find things for half of us to do. One of these things is called Hula-Hoops. And I love it! Basically, I get to let little kids play with Hula-Hoops while their parents order food. I makes the kids' day and keeps them out of the parents' hair while they're trying to order food for 4 or 5 kids. (I speak from experience.) It's so awesome to watch their faces as they try, and succeed or don't. But it's these moments when I really feel like a Disney Cast Member making magic, and not just a girl working in a burger joint (however magical those burgers may be). Some of the kids don't even speak any English. So I find ways of encouraging them with universal signals like "WOW" and "thumbs up" and smiling. It's so cool :) All in all, I love my job. If you haven't figured that out at this point, wow are you lost. This is one of the greatest experiences of my life thus far, and it's only the beginning (of my life and the experience). I can't wait until the end when I can't look back at all that I have learned and grown. TTFN

I Love You Mommy :)

Don't you even say this is too cheesy. I'd like to think of it as magical. To all of you who do not want to read about how much I love my mother, you are excused from this post. Have a wonderful day and check back for the next one :) But if you've got nothing else to do, and you too Momma, keep reading. My mother is the most amazing woman on the planet. I know most everyone says that, but this time it's true. Not only is she a diligent care-giver, as a mother of five she had her work cut out for her (even with an all-too-eager helper), but she is also a tender nurturer. She and Daddy have taught me to be leader, not a follower; to pursue my dreams; to make the most of my experiences, learn a lot, and have fun doing it. I developed a love of reading and an appreciation for the written word. I stuck with my piano lessons and am now able to share my talents and serve others. I was blessed to grow up in a house that had the priesthood because my mother knew that was important in a husband. I was raised in the gospel on account of the same thing. I love both of my parents and the things they teach me by their example and their sweet reminders. I was blessed to grow up in house of love. And I am grateful for that. Spending the year away from my mother has changed our relationship, but I will always be her little girl. I wish her the best this Mothers' Day and want her to remember that I will always love her like a long street. TTFN