Mom's Here! {pt. 3}

The middle of my mom's trip here was spent with my grandpa for his birthday while I worked. Before she left to go visit him, we got to have lunch with Chelsi and Mary Holland, and then the two of us did some grocery shopping for me. She came back to Orlando for a few days before she flew home and we got to have lunch with my Grandma Mickey and her good friend Adele. It's always fun meeting up with them! Later that day we walked around Downtown Disney and ate at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. It was so busy because it was a Friday night so it was difficult not losing each other. I love the Lego sculptures at Downtown Disney and the huge merchandise store there. We also went into a soap and bath salt store that I knew my mom would love and have been wanting to bring her to forever! On our way to our car, we stopped to listen to an amazing saxophone player and some guy dancing who was covered in sequins who we thought was a part of the show. It turned out that the sequins guy was just having a good time dancing to the music! People started to dance with him and take pictures of him just because of his cool outfit, but then the whole crowd actually ended up dancing to the saxophone music! We listened and watched for a few more songs and then had a tough time getting out of the parking garage because of all of the construction. We got back to the hotel and I applied to extend my program until May. I won't hear back for a few more weeks, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that it all works out. The next day was her last day in Florida and it was so sad to say see you later. I can't wait til she's able to come back because we just had so much fun!

Mom's Here! {pt. 2}

Epcot!

After our Hollywood Studios adventure, my mom and I spent the whole next day at my home, Epcot! The first thing we did was ride Spaceship Earth (of course) and met some of my friends. Not everyone I wanted my mom to meet was there yet, so we had to come back again later. Next we went onto Soarin' which is one of my favorite rides at Epcot. You feel like you're flying all over California complete with the aroma of oranges and the beach. I think my mom liked it! Living with the Land is a boat ride that goes through Epcot's green house and I have been wanting to ride it for a while. They grow plants using a very "green" approach and uses the produce in the Garden Grill which is right next door. Then, we went onto Universe of Energy which is a show that Ellen DeGeneres is the spokeswoman for and it was recorded in 1996 and it was funny, but really outdated. WE LOVE ELLEN so we didn't care that it was almost 20 years old. I remember going on that ride the first time I came to Epcot when I was 11so it was kind of cool that it hasn't changed since then. Then we went onto Test Track and did some shopping at the huge merchandise shop called Mouse Gears. Below is the very good looking car that my mom created in the design lab at Test Track.

Living with the Land greenhouse 

 We got a snack, some popcorn and an ice cream  Mickey bar, and went through the VIP entrance to Spaceship Earth and rode the ride again. The first time I took her on there, I didn't really talk through it because I wanted her to get the real experience, but the second time, I showed her where all the hidden Mickeys are and pointed out some emergency exits. We finally found everyone that I really wanted to meet my mom and of course they loved her! Someone said that she was famous that day and everyone wanted to say hi to her.

Spaceship Earth takes your picture, and shows you your future! Apparently, we will have a flying car some day. 

We had dinner reservations at a fancy restaurant in France, so we made our way to the World Showcase. There are 11 countries around a small lake in Epcot and it is a 1.2 mile walk all the way around the circle. We looked at most of the items on the menus for the Food and Wine festival, but saved our appetite for our reservation. I did get a grapefruit beer from the South Korea booth though and it was delicious. As we were walking by China, a show was about to start, so we found a front row seat and watched the acrobats. It was scary watching them flip in the air and hold each other up, but it was really fun to watch! And we got lucky that we were able to sit in the front. We walked by Snow White on our way through Germany and then got to listen to a few songs from Smash Mouth who was there performing. We made it to France about a half an hour early so we went through some shops and then sat and people watched. Cinderella was in the garden by the bridge and it was fun to watch people meet her too. Our meal was delicious and it felt like we were close to being in France again! There was a chalk board on the wall with numbers on it, written just like it would be in Paris. I got the best ice cream I have ever had (coconut and white chocolate chip) and we made our way to exit the park before the big rush.

I loved showing my mom everything about Epcot because that is where I am almost every day! She met my two Disney best friends, Chelsi and Mary Holland, and was finally able to ride Spaceship Earth. We always have fun together but Disney World was especially a good time.

Mom's Here!

 My mom came to visit!!!! I have been so excited for her to get to Florida so I could see her of course, but also so I could show her everything at Disney and all about my life down here! I made dinner reservations and FastPasses a week in advanced so we could get right on my favorite rides. I also bought us cheap rain ponchos (a Florida essential) and gave her a bracelet that matched one that I have. The first day she was here, we went shopping at the outlet mall and got foot massages! We visited almost all of my roommates and then we stayed in the hotel across the street from my apartment complex.

Our cute ponchos came in handy

The next day, we went to Hollywood Studios. We needed those ponchos because it was misty/raining all day and we put them on in the car before we even parked! I made a FastPass for Tower of Terror but told her that we didn't have to go on it if she was too scared. She was a good sport and we went on it! She made sad whimpering noises and held my arm through the whole thing. I was crying because I was laughing so hard! We went on Great Movie Ride, which is one of my favorites, and it was a little different from when I first rode it. We also went into almost every shop and checked out the snacks at almost every cart. We got great seats to the Little Mermaid show and we loved it! I heard that it was corny, and I guess it was, but there was a black light which made the neon colored fish so bright. Then we went to a stunt driver show called Lights, Motors, Action and one of my friends works there so I had to watch it. It was a little scary but really to cool to see the behind the scenes of how they film car scenes are filmed for movies. We got some good people-watching in while waiting for our last FastPass and also later while waiting for our dinner reservation. We got right into Toy Story Mania which is a target practice and a ride all in one. I love that ride especially because the building is so themed, it feels like you're a toy too.

My sweet apartment-mate, Amanda, working at Hollywood Studios

Outside of the Toy Story ride. love!

We had dinner at The 50's Prime Time Cafe and the whole restaurant looked like my Grandma Johnson's house. The entire thing was decorated like a house, there were just many kitchen tables. The waiters and waitresses would tell the guests to eat their vegetables and not put their elbows on the table. I apparently have a tough time keeping my elbows off the table because our waiter made me STAND IN THE CORNER, like timeout, for putting my elbows on the table 3 times. I thought he was kidding and then he made me count out loud and everyone was laughing and staring at me. It was really funny and really embarrassing. We saw a family later in the night and they remembered me as "the lady who stood in the corner." My mom was loving it! She was trying to get pictures and then chatted up with the waiter who sat down in my spot. It was so fun though. The Disney theming is really what I like so much. When we finished eating, we had just enough time to walk over to watch Fantasmic, the fireworks and character show. That was the first time I got to see it and I'm glad it was with my mom! A lot of people say that it's their favorite night show at Disney and I can see why. It was fun to see the characters and how so many movies were apart of the show.

Some decor at the restaurant

Cutie at Prime Time!

These last two aren't great pictures, but it's fun to see the characters at the end of the show!

We had a fabulous time at Hollywood Studios! My mom was the perfect park buddy because we are both down for almost anything. And because neither of us really like Star Wars so we didn't have to spend time on anything Star Wars related. I wish she lived closer so we could have more fun days at Hollywood Studios!
xx

First Week of Food and Wine

The Food and Wine festival started this week at Epcot! I went one day before work to have lunch and everything was so good. They set up little booths of different places from around the world all around the World Showcase and each place sells 2-4 appetizer size food options and around 5 drink options. Everything is themed to that country and from what I've heard, it's authentic. People go nuts over Food and Wine. I had never heard of it until I moved here, but this is the 20th year that it's been around. The merchandise for the festival is really cute. Since the portions are so small, there is a little plate with a drink holder that would have been nice to have, but Food and Wine would be the only place I'd use it.

I first went to "Hawaii" and got a pork slider and it was sooooo good. It had a sweet and sour sauce on top with pineapple chunks. Don't be fooled by the picture, it was way smaller than my palm. Then I went to "South Korea" and got a lettuce wrap and an alcoholic banana milk shake. Both of them had a ton of ginger in them. I wouldn't have thought to put banana with ginger, but I liked it! I'm glad I tried something new. I usually would have never chosen to eat something at South Korea, but my roommate Leanne works there! I went to say hi and she recommended the milkshake.

Hawaiian pork slider

South Korean lettuce wrap and adult banana milkshake

Epcot has been a little crazy since the booths opened and we have had a lot of intoxicated guests at Spaceship Earth. Sometimes that means it is harder for them to get on/off the ride. 

Another out of the ordinary thing that happened this week, my sweet friend Chelsi was having chest pain while we were at work and as it escalated, the paramedics were called to take a look at her. I was really worried about her. They told her that she had a panic attack, which resulted in both of us getting released early from work because I had to drive her car home. Poor thing!

I went to Epcot today on my day off with my roommate, Amanda, and we ate at the Mexican restaurant there. We rode Spaceship Earth, of course, and I introduced her to some of my friends. We wanted to get dessert at one of the Food and Wine booths, but we were so full that there was no way. The festival is at Epcot until the middle of November, so I'll have plenty of time to try more food! I just can't stay away from Epcot.

XX good night!

Food and Wine Mickey in the background

For some reason, there was a cranberry pond in the middle of the park. I don't know the real name for  it, but it was cool!

So many pictures of Spaceship Earth!

Hollywood Studios

On our day off, Mary Holland and I went to Hollywood Studios! We missed the exit on the way there, but has a lot of fun once we finally found it. I had never been there before so MH was kind of like my tour guide for the day. We went on Great Movie Ride and it was so cool. Slow moving ride that had show scenes of classic movies. We went through "The Wizard of Oz" which is one of my favorite movies ever. That might be my new favorite ride! I love doing something at Disney because I get to be a guest again.

Great Movie Ride!

Next we went on Rockin Rollercoaster and Aerosmith stuff was everywhere. The cars were a stretch limo and it took off really fast. Then we went on Tower of Terror and made some friends in line. Everything was so themed and detailed, it was so cool! The cast members were all really into character which made it even more fun.

Rockin Rollercoaster

After the ride we found a stand selling raspberry coladas and since MH isn't 21, she had a frozen lemonade. Both were delish! While we finished our drinks, we watched a group of "directors" find random people on the street that they confused for celebrities and interviewed them! They even met Beyoncé and Jay Z and asked the power couple about their new song that's coming out. The guests went along with it and of course loved being told they looked like celebrities.  There are also "people of Hollywood" all over Hollywood Studios that are straight out of the 40s and 50s. Everything is so themed and that's why it's my new favorite park!

We saw the Beauty and the Beast show and honestly, I thought it was kind of corny. It was a shortened version of the movie and they had all the great songs in there, but I guess I was just expecting more. It was fun to see Mrs. Pots and Gaston though. On the way to the Toy Story ride, we went to the little Walt Disney museum. They had a bunch of history about the program and also models of many of the icons of the parks. MH posed next to the Spaceship Earth sphere, our home! 

MH and mini Spaceship Earth

Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland Paris :)

We ate at Pizza Planet (from Toy Story) and then went on the Toy Story ride. I loved it! I see why the line is always so long. We took a selfie with the green army man from Toy Story and he blew a kiss to Mary Holland when we left. We had a really good day at Hollywood studios! I am excited to go back soon and do the Great Movie Ride again and  maybe get another raspberry colada.

That night, we went to a Disney Cruise Night at a housing complex that was just for DCP's. We got snacks, there was a DJ and everyone got a little sailor hat. I met up with some friends and we danced til the DJ left. It was so hot and humid, even at 10 at night. I had such a good day off! Mary Holland and Chelsi made it even better! 

Dole Whip

Is it bad that I like going to the parks for the food? HA! No, of course not. Park food is delicious! I used to think that every food booth had only stuff like popcorn and hot dogs, but Disney has done a really great job (of course) at theming each location and only serving items that fit. I went to Magic Kingdom today and had my fist Dole Whip, which is a delicious pineapple flavored soft served ice cream. My roommate Jalie works in quick service food at MK and she gets to serve Dole Whip most days. 

I watched the Electical Parade and I loved it! I saw Tinkerbell, Peter Pan, Snow White, all the Dwarfs, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and my favorite, the Fairy Godmother. I left the park right after the parade and I walked to the bus at the Contemporary resort. The parade got over at 8:20 and I knew it would be really hard to get out of there if I stayed for the firework show. I felt guilty not watching it because I love it so much, but it's so crazy trying to leaving then. But including the walk to the Contemporary resort and the wait for the bus to housing, I got home at 10:30. I watched the fireworks while I was sitting at the bus stop and the music was playing in the hotel lobby, so it was like I was there only without being shoulder to shoulder with strangers.

I rode It's a Small World and I really love that ride. Since I've worked in attractions, I'm curious how the behind the scenes work for other rides. Like if someone jumped out of the boat I don't know what the cast members would do. The water makes it more difficult than Spaceship Earth. 

Speaking of Spaceship Earth, we were open late last night for Extra Magic Hours. Guests staying at a Disneh resort are able to stay in the parks while everyone else goes home. I closed last night at 11:30 and it was fun because a lot of my friends also closed. A guest came up to me with his young son and asked me if they had just ridden Space Mountain. I said no... Space Mountain is at Magic Kingdom, sir. And he looked at his son and said "I told you so!" Hahaha. People often confuse our ride for Misson: Space which is actually at Epcot, but rarely do they think that it's a ride from another park.. after they are done riding it... It made me laugh! 

I finally got groceries yesterday because about the only thing I had in my fridge were condiments. I took an Uber for the first time, because it would have taken me an hour to get to Publix by bus and I could have walked there in the same amount of time. I had told the cashier to cram everything into as little bags as possible because I had to carry it all at once. 

Life Through Rose Colored Glasses

I just got over pink eye! So gross, but I am all better now. On Tuesday, I knew I had pink eye and thank god it was my day off, but I took the bus to Disney health services to get treatment. I was told that they could not write me a prescription because it was not a work related injury, but they put it into the system just in case I needed to miss work. They were playing Monsters University in the waiting room, which is one of my favorite Pixar movies, and the nurse called the urgent care center and they have a transportation system for patients so a van came and picked me up! I saw a doctor there, got eye drops, and then the van took me back to my apartment! Kinda cool. I had to wear my glasses to work for two days and I really hate wearing my glasses. Especially because they fog up from the humidity here.

A few nights ago, me and a group of friends from work and also several of my roommates went to the House of Blues again in Downtown Disney for their rewind night. They played 80s. 90s, and 2000s music including all of the classics. It was fun, but soo packed and sweaty.

I am still really loving my job. Sometimes it can be frustrating telling people over and over "two per row please" and they still don't understand that all 8 people in their group can not sit together in one car. A nice guest today heard me trying to explain to another family something very simple like two per for and told me how I must have a lot of patience to work here. And I agree with her. I say the same couple of phrases over all day. But I really do love it.

I have been really homesick for the past week or so, which is weird for me because I have been away from family or friends a lot before. I am so thankful for my two good friends and Spaceship Earth coworkers, Chelsi and Mary Holland, because I talk to them almost every day and somehow, even though we are so different, we're always laughing. Or complaining together. Same thing. My mom is coming to visit in a few weeks and I could not be more excited!! The other day I saw a mom playing an arcade game while her two 9ish year old kids were horsing around behind her. I was really surprised at that only because I know that my mom would never have taken my turn or make me wait for her to play a game. I'm just so lucky that I have such a selfless mom. Even though it was a little thing like a dumb arcade game, it stuck with me. And she cannot get to Orlando soon enough!

I was at Spaceship for 5 hours today and then went to work the crowd control of Illuminations (which I don't really like) for two and a half hours. At first I was only assigned one break, and for such a long shift, even though it was split, I should have gotten several 15 min breaks and a 45 min lunch. The coordinator switched some things around for me and got me a 45 minute break! I was scheduled to be at the wheelchair seating area for the show. Before I went over to my station, I was answering questions for guests and most of them were really confused about what the fast pass viewing area even was. There was a family of an older couple and their two adult granddaughters and the grandma had a motorized scooter. Her husband was very frustrated that in all the years previous, they had watched Illuminations from where the fast pass area now is. They had a lot of questions and it is always difficult to explain the fast pass process to someone who has been a guest for a long time and the technology is now new to them. They were upset that Disney is "changing everything to fast pass," but there wasn't much I could do for them. They were there over an hour before the show started and would have been able to find a viewing spot any where around the lagoon. Some people don't like change, but I learned during one of the many orientation meetings my first week, that Disney really tries to keep up with what's new. If they didn't update things or change some peoples favorite rides, we would still be surrounded by rides from 1982 (when Epcot opened.) It's not fun when you go to the parks and something you have been looking forward to is no longer there, but the successful company has had many changes over the years and it can be sad, but I think it's done for a reason.

I went over to the wheelchair seating area to make sure only guests with wheelchairs and their families were in the small white box and "La Vie en Rose" was playing in the background. I love that song and it put me in a good mood. One guest got mad at me because there were two guests in wheelchairs who were out in the crowd and were apparently "taking up room" and not in the wheelchair seating even though "that's what it's there for." And this guy was right behind someone else right at the fence. But the other people I met were so sweet. I met a family from Argentina who were celebrating their daughter's 15th birthday. The dad spoke the most English, which still wasn't much, but he was translating for the rest of his family. I told them about my friend Kenzie who went on her mission to Argentina for 18 months. They didn't understand the word mission, but they understood church! He learned all about the Disney College Program and I suggested that their oldest son applied for the international program. We talked about how I was from Idaho, and when people really have no idea where it is, I just say that it is kind of near California. I feel like I made a friend and after the show he shook my hand and said how nice it was to meet me. I also met a woman from England and she hadn't yet been to "England" in the World Showcase. If I was in a different country and there was somewhere USA themed, I would be there in a heartbeat! Just to see if it was anything like home. I don't like working Illuminations, but tonight was really good.

I work 8:45-2:45 tomorrow and then I am in desperate need of groceries so I will be taking the bus to Publix! Hopefully they have some good deals. I would have gone shopping if I hadn't have gotten pink eye, but it's not a big deal because I would rather have an excuse to go out to eat anyway.

XX