Last visit home!

YAY, an update less than a month after the previous one! I know, it's amazing, right?

Well, anyway, I thought I should update ya'll on my last visit home. I left Thursday morning and got back to Orlando on Saturday night. It was SUCH a fun trip! On Thursday, I pretty much slept all afternoon after Dad picked me up from the airport. Then I got up and started getting ready for the big night!! Alysia, Mrs. O'Neill, Emma, and Anna came over around 8:30, and we all watched Twilight. Then Emma and Anna left to go to Frazier, and Mom, Mrs. O'Neill, Alysia, and I went to Brandywine Regal to see the midnight premier of New Moon!!!!!! Of course we were dressed up, hair, make up, the whole shebang. IT WAS AMAZING. New Moon was SO much better than Twilight (not that that's saying much, but it was still wonderful). We had a blast and didn't get home until almost 3am!

Then, on Friday, we got cheesesteaks for lunch!!! YAY!!! It was a pretty chill day, not much happened, but I got to relax a lot, which is always amazing, plus Mom and I caught up on SYTYCD! That night Mom and I went over to the O'Neill's house to watch a movie. But first, we sat around and talked about New Moon for a good long time, of course.

Saturday was relaxing and delicious. Mom, Aaron, and I went to Denny's for breakfast and Tom met us there. YUM!! Then we all went back to our house and watched The Italian Job. Yay for Minis!! Then I pretty much had to get packing to go to the airport.

All-in-all, it wasn't an on the go kind of visit, but it was very relaxing and chill, which is just what I needed before coming back here for 6 more weeks. Wow. Only 6 more weeks. Let me reiterate how amazingly fast time passes here. It still feels kind of like I just moved in, and here I am, thinking about how much work it's going to be to move out!! I can't let myself think about leaving. Just gotta focus on how amazing the time I have left will be.

ANYWAY, yesterday I didn't start work until 1:30pm, so I got to go to Metro Life Church with Ryan, Shelsy, and Amber!! I wish I could tell you how amazing the sermon was...but I didn't pay much attention. That beautiful baby is quite the distraction. I sat out in the lobby playing with her for a while because she was very happy, which equals very loud. It was great. Then I had to leave right from there to go to work. I worked until 7:30, because Animal Kingdom is now open until 8, but all of the animals go to bed at 6, so trains closes at 5:50, but keeps running until about 6:30 (to get guests back from Rafiki's Planet Watch). Confusing, right? Anyway, it was pretty cool to drive the train and put it away (back in the roundhouse) in the dark. A little scary, but still very neat.

Well, tonight is "Roomie Night" in my apartment. We're cleaning for our 3rd inspection tomorrow morning, and then watching 27 Dresses together. Should be a fun time. But now I'm off to work. Peace, ya'll.

PHOTOS!!

Alrighty!! Here is a public link to my facebook album from Orlando. You should all be able to see it, even if you don't have facebook. Let me know if it works for you!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14049&id=1684200006&l=df584a9027

Hooray!!

World's Worst Blogger, Checking In.

Yep, I know it. I'm a HORRIBLE blogger. Sigh. BUT I will do my best in the 20 minutes I have before I must leave for work to fill you all in on what's happened over the last month.

Let's break it down. I've been working a LOT as always, Halloween was a nice, quiet affair. My fellow Trains CP's and I went out to eat (I was, of course, the only one in costume).

Then, on November 4th-6th, I went home for auditions at KU, I got called back for both shows, and......I GOT CAST!!!!!! I'm cast as Maria in The School for Scandal!! I can't wait to get back and start rehearsing.

Also, "Grapes", our roommate, moved out. No more news on that point.

Last Wednesday, Ryan, Shelsy, Amber, Haley and I went to Sea World! We had so much fun. Amber is the most adorable thing ever to grace this planet. Seriously. I can't even handle how beautiful, cute, sweet, angelic, and PERFECT she is!! Even when she's crying, she's the best thing ever. She loved watching the fish, sharks, sting rays, jellyfish, and everything else. Haley and I went on Manta, Kraken, Journey into Atlantis, and we also watched a few shows with Ryan and Shelsy. All in all, we had a blast, and I can't wait to go again!

This past weekent, I went home again for Melissa and Leo's wedding!! It was lovely. Missy looked gorgeous and the wedding was really sweet. I'm so glad I could be there.

Yesterday, we got a new roommate!! Her name is Laura, which is going to be quite difficult, as we already have a Laura in this apartment. So, Laura #1 is going to be Lola and Laura #2 can be Laura. AHH. But she seems pretty nice. I only got to talk to her for about 20 minutes last night, before I left to go to the Contemporary Resort. I babysat for Chris and Angela Payson's two boys for a few hours last night so that Chris and Angela could have a night out alone in Disney. It was fun, and I got a good bit of reading done!

ALSO, I bought a new camera a few weeks ago, so I've been taking lots of pictures. I will VERY shortly be putting all of those pictures on a Picasa Web album so everyone can see them. But for those of you who have facebook, they're already on my facebook. One of these days I'll make all my roommates pose for pictures so you can see them all!

Well, this week I'll be flying home yet again on Thursday morning to spend a few days just chilling out at home. I'll also, conveniently, be home for the New Moon premier!!! WOOHOO! Ahem. Anyway. That's all for now. World's Worst Blogger, signing off!!

Mom's visit!!

Wow. Have I mentioned how FAST time moves here?? It's insane!! One week just runs in to another and it's already been TWO MONTHS!!! I can't even believe it. But, by FAR the biggest thing that's happened recently is that my mom came to visit! We had SO much fun! I went out to dinner with my friends last Wednesday night, and waited for Mom's phone call. She called me and I picked her up from the airport. We went to Ryan and Shelsy's house and stayed there, since I had the next day off of work.

On Thursday we went to Aquatica (Sea World's waterpark!) for a few hours, and, of course, had lots of fun. Amber is SSOO cute in the water!! Sometimes she doesn't seem to notice it, but sometimes she splashes it and laughs! It's so stinking cute! Then went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch!!! YUM! Sweet Tomatoes is this amaaaaaazing restaurant here that has unlimited salad, soup, pasta, bread, pizza, desert, and drinks. All for $10!!! SSOOO good. THEN Mom took me grocery shopping!!! YAY! She bought me so much food. Ah. I love her :)

Anyway, I worked on Friday, then Mom picked me up and we went back to Ryan and Shelsy's or some Syrian food!! We watched some TV, talked for an hour or so, then fell asleep.

On Saturday, we got up early in the morning, and left for Hollywood Studios as soon as Ryan got home from work (at 9:30am). We went on Tower of Terror, watched some Star Wars performance, ate yummy lunch, and did a ton more fun stuff. Then we headed over to the one and only Magic Kingdom! Mom and I stayed at MK from around 1pm till 11 when they closed. Ryan, Shelsy and Amber left just before "Wishes" (MK's fireworks) at 9. We had SO much fun!! We did Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Philharmagic, Jungle Cruise (I finally got to see Kelly at work!!!), Pirates of the Caribbean (!!), Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, It's a Small World, and SO much more, I can't even remember it all. Even though I've done all of those MANY times now, it was really cool doing them all with Mom because she hadn't been there since '04, so everything was almost like new again! And of course, "Wishes" made me cry. Again. THEN on the tram ride back from MK, we were FREEEZING! It was very cold, and we were unprepared. Last week, Orlando broke records for how hot it was. A few nights ago, we broke records for how cold it was. It's pure insanity.

Then on Sunday, at work, we had a meeting for all of the college program kids in Africa (minus the Kilimanjaro Safaris kids), so we all worked from noon until 7:45 pm! It was kinda fun, kinda really weird. Ah well. I slept over at Ryan and Shelsy's again that night. Then, Monday. Once again, we left RIGHT after Ryan got home from work, and headed for Animal Kingdom! I wore regular clothes so I could get them in at the gate. Once they were all in the park, I darted backstage, hopped on a DAKcycle and booked it over to Africa. I changed into my costume, and went straight to work. Mom was quite happy with how the day went, because she got to make lots of videos of me doing my conductor spiel, driving into the station, etc. THEN, when I got my lunch break, I ran into a break room, put jeans on, and went to have lunch with my family. I had about 45 minutes with them, which was SO nice. But then I had to say goodbye to Mom. That was sad, but I was just so glad that she got to come see me at work.

That night, after I got done with work, and when Mom was already at the airport, Davis, Dustin, Aidan and I went to Hollywood Studios just so that Davis could finally confront his fear and go on Tower of Terror. We ended up doing it three times. He actually likes it now!!

I miss Mom already, but I'll see her again very soon, and I can't wait!!

Aaaaand, in job news, there's not much new! I still LOVE work, I love my friends and co-workers, and I definitely loved the cooler weather earlier this week, but now it's back in the 80's and I'm even happier :D I love how warm it is here. It's perfect. Well, once again, I miss you all SO much!! I can't wait to see everybody!!

"Things I learned at Animal Kingdom"

1. Wearing makeup to work is a waste of time. But I'll do it anyway.
2. The bus schedule is AWFUL. Deal with it.
3. DAKcycles are a luxury, not a privilege.
4. If a Maintenance cast member tells you to do something, DO IT.
5. The Safari drivers are NEVER honking at you.
6. I don't care about the bees and the elephants.
7. Rhinos are very curious in the mornings, and lions are very loud.
8. Boa Constrictors only poop once every 2-3 weeks.
9. Spanish is red, French is blue, and Portuguese is green.
10. It is very expensive to Fed-Ex a rhino, but Disney did it anyway. Twice.

Ok, so once again, it's been over 2 weeks since I updated. I know, I know, it's indefensible. But, for those of you who are wondering why I post so rarely (which is probably all of you), I just have to tell you exactly why that is. First of all, I am very busy. And then, on my days off, I either sleep, clean, do laundry, or go to the parks with friends. I know, what a terribly difficult life I lead. But, whether it's hard or not, it does take up time. ALSO...my life really doesn't change that much. I get up in the morning, go to work, have an amazing day (because I still do LOVE my job), come home, make dinner, go to the pool or watch a movie with friends, then go to sleep, get up in the morning and start all over again. Don't get me wrong, I love it! I wouldn't have things any other way! But, it's not much to write about.

But, bottom line, work is good, friends are great, I am NOT missing the "cold" weather in PA (in Orlando today, the high is 93, in Kutztown, it's 66!), but I do miss all of you very much. Call me, email me, let me know how YOUR lives are going!! I still have 3 months left here, but I know it won't be enough time. The weeks are FLYING by. It feels like this one JUST started and it's already half over! But life is amazing. I can't imagine it being better than this (unless I was closer to home). More soon!!

Wow.

I'm officially a horrible blogger. I just can't seem to remember to blog...ever. ANYWAY, I promise I'll try harder from now on!!

OK so here goes. The last 3 weeks have been some of the best of my life. My roommates are unbelievably amazing (for the most part), Florida is beautiful, it's amazing to see Ryan and Shelsy, and my JOB!!! I absolutely love my job. I work with the most amazing people, and I enjoy almost every part of every day. I feel so completely blessed that I can wake up every morning and be excited to get out of bed and get to work.

The time is going by so fast. I can't believe I've been here for a month already. It's probably just because I am having such a great time, but it already feels like time is slipping by too fast. I'm just doing my best to enjoy every moment!!

Today I'm going to Typhoon Lagoon with my roomies and I'm going to meet Ryan, Shelsy, and Amber at universal afterwards! I can't wait!!

AND FINALLY!!! Pictures of my apartment!!
This is the view when you walk in the front door.




And this is our living room.

Days 4, 5, 6, and 7!!

Wow, things have gotten crazy! I've barely had time to update, obviously. So this might be a long-ish one.

SO Animal Kingdom on Thursday was a blast! It was really cool to see my ride, the Wildlife Express [WHICH, (as pointed out by ...ahem...Tom...) I failed to mention, I will rotate between driving and giving the tour speech for]!! Haley, Grapes, and I spent a good portion of the day there, going on Everest, seeing Finding Nemo (SO GOOD!) and just having a great day exploring the park and seeing the animals. THEN we got the bus back to Patterson and met a kid who told us about a Day Glo party that a nearby club was having. So of course, we ended up going that night.

For those who've never heard of it, a Day Glo party is a neon paint party. Everyone wears white and the only lights are blacklights, and they spray/throw paint on the whole crowd. It was quite an experience. I'm glad we got to do it, but we ended up leaving early because there were SO many people there that we could hardly breathe. SO Haley's sister came and picked us up. It was TONS of fun, but we were glad to get out of there.

Then on Friday, Grapes, Haley and I slept in (while the other three roomies went to work!) and when we were all up and about, we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios! We had SSOO much fun! I felt like such a little kid, walking down Sunset Blvd, being greeted by old-Hollywood style characters, etc. It was an absolute blast. We went on the Great Movie ride, Rockin' Roller Coaster, and some other fun stuff, before Grapes decided she wanted to go to Magic Kingdom. So it was just Haley and I who went on the Tower of Terror, saw the Journey of the Little Mermaid, Rockin' Roller Coaster again, got ice cream, watched a hilarious street show, and went home. That night, I went over to Ryan and Shelsy's and just chilled for a few hours before going home to sleep.

SATURDAY!!! Saturday was DAKlimation!!! It was our introduction to Disney's Animal Kingdom. All-in-all, it was a 6 hour orientation. It was great. We learned all about the history of Animal Kingdom, got awesome water bottles, and took a tour of the whole park, learning SO much along the way. After we ate lunch, we went to costuming!! I found my costume without much trouble, and went home with 5 sets of shorts and t-shirts. It was quite possibly the best day yet.

Yesterday was a nice, relaxing day. I went to church with Ryan and Shelsy in the morning, and ended up hanging out with them until around 8pm. Shelsy and I played Disney Dance Dance!!! We totally rocked it. Then we went to the grocery store which was oh so much fun. Everyone and their mom stopped us to say how cute Amber was. The lady in the seafood dept. even told us we could leave her there if we wanted. Everyone loves her. I can't blame them. We went home, made dinner, and sat around till the baby woke up, and I left not much later.

TODAY is my last day off before OJT (on the job trainint) starts!! I can't WAIT for tomorrow!! It's gonna be great. But I have a TON to do today, including go buy unmarked, black, leather shoes, so I'd best be going. I miss you all!

Oh, and pics of my costume, roommates, and apartment are coming soon, I promise.