In exactly two weeks I will be checking in to Cumberland Park and signing my life away to Disney at Casting! I will also be meeting my new roommates and moving in my crapload of stuff. I'm a bundle of excitement and nerves right now, and I still feel like there's so much to do.

I'm all done with work and school, so the only thing distracting me is reading all of the Disney blogs and message boards I can find, and making packing lists. Also, I gave my dad the URL to this blog, so if you're reading this, hi dad! Don't make fun of my writing.

Hope everyone had a great holiday and has a happy new year. Bring on 2012.

Many thanks to my awesome roomie Heather and her dad for creating the new layout for my blog! It's more than I ever could have hoped for, and definitely inspires me to write more. I just love the art in Disney's Tangled, so I'm beyond excited that my blog can reflect a little part of that :)

Ah, three weeks left till check-in! I have no idea where the time went. After graduation, things seemed to just pass by in a blur. My last day of work is this Saturday, then on Sunday is Christmas. Even though I don't celebrate Christmas, my mom's birthday is on that day, and I love watching all the holiday specials on TV. My favorite is the Disney Parks Christmas Parade- I look forward to that every year.

On Thursday and Friday of last week, I explored Orlando with my boyfriend, as a kind of "end of semester" gift for both of us. Thursday night we crashed the Polynesian hotel, watched Wishes from the beach, and lazed around on lounge chairs while watching Tangled on a big inflatable screen. It was awesome! That was my first time in the Polynesian, and I can't wait to one day actually be rich enough to stay there. After the fireworks we went upstairs to the Kona Cafe sushi bar and pigged out on sticky wings and a massive volcano roll. It was heaven, and something I could definitely see myself doing again while on my internship.





On Friday, we went to Downtown Disney and got an amazing ice cream soda from the Ghiradelli shop. So. Good. I decided not to buy anything until I start working and can use my Cast Member discount, but I definitely spotted some things I want in the near future. Especially at the Art of Disney and the Tren-D stores. We also drove by Cumberland Apartments to see what it looked like. I was glad to see no obvious signs of danger- no unsavory characters roaming around, no trash on the streets- in fact, it looked pretty nice. I liked the fact that it was right across the street from Mickey's Retreat. I also got to creep on some of the college program apartments. Maybe it's just me, but Patterson and Chatam look so beautiful.

Saturday we came home, and that night was my holiday party at work. I'm going to miss my amazing coworkers so much- when things got crazy, we always had each other to keep sane. In case I never mentioned it before, I work part-time in a Kid's Club at a 24-Hour Fitness. I get to babysit all the kids ages 6 months to 12 years old while their parents go exercise. I've worked there for over two years, and while I definitely need a change, I'm still going to get nostalgic for the friends I've made there and the kids I've grown attached to. My coworkers gave me a huge card that they all signed, and it was just so unexpected. I'm going to keep it around for inspiration.

In Disney news, progress has been made on my upcoming adventure. I got my hiking boots, my bed sheets, my pillows, and some towels. I also booked a hotel that me and my dad are going to stay in the night of check-in. We'll be driving up the day of the 11th, staying at the All Star Music hotel that night, and then I'll be checking-in to Cumberland the next morning!

I alternate between feelings of nervousness and excitement. I'm excited because I definitely feel like I need change in my life. I love my boyfriend, but I'm getting tired of living at home. I need to be independent, and I need a different job. Even though all my coworkers are awesome, the management at that place has been getting to me for a while. And now that I've graduated from college, I feel that I deserve a better job with my degree. Disney is something I've always loved, and I just love Orlando in general (even if the I-4 does scare the crap out of me sometimes).

However, I'm nervous because I'm about to be thrown completely out of my comfort zone. I'm used to having my own room, I'm used to being around people I know and streets I'm familiar with. I'm used to a certain routine and a certain area and a certain way of life, and in a few weeks it's all about to change. A few years ago, I never would have volunteered to move away from my family and work in a job that involved public speaking. I feel like I've changed a lot from the shy, quiet girl I used to be, but even so, this internship is going to be a big change. It's going to take a lot of courage to fight the homesickness. But at the same time, I know things would be worse if I decided to back down and stay home. This experience is going to be a great and life-changing one, and all I have to do is make it through the fear of the unknown.

Since the time is getting closer to leaving for Orlando, I've began obsessing over reading Disney blogs and tumblr's. Most blogs out there are about the College and International Programs, but I've been lucky enough to find a few that relate to Animal Kingdom and the Conservation Education Presenter role. I figured I would post them just in case you're like me, and like to gather as much information as possible before starting a new job. In any case, they provide for very entertaining reads.

Previous Conservation Education Presenters:


http://wdwcollegeprogram2011.blogspot.com/
http://doingasdreamersdo.blogspot.com/
http://wdwpi2011.wordpress.com/
http://nickwdwfall2011.blogspot.com/

Blogs of those who have worked in Animal Kingdom (Various Capacities):


http://safariwanyama.wordpress.com/
http://katies-going-to-disney-world.blogspot.com/

General PI Blogs:


https://working4themouse.wordpress.com/

Favorite CP Blogs (even though I'm doing the PI and not the CP, all of these blogs have tons of helpful information about what to expect from life in Orlando):


http://disneyworldcollegeprogram.blogspot.com/  (FSFB Spring 2011)
http://calismagicalinternship.blogspot.com/  (Main Entrance Operations Spring 2011)
http://amandasfstop.blogspot.com/ (Photopass Spring 2011)
http://enchantedfuture.tumblr.com/ (Character Performer Fall 2011)
http://kaylamakesmagic.tumblr.com/ (Merchandise Fall 2011)
http://askacm.tumblr.com/ (Custodial Fall 2010)
http://wdwcpfall10.blogspot.com/  (Attractions Spring 2011)
http://whereinternshipdreamscometrue.blogspot.com/ (Hospitality Spring 2010)
http://seasonswiththemouse.blogspot.com/ (Character Attendant and Performer)

http://disneydispatch.com/content/columns/amber-earns-her-ears/ (QSFB Spring 2010)


Disney Youtube Channels (these always help to get me excited):


http://www.youtube.com/user/UndercoverTourist
http://www.youtube.com/user/PopSong1#g/u

Disney Music:


http://simpledisneythings.tumblr.com/music

If anybody has any suggestions on blogs to check out, let me know! Now that school's over and I'm all set to graduate on Friday, I have tons of free time before I start my internship. Additionally, I have a whole word document saved with links to blogs (I know, very stalker-ish), so if anybody wants more blogs to check out I can pass it along.

In other news, my bed sheets for my new apartment arrived the other day:



It's a small image, but you get the idea. :)