Stop & Go.

Well, this week has been full of ups & downs! Tuesday night was a lot of fun because a few of my friends & I went to Magic Kingdom for a couple hours and then took the monorail to The Polynesian resort (which is beautiful and looks just like Hawaii.. I was obsessed/want to live there) and watched the fireworks on the beach across the lake. It was awesome! I ended up not getting to work at the Lodge on Wednesday, but instead was trained inside at what's called The Hall at Bay Lake Tower. It is a place for families to come and play games, make crafts, watch movies (and even rent movies). They want the feel of it to be like a basement- it's pretty awesome. When I was in there we painted ceramics and did Mickey Tie-Dye which was quite adorable. Wednesday night, a few of my roommates and I went to see Cirque Du Soliel at Downtown Disney. It was incredible! I have never seen anything like it. There was so much going on that I may just have to see it again. Haha. Thursday I had CPR/First Aide training for NINE hours. Ahhhh. I mean I am glad that we practiced it a lot because keeping someone alive is a big deal- but being in the same room for that long nearly drove me insane. At least Sarah was with me the whole day. She is great! And I LOVE that she is my roommate. When we both happen to be in our room at the same time we just talk and talk. I love it & she makes me laugh a lot! I have had Friday & Saturday off but it's weird because I go, go, go all week and make myself so tired and then when I have a day off it all comes to a halt and I don't know what to do with myself. I do the typical GTL (gym, tan, laundry) and then I am bored again. Which I am honestly learning is not the best for me yet. When I get bored, I instantly miss my friends and family and dogs and tivo and would give my right arm to fly home for the night. So if yall could please just pray for me in that area. I need to learn patience in a whole new way.  And surprise, surprise- God's timing is perfect because my family is going to be here all week! I am so looking forward to playing around Disney with them and giving them all big hugs and laughing til we cry! God knows just what we need, right when we need it.

"Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." - Exodus 14:13-14

The castle during "The Magic, The Memories & You" . Incredible show! 

The pool at my apartment- my building is directly to the right.

"WIshes" from the beach at the Polynesian. 

Awesome care package from my mom & seester :)

Also, I am taking recommendations for good tv show series to watch. Specifically ones that can be found on hulu. Please & Thank you!

All my love,
Lauren 

Magical Moments

Training is almost done! Woohoo! Yesterday was such a fun day at work. I was going 90 to nothin the whole time.. which is the best way to do it if you ask me. The more you act like a kid, go crazy and give 100%- the more fun it is. My job is a blast but it's definitely structured because it's Disney and has to be perfect. I know it will get more & more natural to me but it is funny to think about the shy girl I used to be and now here I am leading pool parties and talking on the microphone the whole time for over 100 guests a day. Hilarious. I also had one of my first "magical moments" yesterday. Here at Disney if you are celebrating something, you get to wear a giant button saying what it is. So at campfire, I was handing out marsh mellows & met Noah who was celebrating his 10th birthday! His mom told me he was having to use a walker when he was here because he had a severe concussion about 5 days ago. So I kept talking to Noah every now & then and gave him about 10 marsh mellows. Haha. He came back about 10 minutes later and excitedly pulled me over to see what he had drawn in the sand and it said "Noah met Lauren" complete with the o in Noah being a mickey head of course. It was so cute & put a big smile on my face! I am looking forward to working at Wilderness Lodge tomorrow because I hear the families get crazy involved with our activities!

Just because I love yall.. here is some random Disney insider information I thought it would be fun to share:
-At Fort Wilderness, in the very back they keep a chicken coupe with about 6 chickens in it. Why you ask? Because if the chickens die, then we know we have a mosquito disease on our hands. Scarrry. So it is very important to check on the chickens!
-Also, at the Fort there is a section that is the remains of Disney's first water park "River Country". It is kind of sad to see it!
-One of the coolest things I have gotten to do here is walk underneath the Magic Kingdom through the "utilidor". When you are at the MK, the guests are actually on the 2nd floor. The 1st floor is used for the characters and cast members to get from one point to another without walking through the park in their costumes.
-Also, it used to be that only girls were allowed to work in Tomorrowland because it was the future times and apparently beautiful girls used to symbolize our prosperous future. In the same sense, only guys were allowed to work on Main Street, USA. Maybe that's why it's my favorite part of the parks.. Haha. Only kidding! :)
- There are hundreds of hidden mickeys ALL over the resorts & parks. I am pretty sure every tour I have been on so far points at least 2 or 3 out. And there is only 1 hidden minne! Good luck finding it.
-MK is in the process of it's largest expansion yet! Fantasyland (my fave!!) is gaining a Beauty & the Beast restaurant, a seven dwarfs rollercoaster and the dumbo ride is doubling. I also think there is a new thing for Ariel if I remember right. It is going to be exciting!


I think that is all for now but if I think of anymore I will let yall know. Disney is full of trivia and information so I am always learning something. I hope everyone is surviving the heat! Let me know if you have any questions :)

All my love,
Lauren

On The Job Training

The past 2 days I have had training at the Contemporary Resort. For those of you who have gone to Disney before, it's the resort that the monorail goes through to get to the Magic Kingdom. I am literally walking distance from the MK. It's glorious. Space Mountain is inches from my parking spot. Haha. So far my training has consisted of: water basketball, pool parties, the electric slide, how to work the ipod, filling water balloons, coloring, crafting, and roasting marsh mellows. We are supposed to always watch a movie outside on this giant blow up screen at night but the past 2 nights have had kind of bad weather.. I mean, I have never seen so many people freak out about lighting; but apparently Florida is the "lightning capital of the world" so we will see how it goes. I really like the Contemporary! It is a classic. And today I talked to the CUTEST kid in the world. He was 2 1/2 and had seen Mickey today. I wanted to take him home. That's one thing, being here makes me so excited to bring my own family to Disney World one day! I know it's a long ways off but still- it is something to look forward to and it is so easy to day dream about! The next two days I am training at Bay Lake Tower which is the Disney Vacation Club right next to the Contemporary. The people that stay there are HARD CORE. Like I talked to 2 girls yesterday from Houston (TX represent!) who have been to Disney at least 23 times. Ridic. But I love it. The girl training me tomorrow is AWESOME. I can already tell that we are going to be buddies & keep each other sane while doing this job. Praise the Lord.

Last night, Sarah and I went on an hour and a half adventure to find a Sonic. She had never been! My GPS took me to three different "sonics" (a neighborhood street, a wal-mart, and a sonic that probably closed 2 years ago) before we finally found one 30 minutes away. But it was worth it because we laughed SO hard & I even ended up with three free coupons for drinks. Oh, and I had to pay 4 tolls which pretty much doubled the cost of my sonic drink. Haha. Once again,  worth it. It is proven that people know no bounds when it comes to a cherry limeade.

Here is a quote from the book I am reading, Cold Tangerines (highly recommend it!) that has refreshed me in some way: "What gives me hope is the belief that God will be faithful, because he has been faithful before, to me and the people around me. I need the reminders. I need to be reminded that He was faithful then, and then, and then. Just because I have forgotten how to see doesn't mean it isn't there. His goodness is there. His promises have been kept. All I need to do is see." Thank the Lord for His faithfulness! Even within the last two weeks of being here and this whole process in general: when the Lord is faithful, he is FAITH-FUL. I mean it shines like a ray of light highlighting the person, place or thing that is being promised and fulfilled by Him. The way the Lord knows us and goes before us is perfect. 

ps- the whole time I have been writing this, I have been trying to upload some videos but it is taking forever and I need to go to bed. I will try again soon!

All my love, 

Lauren 

Welcome to the family!

Welcome to the family is what everyone says when you are new to the resorts- it is a great welcome & I am happy to be a part of the family :) Today I did some more Rec Orientation at Fort Wilderness & the Contemporary Resort. Honestly, I was a little iffy because Fort Wilderness is a legit camp site and yall know I would prefer a beach themed resort but I really liked it! The activities there are great & the guests are super friendly and love being there so it makes it fun for us. The Contemporary was beautiful- I hope I get to work a lot of shifts there :) After work, 2 of my friends & I went to Animal Kingdom again. We saw the Lion King show (best show at the parks- if you come you HAVE to see it!) and rode a few rides. It is fun standing in line with guests and talking to families- they make me laugh so hard! I was standing in the single rider line today (much faster than regular line) and the little 9 year old girl behind me had been on the ride 8 times today and was sooooo excited to go again! She was cracking me up; she even tried to get the ride attendant to let us ride together- haha. It's fun when the families let you into a little piece of their vacation. It's my favorite part so far! I have included some pictures from the past week! I hope everyone is doing well. Miss yall everyday! 

Magic Kingdom's Parade- Beautiful! 

Chip (or Dale) at a Magic Kingdom dance party :) 

My roommates Rachelle & Sarah at Animal Kingdom

I got really close to a Giraffe on the safari ride! 

My love in the AK parade! 

At Epcot for the night- get used to my selfies. Sorry bout it :) 

All my love,
Lauren

Traditions.

Today, I finally got to attend Disney's "Traditions" class (the first day of training basically) and it was amazing. Gosh, I REALLY loved it. I am such a sucker for history, values, and company loyalty so I was wide eyed the entire time. It is so exciting to be exposed to everything Disney and go behind the scenes of the parks. I love how the company is focused around families and sharing stories. I am really looking forward to starting work so I can make my very own memories here as a cast member. If you want to know more about today just ask me.. I don't want to give the whole experience away on here but I would love to share it with any of yall!

This weekend I also got to go into the parks for the first time. It was a blast! It's different because when I go, I don't feel like a tourist at all- I feel like it's my backyard. I love it! My roommates and I went to Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I laughed so hard riding the rides and there were a couple times I was legitimately scared (like when I was on the Dinosaur ride..). I was so jumpy and reminded myself of my mom ;) Haha.  The first time we went to Epcot it took us like 3 hours to get there. Ridiculous. Apparently there is a lot here that you have to learn on your own, which we did.. So we are heading in the right direction to figuring everything out :)

Last night I also got to go to church and watch the mavs game with my new friend Aly. It was so good and I am incredibly thankful to participate in fellowship and begin a community here with here. She is starting her internship here in a couple weeks so I am really looking forward to spending more time with her! Tonight, my roommates & I went to Epcot to see the fireworks show there and it was beautiful! I wish so many of yall could be with me to experience it because I know I would love it that much more.  I think about you guys all the time and am so thankful for all the support and encouragement. My roommates have already made comments to me like "wow, you really love your friends don't you?!" :) Abbbbsolutely :)

Sorry for the lack of pictures but I am exhausted- I will try and put some up tomorrow!

All my love,
Lauren

New Room & New Job!

After about 22 hours in the car and 3 AWESOME pitstops (Destin, Mimi's House, Clearwater Beach and of course a lost car key along the way)- we made it to Orlando!

Clearwater Beach, FL

Day 1 for me consisted of a lot of "stations" where I received my housing assignment, work assignment and a lot of other Disney necessities. Everyone I have met has been super friendly and adventurous (I have even met 2 Aggies!). I love it here because there is so much to explore! I feel like I have so much at my fingertips and I know these 7 months are going to fly by! I am living in a 2 bedroom apartment with 3 other great girls. They are from New Jersey, Bolivia and Florida so it's really neat to hear about their lives. My ROOM roommate's name is Sarah and we are the same age and have the same role here at Disney- just different resorts. She seems like so much fun and I think we are going to get along great! I will post pictures of my apartment once it is finished being unpacked :) Oh and my building is the closest one to the pool and work out facility.. how did they know that's all I need?! lol.

Sitting in my new room! I came back and my bed was already made- they are the best!

I am so excited about my work assignment! I am at the Wilderness Lodge resort working with the recreation activities for kids there. My mom, Sydney, Rita & I went to check it out yesterday and I fell in love. It looks like Colorado in Florida- so beautiful! And of course I am stoked to be working with kids again- especially ones who are on their dream vacation at Disneyworld.

Wilderness Lodge

Last night we went and hung out at Downtown Disney- there was a lot of live music and dancing.. totally my kind of thing so we had a blast and I am glad Syd and Rita got a little taste of Disney :)

My roommate Sarah with us!

So far everything is great and I have such a peace about being here. I can already see how the Lord is providing for me and I know it will only become more evident during my time here. He really is so good for letting me experience this. I have only been in Florida for about 3 days and I can already testify that once again, the Lord's plans for us are better than our own.

Shout out to my mom, Rita, and Sydney for starting this journey with me! Yall are the best and I am forever grateful for yall. My Disney story will always start with our epic car ride and how wonderfully yall have taken care of me. #lauren2fl crew for liiifeee!

I will leave yall with a quote I heard in the bathroom tonight from a little girl: "I love you mommy. (I love you too sweetheart.) I wish you were happy everyday. (I am happy everyday I just get frustrated sometimes) I wish we could stay at Disney World forever."  Real talk. I got a good laugh out of it- it was too sweet.

Let's go MAVS.
All my love,
Lauren

From Texas to Florida!

 It is finally here! I start the drive to Florida tomorrow and officially move into my apartment at Disney on Monday. I am lucky to have a great team going with me: my mom, Rita and Sydney. I know we will have a blast blaring music, playing roadtrip games and just laughing til we cry. I am so thankful for their support!

I know this is kind of a random adventure I am about to embark on so here’s what has been going on in my life leading up to Disney: I grew up absolutely loving Disney World and I actually considered doing the Disney College Program my sophomore year in college but didn’t want to leave College Station for a semester so I kind of put the idea aside. Now, 2 years later, my degree requires that I complete an internship the last semester before I graduate and as I went through interviews and the job search process, I remembered my excitement about the Disney internship. I knew back in the fall that I felt the Lord was calling me to go off for my internship but little did I know He was leading me to Orlando. In March I got accepted for a Recreation role in the program and will keep yall posted on what that exactly entails! Haha.

Although leaving College Station was one of the hardest things I have had to do, I know the Lord is sovereign in His plan for my life and will be with my every step of the way.  Seeing Him provide for my friends and I during this period in our lives has continually left me awestruck. I am excited about my friends and family coming to visit me, learning the culture of Disney, networking, hopefully getting involved with Campus Crusade ministries, exploring every crevasse of the Disney parks, being 45 minutes away from the beach, meeting new people and most importantly doing the best I can to proclaim the name of the Lord in a new place! I love the expression to “root where you are planted” and I am looking forward to seeing what that looks like for me in Florida. It is never easy for me to leave home but the Lord’s ways are higher than my own so I am trusting that I am in good hands :)

 

Thank yall for your support, prayers and encouragement! Please be praying specifically for my housing assignment, safe travels, and making new friends. I want to keep in touch with yall as best I can so please feel free to call/text/skype/e-mail/heytell/snail mail.. or all of the above!

Side note-At the beginning of senior year, my roommates came back from camp with nicknames such as chomps, hurricane, danger and one of them (aka Brittani Kelly) thought it would be appropriate for my nickname to be “Fairytale”- hint the title of this blog. Thanks BK ;) You know me too well.

All my love,

Lauren