Ok so I've been feeling very nostalgic and jealous of everyone that's gone to Disneyland in the past 4 months! I have been dying to go back and visit. I am feeling the definite need for some Mickey in my life hahahahaha ;)

So most of you know I did the Disney College Program from January to August 2010 in Disneyland and loved it! (well it was a love/hate relationship as with all jobs) So I want to relive some of those awesome memories with you ;) Ready?? OK:

The College Program official picture - can you see me???

I finally saw Sleeping Beauty after 8 months of working there! (and she's my favorite!)

My dad took this picture when my family came to visit. Those letters are now gone cuz of the new entrance being built at DCA (Disney California Adventure for those not cool enough to know the acronym hahahahaha)

I worked at the Grand Californian hotel for a pin event (it was huge!! And way fun cuz I'm a pin person)

This was when my family dropped me offin January. We got to stay in the Disneyland Hotel cuz of Cast Member discounts! And we ate at the character dining breakfast at the hotel (Goofy's kitchen)

One of the best parts was getting to be in the park with no guests around! This was taken after we toured the Fantasyland dark rides (Peter Pan, Snow White, Pinocchio, Mr Toad) My favorite thing was to walk around right before the park opened and just enjoy the music and to be able to not be jostled as you walked to your store to work.

The Partners Statue in the "Hub"

Inside the Dream Suite above Pirates of the Caribbean! Morgan and I were geeking out the entire time (and I might have cried a little bit....NBD)

My favorite Fantasyland ride is Peter Pan. The ONLY time this doesn't have a line is when the park is closed. Hence the picture ;)

Riding Space Mountain with the lights on!! Best, coolest, awesomest thing ever!

First time on Splash Mountain. Can ya tell by the terror on my face hahahahaha

Morgan and I liked to take pictures on rides. This would be on Big Thunder Railroad and yes, we are nuts ;)

Ok so my friend Chris (the white guy) had never been on Indiana Jones which is MY favorite ride of all time (I even loved it so much that I left my phone in it somewhere, luckily Indy found it and gave it back) so we dragged him on it and took a picture in the pitch black queue blinding us and everyone around us for a good 30 seconds hahahahahahahaha

Morgan and I bought the carmel apples in Critter Country cuz they were 50% off and were delicious! Yay for being Cast Members!!

Best part though was getting engaged at the park! Sunset in front of the castle. Yeah you can gasp and "Oooooh precious" cuz it was awesome!

This is where Andrew officially proposed but we forgot to get a picture of US there. But I figured a picture of me sufficed the need ;) It was mostly for my parents to see where it happened ;)

I can't wait to go visit in March!!! I've been having serious withdrawal issues of both Disneyland and my former roommate Morgan so I'm super excited to go visit both!! Woot!

Anyone have any special memories of Disneyland or just Disney in general to share??

(P.S. For more info on the Disney College Program go here For more of MY adventures go here And why I love Disney so much, go here)

**Emily Merkley let me just say thank you for kicking me in the butt to write again hahahahaha**

Well back home that is ;) And boy is it NICE!

I missed my bed, my cats, my family, homecooked meals hahahahaha. I'm so glad I went to Disneyland but I'm so glad to be back ;) Back in kindergarten with crazy kids, soon-to-be back at the Disney Store workin with crazy characters.

So I officially graduated from the Disney University with 2 Mousters degrees and a Duckterite. Yep, you can call me Duckter Bowler ;)

Proof of me graduating:

I was so happy Andrew got to come!! It made it all perfect ;)

My BFF Sally-Marie from the program ;)

I was very sad to leave my apartment though. I loved living on my own but soon I will be again ;) Of course we had to do a couple roommate pictures before we left now that Morgan has new rommates ;)

Such a fun experience.Thank you Morgan for dragging me out there ;)

Now that I'm home though, wedding stuff needs to actually start! AHHHH! So much to do and so little time.
Next on the list:
- flowers
- engagement pictures
- announcements
- dresses (bridesmaids)
- fabric (for ties)

At least for now. Of course the list goes on and on but it's exciting too ;) I couldn't be more happy ;) I get to marry my best friend and love of my life. Life doesn't get much better ;)

Holy cow guys! 4 weeks left and then I get to come home forever!! Hahahahaha YAY!

This truly has been an amazing experience for me though. I mean, I got to work at Disneyland for 8 months. I got trained as a Jedi Knight, a Princess, and a Toon! How many people do you know that can say that? ;) I got to work with some crazy characters, met some amazing new friends that I will forever be in contact with. Learned how to be a hat writer and I love it!

Got to work inside the castle, which was a goal of mine. Will be riding Star Tours one last time before it goes down, Indiana Jones is still my favorite ride of all time ;) Fantasmic! is still my favorite show of all time. And I still get emotional when I see Mickey hahahaha (I think that's pretty good considering I've seen him in all kinds of ways hahaha)

I'm sad to be leaving my Disneyland family, but I'm excited to go home to MY family ;) And back to the school to work with kids again. And back to the Disney Store (cuz honestly, I can't NOT be a cast member now).

Only 4 weeks left!
Those 4 weeks include:
- Andrew coming to visit!!
- My Aunt, Uncle, and cousins coming to visit!
- The Ellsworths coming to visit!
- My family coming out for one last Disney hoorah!
- A semi-formal dance! (which I have to buy a dress for...)
- Work, work, and more work.
And finally:
- GRADUATION!!!!

It's gonna fly by! ;) ;)

I only have 2 months left in this crazy Disney life. So weird to think about but at the same time, I'm glad it's almost over. Hahahahaha Weird right?

Now don't get me wrong, this has been the best experience I've had and I'm glad I actually went and did it. But I don't like doing nothing but retail day after day. I miss my kids, and to be perfectly honest. I miss the Disney Store.

Sure the store may not be busy all the time, but Disneyland is like a non-stop craze fest. It's just a little too much chaos for me. But boy has it been fun ;)

I've made so many new friends that will be friends for life. I plan on flying out to visit some of them after this is over ;) We're also thinking of having our own "reunion" at Disneyland later this year ;) Quite frankly I would have gone completely insane if it weren't for the people I've met here and the friends I've made. So thanks for keeping me sane my friends!! You know who you are ;)

And while I'll be sad to leave the Happiest Place on Earth, it's not really goodbye cuz I'm a Disney freak ;) I will be coming all the time to play in the park. It's always fun to go into the park when you know a ton of people that work there. It's like being part of the "cool kids" clique back in high school sort of......I love going with my family or people who are visiting and introducing them to everybody.

As it gets closer to being over, I can't help but be a little excited to go back home and back to "normal" life. I'm excited to get back into the schools and helping kids (whatever grade it happens to be). I'm excited to go back to my little Disney family at the store and working with them again ;)

I'm more excited just to be near my family again. I never realized how close we were until I moved a state away.

I miss my mom a lot. There are so many times I want to just walk down the hall and sit on her bed and make her listen to me but seeing as I'm way over here.....that doesn't actually happen.

I miss my grandparents. I can't wait to see them next week!! I haven't seen them since leaving in January and I'm super excited to visit and eat Wheat Thins and Dip and maybe even some frozen grapes ;) ;) ;)

My bros. They are insane and annoying but they are my little brothers and I miss them too.
I'm excited to see Nick (since I haven't seen him since March) and hear all about the mission plans (his call shuld be coming any day now!!). Trev will be excited cuz I'm bringing him pins ;) Yep I got him hooked on pins (with Mom's help) and I'm excted to see him in AYT's All Shook Up ;)

My daddy. There are sometimes when a girl just needs her dad and he's always there for me. When I have a computer problem out here especially, he's the first and only person I call. Also when I have friend issues or any issues I can call him and he'll make it ok. I'm excited to go home and see everyone!

And, of course, I'm super excited to see Andrew. It's going to be a little odd at first I'm sure but I'm still way excited to finally see him and talk face to face! Only one week to go before I get to go home for a weekend!

2 months left! Bring it on summer!!

So I work in the most magical place on the planet right?
For me, the magic has changed.
It hasn't left completely
(although the work factor isn't magical at all
hahahahahaha)
it's just changed now that I know how a lot of things work.


It's exactly like being backstage for a show
and seeing all the gizmos work and the actors perform.
Watching Fantasmic! was even more magical for me
now that I know how some of the mechanical aspects work.
It was already my favorite part of Disneyland and it still is.
I cry every time I watch it.
I don't know what it is, but it just causes the waterworks to flow.


Now the initial magic of seeing The Matterhorn from the freeway
is totally gone just cuz I see it eeryday.
But when I go as a guest it's still got a certain magic factor.
The fact that I know what it looks like from the back
and how it works but you can't see it at all when you're walking around ;)
I think that's pretty magical.


I still love walking down Main Street
(it's even cooler when you walk in the park when the guests aren't there yet)
and smelling the vanilla scent and listening to the music.
I still love walking through the castle
(it's Sleeping Beauty's castle BTW,
NOT Cinderella's. Cindy's is in Florida)
and I love working in the castle ;)


**Fun fact about Fantasyland:
Fantasyland has 3 sources for its ambiance music:
The Castle, King Arthur's Carousel, and Small World. **


Oh and now that I'm trained in hat writing
(WOOT!)
I will be hopping around as well as getting more shifts as a hat writer.
Which means an extra $0.25 an hour pay!
Hahahahaha yay!
But it's super fun and I can't wait to do it!


Magic can be defined (in Disney terms) as:
- inital excitement of seeing The Matterhorn and Small World from the freeway,
- when you walk in and see Mickey in Town Square,
- riding your favorite attraction,
- celebrating something special and wearing buttons
(birthdays, anniversaries, just married, etc)
- seeing your favorite character
- finding that one souvenir that's perfect
and many others.
These are just what I've seen.


But I want to share one magic moment with you
that happened this weekend.
On Saturday I worked in Fantasyland in the castle,
I was in Enchanted Chamber
and a family came in to look around
and then an older man came up to my counter
to put his water bottles down
I said "Hi! how are you?"
and he motioned me to be quiet and I was like "...ok..."


Then a lady walked in and screamed with delight
when she saw this man and ran to him
and threw her arms around his neck.
He had apparently travelled all the way from Mexico to surprise
his wife and family ;)
(His son-in-law explained this to me,
the man spoke little English)
I started crying just because it was so sweet
and so I gave them buttons
saying that they were celebrating ;)
It was such a special moment and I felt so honored that I witnessed it.


When I get discouraged I think about the lives
I've touched by simple little acts.
Like giving out birthday buttons,
wearing pins and a guest finds the pin
that they've been spending months to find.
Or the kids that it's their first visit and
everythng is just so overwhelming
but whenever they see Mickey their eyes light up.


Like I said the magic's there, it's just different now.
And I need to remember this as I go to work everyday. ;)

Oh my gosh friends!! I had the coolest experience ever last night! (well one of the coolest anyways)

We were allowed to walk through the Fantasyland Darkrides (Snow White, Pinnochio, Peter Pan) with the lights on! Well we rode through Peter Pan and it completed a little bit of my soul not gonna lie ;)

Snow White and Pinnochio are scary rides friends. They are not the most family-friendly stories and these rides are built in such a way that while you're sitting in the "cars" you are, for that time, the actual character experiencing everything. So you are Snow White, Pinnochio, and Peter Pan while you're riding through the attraction. Kinda cool huh??

The tour guide we had last night was adorable. She was scared of the witch in Snow White (so am I BTW) cuz she pops out all the time. Like ALL the time. So she'd trigger the effect and then run away hahahahaha sounds like something I'd do too ;)

She showed us more hidden Mickeys that I didn't know about! They're kinda hard to describe and sometimes even harder to see but there's one in the forest as you enter Snow White (on the wall) and in Pinnochio in the last room the chest of drawers, on the top, the wood becomes a Mickey head. And the wishing star in that ride is always on ;)

Of course I can't reveal certain things or it would ruin the magic and the show of things, but I will tell you that if you try to steal props from the rides. You will be caught. So don't!

Disney does not want you to take it. Those are props that are important to our show. And stealing is just bad. They will escort you out of the park so don't do it.

And next month they're arranging a tour of the Walt Disney Animation Studios!! Like where they draw the movies to life!!!! OH MY GOSH!!!!! I'm just a little excited ;) ;)

I've been feeling a little discouraged though out here. I feel bored, to tears. I'm also just tired of people's drama. I moved out here to get away from drama (of all places to California the most dramatic place second to NY) and this drama doesn't even involve me I'm just tired of hearing about it. I should be getting paid if I'm gonna be someone's therapist. Especially if I don't have a choice but whatevs. I recently put in a request to landhop more often so hopefully that'll happen so I can experience more. I've decided that I'm not cut out for Cali life. Everything is so fast-paced it's ridiculous! Even when I'm at home I don't feel rested, I feel restless like there's something I should be doing. I've been sick pretty much since I moved here hahaha mostly from lack of sleep schedule and eating less and less each day hahahaha BUT I fit into my skinny jeans!

WOOT!!

I'm super excited to go home for a weekend in June! I need a break from here and be with my family, especially my grandparents since I haven't seen them! Sorry kinda random post but this is me ;)

When Walt was with us, if his light was on, it meant anyone could go up and ask him a question and he'd be there for any cast member that needed him. Well after he passed, to keep his spirit there in the park, we have a lit lamp 24/7, 365 days a year. And sitting in that apartment you could definitely feel his presence. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. And no we were not allowed to take pictures up there. There is one published picture of Walt's apartment with Walt, his wife Lillian, and some of their grandkids playing on the floor. We took one picture in the same spot that they are in in the apartment. I don't know how many of you know much about Walt Disney, but he was a huge kid. We have a train running along Disneyland because Walt loved trains, he used to chase after them as a boy. And did you know that Main Street was modeled after his boyhood hometown in Missouri? He wanted his guests to feel the magic of the turn of the century, something which I believe everyone feels.

**Fun facts about Main Street**
- The scent of vanilla is pumped into the street
(makes you buy more hahahahaha)
- If you go into the corner by the Markethouse,
you will hear as ambiance:
a piano lesson, someone singing in the shower, and a dentist appointment
all occurring simultaneously.
- The windows that have writing on them are all dedicated to
specific people.
This is the highest honor anyone can receive at Disneyland BTW.
(Cast Members have our own window :>)

I know this is probably one of the most random posts I've done, but if y'all like it maybe I'll do one like this for every land? Especially Tomorrowland and Fantasyland ;)

Hope you enjoyed a bit about Walt Disney and Main Street!

I can't believe how fast time has been flying since I moved here! I had to stop and think what month it was and lo and behold! It's MAY! Which means that JUNE is next! Which means I'll get to see my Andrew!!!

I'm just a little excited ;) Living out here in California has been amazing! The weather alone is just wonderful. The hottest it's been so far was 85!! That's like the low in December in AZ. Ok maybe a little exaggerated but you know what I mean. There's a pretty constant breeze so we keep our windows open pretty much all the time.

But I have a confession to make: I miss home!!! I didn't think I'd get homesick but I am just a little. Good thing I'm flying home for that weekend in June. I need a break from California crazy life. Sometimes I almost feel like I'm being rushed on everything. Just part of the lifestyle out here hahahahaha It's fun but a little overwhelming at times.

Oh and an update on work: I can't be a FGIT (Fairy Godmother In Training) cuz apparently it's separate BUT I'm getting trained on how to do hat writing which means that I can move around in lands!! YAY!!!! I'll get to work in Fatnasyland and ToonTown also! ;)

Oh and congrats to Anais for Chad Moody coming home yesterday!! You go girl!! You guys are gonna be so happy!

Now I really can't wait to see Andrew!!! I'm so excited!! ;)

P.S. On a totally random note, I don't remember if I've mentioned this earlier or not, BUT I work with a lady who was an ewok in Return of the Jedi!! Oh yeah I'm awesome and she's hilarious! If you ever come to Disneyland and she's working I'll introduce you ;)

Living on my own, working at Disneyland, with only my feet/bus for transportation life is never the same two days in a row. Ever.

It's the little things in life that make you giggle. Like today. Today was "Bat's Day" at Disneyland, an event for Gothic people to come together and celebrate with us. Now granted they look a little out of the norm, they were the nicest people I've met. They were very sweet and helped anyone that asked for it. I witnessed a man help escort an elderly lady to an attraction when her family left her behind. Little acts of kindness ;)

When a clean apartment makes things clearer, for a little bit at least. When your family comes to visit and finds something to do altogether, in this case, pin trading. ;) Chocolate ice cream always fixes things. No matter how bad a day can go, just talking to your mama makes it better.

I'm looking forward to going home at the end of June! To see my family, and of course, to see ANDREW!! ;) I'm only a little excited about it ;) ;) ;) ;) I am very excited to see my room again after 6 months away and my kitties!! And my grandparents too!

Just a little tidbit from me. More interesting things hopefully to come later. Means I gotta start having adventures again hahaha ;)

So yesterday I had my first Fantasyland shift. It was way fun but a little confusing. Because, obviously, I haven't worked there before. But I loved wearing a skirt. Not gonna lie ;)

I had my hair in braids, therefore looking kinda like Heidi (felt like I shoulda had some strudel or something) but I enjoyed getting pixie dust all over me. Reminded me of home and the Disney Store ;) Maybe I'll train to be a FGIT if I can (Fairy Godmother In Training)

Here are some more adventures from the past little while:
-discovered a Ralph's nearby and have been saving TONS
on groceries now ;)
-had my family here to visit and play in the park with
-went to Six Flags and it was terrible!
-passed my probationary period and can now land-hop
(hence Fantsyland today)
-went to our neighborhood farmers market
and bought fresh strawberries and sourdough bread
-ate at Cafe Orleans for the first time
-worked overtime
-got to tour the Dream Suite above Pirates of the Caribbean!!j
-bought my first ear hat ;)
-bought my first Star Wars shirt and I LOVE it!
-built more lightsabers than I can count
-been hit with more lightsabers than I can count
-countdown to Andrew coming home is in the double digits!!

Just a little of what's been going on ;)