It's the little things... and the big things. Yeah, those are good too.

 

This past week has been one of the best since the start of my College Program!  This was my last week of classes which meant I gave my final presentations and can find some time to relax.  Sunday was also the end of my sixth day working after a 50 hour work week.  It was brutal however the pay check will be worth it.  It was a tough week yet one little girl made it a lot brighter.  She was too short to go on Space Mountain but instead of crying was fascinated with everything around her.  She was completely adorable and even asked me if I had wings.  It's the little moments that really make all the grief we get worth it. 

Monday night, I went to the Candlelight Processional featuring Neil Patrick Harris in EPCOT.  We waited a couple hours but it was worth every second!  The show was a telling of the Christmas story including narration and music.  The choir was entirely made up of Cast Members who sang beautifully.  There was also a phenomenal symphony to accompany them.  Neil Patrick Harris was incredible!  I couldn't believe he was actually there and he did a magnificent job. 


Tuesday, we spent almost the entire day at Hollywood Studios.  We were able to go to the animation studio where we drew Olaf from Disney's new movie Frozen.  The animator was so nice, he told us if we came back we could draw the Genie from Aladdin. We came back and he even gave us his drawing which was a very magical moment.  After, we headed to Backlot Tours which has a preshow that demonstrates the ways production crews create water battle scenes for films such as Pearl Harbor.  We asked and got to be a part of the special effects volunteers.  They suited us up in water proof uniforms and gave us our roles.  Scott was chosen as the ship captain and I was his goofy deck hand.  We were absolutely drenched in water.  It was so much fun and all we had to do was ask!  From there we went to watch the lighting of the Osborne Family Christmas lights and I even bought the R2D2 bucket that comes with churros! (I've been wanting it since the beginning and it was my first time eating churros.  Yummm!) Throughout the day we ended up riding Toy Story Midway Mania 3 times which is absolutely unheard of!  We also ended our night by visiting the Grand Floridian.  It was beautifully decorated and even holds a giant gingerbread house!  From there, we finished up by watching the Holiday Wishes fireworks show from the beach at Disney's Polynesian Resort . We did not spare a minute that day, let's just say we slept very well that night.

Wednesday, I worked in the morning.  It is always so strange working during the day because all the Cast Members are full timers instead of College Program which means some of them can be very cranky.  It was fun getting out early though because that night was the College Program's Winter Formal.  The theme was Blizzard Bash and even featured character meet and greets with infamous villains such as Hades from Hercules and Jafar from Aladdin.  This was a huge event (even bigger than prom.)  It was a very fun night and everyone was dressed to impress!  It was great having a snow filled evening without the cold.  I am definitely missing home however nothing can beat this weather. 

Friday and Saturday, I went to watch the filming of Disney's Christmas Day Parade/Celebration.  We didn't actually see much of the parade since television areas were reserved however we did get to see Neil Patrick Harris again even closer!  Watching the stage performances were the best part.  We saw Candice Glover the winner of the most recent season of American Idol.  We also saw the finally which featured Ne-Yo who performed his hit song "Let Me Love You."  They were both amazing singers which makes it very exciting to watch them again on Christmas day. Don't forget to look for me in the audience on television!




One of the best parts of my week was Saturday night when I was working at the front of our Fast Pass return line checking Magic Bands and Fast Passes.  I actually ran into a girl I went to day care with back home who was one of the cheerleaders for the parade.  It was amazing seeing a familiar face and really made my night.  There are a lot of little things reminding me of home as we approach Christmas.  I am going to miss it a lot however there is no place I would rather be if I cannot be in Iowa.  It is gorgeous here and I think everyone should have an opportunity to see Walt Disney World at Christmas because it is truly magical.