Time Flies...

...when you're having fun :) And fun is what I've been having! Seriously though, I cannot believe how quickly July went by, and that it is almost September. Arrivals have begun and already we've welcomed close to 2,000 new Cast Members, and there are still thousands more to come!

Well I have gotten to do some interesting things as of late. First of which, those of us on the environmentality team at Housing got together and headed to the Waste Management facility to learn some more about recycling. Apparently, Disney Imagineers came to the facility in order to do research for WALL-E! Here are some interesting photos!









Yay! Don't they look just like the blocks WALL-E makes? It made me happy! So here's a few things I learned about recycling that I didn't know before. First, you can't recycle all plastic, only bottle-neck-shaped things. Example, you cannot recycle the plastic cups you get at Starbucks, but regular water bottles you can. Second...you know the caps on water bottles? Or on milk cartons and juice cartons? You're supposed to take those off and trash them, because when plastic items are brought to the facilities, they are smashed by these giant rollers and those plastic caps will shoot off in all directions and are a safety hazard! (haha, my inner Cast Member is coming through!)

Let's see, another cool thing I got to do was have dinner at California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort! It is a fine-dining restaurant on the very top floor with a breathtaking view of the Magic Kingdom :) We had Casey's birthday dinner, and got to see the fireworks! Unfortunately, most of the pictures didn't show up because of the glare on the window...plus pictures cannot really do the view justice.







The food was so good! We shared gourmet cheese flatbread, each got some sushi, then had an oak fired fillet with broccolini! We ended the meal with Valrhona chocolate cake, and Mascarpone and Meyer Lemon Cheesecake! It was sooooo delicious :)

Recently when I was at Downtown Disney, I watched this awesome artist making glass sculptures. I would LOVE to learn how to do this one day!



Also, if I were super rich, I would totally buy this for my house :)



You see the price tag? $37,500?! AHHH! BEA-utiful. Anyway, let's see what else have I been up to...here's some work I've been doing! The first is a painting I did for my Mom. I used gouache on loose leaf canvas.



I also have been doing a lot of event posters for the event interns. It's funny that the poster I've enjoyed making the most is the High School Musical one when I really can barely stand that movie.....haha



And speaking of the High School Musical Event, we got to film a promo for the Disney Housing TV channel HTM (Housing The Magic) where the event interns got cheerleader/basketball player costumes from Entertainment for the party. Here's some fun photos from the shoot!









Our latest Welcome Event was yesterday, and although it was pooring down rain, everyone had a good time! We even got some pictures with Belle and Chef Mickey!







Here's a pic of the gang at the Program Completion Celebration for Cultural Representatives in a gorgeous ballroom at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club! From left to right, it's Corey, Chris, Me, Bryan, Rachel & Marielle!



I had the pleasure of running into an old friend during arrivals! This is Libby. When I first became a Campus Rep back in 2009, she was my first recruiter! It was great to catch up with her, as she now works with DVC (Disney's Vacation Club).



....and now, speaking of DVC, my latest PI Spotlight was of a new Cast Member named Sarah. She works at the DVC Preview Center at Saratoga Springs. After I interviewed her, she took me on a tour of her area. Here's some DVC model rooms from Bay Lake Tower and Kidani Village! Then at the end, I passed by a model for Aulani, the new Resort in Hawaii! I hope I get to go visit one day!!!









Alright! Last but not least...MY TRIP HOME! I got to go back to Dallas, Texas for my best friend's wedding :) I got to stay with my Nana who lives in Garland, I got to see my Mom, and my sister! And even my little brother and my Daddy drove all the way from Austin to see me!!!! Pretty much, they drove in to have lunch HAHA but they surprised me at the airport. It was great to see family again :) I hadn't realized how much I've missed them all until I saw them!









I flew in Thursday so I'd have time to go to Kelly's Bachelorette Party! And then the following morning, we had a tea party!







The wedding, of course, was beautiful :) It was so great to finally see Kelly and Marcelo become Mr. & Mrs. Somers!!!!!









Well if there's one thing that this post has taught me...I have GOT to update more often! This was way too long hehe! But I'm glad I've now gotten to share what I've been up to here in Florida! :) And now, TGIF! I'm off to relax after a long few weeks! Bye!

Fantastic Start to a Fantastic Job

Well, my Professional Internship is off to a running start! I work with Disney Housing Operations as the Communications Intern for College and International Program Participants. I know, it's a long title! But to speak simply, I help communicate info to all the kids participating in the Disney College Program!

So how all do I do that? Well, I work on things like the weekly email, I design posters and marketing materials for all housing events, I make slides for the Housing TV station, "Housing the Magic" and I'm the event photographer! It's getting close to a month since I've started, and it feels like I've always been here. The housing team is amazing. They make me, along with the other 5 Event Planning Interns, feel like family.

My specific internship is with Internal Communications. Obviously, that job is all around property, in the parks, in resort operations, transportation, safety...you-name-it. But being back at Housing with all the CPs is really quite a treat. I am meeting so many people, that it's sometimes hard to keep things straight!

Not only am I making amazing connections, I'm getting to do all sorts of behind the scenes meetings that I know wouldn't have been possible if I'd been anywhere else. I'm sure other locations are getting to do some awesome things as well, but not only am I in an office doing my work, I get to go on events like laser tag, the beach, baseball games, BINGO games, karaoke...to name a few! I've gotten to meet people in Entertainment, been friends with characters for the afternoon, met with people who design/install decorations for props in the parks on the East and West coast, been to developmental classes at Disney University, had communication meetings all over property, got trained on a Segway that we got to ride through EPCOT...phew! I'm probably forgetting many things...but we are kept busy!























Well the month of July is sort of the slow month for Housing, so I'm ready for the busy season to start! (I know I'll probably regret saying that in a month...) Fall CPs arrive all throughout August...it's the biggest month for arrivals, so I'm ready for more to do! I cannot wait to see what is in store for me in the coming weeks!

Until then...just remember, that technically, I'm getting to do all of this because of one little mouse ;)

New Ideas!

As I've quit my retail job while waiting for my Professional Internship to begin, I've had a lot of extra time on my hands. Granted, it's nice to finally have a break after 5 back-breaking years of constant school/work, but the artist in me is feeling deprived! I have a sketch book full of projects I've always wanted to do and never had time, and I think I've finally decided to finish up my Italy sketchbook. I have materials, paper scraps, photos, and a day-by-day journal of my month long trip that I plan to capture in a small 6X6 book. The one obstacle I face is making it feel like a real sketchbook, and not a scrapbook...which to me means I don't want to sit down and do it all in a weekend. I'm going to gradually add things when I'm feeling the need to be creative.

I came across some photos that sparked some inspiration, as they either remind of a place, a person, or a story during my time in Italy.





Fragola + Vanilla = my favorite gelato combo!



Towards the end of our trip, we went to Cinque Terre, a small town with Mediterranean coasts, and colorful houses that lined the rocky shores. It was without a doubt, one of the best days of the trip. Not only were there spectacular views, the people were friendly, we got some sun, and enjoyed the best Pina Colada's I've ever had in my life! I loved it so much I also did my own version.


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New Beginnings

Well here I am in my new apartment in Kissimmee, Florida. I have been here for almost two weeks, and so far things are great! Except for the part where I'm kind of lonely :/ My future roomie isn't here yet, so I still have a couple weeks of waiting! Luckily my brother is down here as well, so we've been hanging out a lot. Disney World is only 15 minutes away, so we've already taken several spontaneous trips to the parks!!!

Right now cast members get in for free to the water parks...which I've never been to before! So we are going to try and plan a trip there one day soon...which will be easier now that I've quit my job at Coach. I've been working for Coach since 2007, so I got my job in Texas to transfer here to the Orlando store while I'm waiting for my PI to start. Due to a lot of things, mostly personal, I've decided it would be best to quit. Plus, I've been in school for five years, and I could really use a break from everything. I want to be at my very best when my PI starts, and a break will help me do that :)

As for my apartment, I finally got my closet...looking like a closet! My room is coming together...now I just need to do my little art studio! I want to start painting again too. I think the next few things I'm going to do is a pen and ink of tomorrowland, and maybe a giant Cinderella's Castle!! I might re-read Harry Potter too. The 7th one. Because I've only read it once and I keep forgetting what happens! And I want to go to World of Harry Potter soon too! YAY!!! Maybe I'll paint the Hogwarts Castle? That would be cool! Ok, now I'm just being a nerd. Oh well.

Well Happy Memorial Day to everyone :) Bye!

Disney anyone?

Well, It's OFFICIAL!!! I am a soon-to-be Professional Intern for the Walt Disney Company! I will be working in Internal Communications in either a Resort, Park, or another specific area. Allow me to take you on a journey to how this unfolded....

The decision to apply for a Professional Internship (PI) has been on my mind since my return from the Disney College Program in the beginning of 2009. As I've said before, I became a campus rep at my University in order to help promote this amazing program! I wanted everyone to know about the opportunity, and to try and get people excited about Disney again! I mean, it's easy to get a six-year-old excited. But a 21-year-old college student? A bit more difficult to do.

I continued my studies in graphic design, visiting Disney a few times along the way, and trying to figure out what I wanted to do once I got back down there. The person who was most responsible for helping me find this out, was my recruiter, Erica Nowak. She helped connect me with artists who are doing design work for Disney right now, so I planned a trip back to Orlando to see them.

It was this past February when I went down to see them. I brought some work to show and got tips on writing a resume (which for an artist, is a bit more tricky than your standard resume). They also gave me insight on how they got where they were, their steps at the beginning, and how at a company as big as Disney, it's all about NETWORKING! Luckily I met with four different people, all from different departments, and all of whom helped enormously to shape my portfolio and resume.

Upon returning from that trip, it was all about getting my work ready for a portfolio to submit for different PIs. Lets just say, it took much longer than expected! I kept having to put it aside to focus on projects for my classes, or to run off to wok. By the time I got everything re-worked and into some semblance of a portfolio, it was days before the deadline in March. In the end, I applied for five different PIs in Arts & Graphics....and then let the waiting games begin!

A few days later, I received a few emails back, prompting me to upload my work, or for one, to assemble one and send it in. I was excited that the one that wanted a hard copy, Internal Communications, was the one that I wanted the most...so off to Kinko's I went to print it professionally and FedEx it straight to Orlando, FL!

They called soon after to set up phone interview for several of the PIs I applied for. Funnily enough, I was actually in Orlando again searching for apartments while the interview took place! I thought it went well, I had the lady laughing, and I feel like my passion for art and Disney came through...which is all I really wanted!

A week or two later it was the beginning of April and I got a call asking for a good time to set up a second interview. I was ecstatic!! I knew that this meant I had to have done good on the interview! YAY! The second interview was much more like a real interview, as opposed to the first which felt more like a chat on the phone. For this one, I was told up front that I was on speaker in front of hiring managers. I laughed a bit I said hello to them and I heard several voices back, maybe 7 or 8 people! So I got a little tongue tied on a few questions, but I still tried to remain calm and just be myself. They told me at the end of the interview, that I would find out a final decision in the first or second week of May.

I didn't know how I was going to be able to wait...and I knew that getting this PI would be a long shot...so just in case it didn't go my way, I went ahead and applied for another College Program for the fall. The fact that I had already gone down to Orlando to find an apartment and put money down meant I needed a back up plan! That interview went well of course, and I got a spot in Photopass Photography which was great because it still has to do with my degree. Plus, on top of that, my retail job at COACH said they'd let me transfer and work there over the summer.

I'm a planner, can you tell? I like to know what's going to happen, and I like to have control! (I'm trying to back off a bit these days though!!)

Well it was a good back-up plan...but not needed as not a week went by and they called to offer me a position as a PI for Internal Communications!!!!! They called me while I was in my Watercolor class, and I let my prof know that I had to step out. When I came back in, I was in tears, and my class all assumed I didn't get it. It was great to be able to tell them that I had in fact gotten it, I was just so happy that I was crying!

It feels awesome that all of my hard work has paid off. I'm so amazed that on top of that, I got the PI that I wanted the most :)


So today is May 6, 2010. Tomorrow is my HUGE end of the year senior art show, called Exit Review. It's a big big big deal, sort of a culmination of 5 years of college in a big ballroom condensed into 3 hours of 85 nervous, soon-to-be grads and 100s of guests circling to observe, and judge etc.

My point? That once this is over I am homeFREE! I graduate a week from Saturday, and move five days later to ORLANDO, FLORIDA!!

I am so ready to start my next adventure!!!!!

Artwork!

I was inspired to do this little series because of some photographs I found of exotic animals. The pictures were so beautiful I couldn't resist coloring them up and painting them! (Photos taken by Nicolas Evariste)




I enjoy drawing still life's, but I must admit that it takes several hours just to draw an 11X14 vase of flowers with ink and a calligraphy pen! I found after a while that using pencil before hand restricts the line once you go to ink it...so best to skip the graphite and just go for it!