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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