October!

Well, I'm slowly but surely getting around to updating my blog. Here's what happened at the beginning of October.

Right after my birthday I worked. A lot. 11am-10pm on the 3rd, 11am-9:15pm on the 4th, and 10:30am-4:30pm on the 5th. I came home on the 5th to relax, and found out that my 3rd time off request had been denied. I'd been trying to find a weekend, any weekend, I could come home to visit my friends and family. This was my 3rd attempt and all requests for a back to back were denied. It frustrated me to no end. We're supposed to get a back-to-back (4 days off in a row over 2 work weeks) every 3 months, and I wanted to come home, visit my family, friends, boyfriend, and meet his parents but Disney just wasn't giving me the time off! I became pretty homesick. This was the first year I'd really missed Pumpkinfest, I didn't get to see my family around my birthday, and the fact that I couldn't go home, even if i wanted to, and had the money to, made it worse.

We started to plan Rob's visit at Christmas, but I still ended up booking a flight on Southwest airlines for the 31st to the 3rd, hoping that I'd be able to switch to get the time off. It wasn't a refundable ticket, but if you don't use your ticket on Southwest they allow you to use those funds on another Southwest flight, so I figured it was a solid investment... I just needed to get home.

Monday (the 6th) I had the day off. I was bored so I drove Tracey into work, since I hadn't talked to her in awhile. I tried to check out my schedule for next the week, but it wasn't going to be posted until midnight, even though it's usually posted at 12am on Sunday. This was kind of annoying because I wanted to plan my mom's visit, and make sure I had the time off, but they warned us that Food and Wine schedules could be posted late sometimes, just because they are so complicated. Afterwards, I went and used some of my free tasting cupons at the Food and Wine Festival. For working, we were given four. I used two, one for the perogies and keibasa in Poland, and one for the grilled beef and chimichurri sauce in Argentina. The perogies were delicious, but they didn't hold a candle to the chimichurri sauce. I definitely love that dish! Finally, I went to the learning centre and picked up some dvds to watch later, went home, and relaxed! Overall, a good day, but I started to get bogged down because I felt so disconnected from a lot of the other people here. A lot of the girls, it seems, really like to party, and while I'm definitely up for a good night on the town once in awhile, I don't like to make it a weekly (or almost daily) event. It's sometimes hard to find the other people who aren't here to party and so I started to feel a little lonely. Still, I decided to make the best of it by trying to get involved in as much as possible.

Tuesday (the 7th) I had the day off again, so I decided to make a Walmart trip (to get some groceries) and then watched some of the Anne of Green Gables movies. I LOVE those movies. They're awesome. Tracey and I had planned to do something in the evening, and so we went to TGI Friday's for a late dinner. It was really nice and we got the opportunity to chat a lot! I really like her!

Wednesday (the 8th) I worked from 9am to 4pm then went around the Food and Wine Festival a little before heading to my Candlelight Rehearsal at 5:30. I tried the durban spiced chicken from South Africa and it was delicious! I went to get a beef empinada from Chile, but unfortunately they were temporarily out of them, so I opted for the grilled beef with chimichurri sauce again... did I mention how delicious it is?! Rehearsal was amazing, and I ended up staying for both the 5:30pm and 7:30pm rehearsals. You don't get extra credit for doing that, but I have so much fun, and practice makes perfect! Since this is my first year in the choir, I could definitely use as many rehearsals as possible!

Thursday (the 9th) I worked 11am-9:15pm, and then went to Bennigan's. I figured most of the Canadians go there every week, so I didn't call anyone and just took a cab with my roommate, Tina, from Norway. When we got there Bennigan's was pretty much empty, which was odd because it's usually packed on Thursdays. So I hung out with the Norwegians for awhile until some of the people I know from the UK arrived. I was still waiting for the Canadians, but no other Canadians ever showed up! Definitely weird! Still, I got to meet all the new UK arrivals, and walk home with them, they are all really nice!

Friday (the 10th) I worked 10:30am-9pm, which is a really long shift, especially on a Friday night since all of the locals come to the park and there tends to be a lot of people "drinking around the world" which means there are a lot of intoxicated people around our kiosk. When I got home, the apartment felt kind of empty, which was sad. My roommate, Ambar, from Indonesia had left that morning since it was the end of her (extended) contract. I ended up just relaxing

Saturday (the 11th) I worked 10:30am-4:30pm, then got ready for mom's visit! I had laundry to do, and a suitcase to pack since I was going to be living with her for the week!

More on that week, and the weeks since then to come!

It's September now?!

I can't believe we're almost half way through September! Time is definitely flying by... so where was I?

Thursday (August 28th), I worked as a PM Greeter. We were running way behind and so there were some pretty angry tables, but overall it was not a bad night. After all, it can't be a bad night if it ends with pretzel bread!

Friday I worked as a PM seater. For some reason, I wasn't super excited to go into work, but on my way in I ran into Tori! It was perfect timing because I'd just responded to her comment about how we should meet. It totally made my day. Again the restaurant was pretty busy, we were running behind, and there were only a couple of us working at the end of the night which meant we couldn't even play trivia to entertain the guests because we were all needed to bus tables, and seat guests.

Saturday I spent the morning working on memorizing my menu. It was really rainy, so I wasn't missing anything. I called in to check if I was still supposed to work, and they said yes. Turned out to be the most unproductive shift of my life. I arrived at 4 for my 4:30pm, and the girls had just gone out to restart the cart. Around 4:15 it started pouring so the came in and decided to go on break, since there was nothing else to do. While they were on break it cleared up, but since I couldn't take out a cash, I just did a stock run, folded some popcorn boxes, made some buckets, and folded some napkins. It had been raining on and off but we decided to reopen the cart, shortly after which it poured again ( we hid under the sides of the cart to avoid getting soaked), and were finally told to close. Shortly after, it stopped raining (go figure), and it didn't rain the rest of the night... but I didn't care, I got to go home early! I went to Meaghan's where we played Disney Princess Uno, as a drinking game. Yep, only at Disney does that happen. We were supposed to go to Cowboy's in Orlando after, but we just stayed in. It was a good girl's night!

Sunday I played catch up all day. Krista called and we chatted for hours (thank goodness for unlimited long distance), and then a went for a Walmart run. In the evening we all went to Bennigan's for Justin's going away party. It was so incredibly sad to see him leave, even though I didn't know him as well as the others, he was one of the last people I expected to leave early. He loved and was absolutely amazing at his job.

Monday (September 1st) I worked as an AM greeter, and then it was Pirates and Princesses Theme at Girls! It was so much fun! Everyone who knows me can guess that I dressed up like a Princess... I never miss an opportunity to be a princess! It was also a great night because it was my first night at Pleasure Island (PI), the set of bars in Downtown Disney. We went to 8 TRAX which plays 80's music (and music videos) it was so much fun! I got one of the fancy drinks so now I have a souvenir cup before PI closes at the end of September.


Tuesday I worked as a PM Seater, but before I went into work I got to pick up my Candlelight music! SO exciting! Immediately I opened the package and read it all... it's pretty high, but not out of my vocal range if I practice! Unfortunately they didn't have all the CD's, so I won't get one until my first rehearsal (which is on Monday!). That night, I just hung out by the pool and then watched some Gossip Girl. It was nice and relaxing.


Wendesday I was a PM Seater, and then relaxed all night. Not really exciting at all, except that I found out Susie self-termed, which means she chose to terminate her contract, and so was leaving the next day.

Thursday I woke up early to drive Susie to the airport. I was definitely sad to see her go, but I know she's doing what's best for herself, so it's kind of hard not to smile when you know she's going to be happier. Work was a lot of fun, just joking around on podium, and then we decided we should have a movie night! So Kristen, Laura, Chelsey, Collin, Ty, and I met up in Collin's apartment to for Aladdin and pizza. We really only watched up to "A Whole New World" and then switched to Fantasia and You Tube Videos, but that's good enough for me! Colin and I were reciting the script for most of the movie, annoying for everyone else, but so much fun!

Friday was another PM seating shift. I always find that when I work late I have fairly unprodutive days. Usually I sleep in, and even when I do get up early I don't get much done... people always seem to distract me on msn... not that it's a bad thing! Then, I'm usually so tired when I get home, I don't do much. Colin and I plan to go park hopping tomorrow, which is going to be a ton of fun, so Idon't mind staying in and relaxing tonight.

Saturday I did go park hopping with Collin! We went straight to Toy Story Mania in Hollywood Studios. It was a 50 minute wait, but since that really beats the 180 minute waits we're used to seeing for it we decided to wait it out. It meant that I got these awesome pictures of the cue line though... since Rob and I used Fast Passes, we didn't really see all of this...

Note the Canadian and American pricing and you can tell Disney loves Canadians...

Tinkertoys! Enough said.

An interactive Mr. Potato Head. He sang, danced, and talked with Guests in line...
"Give me a D... Give me another D... Give me another D.... What's that spell? 3D!"

We then headed towards "Sounds Dangerous" but on our way down the Streets of America I noticed something. Yes, it's just the start of September, and they're already celebrating Halloween... but Christmas Lights?! I guess it takes a long time to put up all the lights for Christmas... after all, there are millions of them!

So then we headed to the Magic Kingdom. I got all the way to the front entrance before realizing that I left my Cast ID (the pass to get me into the park) in my car. For those of you who've driven to the Magic Kingdom you'll know you have to take a tram from your car to the Ticket and Transportation Centre, and then either a boat or a monorail to the Magic Kingdom. So I jumped back on the monorail and headed back to my car, and just around the Polynesian Resort the monorail broke down... I guess I should have taken the boat! Either way, I made it back to the park in about 45 minutes (which isn't too bad) and met up with Collin for some Buzz Lightyear and dinner!

We wandered around the park going on as many rides as possible and then headed over to Adventureland for Dole Whips before leaving the park. I'd heard about these delicious treats, but in all my years of going to Disney, I'd never had one. A Dole Whip is pineapple flavoured soft serve ice cream. It's amazing. Even better? The Dole Whip Float... pineapple flavoured ice cream with pineapple juice. That's what I had, and it was incredible. I feel like I've been missing out big time. If you're ever in the Magic Kingdom, you definitely need to try one!

Sunday was a relaxing/lazy day. I pretty much just watched tv, cleaned, decorated (a little), and ran errands. I really hate not doing anything on my days off because it feels like a waste, but everyone else wanted to do the exact same thing.

Monday (September 8th) I worked as a Seater from 12-7pm so I could make my Candlelight rehearsal at 7:30pm. I was a little worried I'd be late, but I figured it was worth a shot. I clocked out right on time and pretty much speed walked to my car. Then headed off to the Disney Events area. I was there by 7:20, no problem. Now I know I don't have to worry if I want to do that again! Rehearsal was amazing. On the way in I met so many cool people! One of the ladies I was talking to was my instructor in some of the F&B classes, the other worked for the Magical Express, and the other gentleman we were talking to is an archetect.... and guess what he built?!?! He was the lead on the Cinderella Suite!!!! I tried to act cool but that is the awesomest thing ever! Clearly, I still get excited about it. I've decided to sing second soprano (which means I'm singing high and I get to sing harmony sometimes). It also means I get to sit in the front row at rehearsals... keener! Monday night's is usually Canadian Girls for me, and although I had something planned for the "ABC - Anything But Clothes" theme, I just didn't want to go. Weird, but I decided I was so tired from the day I could use a night in.

Tuesday I was an afernoon Seater. I sat some of the most awesome tables ever. One girl was so adorable, she definiely made my day. As usual, while walking down the ramp into the dining room I asked the family how their vacation was going, and the one girls eyes lit right up, and she tugged on her mom's shirt "Mom, mom... how does she know we're on vacation?". Priceless. A girl from the same table told Mariah that she looks just like Belle so when they came up from dinner we gave them special wish bracelets. They are hemp bracelets with beads, and it's said that when the beads fall off, your wish will come true.

Another awesome thing? Christine called me at work! Christine is one of my friends from first year (yay Wally!) and she was visiting Disney on her honeymoon! Krista had told her I worked at Disney and she was able to phone the podium to say "hi" and find out when I was working. It was so random, I walked up from seating a table, and one of the other seater's looked confused and said "Jenn, the phone's for you". It was awesome, and perfect because I'd managed to get them a reservation for the following night, and I wasn't sure how to contact them to tell them!

After work I went to Benni's with some new arrivals and old friends... Casey, James, Tracey, Spike, Chloe, and Nathan. It was SO much fun! I said I wasn't hungry but then I suddenly craved a burger... I definitely got one! It was gigantic! We were joking that it was roughly the size of my head... still, I finished it like a champ!

The end of the night was Carly and Travis's throw-out. It was my first throw-out, so I don't think I've described what they are. Basically, it's the Wednesday night before you leave at the end of your program. All the Canadians get together around midnight at the carwash and the people leaving bring all the stuff they couldn't fit into their suitcases, and give it away to their friends. It's also their final words and goodbyes to their Canadian families. It's really quite sad... I don't know what I'll do when it's my time to leave, or when the people I'm really close with leave. I guess this is the big downside to life at Disney... people are always leaving.

So, I bet you're wondering what I got (unless you read Tracey's blog). Well, Travis gave me a "3-man helmet". 3 man is a drinking game... look it up... play it with your friends.

Wednesday morning I took my car in for servicing. It's very first servicing! It went pretty well and I had the chance to study my menu while waiting... plus they had awesome hot chocolate at the Toyota dealership. Definitely a good morning. The afternoon was another pointless popcorn shift, though not as pointless as my last one since we opened the cart for a little bit. As I was closing Christine and Joe stopped by. They are so cute! I was able to take a picture with them... it probably looks aweful (yay hot, sweaty, rainy days on popcorn cart) but I'll love it anyway! After work I went home, relaxed, studied... I've signed up to spiel the menu to Christina (the area manager) on the 16th, so I want to be prepared!

Thursday I worked as a PM Seater and then went to Patterson for a flip cup tournament (Commons vs. Patterson). It was so much fun! I'm better at flip cup than I thought I was!

Friday I rocked the 12-7pm shift again and then went to Candlelight Rehearsal. Candlelight is awesome, it makes me soooooo happy. Kevin, another one of the VOL (Voices of Liberty) ran the rehearsal this time. He is friendly, animated, hilarious, and amazingly talented. I am so lucky to be a part of this show!

Saturday I phoned my mom and we started planning her vacation. We're going to do Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Princess Dining, Canada Dining, and Dining at the Animal Kingdom Lodge... I still have to book it, though I've requested the time off work! I'm still not sure what to wear to the Halloween party. I want to go as Cinderella, but I need to find a dress. All the "adult" dresses are too big!

Determining what to do Saturday was hard, there were so many offers. Boating around the 7 Seas Lagoon, going to Howl at the Moon, clubbing for Ashley's birthday, or the Magic Kingdom with Tracey following her Traditions class. I decided to stay in during the day and study (remember, I'm spieling on Tuesday!) and then I went to the Magic Kingdom with Ty, Tracey, Casey, James, Emily, and Joanne.

As we walked in, Emily and Ty grabbed "Just Married" buttons... aren't they a cute newly-wed couple? Actually... almost not... Ty kept trying to take his button off because he realized he didn't have a wedding ring, and his keychain was too big to be a ring.
When we arrived, of course we went for Dole Whips (or Dole Whip Floats in my case) first... and here's some pictures along the way. Rob, this is for you. I know that Disney is big on safety... but look what they allowed in their park!

A bunny! It's right beside the castle too. I just thought you'd want to see that.

I also took a picture of this duck, just to bother Ty. He's very annoyed with all the tourists that come to Disney, wander around, and then only take pictures of the ducks, squirrels, and other animals around the parks instead of the gorgeous scenery and pavillions that Disney has designed.
So here is the very interesting duck.

From the Dole Whips we headed to the mountains... here's the Splash Mountain photo.

Yay moose antlers!

We watched Spectro and Wishes, which were absolutely amazing. Tracey has some fantastic photos from them! Afterwards, walking through the shops I came to the sad realization that I could probably fit into the child's Cinderella dress... I'm going to have to check that out (and try it on) and maybe my dress problem is resolved!

Sunday I went to Sea World with Chloe and Andy! We went to the Whale and Dolphin show, saw the penguins, had a yummy stir fry lunch (while watching a new show... Wild Things), saw the Shamu show, and the Wild Arctic animals. I was very tempted by the huge, cuddly stuffed animals in the wild arctic shop. I'm always tempted by them. They are adorable... darn my addiction to teddy bears! Afterwards we wandered to the games section... Andy and Chloe *almost* won prizes. Then we went to the beer "sampling" area. Free beer. Best. Thing. Ever. It even deserved a picture!
Next up was Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island, Kraken (the best roller coaster in Orlando), and Journey to Atantis. Andy and I almost stayed relatively dry on Atlantis, but they have these darn water cannons at the end of the big drop and a guy aimed right at us! I have to admit, it's really funny to watch... which is why we spent about 15 minutes watching other people get soaked by the cannons. Priceless. Then we watched the baby dolphins swim and play, and headed home.

It was an absolutely amazing day! Chloe, Andy... you two are awesome... Shamu, Shamu!


Well, I guess that's enough of an update for now... I'll try to be more on top of my blog now... ha ha. Yeah, I said try, I can't promise.

Rob's Visit

As I mentioned before, I thought Rob's visit deserved it's own post, because it's actually interesting and there's tons to talk (well, type) about! Warning, this is really long, but that's only because I had so much fun, and there's so many pictures!

Thursday I slept in, cleaned up my apartment, and pretty much relaxed until I went to pick him up at the airport. I was pretty early for his 1:50pm flight, so I had to wait for it to arrive, watching the big screen for updates. Fortunately, it was on time! I got to wait for him just past security, and then I got to meet the person he sat beside, Steve, who was super nice guy from England! From the airport we wanted to go straight to his hotel, but didn't have the correct address it. Instead of just driving around aimlessly (like we did for awhile) we went to Commons, and I got to show him my apartment. We checked into the hotel and went for dinner at the Olive Garden... delicious! Since it was a Thursday, we then headed off to Bennigan's so Rob could meet everyone. He wasn't the only non-Cast Member there, Casey's friend from home, Shaun, and his brother were also there... which was cool because they actually knew each other from high-school... weird, huh? I guess it really is a small world!

Friday we got up early to get to Epcot! You can see from this picture we were quite tired, but still really excited! Yep, I definitely brought the Minnie ears out!

It looked like it was going to rain, so we had to make sure Mickey was prepared, wearing his poncho for the first time!
We took the shuttle from the hotel, and got there just after opening. It was kind of rainy, but we went on Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, The Seas, Journey into Imagination, and Soarin' pretty quickly! We then decided to grab a snack, so of course we went to Edy's ice cream for the gigantic hot fudge sundaes! This time I got mine with mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was delicious, but incredibly filling.

During our ice cream break my mom called my cell, just to see how I was doing... it was really so cute that she wanted to check up on us! After the "snack" we were ridiculously full, but still decided to head for Mission Space, the intense version. The line wasn't very long, but gave us around 15 minutes to digest before travelling to Mars. Next we rode Ellen's Energy Adventure, and Test Track!

Since we'd done pretty much everything in Future World, we headed to Mexico and Norway for their rides. As we entered Mexico, a mariachi band started playing with violins, trumpet, guitar and bass guitar! It was incredible!

Finally, it was time to show Rob where I work! I took him around the pavillion, showing him the shops, the movie, and finally, the restaurant! It was still only 3:30 (when we're closed) so Rob and I went to watch Off Kilter, and wander aound the UK before heading back to eat. Dinner was delicious. We both had the Chefs Selection Menu, which comes with an appetizer, entree and desert. I don't know how anyone is supposed to eat an appetizer (ie: a chicken sausage and sweet corn polenta), 10 oz of prime rib, potatoes, AND dessert. I took my dessert (the Chocolate "Moose") home with me because I was too ful to even eat chocolate!

After our feast we attempted to wander around the rest of the countries, but couldn't move very well, so we went to watch the movie in France. Then we continued to wander around, taking pictures, until it started raining so we went inside to see the amazing child acrobats in China. Then we grabbed a Margarita and headed into Mexico to wait out the rain. It must have rained a lot, because when we came out to go grab a spot for Illuminations, there was a puddle, sorry, a lake in front of the Mexican pavillion.

We watched Illuminations in front of Canada, by the popcorn cart (not behind it), but since it was rainy the globe didn't come out, which kind of sucked. Rob never got to see the full fledged, amazing, Illuminations! After the fireworks, we waited for the bus back to the hotel, and called it a night.

Saturday we were up early again, this time for the Magic Kingdom! I decided to drive to the Ticket and Transportation Centre, because I thought it would be faster. We took the monorail to the Magic Kingdom so Rob could hear "Please stand clear of the doors, por favor matengase alejado de las puertas". That saying will never get old. Once in the park, we went to guest services to get a 1st visit pin. The Cast Member almost gave us two, but when Rob explained this definitely wasn't my first visit, the CM went to get special, "Citizen of the Walt Disney World Resort" pins! It definitely made my day! Rob and I took some pictures in front of the castle, and then headed to the Dumbo's, to ride them first thing. It's just like my mom and I used to do, and I haven't done in a really long time.From the Dumbo's we rode Peter Pan, and then made our way to Splash and Thunder Mountain.

Next we headed to Adventureland for the Jungle Cruise, Enchanted Tiki Room, Tree House, and of course, Pirates of the Carribean (which had no line)!After lunch at Ray's Cosmic Cafe, we went to the make-your-own-ears store, so Rob could get his own set of ears. He made an awesome, personalized pair, and then we took this photo by the castle!

We then finished up Adventureland (the Country Bears) and Fantasyland, before heading into Tomorrowland. We ate at the Noodle Station in Tomorrowland. It was absolutely delicious. I know it's not always open, but I really, really wish it were! We also went on the Carousel of Progress, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin! On one of our many rides on Buzz Lightyear I actually managed to score 999,999!!! It was incredible! I don't know what I hit, but after the first room I had over 300,000, and by the room with the battaries I had maxed out my score. As I said in the video... I am a Galactic Hero, and that is all!
Finally, we used our fast-passes for Space Mountain, and had some extra time so we decided to ride Astro Orbiter... the more grown-up Dumbo's. I remembered it being scary, and it kind of is, because you go so high you're at quite the angle! It was definitely nice to see the castle at night from the sky, though. Very romantic. Afterwards, we went to sit in front of the castle for Wishes, which was absolutely amazing. We took the boat home and were able to see the boat parade of lights, and watch the castle fade into the horizon. It was an absolutely amazing day... one of the best days I've ever had at a Disney park. Walking back to our car, we took this picture. Rob's idea,
Sunday we decided to have a relaxing day. We went to Cracker Barrel for lunch, and then headed into Disney to play Fantasia mini golf. It was a close game, I was definitely leading for some of it, but in the end, Rob won by 1 stroke. It must have been luck. Pure luck. We had a late dinner at TGI Friday's (where they made me a balloon rose!) and headed to Commons to watch a movie at Emily's.

Monday I had a class at Disney University. The morning was information on how to be a good server, and the afternoon was a class all about wine. How to serve it, the different types of wine, how wine's made... we covered a lot! When I got back, Rob and I did a little shopping and then went for dinner, and got ready for Girls/No M'am. We called a cab pretty early, but it didn't come for 45 minutes. When it did, I ended up dropping my ID in it, so we spent most of the night trying to track down the cab and get my ID back. It kind of ruined the night, since we couldn't go to the bar with the Candadians, but still, we got to relax and had a nice walk home.

Tuesday, Rob's last full day in Florida, we went to Hollywood Studios. We were there really early, so we were able to see the park opening. Immediately we went to get fast passes for Toy Story Mania, because I knew the line would be long. I was right. After we got the fast passes, the wait time was approximately 60 minutes. So we decided to wander along the streets of America... see we're in New York!
We managed to go on all the major rides, Star Tours, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, the Great Movie Ride, Muppet Vision 3D, Sounds Dangerous, the Animation Studio, and we even saw both the Ligts, Motors, Action, and Indiana Jones Stunt Shows! The Animation Studio was awesome. We watched Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey interact with all of the kids (adorable), found out which Disney character's we're most like (Rob is Buzz Lightyear, I'm Tinkerbell), and recorded our voices as Belle and the Beast in a scene from Beauty and the Beast! Still, the Indiana Jones show was better. I'd been teasing Rob about volunteering as an extra, but he wasn't sure about it... until he saw the first group go through, then he was off his seat and his hand was in the air. Needless to say, since we were sitting in the front row, he was chosen. If you have me on facebook, and you haven't already you should definitely watch the video!
He made an excellent extra, and I took lots of pictures! Then we headed to the 50's Prime Time Cafe for Dinner. As usual the food was excellent! We had onion rings, pot roast, and a sundae (with carmel popcorn, m&m's, a brownie, and chocolate/caramel sauce). Incredible, but filling! Afterwards, we did the Beauty and the Beast (with 4 for a dollar!), Tower of Terror, and Fantasmic combo! It was the perfect end to the night.

Wednesday we were up early again, we packed, checked out, and I drove to the airport. Rob checked his back, and we grabbed lunch at the food court. It was so sad knowing that he was leaving soon. I think it's safe to say when we finally had to say goodbye I may have cried... a little. After watching him go all the way through security and head off to his gate, I drove to work, and worked as a PM Seater.

Overall, it was such an amazing visit. It was so much fun to do all the parks, and even more fun to do them with Rob on his first time!

I know, I'm still waaaay behind on the blog, but more updates are coming, I promise!

This week in Florida...

Here's what I've been up to for the last couple of days!

Thursday was my date day with Casey! We went to Hollywood Studios to go on some rides (Rockin' Rollercoaster and the Great Movie Ride), and checked out the shops. I tried to scope out the Mickey ear hats but found that most of them didn't fit me. I know my head is rather small so I tried on the youth size instead of the adult, figuring that those were meant for small children. Unfortunately, the beanie was still too big, so Casey suggested I try the infant... and it kind of fit. *Sigh*
Next, Casey and I went for a delicious dinner at one of my favourite restaurants in the WDW Resort... the 50's Prime Time Cafe. It is a hilarious and delicious place to eat! The entire restaurant is themed as if it's a 50's house, and you're eating at "Mamma's". You have to set the table, keep your elbows off it, and make sure to eat all your green veggies. Casey is the perfect example of what happens when you get caught with your elbows on the table... she had to write "I will not put my elbows on the table" 5 times on her napkin. It was hilarious!

After dinner we went to see Mamma Mia! We were a little early so we explored Downtown Disney, visiting the magic shop and the Virgin Megastore. Mamma Mia was hilariously funny. We laughed and cried and had an amazing time... only now I have a ton of ABBA songs stuck in my head!
Friday was my first day stocking in Le Cellier on my own. I was a little nervous but it was not so bad. Actually, not bad at all. I really like how you're always busy, and always have something to do, because it makes the day fly by. Anesh helped me clean the bar, etc., so I actually finished on time, and even got some bread!

Saturday I was seating and then went to 'Howl at the Moon' with Jen, Kurt, and Steve. It was SUCH an amazing time, and I definitely recommend it to anyone! Be warned though, the buckets of Long Island Ice Tea are quite potent!

Sunday was Emily's Birthday! We started off the day at Downtown Disney to make her crown and get her an autograph book and pen. We ate lunch at 'The Earl of Sandwhich' and it was so good! I had a Hawaiian sandwhich which had ham, grilled chicken, pineapple, and bbq sauce on it! Delicious! Then we went to Magic Kingdom to take pictures with some of the characters, and we also went on The Carousel of Progress. I'm glad there are people here who appreciate it like I do. It's definitely one of the best rides in the park (especially since it's air conditioned)!

Then we headed off to Epcot to watch Off Kilter, and then go to Norway for Princess Dining! It was absolutely amazing! The food was delicious and we got to see Belle, Aurora, Ariel, Jasmine, and Cinderella! What more could you want in a meal?!

Of course we stayed in the park to watch Illuminations, and then we went back to her apartment for cake! It was made by Patricia so clearly it was absolutely delicious! It was the vanilla sprinkle cake with strawberries... mmm.

Monday I worked as a Seater again and then it was "Heaven or Hell" themed for Canadian Girls it was so much fun, but I left early because I wanted to be ready for Culinary Day... which really deserves a post of it's own!

Name Tag Dilemma

Sunday we had a half day of training (8am-12:30pm) at Disney University. We had a presentation on Food and Beverage at the Walt Disney World Resort and then completed 5 or 6 online training courses. The training courses were pretty amusing. It's like listening to an animated presentation, that's interactive. The only rough thing about the day was that I forgot my name tag at home (and I had been so excited to get in on Saturday)! Fortunately, I wasn't the only one, Kristen also needed the sticker name tag.

During the afternoon I went to Walmart (again) with Kristen. We tried "Sonic" for lunch. It was actually good. I could get a grilled chicken sandwich and they have tater tots as well as fries, and I love tater tots. I wasn't able to get the shoes for work I needed... they have to be black, polishable, non-slip shoes with laces. It's a lot to look for in a shoe, and they didn't have my size.

After Walmart I tried looking for my name tag, but couldn't find it. I panicked a little, but then we went to Epcot to watch Illuminations and see the world a little. I had my first alcoholic beverage at Disney, a fiesta margarita from Mexico. They are delicious! If you're 21 or over I definitely recommend them! Illuminations was gorgeous as always. We watched them from Canada, but unfortunately our nearest speaker wasn't working. So Emily and I sat there quietly singing it. Of course, midway through I burst out into tears. I'm so happy to be here. It's incredible and it really is a dream come true!

When I got home, I searched for my name tag some more. I spent two hours and looked everywhere. Under my bed, under the couch, in my closet, in drawers. I couldn't find it. I started getting really worried. I'm so excited to be here, I'm doing my best to be a good employee, pay attention and participate during presentations, etc.... but it's the second day and I've already lost my name tag. How good does that look? I called Casey and she lent me her extra name tag (so I could be "Sandi" from Ottawa), which calmed me down a little but I was still so worried I would get in trouble.

Monday was our first full day of training. We spent half a day with D.J., our Coordinator of Training (COT), and the COT for F&B in the UK. We finished up some more online courses and were given a more in-depth talk about serving alcohol. It definitely scares you when you realize all the things that can happen if you accidentally serve someone underage. In the afternoon we took some pictures as a group at the Canada pavillion, and then had a meeting with Linda one of the managers. We got all the information we need for training, our menu to memorize, and our "Earning my Ears" addition to our name tags. That is going to be genius because hopefully then guests will have a little more patience (since we're new and learning)!

Fortunately, it wasn't a huge deal that I lost my name tag. I went to the CIPO (College and International Programs Office) trailer and was able to get a name tag that said "Jennifer" from Ottawa. They have a lot of extra name tags made up in case someone forgets theirs one day, then you return them when you don't need them. Then I went to costuming and was able to order new name tags. They are $5 and take 2 weeks to make. I got one that says Jenn from Kincardine, Ontario, and one that says Jenn from Port Elgin, Ontario. That way, I'll always have a spare.

After work we had dinner as a huge Canadian F&B family! Kristen and I made stir fry(even though we're not the best cooks), Emily brought salad, Stephanie made nachos, and Patricia made a beautiful pineapple cake! We had SUCH an amazing dinner with all the F&B Canadians from July 15th! Also, Tina (my roommie) decided to move in with Ellen (the other Norwegian housemate) and when she was cleaning out the closet she found my name tag! I was so excited!

Monday night was the Canadian Girls event, "Christmas in July". We got dressed up and went to Casey's to play some sing star, but we weren't too interested in partying since we had another 8am day (Discovery Day) the next day. Some of us went to Girls, which looks like a lot of fun, but left early to get some sleep.
Tuesday morning was Discovery Day! On it you learn more about Epcot and get a tour of the park. There are also some other special activities, but I don't want to spoil it for those who have yet to go! In the afternoon we went with D.J. on a tour of our pavillion we saw all the exits, sinks, fire extinguishers, and alternate evacuation routes. The restaurant is VERY intimidating. Everyone was so busy and rushing around. I'm kind of scared to work there. Then we got our costumes. During the process I found out my schedule was wrong... I actually start on popcorn cart with Kristen, not as a greeter in the restaurant yay! It also means I get an hour more of sleep tomorrow! Double yay!After work I definitely fell asleep in the car. We went to McDonalds for dinner, and then another Walmart trip, where I was able to find shoes. They are a little big, but I found out we're allowed to get these velcro shoes (apparently "laces" means they just have to do up all the way), so I picked up a pair. They seem pretty comfy, hopefully I'm right!

When I got home my new roomie, Xiaodi from China (F&B) had moved in! It was really nice to meet her! We didn't get to talk much, because we were both exhausted and pretty much just went to bed, but I can't wait to get to know her!