Last Day of Work

July 8th was my last day of work (and I was a 10:15 to boot)!  Linda was our manager, and she let us pick our sections!  The Northwest Territories (easiest section) was already taken, so I chose Nova Scotia (another three 4-top section).

After getting the restaurant ready, we sat down for our last pre-meal.  Instead of the typical pre-meal, Linda decided that we would each write down the reasons why we're going to miss those of us on our last shift.  It was such a kind gesture, and definitely made me cry!

My last shift went really well, with amazing Guests.  It could be that I was just plain lucky, or I was seeing the job through rose-coloured glasses because I knew how much I'd miss this.  The best table, however, was my last table.  Since the restaurant was slowing down I got to chatting with them, and they asked how long I'd been working for Disney.  I ended up telling them that they were my last table on my last shift, and they were honoured!   I mentioned that my "sing out" would be soon, and they decided to stay (past their dessert) as a show of support!

A sing-out is one of the most difficult things.  Everyone who is working their last shift is asked to stand on the fireplace, and say their name and where they are from.  Then, the entire restaurant sings O' Canada, our national anthem.  Typically, many other CRP's will come into the restuarant to sing their friends out, even if they aren't working.  For our sing-out, as there were five of us leaving, there were two lines from the fireplace all the way to the exit ramp with other CRP's there to show support.

I look like I'm smiling here, but it's really self preservation.

I didn't just cry, I balled.

After the song, everyone comes one by one to say goodbye, and often more tears ensue.

 

(Notice the red eyes)

Oh yes, then afterwards you have to finish serving your Guests, and bank out.

Usually this is accompanied by more tears and hugs.

Then we changed out of our costumes, returned them, checked out of our lockers, and returned to Le Cellier for dinner with friends.

  

After dinner we headed backstage for some more photos and to see the beautiful sunset.

  

After sunset, there was only time for the Canada movie (and more tears) and Illuminations.

As we headed out of Epcot that wasn't the end of the tears, as I still had my throw-out to do!

You'd think that because I was driving home I wouldn't have much to give away, but I had almost a full car load full of stuff!  We just started giving away things, as fast as possible, but then took time for the important things.  This "Minnie" was for F&B Heather.

 

(Note: I'm wearing the T-shirts from our throw-in)

At the end, as we always do, we sang O'Canada... this time we got everyone leaving to join us.

Hollywood Studios and a Throw-Out

July 5th began my final week working at Le Cellier.  For your final week you are on "time card".  During this time you don't clock in or out, your hours are set in advance so that your paycheque can be ready for you when you check out of housing.  During your final week they only schedule you for AM's (if you're a server) so that you can spend the rest of the day packing, and preparing to leave.

In my case, "preparing to leave" meant visiting the Disney parks and restaurants as much as I could!  So after work Heather (F&B) and I headed over to Hollywood Studios!  We started off by exploring, a place I'd never been before in Hollywood Studios... Sid's!  I know that sounds strange, a place I'd never been before, but I'd actually never bothered to explore the shop by the exit!  It turns out, Sid's has tons of collectibles, including a picture of Cinderella signed by Ilene Woods (the voice of Cinderella).  I think I'm in love.  I may be back soon to buy this.

After exploring Sid's we headed to the 50's Prime Time Cafe for our dinner reservations!  This is always one of my favourite places to eat.  The food is delicious, and the servers are hilarious.  Heather and I split the onion rings, and I had the pot roast.  I'm proud to say we both polished off our entrees and received "special" clean plate stickers (aka masking tape with "Clean Plate" written on it).

   

Then we headed off towards Fantasmic (though we took a photo with TOT and our awesome stickers first). While waiting for the show, Heather surprised me with a glow in the dark purse charm! She got herself a Tinkerbell one, and I me a Mickey one. LOVE!

After Fantasmic we made our way back to The Commons for a Throw-Out.  Throw-Outs are generally sad, but this one was one of the worst as it was for Eric, Kristen, Emily, and Angele... people from my arrival group!

A Throw-Out is never a happy thing.



By July 6th I'd already made the decision to purchase the Cinderella picture, so Heather and I visited Hollywood Studios again.  But before making our big purchases we decided to meet some of the characters from "Up".  So much fun!



After dropping off our purchases safely in our appartment we headed over to the Polynesian for a "Goodbye Dinner" at Ohana's.  The dinner was perfectly timed so that we got to watch the fireworks from the restaurant, that's definitely something I'm going to miss... that's in addition to all of the delicious food, and Pina Colava's (a Pina Colada with raspberry puree... yummy)!

  

After dinner we went to my final Games Night!  It was pretty epic, with some awesome "Apples to Apples", and other games.  Overall, it was a fantastic two days, but I still can't believe I'm in my final week at Disney, and I only have one shift left!

The Rest of March!

March 15th was the Bowl-A-Thon.  Disney organized a bowl-a-thon to benefit Young Acheivers in Orlando, and F&B Canada had 2 teams!  We were "Canada Rocks" and dressed up as rock stars.  It was so much fun.  I didn't bowl well, but it didn't matter because we danced, laughed, and had a blast... and it all benefitted a good cause!  Check out the photos!

The rest of the week was just rough.  I was tired, sick of people at work, and I really missed Rob and was feeling homesick.  So I convinced Rob, switched some of my shifts at work, and booked a trip to the Florida Keyes!

March 20th I had the day off to relax and pack and then it was Goofy's Mystery Tour!  Goofy's Mystery Tour is an after-hours event held for Cast Members every year!  You have to get a group of 4 (minimum of 2 CM's) and then register early because the event fills up fast.  The event is held at Hollywood Studios.  My team consisted of myself, Ty, Rebecca, and Rebecca's roommate Mariesela.  Everyone meets and gathers in the Beauty and the Beast theatre for the first task - 50 multiple choice Disney questions.  This is not your standard Disney trivia... it's extreme, only for the best-of-the-best Disney Geeks.  They ask questions like "What was Minnie's iguanna's name?".  I didn't even know Minnie had pet iguanna.  After the trivia, it's on to part 2... the real challenge.  You are bungey-corded in to your other teammmates so you have to move as a group.  You're given your first "clue" or "puzzle" and you have to solve it to get a letter and another clue.  When you've solved all the clues you'll have all the letters so you can rearrange them to find the answer to the riddle... sound easy?  It's not.

Our first puzzle wasn't so bad.  Match the characters name with the movie they were in.  The leftover name is someone who is celebrating their un-birthday!  Go wish them a happy un-birthday by name!  The only trick was, the movie names were changed.  Instead of The Lion King it was The Feline Ruler, etc.  Being Disney nerds we easily dominated it and moved on.  But they only got more difficult.  One involved random trivia AND math skills, another roadsigns, another involving finding specific words in a paragraph to find the clue, a word search, logic puzzle, and more!  We did fairly well, tied for the best team from Le Cellier... which still wasn't very high in the standing ;)

March 21st Rob arrived so I picked him up from the airport and we drove down to Key Largo (yes, I chose it because of the song).  You take the Florida Turnpike most of the way so it's easy driving on a toll road.  It's still a pretty long drive (about 7 hours).  When we got there we checked into our hotel where they told us that they no longer had any ocean view 1 bedrooms... so they would have to give us a complimentary upgrade to a 2 bedroom unit!  It was a very nice place!  Flat screen tv's, full kitchen, two bathrooms, two bedrooms.  The first night we made snacks and then relaxed.  We were still full from a Cracker Barrel stop on our way down!

March 22nd we got up early for our snorkel adventure!  The hotel package included a snorkel cruise so we thought it would be fun!  Unfortunately, this wasn't exactly a snorkel cruise... it was more of a scuba tour that they let snorkelers go on.  We drove out to the middle of the ocean (or so it seemed) where they parked the boat and expected us to go snorkel in the huge waves!  Being that I'm scared of snorkeling and sharks and fish to begin with I was petrified.  I jumped in, panicked and promptly got onto the boat.  The waves combined with feeling claustraphobic in the snorkel mask was not a good combination.  So I toughed it out on the boat... and I do mean toughed it out.  With all of the waves rocking the small boat back and forth I felt sick.  In fact, I was sick, and the people running the tour said nothing.  They really took care of their snorklers.  After that adventure we went back to our resort and took advantage of our free kayak rental.  Kayaking in the wind wasn't much easier but in our 2 person kayak we managed to make it to one side of a small bay, and let the wind blow us back.  We did this a couple times before getting bored and heading back for a relaxing night with dinner and margaritas!

March 23rd, our second day in the keyes was much nicer!  We drove down towards Key West, but got sidetracked and stopped at Marathon Beach.  It was a gorgeous beach with white sand where we relaxed, swam, and I studied a little.  We definitely underestimated how south we were and got a little too much sun!  Well, I got a little too much sun, Rob got WAY too much sun!  After getting burnt we headed for dinner at the Outback... mmm... bloomin' onion.

March 24th we got up early, checked out, and drove back to Orlando so that Rob could make his flight on time.  When I got back to the Commons, I just relaxed after a wonderful vacation, ready to go into work the next day!

Click here for all of the photos from this vacation!

After Disneyland

After Disneyland most of what I did was work. Since I had four days off in a row, I had to work for over a week straight until my next day off. Inbetween shifts at work my goal was to get as much studying done as possible for the GMAT (test date is April 8th!). Still, I did have some fun, and some interesting days!


Friday February 27th I worked an AM and Heather had the day off, so after work we headed to Walmart to grab groceries. Neither of us had bought groceries in a really long time. Then we got ready for our fancy dinner! Before Disneyland we'd planned to go out to the Grand Floridian Cafe for a girls night, since we hadn't done anything fun together in awhile. We arrived at the Grand Floridian just as the fireworks (Wishes) started, but unfortunately the buildings blocked our view. We headed to the restaurant to check in, and people-watched until our table was ready. People watching is fun at the Grand Floridian because there's SO many different people there. You see people dressed up going to and from Victoria and Albert's (a super fancy restaurant), casual families just enjoying their vacations, and everything inbetween.


The food at the Grand Floridian Cafe was amazing. For appetizers I had a strawberry salad (similar to the raspberry one at Steakhouse 55, but strawberry with cashews). It was so good. Heather had a squash soup, which she enjoyed! Then for our entrees we both had the ribeye steak with green beans and mashed potatoes... and the portions were large! Both of us ended up taking almost half of our meal home. But we saved a little room for dessert, which was nice because the desserts they offer are small. I had a mini chocolate mousse and Heather had a Tirimisu. They were literally the perfect size, any more and I would not have had room! Overall, it was delicious food, and not too expensive! I would definitely go back again!

For the next week, my main goal was to study as much as possible. The only problem is that I don't really have a place to study. I can use the kitchen table in my apartment, but if anyone else is home and in the living room it's really distracting. Most of the time I study lying on the floor in my bedroom. Not the best layout, but it works. The preparations are going well. I've started with the quantitative section of the GMAT and so far so good. All of the concepts are things I've learned before, so I'm mainly refreshing my knowledge, learning tricks to complete questions faster, and familiarizing myself with the question types. Next I'm going to have to starton the verbal section, which has sentence correction and other questions. It might be the harder section for me, but it shouldn't be too bad!


The next big event was March 4th when I met Andrea at Hollywood Studios! It's so nice to see people from home! Unfortunately the next day I had to work a MID while they were off playing at Universal Studios. I really would have liked to use my pass again. Fortunately I had the next day off! So I headed to meet up with them at Cocoa Beach! It was so much fun. The only sad thing was that this was my first time at a Florida Beach. It took me 8 months to make it to a beach... and I have a car!

March 7th was the Royal Family 5k! For some reason I wasn't as excited to run as I was for the Circle of Life 5k back in January. Still, I got up, donned my skirt (with shorts underneath), pink tank top, and Princess tiara and headed to the races! During the race I wasn't feeling well so I ended up walking more than running but it was still fun. All through the course they had princesses and different characters dressed up like royalty! I would love to do it again, and if you ever do it... bring a camera! After the race I felt really sick, so I went home and prepared for my PM shift.

Here are some pictures of the race!

Here you can see that it's true... even when I'm running if I know there's a camera I smile! Sometimes I'm just too focused on running... and running isn't pleasant!

But I finished and got my medal!

March 11th was the next interesting day... not for a good reason. It was just a bad day. The day started wrong when I locked myself out on my way to work. Usually I grab my keys but something was just off and I forgot. The problem with that is my Company ID is on the same lanyard as my keys so without it I couldn't get into Cast Services (or the park), and couldn't clock in at work. So immediately I knocked on the door, I thought at least one of my roommates was home but no one answered so I went to security. Normally I'd just go to Housing to get a key but since this was a Wednesday they weren't open yet. Security didn't have a key, and couldn't let me in. They tried calling my apartment - no one answered. Finally, we saw Jess (the VERY nice person who's been trying to get Heather and I our own apartment) and she was able to give me a key. So I ran to unlock the door and noticed that the bolt was locked. WHAT!? Clearly, since I didn't have a key I didn't lock it, and I didn't see anyone go into the apartment while I was running around. I wasn't impressed. The heat was also on and one of my roomies was clearly in the shower. Ugh.

Luckily I still made it to work on time... but that's where the luck stopped. People seemed to get angry at me for stupid little things, and I just wasn't in the mood. I survived my shift and arrived home to an overheated apartment. I turned the heat off but was still sweating so much I couldn't get to sleep. This heating battle is ridiculous... I don't know how we're going to survive the summer!

March 12th was an AWESOME day. I got to meet up with Emma! I met her at the townhouse she was staying at with cookies (and sunscreen) and we headed to Animal Kingdom together, since that was the park she hadn't seen yet. We did a lot of the rides, the shows, and had SO much fun. While we were there I got a phone call from Heather, WE'RE MOVING INTO A 1 BEDROOM TOMORROW!!!! I don't think anything could have made me more excited! No more heat battles, hello airconditioning, and quiet, and a place to study! When Emma and I were done with the AK I came home, packed, and started packing my car!

March 13th I woke up really early, around 7:30am for no reason, I was just so excited I could sleep. It didn't matter, though, because we couldn't get the key until 9am. We went exactly at 9am to get our keys and found out we were moving into 413, right around the corner from our current apartment! Within 2 hours we were all moved in! Our new apartment is amazing, it's so huge, PLUS we'll keep it clean! We each have our own closet, there's a large living room, tons of cupboard space and the washer and dryer are in their own rooms. After we unpacked we did a Walmart trip and then I cooked shake and bake chicken, fried rice, and veggies for dinner! It was so good! It's nice to have a clean kitchen you feel good cooking in. I'm definitely looking forward to cooking/baking more in our new apartment. It's also nice, because Heather and I can each be in our own room and have a little privacy!

This new apartment is a whole world of awesome!

The Start of February!

WARNING!
Pretty much all I've done so far this month is work, and so this blog will be very boring unless you're interested in reading the rants of a server ;)

Sunday February 1st was my first PM shift by myself! I was working in Northwest and it went very well! I definitely have some areas to improve, and could be a faster server, but hey... I'm still learning!

Monday February 2nd I worked an AM, this time in PEI. I had my first large party (a table of 8) and everything was going well until one of the servers became too sick and they decided he needed to be sent home. This is when the trouble started. I was given an extra table (although another server offered to take it) and another party of 8. It's incredible how much the party will determine how easy it is to serve them. This was a VERY needy 8 top. They wanted floats and constant refills and wine (not that I can complain about all of this... because that helps my beverage check average) but it takes a lot of time to get. I didn't even have time to bus my other table! While I was opening the wine (they were trying 2 different kinds of wine) with my back facing my extra table a party was sat there. By the time I turned around, the manager was already talking to them. Apparently, they'd been waiting awhile and were not impressed. The series of events took a really downward turn and things just kept getting worse. It was VERY stressful. The 8 just kept getting needier and the other table kept getting angrier. NOT a good combination. By the end of my shift I was DEFINITELY ready to go home and relax. I felt SO bad that this table didn't get the experience that you usually get at our restaurant. Fortunately, I was able to talk to my manager, we figured out what went wrong (we both made some mistakes) and steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. I left feeling better, but still decided to have a wine and movie night with Rebecca. We cooked dinner (pasta and pesto sauce) and relaxed while watching TV. It was awesome!

Tuesday February 3rd I was a 10:15. That means you work an AM but you have to come in an hour earlier to set everything up. My job was "lemons" so I had to cut the lemons and set up a couple of other things. I worked my AM in Nova Scotia, and my first table was sat at the table that didn't go so well the day before, so I was determined to ensure they had an enjoyable experience... and they did! Serving is just so stressful, because you never know what is going to happen, who your tables will be, whether you'll be double sat, etc. One day can be amazing and the next can be aweful! I'm sure it gets better as you gain experience and learn how to deal with all the different situations, but for now I go into work scared that I'm going to mess up, or have some very grumpy guests! Lucky for me, everyone was SO happy that day!

Wednesday February 4th was another AM in Nova Scotia. I really don't mind having 3 4-tops... it flows very nicely! At the end of lunch, my last table was amazing! They were a couple, probably in their late 20's and we had SUCH a good time talking. They gave me tips about things to do and see when I go to Disneyland! They reccommended this Japanese Steakhouse, Yamabuki, in one of the Disney hotels, so Rob and I are going to check it out! After work I reaxed and then it was throw-in time! Heather and I ordered pizza and some of our friends came over for Sing Star, pizza, and drinks! It was SO much fun. We're going to have to plan some more mini-parties. The throw-in was fun (as always), and afterwards I just went to bed, excited for a day off!

Thursday February 5th was my day off! I know I used to have weekends off, but in the schedule bid in January I requested Thursday/Friday for a couple of reasons...

Heather has those days off

Parks are busier on weekends

Payday is Thursday, so you'll always have money to do things ;)

If I ever wanted to do errands, banks and other businesses are often closed on weekends, which sucks.
I didn't really do anything on my day off. Really, I just sat around relaxing and catching up on all the TV shows I didn't watch while Dad was here. It was the break I needed. I did do some research on bank accounts, and transferring money to Canada. Since I'm in service now I'm making more on a daily basis than I did in an entire week on podium, so I needed to find a way to save my money, and transfer it to Canadian funds when the exchange rate suits. Turns out the only bank that does that is RBC with their RBC Access account. If you're from Canada and doing the program I highly reccommend going to rbcbankusa.com and reading about it. It allows you to transfer money from an American account to a Canadian account online anytime you'd like.

Friday February 6th was another day off, only this time I decided to do something. I went to Partners, deposited the cash I had, and went to RBC to set up an account. They were very nice, and able to set up the US account but they just need a reference letter from Partners in order to set up a Canadian account. It's pretty sweet and I'm definitely looking forward to setting up a savings account and sending my savings to Canada!

February 7th, 8th, and 9th I worked PM shifts. Other than work I didn't really do much. I find that I need to relax so that I have the energy to work a shift, so I end up catching up on TV shows that I've missed watching. Overall, it was quite fun!

Tuesday February 10th was my first MID! A MID is when you work both the lunch and the dinner shift, so you end up working from 11:15am to 11pm. It's a VERY long day, but not too bad! For my AM I was in Quebec which would have scared be before, but they've modified it! The managers have moved our side station to where one of the tables in Quebec was, so now it's only an 8 and a 6... MUCH more manageable than two 6's and a 4! My AM went very well and I was done early so I had 30 minutes before "dinner" started to enjoy the best part of working a MID... the food. When you work both shifts you're allowed to order lunch from the restaurant. Yes, you still have to pay for it, but it's delicious and beats bringing a sandwhich! I decided to try our grilled steak burger. It was FANTASTIC! It's served on an english muffin with a house onion-ketchup. I know that sounds weird but trust me, it's amazing! For my PM shift I worked Northwest. It's really becoming my go-to section ;).

Wednesday February 11th I worked a PM in Quebec. It is a nice section, but it was starting to get a little boring. You can either be in a big rush because both tables need things at the exact same time, or you can be bored out of your mind when they are both eating/waiting for food. I did have a very nice table from Kitchener at the end of the night, though! It's always nice to have guests from Canada, especially Ontario! After work I went to one of the saddest throw-outs yet. It was a throw out for 5 people: Brad, Tara, Janique, Jessie, and Adam. All of them are AMAZING and definitely make you smile when you're running around the kitchen so it won't be the same without them! Brad's throw-out was especially sad, because it was unexpected. He'd just found out he was termed for having a guest in The Commons after 1am. What's worse is that his contract was going to end in only a couple weeks, and now he has to go home early, without being in good standing with the company, and without Disney paying for his flight home.

Thursday February 12th was another day off where (as usual) I did pretty much nothing.

Friday February 3th was supposed to be a GMAT study day, but just as I was getting ready to head to the library I got a call from my manager asking if I could come in and work an AM. I said yes, and rushed to work. I was supposed to be in Quebec (an easy AM), but then was asked to switch to Saskatchewan... a MUCH more difficult section (because you have an extra table of 4). I took on the challenge, and it wasn't that bad! I was always on the run but it made the time fly by!

Saturday February 14th was Valentine's day to some, but to me it was my longest shift to date! A manager needed someone to pick up a 10:15, and I was already working a PM that day, so I ended up working from 10:15am to 11pm. In the morning I was supposed to be in Northwest (YAY!) but then one of the servers didn't show up (she's a part time employee, who hasn't been seen in awhile) so they decided to close my section and move me to hers, Ontario. This was my first try at a 4 table section: two 2's and two 4's. It was going pretty well, I had an empty 4, a 6 waiting for entree's and a 2 just leaving so I decided to have a nice little chat with the 2. Apparently, this was the wrong decision. While chatting (and standing right beside my other table) the lady there got impatient and asked another server to grab the manager. She explained that I was very sweet but had been standing there talking to that table while they were waiting for their food. In heindsight I'm a little upset I didn't explain that we have food runners, but being me my first goal was just to get them their food (it was their son's 10th birthday afterall). So I went back to the kitchen where it was sitting, and the expo guy passed me the ticket (meaning it was JUST ready). So I brought it out. The lady took two bites of the prime rib sandwhich said it was "warm, not hot" and that she wouldn't eat it. I offered her a new sandwhich, everything... nothing would satisfy. So I got rid of the other sandwhich told my manager what happened, and the Chef decided to go out and talk to the lady. She sat there and screamed at the Chef and I for quite some time. Her child's steak (which is probably what they were waiting for) wasn't done properly and she was upset that "anyone would feed a child food so undercooked!". Plus she let me know that she was "understanding of the learning curve" but that I needed to learn not to let anyone sit there while their food was waiting. I desperately wished to tell her about food runners, and that her food was fine, but the Chef was there and it just didn't seem the time. I was pretty fed up with her and it wouldn't have come out right. So instead I just went back and focused on what I could do for my other tables. My managers talked to me, and let me know that it wasn't my fault... just a long ticket time to prepare the food. I guess I could have cut that conversation short to check on my table, but they had everything they needed and if she was that upset I was standing beside her! I mean, the tables are only about 3 feet apart and I was standing between them! She could have just tapped my shoulder or called my name but she seemed like the type of person who just wanted free stuff, which annoys me. Still, it wasn't a bad day in Ontario considering. What made it even more frustarating, though, was that "The Chief" from Grey's Anatomy dined at our restaurant and requested one of the tables in Northwest because it was so private! Alysha ended up picking it up, but while I was dealing with the angry table I couldn't help but think that I would have been meeting one of the stars of Grey's if that other server had just shown up to work! For my PM I was in Northwest, but by then it was a little too late.

Sunday February 15th I picked up an AM for Alyssa so that she could go to Canada for the weekend. I was in Northwest for both my AM and my PM. Overall, it was a good day with good tables, but by the end I was just wishing I could work in ANY other section besides Northwest. It was getting a little extreme. I wanted a challenge!

Monday February 16th I got my challenge! I was working a PM and was in Manitoba! At first I was being seated fairly quickly and felt like I was too rushed. I was getting everyone their meals in a timely fashion, but I didn't have the time to socialize or joke with any of my tables. It was okay service, but it wasn't the "Jenn" service I was able to give the other nights. I guess I won't complain if I get Northwest anymore!

Tuesday February 17th I was scheduled to work a 10:15, but then was asked to stay for dinner and work a MID. Other than that, I don't really remember much about the 17th. All the hours I'm spending in the restaurant are starting to blend together and I can't even remember what section I was in!

Wednesday February 18th I was a 10:15, but was not asked to extend, YAY! It was SO nice to only work the AM shift. You're done by 5pm and there's still daylight! DAYLIGHT! Plus, I took the opportunity to go home, take a nap, and start to pack for Disneyland!

Thursday February 19th was my last day of work before Disneyland! I was SO tired and exhausted from working SO many hours, but I was excited about my vacation, so I kept working hard. I spent the morning in the Yukon, which really is a nice section. It has three 4's and a 2. My morning was very smooth! For my PM I switched with another server so I was in BC (one 6, one 5, one 4). Again, it went really well! I had such nice tables and before I knew it the night was over! Then all I had to do was finish packing and get to sleep so I could get on my plane to Las Angeles!

January with Dad!

January 6th-8th was pretty uneventful. I relaxed, unpacked, and started to settle back into my apartment and life at Commons. I had a lot more stuff (or so it seemed) that I needed to fit in the room, as did Heather, so that made things a little more interesting. I still don't think our room is as neat and organized as it was before Christmas, but it's getting there. On the 8th I literally came home from work, stopped by the Wide World of Sports and then pretty much went to bed because the 9th was one early morning!

Friday January 9th was the day I didn't think would ever come. If you remember, back in the summer I signed up for the "Circle of Life Family 5k". Well, it was finally the day of the race! I've never really mentioned running in my blog, and that's because I haven't run at all since coming to Florida. Yep, no running at all. Still, I got up at 5:30am so I could get ready, pick up Rebecca and get to Animal Kingdom. I was pretty excited and nervous because I'd never been to a race before. The setup was very cool. There was a stage with our two MC's, a package pickup, bag check, and lots of space to warm up (we started off in the parking lot after all!) It was cool, and dark still but Rebecca and I got ready, warmed up, and got ready for our race. Here are some pre-race photos!


I definitely underestimated myself, and so Rebecca and I started way too far back in the sea of people. The start was really cool, they had Timon and some of the cast of "The Lion King" musical to wish us luck, and fireworks to start the race! It took us two minutes to reach the starting line, almost half a mile before we could get into a running pace, and we spent over a mile passing people, trying to find people around our pace. Once I got started, running wasn't so bad. Usually I give up after a couple of minutes of running, but running in a crowd there's more motivation to keep up the pace. That, and the exileration of running a race pumped up my adrenaline and kept me going. If you want proof here are some photos Disney took during the race!


Yeah, it looks like I enjoyed running, but once you get the un-posed picture, it's not so true!


Rebecca and I finished the race in under 35 minutes! I was so proud, and once I caught my breath and had some breakfast I was smiling again!


Rebecca and I are hoping to run a couple more 5ks! There's one in March that's Princess themed! Our goal is to run the next one in under 30 minutes and I'm very excited! After the run, I relaxed and then went to work AM seating. I'm definitely glad it was an AM shift because by the end of it I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crash and watch tv!

Saturday January 10th I had the day off but I spent it relaxing in bed, catching up on my tv shows. I was pretty sore from running... I guess once the adrenaline wears off all you're left with is being sore.

Sunday January 11th I decided I should probably keep up this running thing so I went for a "run" which turned out to be more of a "walk-run". Shortly after, my dad arrived and so we checked into Old Key West, and went shopping! We went into Best Buy and looked at some of their laptops. My dad was still using the laptop we'd bought in 2000 so we thought maybe it was time to get a new one.

Monday January 12th was my first day of food runner training! I was pretty nervous because I wasn't sure if I would be good at carrying all the heavy plates.... especially carrying three plates at once. In the morning I went over to Old Key West and my Dad made me a very nice pancake breakfast with fruit to start me off on the right foot. Turns out it worked! Food running wasn't so bad! The first half an hour Tim (the permanent food runner, and the only trainer) showed us how the position points are determined for the various tables in the restaurant. Position points are important so that you don't end up auctioning off the food when you get to the table. The day went well, and time flew by fast. You constantly have something to do and so the 9 hour shift seems like nothing (especially compared to the 6 hour seating shifts that would drag on). It wasn't too hard, the most difficult part was just remembering the temperatures and position points you were going to. It's easy for the first little bit but then it all blends together and you can't remember whether this time it was medium, medium well, medium... or medium rare. Ha ha. After work I stopped by Old Key West to hang out with my Dad, and then headed home to Commons.

Tuesday Januray 13th my Dad and I decided that we were going to buy a new Dell laptop from Best Buy. They had the Studio laptop (in pink!) on sale on their website, so we thought we'd use my Partners Visa Check card to buy it online! So we spent the morning trying to deposit money into my account. At first we deposited in the majority as travellers cheques, which apparently are not considered cash at banks (like they are everywhere else), but are considered cheques and so a portion of the money is held for a week. Since we wanted to buy the laptop that day, we ended up having to deposit cash as well, knowing that I'd just take the money out from the travellers cheques as soon as the hold was off. It was a very frustrating and confusing processes, but at least it was done. Work went well... practice makes perfect and I was getting a lot of practice! My hands were starting to hurt and I was definitely feeling my non-existent muscles starting to get a little stronger!

Wednesday January 14th was Rebecca's birthday, so in the morning I met her, her mom, and her boyfriend's mom at the Magic Kingdom for breakfast at Crystal Palace! It was so delicious! I love character breakfasts! Afterwards, I headed to Epcot for more food runner training. Day 3 of training went fine, and Mariah and I got to remove our "Earning our Ears" flags.

Thursday January 15th was my day off! Fortunately, it was also the day my laptop was supposed to arrive. So Heather and I waited patiently for the laptop all day. In the early afternoon my Dad came to join us, brining Olive Garden takeout. It was delicious! The laptop finally came around 4:30pm, after Dad had left, so I went to Old Key West to show him and set it up! I'm definitely loving the new laptop, not only because it's pink, but I actually like Windows Vista, and having a webcam built into my computer (it makes skyping easier)!

Friday January 16th was my Dad's Birthday... and also, inconveniently, my first day as a tipped food runner. Still, we managed to do some celebrating! We got up and went into Epcot early so that he could get his present from Disney (he already had a season's pass so they gave him a $75 gift card!). Then we ate lunch at Sunshine Seasons, one of our favourite quick service restaurants. It was delicious, and so nice, because everywhere we went people wished him a Happy Birthday! Unfortunately, after lunch I had to head into work. There's something about knowing that you're actually making decent money that makes working much more satisfying. I definitely enjoyed food running SO much more that night!

Saturday January 17th I had the day off. Go figure I'd get the day before AND after my Dad's birthday off. We spent the morning relaxing and then went into Epcot in the afternoon. Despite the fact that it was my Dad's birthday celebration day, he wouldn't wear his pin. He said because it was a day after he couldn't wear it. So we wandered around and into the O'Canada film where Heather and Katie were working. Heather saw he wasn't wearing his button, so she made him a new one (which he had to wear). Even better, when Katie went up to do her spiel she made note of a very special Canadian celebrating his birthday, and he had to stand while everyone there sang him 'Happy Birthday'! It was incredible, since the waiting area was almost packed! After the film we went to our reservation at Le Cellier and had a delicious dinner, complete with a "Happy Birthday" dessert! After dinner we relaxed, wandered around Epcot, and watched Illuminations. I think it was the perfect birthday celebration day!

Sunday, January 18th I was a food runner, but I can't really think of anything else I did that day. Food running really occupies most of your day since you're at the restaurant from noon until 9:30 or 10pm.

Monday January 19th I had another day off, so my Dad and I decided to spend a day at the parks! We spent the morning in Animal Kingdom, going on the Safari and Primeaval Whirl, seeing Finding Nemo the Musical, and doing a little bit of shopping. I'd forgotten my ears at The Commons so I decided to buy a new pair! Since I still had the 50% discount I decided to invest in some sequined Minnie Ears. They are VERY cute. In the afternoon we headed to Hollywood Studios for a couple rides, the Stunt show, dining at our favourite 50's Prime Time Cafe, and of course, seeing Beauty and the Beast and Fantasmic!

Tuesday January 20th I had the day off so we spent the morning running some errands, getting groceries and a couple other things at Walmart, and went to KFC for lunch. I don't know why, but KFC is a million times better in the states. It just is. They have better options (mashed potatoes and gravy, for example) and better chicken. It's actually good in the states! Then we went back to Old Key West to relax until I had to go to my Candlelight reunion dinner at Ohana's! There were 12 of us who came together for dinner and it was a great time! We got to see a little hula show, and have the best food ever, with some of the best people ever. Honestly, the people I met through Candlelight are inspirational. The attitude they have towards daily life is wonderful and infectious. You just can't help smile around them. Dinner was even more amazing because some of the group knew one of the Chefs, and so he brought us a special scallop dish as well as fried bannanas and chocolate sauce (both not on the menu in addition to all the regular food you get at Ohana's! It was by far the best meal! We're hoping to have another one at Raglan Road in March... I can't wait!

Wednesday January 21st my Dad had to fly back to Canada for my Grandma's knee surgery so I drove him to the airport in the morning before my food running shift. Since I had Old Key West to myself, Rebecca came over after work and we chatted while munching on some snacks my Dad left us.

Thursday January 22nd was another day of food running and then Heather and Rebecca came to Old Key West for a girl's movie night. It was so much fun, and we got to watch "House Bunny". Definitely a cute movie!

Friday January 23rd was yet another day of food running... but it was exciting because it was my last food running shift before server training! By the end of the day I was so sore! I don't know if it's the fact that we have to carry heavy plates, or that I'm not used to walking so much but my hip was sore! I sound like an old person, but I was literally limping as I walked into the airport to pick my dad up!

Saturday January 24th I had the day off, so Dad and I decided to go to Sarasota and the Keys around it. Check out the pictures!

Sunday January 25th I had another day off so we headed to the Kennedy Space Center! I ended up having a ton of fun and getting a season's pass! I can't wait to go back. Check out the pictures! Part 1, and Part 2 :)


Monday January 26th was my first day of service training! As a new initiative training was supposed to start an hour before the regular shift started. So I arrived at work at 9:15am, and for the first half an hour I was the only person there. Then a manager arrived and gave me a binder to look over. Turns out there was a confustion over who was training me, and when they were supposed to show up. So I spent the morning shaddowing Emily, which was a lot of fun. My dad met me after work with some popcorn and we headed to China for some quick service food, followed by some Fantasia mini-golf. It was SO much fun, and FREE with my Disney Holiday Pass. What was even better was that I won... I rarely win at mini-golf against my dad!

Tuesday January 27th my Dad and I made a morning run to Walmart for a wine key, and then I had PM service training with a newlywed Chelsea! She had just been married at a small ceremony over the weekend and was just back from her mini-honeymoon! It was a very fun night, I was even able to take some tables myself!

Wednesday January 28th my Dad and I spent the morning at Downtown Disney because he needed to spend his birthday gift card from Disney! While we were there we headed to Wolfgang Puck's Express for lunch (they have amazing rotisserie chicken) and then I went into work for PM service training with Patrick! This time we were in a section with two 6T's and a 4. I was given two tables at a time (sometimes the two 6's) and so I found it a much more stressful day. Patrick said I did okay, but I definitely think I need more practice at this!

Thursday January 29th was my last day of service training. The last day is a morning shift. You write your written assessment (a series of questions about different things you need to know as a server), then you work in the Northwest Territories section fo the restaurant. You are supposed to be running the section yourself with your trainer just watching. Overall, I found it stressful having someone just watching over your shoulder. Near the end of your shift you have your service assessment, where your trainer and a manager are guests in your section. This I found extremely stressful but I passed! After work I met Dad at the Magic Kingdom. It was raining but that meant the park was empty so we could have some fun. We went on some rides and bought some Disney art. I also gave in and bought the giant Mickey I've been eyeing. It's huge. Mickey's head is much bigger than mine! Fortunately, the rain cleared up just in time to watch Wishes!

Friday January 30th I had the day off. Dad and I went to Walmart to grab a couple of things then spent the afternoon relaxing at Old Key West before heading to the Magic Kingdom for more shopping, Dinner at the Crystal Palace, rides, and Wishes.

Saturday January 31st Dad headed home. He left early so he could get a good start and make it most of the way back to Canada. I slept in a little more and then worked as an AM Server... my first official server shift. It went well, and I had a lot of fun, but it was sad not to go back to Old Key West after work!

December (Part 3)

December 18th to the 20th were my days off (I worked the previous Sunday so I had a 3 day weekend). I ended up doing nothing, I just layed in bed and watched movies. I was so sick I didn't even want to sing Candlelight! Heather was with her mom so it was very lonely! Fortunately, she stopped by on the 19th with some medicine so we could both start feeling better. On the 20th I got my stuff ready and when my mom said her flight had arrived we checked into Vistana.

Sunday December 21st was my first day with my Mom! We slept in, then headed to Epcot for our reservation at the Teppan Edo. This was something I'd been looking forward to for a really long time, and not just because my Mom and I were on the Candlelight package, but because I'd heard so much about this restaurant!


The Teppan Edo is like most Teppanyaki restaurants with the grill in the middle of the table, and a chef who cooks the food (with flare) right in front of you! But this being Disney, they do have some of their own touches... like this "Hidden Mickey" in the onions, or the "onion volcano"!

To start off we both had tempura! It was so amazing that this was all that was left of Mom's by the time we thought of taking a picture... there are no pictures of my tempura.

For dinner I chose filet mignon (hey, it's a fixed price... why not!). It was absolutely incredible. So tender and just... delecious. Especially with the sauces they had. The peanut sauce (far left) and ginger sauce (right), were fanastic!

Finally, there was a chocolate ginger cake to finish it all off! Cake with a layer of ginger icing, topped with mousse and chocolate sauce. It was incredible!

After we were both much too full we waddled over to the American Gardens theatre where Mom got in line for the 5pm show with Abigail Breslin. Then I dissapeared backstage for the show! It was so much fun, and my Mom videotaped it! Abigail was cute, she even had to stand on a box so that she could be seen over the podium. After the show I still wasn't feeling well enough to sing the late pair, so we went shopping instead and called it an early night.

Monday December 22nd I worked the 1:30-9:30pm Popcorn Cart shift, so my mom and I spent the morning relaxing. Before work I let mom into Epcot so she could at least have fun while I was at work. still, she stopped by every once and awhile to check in on me, and take some pictures ;)

Tuesday December 23rd I worked the AM Popcorn shift, though I was almost late! Mom and I had left plenty of time the previous day to get into the park, and so we figured it would take the same amount of time... wrong. Because we were arriving shortly after park opening, and it was closer to Christmas there was a line to even get through the parking gates! I ended up running from the car to work before we were able to park it. Fortunately, by doing that I made it to work in plenty of time! After work Mom and I went to the Magic Kingdom where we saw SpectroMagic and Wishes. Two of my favourite things at Disney!

Wednesday December 24th I was AM Greeter. Fortunately my managers let me run over to the Magic Music Days are at 3pm so I could sign up for standby on the late pair! I was so excited because I was able to make it GREEN ROBE for late pair! Dr. John Sinclair was even the conductor! I couldn't ask for a more perfect Christmas Eve. It was as if all my dreams were coming true!

Christmas, Thursday December 25th, I had a wonderful day! My mom and I woke up and had an amazing Christmas morning, eating breakfast together and opening presents!

In the afternoon I had to go in to work for a PM Greeting shift. Mom thought this was hilarious, because usually she's the one who has to work on Christmas, and instead she was going to the pool. Working Christmas wasn't actually too bad a shift! I felt really bad that I had to tell people there was "no room" (sound familiar?), but we were able to take walk-ins at some point in the night! I don't think those people understood how amazing it was to get a walk-in, though. At the end of my shift I was on "The Hub" (because for the last 45 minutes or so all you have to do is say goodbye to the few guests who leave), and I managed to sign up for the 5pm Candlelight show the next day! Amazing! So I asked my manager if I could have an ER for the next day and she said YES! Bonus!

Friday, December 26th was the day Rob was arriving! I was working as an AM Seater, so my Mom had to go to the airport to pick up Rob and then they were going to randomly drop by Le Cellier sometime after to say "hi". I felt really bad that I couldn't pick him up from the airport, but I think our reunion was just as exciting... you be the judge, but this one can only be explained through pictures!





After our reunion the two of them went off to watch the Voices of Liberty, and then they were going to get in line for Candlelight. After work Rob met me in Japan with food, but I had a surprise for them! I was able to get Candlelight passes for them from my manager! So they definitely had prime seats to watch Edward James Olmos and I! Actually, Edward James Olmos was one of the nicest celebrity narrators! He came out before the show, shook our hands, wished us good luck and a very Merry Christmas! Super exciting!

I was going to do all 3 shows that evening, but I decided to spend some time with Rob instead. I would have spent time with Mom too, but she left to go finish cooking our big Christmas dinner! So Rob and I wandered around the world chatting and having fun. We watched Illuminations (from Canada) and then picked up Rebecca and headed to Vistana for presents and an amazing Christmas dinner! It was SO much fun!

Saturday December 27th was the day my Mom had to leave :(. Everyone got up early because we had to move out of Vistana and into our new place (along with all of our stuff and groceries). Plus, Rob and I had to run some things into Commons. All I could think of was howmuch stuff I'm going to have to unpack when I get home! Then we settled into our new place. relaxed, did some running around (photocopied candlelight music), and headed to Hollywood Studios for the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Then we headed to the Magic Kingdom to watch Holiday Wishes (the only time Rob could see them), and Spectro Magic... to more firsts for Rob!

Sunday December 28th I had to work AM Seating, but I managed to get an ER! Unfortunately, I couldn't get a hold of Rob to let him know that I was off of work early so I went to sing all 3 Candlelight shows. He got my message in time and was actually able to watch them all. I was so happy he could be there, because it was my very last night in Candlelight. During the last "Hallelujah Chorus" I could help but tear up. Standing there I was doing what I'd always dreamed of for the very last time, with Dr. John Sinclair conducting as well, and Rob there to share it with me. After Candlelight we headed home and got some sleep.

Monday December 29th I didn't have to work until 3:30 so we sletp in, relaxed, and went to the drive-in A&W I've always wanted to go to on the 192! It's a really neat restaurant where you order and eat in your car, and they deliver it to you! Very old-school ;). Then we headed to Epcot. I felt bad for Rob because he had to spend the day in Epcot by himself, but he had fun and I met him after work to watch Illuminations!

Tuesday December 30th I was a PM Greeter. Rob was bored of Epcot and had never been to Animal Kingdom, so we took the opportunity to spend the morning there. We managed to get a Fast Pass for Kilimanjaro Safaris, two for Expedition Everest, one for Dinosaur, went on my favourite spin rolelrcoaster on a short wait, and then got another Fast Pass for It's a Bugs Life, and ate at my favourite, Flame Tree BBQ! It was SO much fun! Then I suggested shows and other things for him to do while I went to work! He met me at work later that night and unfortunately had to wait in the Le Cellier lobby after Illuminations while I was saying goodbye to all of the guests in the restaurant.

Wednesday December 31st... New Years Eve! Ashley took my popcorn shift so I was able to spend the day with Rob in my typical New Years Eve style! Rob and I went to Hollywood Studios for the day. We got there at park opening, Fast Passed the Rockin' Roller Coaster, went on Tower of Terror a couple of times and then went to the car stunt show: Lights, Motors, Action! We managed to get Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania, went on the Backlot Tour, Animation Studio (where we got a picture with Mickey, recorded ourselves as Belle and the Beast, and a lot more fun). We saw Indiana Jones, ate dinner at the Sci Fi Diner, got our Hats/Horns, watched Beauty and teh Beast, saw Fantasmic, and then watched the fireworks from my on special spot. It was incredible. We were able to watch both sets of fireworks (Epcot and Hollywood Studios) only they didn't play the music for the Hollywood Studios firworks, which was dissapointing since they've done that in previous years. Overall, it was a perfect New Years Eve... and I'm still surprised Rob was able to put up with me at Disney for that long ;)