Special Day!!!!!

Today is my Special Day! Happy Special Day Mom and Ga Ga. Just a shout out to them.

Love you both.

I miss you both so much and I know that none of the dream I am living right now could be possible without your support and warm wishes. I really wish I could expereince this day with you both and know that both of you are in my heart always. Can't wait to come visit in August and celebrate this day with you both properly as a family. Thanks for being my main support team throughout my life and always pushing me to go above and beyond. Love you. <3

Hospital Blues

This post is strictly for my records so one day when I get old and gray and in between remembering what day it is and who stole my bingo chips, I will suddenly remember how to work a computer or whatever device they will come out with next and I can remember this time in my program as the worst week ever.

Day 3 in the hospital is passing by and slowly making way for Day 4. This expereince has been fillled with ups and downs and this is most definately one of the downs. I was admitted Monday night for severe stomach pains and other unpleasants and I can tell you that I never have beforee missed the castle this much before. I miss all the Princesses too. I had Pancreatitis (unknown causes). Hopefully tommorrow I can go back home. Crossing my Fingers.

Thanks to the lovely nurses and doctors as Celebration Hospital, but a thousand thanks to everyone who has come and visited me here! Thanks to my cousin for calling too. And a special thanks to my mom  whose number the hospital staff has on file now and automactially know who's calling as soon as they hear her voice.

Pixie Dust Everywhere!

Alright. Just for the record. I am a Fairy Godmother in Training at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Cinderella Castle. I swear I am. It suddenly occured to me that I rarely talk about what I do. I have to say that it is one of the most rewarding roles at Disney World. I love it there.

I come home with so many stories of little Princesses having their wish come true. Too many stories to remember. But there are six main reasons why I love my role:

1. Seeing the expressions of the little girls and knights when we turn them around and they have all this pixie dust all over them. The most precious moments is when their eyes get big and their mouth drops. I have had Princesses gasp and let out a little squeal after seeing themselves for the first time. Some Princesses expressions make me want to cry. It's really hard not to cry at the Boutique. Of course I get some Princesses who are expereinced Princesses before and they take a trip to the Boutique every year, so they know what to expect. They know the stories and I don't get as big as a reaction, but I am so happy when I am done knowing that I made a Princess that day. How many people do you know that get to make Princesses and Knights everyday? I also get shy Princesses and Princesses that talk the whole time. My number one reason is kind of scatterd. If you understand this, then you get a cookie from Tinkerbell at the end of the day.

2. Seeing the Make-A-Wish children come in and turn into beautiful Princesses. Big Cry Moment!

3. Corronating Princesses from all over the World. I have met Princesses from France, Brazil, England, and Scotland.

4. Telling stories and answering questions. Where does Pixie Dust come from? How does Tinkerbell come in here? Are those the Princesses real crowns there and which ones do they belong too? Are there real pirates knocking at that door?  Of course you won't fly away dear.

5. Coming into contact with so many Princesses and their Royal Families! I think this kind of ties into Number one. Wooo! Here it is again!!!

6. Princess Hugs (Almost forgot!)..Story Warning!!! I asked one little princess to practice giving a hug to me before she went to go see Cinderella and she ran up to me and almost knocked me off my feet. She was 5! She didn't let go either. Smile Moment. Second Hugging Story. Two little twin 4 year old Princesses were checking out (I did one!) and one of the twins would hug any Princess that came up to the front. She even kissed one unsuspecting Princess on the cheek.

One thing past Fairy Godmothers in Training told me was that you will come home with Pixie Dust everywhere. And that is the truth! In your hair. In your shoe. On your forehead (Princess hugs). Everywhere! Loving that Pixie Dust. <3

Umm...Happy 4th of July....10 days later!

Hey everyone! Happy 4th of July!! Even though its ten days later and everyone is firework and grilled out. I have to tell you that experiencing the fireworks at Disney World was amazing!

Let's see if my 19 year old brain can remember what happened ten days ago....

It was Sunday...July 13th, and I was working (what else do I ever do?), and my roommate wanted to watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom with me. I am not totally into fireworks (haven't seen Wishes (saw Tinkerbell!) or Epcot Fireworks yet) and my plan was to just go home and sleep. She convinced me to go and I have to tell you that the Fourth of July fireworks at Magic kingdom were amazing. They had stars in red, white, and blue, and they literally filled the entire sky over Magic Kingdom with fireworks. It was huge. Disney motto is "Go big or go home."

Now Monday, some friends wanted me to see the Epcot fireworks with them. The plan was going well until I decided to go over to Epcot with my roommate and friend and decided to ride Soarin during the regular firework show. I was going to meet them before the special firework show. Of course, by the time we came out of the ride, the park was filled with people. No way of meeting up with my friends and decided to just sit on the grass and watch the fireworks there. We didn't have the best seat, but the fireworks we saw were still stunning. They used lasers and fireworks in their show. At the end of the show, as everyone leaves the park, they projected on the golf ball (I know it's not a golf ball), Happy Birthday America. Soo cute. I would have taken pictures, but my camera takes horrible night pictures. It made me sad that I couldn't share the beautiful shows with all of you. :( It's a sad day in Whitney land.

Housing Inspections

Alright. Housing Inspections were not as scary as I thought they would be. I was up until 4 a.m. wiping down counters and organizing all my drawers. I also woke up and cleaned a little more. Our apartment wasn't even dirty, but in my mind, there was dirt everywhere. Yeah over reacting imagination!

So, I text my next door neighbor and he told me that they were in the building...I freak out...again. Then came the knock on my door. Two men came in. No hello, no introductions. They threw down their stuff and went through my whole apartment, writing stuff down as they went. They came back to me, who was still at the door, and awarded the apartment with the White Glove Award! Wooo!!!

With inspections, you either pass, fail, or get the white glove award. With this award, you get chocolates and a thank you card. I would have loved the reward, but I hate chocolate (Ahhh! She can't be human. I have my days when I question it too). My roommate loved the chocolates. I didn't have to ask her. She leaves a trail of wrappers behind and the chocolates are disappearing one by one.

Basically, for inspections, you need trash emptied out. Dishes clean. Clean the fridge and the freezer (they do look inside), and make sure you don't have anything on the floor. You can awesome rent a vacuum cleaner from the front office of your apartment so there is no excuse why there are crumbs hidden under the sofa.

Long Time No Post

Alright, so it may seem like I have fallen off the face of the Earth, but let me assure you I have not. I have just been so busy with work that I have not had time for my blog. Now things have finally settled down and I can finally share some (some is confidential) of the great memories I have been experiencing.

Life at the Boutique is wonderful. I had five days of training. Five long hard days of training and now I can officially call myself a Fairy Godmother in Training (FGIT).  It was not an easy process. After traditions, you will have park orientation. Depending on where you work, every park orientation is different. Mine took place at the Magic Kingdom. You get your costume after park orientation and the next thing is day 1 training. Everyone's training schedule is different. Some people start training right away while others have training a couple days later. My training was right away. All training consists of you and a few other people doing the same role as you following someone around all day long. Fun right? Actually it was a lot of fun. My trainer was excellent and she had quite a reputation in the boutique as being one of the best FGIT's around. Everyone in the boutique have been super helpful and supportive and I can honestly say that we are all one big family.

Right now, I am working about 6 hours a day, 5 days a week and come home exhausted. It's not easy being a FGIT. No amount of pixie dust in our magic wands can make me use to to working so much.

My roommate and I are getting along great. She's super nice and we both love Theatre and talk about it a lot together. We also can't seem to keep our refrigerator stocked. We are constantly going to the store for more groceries. I have met some of the next door neighbors too, and they are all friendly too. One of my neighbors even educated me on the right way to hunt for those elusive rare Disney pins that I want to start collecting.

Surprisingly, I have not gotten sick of Disney yet. I want to come home and visit family and friends in August (need to save money for the plane ticket), but I am still up on my Disney high right now. I really love my job. I mean, who wouldn't want to play with Princesses and their royal families all day? Not saying that it isn't stressful. Parents and little girls aren't always the best mix sometimes.

Tomorrow is my first apartment inspection. I have plants in my apartment and I don't even know if I am allowed to have them and our apartment is no where near tidy. We are going to be up late tonight cleaning. I'll let you know how it goes tommorrow.

Also, I am waking up early to get a pirate stitch doll that is stuck in the corner of a claw machine. Being the crazy person I was, I called over a cast member and complained that where the stitch was located, no one could get to it and it was the only pirate stitch in the machine. This cast member talked to his supervisiors and hopefully tommorrow they will readjust the location of pirate stitch. They didn't have the right key tonight. It's sad when that is one of the highlights of my day.

Check-in, Casting, Location, Apartment!!!

Words cannot explain how tired I am this morning. Yesterday was a bit overwhelming. Lots of people, lots of information, and sad goodbyes. On Sunday night, I had dinner with the some people checking in on June 13th. I met another girl, Betsy, who was doing the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, asked a billion in one questions to the alumni who was sitting at our table, and exchanged many phone numbers. I also figured to get the one bedroom at Chatham, my roommate who is a doll (Found her over Facebook before I came. I recommend knowing your roommate before you come), we needed to be there at 6 a.m.

On the day of check in, I arrived at 5:45 a.m.at Vista Way and there was about 6 other people there. We all talked and by 7:00 the line had grown drastically. I also met other awesome people in line (shout out to Natalie and Tamara!)

They let us in at around 8:00 a.m. and after that there was no turning back. They gave you a temporary name tag and you went through a maze of different stations. You received your housing guide (which you practically had to take out the whole day), took your housing i.d., chose your roommates/or apartments, get the bus schedule, and got your parking decal.

After I got through the maze, I had about a hour to go check out our new apartment with my roommate. We received a one bedroom at Chatham Square. All the apartments were beautiful, but Chatham appealed to us more although we almost went with Vista Way.

The apartment was huge! We lived on the third floor and had a balcony and our apartment building wasn't too far from the bus stop.

After viewing and moving in a few things, we went to the Casting building. Disney had a bus pick us up and what did we find...another maze. But this maze was fun. While standing in line, you find out your location right away...

Drumroll please......I am a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Cast Member at Cinderella Castle!! ^ ^

I am going to be crazy busy, but it's worth it. I have never been to Magic Kingdom and now I get to work inside the castle. I really did not have a preference for work location. I liked either location. But the cool part is...my roommate got the same location as me. She's also doing BBB at Cinderella Castle. We will be seeing a lot of each other.

After you find out your location, you turn in all your forms over the course of a hour and a half. You can sign up for classes if you still wanted to, you get a background check, and they serve you snacks (the best part in my opinion ^^ Snacks make everything better).  I also got my work schedule for the next couple of days. I have early morning Traditions tommorrow and training starts on Thursday.

At 3:00 p.m., we had to go to a two hour housing meeting to talk about rules of living in the apartments. I got done with Casting at around 11:45 a.m., so I had unpacked more things and went to Wal-Mart to pick up some organizing things I couldn't bring with me on the plane. After the housing meeting, I went to IKEA for some plants and some other decorating items and went to Wal-Mart for some food and cake making stuff for an epic "Lets invite our neighbors over by bribing them with food" event.

I also found out my friends back home had a bonfire and apparently set up a picture of me in a chair and one of my friends spent the entire night trying to make me (my picture) laugh. Don't ask.

Today, I am spending the last few hours with my mom and grandma. Thye leave tonight and fly back home to Michigan. It will be a sad goodbye, but I am excited for Traditions tommorrow. ^ ^

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique x 2

 

Today we went to Downtown Disney and visited the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for the first time. First thing I noticed is that there was 50,000 (slight exaggeration) people inside World of Disney. There were 50,000 more people inside the Princess part of World of Disney where the Boutique was. We were able to walk inside the Boutique and watch a couple of girls getting made over. One girl was about 14 years old and we were able to watch her big "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!" moment as her Fairy Godmother in Training sprinkled pixie dust all over her. We talked to one of the managers and she told us that there was an average of 187 appointments daily and 30-40 walk ins everyday and this wasn't even the busiest location. Seeing all the Princess make-overs really made me want to start my training as Disney's newest Fairy Godmother in Training.

We also walked around Downtown Disney and saw this really great street juggler. He managed to juggle 8 plates as well as match boxes and juggling balls. All those months of juggling club payed offed, I managed to recognize one as a cascading waterfall. Don't ask me to go into detail about it. I will point you in the direction of YouTube because even I don't know.

We went to a street fair in Celebration today too. We really explored every corner of Disney's property today. Celebration would have to be my favorite stop just because it really is the cutest town in the whole entire world. Everyone is so nice and the scenery is gorgeous.

I forgot to mention that yesterday we went to search for the Disney Apartments. When we finally found them and after a 30 minute talk with security at Vista Way to prove to my mom that the apartments were indeed safe, we drove around and scouted the other apartments. They were stunning. I had heard some negative things about Vista Way, yet the complex was beautiful. We drove around and saw Chatham Square, The Commons, and Patterson Court (hopefully my future apartment).  The area kind of surprised me. Chatham, the Commons, and Patterson are kind of secluded. I also saw the Disney College Program shuttles and the Wal-Mart that I will spend half my life at.

Sunday night, a bunch of the June 13th arrivals are having dinner at the Applebee's near the Holiday Inn Sun Spree. This is the hotel right by Vista Way Apartments (the check-in spot). I will hopefully meet my future roommate here and a bunch of other people who are arriving June 13th. One day away. Mucho nervoso (5 years of Spanish right there).

My First Encounter

When my family and I went to Cracker Barrel yesterday, I officially saw my first Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique girls. They were so cute. One was 6 and the other was 4. They had their hair in the little bun and they had pixie dust all over them. It was actually day two of their hair and it still looked perfect. Their mom said the only complaint she had was that her eldest daughter complained that the bun was a little tight so she told me to be weary of that. I called them Princess and my mom and I bowed to them and their faces lit up. Their mom was so excited for me and it just made me want to start training already.

Florida Updates

I am finally in Florida. That is all.

Actually, that is not all. I haven't updated in a while, only because for the last week, I have been crazy busy. I have not done anything I have promised to do for this trip and the series of events that have happened on this trip have been crazy. Long post warning!!!

First things first. Over the weekend, I helped my mom with my final jewelry show. It was the Lapeer Art and History Fair. It would have been a perfect going away show if the cannon shots from the Civil War demonstration hadn't been going off every 30 minutes. It ended up being a great show and of course no ear walked past our booth without knowing that I was going to work for the Disney Program. I think my mouth, for the first time, omg write this down, got tired from talking so much. That doesn't happen often.

Monday was the last day I hung out with my friends. We ended up going to a local swim athletic club and hanging out at the pool. We had pizza and I got attacked by about 100 mosquitoes. No joke. I think this was the day I actually realized I was leaving for so long and it finally hit me. I had thought about it a little bit over the weekend at Lapeer because I felt guilty about not being able to help my mom for the Summer with her shows. I kind of felt like I was abandoning her. Spending time with my friends made me realize that I was leaving everyone I cared about up here. The feeling of dread came back. I will miss my all my friends and family.

Monday night, I installed my web cam. I re-installed my Skype account and befriended a couple people I knew on skype. Even that was a sad moment and I promised myself tomorrow that I would stop feeling sorry for myself and think about all the reasons why I applied for the program. 

Tuesday was the day that things started to get crazy. My mom and I ran around the whole city trying to find someone who would ship my television and a box of things I had that needed to be shipped down. I also spent the whole day worrying about whether or not my suitcase was too heavy. I received a bigger suitcase and was able to pack a lot of things in it. After going to the post office and UPS, we decided not to ship anything and on the way back to my grandma's house, received a very disturbing call from my grandma. She couldn't find the dog. We raced to her house and found the dog sitting on the side of the house under a tree. Somehow, he had escaped. One heart attack averted. Then, on the way to the mall to find a few more t-shirts for my mom, we run out of gas! Right in the middle of the street! We ended up calling my friend to have him bring us some since we were 5 minutes from his house.

Wednesday morning, I woke up at 4:58 in the morning for our 9:45 a.m. flight. I printed out the boarding passes and a coupon for the airline parking. My mom decided we needed to ship my comforter and sheet set because it took up too much room. I had added it into her suitcase because, again, I was worried about mine being overweight. We pack it into a box and throw it into the car and on our way we went until my grandma came to the car and discovered that she had out on two different color outfits. The shirt was a dark blue and the pants were a light blue. We decided to change at the postal office. Let the teasing begin! 

We stopped to drop it off at the once 24 hour postal office and discovered that it was no longer 24 hours. I decided to just pay the extra 45 bucks and check it. It was here when my grandma wanted to change her clothes. The clothing situation was worse when we discovered that she had only packed shirts that went with black pants. She had forgotten all her pants at home and nothing to put on with the bright blue pants. She managed to find a similar colored shirt and we drove on laughing at her the rest of the car ride there. When we arrived at the airport, of course we had to tell people on the shuttle to the airport that I was working at Disney. It wouldn't be a trip unless everyone knew why we were going to Orlando. 

At the airport, my bag turned out to be 4 pounds overweight and I just added some more stuff to the other suitcase my mom had. Everything worked out. We couldn't get seats together but my grandma got a window seat and I sat next to my mom. 

We are staying at the Clarion hotel in Kissimmee. We rented a Dodge Journey from Thrifty. We decided  eat at this restaurant across the street from the hotel.  My mom found a piece of a ceramic mug or plate in her food and then when we walked out the restaurant discovered that the landscaping outside was on fire. Flames were about 6 inches high and was burning in a pretty large area. The manager and staff took their time getting water thinking it was the cigarette trash on fire again. When they discovered that the mulch was on fire they ran and got several buckets of water and put it out. They said they had never seen anything like that. Not only did they try to kill my mom by choking on the ceramic, but they tried to burn her too. 

I was pleased to say that the rest of the trip so far has been good. We have done a lot of shopping today, especially for my Grandma. Today is resting day. I got my shoes for work, a pair of Mary Janes, and I got a couple shirts and shorts. 

Disney has been everywhere. Our hotel has Disney mats in the entrance. We stopped at Wal-Mart and they had a whole section dedicated to Disney. I nearly got killed by the 40 people pushing and shoving each other trying to get to the pins. Disney people are a whole different brand of people. I am a little scared of what's to come.

Time to Pack

Alright I finally put my procrastination aside and I have finally started packing. I had planned to start packing on Monday, but we had a family going away party and I did not want people stepping over clothes and suitcases when trying to find a spot to eat. So I rescheduled for Tuesday, but then I went to a laser tag game with some friends and became really lazy for the rest of the day.

Well yesterday, I started moving stuff into the living room. That was a big deal for me. I had a two second celebration in my accomplishment and got packing. I actually ran into a roadblock because I could not decide what to bring. I would bring some things out, then put it back, then bring hem out again, and then put it back again.

I actually freaked out yesterday because I thought I had a bigger suitcase in the basement, but turns out that it was thrown out a few years ago. Why didn't anyone tell me! No one tells me information like this anymore. Anyway, now I am deciding to just bite the bullet and buy a new piece of luggage. I am already shipping some things down like my television, ironing board, and iron, but the small suitcase isn't helping much and I can't bring a a huge carry on inside the plane. I am flying on Spirit and they have a lot of luggage restrictions and charges.

It saddens me that I can only take these two suitcases down with me. My mom told me she could always ship things to me once I get down there too. 

I have to ship all of this down to Florida. It's not too expensive though.

I have also found that space bags are my friends. I bought magic bags from the Dollar General store near my house and they work just as well.In that one space bag, I have two pillows, one comforter, two flat sheets, two fitted sheets, and four pillow cases. It is being shipped down too. It will arrive at our hotel via UPS. That's the plan. Hopefully it won't change.

Well, back to packing for me. Six days before I leave!! 

Jewelry Marathon

With only 6 days before I leave for Florida, I have been in jewelry making mode the whole morning trying to have enough last over the Summer.

My mom and I own a jewelry business called, Anita's Jewelry Designs. We make earrings, bracelets, and necklaces out of stones, pearls, glass, and chinese crystal. My mom has been making jewelry for about 15 years and I just started about 4 years ago helping her out at her art fairs and farmers market.

Visit her website. There is some really nice things on there and more to come when she figures out to work the website. (Love you mom) 

I think one of the things I will miss while I am in Florida is the bonding time I spend with my mom when we do a show together. I help her set up the tent, tables, displays, and jewelry. I also help her with sales and resizing.

To help with one of our shows, my mom has borrowed another kid and I have been kind of showing her the ropes with customers questions and set up. It's weird training someone for a job you have had for years. Especially since I am really particular on details. I won't even let my mom help me set up the booth because of it and she owns it!

While I in Disney, I hope to learn how to just relax and let others try on their own without going nuts if something isn't right. Breathe Whitney breathe. I might try the little rubber band trick. "Whitney relax. You're becoming crazy." Pop! "Thank you Mr. Rubber band for bringing me back to my senses.

Disney Class Registration

Recently, class registration opened up for the Disney College Program at Disney University. Disney University offers many different classes to college program participants as a way to receive credit for their school/major or to take just because they sound interesting. There are three categories of classes, with about 20 classes you can choose from total, which offer different experiences: 

Exploration classes are free classes offered to college program students. Some classes offered are Disney Heritage, Disney Marketing, and Disney Leadership. Collegiate courses have a small materials fee, no more than $50, and some examples of classes are corporate analysis, creativity and innovation: gaining the edge, and experimental learning. Professional Development courses focus on several areas within the park. They include professional show production and finance.  

I plan on taking Disney Heritage and Marketing you during the Summer hopefully because in the Fall I will be taking classes online for my university. I will either try signing up tonight for classes or early tomorrow morning.I don't get any credit from my university with these courses, but I thought that they would be fun and interesting to take while I was down there. I might as well take advantage of some of the special courses while I am there. I might not get another chance to do it. 

I also don't want my course load to be heavy. That's the only reason why I haven't signed up for any of the classes yet. Part of me wants to work as much as I can during the Summer because in the Fall, I want to have time for my online classes and I won't be able to work as much. I want to bank as much money as I can. I don't want to over work myself either if I take the classes. I might try taking just one class to see how it goes. I'll keep you posted. ^^

Packing

Alright, I promised myself that I wouldn't write about stuff like this, but I figured since it's my blog and I warned you in the Welcome section that I don't know what to talk about then it is alright for me to do it. Today I am going shopping for the last bit of t-shirts that I will get before I head down to Florida.

I am use to Michigan weather and even in the Summer, I can wear shirts with tank tops or other shirts underneath. Well, in Florida, the weather there is a whole different beast. It's a high of 65 here today and it's almost 85 in Florida. I also have to prepare for the humidity.

I also have to scout out a few business attire outfits. I plan on taking a few Disney classes while I am down there, and you must wear business attire to the classes. I need a few more blouses and so I will probably going to New York and Company for those. I love their selection on business attire and they are very affordable.

The reason I have chosen to put this section in my blog is not just to talk about shirts and weather, but I have also included a list of what someone might need when they go down. I kind of wanted this blog to be a good reference for people in some far out future to find and help prepare them for the college program.

As I count down the days, I also scout out boxes to ship things down to Florida. I plan on shipping a Television (only because my mom did not like my idea of carrying it on the plane with me. I wonder why?), bedding set, and some room decorations (note - Disney Apartments do not want you to put up anything on the walls. There are a few exceptions). I have heard of a lot of people shipping things down for the program and sending it to their hotels or to the apartments, so I will give everyone some more information later on about it. I plan on shipping it to my hotel.


Bedroom/Closet
1. Bedding (twin size)
2. Comforter
3. Blanket
4. Sheets (a couple of sets)
5. Pillow(s)
6. Pillow cases
7. Bed Padding
8. Organizational supplies for under the bed
9. Decorations -Remember no wall decorations
10. White board and markers (for roommate messages)
11. Calendar
12. Extension Cords (2)
13. Fan -It's hot!
14. Alarm clock
15. Garbage can / bags
16. Clothes (business, casual, etc.)
17. Shoes (business, athletic, etc.)
18. Lamp
19. Hangers - Important!
20. Laundry basket / hamper
21. Laundry soap 
22. Swimming suit
23. Beach towel

Bathroom/Linen Closet
1. Shower organizer
2. Floor mat
3. Air freshener
4. Shampoo / conditioner
5. Towels (bath and face)
6. Brush
7. Hair stuff (bobby pins, elastics)
8. Toothbrush / toothpaste
9. Floss
10. Contacts/Glasses
11. Deodorant
12. Razors
13. Shaving cream
14. Medicine
15. Pads
16. Hand soap
17. Cup for toothbrush, etc.
18. Tweezers

Kitchen/Living Room
1. Paper towels
2. Potholders
3. Masking tape / sharpies to help label food
4. Tupperware
5. Paper plates
6. Plastic silverware
7. Plastic cups
8. Napkins
9. Travel mug
10. Wall clock
11. Colander

Cleaning Supplies
1. Lysol / bathroom spray
2. Kitchen trash bags
3. Clorox wipes
4. Sponges
5. Dish detergent
6. Rubber gloves

Electronics
1. Laptop / laptop sleeve / charger
2. Digital camera / charger
3. Cell phone / charger
4. Ipod / charger / headphones
5. External hard drive / flash drive
6. Extension cords / surge protectors
7. Mouse / web cam / cooling pad / laptop lock
8. DVD player
9. DVDs

Borrowed this list from the Facebook Group and tweaked it a bit

Homesick?

Well, it's official. On June 8th, at 9:00 a.m, I will fly down to Orlando with my mom and grandma for my June 13th check in to Disney. I am really excited because it's only two weeks away, but also really nervous. I think I am already feeling the symptoms of home sickness and I haven't even left yet.

On Monday, I will be having a family goodbye celebration and it just reminds me how much I will miss them. Missing people has been in the back of my mind for a while and now that the date is getting closer and closer, I suddenly realize how nervous I am. The point is....

I will miss my family and friends to death

 I am an only child and have never been away from my family for this long. I know what you're thinking: Poor little only child. You have no siblings and I bet you depend on your parents for everything and you'll come home in a month. Well, critics, at least give me 2 months.

But in all seriousness, I am actually pretty independent. My mom made sure of that. I did stay on campus for school. That makes me independent. Cough...I was only 30 minutes away from home and would come home every weekend to spend time with family and friends. Well, now, I can't go home that easily now and I know that. It's a chance to experience life as an adult. I have to pay for my own food, my own housing,report to work on time, and manage money well.

My mom has been my biggest supporter in all of this. She always tell me, "The bird has to fly away from the nest sometime."  She put up with my Disney craziness while waiting to hear back from them and the months of planning in case I was accepted. Now, I am actually going and she is the one peeling me off from around her waist and pushing me on the plane. Not going to lie, I will miss my my mom's hugs, but I know she is always there for me and just a phone call away.

I will miss my friends too. My biggest fear, although very irrational, is that people will forget about me when I am down there. I love to be social and when I come back I am afraid that all my friends would have moved on (I keep getting the image of myself sitting in a corner alone - I'm a little dramatic if you haven't figured it out). Someone very close to me told me, "If they're your true friends, they won't forget about you." That helped ease my fears. It seems really simple and obvious, but it helped. Besides I already have my friends planning on visiting me and I have promises of hundreds of text messages and skype dates. I don't think I will be bored at all.

What I have learned from this is that I will miss everyone back home, but this is the adventure of a lifetime. I will only be gone for a couple of months and if I spend those months missing people from home and being depressed that I don't know anyone, then I will miss out on the experiences in Orlando. The point of the program is to meet a diverse group of people and gain experiences working and learning. And isn't that why I applied for the program in the first place?

 -Lots of love Michiganders-

Disney Bucket List

Alright If you are still reading this blog after all the information I posted below then you really are a brave soul or you have nothing else better to do with your time. I kind of went on and on, but that's only because I am really excited about this program. While working for Disney, I get free admission into the park, so they're a couple of things I wanted to do while I was there.

• Get Season Pass tickets to Universal Studios
• Visit all Four Disney Parks - Especially Magic Kingdom (I have never been)
• Ride all the rides
• See all the shows
• Visit every land at Epcot
• Try a piece of the cuisine from every land
• See Wishes and Illuminations Firework shows
• See Fantasmic
• Meet all the Disney Princesses (yes I am five years old again)
• Try to meet someone in every role at Disney World
• Get as many Lilo and Stitch merchandise as I can
• Go to Celebration
• Go to the Halloween and Christmas Disney Parades
• See the Electrical Parade
• Eat Dole Whip Ice-Cream (I heard it's world famous)
• Do the backstage tours - Including the Segway Ride!
• Visit every resort
• Go to the Spa!!!

Alright these are just a few of the things I want to do while I am Disney. Can you think of anymore?

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

There are two locations in Disney World for the

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

One is in Downtown Disney inside World of Disney 

The other one is inside Cinderella Castle

Other than location, customers can choose from three different hairstyles

Fairytale Princess, Disney Diva, and Pop Princess 

Customers can choose the Package as well

• Coach Package includes hairstyling and shimmering makeup — starting at $49.95 USD plus tax.
• Crown Package includes hairstyling, shimmering makeup and nails — starting at $54.95 USD plus tax.
• Castle Package includes the Crown Package plus the Imaging Package (one 6" x 8" and four 4" x 6" photos in a princess-themed photo holder) and complete costume of your choice with accessories — starting at $189.95 USD plus tax.

Some Location Differences

Downton Disney offers a Hannah Montana Package

Cinderella Castle offers a Cool Dude Package

Wait...Did you say Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo...What?

Alright. It has come to my attention that most of you average people don't know what a fairy godmother in training (FGIT) looks like. Well let me break it down for you...

• You can catch me at Downtown Disney inside the World of Disney Store or inside Cinderella Castle in Magic Kindgom.
• You can recognize me by the magic wand I carry filled with pixie dust.
• If you ask politely, I can magically transform anyone from a simple peasant, to a beautiful Princess with three simple words (I would hope we have all seen Cinderella to know what these three words are and if you don't know, you have been deprived).

---This is the role description from the Disney College Program Website ---

 

 

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Hostess
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Hostess is a non-tipped role.
Responsibilities may include:

• Performing all duties in character of "Fairy Godmother in Training"; therefore this role is open to females only.
• Styling hair on Guests of all ages, including small children
• Performing a variety of hair techniques including braiding, teasing, shaping, finger curls, and twists
• Applying facial makeup
• Painting nails or applying press-on nails
• Utilizing a computerized reservation system
• Checking Guests in for their scheduled appointments
• Interacting with children of all ages, including calming upset children
• Working in a high-volume, fast-paced environment
• Receiving shipments of products, monitoring stock levels, and restocking as necessary
• Responding to special Guest requests
• Standing for extended periods

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD3_M-AaiL8&feature=related

(Just in case your video didn't load - Here's the link. I am really new at this)

I think this explains it all - Hands down the cutest video on youtube.com

My Process

     Alright. Now that I got the nasty, boring, technical stuff out the way, I can talk about my own process. Lucky for me, I have had my share of ups and and downs with this program. I actually applied for the program last year for the Spring 2011 season. I applied for it in October, was pended in November, and got denied December 10th. I attended my school's presentation of the program and I knew I really wanted to do it, but after getting rejected (a very nasty word in my book), I kind of forgot about the program.

     So for the Fall program 2011, I thought I would apply again after hearing about it through one of my friends at school. I applied for it February 25th and had my phone interview February 28th. My top four were Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Hostess, Merchandise (Thank-you mom for all those years of working with you and the jewelry business. It gave the recruiter and me something to talk about for 20 minutes), Attractions, and Character Attendant. It was a sad day on March 4th when I received my white envelope telling me I was pended. They needed more time to process my application, but after the first time I was pended in November, I was skeptical. I joined a Facebook group to help me let out all my Disney anticipation along with hundreds of other people who were eagerly awaiting their decisions as well.

     On March 16th, I received two other white letters from Disney that I thought were rejection letters for sure. Acceptance letters are purple. I opened both and they told me I was pended again. Just a computer mishap. UGH Disney. You played with my emotions.

     I gave up hope in mid April. They had to let everyone know for the Fall and Fall Advantage season a decision by April 30th and the closer you are to April 30th, in my opinion, the less  chance you had to get accepted because roles fill up. Well, on April 25th at 5:04 p.m. I got the email that I was accepted into the program as a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique hostess cast member for the Fall Advantage program which meant that I would be leaving in May or June (depending on what date I picked) till January. I think I died of happiness that day and Thank God for my grandma who brought me back to life so I could accept the invitation.

Disney College Program Process

-Why I chose this program -
I  recommend the Disney College program. It is a highly competitive internship program and it looks really good on your resume. I want to work with children as a speech therapist and I am hoping to gain a lot skills through this program. It will set me apart from other applicants applying to Grad school or if nothing else, it will be a great conversation piece when interviewing for jobs and other positions. Disney also offers a variety of skill classes when you arrive too. I am hoping to take an organizational leadership class, a corporate analysis class, and the marketing you class.

- Some Background Facts about the Disney World College Program -
     The Disney College Program started in 1981 with only about 200 students from 20 different colleges. It was only limited to the Magic Kingdom. Now it has spread to all four parks, the resorts, and Downtown Disney with about 5,000 students from 301 different colleges. Also, starting in 2004, Disneyland began their very own College Program.

- The Application Process - You must be enrolled in college on the day you fill out your applications
1. Visit their websites
    Disney World - www.wdwcollegeprogram.com
    Disneyland - http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/disneycollegeprogram/dlr/index.html
2. View an online presentation or attend a presentation at your college
3. Fill out an application/role checklist.
          -Each park offers different roles you can have. At Disney World, you can be an entertainment cast member, character attendant, hospitality, park greeter, merchandise, custodial, to much much more. Here's a list. https://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com/sap/its/mimes/zh_wdwcp/students/role_descr/onstage.html
4. Fill out a web based interview. BEWARE! Questions are tricky. It is set up like a personality test. Be honest with yourself and Disney. They know. They see into your soul.
5. From here, you may be asked to continue to a phone interview a Disney Recruiter. Yes, this is as scary as it sounds, but the recruiters are super nice and again honesty is your best policy. You schedule the phone interview. Be prepared and have your resume in front of you. Smile because they want someone who represents their company and remember to MARKET YOU! They will ask you your top three roles and ask you some questions pertaining to those roles. Also what season you are interested in doing. Sadly, there are no Summer seasons until you are an alumni. It will be over a semester of school unless you are about to graduate. I am taking online classes.
6. The waiting game - 2-4 weeks to hear if you're accepted. You also may be pended which means they are taking some extra time to process your application.