"One Jammed Packed Day"

Today was just packed with enjoyment. I actually got to work at one of my favorite locations inside of Animal Kingdom; however the day started off a little rough though. I got my work location and found out that I had forgot a big part of my costume so thankfully another cast member let me borrow one from them. So after jacking up my costume first thing off, I arrive on set about 10 minutes late. I get out there, see one family, and immediately become blinded by my skullcap, so I’ve got to walk off set and fix my costume. After all that hassle, I arrive back on set and get to stay about 10 minutes. It’s safe to say the first set was an epic fail.
The rest of the day went really well! I really enjoyed the people I was working with! We basically just set off set and shot wet sweatbands at each other! It. was. great.
Once I got off work, I headed to Epcot to meet up with the Smiths. See, Nicco had just got done witnessing to Crush the Turtle and the rest of the theatre, and they were doing a little shopping. After I caught up with them, we headed to Mexico for a smoothie, some nachos, and a churro. After having our fill of some tasty Mexican, we headed off to take flight in “Soarin’.”
Once we had finished up at Epcot, the six of us headed back to the Pop Century to get a snack and just spend some time together. It was great! I got to sit and talk with Josh for a while Nicco and Nolie swam. You forget how much you miss having a conversation with someone that comes from the same point of view as you. Life can get a bit exhausting when you feel like you are constantly on your guard. It feels great to put your defenses down for a while and just spend time fellowshipping. That’s definitely one of the things I miss most being away.

"Mrs. Blackburn and I: Together Again"

So today was my first day off since Friday last. It was a nice reprieve from the monotony of sparing. I met up with Josh, Christi, Nicco, Nolan, and Bella (here out referred to as “The Smith’s,” simply for time’s sake ☺. Let it be known, I love them all collectively but as individuals as well). We all got lunch at Earl of Sandwich at Down Town Disney. Once we finished up eating, Christi and I headed to Property Control while Josh took the kids back to the room.
After about an hour or so, Christi and I met back up with the fam at the Pop Century and started to prepare for our date with Mickey and his pals at the “Not So Scary Halloween Party.” Nicco dressed up like Woody, Nolie like Buzz, and Bella topped the trio off with the cutest little Minnie Mouse you’ve ever seen. So the six of us boarded our bus and headed for the main gate. While the Smiths headed to dinner, I ran backstage to hook up with Buzz and get Bella’s book stamped (Buzz and I are tight). Once done there, I ran back over to Frontierland to meet up with my favorite group of tourists. We had a great dinner—I highly recommend the Liberty Tree Tavern. After dinner we got a lot of candy and saw a bunch of characters. Not only did I get to see the Mad Hatter (AHHH!) but Nicco got to see Woody, Nolie got to see Buzz, and Bella got to see Minnie! It was so funny, Bella was great with the characters! She would just sit there and laugh. We held the line up so bad with Tarzan, Jane, and Terk—they just wouldn’t stop playing with her. Josh, Christi, and I were just kinda watching and those three were going to town, and Bella loved it the whole time. As soon as we had taken our picture, Jane had to leave to check on her father and wouldn’t be back with Tarzan for at least another hour. As I’m sure you can image, the other guest probably weren’t too thrilled with us! ☺
So then comes one of the best moments of the night. We all got to see Anastasia, Drizzella, and Lady Tremaine. Anastasia remembered my proposal to her two years ago at the Grand Floridian! Like she was recounting details from the night! It was hilarious! Let me tell you, that takes some major skill! Needless to say, I was very impressed.
I had so much fun with the Smiths tonight. If I get a chance, I’ll try to post some pictures—they really all turned out great! It’s a wonderful way to remember such a great night with some of my favorite people!

"Heat Stroke"

So today was another glorious day as a spare! I got to the Magic Kingdom hoping I’d be able to just settle into my stack of work out mats and dive into “Harry Potter.” Unfortunately, my life being what it is, I got pulled to a shift that is directly in the sunlight. B-e-a-utiful.
So I packed up my stuff and headed to my off set location with my newly packed costume. Today definitely had it’s up and down moments. Like I said before, our set location was directly out in the sun. Now, let me just help ya’ll put this in perspective—its been at least 90º for the last three weeks. Despite my close encounter with heat stroke numerous times throughout the day, it really had some great moments. For instance, I had a little girl come up and kiss me on the cheek, so I thought it’d be funny to look like her kiss was so great it made me faint, so down I went. Well, I forgot momentarily how massive and heavy my head was. So all you heard was this massive thud and a character lying on the ground. The next thing I know, all my attendants are asking me, “Are you okay?!” “Are you sure?!” It was really hilarious! Then later in the day, I had a little girl that was straight up terrified of me, so I decided to hop the nearby fence and get her a flower. She didn’t like it. I think she threw it. I had fun never the less.
After finishing up sets there, I headed back down to the base and rearranged furniture for about an hour. I soon after got a small reprieve from work and was able to start my book. I am now officially done with chapter three! It’s magical!

"A Few Aches"

My body is sore! Let me explain just how it got that way. I was woke up this morning by yet another of Mike’s weird bodily noises. This one still sounded like an animal that needed to be put out of its misery and trust me, at that point, I was ready to oblige ☺!
I headed out to work at 11. I got all changed and clocked in—today was going to be a good spare day! Why? Because I have “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” with me. I get all clocked in proceed to make my way over the duty captain’s office. The goal was to pull a few strings so that I could do some sets for Josh, Christi, and the kids! Well, no can do. I think the lovely check in man was reading my mind because he instantly told me to head over to the Contemporary Resort. So I went a-runin’ down the hall to prep the rest of my costume. Another fellow spare had taken care of the majority of it for me! We have each other’s backs. It a part of our code! We’re thinking about getting group tatts—our very own homemade dark marks if you will! We get a group discount if we buy from the guy that runs his shop out of his windowless van.
After finishing up, I headed to the resort. We sat at the side gate forever waiting for the security guard to let us in. The driver laid on the horn to solve the problem and then got scolded by a passing garbage truck. It was awesome!
I had seven sets today and each was about 40 minutes. I went out on set with all this energy. I even loved the kids who were smacking me in the face, punching my arm, and trying to rip my gloves off—the little cherubs.
Lunchtime drained me of a lot of that energy. I still think I did all right but seeing as we were forced to pick up the pace, I couldn’t spend as much time with each family. So, that was a little bit of a bummer.
I finished off tonight at about 9:45. My group hopped in the van and headed back to the base. I ran and helped Sophie and a few other fellow cosmetologers for awhile before clocking out for the night. Overall, it was a good day, but I’m exhausted. Oh, and I forgot to mention, I got out on set today and start dancing like a fiend only to realize the song we’re supposed to dance to, hadn’t come on yet so I looked like a straight up i-di-ot! That brought on quite a few raised eyebrows! Gotta love days like that!

"The Smiths!!!"

So this morning was the same as yesterday’s. That being the case, we’ll just pick up when I clocked in. I got into my basics (yes, I was sporting that black shorts, and gray shirt) and headed to the PC (parade center for you outsiders ☺) to clock in and begin rehearsal. We got the place all set up and ran through our routine numerous times. Then we took a brief break and headed out to the float to practice. After doing that for a while, we learned yet another routine for another part of the parade. While we were finishing that up, Tara, the parade manager, came in. She was there to grade our performance. The good news is all of us were approved. You are reading the thoughts of the newest member of SpectroMagic!!! YEAH!!!!!
After that, I headed back to the apartment for some lunch. Once I had eaten, I grabbed my bathing suit and threw it in my car because I was on m way to the Pop Century Resort—Josh, Christi, Nicco, Nolan, and Bella had arrived!!!! For those of you who don’t know, they are some of my best friends from home. Love them! We spent the day by the pool and wouldn’t you know it, I got burned. After lounging, we headed up to the room where we met our favorite newlyweds, Jack and Chelsea Sammons (that sounds kind different doesn’t it?). Anyway, they stopped by for a while. It was so great to get to see them! We spent about an hour with them, before we had to peace out for our dinner reservation at Ohana’s (the best Polynesian dinner ever).
After finishing up there, I headed home, and found out one of my best friends is coming down here with her family for Thanksgiving. Holla! Other than that, I spent the evening doing laundry because I’m out of underwear. Oh what a glamorous life I lead ☺.

"I've Been Bedazzled"

So today was not only very different, it was so much fun! I got up this morning at 6—that’s commendable, at least it’s not 5 o’clock. After eating some cereal and loading up the dishwasher, I headed out to Magic Kingdom. But have no fear, valued reader, I was not going to spare today. Quite the contrary, I was going for parade training! AHHHH! I’m so so excited (as I’m sure you can image). So I clocked in and headed to the parade center building. The rest of the posse arrived around 8 and we began to rehearse around 8:10. Now me being a paranoid individual at times, I was worried I was going to be the worst one in there. At times I was, but at least my screw-ups were subtle, there was one guy that kept messing up—I felt so bad for him (however, I was so grateful it wasn’t me ☺).
I was there with eleven other guys. Now when I’m in such a large group, I feel the need to prove myself, especially when the majority of them have had some sort of dance training. So, I try to be all professional and hard core (for goodness sake I’m in a room with eleven guys). I tried to strike up conversation with a couple of them and they just gave me this look like, “you. are. an. idiot.” I seemed to get that a lot today. So after trying to prove my worth for a solid four hours, I pick my stuff up to leave and what have I done…set my bag down in the biggest pile of glitter! I’m talking this stuff is everywhere! So I attempt to wipe it off, which only results in my being covered in it. So I ended up leaving the parade center looking like an oversized pixie! I mean, one might have thought the Lord was coming back with the light I was reflecting!
Let me put out this disclaimer: I have to be approved in the parade before I’m allowed to perform. What that means is, I have my second day of training tomorrow. At the end of training, the head of all the parades at Magic Kingdom will come in and judge my performance. If it’s up to the Disney standards, I’ll be allowed to perform in the parades, if not…we’ll just not talk about that.
After work, I headed back to the apartment to make some lunch. After lunch, I took a nice long nap! It was bliss. I got up around 5 and ended up watching a movie. Once the movie was over, I headed over to Epcot to pick up a friend of mine from work because we were going to meet up with some other friends of ours to go ride the Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios. So that’s where I spent the majority of my evening.
I read Philemon today. In it Paul sends Onesimus, a runaway slave, back to his owner Philemon. Instead of ordering Philemon around, Paul appeals to Philemon’s love, which has reached some renown. Paul begs Philemon to forgive and forget pretty much. He assures Philemon that he’ll personally take care of any debts Onesimus might have, but after doing so, he “casually” reminds Philemon just how much he owes him (very subtle Paul ☺). This is such a great example of forgiving and forgetting. Think about what a big deal that was to have a slave run away from you. He must have owed you big time in order to be a slave, but not just any slave, one that felt the need to run away. Think about it—if you owed someone $5, wouldn’t you just work hard, pay it off and go on living your life? I would think this was a pretty substantial debt Onesimus owed Philemon, which is why he felt the need to run away. Philemon has been wronged. Yet Paul encourages him to be forgiving and put the past behind him. Not only that, but to also treat Onesimus as a brother since he is now a Christian. Can you imagine a world, where people forgave like that? It’d be a pretty sweet place to live!

"Day Off: The Sequel"

So today…I got up at 10:45 and got all ready for my first Disney collegiate class. I’m taking “Creativity and Innovations” because you have to be a drama major to get into the drama class. Lame. So anyway, I head in and actually really enjoyed the class. The teacher was great and had some terrific insight into how to develop and hone various creative skills.
After class, I headed back to my room and listened to my roommate’s love ballad “he wrote” (though I’m pretty sure they’ve sung something like it on America Idol). Let’s just say he’s getting better. Then I got to talk to Liz for a while. Both of us started talking about some various dramas we would like to do and that got me completely jazzed. After that, I headed over to my friend Diane’s apartment for a while. We spent some time there and then headed to Planet Smoothie for a light refreshment. When we got back, her roommates were there. So I spent some time with them and then headed over to Jessica and Megan’s apartment to see them for a while. Overall, not a very productive day, but one spent building friendships. Isn’t that really more important anyway? ☺

"Farting Foreigners"

My first day off in over a week! Man, to roll over and see 12:30 on the clock was heavenly. I could have slept longer but Mike was making some weird noise. It sounded kind of like a Panda bear and a goose blowing each other a kiss. Needless to say, no one could sleep through that. After trying to figure out how one’s body could make such noises, I got up. Basically, I spent my day doing nothing—it was my tribute to the Sabbath! ☺ I did go to the store cause the pantry was a little bare, but other than that, I spent the day on the couch. Believe it or not, I actually got pretty bored around 9 or so. As a way to appease that boredom, I headed out to Wendy’s for a late night snack around midnight. Not only was I not hungry, but my food smelled like a litter box. I was seriously starting to gag. So to further exemplify how ironic my life is, I walk in the apartment to Orlando and about four of his Puerto Rican friends—they’re all sitting in a circle making farting noises and laughing. As sad as it sounds, that was one of the highlights from my night. Well, that and talking to Tiffany from home (let me take this moment to say, conversations with Tiffany are far more entertaining than farting noises ☺). For those of you who have always wanted to work at Disney, bet you wish you were down here now, don’t you?

"A Twisted Pretzel"

For a change of pace today, I thought I’d get up at 5 a.m. and spare at Magic Kingdom. I headed into work having only got three hours of sleep. I clocked in at 6:45 a.m. and did my warm ups. To save you the boring details, think about yesterday’s blog…ditto. However, today during one of my breaks, I decided to visit the muscle therapist down the hall. See, Disney pays them to come and massage out cricks and cracks for the cast members when need be, so I thought I’d take advantage of it since my lower back was feeling a little bit sore. So she pulled this pillow thing out of a bucket of water and had me lay on it. Ya know when you’re walking up the stairs in the dark and you think you’ve got one more step but in all actuality you’ve reached the landing? Remember that horrible feeling you got as you realized, “I’m gonna die!” That was precisely what I experienced today. See I thought the pillow thing was going to be cold; by no means…it was burning hot! After learning against an iron for fifteen minutes, she decided to realign my spine. That actually felt pretty good. What came next was brutal. She twisted me into a pretzel and kept saying “Does that hurt?” God knows I wanted to scream, “FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, YES!!!” But I didn’t. After all, Cinderella was just down the hallway. I had to appear the man when goodness knows I was about to pee myself from sheer agony.
After that, I headed to the library to watch some movies to try and pass the time. After lunch, around noon, the duty captain sent me to do three sets with some face characters. Lets just say, the costume is like wearing a suit of honor and a diaper, if you can imagine that (would you like to thank me for conjuring up that image?). I did my three sets there and then headed back down to the office to check in. They sent me on a short van run and then allowed me a little free time. I headed to cosmetology. Word around work was Captain Jack gets ready about 5:30. Well, he sure does indeed! It was probably one of the biggest thrills of my life! It was one of the only times I was comfortable looking like a complete stalker!
After work, I headed out to dinner with Mike and Jessica. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings. While the waitress shamelessly flirted with Mike (there was hair twirling involved), I got “Would you like another drink sweetie?” I’m surprised she didn’t bring me back a cup with a lid.
After dinner, I headed back to the room and caught up on some Dancing With the Stars. And that brings us to right now, where I find myself exhausted and ready for bed. I’ve worked a long day on hardly any sleep. That being the case, I’m gonna go nighty night. Sleep well all!

"Rocking the Rut!"

Ever felt like you’re in a rut? We have something in common! I’ve been sparing at Magic Kingdom for the past three days. Oh but just you wait, I’m going to be there for the majority of the next two weeks. They’re thinking about renaming sparing “Daving.” It has gotten so bad; I actually have a spare schedule. Yeah, I know. I warm up and check in twice, then I head to cosmetology to help shelve the dirty wigs, after that, I head to lunch, then I go back to cosmetology and just kind of do odd and end jobs around there for a while. At about 6:30, I head back to the duty captain’s window to find out that I’m not needed so I dispose of the old time sheets in the cabinet and replace them with fresh new copies. Once that’s done I head into the duty office and clean off the white board. After doing that, I have what I like to refer to as my “wild time,” where they give me something to do out of pity. Tonight it was filling in charts on various bus schedules at the bus stop! After “wild time,” I head back to cosmetology to help until I clock out.
I’ve got to be honest, these next couple of weeks are gonna be hard for me. I feel like the poster child for “loser-r-us.” However, everyone I’ve talked to continues to reaffirm that it has nothing to do with ability, it’s just how the schedule falls. That being said, I’m going to have to work very hard at maintaining a positive attitude and not being negative. I guess its time to gird my loins and face it like a man! Darn it! ☺

"More Reject-ness"

Okay beloved readers I don’t blame you for not reading my blog the next couple of weeks. I’m gonna be doing a lot of sparing and reading, “I sat there and did nothing” has to get old. ☺ That being the said let give you a few details of my day. I got to the Magic Kingdom around 2:30 and ran to the cosmetology department to give Sophie (the girl I worked with yesterday) a happy birthday! After checking in, I pretty much lounged around in the cosmetology room. Since there weren’t a ton of parades and stuff today, there wasn’t a ton of cleaning up to do.
Around 6:30, I checked back in with the duty captain, and he had me organize some paperwork and stuff for him. After which, he let me pick the character I wanted to be! So, I took full advantage of that! See, I’ve been dying to play this character since I got down here and every time it looks like I might get to, the person shows up and I return to my spot on the floor. Well, tonight, I got to be the character! I pretty much ran down to the costume department!
We only ended up doing two sets, but boy were they great! The guests seem to really love it and I seriously found my new favorite costume. I could do this character all day and be completely satisfied with this internship.
After I finished up there, I headed back to the base and they told me to just head back to cosmetology and help out. So that’s what I did. Not only was that a lot of fun, but I also got a birthday cupcake! Talk about a great night!
This morning I read Titus 2. In verse one, Paul says, “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine,” and then he goes on to list just what would fall under “sound doctrine.” Previous to this, Paul talked about people, namely Jews, who were teaching unsound doctrine to get what they wanted from people. What I love about this is that it speaks directly to what I was worrying about the other day. Truth takes precedence over relationships. I.e. when Titus saw someone he loved teaching unsound doctrine as truth, he had the responsibility to call it out. His priority was God and keeping the ideals of scripture unblemished, especially by those who claim to be Christians. Now comes the hard part, putting that into practice.

"Costuming and Cosmo!"

I got to sleep in this morning. It was wonderful! I got up at 10 and headed down to meet Jessica at the pool. We lounged around there for about an hour, after which I headed back to my apartment. I made some lunch and turned on a little Reba. That’s pretty much how I spent my early afternoon—eating and watching TV (I know you all are wondering how I maintain this god-like body, aren’t you? ☺). I got into work a little early today. I was a character reject again, in fact I’m scheduled to be a character reject for pretty much the next two weeks (with a few awesome exceptions). I’m not complaining though! The exceptions make it worth it!
After I clocked in, I headed down to the cosmetology department to see if there was anything I could do. I find that stuff (stuff being wigs and makeup) so interesting. I ended up staying the majority of the day in there. I got to glimpse upon the wonder that is the Jack Sparrow aisle! I felt like a kid in a candy store! It was one of those rare moments in life that should be replayed in slow motion with sappy music in the background!
For a change of scenery, the duty captain sent me down to the costuming department. I helped out in there for a couple of hours and that wasn’t too bad. Except for the Tigger that was so sweaty I could feel it through my protective gloves. I think I might have gagged.
After dinner, I headed back down to cosmetology and just helped them to prepare for tomorrow. It was a ton of fun and I learned a lot in just the one day I was down there. I’m really looking forward to trying to help out again tomorrow.
Today I really realized how much of a difference a positive attitude and outlook could have on a person. I had multiple people comment today on my upbeat-ness! It just seems like so many people choose to live their life in the negative, that it takes something extraordinary to enable them to have a good day, and something trivial to confirm their negativity. Why live life like that? What’s the allure to getting up in the morning? Being positive and excited about life can be such a great witnessing tool down here! C.S. Lewis still continues to amaze me!

"Stop. Look. and Save the Day!"

So today was very unplanned yet surprisingly fantastic! It was a little bit humorous actually, as Mike crawled into bed and pulled the covers up, I threw mine off to get up for work (hahahaha I know-funny, right? ☺ You had to be there). I was craving grape Kool-Aid this morning so I had a big glass of that with some toast and bacon (it’s pretty delicious-you should try it sometime!), though the bacon I bought looks like it came from an elephant, the pieces are so thick you could insulate a house with them. I cooked three pieces for 5 minutes and they still weren’t done. So after wasting precious time on them, I decided to just pitch the uncooked one and go ahead and eat around the fatty portions of the other two (too much information?). I headed out for work shortly thereafter around 7:30ish.
I pulled into Animal Kingdom a mere unfulfilled reject; little did I know I would be leaving a satisfied hero (sort of). I clocked in at 8:15 and headed to warm ups. So today’s warm ups were pretty much the sweetest thing ever. The music was great and the instructor had us doing the grape vine back and forth across the floor. Who could ask for more, out of a torturous experience designed to pull your muscles and tendons in ways the good Lord did not intend them to be pulled.
After warm ups I headed back tot the duty captain window and heard the best news ever… “Have you ever driven a van before?” So here I am thinking I’ll have to be one of the heifer twins again, and come to find out, I’m gonna be driving a van all day! I. was. thrilled! It gave me a great day just to relax, so that’s what I did. I jumped into “Mere Christianity” and discovered that there is the Law of Nature or a moral law that all men and women are held accountable too. Though there may be some differences from culture to culture, the bottom line is that all people have a sense of right and wrong. It was some deep stuff but really good. Here’s where the hero part comes into view: had it not been for me and my valid driver’s license, cast members would not have made it to their sets on time. I know, I know—a statue should be constructed in my honor ☺.
After work, I headed back to the apartment. Since I started this new David Hasslehoff work out regimen, I decided to spend some time at the pool ☺ (okay first off, David Hasselhoff, really? Secondly, do you think I would be doing a work out regimen? Come on now.). While there I bumped into an old training buddy and her roommate so we all just kind of chilled by the pool for an hour or so. After that, I headed back to the room and waited for Jessica to come over. Since both of us love a good Mexican fiesta, I volunteered to make tacos for dinner. So, we enjoyed some Mexican cuisine while soaking up “Miss Congeniality 2.” After dinner and a movie, we headed to McDonalds for a couple of milk shakes. Upon on our return, we popped in the Porchfest DVD (for those of you who don’t know, Porchfest is like a massive talent show put on annually at Spring Arbor. It’s one of the highlights of the year). Boy do I miss all of you back at SAU!
Last night I got to thinking about something. I’ve noticed down here that my disdain for sin has grown a little lax. Part of me attributes it to not wanting to appear judgmental, but I think at the heart of the issue lies a fear of rocking the boat. And that got me to thinking. When I don’t hate sin like God commands me too, what does that say about my level of respect for his holiness? It says that I don’t view him as all that holy. I can’t snicker at sin and then turn around and say that when I think of God I think of holy. God’s holiness must have a direct correlation to my complete hatred of sin. But just how must that hatred look to others? Does it make a difference if they’re saved or unsaved? Or should it be consistent? There are a lot of loose ends that need tying up but it was a great thought that I’m looking forward to investigating further.

"That Was a Close One!"

Oh the joys of being in Florida: this morning I got up at 11 o’clock a.m. and immediately pulled on my bathing suit and went to lounge by the pool with Jessica. It was wonderful! The sun was out and it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. We got to swim a little bit and watch two guys desperately try to flirt with some girls by demonstrating their prowess at running and flipping into the pool (they were the picture of masculinity and brutality ☺).
After we left the pool, Jessica invited me over for a little lunch. She made some of the best grilled cheeses ever. Unfortunately, I’m unable to give away the secret to her success. Let’s just say, she could open a restaurant based on two dishes: her fried rice and this marvelous grilled cheese. Hey maybe she could get a stand next to the “Gator Jerky” one down the street! Gator Jerky!?! I know, that doesn’t even remotely sound appealing. And I’m pretty sure the sign says, “GaTeR JurKie” (just kidding ☺).
After lunch, I headed home and caught up with Reba and the fam. It was great. I proceeded to take a shower while (not whilst—take that Cheryl! ☺), listening to the wonderful sounds of the 80s. That resulted in me finished my shower and dancing round the room while I got ready. As I was leaving, I found out my book came! I ordered C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” and “The Screwtape Letters” (yeah, it’s a special deal-they come in one book! Can you say, “awesome!”). I’m pumped to start reading those and I’ll have plenty of time to do it, since I’ll be a character reject for the next five days.
I headed into work around 3 and got all my stuff packed and ready to go. I did my self warm-ups and waited around for the bus that would take me the Swan Hotel. Fortunately, I brought my laptop tonight so while I was off set, I indulged in a little “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The actual on-set part when really well. There were more families than Tuesday night so I got to spend good amounts of time with each but didn’t irritate them. I’d say the night was a success; even through I had a child continually try to pants me. He was a foreigner. Apparently, that’s how they show people they love them there ☺. That being the case, we should be getting married ☺!

"Normality"

Today was a pretty mundane day. I got up this morning at 6:30 slightly sleep deprived. I trudged into the kitchen and made myself a bowl (not bowel) of cereal. After eating and making myself a salad for lunch, I headed off to work.
I got there and headed to the costuming department to get all set for the day. After doing my warm-up I grabbed my costume and headed out to my work location. Today wasn’t too bad, it was a little muggy but despite the heat, the flow of guests was quite regular so it all balanced out in the end. After finishing up for the afternoon, I returned my costume and decided to head out into the park and ride a few rides. I shrunk down to the size of a bug and realized just how difficult that life can be in “It’s Tough to be a Bug.” After doing that, I headed over to the boat dock and see an old friend of mine, Eeyore. After spending some quality time with him, I felt myself deprived of a little duck, so I decided to head over and see Donald. Once Donald and I had caught up, I decided to head on out. I got home, watched some Reba, and ate dinner (popcorn chicken again. Mmmmmm). After dinner, Jessica, Diane, and I decided to head out to Downtown Disney for a little night out. While there we caught up with Taryn and Mike, both previous members of my training group. We got some dinner and topped the evening off with a little ice cream. Once I had managed to spill half of it on myself, my roommate Mike showed up and spent some time with us. Mike and Taryn decided to leave early so the rest of us just sat and chilled and enjoyed the beautiful night. After we left Downtown Disney, Jessica and Diane were kind enough to run to Wal-Mart with me. It was a long day and I’m ready for bed. Sorry the blog is a little short tonight, I’m exhausted! ☺

"Pirates and Princesses"

This morning was quite laid back. I got up at 11 and heard a knock on the door. So I go to answer it and…it was the murderer dude from last night!!!!! He forced his way into my apartment and grabbed me by the shirt…just kidding. No, it was slightly less boring. It was the maintenance team here for their monthly check up. Thanks to me not knowing the oven had the ability to clean itself and my Puerto Rican roommates unfortunate forgetting to wash the soap out of their sink, we didn’t win the White Glove award; however, we passed and got some nasty cookies so all’s good. ☺
I made some lunch and watched a little Reba. Love that show! Then I caught up with some friends from home. If you remember readers please say a prayer for one of my friends at college. She just found out here aunt passed away last night. I know her and her family will appreciate it. After that I watched an interview about the expansion plans Disney imaginers have for Fantasyland. If you’re a fan of the princesses, you’re going to love it! Every princess will have her own section. There will be a new Little Mermaid ride and you’ll be able to eat in either the Beast’s ballroom or Gaston’s brewery place (plus lots more)! It’s gonna be off the chang! And I found out the new Pirates movie will come out Summer 2011 and will be entitled “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” EPIC!
At work tonight, we headed to the Swan hotel to entertain the dinner crowd, in this case, crowd being about thirty people. So I took advantage of the down time to dance with the hostess, help a waitress set the tables, and accidentally suggest a child take a dessert filled with alcohol.
This morning I finished up the book of 2 Timothy. In it Paul talks about all the people that have abandoned him for one reason or another. He attributes some of it to the particular person’s love for the world, but others simply felt called to go elsewhere. It made me think of the various new experiences I’ve had in my life. And though, I have been blessed with phenomenal people who continually make me feel wanted and missed, there will be those times were you feel abandoned and alone, and no amount of texts, letters, or phone calls can really fill the void you feel. Paul says, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” (4:17A). This really can be so comforting. Because it can feel at times like no one truly understands, but I’ve had a friend that has been there through every new experience with me and it is because of him that they have each turned out brilliantly. When I’m feeling lonely, I can know that God knows how I feel and is here to give me strength.

"Sweet and Salty"

So today wins the awards for not only one of the greatest days of my life, but also one of the scariest. Allow me to expound on that statement. I got up the earliest that I’ve been required to thus far in my internship, 5:00 a.m. (that’s not the scary part, just wait). So I get up, jump in the shower, and ate a quick breakfast. At 6 a.m. “Roxanne” and I made our way toward the Magic Kingdom. I was pretty excited for today because I have been selected for the SpectroMagic parade. AHHH! Well I get there and our two parade leaders begin our parade orientation. They take us around the Magic Kingdom and show us where we’ll be at, where our captains will be during route, and where we can make a quick get-a-way if the need arises. After doing that, we headed over the P.C. (or Production Center for you newbies ☺) to check out some various floats. Well, both the Celebration and SpectroMagic floats were having work done on them, so our instructors decided to take us over to the Halloween/Christmas storehouse. So here I am, itching to climb up on the float I’m standing closest too! Through I various turn of events, I found myself, along with the rest of my group, aboard the sweetest float in the history of Disney parades! I am just sitting there soaking it all in! In fact, Daughtry’s “Home” seems like it should be playing in the background! So to my dismay, we all climb down off the float and continue our orientation.
After orientation finished about 12:30, I headed over to costuming to get fitted for my beyond epicness outfit! It was here that I found out that not all those people selected for parade orientation actually become approved in the specific parade. Once I’ve been taught the choreography, I must then perform before a show something-or-other and be approved. However, to prevent me from a mild stroke, multiple seasoned performers told me it should be no problem—“you have to really stink,” they said. All I can think at this point is, “Story of my life. ☺”
After my fitting I headed over to Cosmetology to learn how to apply my makeup. Let me just say that my character requires a boatload of makeup. First my entire face has to be spray-painted white, then blue accents are added to my eyes, cheek bones, and chin. Once that’s done, I headed to my own little station where I’m supposed to apply my own eyeliner (which still remains on my eyes because I can’t get it off), mascara, and lipstick. Now the eyeliner wasn’t so so bad. It was more like an eye creaser for me, because, call me strange, but I have this slight phobia of sticking pencils in my eyes, so my line was a little far from my actual eye line. The mascara was quite a different story. Not only did I successfully pierce myself in the eye about 17 times, but I managed to only apply it to my eyelid, MY EYELID! How does that happen? I could have done a better job with both of my eyes closed. Thank goodness today was training. The lipstick wasn’t so bad. That one actually looked pretty close to the picture.
Once I was okayed, I began to take all of it off. Did you know that shaving cream takes that stuff off? It does! So I got the majority of it off! However, I left resembling Captain Jack Sparrow (which I was completely okay with).
Now for the creepy part…so Jessica and I decide to go see “I Can Do By All By Myself” tonight. Well, we get to the 10:25 p.m. showing and there’s really no one there. As the previews begin to roll, a few couples seep into this massive theatre! Well then the movie starts, all’s well right? Or so I think. This maybe 250 lb. man comes into this practically empty theater and picks the seat two down from me. He proceeds to lift the armrest separating us and lean over an ask me, “Is it just starting?” I was kind and told him yes. Then I leaned back over to enjoy the movie. Now this next part I promise to goodness I am not exaggerating. Every time I would move, breathe, or laugh, he would turn and stare at me and sigh, “mmmmmmmmm.” I promise! Ya know that feeling when someone is watching you, you could be in the room with the president and you wouldn’t be able to focus on anything but that individual staring at you? Well that’s how this was. This guy kept doing this for like 5 minutes—every time I would move, breathe, or laugh. Well at that point, I haven’t watched one ounce of the movie because I’m playing back “Taken” in my mind and how I’ve got to call someone and describe this guy as he drags me away to murder me! Not only that, but I’ve got to come up with a game plan to slash his face with my keys when he so much as moves toward me again ☺! All rules of fair fighting go out the window at a point like this. I’m also feeling like I’ve got to protect Jessica and be the man. Granted that man’s gonna be screaming bloody murder but whatever. So after about 5 minutes, I leaned over to Jessica and said, “We’ve got to move. Let’s act like we’re leaving and just sneak back in through the upstairs door and watch the rest of the movie.” So we both get up to go, and this stalker gets up too! So we sit back down; meanwhile, he takes off down the stairs. So after the movie, I’m still freaking out thinking he’s waiting to follow me home and kill me. I head to the bathroom and start thinking to myself, “What if he’s in there?” Well, it’s like midnight so I’m figuring no one’ll be there so I start to unhinge my trousers as I make my way through the bathroom. I round the corner and nearly run into this man using the bathroom. So here I am, my fly down and about to scream like a girl! All of that made for one very very interesting end to my very great day!

"The Return of Huggie"

A Sunday off—it was wonderful! I got up this morning and headed back to the First Christian Church of Orlando. It had been almost a month since my last visit! As I’m sure you can guess, Huggie was right there to great me. Only this time, she had brought some of her sorority sisters. I quickly found myself good friends with three older ladies. One of which was apologizing for the lipstick residue she left on my shirt (could you blame her, I was wearing my skinny jeans today! ☺). After Huggie finished divulging just how she got her artificial hip, I headed into the sanctuary. We had some great worship music this morning and a wonderful sermon from Pastor Shan based on the Crazy Love book after which we took communion. Ya know, you don’t really know how much you miss community worship until you’ve been deprived of it for a month or so. I always thought that singing in your car was the same but it really isn’t. It felt so good to be at church today!
After church, I ran to Publix to grab some groceries, and then I headed home, ate some lunch, and did some cleaning. We’ve got some people coming to inspect our apartment on Tuesday and if it’s not up to their cleanliness code we have to pay them to clean it. I needed Tiffany Coston here today! She would have loved that challenge! They would have erected a statue in her honor!
Anyway, after cleaning, I ran back out to Outback and grabbed myself my own personal Blooming Onion. Though it was a little spontaneous, the appetizer was delicious! It really hasn’t been a very prosperous day, just an easy one.
My friend Liz at school posted this quote on her Facebook status and I just love it, so I thought I would share it with all of you (thanks Liz). Though I’m not a big fan of Henry David Thoreau, I loved the quote. “I want to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life; and not, when I come to die, discover that I had not lived.” What a beautiful quote! Pastor Shan spoke this morning about living a life that is not filled with regrets. I hope that on my deathbed I can say, I took advantage of the opportunities God gave me and truly squeezed every last ounce out of life that I possibly could. And like James 4 says, we are not guaranteed tomorrow so friends lets continue to live life this way. Don’t take it for granted. God’s kept us here for a reason, we must take advantage of every opportunity he gives us to fulfill that reason.

"Love Handles: A Work in Progress"

Today marks the one-month anniversary of my Disney internship! Who feels like celebrating?! It really has been a great month and that was completely exemplified by my Saturday. I got up early today (I feel like there is a pattern being established here and with only four hours of sleep under my belt at the given moment I want to punch that pattern in the face ☺), around 6ish I believe. I shuffled into the kitchen like most coffee mugs portray. I made some toast and bacon and enjoyed a semi-hearty breakfast. After that, I jumped in the car and headed to Animal Kingdom.
I got there early so it gave me plenty of time to pull my costume. God must have known I needed a little pick-me-up because who should turn up at the Kingdom but three of my old training buddies. It was great! We just laughed throughout the entire warm up process, which took my mind off my being forced to bend my body in inhumanly strange ways. After warms up, I heaved my costume onto my back and headed out. (I find it humorous that Disney cast the tall, skinny kid in a costume that looks like it could be the poster child for “The Biggest Loser” ☺).
I got to my set location and had a little bit of time to relax before heading out. Our first set was a tad bit slow. We saw two children in the entire twenty minutes. See, it rained all day today, so the majority of the park goers didn’t really seem to thrilled about standing in a line to get an autograph when there where multiple indoor rides awaiting them. So after a relatively easy set, we headed back inside. I collapsed on the couch with a bag of chips (yeah, I’m working on filling those costumes out). I look over to my left and there lays my partner; however, he’s not relaxing, he’s exercising!?! After just coming in, he’s sitting on the floor doing more crunches than any man should! It was at that moment that I looked down at my bag of chips and felt a little guilty. I’ve got Chuck Norris to my left and I’m sitting here eating away my boredom! That’s probably the least unattractive I’ve felt since I’ve been down here. I felt like taking a permanent marker and writing “Fat Heifer” across my forehead ☺.
After that, we went out and tried to woo the guest for a couple more sets. That involved me running up a nearby rock face and intimidating Pocahontas. Yeah, no one got it. So I’m standing up here, looking like a straight up idiot in an outfit that could keep the entire state of Alaska warm during the winter. Good times. Good times.
After work, I headed home and indulged in some cheese and crackers, I Love Lucy, and Pirates of the Caribbean 2. About five minutes into the movie, I realized I couldn’t stay awake so I decided to take a nap. I woke up and headed to the Magic Kingdom with the same friends I saw at Animal Kingdom this morning.
We got there amidst a little drizzle. We decided to ride some rides an unconventional way. We packed three people in a row, when they’re normally designed for two. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. Halfway through the ride, my sides were burning I was laughing so hard. Then on Splash Mountain, my favorite hat blew off. Ya know that tractor company one I wear around so much—the one that looks like it’s straight off the farm. However, no worries I recovered it, but while doing so, I received a verbal lashing from an attendant for standing up during the ride via the P.A. system.
After coming home tonight, I spent some time catching up with one of my best friends from home, Liz. It was great to get to talk to her for a while! I even got to speakerphone with her roommates—all of whom I love and miss. It was a great time!
Well, all of that said, I’m gonna head to bed. Despite tomorrow being my day off, I’m gonna get up early and head to church so I think it’s about time to turn it. Night all!

"Boo to You"

I. am. a. rebel. For those of you who know me, this comes as no shock I’m sure ☺. I woke up today at 11…it was glorious! However, upon waking up I had to call into work and take a personal day. Don’t get mad Dad, let me explain. See Disney has something they call “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween” Party where they deck the park out with off-the-chang Halloween decorations and have villain shows and the sweetest parade you’ve ever seen. My mom and grandma will probably never come back down here for fall and so I had to take them to see this killer party whilst I could; however I couldn’t very well do that if I was working. I did the responsible thing and tried to give my shift away but no one would take it so I simply had to call off. See I really had no choice in the matter. I was forced to be rebellious!
After sticking it to the man and getting another teardrop tat on my face ☺ I headed to Boardwalk to pick up Mom and Mamaw. The three of us ran to Chick-fil-A for lunch. That place seriously gives Christianity some credit! I mean what atheist doesn’t love Chick-fil-A? Case in point! After lunch we sped over to Caribbean Beach where Jonda, one of my family members, was staying. To be honest, I really don’t know if she would be considered my aunt, cousin, or 2nd cousin, so we’ll just go will family! Love her despite it all! It was great getting to spend some time with her!
The Boardwalk was our next stop. Mamaw trimmed my hair and the three of us enjoyed a couple virgin pina coladas. You know how we do! After that we pack up our stuff and headed to the Magic Kingdom for the Halloween party.
If any of you ever get the chance to come down here during the fall you have to do this party at Disney. Main Street looks like a scene out of Halloweentown, that old Disney Channel original movie. Plus there was no one there! We had no wait for anything! I mean seriously, we walked right onto everything! The parade was incredible! My hypothesis was further validated—Captain Barbosa and I do indeed have a connection. He shook my hand again. That’s two parades in a row! There’s no denying that chemistry ☺. Villains, the show staring those loveable bullies, was fantastic (inventive show name, I know ☺). I got to meet Maleficent after the show! She wanted me!
Really that was my day. Not bad if you ask me. Even though it was great, I’m looking forward to some sleep. If you get a chance, beloved readers, say a quick prayer for my mom and grandma as they fly home tomorrow! Thanks all!

"Making Memories"

Today was great, no, I will bold enough to say today was finger-lickin’ great! Though I didn’t think so at 6:30 this morning when Selah woke me up. I got up and headed to the bathroom to wash my face and whatnot. If you’ll indulge me for two seconds, (plug time) the Neutrogena Deep Clean face wash has been working pretty great for me, so after lathering up and attempting to find a happy medium between boiling water and that from the Titanic, I got this mug all rinsed off.
I headed into the kitchen and made a quick breakfast. Once that was all done and clean up, I did a little journaling (thank you for the great idea Britta ☺) and finished getting ready. One my way out, Mike came into the apartment looking real sickly. He’s got something and has kinda been trying to sleep it off the majority of the day. If you remember, say a quick word of prayer for him.
I headed into work and got all changed and ready to go like crazy early. It was nice. What was nicer? Our warm up instructor made us do one exercise. I wanted to hug him! So I attempted this new abs crunch. Seems easy enough? Crunch is quite the appropriate word because I’m positive I heard some sort of organ crunching and ripping inside there. I got through about ten and decided I was warmed up.
We headed up to our off set location and got our stuff all hung up and ready to go. This room was pimped out! They even had hangers with fans in them that would help keep your costume cool whilst you were off set! Need I repeat it, “Finger-lickin’ great!” That’s the magic of Disney for ya! So, the sets today went great! I even had a few visits from friends! Today was especially a lot of fun because the park was slow so I did my best at attempting to interact with guest; however, they rarely got what I was pantomiming. Oh, the joys of being mute! So, as I’m sure you can image, I looked intoxicated. However, I got my butt grabbed! Memories were definitely made today ☺.
After work, I headed to the Boardwalk to pick up the fam! Mom and Mamaw were kind enough to cook me, Jessica, and Meghan a home cooked meal on their vacation! We experienced the wonders of Asia tonight with a little stir-fry! Mmmmm good. I’m convinced my mom and grandma could start a restaurant and do very very well for themselves! They’re gifted. For sho!
After dinner, Mom, Mamaw, Jessica, and I headed to Hollywood Studios to catch up with my favorite mouse in Fantasmic! My Mamaw had never seen that show before! So, not only did we get to see the show, but we got to experience it on an absolutely beautiful night! It was picturesque! Today definitely would fall into one of the top ten days I’ve had while I’ve been down here!
This morning I was reading in 2 Timothy 2. In it, Paul says, “In a large house there are not only things made of gold and silver, but also things made of wood and clay. Some things are used for special purposes, and others are made for ordinary jobs. All who make themselves clean from evil will be used for special purposes. They will be made holy, useful to the Master, ready to do any good work” (v. 20-21 • NCV). One awesome thing about God is that he designed each of us so differently! Whilst some talents are meant to be displayed, others are designed to work behind-the-scenes. But when you think about it, how often do you break out the fine china? When it’s a special occasion! The wood and the clay are the one’s that stick with you day to day and get the job done. No matter if we’re the day-to-day flatware or the fine chine for show, what matters is if we’ve given ourselves to the Master to be used for service however he sees fit. That’s the awesome thing about the body of Christ. Each of us with our talents in tote, fit together into this wonderful puzzle that God’s created.

"A Day with Mom, Mamaw, and Dolly"

So day off #2. I rolled out of bed this morning at 9 to shut off my roommate’s alarm clock and after falling back asleep, I ended up shutting off my own alarm clock merely 40 minutes later. I know what you’re thinking, “10 a.m. that’s kinda early for you isn’t it David?” Well, trust me it wasn’t by choice, I was being responsible. I got up and headed over to the laundry room and emptied my garbage dump into the nearest washer. After finishing up a couple loads of wash, I headed back to the room and made some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Since they design those packets for straight up heifers, I decided to give Jessica a call and see if she wanted a quick bite to eat before work (disclaimer Jessica is not a heifer—according to my roommate she’s a 10 ☺). She obliged and graced me with her presence for about a half and hour. After she left, I finished getting ready and headed over to the Boardwalk to hook up with Mom and Mamaw. I grabbed them and we ran to Property Control and to buy our tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Now let me explain, Property Control is where Disney sends merchandise that it has either overstocked or damaged in some way. The cool thing about it is that everything is marked down like crazy amounts! As I’m sure you can image, my mother and grandma loved that! ☺ After that, we went out to eat a place called Sweet Tomatoes per Mamaw’s recommendation. For any of you that come down to Disney, you have to go eat here! It was de-licious! After lunch Mamaw and Mom dropped me off at Downtown Disney so I could buy some tea I had been wanting whilst they ran up to Wal-Mart—their home away from home. They swung by and picked me up and the three of us headed back to the hotel to just chill out. It was wonderful! We watched a movie staring none other than my guilty pleasure-Dolly Parton! Love her! After the movie, Mom and I walked down to Hollywood Studious then enjoyed the boat ride back to the hotel. From there I dropped Mom and Mamaw off at Down Town Disney whilst I came back to the apartment. It was a sensational day; however, I’ve got to get to bed, because I’ve got a long day before me tomorrow! Oh, yeah and I got to talk to Tommy and Jess today too! It was so great to hear from them!

"We Are Fam-ily"

Ah, a day off. Today was wonderful! I didn’t get up until eleven. After I did, I kind of just chilled out for the majority of the morning—ate breakfast and indulged in some I Love Lucy. About 1 p.m. I headed up to Disney’s Boardwalk Resort because my mom and grandma were gonna be coming in! It was so so great to see them! Ah, I didn’t realized how much I missed them until I saw them standing there with their luggage. It was awesome. So we spent the early afternoon, just catching up. I brought them over to my apartment (which has random bits of ramen noodles in the carpet. My roommates have been hungry ☺). After the tour, we went to Wal-Mart and then headed back to the Boardwalk. While my mom and mamaw sat out on the porch, I chilled inside on the bed because I was exhausted! While they went out shopping, I took a little nap. Once they got back, we texted Jessica and headed out to T.G.I. Friday’s for dinner. My mom and mamaw loved Jessica. They thought she was so funny! After dinner we said goodbye to friend Jessica and headed back to the hotel. Mom, Mamaw, and I all changed into our bathing suits and headed out to the hot tub. We sat in there just conversing with some fellow vacationers and a couple of Brits. It was a great day! So happy to see my family!

"An Eternity (of Sorts)"

Though I loved today’s schedule, it was by far the hardest day at work I’ve had in a few weeks. I didn’t have to get up this morning until 8:45! Hallelujah! However, I didn’t sleep really well last night, what with the kids upstairs learning how to Irish step dance and Mike leading guided tours through our bathroom and walk-in closet at 5 a.m., it made it a little difficult to sleep like a rock. After a hearty breakfast, I finished getting ready and headed off to Epcot!
I got there crazy early so that gave me lots and lots of time to pull my costume, which is code for excess time to just relax. Our warm ups today were somewhat tame (which I appreciated as one suffering from sleep deprivation ☺). A group of about six of us hopped into the van and headed to our first location. After covering the forever-long lunch shift there, our posse split up. I ended up going to this special place that only Disney Visa Member’s can gain access to! It was wonderful! Though the shifts were long, there was lots of time to interact with the guests, which made it so nice! I really felt like memories were being made.
I think the thing that made today so difficult was just the length of the sets. Because I was inside, the time was doubled! I seriously thought I was gonna pass out. “Don’t follow the light” kept running through my head for some reason. Though the day seemed like an eternity, I actually enjoyed my last set and think that I will grow accustomed to the longer set times (Lord willing ☺).
After work, I met up with Jessica, her roommate Meghan, and Meghan’s friend Erica for dinner and a movie. We hit up Planet Hollywood for dinner. Did you know they have Dorothy’s actual dress there!? How awesome is that! Even cooler we got seated right next to it, so I got to enjoy the checkered dress rotating out of my periphs all night! Just a little side note, Judy Garland was sk-i-nny. She looks pretty normal in the film but it must be true that the camera adds ten pounds cause the girl would have had to suck it in to squeeze into that little dress.
This morning I started reading 2 Timothy. I got through chapter 1 and half of chapter 2. One of the things that made such a difference in my reading was reading the book in context. What I mean is remembering that Paul wasn’t writing this book to David Blackburn; he was writing it to Timothy. Don’t get me wrong, I think one of the most awesome things about the Bible is that it’s truths are relevant to me today, but at the same time, there is so much rich historical context that can only be absorbed when reading in the proper context. I found that doing that helped me to stay engaged and I still got some good stuff out of my reading.
One of the most difficult things for me is figuring out a way to not allow my time with the Lord to be regimented into little segments. I feel like I read in the morning and then pray at night. And for me to meditate on the things I’ve read or talk with the Lord throughout the day is very rare. This is a definite problem and one that needs resolving. Any suggestions?

"Life is Picturesque"

Today was the earliest morning I’ve seen in about a week. I pried my eyelids open this morning at 5:30. Gasp. I rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Now, it was one of those mornings where you’ve so little sleep that you’re really really awake. I don’t know how that works, but it does. So, I danced the bathroom and got ready ☺. After that and breakfast, I headed out to my car. One would have thought I was working the midnight shift! The full moon and stars will still illuminated. Joy!
So, I got to Epcot about 7. After pulling my massive outfit, I went and got changed. This outfit must be a near cousin of the heifer I wore Friday. In order to get the costume to fit, I thought I was going to have to suck the air from the black bag myself! On the positive, side, I was able to cram it all in.
I headed upstairs to warm up. They were unusually painfully today. The lady had a do this calves strengthening routine. I’m convinced it was the closest thing to labor I’ll ever go through. After emerging from straight up torture, my group hopped in the fan and made our way over to the Hilton Hotel.
We got there, unloaded our stuff, and set about at putting our costumes together. Those newbies of us, took a quick tour of the restaurant, and were able to get accustomed to our rotation. It really is a wonderful shift because you only do three sets and they’re only like 25-30 minutes long. Plus too, I only manage to destroy one chandelier with my character’s head! That’s a plus! After my shift ended, the wonderful manager there let us help ourselves to the breakfast buffet. Bless him! After a light breakfast, we all hopped back into the van and made our way back to Epcot. I scanned everything back in and clock out. Not a bad day; not a bad day at all!
Before leaving, I decided to ride a few rides (how many jobs afford you that opportunity right?). For some odd reason, walking out into Epcot from backstage gave me such a feeling of power—I think I walked a little taller throughout the park today. I jumped on Test Track (a wonderful ride for those of you who haven’t experienced the wonder yet) and Soarin’ (and even more incredible ride-if I do say so myself ☺). All in all, it was a short, yet wonderful day at work.
I headed back the apartment tonight and took a like four-hour nap. It. was. glorious. When I woke up, I decided to see if Jessica wanted to have dinner, since she was going to be getting off work a little later. She obliged. So, I cooked chicken and steak on my George Forman grill (although his signature bothers me). We had dinner and chocolate ice cream and cake for dessert (oh yeah, we party it up in Florida-be jealous ☺). Anyhow, that was my night, no grand, but pretty great! Both morning and evening made up for one supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day!
(By the way, I’ve tweaked the commenting thing. So for those of you who had wanted to, but couldn’t, you should be able to comment now; however, don’t hold me to that ☺).

"Not a Strike, but a SPARE"

This morning was nice. I didn’t have to clock in to work until 3, so you can image my delight at waking up at 11:30 on a workday. I got up enthusiastically and got myself ready to go. I changed it up a little bit today and had some chocolate chip waffles for breakfast this morning. I finished getting ready and headed into to work. I got there, got all changed and whatnot, and clocked in. I’ll bet you’ll never guess what they had me doing. Go on, guess. I took my usual spot along the wall (believe it or not, my butt marks were still there from a view days ago. They’re even thinking about erecting a statue there in my honor. It’ll be dubbed “Losers.” ☺) I’m sure readers, you all know the routine now, I checked in at the duty captain’s office over and over again throughout the afternoon. However, today was super nice because I got to have a mid-day snack with Jessica because she works in Cinderella’s castle. After that, I headed back down to the window (again) and found out that I might potentially have a character coming up. Now, I was really pumped about this one because it was a character that I have wanted to be so so bad! So, I waited. First 45 minutes, then 30 minutes, then 15 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 5 minutes, at this point I was thinking, it’s mine! Yes! The duty captain was even telling me to go and prep my costume, but then he decided to give they other guy just one more minute. He showed up. Tool. ☺ After having my hopes thrown to the floor and shattered the sweet old duty captain must have felt bad, so he found me something to do. “Ya ever driven a van before?”
At this point I’m thinking to myself, “A van?! Yes! Do I get to fill it up with gas too!” (for those of you who couldn’t sense it, I’m being sarcastic ☺). He tossed me the keys and a walkie talkie, which I had no idea how to use. He drew me a map on how to get the Contemporary Resort, which is where I’d have to pick up some friends of mine. He said I had to be there by 9:50. It was 7:45. I figured, why not; I had no idea where I was going, so hopefully I’d get lost and kill some time, however, his make shift map worked better than I thought cause I got there in a flash. So, I took advantage of the free time. I talked to some people at home and hung out in the break room.
After dropping my friends back off at the base, I changed, and clocked out. I drove home to the sound of the fireworks. All in all, it was a good day.
This morning I read 1Timothy 6. It talks about money and how when one desires it too much, they can quickly become consumed. Paul assures Timothy that the Christian’s life normally isn’t too grand as far as the world’s standards go, but that we have a rich afterlife awaiting us. I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna opt for that and the blessings that come from the God that created the world. Maybe that’s just me. ☺

"A Tangled Mess of Fur"

The day after a person’s 21st birthday is normally a little rough. I have to admit, it was for me too, but because of sleep deprivation. I didn’t get a ton of sleep last night so, I woke up a tad bit reluctantly this morning. After getting ready, I headed down to Animal Kingdom to check in. They decided to allow me to switch parks, still be a poser, but at least it was a change of scenery ☺. After warming up (and again being reminded how unflexible I truly am), I headed to the base to check in. They didn’t have anything for me right at that moment so they told me to head over to the costuming department and help wherever I was needed. So, I spent about 30 minutes with some awesome old ladies, helping to primp and prune furs and body pads. It was pretty magnificent. When I realized that it was that time again, I headed back to the duty captain’s office. He gave me my character, and it happened to be one I hadn’t done before. Not only that, but one I was a little afraid of, simply because the costume is a heifer. However, despite my inhibitions, I lowered my eyebrows, wiped the sweat from my upper lip, and headed back to costuming. Thankfully, my roommate was at Animal Kingdom today too so he was able to give me a hand gathering my costume. We both hopped on the bus and soon found ourselves at the trailer. After prying my costume from it’s black bad with the Jaws of Life, I got it hung up and unpacked. Before I knew it, it was time to get into costume. Let me just tell you, that was quite the task in and of itself. I finally managed to pull the pieces together into a semi-recognizable mass of fur. I headed out for my first set, which wasn’t too too bad. It seemed really hot today, so that, plus being in a costume designed for those with Greek godlike thighs and calves made it a little difficult to maneuver between children and trees. Overall though, I would consider it a successful set. The kids seemed to love it, and I got to have a little fun with the character so, we’ll laugh at the negative and revel in the good.
After my fourth set, I headed back to base because I was assigned parade. I actually got to march in my first ever Disney parade! I held the “the-parade’s-over-now” rope that followed Mickey’s float! It was awesome! I’ve always used to wonder if those smiles from parade people were real. Well, I’m here to tell you mine was! I just couldn’t stop smiling. Not only was the music great, but I was marching right behind “the boss.” Even more so though were the people watching the parade. They are so so excited! They’re all just smiling and laughing and truly forgetting about the troubles and cares of life and just soaking it all in. I mean, for goodness sake, I saw grown men and women pushing children out of the way so they could scream, “MICKEY! HEY! MICKEY! HI! MICK! HEY MICKEY!” They were jumping up and down and screaming with the best of them. Disney really has a way of bringing out the kid in so many of us!
I’m right in the middle of 1 Timothy right now. I’m really working hard to try and focus on the context because Paul is addressing a lot of issue about the church at that time, that really don’t seem too relevant to my life right now. However, I’m sure they are so many truths that I can absorb and I’m gonna try and let this just develop patience and faithfulness in me. Something else that’s cool though, since I finished my Crazy Love book, I decided to try and find something else to read while I’m not working. I stumbled across a duel set—it’s C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. I ordered that today and am really pumped about jumping into that one once it arrives. Oh yeah, and I got to talk to Josh today (happy Josh? ☺). Miss you all!

"I'm 21!"

Today I officially turned 21 years old and was able to turn down my first official alcoholic drink, all in one day! Oh, it was a great day! I got up about 11 for I was off again today. I kind of just chilled around the apartment for a while. I had to run up to the front desk and grab a couple birthday gifts—thanks so much to those of you who sent them! They were wonderful and so so appreciated! I jumped in the shower, got ready, and headed over to my friend Jessica’s apartment, because she so willingly agreed to give up her first day off in a week to help me celebrate my birthday! She really is a great friend! So, we headed off to grab a couple of movies because we decided to just chill today. After hitting up Blockbuster, we ran to Panera Bread for lunch and I got one of the best smoothies from this little no-name smoothie place next door—it was wonderful! We headed back, and dove into 17 Again. After the wonder of discussing the deeper theological themes running throughout the film wore off, we decided for a change of pace, so we headed to Hollywood Studios. I was able to talk Jessica into going on Rockin’ Rollercoaster with me, and for those of you who don’t know Jessica, this is quite an accomplishment because she is not a fan of roller coasters by any stretch of the imagination. However, she took it like a champ, and actually seemed to enjoy herself, once she was able to gain a sense of mobility back in her legs. We browsed around Hollywood Studios for about a half-an-hour and then headed back to the apartment to make dinner and watch another movie. We had spaghetti, cheese bread, and a Blooming Onion from Outback (what most people don’t know is that cheese bread and Blooming Onions are distant cousins in the food family). It was delicious! After dinner we watched another movie and had some cake. It was a great day!
For those of you who wrote and called to wish me a happy birthday—thank you so much! Being away from everyone was hard, but not nearly as bad, because I was continually being told happy birthday all day! You all are too good to me, and I don’t deserve you! That being said, I’m happy to have you ☺.

"Employee Perks"

So today…well, today I slept in until about 11:30, yes, that’s code for I had a day off. I got up and caught up with my good friend Lucille Ball for about an hour. After lunch, I got ready and headed to the Imax to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with my roommate, Mike. Didn’t realize that the first twelve minutes were in 3-D! Let’s just say, it was epic beyond belief! After the movie finished up, we headed back to the apartment. I got ready quickly and drove myself up to the Magic Kingdom. You see, dear reader, I was meeting my friend Jessica at work. After seeing her do what she does best, we got some dinner and waited around in the park. Why? I’m happy you thought that. Because tonight was Mickey’s Boo to You Halloween Parade cast preview night. The park closed at 9 p.m. and all the Magic Kingdom cast just kind of waited around until about 11:00, then we all headed down to Main Street. See the performers have about a week of all nighters they pull, practicing for the parade. Well, tonight was the final dress rehearsal, before they unveil the thing Friday, I believe. For those of you who haven’t seen it…it. is. amazing. It’s the best parade I’ve ever seen at Disney. They had the headless horseman leading the parade off, on a legit black horse! He just came galloping down Main Street. It was incredible! There was a Pirates of the Caribbean section that made me want to scream with delight. All the sudden I see Captain Barbossa rounding the corner of Main Street, of course, juggling his green apple in one hand. He was the first one to wish me a happy birthday. He didn’t say it verbally, but rather with his eyes. You had to be there. Then the Jack Sparrow float came by! EPICALLY EPIC BEYOND ALL EPICNESS! That was all followed by the coolest Haunted Mansion section headed up by Disney’s favorite grave keeper and bloodhound. They had dancing gravediggers with their shovels, ghosts, and waltzing zombies. I loved it! Needless to say, I think Halloween is going to be my favorite holiday whilst I’m down at Disney!

"Living the Dream"

Have you ever had one of those days that starts off as a downer but ends up on such a high note it could shatter glass? Well, today was that day for me. I got up at 5 (I actually saw the “5:00 a.m.” words flashing on my alarm clock—that is something no human should ever have to witness). I had a bowl of cereal (for all of you who’ve commented on my blog, thanks for informing me that up til now I’ve been having a bowel of cereal every morning ☺), and headed to work. I got there about 6:30, changed, clocked in, and checked in with my duty captain. I was a character reject again today…or so I thought. I step up to the window and she tells me that I’m heading to the Grand Floridian to take a breakfast shift there; however, I’ll need to attend the earlier warm ups to make it on time. After warm ups, I scamper to costuming to pull my outfit and hop on the bus. I get to the Grand Fla. (that’s what the locals call it—you should feel privileged to be blessed with that information, I had to look like an idiot today cause I had no clue in the world what The Grand Fla was) and get my stuff all set up. I ended up doing three sets there. It was pretty good, but by the time I finished packing back up my outfit, I was exhausted and ready to call it a day. I headed back to the base, dropped my costume off, and headed back to the duty captain’s office to check back in. They sent me to lunch. Hallelujah! I got about an hour for lunch after which I headed back to check in (I think at this point, I could get there with my eyes closed). As I checked in, I was praying to myself, “Please say, ‘I’ve got nothing right now, David. Check back in in about an hour.’” However, that prayer was drowned out by the sound of “We’re going to send you to Splash Mountain David but you would have to extend your hours to cover the shift.”
I agreed. A few minutes later, I found myself boarding the Parade Bus with costume in tow. We headed to the Splash Mountain/Parade building. It was at this moment that I started thinking that today was going to be the longest day of my life. That is until I met, Miss Gilda. She was my attendant, and one of the sweetest older ladies you’ve ever met. She is so passionate about her work and truly loves Disney! You can see it in her eyes, I’m not even joking. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. She sat and told us story after story. I just wanted to either A) hug her or B) be related to her.
During my second lunch break, I decided to head into the park to grab some fries; however before I could get in I had to stop and wait for the parade to come back in through the gate, so because of that I got to watch the floats go by. So here comes Pinocchio, Mary Poppins, Bert, and the princesses. Well right at the front of the princess float was the Fairy Godmother. She turns to me, winks and smiles. At that moment, I was three years old all over again! I got chills over all! It was a combination of that and Miss Gilda’s stories that made me realize for the first time since I got here, that I’m truly getting to live out one of my dreams. I’m working as a character performer in the place I’ve always wanted to work! I’m having the best time doing something that is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I was so thankful! Just loving life really, until I got my fries. I have my fries in one hand and my Coke in the other when what should happen, I get attacked by a crow. I’m talking a legit crow. It was like a scene from The Birds. I seriously almost peed all over myself. This thing just dive-bombed for my fries and before I know it, I’ve got this mess of feathers and beak flapping on my hand. At that point I was so scared, had I been able to scream, I would have been able to hit a high C. Despite the pandemic they caused me, I ate the fries anyway—goodness, they cost me $5. ☺
The weather ended up washing out my last two shifts (so I guess I got my break after all). I headed back to costuming and checking my outfit back in. On my way out of the park, who should I see, but my friend Jessica who so willingly agreed to keep me company on my drive home. She even offered to make dinner. Though I’m exhausted beyond belief (so blame sleep deprivation for this blog’s lack of structure), today was one of the best days yet!