"I'm Like Alice In Wonderland"

Things that go BUMP in the night.

2008-09-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

September 21st 2008:
Hey,
Well i have a few things to report to you.I now have a new job at a bar called Bumper,which i absolutely adore.It's a really chilled out place and everybody gets along and it's a bit like a family which reminded me of my time at Yacht and Beach in Disney with my little marina family,who i miss more than i could say.
I started back to uni and got a total surprise with how amazing my timetable is so that was good and my student loan went in as well so that helped me out in reducing my debt which,might i add, i have now reduced by half,from saving up my tips and wages and a bit of my student loan and also just scrimping and saving as much as humanly possible :D
So all is going well.Have been talking on SKYPE,the most ingenious invention ever,to Jen and Luke which is awesome.Spoke to James as well,who never fails to make me smile.So really,life is good right now.It appears things have taken a turn for the better and i am enjoying life again :)
I am also gonna do my research and get a new project to aim for travelwise next summer and once i have cleared my debts, i am gonna start saving up for that :D Good times!!So things really are fandabbiedose right now.
Not really got much else to say but felt the need to express how happy i am feeling right now :)
Love xxx

Leaks,Bugs and Love.

2008-09-10T04:10:00.000-07:00

September 10th 2008:
Ok.Well i have tons of things to say so i thought it was about time to blog again.
I have had possibly the worst few days ever just recently!!

I moved into a flat that we found in Liverpool,all ready for Year 2!!! It was totally perfect when we visited as well, and i was mega mega excited!!It was right next to the students union and our uni builing and everything :)
HOIWEVER...the time comes for us to move in,and we're still mega excited.BUT then we get there and it was a total train wreck disaster!!!!!!!!!!!!
Firstly,there were leaks in the ceiling with water coming through so that the entire living room smelt like damp which believe me is totally disgusting!And not to mention there was a BUCKET to catch all the water that was seeping through and dripping onto the floor!!! The walls and ceiling which used to be beautiful white were now brown because of the leak!!! And it was all through the living room,into my room and in Laurens room.And oh yeah, did i mention that Lauren has asthma and therefore cannot be anywhere near conditions like these is she wishes to survive!!!!!

Then there was bugs in the kitchen because evidently they liked the warm and damp conditions,so me and Lauren had to become expert woodlice and beetle killers in a very short space of time!!!!Oh and there was a GIANT SPIDER in the one bedroom that me and Lauren had to share!Yes,you heard me,in our perfect two bed flat we had to share a mattress on the floor because the idiots who had been trying to fix the leak had stood on and broke the beds!!! So we were scared shitless sharing this mattress in a leaky and bug-ridden flat for our first night!!Which was not at all what we'd paid for!!!We were literally crying because it was so bad!!

So of course,me being me, i went into kick ass mode and headed off to the student welfare office armed with a camera full of photo's of the most disgusting place on earth!!!And the woman down there agreed that it was minging (gross)!
So then we had a huge drama trying to get this evil witch of an estate agent to let us out of our tenancy contract so we could go find somewhere else!And she was being a right evil moo,telling us that we'd never find anywhere now and that she could move us around until it was fixed.IS SHE CRAZY?!?! It's an important year,as if we wanna live in different flats and be moved around until she decides to sort out trampsville!!!!NO WAY LADY!!!
What she didn't know is that by some miracle,we had already found a really cute little place where me and Lauren can both have our own rooms and bathrooms,back in Liberty Park,our old place of residence :D So it seemed our luck was changing!!!

Sooooooooooooo long story and bad bits over,we managed to get out of the contract with the witch,by threatening her with environmental health and Lauren's asthma issues!! So then we had to stay in the hellhole (flat)for another night and move all our stuff all over again the next day!!!But now i can happily say that we are safe and sound in our new bug and leak free flat and smiling :)
I should also add that we managed to get back our £260 summer retainer fee because our apartment was that bad!!!

As i type i am sitting in my new flat and feeling much happier,safer and alot less stressed!!!Life is deffo busy busy busy right now,but i am glad that i can come out of it with a smile on my face :)

...Before i go, i should probably address the LOVE part of my blog title.The love has to be given to my bloody amazing friends!!Without them i would be nothing and i would certainly never have survived this crazy and horrible experience.
Claire and Maria,helped me move my stuff into hell and supported me when i discovered what i had let myself in for!!
Niki and Jono,were absolute stars and helped me get out of that place.Without them i never would have managed to escape :D
My Dad, who helps me through everything,whether its giving me money so i can pay off flats or buying me toiletries or giving me cuddles or talking to me on the phone and making me feel like things will be ok.I don't know what i would do without a DAD like mine,he is not only an amazing father, he's a friend who's always there,no matter what!!!I will never be able to thank him enough for everything he does for me.I love you Daddy x

I think that even though i had such a bad time of it, i am grateful because it has reminded me how blessed i am to have people like this in my life who will stand next to me and hold my hand when i am lost or worried and who support me and help me as much as they can and never ask for anything in return.Without these people my life just wouldn't be the same :D
So i send my sincere thanks and greatest love to those people who made hell turn into heaven, i wouldn't be anywhere without you xxx

Long time No speak....Or should i say type..

2008-09-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

September 3rd 2008:

Ok,so i was sat down speaking to American friends on facebook when all of a sudden i realise that i hadn't blogged in ageeeeeeeeeees.I feel so bad!But really there isn't a great deal to report,however i still feel that i need to put in a bit of an update and at least some sort of effort!

So, i am doing a trillion times better now.I am adjusting back to life in England and all the rubbish rain we're having right now.It makes me so jealous to speak to some people who are still in the lovely glorious sunshine!I swear i should resort to sunbeds for my fix but i am slightly scared of the ccancer risk!!Dammit!

Anyway...i still miss everyone from Disney every single day and i think about people there alot and wonder what thy're doing now or how they are and whether they like the new people and what they're like.But i am starting to find it easier accepting that i need to be here and i need to get my degree finished and then i can look forward to being able to travel to a million different places and see all these amazing things! I guess i am focusing on the positives alot more now.

I had some prety fun times recently as well,which has made me smile much more.I went for a night on the tiles (went out clubbing) with my Mum!Which was possibly one of the funniest nights out i have ever had. I am lucky to be blessed with a mother who is fairly "down with the kids" and so we had a right giggle!Although i connot forgive the woman for dragging me into a hard core rock bar when we were both in summer dresses!!!!!!Think that was a drunken moment of randomness, i swear i thought they were gonna eat us alive,either that or slit our wrists so we looked less cheerful! But i actually had a really fun night with her.It was good to have some Mummy/Daughter time because we never really do that :)

Other things i can mention...
Erm...i am hopefully moving back up to Liverpool sometime within the next week so fingers crossed taht willa ll go well,althoughit snot looking like it at the moment due to difficulties with the flat but never mind,chin up and fingers crossed!!

Oh..how did i forget.I have to mention reuniting with an old friend of mine.He is a little angel and i dunno what i would do without him just recently!When i was feeling low he bought me flowers and sat and listened to me go on and on about how much i loved Disney and all my advenutes and sat through about ten million photo's and just was such a great person to have around when i felt like that.So i thank my lucky stars that i am blessed to have someone like him around in my life.
Thanks Matt xxx

Well thats me done for now, i promise i will try and update a bit more regularly in the future!

Sam x

p.s if the spelling and grammar is awful i am sorry!It's 1 am!!!

Things i thought.

2008-08-19T14:22:00.001-07:00

Hello again.
Well I am pleased to report that things are on the up. I feel much better at the moment which is such a relief, I am just taking each day as it comes and reminding myself of all the positives and it appears to be working!!!
I am sitting here typing in my bed, on the laptop and it’s raining outside! It’s not fun rain like in Florida either, it’s just that drizzle that soaks you through! But nevertheless, I am curled up under the covers so I suppose it’s nice in way, knowing I am all warm and safe from the cold rain. Makes a difference from just a week ago when I would have been out there working in it, but it’s a completely different rain altogether. Isn’t it odd how not only do we have different weather but the actual weather itself is different, like the wind or the rain or the heat.

Anyway…I sat a worked on the video for Luke, Jen and Matt and it is just about finished. I am sooo excited because it literally took me hours of patching music and organising photo’s and adding in quotes and stuff to get it perfect so fingers crossed they are going to like it when I e-mail it to them later. Talking of e-mails, I got really excited because I got an e-mail from my Momma CB telling me about life over the pond. She tells me all my Yacht and Beach friends on the marina are doing well and that they are expecting their first hurricane sometime this week!! Exciting but nerve wrecking stuff I should imagine!
I am really please with keeping in touch with people so far, especially since we’ve all been busy getting home and everything but communications seem to be going well. The only person I wish I had gotten to speak to but haven’t yet is Matt. The little mister!!! But I will hopefully get to catch up with him soon.

I am supposed to be going to a festival with my Dad tomorrow which will be good fun!!I missed spending time with him,although we went out the other night with him and sat and talked about Disney and his holiday and played pool and just had a nice time as a family with sisters.It’s sad that I don’t get to see him all that much anymore because of not living with him at home and then being away in Liverpool at university,but I always look forward to his visits.It was hilarious the last time he came and stayed in Liverpool with me,we went out for a few drinks which turned into one of the best nights out ever.Lets just say I get my dancing and drinking capabilities from him!!!!But in all seriousness I am so glad he is my Dad because he is my friend as well and I know that not many people,especially girls are that close to their Daddies.I know plenty of Daddies girls who love their Dad and who’s Dad;s are protective etc but hard;y any who would be able to go out drinking with their Dad or talk to their Dad about guys and stuff.But I am blessed to have no problem with telling my Dad anything,most of the time!!

Life for moi!

2008-08-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Friday 15th August 2008

Ok.Well the good news is i am starting to feel better about things.I am feeling happier and today i had a really nice day with my sisters.We watched "Camp Rock" and it reminded me of the time me and Luke sat on the beach and watched it at the premier! That was such a fun night!! I distinctly remember a few very hot guys as well,besides the Jonas Brothers of course :S

Anyway, i spent some of my day showing Niki (my youngest sister) all the parades and shows i had seen in Disney on youtube.com and she really loved them, i knew she would and i wish more than anything that she had been with me to see it but thats gonna deffo be part of my plans for the future,to get her and my other sister,Emily there!!

Today we had a bit of drama as well!The field next to my house was on fire!!! Me and my sisters went to take Jack (the family dog :) ) for a walk and we heard this crackling sound and as we walked further it grew louder,then we turned a corner and BAM there was a field fire right in front of our eyes! Luckily we called 999 and they had already been informed and the fire engine was there asap!

Erm...what else?Ooooo i dyed my hair today!Got it back to my crazy vibrant red again and am sooo happy about it.I waited the whole 3 months of Disney to get it back!Cos part of "disney look" is having a natural hair colour and apparently bright red doesn't come under that heading :P So i am happy to have my fun hair back again!! I missed it!

I went to library and got some books as well because obviously i could not be without one!!I am a serial read-a-holic and i am shocked i haven't mentioned it before! But to be honest when i was reporting from Disney i think books were the last thing i had to write about :P I also had my first proper English chips and peas which i didn't enjoy as much as i would have liked :S but never mind!! I am trying to be healthier anyway so its probably a good job i am put off for a while!

I did some serious e-mailing tonight and just made sure i was keeping in touch with all my lovelies from Disney.I need to make sure they know how much i miss them and that i think about them all the time!! I really do wish that i could see them everyday still, i think i would miss Diseny alot less if i knew they were close by! Life can be a right bum, sometimes!But never mind i guess i know that the people who matter the most will always be in touch and me and Stewart are already going crazy on planning Luke and Jen's visit to England!!!

Anyway, i am gonna go now and try to sleep,still aiming to get in that pattern!!!!
Night night x

LIFE AFTER DISNEY BEGINS....

2008-08-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

13th August 2008.

Well, i got back from Disney on Saturday and my family were waiting at the airport.My little sisters had made me a banner saying "WELCOME HOME SAM" which was the first thing i saw,that made me smile so much.Its funny how the littlest things can make you feel the happiest :)

So then we drove home and i slept for most of it.Then on Sunday i went to my Nana's for our traditional Sunday Dinner.Now for those of you that aren't my family you will not know about this tradition.Every Sunday my Nana and Grandad Ross (Mums mum and dad) make a Sunday Dinner buffet for all of my aunties and uncles and cousins and we all go round and eat and catch up.We have meat (usually beef) and yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes and vegetables etc. Its always beautiful and this Sunday it was even better because i had missed it so much and i got to see all my family!

The bad news is, i had the worst jet lag ever so i was ill and a complete grump.I am struggling to keep myself from crying when i talk about Disney and my friends,just because i miss them so much and because i loved my life over there so readjusting is hard. I know it probably sounds so ungrateful of me to be sad when i have just experienced the best 3 months of my life,but coming down from a high that was so huge is alot harder than you would think.Readjusting to life back in some sort of reality is crazy. I feel like i don't appreciate things here anymore as much as i should just because i know there is more and better.

I know that it is really hard for my family to understand,in fact i am sure they think it means i don't love them and don't want to be with them.But it isn't that at all.I just feel completely numb and just low,for no reason and as much as i wanna be happy i just physically find it hard.Getting up in the morning is a struggle right now and i have no idea why.It's so frustrating and it annoys me more than anyone because i am naturally such a full of life and happy person and i honestly do not know what i can do to make this dark cloud go away. The worst thing is i feel like i have no control over it which is hard for me because i am used to having control.

I spoke to Luke about it and he suggested a million and one things.I honestly do not know what i would do without that boy sometimes.I am so glad he is around.I followed one particular piece of his advice (he knows which part) and i am hoping it will work :)

I guess it's just ben hard to readjust to life away from the happiest place in the world!!!

Hoping for better soon!

Last Days Of Magic **

2008-08-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

August 6th 2008:
Today was my last day working on the marina. It was pretty tough and I managed to get through it fairly well right until the end of the day and then it got to me.I had a day of just laughing with the people I had met there, taking pictures and exchanging e-mail addresses with everyone. I brought everyone pizza and handed out thank-you cards to those people who have meant the most to me while I was there.
Shane,the guy who trained me in lifeguard class and who I have consistently had the giggle with since I have been at yacht and beach.Everything from the lack of sealeasy in my recreation hip pack to differences in the accent and words I use.
Missy,the fishing guide who sat and talked to me about everything from life to bass fishing.She is an extraordinary lady and I honestly hope that I am half as strong in both body and character as she is when I am older.
Jen,the one manager who helped me more than anyone,who had my crying in her office on a bad day and who sent me home and checked up on me every time she could.The manager who made sure I knew her door was open and who always carted about everyone.
Heather,one of my marina mum’s who made me laugh more than anyone.A woman who is both strong and beautiful and she needs to always believe it.I hope she gets the happily ever after she deserves.
CB,my other marina mum.A lady I have nothing but respect and honest love for.She taught me more about Elvis than I knew even existed.She made me laugh when I was down and when I wasn;t!! She helped me out when I needed it and offered help just for the sake of it.She is in a class of her own and I hope with all my heart that I am half the lady she is.
David,my marina dad who gave me a million rides home, a million smiles and all the help I could have ever asked for.The guy who made life that little bit easier and who would do anything for anyone.I hope this man gets nothing but happiness in his future.
James, my american boy who shared laughs and tears with me.Who made me realise that ife isn’t always easy but you can do and be anything you want to as long as you try harfd enough.A guy who opened his heart to me and who stole my heart forever.A boy who is a joy to be around and someone I wish nothing but happiness and love for always.
Josh,my marina brother who gropes me (his words not mine).The guy who made me smile whenever he was around.The one who gave me hugs like nobody else and who let me be anyone I wanted to be,no matter what that was.The guy who restored my faith in the beauty within people.The guy who made me feel like a little princess and who understood me beyond belief.
Thank-You to all of you and everyone else at Yacht and Beach.You made my life in Florida amazing and I will be forever grateful to you.Love you always xxx

Once I had finished work I got changed and headed over to Epcot to Norway for my Princess dinner with Jen and her family.It was amazing and I was sooo overexcited.I got to see Ariel uin her dress and me and Jen acted like big kids for the night!!!It was so perfect and I had such an amazing time,thank you so much to Jren and her partwnts for making me smile even after a day like today!! You are amazing people and I am so thankful for everything.
Then we met up with Luke and headed over to Hollywood Studio’s to ride the Rock n Rollercoaster one more time.We did that and went and watched the Ariel show one last time for me!! It was a magical night and another one I will treasure always.

August 7th 2008:
Today was my graduation and final day of Disney and man was it an amazing one. This morning was a bit rough cos we had to get up early and go to Partner to pick up our pay check which resulted in us getting lost with Jens parents which was quite hilarious and then waiting for about an hour and a half to go and pick up and cash our cheques but after that we headed over to Epcot for our graduation. We got our “ears” and a certificate and I got a picture with graduation Mickey! So after we had done that we met up with Josh and Cody and did some of Epcot for the last time. We had to do everyone’s little favourite things so we got chips from England for me and headed over to Paris for pastry for Luke. We rode on Soaring for Jen (just KIDDing, Jen hates heights and the Kid jokes too :P ) which was sooo funny because that it the ride that Cody works on and so we got fast passed to the front and got the best seats and then Cody ran off to go do the spiel for us and at the end he announced that it was my birthday and made me go bright red which was sooo funny and I was laughing too much. I love that ride so much and when we saw Disney we cheered and screamed and I really just took in that moment,sat on one of my favourite rides looking at one of my favourite places with the best friends a girl could ask for,
Later, we sneaked into this old ride as well and walked round it which was weird but so funny because we all acted like little school kids that were gonna get caught even though we didn’t do anything wrong but still :P
Then we headed over to Magic Kingdom and hung out there for a bit and went on a few rides and took some pictures. Then Josh and Cody decided to tell us that they had not only got us V.I.P seats to watch the Spectromagic parade but also that we were going to be watching Wishes from the rooftops! It was honestly my best night in Disney. I spent it with people I love and care for so much and I got to see everything so perfectly and I have them to thank for it.Guys I love you so much and you will never know how grateful I am for everything.The parade was unbelievable,we sat in a roped off section right at the beginning and all the characters looked at us and interacted with us and we screamed and cheered and acted like big kids the whole time,which is what diseny is all about!!I have to say that I have never ever seen anyone as excited as Luke and Cody when they saw Peter Pan.Although I will admit I went pretty crazy when I saw ariel!! It was such a magical time and I honestly felt the flutter of something not quite ordinary in my veins and my heart.It sounds so odd unless you feel it yourself but I felt like I had pixie dust in my veins,by this I mean I felt like I was being given an extra kind of feeling, that little bit more magic than anyone else and I will hold the belief and happiness of that moment with me forever.
Then we headed onto the rooftop where we took loads of pictures of Magic Kingdom below us.And then we stood together for the very last time to hear and see the most beautiful fireworks in the world,Wishes. I paused for a moment and looked around me and I saw a rooftop of people who I had grown to love,lit up by the light of the fireworks and I will hold that moment in my heart for always. That image of Jen and Luke,Josh and Cody Matt and Adam, all standing there hearing all about the hopes and dreams we had achieved throughout the time we had spend together.I t still brings tears to my eyes now. Me and Jen sobbed like babies but I can honestly say that my tears have never been happier. They were tears of joy for the luck I have had in meeting such amazing people, seeing such amazing things and having my biggest dreams come to life.

August 8th 2008:
Today was a bad bad day.
I got up at silly o’clock with a bit of a hangover to find that my other flatmates, besides Gemma had already left and had also decided to leave all their food in the cupboards, their mess everywhere and generally just messed it up. I was sooo angry and upset cos it meant I spent my last morning cleaning instead of spending time with Luke and Jen which made me wanna cry.
Then I had to say Goodbye to Jen…
I decided to opt for being strong and saying See you later. But it still broke my heart.I was as strong as I could be but the second I thought about not seeing her for that amount of time just filled me up. Let me tell you about Jen. I met Jen in lifeguard class right at the beginning of my program ,she was a little sweetie and helped everyone out, including me because I was confused about why I was finding it so hard to sink.For a few days we hung out and had giggles and just got acquainted and then I quit and thought nothing of it.Then I was in the pool at Vista and she came over and told me she had passed and we got chatting,and before I knew what had happened she had become someone I couldn’t have lived without. She was there for me through everything these past few months, we’ve laughed we’ve cried and we’ve shared stories and drama. We get on like a house on fire and I honestly feel like crying every time I think about spending the next few months without having her to go to when I feel low or when I need a laugh or just to hang out with. Jen is not only beautiful but she is kind and intelligent, has a wicked sense of humour and was always around when I needed her. So I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank-you to a girl who made Disney that little bit more magic.Love you always x

So after the hardest goodbye I went and got in a taxi with Luke and Stewart and Harry and Jamie and we headed over to the Marriot hotel to hang out with Sabina before we had to go get on our plane. I spent most of that time asleep because I was just exhausted both physically and mentally. Then we got on the shuttle and headed over to the airport where I had to say goodbye to Luke. That killed me. I will take a moment to try to explain why I love this boy so much,I met him one night while I was in the hot tub and he was watching Hockey in the gym with Jen. I said hi and everything and never thought anything of it.Now I look back and that day was probably the luckiest day of my entire trip.I was fortunate enough to meet the boy who became my best friend. We spent a lot of time together after that day,he mocked my accent and we shared bad jokes, we laughed so hard I cried.I spent a magical day with him and his family and we spent hours taking and sharing problems. I have met a million guys in my time (all 19 years of it) and I may not be an expert but I can honestly say that whoever becomes this boys Cinderella is one damn lucky lady. He lets me be a kid and escape to our Neverland where we can be silly and have fun and never worry. He is my Peter Pan.
Once I had said goodbye i started crying and that was it, I was done. Then most of the planeride I slept and watched movies .I drank my first legal drink since being in America and just tried not to think about the fact that I was flying away from the most fantastic time of my life.
When I look back through this blog and see all the up’s and down’s I have had, the number of breathtaking moments and the amount of amazing people I have met, I find it hard to be sad. Now bear with me because that may seem a little strange, but I can see how lucky I am to have experienced all of this. I am taking home memories that I wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world and nobody and nothing can take that away from me, especially not a silly word like Goodbye.
Its been one hell of an adventure. I remember spending hours dreaming of being here and now I can finally say that some of my dreams have become a reality. When you live in a world like the one we do, its sometimes easier to think of all that you are denied, and your faith in magic and belief in the extraordinary begins to fade. But then you find places and people like I have here and it reminds you why you have a reason to smile. Seeing the castle at the end of Main Street in Magic Kingdom will always fill me with an inner glow because its’ not the bricks and mortar that are important, it’s everything they stand for. That castle is the figment of dreams, the symbol of hopes and the proof that magic can still exist. Anytime I ever feel sad or low I know I will always be able to look back at the pictures of me here and not only see that castle in the background but see the size of the smile on my face and that faces of those with me.
Being able to believe is half the battle. And since being here, I have learned that sometimes faith and belief is all people have. I have seen kids who are dying and you would never guess because they are so strong and so excited to be in Disneyworld. I have experienced the most amazing emotions and found friends that will last a lifetime. I think that the majority of the magic I felt here came from those friends that I met here.
So that’s all for now,I will start my “Life after Disney” blog soon but it may be a few days because I need to see family and stuff first.
So for the last time…
FAITH,TRUST AND PIXIE DUST *****

Fairytales in real life.

2008-08-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

August 4th 2008:
Well our departure is fast approaching and i can't believe that i leave so soon.I have done so well at getting through these past few days without getting overemotional but today i was sitting reading my facebook messages and stuff and i stumbled across a blog from one of the bestest boys i have met here,Luke.I read it and by the time i got to the end,i was filling up.
It went like this... (the bits in bold are about me :) )

One week...
5 days...
two months past and for some reason it feels like i only just got settled. but all good things must come to an end (compliments of Nelly Furtado) right? it has been an amazing trip but i'll save all of the sappy memory-feelings for the last note. lets get you up to date first.
so Mom and Dad came for a week of fun last week and it was a great time. i think i saw more of the parks with them then i have in the whole two months that iv been here by myself! it was great though i got to spend a couple nights with them in hotels - and let me tell you when you get a chance to sleep in a real queen sized bed with a real mattress as opposed to the plastic single bed that i have in my apartment - you dont pass that up! it was wonderful! so we spent the first couple days going through some of the main rides and parks and had a great time. we also got the disney dining plan which gives you a quick service meal and a sit down table service meal each day! so we were able to go to some more of disney's amazing restaurants and they were soooo good! but i think the highlight of the trip was when we got to go to Cinderella's castle for breakfast with the princesses! the night before we were talking and i was talking to my friend Sam and i decided that it would be a good idea to invite her along with us. theres something you must know first about Sam - she will put everyone she knows before herself and will take care of you to the 'nth degree no matter what she has to do to do it! she is such a caring and compassionate person it makes my heart smile! so me and mom and dad decided it was time to do something for her so we brought her along with us and we spent the whole day in Magic Kingdom. the breakfast was absolutely stunning! first we got to go into the castle which felt just like a real castle; there were coats of arms everywhere and a suit of armor and then Cinderella was there and we got our picture with her and talked to her for a while. then i got a sword and sam got a fairy wand and we climbed the stone spiral staircase up to the big room where we had breakfast. it was increadable! the ceilings were all vaulted with coats of arms hanging down and out the big stained glass windows you could see out over all of fantasyland! then princess aurora, belle, jasmine and snow white came around to each table and we got pictures with them and talked with them a while. after breakfast we went and rode some rides and watched the dreams come true parade. it was a great time had by all - thanks for coming Mom and Dad!
the day before yesterday we went to see Cirque Du Soleil. IT WAS AMAZING!! the amount of strength and poise and talent that those performers have is absolutely breath taking and the way they do it makes your jaw drop! we spent the rest of the night going through downtown disney and pleasure island for what i believe will be my last time while down here.
Jen, Sam and I had our last full day off from work and so we decided the only place that you can really spend your last day - is in Magic Kingdom. there is something about the place that just makes you smile and looking up at the castle brings a sense of awe and peace to anyone that looks at it. i really believe that there is magic in that place. we went and rode some rides, like my favorite PETER PAN! yes so if you dont already know i finally have a favorite character - peter pan is his name and i met him twice! of course my favorite will always be Cinderella just because she has always been my favorite despite disappointment the time i checked under her dress for glass slippers when i was four. anyway we went and visited Sam's favorite, Ariel, and talked with her about our program and how long were here and how she was etc.. sam was so happy! then we were walking by the castle and it started to hit us that we dont have much time left... we came across Cinderella's wishing well and we each threw in a penny after a long time wishing. then we all kind of stood there for a minute looking up at the castle. thats when our hearts started to ache a little bit.dont get me wrong im very excited to go home! go back to friends and family and get back to the real world.. but since being here i think i really have grown. i have found out things about myself that i couldnt at home. i made friends that i will keep a lifetime from all over the world. but i think perhaps the thing i will miss the most is the magic; being able to walk down mainstreet with my friends and look up at the castle and know that you are in a place where dreams really do come true. where everyone is welcome, everyone belongs, and everyone has a smile on their faces! i can barely describe what it means to me now because living here has made it so much more relevant to me. this place where sick kids come for their last wish, and families broken apart come and are happy together, and every kid - young or old - comes to dream and have those dreams come to life... i will miss seeing the dreams of so many people come to life every day.
and with that happy note i will leave you thinking about your own dreams but i promise to write one last note before i go.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=768363&op=1&view=all&subj=78899430424&aid=-1&oid=78899430424&id=511101383 THATS THE LINK TO THE NOTE ON FACEBOOK!

So that was his blog entry.Now see why i love this boy so much?I honestly cannot imagine my life without him and Jen.They are my best friends,my other musketeers,and they take up a big huge place in my heart, and i doubt for one second that will ever change.I think that i came here expecting to meet people but i never expected to meet angels.They literally are angels and i don't know what i would ever do if i hadn't them.There is a saying that goes "the people you meet in the first week are the ones that stay with you forever".In our case that couldn't be more true.I met Jen in lifeguard class and i met Luke through her by the pool one day and from that day things would never be the same for me in Orlando.It is honestly like my own Disney fairytale because i may not have fallen in love with Prince Charming but i found a place that is magical and i found people i love more than i could love any random boy! These guys did much more than found a glass slipper,they found their way into my heart and i cannot honestly begin to explain how much i will miss them.But anyway,like Luke said,i will leave the soppy stuff for the very end!

SO today was another day at the marina.It seemed to go really slow and dragged abit which sucked a little bit but never mind.Then after work i went to Steffies and we watched HERCULES and i headed down to the pool and the hot tub and met up with Giulianna and ALison and we hung out and chatted.I bumped into a guy called Nathan who i met like right at the beginning and spoke to him a bit about how his lifeguarding was going and everything!He is here until January and i am sooo mega jealous!Ooooo i finally got my social security number which pleases me because it means i can work in the US now so hopefully my visa won't take so long to get when i eventually come live here.I spoke to Chris today which was lovely cos i have missed that boy like crazy these past few days.It feels like there is a gap in my day not seeing him and i wish more than anything i could just stay here with all these amazing people but at the same time i cant wait to see my family.Gosh i miss them! But i will be sad to leave such an amazing place.But anywho,like i said i am saving all the philospohical sad and happy mushy bits for the very end!
I am gonna head off to bed now becuse i am getting tired which means i will get all emotional and i dont want to just yet!
NIght night xxx

I'll be missing you.

2008-08-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

August 2nd 2008:
I can’t believe it is the beginning of August already.I leave on the 8th! I can’t even begin to explain how sad I am that I am going home.Not because I don’t miss my family and friends,because I miss them more than they will ever know,but because I am in love with Orlando and Disney. I left my family to come live with strangers and now I feel like I am leaving behind my family again,just a different type of family.The people I have met here are unbelievable and not a day goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars for this opportunity and for being blessed to have met people like the ones I have here. Today I was sad because Chris left last night. Then I got a text from Josh this morning, asking if I wanted a lift to work, which just was lovely that he’d thought of me so that made me smile. And then Luke text me telling me to have a great day which was for no reason and just made me giggle to myself. So literally within minutes of me feeling down, two people had cheered me up. I guess it’s those kind of things I will miss from my time here.

I had a fun day at the marina today. It was Nicole’s (a really nice girl who works with me on weekends) last day at Yacht & Beach because she is transferring to work on Main Street in Magic Kingdom and so me and her had a day of just chatting and being a little bit naughty which was nice because it meant we had extra fun :D I also did my first fishing today!! And I caught a HUGE fish and I was so excited for the rest of today because I did it! I even held it and it was disgusting and it freaked me out a bit but I was proud that yet again I had done something that I hadn’t before I came here!! I think that’s another thing I will miss about being in Disney. Every single day I am here, I learn something or see something or do something that I never have before and I love it because it means every day is an adventure and a learning experience, which to me is priceless because it means I never ever get bored!

I spoke to my Dad today so that I could say Goodbye to him before he goes on holiday with his girlfriend am a bit sad because I have been away for three months and then he is away when he was going to come and pick me up!I was really excited to see him at the airport because he would have been the first person I saw when I got back to England. But I guess not. I’m not too worried though because apparently my Mum and her boyfriend and my little sisters are going to come, so the thought of seeing Emily and Nicola when I get back is more than enough to make me excited to get off the plane. I wish more than anything I could bring them here, that would be perfect!!!

I went to see Cirque Du Solait again last night and it was just as amazing as the first time.I love that show sooo much, I wish they had one in England so I could take my sisters because I know they would love it as much as I did, but never mind, I am determined to bring them here one day whether it kills me. So I will make sure I bring them to see it then! The best part about last night was spending time with Jen and Luke. I love those two to death and I like that we had a night out together before we leave because we’re all working pretty solid for the next week and Jens parents are down and so I just really wanna make sure I spend as much time with them as humanly possible because I am gonna miss them unbelievably when I go home. I wanna make the most of our last couple of days together!

So then…back to today.I got a lift home with Josh and his boyfriend Cody. I think the world of both those boys.They look out for me and they are so kind and caring. They are really genuine guys and they give me lost of cuddles which I love. Josh always dances with me and throws me around at work because he knows how and he makes my day when I work with him, I always look forward to work knowing that Josh is gonna be with me. Cody is such a great guy too. I met him for the first time a while ago when I went to go Mamma Mia and I haven’t stopped thinking he is a little gem ever since! He is such a sweetie and Josh and him always go on about how I should come back and stay with them and stuff. They are like part of my Florida Family and I will miss them more than I can even begin to explain.

Anyway, i should go now and get some sleep because i am back at work on the dock again tomorrow! Sweet dreams x

For Chris x

2008-08-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

August 1st 2008:
So today I called into work sick because I was very hungover from last night’s escapades. However, it was worth it because I didn’t wanna go in with a headache and a ton of alcohol still sitting on my tummy. So I had a chill out morning,and I rang my Grandad because it was his birthday and it was really great to speak to him and see that he is doing ok.I miss him so much and I love him more than I could ever say,so hearing him so happy that I called for his birthday made my day a million times better.
That was until Chris came over in a panic because something really bad had happened and he needed to go home!! But his airline company wouldn’t change his flight and he didn’t have enough money and his mum was stuck at work so she couldn’t sort it and it was all drama. So I said I would lend him the extra money he needed and I just helped to chill him out. The worst part of all though was saying goodbye.
Now I decided that since today was my day to say goodbye so someone as amazing and genuine as this guy, I would dedicate this particular blog to him.
Chris and I met at the Yacht & Beach club about a month or so ago now. He was a new lifeguard training and (he doesn’t know this part but never mind) I was told that we got a hot new lifeguard and so I wanted to go check him out!!So I went over and said hello and sure enough he was a complete fitty. The snag however is that he had a boyfriend. But,it didn’t matter because that was the day I met one of the best people I will ever be blessed to meet. We started hanging out and he became like a brother to me. We would go out in the car and go shopping or for food or just hang out and have fun watching movies. But whatever we did, we had the best time ever. We sing along to songs in his car, he has an amazing voice and so talented its ridiculous and it pisses me off that he never gets told it enough but he should always know that he is such a bloody amazing person and I love him more than he will ever know. I cannot wait for him to come visit in England :D
This guy taught me a lot about myself and the person I wanna be and made me feel like it was ok to be whoever I wanted to be and I will never be able to thank him enough for that.He gave me confidence in myself and convinced me to buy jeans that fit :P He acted straight with me in Walmart and made the cashier believe we were engaged. And he made me realise that there are still people in the world that are pure angels. People who touch your life from the second you meet them and people who can restore faith in the good. He is one of them.And so,I am missing him already and can’t believe he is gone.But I know we will keep in touch and I know that if I ever need him he will always be there,just like I am always there for him if he needs me.

Chris,thank-you for being you.Never change and always believe.I know that sometimes you feel you aren't appreciated but i want you to know that i appreciate everything you do.You are such a special person and i wish you all the happiness you deserve in everything that you do.I hope every single day of your life is even half as special as you are to me.I love you mister x

Faith,trust and pixie dust ***

Fun fun fun

2008-08-02T16:51:00.001-07:00

31st July 2008:
Today was a day of work on the marina, which flew by!! We had a storm closing mid-morning for like two and a half hours so I went to sleep in the marina!! Then after work I came home and chilled out because I felt a bit sleepy. Then I slept for a little while and wrote a few e-mails that I have been meaning o send. After that I headed to Ale House with people from work because some of the girls are leaving, which made me sad because I like them and because it reminds me that I have to leave soon :(
It was so funny. I got drunk, for the first time properly since I have been here which was great. Me and a girl called Alex got started on the shots called Lemon Drops which taste like lemonade but they are vodka!I think ?! Well anyway whatever they were they were beautiful! So we had loads of them and then I tried a passion fruit margarita and got addicted to them!! So that was really great.I really do love the people I met here, I had such a great night laughing and giggling at daft things,it makes me smile that I have met such great people but it’s pretty bittersweet knowing I have to leave them soon L
Well I am too sleepy to write more so I am off to Bedford,night xxx

30th July 2008:
Well today was pretty good fun. I realised it was my last day off until I leave and so effectively my last day in Disney parks. So I decided that it had to be spent in Magic Kingdom. So me, Jen and Luke went and visited my favourite character in the whole world, Ariel!!I was sooo overexcited ot meet her and she was brilliant. Then I went to the ToonTown character spot and met Donald Duck who is now officially one of my favourite characters ever, he was the most fun. I was laughing my head off when I met him because he is on the front of my autograph book and so he was all flattered and was saying he loved me and then proposed to me on one knee in front of loads of people and I was going bright red and Jen and Luke were almost crying with laughter. It was so great because sometimes the characters just give you a hug and take your picture and you don’t really get that much interaction but this was so funny and really great because it not only made our meet and greet more memorable but it entertained the people waiting. It was such a fun meeting and it is probably one of the best I had so far.
I also went on Goofy’s Aeroplane ride, I’m not sure what it is called, but it’s a big kids ride and I loved it, it was over too soon though, Its like a mini coaster and you are swung around everywhere because its meant to seem like you are being driven by a plane Goofy made, which therefore can only mean it’s been done wrong. And then I did Splash Mountain which was hilarious because Luke didn’t really wanna go on it because he didn’t wanna get wet and when we were on it he got soaked two times worse than me and Jen which cracked us up completely. Luke was also incidentally wearing a pair of short shorts that make us laugh just because they are short and so combine their length with the skin tightness of them being wet and it results in me and Jen nearly falling over crying with the giggles.
We had a bit of an emotional day as well though because I think it hit me and Jen that the end is approaching because we all stood together and made a wish in Cinderella’s wishing well outside of the castle and then just stood and looked up at it for a minute. That castle has been a source of hope and ambition and dreams for so many people including myself and until you are stood underneath it like that, you never realise what a massive effect a building can have on someone. I think the moments I have spent in and around that castle have been the most memorable and will stay with me a lifetime.
We also stayed and watched Spectromagic, which I love so much and I found myself noticing more and more little details and appreciating it so much more, I guess that leaving approaching is making me really wanna recall every detail of everything so that I have it with me in times when I feel like I am loosing faith in what I believe in and what makes me happy. I sound like such a cheeseball sometimes but I think that this experience has opened my eyes to the power of peoples ambitions and dreams and has made me realise that anything is possible if you want it enough and you believe in your ability to do it. I guess the magic of Disney really has rubbed off on me and for any critics of Disney I can only hope that you one day will feel the excitement and butterflies and the true magic that this company and these parks can give someone. My dreams have come true here and I only hope that millions more people realise theirs too.
So once we had left Magic Kingdom, I came back home and got ready in literally five minutes and headed to Pulse (a gay bar) with some of my beloved gay guys for a night on the tiles. It was such a great night and it was soo funny because they all laughed when I got hit on by a guy.Only I could manage to get groped in a gaybar by a guy!!! It was so funny because they all were like, you should come because you can have a night off from boys trying to touch your bum, and then I end up having to be saved by them. Although I also had to be saved form a girl which was interesting to say the least! But I cannot complain because I had an awesome night dancing and being silly and just being able to love cheesy songs and enjoy not worrying about boys and my bottom!!!
Night x

29th July 2008:
Today was a fun day at work! We had a meeting at 8.0 am which I wasn’t looking forward to but when we got there I found out it was actually a recognition meeting and we got breakfast and sat and discussed the issues we had on gates, both good and bad.So that was productive.T hen I was on gates which incidentally was my last gates shift while I am here which made me kind of sad because the thought of leaving entered my head.By happy that I had no more gates cos it got really boring and depressing if it was not busy and slow!! So I am exicted for a week of fun fun fun now :D

Cinderella's Castle...A dream is a wish your heart makes....

2008-07-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

July 27th 2008:

I had possibly one of the most memorable days of my entire trip today.
This morning, I was taken by Luke and his family to Cinderella’s Castle in Magic Kingdom for breakfast with all of the Disney Princesses. It was one of the nicest things anyone has ever treated me to and I could not be more thankful to them for that experience.

So we got into Magic Kingdom before it even opened, before anyone else. And we went to the castle and gave them our names and everything. Then we were escorted to have our photo taken with Cinderella, inside the castle! So we met Cinderella and I got her autograph and everything. Inside the castle is stunning, there are coats of arms everywhere and winding staircases and there was a knight (one of those spooky suits of armour) in the corner. There was all the people who worked there dressed in like medieval type attire that reminded me of the clothes in Sleeping Beauty! It was absolutely amazing.

Then we were taken upstairs to the room where we were going to have breakfast. It was stunning, you could see Magic Kingdom out of the window, I could see the carousel and the rides close by and the fireworks for the shows going off either side. And all the ceilings were vaulted with the coats of arms on it and everything. The wallpaper in the bathrooms was even themed to appear medieval. Then we went to our table and it was all laid out like royalty with the pretty folded napkins and the two sets of knifes and forks (I got the right ones too :D ). There was “pixie dust” sprinkled on it and it was all in gold and purple and we had the choice of drinks and breakfast food. We had fruit and muffins and croissants and cinnamon buns for starters and then we got given a huge plate of sausage and bacon and egg etc. It was delicious and I loved every second of it. But the best part by far was…while we were eating the other princesses came to our table and talked to us and we got to get their autographs and our photo’s taken. It was so much fun and I felt proper special and it was pure Disney magic!

I know it sounds crazy but I was so overexcited, it was like being a big kid again. I had a proper awesome day :D The princesses were really pretty too. They spoke to me about school and where I was from and talked about the English characters like Alice In Wonderland and Mary Poppins. It was really great to sit and spend time speaking to them because it gives you the chance to see that they are talented actresses as well as good look-a-likes. I was so excited when they signed my autograph book and I can’t wait to show my sisters when I get home. I couldn’t help but think of them today and I wish with all my heart that one day I can bring them here and let them see and feel all the amazing things I have been so lucky to experience since being here.

So then once we had been and ate our food, all the girls got given wands and the boys got given swords and everyone had a magical wish star and the room lit up and was all sparkly and it was so cute. And I really enjoyed talking to Luke’s parents about England and Canada and everything and they were such nice people and they were easy to be around and we had such a giggle and I think all of us were mega excited to be there!!!!

Then once we had finished up in the castle we decided to head out into the Magic Kingdom and spend the day on the rides and seeing the characters and everything. So first we headed over to Luke’s favourite ride, Peter Pan. That was really fun because I love that ride as well and there was hardly any wait plus me and Luke were sat there brandishing our wand and sword like two big kids, it was hilarious. I also got to go on Thunder Mountain which was great fun and I couldn’t stop giggling because of a story Luke and his Mum told me about their Grandma. Apparently, one time she left on her sunglasses and her hat and so when the ride set off she had to cling onto to her eyes and her head for dear life! The photograph must have been priceless :D
So I also got to do the Tikki Rooms and I met loads of characters that I haven’t managed to meet yet too, like Timon and Meiko and Peter Pan.Peter and Wendy were really great fun. They liked that I was from England and Peter stole my magic wand and tried to turn Wendy into a toad!!! And he was asking if we were married, or engaged or dating and we said no. And he was like “well good because if your dating that means you’re a grown-up and I don’t like grown-up’s. It was soo funny because we couldn’t stop laughing at how hyper he was, he was brilliant. Wendy did her English accent too which was pretty crazy because obviously I know how it’s supposed to sound and I found it really odd hearing someone mimic it. Although people copying my accent isn’t a rare occurrence anymore!

I also walked around the Swiss Family Robinson tree house which was beautiful and really high!! It was all made to look like it had actually been made out of the remains of the boat and tree’s and things that you could find in a jungle. We went on the Buzz Lightyear ride for Lukes Dad, which was a laser shooting game and I scored 125,100 which was better than everyone else :D I am a genius on that game. I still have no idea how I managed it though. We headed to the Pirates of the Carribean ride, which is one of my favourites because of the random Johnny Depp’s you see hiding around. The animatronics used for that ride are unbelievable and it’s funny because the film was based on the ride and you can see a lot of similarities like the 3 guys trying to get the keys from the dog etc.

I also went into ToonTown and visited Mickey and Minnie’s houses which was really sweet and a lot of fun because I had heard about them before but never seen them, so it was really interesting to see how much detail and thought goes into every minute part of the houses. There was everything from kitchen appliances to play with, to pictures of their ancestors around the houses. It was sooo brilliant to just take in how much effort that must have gone into the design and building of such magical little houses.

I saw three shows today as well!! None of which I had seen before.
The first one was Woody’s Round-Up which was Woody, Jessie and Bullseye teaching us how to become a cowboy by singing and dancing with us .It was sooo much fun, I have no idea how the cast members who joined in, keep up so much energy all day!?! Then I saw the Dream Along With Mickey show, which is done right in front of the castle! That was amazing, it has all the villains and the princesses and princes along with Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Goofy. It was amazing because the mouths of Mickey and Minnie etc were animated so it looked like they were actually talking, and the dancing was amazing to say that they all were in such heat! Plus it was all choreographed well and was sooo cute in their little couples. It was defiantly my favourite day show! Lastly I watched the Dreams Come True Parade which was beautiful. There were loads of characters on there and lots of beautiful floats and the song was really fun. There were all classic Hollywood costumes for the people dancing in between the floats and the theme was very blue and silver, all dreamy. I loved every second of it.It was really great to spend the day with such a great family as well. It made me a bit sad because I miss my family and I hate the fact that I will never be able to go somewhere with my Mum and Dad together again, but I accepted that a long time ago. And so I am really happy that I had a day with a family who are so kind and genuine and just normal. It made my heart smile seeing that because sometimes I loose faith in normal functioning families and I forget that simple things like spending time together can be so rewarding and so for me, today was even better because I felt accepted by such a wonderful family. So if you guys ever read this, Thank You so much for such an amazing day, I will never forget your kindness and generosity, nor will I forget how amazing it was :D

I was sad for the day to end but I was soo tired from all the adventures we had. So I headed home and slept for a few hours, during which I heard the loudest thunder and saw the most lightening through my window! I was like “argh” cos I honestly thought that it might be a real storm, like a hurricane or something because it was so dramatic! It was fun though because obviously it’s not everyday in England that you get to see such crazy extreme weather.

Then tonight Jen and Luke came over and we watched a movie called Jersey Girl which was really sweet. It was about a guy who raised his daughter alone after his wife died giving birth and it was really touching. It made me miss my family a lot though.I hate and love watching those types of films while I am here,because they are lovely and I enjoy them but at the same time they remind me of my family and how much I miss them so it’s bittersweet really.

Now it’s time for bed though because I have work at 8.45am tomorrow x x x

Happy Birthday Mummy x

2008-07-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

July 21st 2008:
I had my last day off today.So I decided to spend it with my boys again. Today we hung out and talked about random stuff and just spent some time learning more about each other. Me and Chris were planning our wedding because he wants British citizenship and I want American citizenship so it’s a perfect match :D Plus the fact that I get on with him like a brother! I really realised how much I am gonna miss these guys when I leave. I think that here I just kind of fell into a life that fits me perfectly and I have met so many people that I can’t imagine leaving behind. Although I have friends and my family at home that I am dying to see and I am getting excited to be back and seeing them again because 3 months feels like a lifetime being away from the people you love the most. But at the same time I have found a little click here that I fit into and I will miss that soo much when I get home because I think I finally found the person I wanna be while I am here. I am a happier person and I am more confident and I have friends who I know are genuine and I just feel at peace with life. It all sounds very hippy like and no doubt it is hard to understand but I just feel settled and at home here. So it will be one of the hardest things I have ever done when it comes to leaving.
I think that before I came, when people said it would be a life changing experience, I just agreed because I knew going to a country and working there would be a new experience but now I see that I have grown as a person here and I have learned a lot about myself and other cultures and about the way I want my life to be and what I wanna do with my life. I am so glad I came here and even though it cost me a bomb and I know I will have to work my ass off when I get home to afford to pay off my overdraft and whatever, I wouldn’t change any of it because I loved every second of being here and everything about my time here.
I realise how lucky I am to have been given this experience and this opportunity and I cannot even begin to express how grateful I feel for everything I have seen, felt and the people that I have been blessed to meet here.I will always hold that close to my heart and I know I will be back again :D
Bye for now x x x

23rd July 2008:

Today was not so great.
I had work which was fine but I was tired and not feeling very well. I am getting a nasty sore throat again and a bit of a cold which is getting me down because I hate feeling poorly. Work was ok though, although the weather today was horrendous he good part about that though was that I got to chill out in the marina and then got an ER (early release) and came home 45 minutes early!
It was after work that things got really bad L First I was talking to one of my good friends and he has major relationship problems and was down and upset and needed help and so I felt helpless and I hate that. If I could be there for him any more I would and he knows that but sometimes I hate that I can’t just wave a magic wand and make things better!! I think I am gonna suggest that becomes Disney’s next invention. Although I think they pretty much got that one down here because even when I have the worst days ever, one look at the background on my computer (a picture of the castle) reminds me how lucky I am to be here and how amazing this experience has been!So I managed to organise helping out my friend and was starting to feel a bit happier,but then I get in and find out that we have a mandatory meeting on Friday at 10am because a member of our flat has called for it. So basically I have to call-in to work and not go to my shift and instead sit and talk with some random stranger about the fact that one person is unhappy about life in the apartment.The best part about this,however, is that she is the messiest one. I think that I wouldn’t have even minded if the discussion was held here and she had expressed her opinion but to go and organise and official meeting which will cause me to miss work,all over some dishes in the sink is too far. I hate arguments and confrontation and I don’t want there to be any tension here because I only have two weeks left but this girl seems to leave me no choice. I can’t do right for doing wrong and even when I trust her and defend her she makes me look like an idiot and betrays me. I feel so down and just hurt by all of this. Today was not fun at all. And do make it better, someone from outside the flat, also made my day a hell of a lot worse by telling the most horrible lie and using me and manipulating me to find out information that he should have just asked out straight for. I was soooo angry but mainly I was hurt by the things that happened today. I have chosen not to name people because I feel that its not required. I want to express my unhappiness and report truthfully about my feelings, not to place blame. But I felt the need to highlight the low points of shared accommodation with strangers as well as the highs! However…my flatmate Giulianna and me had an awesome night talking and listening to music, especially to a certain song “I am stronger than you think I am” its brilliant and it fits in with a lot that’s going on around us at the moment so we had a girlie rock out session and painted our nails! It was fun :D

24th July 2008:
So today I was poorly…And I will maybe update this at a later date (BTD)

25th July 2008:
So today was possibly the worst day ever. We had a mandatory meeting with the price management people who own our housing complex to sort out the problems in the flat. You would think this would make things easier but it made them worse and solved absolutely nothing. I was so mad because I had to miss two hours of work for it and it was totally pointless. It was supposed to be a time to air our issues and it ended up just being a dragging up of the past issues and like I said it solved nothing.
It was already gonna be a bad day for me anyway because it was my Mummy’s birthday and so I was sad to be away from my family. I just was not in the right frame of mind to go into a meeting when I was homesick and upset and then it just topped it all off being somewhere when I didn’t wanna be. So when I got to work I was a total mess and I rang my Nana Ross on my break and after I spoke to her I was still a bit sad but felt a million times better because no matter what she always manages to make me smile and I honestly do not know what I would do without her in my life.
However,now I am looking back on today it made me realise that I have made some amazing friend here.James,who poicked me up and rushed me to work so I wasn’t any later than I had to be, Giulianna sending me text messages making sure I was doing alright, Chris texting to make sure I still smiled, Josh giving me millions of cuddles and just making me smile. I just think that it’s the bad times when you realise who really cares and all of those people let me know they cared and that made me happy because it’s a positive that has derived from a fat ass negative day !!
So anyway I am off to sleep now because I am sooo drained after all the emotions today and then working all day in the boiling sun hasn’t helped! Nighty night x x x

Mamma Mia!

2008-07-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

July 16th 2008:
Not a great deal to say about today if I am honest. I was just working and then I was absolutely bush whacked (tired) so I came in and collapsed on my bed and just slept.
The best part about today was chilling with Josh. He is one of the guys I work with and he is a little angel, he always looks after me and everything and I am gonna miss him more than I can explain when I leave. I am really not looking forward to leaving though to the point where I don’t wanna mention it because I know I will get upset. I feel like I have found a home here and that I can be myself and I love my friends and my job. How many people can say they wake up in the morning looking forward to work? Or that they could call their friends and know that they would be there no matter what?! I can when I am here and I love and appreciate that so much. That’s all for now.

July 17th 2008:
Today was really great,well tonight I suppose. After work I went home and chilled out and had some food and then met up with Jen and we chilled out together for a bit. Then we got dressed and headed to meet Josh,James,Luke and Matt to go to the cinema because they wanted to see Dark Knight and me and Josh had to see the opening of Mamma Mia! So we met with everyone and I got to meet Josh’s boyfriend, Cody who seemed a bit quiet at first but then once he was just with me and Josh he was a little sweetheart and I can totally see why Josh likes him so much. He was really sweet and polite and just fun to hang with. Everyone here is sooo nice. The film was frickin awesome! I love Julie Walters more than I could ever say and this film just made me laugh from start to finish. It made me miss home a bit though cos of the whole Dad and Mum thing and her friends act just like me and my sisters so that kind of got to me a bit but I still loved it and I know it will be adding onto my list of amazing quote films between me and Niki (my youngest sister).She messaged me saying she was going to see it and I just know that she will love it as much as I did cos I know her inside out and I miss her and Emily more than I could ever say!
When I got in, I headed straight for bed, I was so tired.Night x

July 18th 2008:
Today was my last day at work and it was pretty eventful. I had to play the pirate for the kids cruise but the boat I was driving stalled so I was stranded in the middle of the lake, dressed as a pirate looking pretty stupid and then to top that off, the boat behind me was in gear and pushed out and went flying off into the middle of the lake with nobody driving it!! It was hilarious though and we all killed ourselves laughing afterwards! I also got an ER which stands for early release because it was storming too bad and I had to rush anyway because we had a bit of drama in the flat that I needed to help out with, nothing bad just one of my room mates was upset and alone and I needed to get back to help her out cos I am caring like that :D Then I went for a quick meal with my friends then afterwards we chilled out at the apartment and watched movies and ate food that was bad for us and just talked which was really nice.

July 19th 2008:
Day off today! Finally, it has been busy and I was really excited to be off. So today me and Luke and Chris (My new gay best buddies) went shopping and they made me buy girly clothes and it was soooo funny. I was heading straight to the boy section and they dragged me to the girl section and got me some jeans that fit properly and then they let me go and buy one pair of comfy baggyish jeans! I got a dress as well which was a huge step! I love it though, its all pretty!! So we did shopping and I was a girly girl and we ate out and it was wicked! I love those boys way too much for words! So then we came back to the apartment and chilled out with Giulianna and Luke and Jen and watched movies and had a really great time. We also met Blake (Chris boyfriend) and we all went swimming in the pool and had a big kid fight with the water and had my blow up ball and ring there and just messed around and I was sooo relaxed, it was the perfect day off!! I also love the fact that the people I care most about here all care about each other too!! We talked and giggled and watched movies.

July 20th 2008:
Ok.So today I had the day off and since the boys decided to stay over last night, we had an early morning at the pool and relaxed and then headed over to Bennigans for food! Then at 4.30pm me and Giulianna headed over to the Commons ready for our night of Disney VoluntEARS. This is an opportunity for cast members to do volunteer work and help out with some of the projects Disney runs and is associated with for charity. So tonight was the “give kids the world” night which is an organisation that runs week long vacations for children who maybe sick and their families in order to give them memories that will last a lifetime. We all went on this minibus and got to the site where the families stay, which is just outside Disney property. Its called Claytonburg and they have little characters like Mayor Clayton who is this rabbit and everything. Each family had their own house and they can pick what name they want it to be called on the mailbox and everything. We went and watched a video about the charity and the work they do and their ethos and found out things we could and could not do. So then we had to set up a party in front of the “house of hearts” which was a huge card house type building which you could go eat in!! We did a party called “Candyland” and we had giant gingerbread men and lollipops and balloons to set up and we had baskets full of candy to give out. We also set up a game called Candyland which is where you pick cards and there are colours on the cards and you have to jump to the next block of that colour on the board! It was sooo much fun setting up everything because I was getting so excited for the kids to see it all and to meet them.
Then we were given a coupon for either ice cream or a meal and so me and Giulianna headed to the ice cream parlour because we were dying in the heat, because today was mega mega hot!! So then after we had eaten we went for a walk around and went in the cinema and I tried this thing called a Icee which is like shaving foam texture but it’s cheery flavour and its almost like a slush puppy but not! Its hard to describe!!So anyway after that we headed to go see the pool and met a lovely family with two young boys and we talked to them for a while about the party and their stay. It was so nice to meet people who are so lovely but also heartbreaking knowing the pain they must be feeling. Although I have to admit that during the actual time I spent with these children and the adults, I can’t say I honestly thought about their illness because I was having so much fun with them, and I think that you don’t see it when they are having so much fun :D But one of the two little boys I met at the pool made me smile, I was sitting on the floor while I was talking to the parents and he came and sat in between my legs and laid down on my tummy and cuddled me, so his mum said “oh he has found a girlfriend” so I asked him “are you going to marry me?” and he said “no” and ran away, it was sooo funny and so cute. Then we headed back to start the games and the party and I met the most beautiful little girl named Emily, she was so happy and talkative and she played Candyland with me and danced with me and told me all her favourite characters and I took her to go and hug some of them and I was talking to her mum about living in England my program and everything and she asked for my address so they are going to write to me and let me know how Emily is getting on and send me the pictures they took and everything so that will be something to look forward to when I get back :)
So we then headed to the stage and danced and played and got face paint and I had such an amazing time with all these beautiful children and amazing parents and siblings. We had gingerbread house building competitions and we played this game where we had to wrap the kids up to look like stripy candy canes and everything :D Then all too soon it was over and I had to help pack up before home time!!

Rainy Day Fun...

2008-07-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

July 13th 2008:
Today was a good day. I had the day off and I chilled out and had a wonderful lie-in until like 11.30am,then I hit the pool for a while. Then in the afternoon me and my friend James went to go and get food and I tried this Mexican fajita type thing and it was yummy! Then we headed to Yacht and Beach and had ice cream from Beaches and Cream and chatted to some of our friends and stuff. It was good to spend time with James and learn more about him and just chill out. I found out a lot about life in America and the stuff he does at school and about his fraternity although he couldn’t tell me much because they are mega secretive about stuff !! But I did find out that Brad Pitt was in the same one when he was in college so technically he can be called James’ brother!!!
After that we headed to Publix where we did some shopping and I got some yummy fruit and then we went back and I watched Anastasia with James and his friend Brittany who is lovely btw! And then for the first time ever I watched the “Miss Universe” pageant on TV which was crazy, it was just like it is in Miss Congeniality! I was shocked how weird is was realising these things happen, I guess I thought most of it was made up for film…How wrong could I be?!?!

July 14th 2008:
Ok, so I was completely shattered and tired out today. I had such a late and busy night last night you would not believe!!
So I ended up going to House of Blues and meeting up with everyone and we had such a great night and I had a really good time, which I wasn’t expecting because I didn’t like House of Blues all that much last time, but it is much better as a group and I was killing myself laughing at the Russians. When they lifeguard they are so quiet and reserved and they seem shy but get them on a dance floor with Russian vodka inside them and they are rave machines! I was giggling so hard and Jake couldn’t even stand up at one point because he was laughing so hard, It was immense! Then it got to about 2.30 and we were ready to leave, when Sabrina realises that her bag is missing!! We search everywhere and finally find the bag but everything valuable is gone, phone, camera, money and most importantly and devastatingly her passport! Now this was extremely bad due to the fact that we were out for her leaving night because she goes home in 5 days!!!!!!!!!!
So we searched until like 3.30 and then we had to go, so me, Jake and Bo Yang decided to walk it cos we just were in a bit of a random mood but then we ended up getting a lift with our friend James after like 20 minutes which was funny!! So by the time I got home it was getting to about 5am and I realised i had work at 8 which means bus at 7 so I literally had to go get ready and head to work, minus the sleep!! I tried to get an ER (early release) but with no avail and so I ended up working an 8 ½ hour shift on no sleep!! To end the story I got in from work and collapsed !! I didn’t wake up until the next morning!!

July 15th 2008:
Today was sooo much fun at work. We had storm and rain closings and took pictures and it was just a blast. Ok, so I will slow down from buzzing now and explain properly why it was so much fun…
Well, this morning I went to work and I was in a bad mood and just didn’t feel good, I was hot and sweaty and tired and grumpy! BAD MIX! Then we had some rain and lightning and so I was in the marina for like two hours. During this time, Josh pulled out his camera and we had such a giggle taking silly pictures of us in pirate hats and captain hats and playing games and having fun. Then me and Josh decided to go on a mission in the pouring rain to go get chocolate and popcorn, so we did and it was hilarious because we were soaked to the skin and running like crazy people…all for a decent bar of chocolate, ahh the things we do ey!!!
So,after the rain had gone we decided to go back outside and continue the picture taking shenanigans and we had a blast taking silly pictures on the boats and on the docks and everything. I was laughing so hard and by this time I was in such a great mood! I love Josh, he is like my big brother “who gropes me” (quote from Josh).Neh…we have a giggle and he always looks out for me and makes me smile and is so on my wavelength its crazy!!!
So after we had taken pictures and stuff it began to rain again. There was nobody coming to get boats out so we decided to have some fun of our own. I got in a sea raycer (a mini speedboat) and Josh and David got in the Lake Patrol Boats (that go like 45mph) and we all went out on the lake and they did circles around me and made huge waves so I got drenched and my boat was bouncing off the waves like nobodies business. It was sooooo much fun, I loved it. So it really was a day of fun down on Bayside Marina.
Then I got home and chilled out for a bit and made some food and then Luke came round and we had a catch up and I was telling him all my gossip and he told me his and then he was showing me some pictures of his sisters wedding online. His sister looked gorgeous and their photos look like they were meant for adverts in a magazine, they are stunning! I feel like I know Luke’s family now, he tells me about them all the time its crazy. I am sooo excited to meet them when they come down here soon .I then showed him a few pictures from House of Blues and today and we just had a good little chat. Then I am just typing up my blog for the past few days!!
I feel I should apologise for the fact that I have to do days at a time in my blogs now but I just don’t get a chance to write every night and I figure doing it all at once is better than not doing it at all!!

Days gone by...

2008-07-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

July 9th 2008:
Today was pretty uneventful.I went to work and was on gates which was boiling hot and I had to keep dipping my feet in the pool to keep myself cool!!

I also got the news that I am going to train to do the Sandcastle Club which is the kids club which I am really pleased about because then I will hopefully get to spend more time interacting with the kids which will be great to put on my CV for teaching!! I was really excited to hear about that so I am going to go and get my fingerprints redone because they have to run an extensive background check before I do the training so that they know I am 100% safe to be around children. I really cannot wait to start all the training though because that’s my ideal job. I said for years that I would love to be in children entertainment somewhere abroad so it is amazing that yet another of my dreams is coming true.

Apart from that though I don’t have much else to report and to be honest I am sooo tired I am gonna go straight to bed.

Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!!!!!!!!!!!!

July 10th 2008:
Ok so today was a bit of a random one.I had work on gates until 5.15 and then I went to go and get my haircut! It was getting really dry with all the sun and chlorine and everything so I was like hmm I need a cut. So I went to go get rid of the dead ends and was prepared to have quite a bit off cos I like my hair to look healthy.What happened next can only be described as a scissor shearing nightmare…The woman cut my hair to above my shoulders!!! I was like ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I have short boy hair! I was sooo upset because I have spent forever trying to grow it and now this woman had cut it all off, I was sooo sad. But I am now trying to look at it as positive and say that at least my hair will be thick and beautiful when it grows back which better be fast before I have a nervous breakdown!!!

However, I had a pretty good night after this disaster. I went and met up with Jen and her sister and her sisters boyfriend and we had food in Plant Hollywood which was awesome, I have never ever been to a restaurant like it! The atmosphere was electric and there was soo much cool stuff to look at like the 52 car form Herby was suspended from the roof and there were pirate ships attached to walls and props used in actual Hollywood movies all over the place. It was so unbelievable! I love being in there, it was definitely an exciting place to go and eat and surprisingly not all that expensive!!! There was a huge screen that looked like sun and there was all classic Hollywood movies playing and music and shout-outs for brithdays,anniversaries and visiting sports teams etc. I had so much fun and my eyes were darting form wall to wall through every inch of the place and each time I looked another way I found something I hadn’t seen before! It was really such an amazing place to go!!! I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t been before!!I also invested in a cheesy Planet Hollywood t-shirt as a souvenir plus I thought it was a pretty funky tee!!

We then met up with Luke and did some shopping for him and then came home. I virtually collapsed into my bed, I was soooooo tired! I only have two more days of work though and then I have Sunday off! Yey! I am gonna try and go to a park or something I think although it depends on the weather because it has been scorching the past 2 days and I don’t know if I would cope all day at a park or not!!!
That’s about it for tonight, I would stay and write longer but I am beyond tired and don’t really have much more to say about today :D Nighty night x

July 11th 2008:
Today was a good and bad day really. My mood seemed to swing form happy to excited to sad to tired to missing home and back again. It was all a bit confusing really. I was in a great mood when I left this morning, I managed to wake up on time and not snooze my alarm and even had time to sit and e-mail my family before i had to catch the bus. Then I got to work and started to get grumpy because I didn’t cope well with the heat and one of my managers annoyed me because he made us move away form the cool air con in ridiculous heats to go wash boats, when we had already done the number we were supposed to. I was really not impressed because I wouldn’t mind if he was saying it because we had done nothing but we’d already done our jobs and the heat was crazy and I was finding it especially hard because we don’t get heat anywhere near this bad in England!!! But I washed 4 or 5 more boats to keep him satisfied and I did some other jobs but tried to keep to the shade as much as possible because 9 hours in the boiling sun can’t be good for anyone. Then It stormed which I was glad off because I got to chill out in the marina and read my book and have a giggle with Ryan and Dustin and Kristen so that was good. Then my bus ride home seemed to take forever so I was grumpy again. Then I got home and have relaxed here ever since but I have headache coming on and I feel really worn out and quite emotionally drained if I am honest. I have no idea why my emotions where so up and down today I guess the weather doesn’t help and I suppose good and bad things happened as well. Maybe it is that simple!! Anyway I am gonna go chill some more and read and then get a good nights sleep because tomorrow is my last day before my day off so will have something to keep me going for most of the day :D

2008-07-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

July 8th 2008:
I had a day off today!!!!!
It was so lovely to have a lie-in and know i didn't need to be up for any reason.So i stayed in bed until about 10am (yes thats a lie-in now!!!) And then i went and chilled out by the pool and read my book.I don't know if i have mentioned already but i have really got back into my reading being here and have already taken out like 6 or 7 books from the library we have here. I think with being on my English degree i forgot what reading for pure pleasure was and so i am really glad to be back into it again. I read "The Other Boleyn Girl" which is an absolutely amazing book.It really got me interested in history and the stories and relationships surrounding Henry VIII and his era! So i am beyond happy that i have resumed my reading,although no doubt by the time September comes back around i will be reading for my studies again.But don't think that i don't love my course material because i do,for the most part. It is simply that sometimes i miss reading something simply for the sake of enjoying a good book!!When you have to study a book in detail it can make or break it for you,because you either discover a new level of genius behind the words or you realise that it isn't all that it seems in the first place.

Anyway...after i had read by the pool i came back to the apartment and relaxed some more and sent a few e-mails and updates to people and just enjoyed having time to do so. I also wrote some postcards so as soon as i can get hold of some more stamps i am gonna send those on,which i am excited about because i enjoyed writing them. Another simple pleasure which i had forgotten,writing. I mean please don't get me wrong i still enjoy typing my updates and little messages and memo's on my laptop but i find that there is a certain unexplainable pleasure in putting pen to paper and writing whatever first enters my head.But then again,thats probably just me.

Then this afternoon,Luke came over and we chilled out and caught up on events and gossip and whatnot and then we headed over to Magic Kingdom to go find a present for his friend Becky and also so i could go on some rides that i had not yet had the chance to experience.We spent about 2 hours finding the perfect gift and thinking up an engraving for the miniature glass slipper we choose!Once that was done with,the real fun began. I got to go on the Peter Pan ride,which was one of y favorites so far, it was amazing.You go round and take the trip to Neverland,like they do in film.You go into their bedroom and over London and to Neverland and its amazing.It's all done while your sitting in a flying boat and you feel like you're a hundred feet up because everything below you is miniature.I also did Space Mountain,which was amazing, it was so crazy because it throws you up and down and to the sides and it's pretty intense but it is deffo one of the best rides by far :D I would say it was easily equal to Rock n Rollercoaster!!!

While we were in the cue for Space Mountain, me and Luke got onto the topic of religion.Luke is a pretty religious kind of guy and i don't blame him.He has been brought up with religion and he believes in what it stands for. I,on the other hand, have not been brought up surrounded by religion,really my Nana Hopkinson is the only truly religious person in my family and so i have not been raised with a typical "Christina" upbringing.It was intriguing to listen to the answers Luke gave me to some of my questions and one of them resounds with me quite deeply and so i wish to share it with you...
I posed the question as to why God would kill innocent children with diseases such as cancer if he was such a fair and loving being.
His answer was simple...(not a direct quote,but the general gist!!)
God,is rewarding these children for being phenomenal beings by letting them enter Heaven (a happier and better place than earth).We often see death as a punishment but it is only a punishment for those of us left behind to deal with it.Those who leave us are going to a better place and so Luke explained that maybe the children he chooses to leave earlier are children who have touched the lives of others and have inflicted a powerful change on lives and therefore should be rewarded for their strength by receiving an early departure from the world we live in ,that can be so cruel. And instead,giving them the chance to be in a happier place for much longer ands pare them the heartaches they may face living in a world like the one we live in today.
I had never before considered this view and was surprised to find that i agreed strongly with it. I like that idea of seeing these deaths as a reward for them rather than a punishment for us. It was truly enlightening and although i cannot profess that i will revert to a life of Christian faith and solid belief, i would definitely like to hear more about some of the options and alternative explanations that they have to offer.

So today was full of firsts for me :)

Independence Day!!!

2008-07-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

July 3rd 2008:
Ok. Well today i was sent home from work cos i didn't feel too good. So i got alot of rest and slept for most of the day which seemed to improve my energy levels but not really my headache or my headcold that seem to be developing!! I decided to not sit in and mope about though and went to Publix with Luke so i could buy medicine and he could grab some groceries! So we did that together which was nice because we had alot to catch up on and i felt like i could have a real chat with him and speak about alot of things which we hadn't had a chance to speak about before. So it was great to spend time with him even though i was not feeling so good.
Then me,Luke and Jen went to Magic Kingdom to go and see the Independence Day fireworks because we aren't allowed into the parks as cats members on July 4th due to the fact that they get full to capacity.The fireworks were absolutely amazing.They were possibly the best ones i have ever seen in my entire life.They shot them off in 360 degrees around the whole castle and there were star shaped one's and red ones that turned white then blue.They shone stars and stripes projections to make the castle look all patriotic.It was honestly,so beautiful. I love how OTT (over the top) American people are when it comes to celebrating...EVERYTHING!! I really like how they feel so passionate about their country that they go to as much trouble as they do.Had a really great night and couldn't even begin to explain how amazing those fireworks were.Until tomorrow,SAM x

July 4th 2008:
Well today was the big one the Independence Day.And i can't really say all that much about it because i was sick :( Spent the majority of the day in bed trying to get better but will think of something to say at a later date.I may even add in some American facts if you're lucky :P

July 5th 2008:
Repeat of yesterday i am afraid.Spent all day in bed trying to get well although i managed to get up and make myself some food and took plenty of medicine and feel slightly better than before.Think i will be back at work tomorrow so i am looking forward to that cos i miss everyone on the docks!!

July 6th 2008:
I am back at work and happy again :) Feel a ton better although still have a sore throat but at least i am not headachy and groggy now. I hate being ill it really annoys me because its so pointless and i can't prevent it.But never mind, i am back at work today so hooray :D
I had a fairly good day,although it was mega mega hot and i must say for once i was glad of the air con to help me cool off because i kept having hot flushes, it's a good job i am young enough to know it's not the menopause otherwise i would be worried :P
So anywho,it was a pretty great day.Was fun seeing CB and David and everyone.Ryan declared a water war which had me in stitches laughing and also soaked through to my skin but then again it was so hot i think it was actually the best way possible to cool off. Although i am sure the guys were trying to run an unofficial wet t-shirt competition which i am not sure abides by Disney look!! Tut tut! For those of you that aren't Disney Cast Members, the Disney look is basically a set of guidelines about what is and is not acceptable attire and presentation within work.So it's things like earrings and tucking shirts in and all that jazz!
I really had a nice night tonight as well because i sat down and sent alot of e-mails and messages and made sure i had caught up with everyone so that felt good knowing i had made the effort.Then Luke came round and i baked butterfly cakes and we went to Walgreens and grabbed some snacks and sat and had a big ass chat about things which was fun cos we had alot of catching up and gossiping to do :D And it was fun just chillin out with him in my apartment instead of being out and busy. He stayed over too and so we could chat til like 2am which was funny cos normally we have to have said goodbye no later than 11 cos of stupid signing in and out of guests rules, you see he lives at the Chatham buildings whereas i live at a place called Vista Way. Its not far but they have rules about people coming in and out and stuff which is fair enough cos its only for our protection but it can be a royal pain in the ass sometimes.And so then we listened to chillax tunes and just fell asleep,me in a heap on the floor all wrapped up in my quilt and Luke passed out on the sofa! I am guessing we were shattered!!!

July 7th 2008:
Today was a gates shift day but surprisingly it was quite a fun day. It always seems to drag more on gates but i had some funny conversations today and some silly times with other people so that was all good.
First i was a bit sad cos my friend James wasn't happy and i didn't like that he was down so my new mission atm is to check up on him and make sure he is doing alright! He is a but of a worrier and he has every right to be.He is one of those cute guys who you wanna just look after.I swear i sound like his mother when i am speaking to him sometimes,which i then have to apologise profusely for! So that wasn't too good.But i had some funny conversations with a guy called Jake.He was mimicking (copying) my accent and i was coping his.The Americans replace t's with d's so WATER sounds like WADER!!Its funny hearing them try and do my accent though because it sounds so odd on them and they make me sound like a right toff (posh person) which i find hilarious because they exaggerate it so much :D
Then tonight i had a film night with Angelica and we sang along to Grease and Sister Act Two,both of which i love to pieces!!I also did some tidying which i was rather pleased about :) And now my room looks all beautiful and then i think i am going to sit and rewrite my sister a birthday card because it never got to her and then send some postcards to my family and friends!!I haven't had time to do much writing except for this blog so i am going to enjoy sitting and taking the time to write down a little message for everyone!!!I have the day off tomorrow so i think i am going to sit by the pool and do some writing and then maybe go to a park or something.Maybe do a bit of souvenirs shopping for people or for myself if i am in the mood,who knows.
Nighty nighty xxx

Good Job!!!!!!!!

2008-07-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

July 1st 2008:
Work today was pretty funny. I was dangled over the lake by CB and i honestly thought she was gonna throw me in! It all started because i found this fake slug that the fishing guides use as bait and i was like "Hmmmm what should i call him?" and then CB came walking down the dock and i said, i know i will call him Elvis,because as i have mentioned previously CB is the most obsessed Elvis fan i have ever met. She says Elvis is her first husband, i am not so sure what her "second husband" feels about that but i am sure he doesn't have much choice :P So anyway no sooner had i said Elvis,she had me dangled over the lake going "Whats his name?" and i was like "Not Elvis...erm...Edgar!" It was hilarious!!!
I love work and the people there so much, i really am gonna miss then when i leave!! But i know i will deffo keep in touch with them because they are like my American family :) I am pretty tired of work atm though because i have had seven days with no break and i am scheduled for another two before i get my day off on Wednesday. I am soooo shattered and i feel like i might get ill soon,yano when you just feel your body shutting down! Fingers crossed i don't though because i am sooo excited about being at work and at Epcot on 4TH JULY,INDEPENDENCE DAY!!Because i have never celebrated it before and i think it will be awesome, and its coming up pretty soon :D

I was in a mixed mood today.It was my Nana Ross' Birthday and i missed her and my family alot today.HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANA,I LOVE YOU <3 Isn't it funny that really our birthdays are just another day but they seem to hold so much power over us when it comes to emotions.We are happy when our birthdays are good and we're with the people we love,we're sad when we're apart from those we wish we could celebrate with.We're excited by the prospect of what will happen and sometimes disappointed when things aren't what we expected.We're fearful of the later birthdays because they remind us of our age and we're anxious for those big birthdays that change things we can do in our lives like drink alcohol and be married. Isn't it funny that when you think about it,everyday is a birthday for someone,but to most of us it's just another day?!
I am in a bit of a philosophical mood as well today,in case you didn't already work that one out. I am quite sleepy from working so much and i am really looking forward to a day off tomorrow. I had a busy night tonight though. I was supposed to be meeting a friend in Epcot but my phone broke and so i had problems finding and contacting them.But i found my friends Jen,Luke and Ashleigh and we had some giggles walking round.We were in Epcot because it was "CANADA DAY" and all three of them are form Canada and since they couldn't celebrate in the real Canada ,they figure the Epcot version was the next best thing.It was my very first Canada day and i have to say it was a great one. I hadn't seen Luke in what felt like forever because he went home for his sisters wedding,which i hear went beautifully.so Congratulations guys, i hope your marriage is as special as Luke tells me you are :D
So me,Jen and Luke were reunited and that could only mean trouble,when we are together you know we will be laughing and giggling for hours and true to form we had such a good night!! I ate my first "snow cone" which is shaved ice with flavouring on it,it was delicious. And we watched the Epcot fireworks, "Illuminations" which was stunning.We laughed so hard i think my tummy got a full work out and we made memories that will stay with me forever. Then when we got home we settled down to watch "Moulin Rouge" and then i decided to run to my apartment to get my glasses and to tell everyone i was safe and where o was because obviously with my phone being stupid and not working i couldn't text anyone to tell them i was ok. So i got to my apartment and realised i had left my key inside and that now i was locked out,and of course because it's my luck there was no-one in. So i crashed on Jen's sofa for the night,which was surprisingly comfortable!!! :D

July 2nd 2008:
Today was sooo much fun.I had my first day off in 9 days!!!So me and Jen chilled out all day by the pool and then at four when the afternoon storms hit,we sat inside and watched movies!!"You've got mail" & "Father of the Bride", it was a movie day for sure.After we watched both of these our friend Matt came round and was dying to go watch the new movie, "WANTED" so we said we would go with him.While on the bus we concocted a plan for our lives. You see there are four of us, Luke,Matt,Jen and Me and when you put us together,we have nothing but fun. I don't think we ever stop laughing and just being big kids and i love it!! So we were saying that Matt and Jen should get married and have a kid and then Me and Luke should get married and have a kid and then our kids should get married!!And we'd all holiday (vacation) together in Disneyland each year. It was the funniest conversation ever, because we were discussing the terms of the marriages and the baby names and the weddings and the honeymoon and it was like something you do when you are in year three (3rd grade?!!basically when your a little kid)!!! It was hilarious and if you knew the way we were when we are together you would understand.
We're all pretty quick witted and some of the comments we come out with are classic! The amount of daft innuendo's we make a day, i wouldn't even wanna know how many there are :D But i love everything about the silliness and fun we have together and i honestly can't imagine life without these guys now!!
We are planning trips to see each other already,fingers crossed in Easter Half Term (SPRING BREAK) which will be pretty amazing because it means i will get to see them all again,but it makes me sad to think that i won't get to spend everyday being nothing but a giggling child.Going back to hard work at university and the stress of a "normal" or should i say "non-disney" life, just feels odd and i can't imagine it right now. I know that must seem so crazy since i only came here on May 25th but i guess being here feels like another world,which really it is. I don't,however, think i will stay here and not go back to university. I want my degree before i move away from home because i owe it to myself and to my family to finish and get my teacher status. I know that Disney is my dream but teaching is also my dream and i don't think i should have to choose between the two, i can have both i just have to be patient and wait for Disney!! But i mean i managed to wait nineteen years to visit here so i am sure another two years of university isn't gonna seem like anything compared to that :D
Talking of university, i found out today that i have passed my first year, and i did alot better than i expected to so i am extremely happy about that and i am really looking forward to next year now and to living with Lauren in our new place and everything!! It has reminded me that my life outside Disney still exists and that it is gonna be pretty great when i get back!!!
Anyway...back to the film with Matt and Jen. So we got to the cinema and saw the advertisement for another film, "Hancock" starring Will Smith and because we were in a pretty comedic mood we decided to go with that one instead. It was such a good decision,that film just finished an amazing day off perfectly.Some of the one liners are pure genius,for example at one point Hancock has just crushed a train and this man says "she oughta sue you for that" and then Hancock (Smith) goes "Well you should sue Macdonald's cos they f****d you up" (cos the guy is fat). I was killing myself laughing! It was such a good film and the soundtrack was amazing!! I just really had a great night out with some amazing people and today was one of those days that you remember for a long long time.
QUOTE FOR TODAY: "Good Job"
Nighty Night x

Finding Nemo

2008-06-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

June 28th 2008:

I will do this another time because i can't really think of what i did that is worth talking about so i will think and report back :D

June 29th 2008:
Today was a pretty hot one!! And it was a busy one as well.I enjoyed myself though and i met some really nice people. It was a bit of a pain though cos i had really bad tummy ache but i took some medicine and once i had i felt fine.
Today CB was back from her visit to New York and she was telling me all about it, it sounds so amazing!I cannot wait until the day i get to go there and see all the sights that i so often see in the movies and hear about from people who have been there :D
We had some giggles today as well because this bird had somehow managed to catch a fish but the fish was really wide and the bird was small and so it was trying to swallow this fish whole and there was no way it was gonna manage it!!It was kind of like that scene in Finding Nemo when that seagull or pelican or whatever it is tried to swallow Dori!!! I was laughing so much that my stomach hurt because CB was talking to the bird,she was telling it to let her cut the fish up for it and saying "you won't be able to swallow him buddy" and then the bird realised it wasn't gonna be successful and dropped the fish and it was still alive and flopped around the marina and then CB went and put it out of its misery and cut it up for this bird.But then the bird never came back!!! And she was like, "i was trying to help the bird and now he turned me into a fish murderer" and that set me off laughing again!Not sure if it sounds so funny reading it on here but it will always remind me of a funny time so i figure it's worth noting down.
I came home and had a chill night which i really needed, i turned off all the lights and then put on a load of relaxing music and just laid down and relaxed.Then i made some butterfly cakes because they don't do them here so i am going to take them to work tomorrow for everyone to try :D Heather said she is going to make brownies from scratch for me so i am excited to try them :)
But thats about it for tonight, nighto xxx

Well that told you :P

2008-06-28T23:13:00.000-07:00

June 27th 2008:
Ok so today was quite a long one because it didn't rain at any point during the day which meant no naps in the marina for me! It was sooo humid as well and i have never felt that kind of heat before! It was hard work!! But then again i suppose i shouldn't really complain since in the real world you are actually supposed to work all day and not have little naps mid-shift,although what else should i do when we shut for like 2 hours cos of a storm?
But anywho, it wasn't a bad day but i got annoyed at one point because this woman who does cashier was bitchin about me saying that i left this other girl to do all the work and i was standing at the window and heard it,and i was like :~O
So i decided to teach her a lesson about backstabbing and just turned round and said,
"if you'd have asked me instead of talking about me behind my back,you would realise that i was on break at that time and therefore i wasn't meant to be out there with her in the first place"
So i wasn't evil or mean but i just made sure she was aware that i heard her and embarrassed her a little bit so that maybe she will think twice next time before she starts talking about people behind their backs!!!
Had a funny day at work,Geo lost the canopy off one of the boats and it sank to the bottom of the lake and then Lewie (MANAGER) lost a Johnson (an anchor type thing) at the bottom of the lake as well,after he had grilled Geo's ass for loosing the canopy!! It was just hilarious cos it was sooo contradictory! I was killin myself laughin.And as usual i had Heather making me cry with laughter and Ryan came down today too and was catchin up with us all which was good cos i haven't seen him in a while!! I met his girlfriend Heather too and she was really sweet,cos i added her on facebook by accident trying to find my Heather (another American mummy of mine) and she was really nice about it!!So that was cool! Erm thats about it really for work.

After work i headed down to Downtown Disney with Jen and we had a catch-up session and just had a really funny night! We just did random stuff and spent alot of the night laughing at stupid stuff and doing crazy silly things that most people would just look at us weird if we did with them.We are both suffering from Luke withdrawal symptoms though cos he is back in Canada for his sisters wedding and i spent alot of time with him before he left and so i miss him millions cos there is random stuff i see or do and i am like ohhh i wish Luke could of seen that etc. That boy is too popular! Bless his cotton socks!! Oh well he is back soon so we will be ok again :D

Anywho i am off cos i am shattered,night x

2008-06-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

June 23rd 2008:
Today was pretty normal.Went back to work and was on gates which sucked a wee bit because it was soooooooo hot.But i took some really nice pictures of where i work so i will post them on facebook soon so that you can see what it's like. I am gonna try and get some pictures of the people i talk about on here as well so that you can pit faces to names because if you are anything like me you will already have picture sin your mind and it's nice to put faces to names.
Tonight i also went to Downtown Disney with Luke. We decided to meet after i had done at work and go grab something to eat and just have chat before he leaves to go to his sisters wedding! So we went a picked up some presents for his family and it was soo funny because we brought these hats and one is like a tophat with Mickey ears which is for a groom and the other one is Mini ears with a veil for the bride and the woman behind the counter thought me and Luke had just gone and go married, she was like "are you two newly weds?" and we just killed ourselves laughing! I was nearly crying. We were messing around for ages after that going on about our wedding and called each other honey and stuff, i was giggling so much! It was such a good night :D The rainforest cafe was also amazing as ever, i still love the storms and stuff!! So today was a happy happy day :D

June 24th 2008:
Work today was pretty adverage, i was on smelly gates which was poop because it went slow and boring.But after work was fun.Me&Steffie went to Magic Kingdom and watched Spectromagic and Wishes,both of which i love and have only seen once so far. I forgot how much those shows can play with your emotions and i still felt like i was going to cry when i watched them,just because they are so powerful.Its a combination of being so far from home,with missing family,with dreams coming true,magical fireworks,goosebump inducing music and generally feeling like you are in another world!! It's so amazing and i had such a good night because it was so random and it was one of those nights when things just go well.Like we got to everything bang on time and it just worked out well :D I love Disney so much. If i ever get down or miss home sometimes i love just going to a park and seeing a parade or a firework display and just reminding myself of that magic i feel when i do :) It's so unbelievable that i am here and seeing those things reminds me of how lucky i am to be here and what an amazing place Disney is, for everyone and especially me :D

June 25th 2008:
Well...today...it was just not good.In the morning i woke up and was just disgusted with the state of the kitchen and i was just no happy. So i left a note saying could we please discuss the state of the place.Anyway,long story short,it all got misinterpreted,other notes were left and silly things were done and it all ended up in a massive row/showdown in the middle of the kitchen.Which was sooo upsetting you would not believe.But we sorted it and we aren't gonna go over it or wear it thin or anything so i am not going to say anymore on the matter besides that today was stressful and just not good :(
However, the good part was that after i had done with work,Steffie,Me and Giulianna and later on,Angelica went to Hollywood Studio's and went on the "Rock n Rollercoaster" and had some food and then we watched S

June 26th 2008:
I had a great day today :D This morning I woke up and I was just so tired and not in the mood for work at all. Last night we had huge arguments in the flat, luckily though it is all resolved now and so I will not go into it because there is no longer and issue and therefore no need to disclose the in’s and out’s of the situation. But basically last night sucked major ass!! I was really upset with the arguing and it was pointless and just not fun at all!!

Work was sooo much fun today though! We had a rain closing and so I was drenched but we got to go inside and I watched another amazing storm and then I was doing a towel fashion show like me and my sisters did when we were younger which was hilarious. Then I slept for like 2 hours and we all just chilled out. Then I got ER which means Early Release and had an extra hour to get ready for going out for Steffie’s birthday!!!

For Steffie’s birthday we went to see Cirque De Solait, La Nouba.Its title derives from the French phrase faire la nouba, meaning "to party" or "to live it up".And boy does the show live up to its name!I can honestly say that I have never ever seen anything like it in my entire life. It was absolutely amazing. I was gob smacked at just how brilliant it was. There was everything from trampolining to trapeze to little 9 year olds who could do flips whilst using “Diablo’s” and it was just unreliable. There were guys doing work on ribbons with girls and throwing themselves from like 50ft in the air!! One couple did a tightrope walk and the guy was carrying the woman across the tightrope holding her by only her arm while she was upside down with her legs in the air holding on by one arm. If you have evr seen acrobatics you have seen nothing until you have seen this show!!

The show went like this, First there was theGerman Wheels which is two guys turning and spinning within giant wheels consisting of two metal hoops they rolled along the stage and did spins and turns and they were all lit up, which was pretty amazing and they were doing rolls and flips whilst the wheels were turning as well which was unbelievable.

Then there was the High Wire,the entire act takes place on a 90-foot-long high wire. With remarkable balance and precision, wire walkers ascend to a height of 34 feet above the stage. Supported by a half-inch steel wire, they execute 360-degree spins, head balancing and somersaults. And they don’t do it alone, as I mentioned before, the guy actually carried the girl across on one hand :O I was just amazed and it was one of those moments when you don’t wanna watch in case they fall but your glued to watching because its so unbelievably incredible that they would do something so dangerous.

The Diabolos came next which were possibly my favourite part of the show!!Four little girls, I would say no older than 9 holds two sticks linked by a string on which a musical wooden spool, the diabolo, comes to life. In their tiny hands, the diabolo twirls, jumps and flies through the air while the acrobats themselves perform flips and build human pyramids. It was mind blowing,they did like 4 flips consecutively and then still managed to catch the Diablo, I was like astounded and they were so professional but so young!! I was just speechless watching them and my hand killed me from clapping so hard after they had done!! My throat is gonna be awful in the morning!!
Then there was a BMX wizard whose difficult manoeuvres mesmerized me. His technical twists, gymnastic turns and one-wheel spins are highlighted in incredible tricks such as G-turns, boomerangs and mega spins, all accompanied by lots of footwork. The second half of the act features yet another artist. His stunts include riding over obstacles without ever putting his feet down, jumping off high platforms, hopping up and down steps and into the audience on one wheel, and even jumping over an artist and a guest before literally plunging into the bowels of the stage. I was surprised the guest didn’t run away because this guy was jumping over him at incredible speeds and it was sooo close to his head!!

Aerial Cradle came next!! The aerial cradle looks like a door and is the setting for a perfect example of equal-opportunity strength and agility. This amazing athletic display features elements of traditional circus aerial cradle, but adds a unique twist: the male and female artist take turns supporting one another 34 feet above the stage. The more aerial work happened with theAerial Ballet in Silk In a display of grace and strength, the artists become one with the ribbon of red fabric that cradles them. This aerial dance requires agility and flexibility, and allows the performers a great deal of latitude for acrobatic and artistic expression. They went sooo high I was like oh my god! And then they like wrap themselves up and drop like 20 feet at a tie as the ribbon unravels! I was just completely in awe of the whole thing.

Then there was Balancing on Chairs This act, which features a solo performer, eight chairs, and a table, defies gravity and the laws of physics. The chairs are stacked one on top of the other and rise 25 feet in the air. Along the way, the performer is attempting to light the final candle on a chandelier that continues to rise higher and higher, reaching a height of 41 feet above the stage. And then he decides to go ahead and stand on his head and then one hand on top of the whole thing, I was soo sacred when I watched that cos I was expecting the pile to collapse any minute.

Then there wasFlying Trapeze ,Four pendulum-like swings, on two different levels, carry a team of perfectly synchronized aerialists 53 feet above the stage. This innovative bi-level rigging enables the trapezists to create a visually arresting display of rhythm and athleticism. Timing is key when all four trapezes are swinging in tandem and the aerialists switch places — barely inches away from colliding.

And lastly Power Track and Trampoline ,This high-energy spectacle has performers literally bouncing off the walls and through the windows and roof of a three-dimensional building. Technology and the power track take the trampoline to new heights. Timing and spatial awareness are essential to the incessant flow of action. It was so much fun to watch but half the time I didn’t know where to look because there was so much going off!!

And the show is not just a performance of outstanding physical talent and flippin amazing tricks, it also follows a storyline and each of the characters serves a purpose:
The Green Bird >>She is a flightless bird, out of her cage, watching the show from every angle desperate to fly as she sees so many aerial acts, but unable, often mimicking what she sees.
Les Cons >>The "nuts" or "silly people" dressed in all white are the ever present fools of the show. They find themselves in the middle of everything and often participating in different ways. Neither true performers nor merely spectators, they bumble their way through with naive innocence somewhat of a liaison between the audience world and the world of La Nouba.
Le Titan >>A mysterious "muscle man" who confronts everyone on stage while contorting his body in unusual poses. We find his true talent at the end of the show.
The Walker >>Dressed in grey pinstripes, with a small bowler hat atop, he strolls around stage ala Charlie Chaplin. He's everywhere, all the time. He also has a hidden talent that is revealed mid-show.
The Pierrot Rouge >>He appears as a red acrobat. He's the adversary of the Titan, but joins him in mutual admiration at the end of the show.
The Pierrot Clown and Lost Ballerina >>The Romeo and Juliet of the show. They dance and share their love, passion and fears on stage. Their emotions are exhibited through their graceful, beautiful movements on stage.
The Clowns >>Balto and Serguei provide comic relief in a world of comedy. They interact with one another as children would whether they are fighting as cowboy and Indian or "mother" and baby, scaling a mountain on the moon, or simply trying to arrange a pair of chairs.
The Cleaning Woman >>Shocked to be in this world and astonished by what goes on around her, she sweeps and dusts nonetheless until her dream becomes a reality.

In conclusion, my night was brilliant and I hope I get to go see it again before I leave. I also found out that there are other performance with different storylines and acts and they are situated in different countries so I will be keeping my eye out for more of them in the future because it was the best display of acrobatics and tricks and raw talent and circus skills that I have ever seen anywhere!

Happy Birthday Niki xx

2008-06-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

June 22nd 2008:
Well,today was a bit random,full of up's and downs.
Firstly it was my little sister Niki's birthday,so i woke up at 5am American time so that i could speak to her in English morning! I was so happy to speak to her and hear her so excited but i was so sad that i wasn't there. I was brave on the phone though and didn't cry because i wouldn't wanna ruin her day.I miss her so much though, as i do all my family.Niki is my baby though. She is the one i look after,the one who comes to me for cuddles and she is so loving and i adore her more than life itself. I love both my sisters so much it hurts and so it broke my heart to not be with them on such a special day. I wrote Niki a birthday poem that i thought i would share with you all:

WHEN I THINK OF ALL THE TIMES WE SAT AND LAUGHED OR CRIED,

OR TIMES WE DID THINGS WE SHOULDN'T HAVE,THE RULES WE HAVE DEFIED,

I CAN'T HELP BUT SMILE AND THINK OF YOU AND ALL THE THINGS WE'VE DONE,

FROM WATCHING FILMS ON RAINY DAYS TO PLAYING IN THE SUN,

BUT NO MATTER WHAT WE STICK TOGETHER, IN FACT WE'RE A BIT LIKE GLUE,

WE ATTACH OURSELVES TO ONE ANOTHER AND SEE THE BAD TIMES THROUGH,

BUT WE ALSO SHARE THE HAPPY TIMES,AND OH HOW WE LAUGH,

WE SIT AND QUOTE OUR FAVOURITE FILMS, AND GENERALLY ACT DAFT,

AND YES IT DRIVES ,MUM UP THE WALL AND SOMETIMES MAKES HER SHOUT,

BUT THE FRIENDSHIP AND THE LOVE WE SHARE,NONE OF US WOULD BE WITHOUT,

SO I HOPE LIKE THE DAYS WE SO OFTEN HAVE,THIS ONE IS SPECIAL TOO,

BECAUSE I CANNOT THINK OF A GIRL WHO DESERVES THAT MORE THAN YOU,

AND I HATE THAT I'M NOT WITH YOU AND THE FACT THAT I'M NOT THERE,

BUT IN OUR HEARTS NO MATTER WHAT, OUR LOVE WE WILL ALWAYS SHARE,

PLEASE DO NOT MISS ME,AND PROMISE ME NO TEARS,

BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY AND CELEBRATE YOUR 15 YEARS,

I DON'T KNOW HOW I REMEMBER,BUT I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE,

I'LL NEVER BE MORE PROUD IN MY LIFE THAN THE DAY I FIRST HELD YOU.

Its not exactly a genius poem or worthy of Wordsworth but it just shows the way me and her are and our nature is pretty creative anyway.She is forever writing me beautiful letters and poems and i love it :D
So for today my blog is DEDICATED TO NICOLA HOPKINSON,HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After that i decided i needed some me time and i went to go chill out.I had such a great day by the pool.I was soooooo relaxed and i had a new book and i chilled out and i just loved the whole morning.I was off work again so i could just chill out which was so great cos i have been feeling the heat a bit lately at work and found it hotter and hotter and it makes me tired! But i still love it and wouldn't change being here for the world! I went into my own little world by the pool with my music and my book and just relaxed and forgot about everything and everyone.It was such a great morning.I really needed to just calm down because i kind of was really sad and hurting that i was missing my family so much and i needed to just relax and escape and thats exactly what i did!

What a great day :D

June 23rd 2008:

Well today contrasts yesterday quite rapidly,although technically it all started ast night. We went to this club called "House of Blues" and i was sooo excited and i thought it was gonna be such an amazing night but how wrong can a person be.It all went wrong!!!
First we couldn't get on the bus because it was too packed! Then the second bus came but i couldn't get on it cos i had Jens id and her card and everything and so she wouldn't be able to go anywhere without it and i wasn't gonna just leave her on her own, So i didn't get that bus either. So by the time we made it there it was gone 12.pm.Then it cost $12 to get in when we though it was free for cast members but apparently thats only if your 21.Then Mel was completely wasted so we spend the majority of the night trying to find her and stop her making a total twat of herself.Jen was being lured away by some creep who she didn't know was a knobhead and i was trying to find her because all her stuff was still in my purse. I couldn't dance without at least 5 guys grabbing my ass and generally it was shit!!!!!!!! I was home by approx 2pm no later!
On a positive note the actual club and the music were mint and so i intend to go again but with me as a drunk person and no babysitting everyone!The alcohol here is sooooooo weak i was like :O whats this stuff?Flavoured water?
And then today i woke up with another flippin migraine to the point where i couldn't get out of bed,and before you blame alcohol or going out, i was sober as a judge and sadly so as well!! The headache may have been worth it if i had been battered so sadly not!! So i had to call into work which i was not happy about co i hate the thought of leaving them down a person or letting anyone down.Anyway my wrist hurts from typing and updating so i will leave it there for now and pick up tomorrow xxx

Sleepy Sleep...

2008-06-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

June 21st 2008:
Today was my first not so great day in Orlando.I got a migraine and spent my day off in bed with a cold flannel on my head in a dark room! The only other thing i did besides sleep was watch High School Musical 2 with Giulianna, which was hilarious because i was singing and dancing away for the duration of the film because the crappy American ibuprofen finally decided to start working,only to wear off almost straight after and send me back to bed.
But after i had slept for the majority of the day i chilled out in the living room with Hannah and Giulianna and discussed "The Other Boleyn Girl" which is possibly one of the best books i have ever read.Then i went round to go see Jen and we updated each other on the gossip session and planned a night out for Sunday! So we shall see how i feel tomorrow! Better i hope, anyway i am off to the pool now for the day :D Didn't blog yesterday because i was just not in the mood,but feel 1000000000000000000 times better now :D
Will report back soon x

I'll be missing you...

2008-06-21T01:11:00.000-07:00

June 19th 2008
Hi everyone.
Well today was pretty average.Not much to report.Just went to work, got very hot,endured another storm (it gets better everytime!! not even joking you).Came home and pretty much crashed out because i was sooo tired. In fact i have nothing to write cos i pretty much slept! Sorry this is soo boring! I guess i will write more tomorrow!!Night xxx

June 20th 2008:

Hey.Well today has been a mixture of good and bad, and happy and sad. Work was ok,even though i was so tired and just hot from the sun.I love the weather here, but sometimes working in the marina and pushing out boats and stuff gets alot harder and my body isn't completely used to it yet, but give me time and i will get there eventually.Apart from finding it a bit hard and stressful today nothing much happened at work.After work i stayed to watch the preview of "Camp Rock" with the Jonas Brothers which was pretty fun. I chilled out with my friend Luke and we just sat there like proper little goofballs surrounded by a million and one little kids, singing and getting all cheesy to the sound of "rock". It was pretty good fun :D
After that i went to the "ale house" with some people from work and just chilled out and had a giggle. That was really nice. I love the people i work with.They are sooo much fun and i really get on with them and just enjoy being around them.Two of the women i work with, CB and Heather, they are like my US mummies,they make sure i stay cool by getting me hats and ice and they update me on the gossip and make me :) They are two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet and i am super glad i work with them! Its a good job they don't read this blog though, I'd be getting called a kiss ass by now :P

The flat drama isn't really improving.One of the girls Angelica, my roomate is considering moving out :( i think the whole thing is just being blown way beyond what it should be and so i am gonna sit and talk to the girls and try and play peacemaker.So far i have kept out of it and jst not gotten involved which i am proud of! But i think i am gonna just see if i can get them to talk or at least get Angelica to agree not to move out. I mean i honestly do not know what i do without that girl around. She is my adopted sister here, she keeps me sane and laughs at the words i use and looks after me and has sleepy conversations with me (that i never remember!!), she is someone i can hug if i feel down. So i am really gonna be sad if she decides to move out. ANGELICA!DO NOT MOVE!!

Ok so thats the pretty ok part of the day.Well,after that i officially did the stupidest thing ever tonight. I watched "Mighty Joe Young" which is the best film ever but it makes me sob every time.And so i watched it and true to tradition i sobbed my heart out at the end, but once the tears started that was it. The floodgates were well and truly open and so now i seem to have leaking eyes that won't stop!!I think it's probably because i haven't really gotten upset since i have been here, so then watching a film and crying at it kind of just was the start of crying about everything, missing my family mostly. I think i just needed a release and it came! I just miss them so so much and i find it so hard being here without them.Don't get me wrong i love it here and i know they are always here for me and they will always be in my heart no matter where i am. But i occasionally just wish they were here to hug me or to kiss me goodnight or to cry with me at stupid films or to laugh with me and the stupid quotes we have!I love my family more than anything in the world and i guess it just hot home tonight how much i miss them and how much i wish they were here to share this with me. I know that i choose this experience and i am optionally this far away but believe me, if i could afford to fly them over here, i would have them with me every step of the way. I am independent and i can go out on my own no problem, it's just that my family and my best friends and i wish more than anything that i could share this with them. I always miss them when i am away, even when i am only 3 hours away in Liverpool it still makes me sad sometimes,and i wouldn't change that for the world because it shows me how much i care and how much they mean to me and it's good to be reminded of the strength of our love every now and then. It makes us appreciate the people we care for more. I think alot of this is also due to the fact that it is my littlest sisters birthday tomorrow,and i won't be there with her to celebrate. I have sent a card and ordered a gift to be sent to our house but it's not the same as being there and seeing her face light up and laughing with her and being able to jump on her to wake her up. But she knows that in my heart i am with her and that i love her more than life itself.So i remind myself of that so i can get through days like these when i find it hard to be away from them.
Anyway...it is now 4.30am here so i think i should probably go to bed now.Although i am tempted to stay awake a little longer because then i will be able to call (not ring!! its call in America) my family!!! I think i need that at the moment although i don't wanna cry on the phone cos i would hate for them to be upset,especially when i am just being stupidly over-emotional over a bloomin oversized gorilla movie!!!
Until next time...peace xxx

Soulja Boi...

2008-06-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

June 18th 2008:

Well today was another day of work! We had a storm closing today which was pretty exciting because we had real fork lightning and really loud thunder. The weather here is totally crazy,like one minute it is beaming sunshine then 5 minutes later its pouring rain and thundering like God is hungry!!! I love it!! It changes so fast! And here they also get thunder and lightning even when its still sunny. So it can look all beautiful and feel boiling but then theres a mountain of electrical activity looming above you! Its amazing to watch. In the marina we have a radar and we can watch the movements of the weather and monitor the directions of the "cells" (STORM CLOUDS) which is pretty neat. I have learned so much about reading the radar and being able to see which symbols and colours on the charts mean what. It really interesting! I think i would be a fun weather woman :P Bit of a random thought but what the hell!!

Tonight i had a pretty random night. I had to do some serious talking because there has been alot of drama,both good and bad going on at the moment. There have been some clashes between friends and it has created a bit of a situation which is sad because i care for both people involved but at the same time, it's life and we are all living together and so it is bound to be hard! But life living with all girls is deffo different to what i am used to.Not having my boys with me to keep me safe from the drama has been challenging but i am really proud of myself because i think i have dealt with it well. I haven't gotten involved and i have checked both people are ok and i have assured both of them i am not taking sides and its not really affecting me too much which is great because i would be gutted if it did.

More exciting news from today...i was invited by one of my friends from work,Michelle to go down to Georgia for 4th July weekend. She has friends coming back from Iraq and she wants to welcome them home and enjoy July 4th (Independence day) and also the day of their return with them! I am soo excited to go, I have to see if i can get the holiday from work though because obviously its a pretty important holiday for American people and so i imagine alot of them have already made plans and booked it off well in advance!!But if i can go then it will be amazing. IMAGINE HOT SOLDIERS IN UNIFORM JUST BACK FROM IRAQ!!Hello!!!Tanned hero's in soldier uniforms...dreams do come true in Disney :P

Thats about it for now i think. I will blog again tomorrow!! Now that i can finally get on the internet :D

Nighty night xxx

MAJOR UPDATES FOR YOU ALL !!!

2008-06-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

June 15th 2008:

Today was my last day off for the rest of the week!! I decided to pop into work and go sort out getting on "The Hub". For those of you non-Disney people reading, "The Hub" is a place where we manage our hours and schedule our days off, we can plan our whole working life over the net which is pretty neat! You can see your schedule and also how much you are going to be paid in your next pay check! Its pretty vital. Anyway i had a problem registering on it when we did our online classes, in fact our whole class had problems so we never got it sorted. But i went to IT at work and they did it all for me and got me registered on it!!!! Job one down!

Then i went to go say "hi" to everyone at the marina and stuff. But i was walking past the water slide and i felt a huge splash of water on my head, looked up, and saw hot boy at work with a bucket in his hand!! Was not impressed!! So went up the tower and with the help of a few kids, got him absolutely drenched! It was the funniest thing ever because as soon as the kids cottoned on to the fact that there was gonna be a water fight at the top of the slide, they all grabbed buckets and helped me. I was killing myself laughing, it was deffo a good payback! So then...down comes the rain and cue the thunder and lightning while Sam is at the top of a tower!! I was sooooo scared, there was no way i was going outside the tower and getting struck by lightning! The storm was actually pretty amazing though once i had warmed to the idea that i might be ok, and not die from a freak weather incident!!! So it was a good and bad storm I suppose!! It was hilarious either way!!!

So obviously today was also fathers day which I found really hard. I miss my Dad more than he will ever know when I am in Liverpool or at home in England so to be in America and hear his voice and miss spending the day with him kind of made me stop and think for a minute about just how much I do miss him and how much I love him. This whole experience has made me see how much I treasure my family. I can’t describe how much I wish they could be here with me and because I work with children and see families all day, I found myself getting one of those evil lumps in the back of my throat and I struggled not to cry when we were talking on the phone. Its not because I am sad to be here, because I love this experience and everything about my life here. I just miss him and the rest of my family so much. I think days like this,under all the cards and whatever, really do remind me of how important people like my Daddy are to me and how much I love them and would never want to be without them in my life. I have been through a lot with my family and they have always been around and done their best to support and encourage me in all my hopes and dreams. So today I am dedicating my blog to the worlds best Daddy, to my bestest friend, to a man I would never want to be without, Andy Hopkinson, aka Dad. I love you so much. Happy Fathers Day xxx

June 16th 2008:
Today I was sooo tired. I was back to work and I felt like I had not even been off, getting up this morning was killer and my shift at work sucked ass because the weather was playing games and we kept closing and opening the pool and nobody was even there so I had no kids to be silly with which is the best part of my job.
Was actually not happy to be at work today which is a first for me but then again I suppose everyone has bad and good days so it’ll even out soon I am sure.

June 17th 2008:

Ok so today was pretty average and uneventful at work so I am gonna skip the boring parts and cut forward to tonight because it was hilarious!!
Me and Angelica decided to go and cash in our cheques at Walmart, however when we got there we found it hard to even comprehend the crazy and extremely rude Spanish women working behind the counter. First, they decided to serve Spanish people first, that’s right, they ignored the cue and just bumped them in front, which we were highly unamused by. Then we finally got to the desk and the woman was like, no we don’t cash cheques here, you need to go to the money counter and I was like…well is it open?! And then she was like… erm yeah but it shuts in like 6 minutes. So we bombed it through Walmart to the other end of the store and managed to get there on time. BUT YET AGAIN WE HAD A SPANISH WOMAN! She was talking and I was like (IN MY HEAD )…I know she is trying to communicate but I just don’t quite understand what you are on about!!! So we finally established that we can’t cash cheques without a social security number (which Disney hasn’t given us yet!!!!!!!) so we asked where the hell we could actually access our money and she was like “everywhere is closed”. But I was like oh hell no!! So we walked round Walmart and finally found an American woman who spoke English instead of nonsense and we found out that there is actually a place that’s open where we could go! So by this point we are Spanish hating pissed off tourists! So we get to AMSCOP (the place where we could actually cash in our cheques) and we are telling this guy about our crazy Spanish hating experience and how annoying it is and how confusing America is and stupid it is. And then he is like well I am SPANISH AND AMERICAN so basically we had just stood there and slagged off both his cultural heritages!!! I was like oooooooooooooppppppppppppppssssssssssss but he was cool about it and we were chatting away to him.
Then we were walking back and there were some biker boys and women sitting around and there was this crazy trike all lit up and so i was like "WOW" and they let me and Angelica sit on it!It was crazy, they are gonna e-mail us the picture of it as well!!So that was pretty cool!!
Then we finally got to Walmart and decided we were starving so we went to this SONIC place to eat and i found out what Tatoe Tots were and tried this thing called a Slushie which is like real fruit all blended in with ice, its sooo nice!! I loved it! We also had really lovely people serving us and we told them that we were gonna make them a great service award cos their manager was poopie and didn't do one!!!

June 18th 2008:
Ok guys so now we are back on track and up to speed, gosh that took like forever! Its so hard remembering what I have done each day cos I am hardly ever aware of what day it is anyway, that’s why I try and blog about my day at night straight away!!!So sorry that the blog is a bit sketchy!!I will do 18th and 19th tomorrow!
Night xxx

Apologies...

2008-06-18T06:06:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.
I am sorry for the lack of blog recently.We are having some internet connection problems in our flat right now and so i haven't been able to write about whats happening!!

As you can probably see from the lack of pretty colour and usual style of my blogs, something has also gone wrong with my blogspot because it will only let me do plain text?!?

Anyway, i am going to try and sort it out after work today but i just wanted to let you know because i didn't want anyone to think i had forgotten my blog!! I would never deprive you all of the satisfaction of laughing at me and my crazy lady ways :D

I will keep track of my movements and events on my laptop anyway and then copy and paste them on here as soon as i can get this working again. FINGERS CROSSED IT WILL BE VERY VERY SOON!!

Sorry again xxx

These are the days of our lives...

2008-06-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

June 14th 2008:
I decided that todays blog would be a recap of some things i noticed i have had to skim over and also a little bit about what happened today (as always) and maybe even chuck in some little bits of randomness just for the fun of it :D

Ok. Well firstly, i looked back to yesterdays post and realised that i got so carried away going on about the cast members in Disney that i completely missed a chance to talk about EPCOT, I didn't even bother to explain what it was!!! MY BAD!!
EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and basically it was a park built on Walt's predictions for the future. Inventions and innovations that would occur throughput the years ahead. And believe it or not, he was actually pretty damn close to predicting many aspect of life today that we take for granted!!His vision has since been continued and now EPCOT is still presenting new ideas and concepts for the world to see!!One of the best parts of this park for me was the Mission To Mars ride! You are in a simulator which emulates what it would be like to take off in a rocket and to fly around space, its the craziest feeling i have ever had in my life but it was amazing!!!You watch a screen and the shuttle you are in moves and shakes and the air pressure changes, i thought my ear drums were gonna pop at one point!! Its soo bizarre but at the same time it is sooo cool!! I absolutely loved it!!!

Another ride which i also loved was TEST TRACK!!! Of course i loved it...its cars!!!During the queue, you look ata sample repair and test shop,then you see the welcome center and they show you tests performed on cars and parts before they are released. This was major cool because it was all factually based so it was a ride but it was really interesting and informative as well :D You see all different tests for tires, car doors, an anechoic chamber for radio receivers, and an area for crash test dummies to be tested. When you finally stop queuing you then get told the that you will take part in some of these tests you see mini videos of each test which was mental cos your sitting there thinking,hang on a minute...i am gonna be in the car when they do this :S And one of them was a video of a car crashing into a barrier!!!!!!

When you get in the car the craziness really does begin, first you go up this hill and then they "test" teh cars suspension and you get thrown up and down like nobodies business going along different road surfaces, including bricks and cobblestones. Next, the car's anti-lock braking system is turned off and the car tries to negotiate a course of cones, knocking some over in the process and scaring the crap out of me cos i thought we were gonna crash even though its a bloody ride!!!!!! The anti-lock brakes are then turned back on and you get through the cone test no problem!!!.Next the cars are brought through environmental chambers: a hot chamber of 110°F (43°C), at which point i was like "oh its like Orlando heat in here" then a a cold chamber of 10°F (-13°C), which i said "Oh this is like England!!!".
The handling of the car is tested next. It climbs a set of hills with blind turns while increasing its speed each time. I was like oh my god can this thing get any faster!!! Well apparently it can because the next part is my favourite!!!At the top the car almost crashes into an oncoming truck before swerving out of the way. Then the car is on the final test shown in the briefing room: the barrier test. The car lines up across from a barrier and begins to accelerate towards it,at which point i was hanging on for dear life and wondering how the hell they could stop it in time without giving us all whiplash and scrunching up my face like a two year old having a poop!!! Then just before hitting the barrier it decides to take the worst picture ever!! I was killing myself laughing at it when i saw it, it was classic!!!Then the barrier disappears you realise it was actually a door and you go flying round the outside of the building at approx 70 mph!!! Its mental but sooo much fun, its one of the best rides ever!!!!!!!!!!
So thats the highlights of EPCOT!!!

Another thing i thought i would shove in is a bit about the flat and my flat mates cos i realised i have mentioned people's names alot but haven't explained who they are properly and i also haven't said all that much about the flat or moving in or anything!!!
FLATMATES:
Angelica:i would describe Angie as the mother of the group.She organizes alot of stuff and likes to look after everyone.She has a boyfriend who is coming up soon and i am intrigued to meet him cos i wanna know what he is like since we hear alot about him!!! Her family read this blog which she tells me provides them with the giggles cos of all the random messes i get myself into and they general randomness of me!! So big hello to you guys from Maid Marion (I'm told thats how i am known by you :D )
Gemma: i would say Gemma is very much on my level.We have great little chats and share a pretty chilled out attitude to things. We both are from Britain and love our proper chocolate not hersheys!!!! She is a really lovely girl who has a heart of gold!!!We both also share a deep shock that the Americans and Canadians do not know half of the best bands ever e.g KAISER CHIEFS!!!
Giulianna: Me and Giullie have giggle fits all the time!! This girl makes me laugh sooo much and laughs at me more than anyone else! She always seems to be around whenever i am hurting myself and doing daft dances or when i am coming out with some random comment that she find hilarious.She also witnessed my rant about boys which was legendary!!!

My other two flatmate's are both called JENIFER and are from Hong Kong. We don't really speak to them much mainly because we have given up trying to make and effort! They do some pretty stupid but amusing things though. For example...so far they have:
-put washing up liquid in the dishwasher and nearly bubbled out our kitchen
-called a cockroach a crocodile and scared the living daylights out of us
-hidden,not only their food but other peoples food in their closet
-marked lines on their juice to double check if anyone is drinking it but borrow everyones food whenever they feel like it!!!
So if we didn't find it so hilarious we probably wouldn't like them very much,but we don't seem to ever get mad we just seem to find it highly amusing!!!!
The flat is really nice and its big enough for us all, we usually chill out in the living room on our laptops and chat about nothing!! Daily gossip sessions all start in there and some nice meals have been had on our kitchen table!! I made curry!!!!!!!!!!!

I will think of other stuff i have missed out and shove it in other posts but for now i am gonna leave it there and talk about today...

Soooo today! Well it has been a lovely chill out day.I was off work again so i just relaxed by the pool,came back and watched a movie for a bit and then went back to the pool again and talked to our friends Hannah and Jade. Then i fell asleep reading my book.It was brilliant just to do nothing but i think tonight i will probably squeeze something in!!Not sure what yet though because its hard to work around everyones schedule cos we all finish and start at completely different and random times but hey,its all going good!!
I cannot believe how much i love this place! I think every day how lucky i am to be here and how much i love it, i don't think i ever wanna leave!! I really do love everything!! I must mention on this blog at least a million times!!!!!! But anywho i am gonna go now because ,y fingers are hurting from typing so much!!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST THOUGH!!! HUGE BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT TO MY BESTEST FRIEND IN THE WORLD ENTIRE WORLD!! RAJ, HAPPY BIRTHDAY I HOPE ITS AS SPECIAL AS YOU ARE !!!!!!!!
xxx

Bad luck?No such thing...

2008-06-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

June 13th 2008:

So as you all know,today was Friday the 13th and was supposed to be a BAD BAD DAY for everyone because its all unlucky or whatever. Well i can't speak on behalf of anyone else but i had a great day :D

I had the day off work for a start which was ace because i needed a lie in (seriously lack of beauty sleep lately!!) and i need to catch up on life and everything. I mean don't get me wrong i love my job sooooo much but i just need a minute to catch my breath, so it was nice to be able to do that today!! I had a lovely long sleep and then headed into work to pick up my pay cheque!! Then i went to Epcot with a friend of mine Ryan! I had such a wicked day, like we just chatted and he is proper down to earth and just a genuinely great guy!! Like he lives,breathes and IS Disney. He is one of those people who you would wanna see on a bad day because he could turn it around. For example...we were chillin in ESPN bar and we were talking away to this couple and their son.The son had downs syndrome and was quite hard to understand but he was sooo lovely like he was talking away to us about his fav teams "the gators" and about his birthday and whatever.Then Ryan asks if he collects pins and this kid is like no i haven't started yet. So Ryan goes and give this kid that he only just met one of his pins out of his own personal collection!!!

NOTE FOR THOSE NOT FAMILIAR WITH PIN TRADING...
Pin trading in Disney is HUGE!!! Basically people collect different pins which each have Disney charatcres or special events or whatever on them,some are rare and others are common and the point is to swtich and trade your pins for others that complete your collection or ones that you liek!! Most people do it for the pleasure or expanding their collection in preference to monetary value. People go nuts for these things!!! I may have to buy myself a British one before i leave :D

Back to my story...so anyway... i just enjoyed chillin out with someone from America and seeing the difference in the way people interact.Like i now understand why people say Disney is the most magical and happy place in the world because even when the cast members aren't working they still make people smile!! I mean i saw one guy make roughly 8 people smile today :D just by being kind and talking to them and helping them out as much as he could, I think thats such an amazing thing!! I love Disney!!! So yeah tonight was a good night!

It was hilarious in the parks though cos at least 3 different sets of people assumed we were together and they go crazy happy over couples here! Like popel where offering to take our picture and asking if we wanted to do this and that together and it was so so funny cos he is like my sort of boss at work so it was sooo embarrassing!!Like i was going bright red and he just thought it was the funniest thing in the world to play along and make me cringe a bit more!!! It was funny though. But like i think its sooo crazy how like over here you can hang out with people form work that might be higher up than you and its no big deal,like they are happy to show you around and help you out and whatever!Like i got a guided tour of EPCOT today basically! But it was just fun,like i would never ever speak to my managers or whatever from home the way i chatted with Ryan tonight but its cos over here everyone is so much more friendly and relaxed about stuff. Like everyone from work is just sooo chilled out and cool and just generally great people,i really am soo happy to be here.

Tonight made me realise how much i wanted this opportunity and kind of really made me realise how different life is over here and how much i love everything about Disney from the people who work here to the people who visit tot he atmosphere and the parks and the rides! All of it is priceless and i will never ever forget for one little minute how lucky i am to be here,living my dream!!! I think that todays blog really has to stress just how much i love everything about Disney and how great the people here are. I feel so at home here and i just cannot imagine leaving now!! It so strange to instantly feel like i landed on my feet and i fit!! I really cannot explain how great this is!!!
Chow for now xxx

He went in for the hole and found a pole...

2008-06-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

June 12th 2008:
Hello again guys.Quite a bit to report today which is always good because sometimes i worry i don't have enough to talk about anymore,but then again i am sure you wouldn't really want a load of drivel about boats and stuff anywho sooo i am hoping thats the case!!!
Firstly i had a lovely lie-in this morning, i didn't have to be in work until 10.30am which is alot later than usual so that was nice.I was on docks/marina which i love more than anythign else just because its so chilled out and the people i work with are priceless, i think every single one of them is brilliant. I really do just look forward to working with them because they make me smile :)
We had thunder storm warnings all day and it hit us at about 3ish!! It wasn't anything to extreme though, just a bit of rain and a few forks of lightning,although i did get wayyyy excited about it because its nothing like English weather. The air is all hot and the wind blows really strong but its warm, its kind of like the weather is warning you of whats gonna happen and its just enjoyable to see because its something new and different. Its also fun because we close off the docks and the pool so we get to hang out for a bit and just chat between ourselves and trust me there is never ever a dull moment with these guys. So even though it only lasted about an hour it was still good fun!!
I met a guy who is from both France and America today and me and him were discussing EURO 2008 which made a nice change because nobody in America has a clue whats going on in football "soccer". It was good to talk to someone who knew the players and was looking forward to the games as much as me,although,being French he probably was more happy since at least France are IN the competition not like England, still totally gutted about that. Anyway, one of the comments he made is the title of todays blog. We were discussing Ronaldinho and his transexual prostitute experience and the guy i was talking to just comes out with...
"he went in for the hole and found a pole"
I was killing myself laughing for literally ten minutes after that.
Tonight was a really nice chilled out evening.Me and Giulianna sat and watched a movie with popcorn and then went to the hot tub and just had a relax and a talk about loads of random stuff.Nothing really very important,just one of those conversations where you talk endlessly about nothing and everything.Then one of my bestest friends Jen came along and me and her caught up on the gossip,which seems to have just exploded in the past 3 days.More is going on in other peoples lives than mine atm for some reason,but thats probably because i am working more than most people,but i have 3 days off so i guess i will just have to see if i get any drama! I am hoping not though,because although it would be entertaining for you guys, i am not sure i could deal with anyone ruining my new found love,Disneyland Orlando!!! Lol!! Its funny that before i came everyone was like you'll have a holiday romance, i think mine will be with this place rather than any boy, especially with my luck :P
Anywho, i am gonna go now cos i am shattered and tomorrow is my day off so i get to lie in and have proper sleep!!!
nighty night xxx

Oh happy days....

2008-06-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

June 11th 2008:
Today was a bit of a random day.I had a laugh but i was tired and worn out.I had ups and downs as well which was kinda weird.

Firstly, i had an amazing sleep so i felt pretty refreshed and that was loverly! Then i headed to work which seemed to drag on like forever!But it was made better by little things,like there was a little disabled boy who hugged me again and gave me the biggest squeeze ever. And a little old man gave me these like Jesus/Happy cards with all little sayings on them about life and achieving what we want,which was so sweet of him and kind of crazy as well cos i didn't realise anyone actually did that but here in America people generally are alot more religious!

Bad news for the day...hot boy has a girlfriend so that crush is well and truly blown out of the water now! Booooooooooo!! Although to be fqir he was way way too hot for moi anywho!! So that wasn't too bad because i guess i never expected anything from it anyway. But then again i guess in the back of my mind i kind of did want him to like me but at the same time its not the worst thing in the world if you know what i mean. Man it sounds sooo complicated but whatever, i am in Disneyland i am sooo not arsed about boys here.I have enough with the parks and work and my friends to care about it too much!!Typical luck of Sam though!!

Tonight me,steffie and giulianna went to my work and ate ice cream and had a walk around.I love being there, its kind of like entering another place at night than it is in the day. I wish so so much that i could have my family and friends with me to share in all the happiness i feel when i am here. I guess i go on about it alot but its so important to me that they are happy and sometimes i feel guilty that they are stuck in shitty England when i am here having the time of my life! It just would be a million times better if i had them with me but at the same time i am not gonna sit here and complain about Disney because i love everything about my life here and i wouldn't change the fact that i took this job for anything!!

Anywho i got to go now because we have flat inspection tomorrow and i have a million and one family photos i got to get off the walls before they come!!

Night night x

Social Security!!!

2008-06-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

June 10th 2008:
So today i had to be up and at the bus stop by 6am to pick up my forms ready to get my social security card!Then we got on the bus (which i fell asleep on) and went down to the offices where we had to que and wait to hand in our papers.Thank god it didn't take too long and we were back at Vista by about 9.00am so i had a whole day off to myself,which by the way i haven't had in what feels like forever!!!! But anywho... so i spent the first part of the day chillaxing by the pool and just getting to well earned chill out time.

Then at about 1, i decided to make a long awaited call to my mum and my sisters and my dad!! I have been waiting all week to be able to get a day when i can get hold of them cos of the time difference and i can't even begin to tell you how great it was to hear their voices and know that they are all doing ok!!I miss them so much sometimes and even though hearing their voices reminds me of how much i do miss them,more often than not i do it anyway because i love talking to them and hearing about their day and just knowing that they are still around for me when i am miles and miles away makes my heart smile!! It always so great to hear that they're doing well at school or work, or how their social or love lives are going. It makes me feel like i am across the ocean with them, and reminds me that no matter where i am they will always be with me and they will always play a HUGE part in my life,for now and always xxx

I also went shopping today at about 3.We busted a move to the outlets and had a look around, i can't beieve how cheap everything is here, if i had alot of money man i would spend alot!! But i was a good girl and just brought some shoes for work!!Then i winessed the worst weather i have ever seen!!! There was huge blobs of rain and high winds and the loudest thunder i have ever heard and proper fork lightning like better than back home, it was amazing.It only lasts about an hour and then it gets boiling again, its so weird but its a nice break from the heat in the day, i suppose.Even though it sounds really scary and bad, it was kind of like unreal,like a movie or something and in its own way it was also kinda beautiful. We got drenched running for the bus as well and the bus driver was MEGA rude and drove off just as he saw us getting there but it was also way too funny to even care.

Then we got in and were all gonna have a nap and i ended up sleeping for 12 hours straight and waking up bang on time for work!I evidently needed it though, i was so tired!Funny times!!

Bye x x

Cupid Shuffle...

2008-06-11T04:02:00.000-07:00

June 9th 2008:
Hey.So today was hilarious, i had the funniest day ever.I had work all day which was funny for a few reasons...
First there was complete and utter confusion about what shift i was doing because i had been scheduled for three different jobs.So once we had sorted out where i was actually supposed to work i ended up doing slide op's (slide operations...basically you tell a kid when he can go down the slide !!).That was funny because there was a set of twins who kept going down again and again and then one of them was like...my brother fancies you can he have your number? and i was like...erm i am a bit old for him i think....and then the brother who fancied me turned round and said...it wouldn't matter if i was in college!!!!!BLESS HIS COTTON SOCKS!! I was killin myself laughing at that for ages cos it was just one of those things that you don't expect and then when he said it i was like :O cos it seemed like something someone older would say. It was sooo funny.
Then we had a small thunder and lightening session,which i am told is commonplace within Florida.They last approx 30 minutes and then the glorious sunshine reapperas.But anywho...so it starts storming and we all wait and everything and then when we get back it is 4.15 so it's time for the cupid shuffle!! Well i was dragged onto the poolside and made to dance to not only THE CUPID SHUFFLE but also COTTON EYE JOE neither of which i knew the dance to...so i me and two other girls were killing ourselves laughing whilst trying to learn this dance as we were doing it in front of a pool full of people!!I have never had to try and contain my laughter so much, it was soooo funny. To top it off,hot guy saw it all so i am sure he got a right kick of out me making a complete and utter idiot of myself!!!!!
Then tonight,we went to "Beaches and Cream" to get a "kitchen sink" ice cream,which is basically a sink shaped and sized bowl with 10 scoops of ice cream...all the toppings...and a whole can on whipped cream!! OH MAN!! It took 6 of us to eat it and we still found it hard ging finishing!! It was a really nice night though, we walked around the boardwalk and Luke was teaching me how to do the boxstep dancing by the lake which made me laugh so hard because i am sure we must have looked like crazy people.I also had to contain my gay jokes around Luke tonight because we had a "NO BEING MEAN OR CALLING LUKE GAY NIGHT" because most of the time the poor boy is the butt of all the jokes,especially the gay ones!
But yeah it was a great day,although i was completly shattered and now need bed because i have to be up at 6am tomorrow for the social security appointment!!
Night xxx

2008-06-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

June 8th 2008:

Hey guys,ok so i do remember what happened today!!
It was actually really crappy starting off cos i had work and i was soo tired and i was on gates instead of docks which i wasn't really looking forward to.Mainly because it can get boring easily if it's not busy and if you don't have kids to entertain.On the positive,however, i have discovered that there is some man candy in work! (NO RYAN NOT YOU!!! :P) so that deffo made my day a whole lot better :D He is a genuinely nice guy as well which makes a change!!

So anywho i had a really great second half of the day.There was a little kid in a wheelchair who won a prize and when i gave it to him he gave me the biggest cuddle in the world and it nearly made me cry because i just wasn't expecting it.So then all the kids thought it was hug SAM day and so i was surrounded by hugs from kids of all heights and ages and several dad's making jokes baout wanting hugs! It really made my day because it reminded me why i wanted to do this. I really do love it here,thinking about going home actually makes my stomach sink because i am so happy right now!!

The evening was just as good,if not better than the afternoon.Me,Jen and Luke were gonna go to EPCOT to eat and watch the fireworks but then Luke decided to go and lock him and Jen out of his flat in trheir swimsuits so we got delayed and missed the bus.We went to Bennigans instead and had the most delicious food ever!!!!!I love those two!!We had the biggest laughing session ever i actually ended up spurting coke out of my nose because it went down the wrong whole cos of laughing sooo much!! I cant remember the last time i met two people who make me smile as much as these guys :)

After we ate we went to Matts flat over at Chatham to wish Adam "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" and we ended up having laughing spasms and photo's with our legs up on the sofa.It was the funniest thing ever!!I was still having laughing fits for hours.

Loved today, much love xxx

Ooooooooopsies

2008-06-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

June 7th 2008:

Right guys...its confession time.
I haven't blogged in 3 whole days and now i don't actually remember completely what happened this day so i will get back to you as soon as my brain decides to engage!
Sorry xxx

Splish Splash...

2008-06-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

June 6th 2008:
Today was my second day of training on the docks!It was soooo much fun. I really get on with everyone who works there and we have a laugh and it's not stressful or anything,the only real bad thing is how hot it can get working with boats but it's not really all that bad cos we don't have to do a great deal throughout the day :D Like i said, i really get on with the people,everyone is so kind and nice and easy going and we have such a laugh about everything, their sense of humor is wicked!! I am really pleased that i love my job so much!!

I got to do the pirate session which was alot of fun. We do a thing for the kids on mon-wed-fri where there is a boat that they ride on that goes out onto the lake "pirate hunting" and we dockers all get to dress up and go out and pretend to be pirates for them to chase!! It was soooo much fun and i think it really captured what Disney is about for me!

I also went on more boats and had a go at driving one which was alot of fun because it was bigger than the little sea racer i drove yesterday, i was sooo scared but it was amazing!! I loved every minute of it!! I was a bit worried about docking and parking but that was all fine and i really love the freedom that a boat gives you because you kind of feel like you can escape anything.Alot like when i first got my car.
It gave me a bit of time to reflect on my time here so far and also to think about my family. I miss them so so much and every time i have an experience that lifts my spirits or gives me goosepimples or makes me want to cry with happiness, i always think of them. Its sooo hard for me to not be able to speak to them because i work all day and they are 5 hours ahead so by the time i leave for work they are well into their school or work day and by the time i get home they are all in bed!! But tomorrow is the weekend so i am gonna ring when i get home and hope that they will be awake because i am dying to hear their voices i miss them more than they know!!
Guys, if you are reading this then i want you to know i miss and love you more than anything in the world! I would give anything to have you here with me xxx

Tonight i went out for food with Jen and Mel and Luke and all my lifeguard mates from training.It was good fun because this weekend is called "gay days" which is like an unofficial gay pride event that comes to Disney! It was hilarious because we didn't realise it was happening and we were so confused as to why there were so many gay couples around and stuff.But it was a really ace night.We went and ate some food and had a look around and then we headed home at sat and watched "Casa Blanca" cos Luke is working on the "Hollywood movie ride" and thats part of it so he wanted to do his research!

Not got much to report sadly,being at work means i can't do all that much!!! I will find something exciting to report about soon,when i actually get a day off!!
Much Love xxx

Bobbing Along...Bobbing Along...

2008-06-05T18:45:00.001-07:00

June 5th 2008:

Today was my second day of work and it was just as good as yesterday!!I was working on the docks which meant i was dealing with the different boats and briefing people about safety and making sure the boats were all lined up and stuff! It was soo much fun being by the water and in the glorious sunshine! Even though it did get a bit hot!!!

The best part of the day was my little boat trips!First i went on a boat that goes about 20mph which seems pretty fast when its only a smallish lake and the guy driving (Ryan) decides to do some "handbrake turns" (i dont know what you call them on a boat but its the same sort of thing!!)!It was so much fun though!!Then i got to go on the "Breathless" which goes around 35mph, it was great fun i absolutely loved being on a boat flying past Disney parks in the sunshine! I cant think of anything better! It was another one of those moments when i realised how far i have come from being at home!!

I also got to drive a little boat myself which was good fun although i was a bit nervous at first! The day was really chilled out and i had an ace time chatting to all the people i will be working with.I had a giggle with them and i think i am gonna really enjoy working here now!!

Was talking to an old friend,Matt Akers tonight on the internet,i get on with him so well and i think the world of the boy!He does so much for other people and he kind of reminded me how important dreams are and how scary the future can be. It got me to thinking about my future and i think being here has added to the desire i have for travel.I was telling him not to ever let anyone stop him from achieving his hearts desire and i think that i am doing exactly that while i am here.I was also talking to him about music and my favourite relaxing songs!! I think that when i talk to people like him i relax as well and remember things about myself and things i enjoy!!I have my friends to thank for alot of the reasons i am so happy with life and so confident in my dreams so thank you.

Anyway i am gonna scoot because i have work again tomorrow!! Early start again too!!!
Sleep tight xxx

Quote of the day: "Wanker?!?" ( american people dont know what it means :P )

Have a magical day!!!

2008-06-04T20:28:00.001-07:00

June 4th 2008:

Today was my first day in my new job!! I am now a recreation worker which is the best job in the world!! I get to chill out by the pool and hand out towels and wristbands and play with the kids in the water and give them bubbles and prizes! I also get to do hair braiding and use the cashier desk! Its so varied and i get to meet loads of different people and i love the interaction! This job feels like it was made for me, i am sooo glad i quit lifeguarding now because i am actually excited for work tomorrow!!!

The outfit is fine as well. It is a white polo shirt with blue shorts and they are like swim material just like the lifeguard ones so i don't get a crazy wacky ugly costume thank god!! I also get to rotate alot which is mint cos it means i get a variation in what i am doing instead of remaining in one spot all day!! I am sooo happy happy happy :D
The guy that was training me made me laugh sooo much.He is a little old man who tells me all the gossip and gives me loads of random info about the pool and pin trading and the ducks tha swim ther (yea there are ducks!! and ducklings running around).He talks for AMERICA literally!! He was really great though and he kept me entertained all day and made sure i felt like i knew what i was doing which was really important to me because i would hate to feel clueless like before!!!I also met a really nice guy,one of the lifeguards.He was on "gates" (thats what that area is called) today as well and he helped me out finding my way around and made me giggle so work was actually fun, and he is a big kid like me which helps!!!

I also got to speak to some of the parents as well which proved interesting because they were soooo intrigued by england and my opinions on everything. I spoke to one couple about Diana and the conspiracy theories and British politics and George Bush and Gordon Brown and it was soo nice to be able to interact with people and to have someone value my opinion and it was also good to hear their viewpoints on English government etc!! I really did love it today!!

Tonight i got in and we went to a place called IHOP (INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES) which is you didn't guess was a huge pancake house!!It was yummy scrummy!!! We went with our new found friends Chris and Chris!! Confusing!! But they are both really nice guys and we all have a laugh with one another!!Anywho i got to go now cos i am back in work tomorrow at 10.0 yey!!! I actually cannot wait!!!

Much love and kisses xxx

Drip Drip Drop Little April Showers...

2008-06-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

June 3rd 2008:

Today was so much fun, i actually can't remember the last time i laughed this much!!
First off i went to ANIMAL KINGDOM, which was soo hot but also beautiful! I saw the tree of life with all the animals carved into it which was stunning. I went on Safari and saw Rhino and Elephants and loads of cool wildlife. I went on the rapids and got absolutely drenched, which incidentally would not be the first time that happened in one day!! I went on the Dinosaur ride which scared me soooo much cos stuff jumped out at you alot but it was soo funny. The group picture of us all made me cry with laughter!!We also went on the Bug Life ride which was great and it was one of the 3D ones where you wear the glasses and it all looks realistic and there was bugspray blown on us so we were covered in smoke and there was bee stings which poked us in the backs and bugs running under our chairs which was freaky!I also saw the "Lion King Festival Show" which was amazing, i love the soundtrack to that movie sooo much and the stunts that were involved in this show were just unbelievable!! It was such a fun day!!!

I also found out today that i will be working in the Yacht and Beach Club resort, or at leats i think so cos thats what it seems to say on a fax that was sent to my room, i am in at 8.45am-5.15pm so it is gonna be a long one but i had so much fun today that i dont even care :D
I think by the looks of it i will be working on the docks alot cos i have loads of training there so we will see :D

Tonight i went to "Hollywood Studios" again which is where i got wet for the 2nd time today.It poured down with rain and there was a mini storm.Me,Jen,Matt and Luke had such a laugh it really did make my tummy hurt. We found everything hysterical and we went on all the rides drenched beyond belief and we screamed soooo loud! This time i managed to go on the Toy Story ride which is sooo much fun because its all interactive to you get to shoot all the aliens and stuff like that!! I also went on the Hollywood Movie Ride again which is classic and rode on the "Rock n Rollercoaster" and "Tower of Terror" both of which will never fail to make my tummy flip upside down and inside out!!I saw Fantasmic again tonight which was even better because they managed to set off more fireworks than last time because the storm had completely cleared byt his point!!

Today was full of giggles and it was sooo much fun, i love Disney !!

Quote of the day: "Would you like a cup of tea old chum?"

Much love, i need sleep!!!!
xxx

Fantasmic!!!

2008-06-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

June 2nd 2008:

Hi.
Well,last night i went to go see "Sex and the City" the movie,with the girls. It was soooo much fun.I cried and laughed all the way through that film,but i won't say much more because i don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't yet seen it. All i will say is it is a complete must see!!!

TODAY...
So today we had a pretty chilled out day. I relaxed by the pool and read some of my book and generally just enjoyed doing nothing at all,which was sooo good!! I am only a little stressed about finding out what job i will be doing next but who knows,it might be good but even if its not, i am in DISNEYLAND so i honestly could not care less :D
We went to see a show in HOLLYWOOD STUDIO'S tonight called FANTASMIC and it was amazing.They projected images onto water and there were fireworks and real action.I was soooo astounded by how amazing Disney is and i only wish that i had my family with me to share in this experience because i know they would love every second of it! So that is gonna have to be the next big project, to get my family to Disney so i can share this kind of thing with them. But that will take alot of saving so for now i am just gonna revel in the experience of being here!!

I would stay and say more but i kind of need a sleep, i am soo tired!
Night night xxx

You've Got A Friend In Me...

2008-06-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

June 1st 2008:
Today was both good and bad.It started out pretty crappy because i decided last night that i no longer wanted to continue with lifeguarding, i didn't want to do the test and i didn't want to do it as a job while i was here.It is too much responsibility and i came here to have fun,not to panic every time i see a child go under. I also don't feel that two days training was enough for me to feel confident in passing all 3 tests so in the long run it is for the benefit of everyone that i quit before i go any further.

I told our trainer and his reaction shocked me because he had been a complete hard ass all through the past 2 days and then he was just really nice to me and was almost surprised and disappointed that i was quitting but i explained to him and he said he understood where i was coming from but if i decided i had made a mistake he would help me and i could redo the class!! So that relieved me.

I spoke to the recruitment people and left them a message so someone is going to get back to me about my other options as what i can work as. I am quite nervous cos it could be anything but then again after doing the lifeguarding i think any other job will seem so easy.I really am hoping for something with guest interaction so i can be all cheesy and smiling and tell them to "have a magical day" and call the little girls princess and tell them how pretty they look and stuff. One of my friends here works in pin trading and a little girl was telling her she was upset because she didn't get to meet Tinkerbell and her tooth had come out and she was worried the tooth fairy wouldn't come because she missed seeing Tinkerbell. So when the little girl was out of earshot,my friend gave her Mum a Tinkerbell pin (free) to put under the little girls pillow so that when she woke up she thought Tinkerbell had been!!!
I wanna be able to do things like that, so that i can make a child's experience of Disney as amazing as mine has been so far!! So fingers crossed for me guys !!!

Another thing that happened today which has to be mentioned, is, i realised what a good friend i have in my mate Raj. That boy is the kindest and most amazing friend i could ever ask for and i only hope that anyone reading this blog has a friend thats even half the one he is.Without that boy i would not have got through so much and i will never be able to say how much i think of him and how amazing he is!! I think being away from people you care about shows us how much we think of them and i have seen how much i care for Raj and for my friends at home and most of all for my family.I spoke to my little sister Emily today and she is having a stressful time with her schoolwork and she said to me "You mean the world to me" and i thought,you know what i love you so so much.I was trying to think of a way to explain how much she meant to me and i had no idea what to say,nothing seems enough.

Well back to today...
I had a really chilled out day at the pool and then went for some food!! I just enjoyed not having that intense training all day!! It was so much better just chillin out!! Going to see "Sex And The City" now so i will just blog tomorrow about tonight!!!

Bye for now xxx

Living or Lifeguarding?!?!

2008-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

May 31st 2008:

The reason for the title of todays post is because today has made me reconsider whether or not i want to lifeguard in Disney. I have had soooo much information thrown at me and i don't undersdtand half of it, i have had 2 1/2 days to complete a 2 week course and i have my test tomorrow.But the thing is i am questioning whether i even want to do lifeguarding here. My friends seem to be living the Disney experience,interacting with children and making them smile :) that what i want to do.I don't want to sit and watch a pool all day! I thought that being a lifeguard we would get to do some to her stuff but you literally sit and watch the pool and the test we have to do tomorrow is soooo hard,i doubt i will pass anyway!!

One of the guys quit today because he found it too emotionally challenging and he felt like he couldn't do it,that gives you a picture of what it is like. There is also another guy,Simon,Me and a girl called Nicole who want to quit and be re-casted to another occupation because it is soo hard and just stressful and we came to Disney to have fun,not to sit and panic every time a see a kid swim below the surface or whatever!! I think it's just really hit me how hard lifeguarding is.I underestimated the challenges and fell into the trap of thinking that i would just be chilling by the pool.

I am a bit sad today because of not being able to speak to my family as much cos of the crappy training and the hours i work mean that they are at work and school when i wake up and in bed before i even get in from work!! The 5 hour time difference is a killer! But i have a whole wall of pcitures to remind me of them when i get sad :( and i e-mail them and stuff! Its just hard being away from people you love so much.Because no matter where in the world i was or what i was doing,they would always be there in the forefront of my mind and my heart!

But anyway...i don't wanna sound negative because I'm not at all. I am having the best time of my life here and i have met some amazing people and seen some amazing things!!Everyone i meet goes crazy over my "accent" and they try to copy it which is the most hilarious thing i have ever heard!!American people cannot do the British accent!! I love mimicking them though and finding out words or phrases that are different or one's i haven't heard before!! Its so interesting talking to people about their schools/colleges and families and lifestyle and everything.I really am loving every minute of it!!

I am off to the hot tub now!!Going to have a relax and chill out before tomorrow because its test day and it will probably be stressful,plus i wanna wind down before i go to bed!!

Night,night xxx

Quote of the day: MAKE IT WORK!!

Sign your life away...

2008-05-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

May 30th 2008:

Well today was my first day of proper lifeguarding training and man was it a tough one.I had to leave my apartment at 7.15am and be there and ready for class by 8am!!We first were told a bit about the company and it's history and why Ellis wanted to make a difference in the lifesaving industry!For those of you wondering who Ellis is,i am subcontracted by them under Disney,it's all very complicated and you basically have to sign your life away!!(only joking mum!!) But we learned about improving the way we save lives and the equipment that would help us do so.It was quite interesting but alot to take in! Then we got our little bum-bags (aka fanny packs!or hip bags) which have our aids in them.We then had to watch a video about a case that actually happened where a young boy drowned in a pool because the lifeguards had not been trained properly.It was horrific and we saw live footage of the actual day and stuff.It was not nice,but it worked in making us realise the kind of responsibility we have and how seriously we needed to take the class!

So then we went on to learn about CPR and Rescue Breathing etc and i found it really hard because i wanted to concentrate so much and i was trying to take it all in and i just couldn't because i was trying too hard! But i feel better about that now because me and another lifeguard,Nicole sat tonight and practiced and did our "homework" and really went through it all so it is alot clearer now for me!!

We spend the rest of the afternoon learning the different jumps and saving techniques depending on the state of the victim and where the victim was situated within the pool!! It was really interesting to see how you can lift someone almost double your height and weight by just a couple of simple stages.Its the difference between life and death!!

Anyway its all over now until tomorrow when i have another day of 8-5 lifeguard class! I am just gonna do my best though and make the most of it!Sometimes things are harder than we expected them to be but they are always the things that are the bets when you have earned them!! So i am throwing myself into it!! As always!!!

Still loving my new found friends and the beautiful and magical world of Disney!!
Bye for now xxx

Rice Robber!!!

2008-05-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

May 29th 2008:

Well today was distinctly less emotional than yesterday but was till still fun filled and enjoyable.The morning was pretty crappy, i had to go to "Disney University" again and do a computer course on how to use the internet to fin my shifts etc. Was pretty standard and long and boring as paperwork always is.
The afternoon was significantly better. I went to "MGM Studios" now known as "Hollywood Studios".It was an amazing afternoon, i went on loads of rides,the best two had to be the "Rock n Rollercoaster" and "Tower of Terror". The "Rock n Rollercoaster" was based around the band Aerosmith and basicaklly we were invited to go V.I.P to their gig,so we had to all get in the "super-stretch limousine".It was the fastest and craziest rollercoaster i have ever been on,it goes upside down like five times and leave your stomach somewhere at the beginning. For those of you who have been on "Rita,Queen of speed" in Alton Towers back home you will know what i mean.This ride starts out in the same way but it has loops and is much much better :D I was soo nervous going on it though.Although to be honest i was about a hundred times worse when i went on "Tower fo Terror" because that is basically the story of an old haunted mansion and you go in the elevator and it breaks and you drop 13 floors!! I was petrified because the doors open for a little while so you see how high above the park you are when you're in the air!! It was brilliant though!!Next we visited the "Little Mermaid" live show which was unbelievable,it was so lovely and i really enjoyed it. It kind of reminded me of my pantomime days though with all the glow in the dark fish and stuff! I remember it from years ago in the Theatre Royal!! Was so beautiful to watch and to hear!!I really enjoyed my day there!!

Then we got in and we went across the road to our pool party!!There was music and people in the pool and everyone was talking to each other so that was pretty cool but it wasn't exactly a full on rave but then again what do you expect in a non alcoholic zone?! It is crazy!! We had to exit the pool for a bit for them to clean so we stayed in our apartment for a bit and has possibly the funniest incident ever!! I can't really explain it all on here because it's just way too long and my last blog was enough to keep everyone entertained but if you ask about the "RICE ROBBER" or "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE" then i am sure that i will remember exactly what i was laughing at so hard.Me,Giulianna and Gemma were in fits of giggles all night for some crazy reason!We were being all naughty but not in a bad way,we were just being childish and it was great!! We went back to the pool and sat in the hot tub with some people who we had a really good chat with and just enjoyed disvussing all the differences between English words and systems and American ones!!

We also had a random trip to Walgreens which is a 24hour shop to get some make-up wipes and after sun and conditioner etc! We went at like 3am which was pretty cool!! We also met our nieghbours from upstairs and across the hall and were havin a laugh with them,so all in all it was a good day yet again :D

Need to go now,busy busy busy xxx

Dreams Do Come True...

2008-05-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

May 28th 2008:

Well…all I can say about today is pure emotion!!!
I am sorry I didn’t post this blog last night but I was completely exhausted, both emotionally and physically. So here’s what happened…

First we kicked off the day with a four hour “traditions” lecture which I was not looking forward to at all, although it was exciting getting all dressed up in business attire. We all looked really old in our suits and dresses and we took loads of pictures and had a great time thinking of ways to adapt our outfits to fit our personal style. I helped out Steffie and Angelica with some of their stuff and they were like “its so cool living with someone fashionable” and I was like :O me, fashionable?!!? But it was a really nice change to feel like the girly girl of the house, knowing little tips and tricks. I really liked that which is odd for me, being a typical boyish girl!!!

When we got to “Disney University“, yes that’s right, its not a joke there is actually a university of Disney. Its usually for people on professional internships or college programmes that Disney runs but we had our lectures there. I was surprised completely by how different the day was to what I expected! I was expecting a boring lecture and some stupid overemotional idiot to make a big scene of crying about how much they love Disney! Little did I know the crying idiot would in fact be me. Now before you write me off as a total cheese ball I will explain the day and the events that led to my embarrassing outburst and maybe you will forgive me just a little bit…

The lecture was about Disney’s past, present and future! We learned all about Walt’s visions and the achievements he had and the trouble he faced in setting up what is now known as “the most magical place on earth“. It was really great to hear about the mouse story… Walt Disney is usually quoted for saying
“IT ALL STARTED WITH A MOUSE” and obviously people think “Yeah, Mickey Mouse” ,this is in fact not what Walt meant. Although he probably was aware of the connotation and links with Mickey he actually was referring to the time when he came up with the concept of using a mouse. Walt had just been fired from his job as an artist, he was sat in his apartment downtrodden and penniless and then a mouse ran across the floor in front of him. It was this that planted the idea in his head of using a mouse for his next character. And so on a train one day in the not so distant future, Mickey Mouse was born!!!

I think the highlight of the session for me was the section on “memories”. We discussed our favourite Disney memories and although I didn’t have a park memory to share form Disneyworld I shared my memory of me and my sister watching “Sleeping Beauty”. We all sat around watching the film, and we each were assigned one of the three fairies and we argued for hours over who should be who, what colour her dress ends up as, pink or blue?? and also giggled endlessly at the cheesy one liners. That film always reminds me of my little sisters and how much I love them and the relationship we have. Combine that memory, with missing them and add in a clip of a dad holding his little girl and calling her his princess (what my daddy calls me) and the floodgates were well and truly opened. I never thought I would be so moved by clips of Disney. I think one of the main connotations for me was the emphasis on dreams coming true. I was sitting in a classroom in Disneyworld living my dream! And it was such a defining moment. Although I think now that this was nothing compared to my experience of Magic Kingdom which I will tell you about shortly.

Another part of the “Memories” section that got to me was the presenters story. She told us that if we ever had a bad day at Disney but we know we have to keep smiling then we have to find our “pixie dust”, in other words we have to find the reason we love being here and why we wanted to do it in the first place. To explain to us what she meant she told us the story of her reason for smiling, her pixie dust…Here is her story

“It was one of those perfect days. You know the days where everything seems to go right and you can’t imagine it being anymore perfect, it was that. I was in Disneyworld at Christmas because in our family we have a tradition of coming to Disney to see all the lights and decorations and since I moved here I haven’t been able to go home because I work, so my family come down for a couple of days. This was their last night staying with me in Disney. Me and my brother had a great day, we managed to see everything we wanted to and watched parades did the rides. But one ride was our favourite and most special…Space Mountain. It was our little tradition to ride space mountain every year because it was the first ride we ever went on in Disney. We just got to the barrier as it was closing and the cast member let us on without any question when we clambered and pleaded for another ride. On our way home the moment was picture perfect and so my brother being the family photographer decided to take a picture. As he was setting it up a cast member walked by and asked if we wanted him to take it instead. My brother was delighted because he never gets in picture, he is always the one taking them. The picture came out beautifully, perfect even and I will treasure it in my heart always.
Sadly the reason this picture has become so important to me is because this was to be my brothers last Christmas in Disneyland before he passed away a few months later. We didn’t know at the time that this picture would live in our hearts always and neither did the cast member. If that cast member hadn’t of been there and offered that assistance I would never have that moment on film. This is why I smile, because I could change someone’s life and give them something priceless without even knowing it.”

Of course, by the end of this beautiful story half the room had filled up, me included. I think sometimes we do underestimate the power we have to affect people and I think that today really taught me that I need to find something in my heart and my memory that will keep me smiling through those days where I don’t wanna go into work or I feel sad. I need to find my very own pixie dust.

Once we had finished our “traditions” lecture we decided to visit Magic Kingdom. If thought the day had been emotional so far, I had thought wrong, it was about to become even more overwhelming. We got on a bus and then the monorail and there was a real feeling of anticipation in that little carriage. I was unbelievably excited and I was so hyper, I was jumping around, I really could not stand still. Then we got to the park and we saw the train station and slipped through fast track with our “cast” cards which was ace!! Then we were walking down a street and Steffie turned to me and said “Look Sam, it’s the castle“, I looked up and literally was breathless. I know it sounds cheesy and over the top but I was standing where I have waited to stand my whole life, I was looking up at my dream. Living out your biggest goal is simply something you cannot describe. I know I sound so overdramatic but until you feel that I don’t think you can ever understand. I am an English student and I would never be able to fund the words to describe that moment. It felt like every penny I had saved, every ounce of stress I had been through, every tear I shed over leaving, was all worth it because I was standing where I had waited to stand after 19 years of dreaming and wishing for that moment. I had looked at the picture of this scene on my laptop since the day I found out I was coming and finally I was seeing it for real. For me it was a dream come true and whether it sounds cheesy or stupid or childish I don’t care because today, my dream came true.

Once I had seen the castle and recovered from my complete delight and shock we went on the “it’s a small world” ride. Which is a tour of all the different countries and they all sing “it’s a small world” in their own language which was pretty cool. Then we went on the Haunted Mansion which was a creepy old house and there are all ghosts that look real, and creepy maids who make you move along and it’s like the chair ride on “Casper”. There is a section where you see all the ghosts dancing below you and it looks real, but its more amazing than scary!! There was also a wall of mirrors and a man says that there maybe a ghost hitchhiking and you look and you see a ghost in your cart and a cold wind is blown on you so you feel like there really is a ghost present. Then we saw a 3D short movie called “Philharmagic” which was amazing, it basically followed the story of Donald Duck trying to steal the magic hot from “Fantasia” off Mickey Mouse and he chases it through a few of the Disney films, so you see Aladdin and Jasmine and the carpet flies in your face, there’s wind blown on you so you feel like you’re flying and you see Beauty and the Beast and the room is sprayed with a cinnamon like spray so you can almost taste the food and then it goes through Ariel’s under the sea world and they blow bubbles on you !!!It was unbelievable. I had such an amazing time. Then it was time for the parade.

The parade I watched was called “SpectroMagic” and it was definitely both spectacular and indeed magical!! The characters were all on floats and there were millions of lights and dancing butterflies and all sorts. I will post a video so you can see because I recorded it a lot and I don’t think I could describe how amazing it was even if I tried. There were different themed floats and some of the character walked along all in costumes of lights and some rode on floats that were stunningly beautiful and must take hours and hours or preparation and hard work to get ready!!!

But finally, and definitely my favourite part of the whole day was “Wishes”. It is a firework display done over and behind the “Magic Kingdom” Castle and it really was my dream in reality. I stood and listened to a song about dreams and wishes coming true, whilst I watches mine do exactly that. I was oaring with those fireworks. They were truly stunning and I think I had to take a moment to realise that it was real, that I was here, this was my dream alive! I think wishing upon a star is nice in a fairytale but wishing for something in your heart and going for it no matter what, it was truly can make your dreams come to life. I know that s exactly how I got mine. There is nothing I have ever felt that was more amazing and more heart wrenching and literally gave my goosepimply and tear sin my eyes than the realisation that I had finally done it. I had made my biggest dream a reality.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART <3>

How to save a life..

2008-05-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

May 27th 2008:

Ok so today has been major busy yet again!!I had my lifeguard swim test today at 8.15am,so it was early o’clock and I was half asleep. It went well though and I passed which I am really pleased about!! First i had a sight test which was just reading a word on a sheet of paper from a certain distance.Then we had to swim about 8 lengths and then swim down and pick up a brick from the bottom. I must say i was absolutely petrified about the brick test because i am small and we had to go down deep and feet first so i was like "oh no i am not gonna be able to get down", but i just tried not to panic and it was all ok!!! Then we had to tread water for 2 minutes which sounds easy but you had to keep your shoulders and hands out of the water which is harder than it seems!! But again i just tried to get on with it and do it cos i know it will be worth it when i am finally sitting guarding in the sun :D

So then I went to my meeting and got all my boring paperwork done to do with social security and bank accounts and getting paid!!! And then I had to come back to Vista Way (my new home) to find out where i will be working!!!!I was quite nervous about finding out because i was not looking forward to working in a park because of the stress of it all!! I found out i will be working in POP CENTURY which is a resort here in Disney. I am really chuffed about that because from what I can gather it’s a really fun hotel and it’ll be a lot less stressful than a big water park!! So I am beyond excited about starting work! I am quite unsure about what the training is like although from what i gather i think we do general health and safety and then CPR and getting to know our resort area and the place we're working in.

I have 3 days of the intensive training, Fri, Sat and Sunday 8am-6pm but I get paid for it so I suppose its good pay for my first week :D I was speaking to a girl in the pool earlier this evening (Morgan) and she does lifeguarding and she really helped me out and made me feel better about it cos she was telling me what to expect and everything so i am just really gonna try and focus and do good so that i don't have to do it all twice!!!!

I have my “Traditions” class tomorrow which is all about the history of Disney and the standards they expect and everything. So I think it will be a loooong day but I guess it’ll be fun knowing more about such an amazing place!!From what i can tell you learn alot about the stories behind how disney began...one of which my flatmate Angelica was telling me about which goes...

At the beginning of Main Street, near the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, Roy E. Disney and Minnie Mouse are sitting on a bench. Tourists clamber to sit in the empty area beside Minnie and get their picture taken, but few know the true story behind the bench.

Walt Disney, and the mouse who started it all, Mickey, are up Main Street, at the hub, in front of the castle. Walt’s hand is outstretched, pointing down Main Street to where Roy and Minnie sit. Rumor has it, from a reputable Disney tour guide, that Walt is saying:

“Mickey. It’s my time to go now. It all started with you, and now I’m leaving it with you. Don’t you worry. Roy and Minnie are down there, waiting for you. They’ve left a spot on the bench for you. Take care of the magic Mickey. Make everyone’s dreams come true.”

These two statues were created as a pair by Blaine Gibson, a retired Imagineer. The first statue made was Roy and Minnie, with the statue of Mickey and Walt (also called “Partners”) following shortly before Walt died of lung cancer.

–

So if every story i learn about here is as beautiful and heartwarming as that one then i know i am really going to enjoy being here!!

Some other stuff from today...i created a facebook group for the people who are living in Vista Way so that hopefully we can all meet up and chat and really get to know people from other cultures. I have already met so many people from different places with different stories to tell and it really is amazing how different someones life can be. Today i was speaking to a girl called Maria from Mexico and when she was younger her next door neighbour died from a snakebite and that is completely normal for her!! We freaked out when we saw a cockroach in our apartment (don't worry it's not dirty or anything,it just got in from outside and the place has been debugged anyway), so imagine what it would be like if we had a snake?!?!

Tomorrow night we are heading to MAGIC KINGDOM to go see the SPECTRO MAGIC parade and i am gonna go on a few rides. I am uber excited because this is my first Disney experience so i am like a big kid but luckily it doesn't annoy people,they like it because it becomes infectious because i get sooo hyper about the smallest things. We are planning so much already,like we are going to have a SEX AND THE CITY night on Friday and we're gonna make non-alcoholic cosmopolitans and go see the movie in DOWNTOWN DISNEY!!

We also started an ENGLISH DICTIONARY for the American/Canadian people because little words that we say in England,like slang or just different words are sometimes totally new to them so we decided to create our own little "Dictionary Of Differences" to clarify what stuff means!!

I also made a curry for four of the girls,two of them had never even had it before so it was nice to make them something new to try and they kind of liked it although they were a bit confused because obviously they haven't eaten anything that tasted like that before!!So we did our first flat cooking and Steffie made cookies!! I also got my new American phone while i was in WALMART it only cost me "30 bucks" aka 30$ which is £15 and it's actually a really good phone and it is cheap with keeping in contact with everyone that i have met here. I spoke to my family today which was really lovely because i rang Grandad Ross and my sister Niki and it was really good to hear their voices! Because even though i am mega busy here with all my training and meetings and introductions i do miss them and it was just good to hear their voices and to know that they are ok and that they know i am alright!!!

Anyway, i am blabbering on and i am sure that none of this stuff even matters,but it will be sooo good to look back on it when i am a little wrinkly (granny).I am gonna go off to bed now but i will report back again tomorrow!! Until then...
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!!!"
xxxx

I'm Like Alice In Wonderland...

2008-05-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

May 26th 2008:

Hey, well it is 5.20am English time but only 12.20am in Orlando time,although as you can guess it feels a hell of alot later but i am keeping myself up so that when i go to bed i actually sleep!!. That’s right, I am finally here.

I flew with Virgin Atlantic and loved all 9 hours of it. I got free pillows and blankets and eye masks and stuff.In the airport beforehand I sat talking to the lads i met on the facebook group, Harry, Stewart and Matt and they are all really lovely an we all got on and looked after each other and got looked after by this cute little old guy who felt the need to walk us like 50000000 miles through the airport just to show us where we would have to board!! We met up as soon as we left our parents and stuff!

Leaving my family was so so hard for me. We are so close and it really pulled on my heartstrings to say goodbye. I think I cried because I was scared but also because I knew how much I was going to miss them. Like I cried when I left my mum and leaving my dad and sisters was worse because they also got upset and seeing tears in my dad’s eyes was just the worst thing ever but I know it was because he is proud of me and stuff. I really will miss everything about being with them but I know how much this means to me and so do they and they do nothing but support me and love me unconditionally so what more could I ask for?

So…back to the plane. I sat next to a lady and her kids and they were a really lovely family and I had a nice chat with the mum and she was kind and offered me sweet sand stuff which was really cute cos it reminded me of my Nana Ross making us suck a sweet as we took off to stop our ears popping!! I wasn’t on a window seat, I was in the middle aisle which kind of sucked because I would of loved to see the views of America but never mind, maybe on the way home although I am certainly not wishing this experience away because its been so amazing already. I managed to sleep a bit too which I was really pleased about because I had kept myself awake all night so that I could sort out my body clock and it worked pretty well, although adjusting to the time difference is going to be hard because they are 5 hours behind so when at home it’s like 1 am it’s only 8pm here!! So obviously I get tired a different times but I think I will adjust pretty quickly anyway because my sleeping patterns were so messed up from uni.

Once we'd finished traveling on the plane and been through the security check we got on the shuttle and went through Disney to Vista Way which is where i am living for the next 3 months! Its really nice here, there are two pools and computer rooms and pool tables and a mini beach with a volleyball net and a barbeque we can use and all sorts so I am gonna be so busy for the next couple of months and I really couldn’t be happier.

We had a little introduction session where we watched a video and got given some food bags to keep us going and were assigned our room keys and got loads of book and leaflets about places to go and tings to see and do. Got badges and stickers and all sorts of goodies!!I think it really hit home that I am finally here at that point. It really was such an overwhelming moment for me because I just kind of looked around and people were smiling and there was an atmosphere and I could hear the Disney music and I really just felt like al the hard work and determination to get here was all worth it!! I am living with 5 other girls!!!! So its a first for me! There is:
GEMMA from WALES
ANGELICA and GILIANNA from CANADA
JEN and JENNY from HONG KONG
So its a bit of a random mix but all is going well so far!!

I went on the bus to WALMART!! To go get groceries...do i sound american already?? :P and got loads of stuff. The food here is soooo cheap in fact everything is like half the price we saw like video cameras and portable DVD players for like $80 which is £40!! Its craziness!!
Tomorrow,or well I guess later on today, we have our intro day where we meet everyone and all that sort of thing I think we do housing as well!! So that will be a good day and i finish at about 2 so i will be hitting the pool! I am really looking forward to getting all the official stuff out of the way and to start working and meeting more people but then again I am already meeting people every hour or so anyway. Tonight we sat and chilled out and just talked about all sorts, like ex boyfriends and our families and all sorts. It was really good to talk to people with different backgrounds and cultures. Anyway I should probably get to bed now though because otherwise I am never ever gonna get up in time for orientation tomorrow.
That’s all I got for now and that’s only within my first few hours!! Fun times :D

..............................................................

Hey, so it’s still May 26th but now it’s the evening and I am home from another crazy, exciting Disney day. So we had our housing meeting and just basically got told about our rules and stuff. Then we came back here and went in the pool for a while which was really amazing, we were relaxing in the sun which is totally rare for me, being a complete English weather girl who is used to bad rain and worse temperatures. It was really just a moment in my day where I lay down and I relaxed and my mind went blank, like I thought of nothing I was just totally in another world and it was so lovely. I really enjoyed it, it was everything I wanted for my time here. Then this afternoon we went back to orientation and had all our security checks and organised our rooms out and checked all our insurance was in order etc and then we went to Downtown Disney, which is like a huge shopping area and it was totally amazing!! It was my first Disney experience and I loved it. We looked in all the shops and it was like Disney mania and then we ate in this HUGE restaurant called Rainforest Café .It was amazing, like the ceiling was all tree’s and branches and fruits and there were fake animals and sound effects and it literally like being in a rainforest and I was awestruck. The waiter was so really nice as well and he recognised my accent and it was really crazy and the portions were HUGE! I had this slushy thing to drink and it was really tasty and sooo refreshing,it was massive. They do NOTHING by halves at all. I had my picture taken in like every single tourist place possible and my fav had to be under the mushroom when i said "i'm like Alice In Wonderland".We had such a giggle on the bus on the way home and we also found the QUOTE OF THE DAY from Steffie, "i feel all warm inside".
We just chilled out in the pool for the evening and have sat chatting ever since.

Right...i will do more tomorrow but i really need to stop being an unsociable hermit and actually talk to my flatmates!!!!

P.S I AM NEW TO BLOGGING AND THEREFORE AM TERRIBLE AT THIS!! BUT I AM SURE IT WILL HOPEFULLY GET BETTER AS I GO ALONG,IF NOT JUST DON'T READ IT :P

The adventure begins...

2008-05-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

May 25th 2008:

It is currently 1.18am on the morning that my Disney adventure is going to begin. I decided to keep a record of my time there on my laptop as well as writing in my journal so that I can type furiously or write peacefully and I will always have two ways of keeping track of everything that happens during my trip.Plus i think that e-mailing everyone would be so hard to fit in so you can keep track of all my mischief,excitement,tears,fears,happiness and achievements.
So here it goes...

I am feeling quite excited and nervous at the moment. I am so worried that I am going to forget something or that I am going to be all emotional saying goodbye or that I am going to be bored on the plane. I just don’t really know what to expect at the moment but I am really looking forward to the time when I am in a bed on the other side of the Atlantic and I know that all the stressful part is over!! That will make everything worth it. When I look back to months ago when I read that e-mail I guess I never thought I would be at this point. It seemed so far away and I had various interviews and money problems but now its all real and I am actually gonna be leaving for the airport in a few hours time.

I have butterflies in my stomach and I actually feel sick.
We had a little party tonight at my Aunty Ali’s to say goodbye and I thought I might get a bit emotional but luckily it was all ok. I just had a laugh with my family and I will treasure the giggles and the fun we had for the next three months whenever I feel sad or I miss them. E.g i will remember my Mum geting up and dancing "Soulja Boi" with all my cousins or my Aunty Kim showing us the dances she teaches in her old ladies classes or even my Nana Ross saying "Awww pissin ell!"When i tried to hug and smooch her goodbye,she likes to make me smile :) rather than cry!!

It is inevitable that there will be a point where I find it hard being away and I think because of moving to Liverpool (i moved for university there and its about 3 hours away from my home in Nottingham) and going through it all there I am much more mentally prepared for that. I packed a load of photos of everyone so that I can look at them and decorate my room with loads of family things to make me feel more at home.

Dad is gonna be here at about 5.15am to pick up me, Emily and Nicola (my sisters). They are coming to the airport with me to say goodbye which I am really pleased with because I think driving away from them would be harder here whereas being at the airport I think I am less likely to get all emotional over it. Although I have no doubt in my mind that I will find it really difficult to say goodbye to them knowing I would have spent so much time with them if I was at home, but I know they love and support me and that they want these opportunities for me as much as I want them myself. That’s what unconditional family love is. And I am really gonna miss them and feel so sorry to say goodbye to them when I go but I know in my heart it will all be ok and that I will have such an amazing time and that they are used to life without me around everyday now so it’s not so much of a shock for me being away for so long.

Well thats all for now..."Catch up wid'ya later" (She's The Man,Lindsey Lohan) xxx