Too Much, Too Soon

The kitchen area is the metropolis of the third floor. It is the hallway that connects departments, and most importantly, the youth sales to the bathroom. In this kitchen sits four microwaves that all display different times, stacks of cups for the Starbucks coffee, empty creamer containers from Kristin's most important part of the morning, and the fridge teeming with overstuffed lunches.

On this fridge, perched just out of reach, standing proud and upright, is a romance novel circa 1980. I am not sure if it is sitting here because someone is too ashamed to claim the mullet-wearing woman on the cover, or if it is a joke, but it has found a home within the Celebration offices.

Too much...too soon. Move over, Jane Austen. Instant. Classic.

Baby, You Can Drive My Car

What is the sign of moving up in the world? Is it the ability to put on a power suit and not feel like you are playing dress up whenever you look in the mirror? Is it enjoying cocktail hour with actual cocktails? Is it needing a security badge to enter and exit a work building?

I think, perhaps, I have reached the apex of workforce. The creme de la creme, if you will.

I drove the company car.

Not so much a car, mind you, maybe a better word for it would be the company boat. The Youth Sales department drives a Suburban, easily the largest vehicle I have ever driven. This vehicle was chosen so that clients can sit comfortably in the backseat without having their personal bubble invaded.

We literally own the road. Or like to think we do, though the newly repaired bumper proves otherwise.

When I returned the car keys to Lorraine, I joked that it was a good thing the company car was not a Caddy. If it had been, the car and I would be missing, heading south, never to be seen again. Such is my desire to fulfill the lifelong desire of driving such a dream machine.

Well, as it turns out, the company car used to be a Cadillac. I was so close, and yet so far. Instead of the sleek and impressive build of elegance, I went fishing in the Youth Sales Boat. We are worms.

It was quite the experience, but I think at the end of the day, I would take Baby Belle any day.

The Disney Countdown

You can't come to Disney World unprepared. Not only do you need to make sure you pack a life into a suitcase (and puddles of SPF!) but a mental preparation as well.

In order to help Meghan get into the Disney mindset for her upcoming trip, I have been placing Disney television spots for her to watch from day ten to check in. Enjoy the final list in no particular order!

What's your personal favorite on the list (or, better yet, is there one off the list that is a personal favorite?)

A Man and a Mouse

"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing–

that it was all started by a mouse."

--Walt Disney

Do you hear the people sing?

The last time I worked in Disney World, I felt that I did not take advantage of all the opportunities offered. I told myself that if given another chance, I would do more with the company. Volunteer more. Play more. Laugh more. Do more.

And that chance came to fruition.

For the past two months, it has been quite the endeavor. I go to grocery bingo, I battle endless crowds at Wal-Mart, I play in the parks until 2 o'clock in the morning. Somewhere in between there I do work as well.

And...I attempt to be part of the Candlelight Processional Cast Choir, which I knew it would be a challenge. There are about 300 vocalists chosen per voice part, and the coveted spots are extremely limited.

This past Tuesday morning, two Youth Sales interns screamed with delight as they discovered they were both selected to partake in the cast choir this holiday season. This honor means that Kristin and I will be singing along with the guest narrator (as previously mentioned, will be Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi, Susan Lucci, to name a few) and will instill the Christmas spirit into every guest within hearing at the park.

The Cast Choir sings in the center of Epcot's stage, creating a tree of green robes. Each emerald-clad cast member solemnly holds a flickering candle. On either side of the tree formation are guest student choirs from across the country (all draped in a differentiating gold robe). Funnily enough, I help organize these group trips with Youth Sales!

NPH of Christmas Past

Each performance holds about 50 cast vocalists to create the tree, meaning that all of us will rotate shows. We should each sing in four to six performances, depending on voice part. Rumor has it we can have a top three choices for the shows we would be part of, and you can bet NPH will be number 1, number 2, and number 3 on my slot sheet.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of the 2011 Candlelight Processional. Though details are sparse at the moment, prepare for several updates as they become available!

An example of a past Candlelight Processional

Regina Girls Sing

This week will mark the Regina's first Young Alumnae Choir concert. Through the summer, girls from the graduating classes of 2006 through 2008 have been singing, commiserating, gossiping, eating, and back to singing. Needless to say, those were wonderful Monday nights (miss you, alto section!) It is amazing how the years apart have not changed these friendships or (more importantly for this event) the vocal arrangements.

Thursday's concert will host memorable songs that had previously been performed in Regina history, such as Les Choristes, Disney hits, and back by popular demand, Moses Hogan. There will also be Elton John classics among countless others. A little something for everyone!

This is a free event to the public held in Regina's auditorium Thursday at 8:00 p.m. Please support the bake sale in the foyer, where the all funds will benefit the RDHS Music Department.

Good luck lovely ladies, I know you will be magnificent.

If you are in the area, come listen to the fabulous Regina alumnae as they grace the stage once more and make the music come to life!

(click image to enlarge)

Tango with Tigger

Why is it that the work week seems to drag to a complete standstill, but when it comes to the weekends, blink and they are over? This weekend came and went faster than I could count the memories, but it was a winning 48 hours.

Naomi and Eeyore in the "Pooh-rade"

Saturday morning marked Naomi's birthday, where we went to a surprise breakfast at Crystal Palace. Though it started with the usual delicious fare of food, over the course of two hours it escalated to an absolute dance off between Pooh and friends.

When I say "Dance Off" I mean the characters actually gave their all and shook their tail feathers. They bounced, they jived, the Lindy hopped, they tangoed. After much deliberation, Eeyore was crowned winner of the Hundred Acre Woods Dancers, with a 3-1 vote. I, of course, felt it was my duty to place my vote with the best Tango partner Disney has to offer (he definitely proved that Tigers do not have two left feet!)

The characters not only danced and played along with our childish antics, but they constantly returned to our tables to enjoy our company, often pulling up a chair and listening to stories. They engaged and entertained, and probably found us mutually amusing.

It was a magical experience and hopefully made it a birthday Naomi would remember!

Right Down the Middle of Main Street, USA

Magic Kingdom at Friday "Magic Hours"

Magic Kingdom: beautiful anytime of the night, whether by sunshine or streetlight!

Total Bull

A few days ago, on the drive back home from a long day's work, I spotted something to the side of the road.

It was in the distance, and the brown blob appeared to have four legs and a long torso. Could it be?

"Look, a pony!" I exclaimed, as excited as a child at Christmas. Kristin turned to me, stunned into silence. Her look said it all. No. It was not a pony. Disappointed, I tried again.

While keeping my eyes on the road, I quickly did a double take. The animal was in closer view, and I noted the compact body frame, rather than the equine elegance. And something protruding from either side of its ears. Horns. Meaning...

"A goat?" I questioned. Kristin stared once more in disbelief. She had raised goats. Unlike myself, she knew her animals.

"It's a bull," she finally stated.

THESE are horns

What? The only bulls I have ever seen were those in Looney Tunes. Instead of majestic horns, there were tiny little nubs on their heads. I wanted the Scottish Highland cow horns here in Orlando, but there was nothing of the kind.

I am waiting to see a real bull. Until then, these are just ugly, ugly ponies.

Judy Garland: Walk the Walk

JUDY GARLAND WAS HERE! Kind of...

Though Judy was unfortunately not able to leave her mark outside of Hollywood Studio's Oriental Theatre (not to worry-- Liza did) she did leave behind the Ruby Slippers!

Does this count as a degrees of separation?

Young Hearts Run FREE

As recent college graduates, we love free things. It seems to be ingrained into our very being, instilled into every strand of DNA. We cherish each free pencil, embrace lumpy free pillows, dream of free food.

Eeyore has the right idea

It is a way of life. The transition from broke college student to cash-strapped young professional has not been easy, especially with outlet malls around every corner (curse you VS, Express and NY& Co outlets!)

Any chance of free or discounted items is seen as a God-send. Free food? Yes. Free hugs? Yes. Buy one, get one free? Not so much.

On Friday morning, the Youth Sales interns huddled into the individual cubicles to prepare for a full day ahead, when a new message popped into our email box: Free Posters in the Resource Center of the Celebration building.

Kristin and Stephanie had the right idea of booking it downstairs. I thought it wouldn't be a big deal, maybe one or two cutesy little posters, nothing fancy. I have never been more mistaken.

We should have known something was amiss by the hoards of people anxiously waiting for the elevator doors to open. And when they ran to the stairwell, we knew this was big.

Free posters of a movie and show I have never seen.

The Poster Give-away was the most organized free-giveaway possible. It wove in and out of the entire Resource Center, utilizing all six (rather enormous) rooms. It was a battle to tooth-and-nail to get the good ones. And yes, it was a vast majority of recent college graduates serving as interns. Desperate times call for desperate measures. If only we had been Miley Cyrus or Sorcerer's Apprentice fans, as those seemed to be the only posters untouched.

Though we arrived shortly after the 9:30 email went out (Lord help you if you arrive an hour later!) most were picked over when we got our place. However, we did managed to pick up a few good posters. Kristin and I begged for Enchanted posters, and I also brought home a few others to adorn our living room wall.

The tales of Land of the Free doesn't end there, however. There is a part two of the (now) obsession of all things complimentary, and it's name is Grocery Bingo.

Last night, Disney Housing provided College Program, International Program, and Professional Interns the opportunity to win groceries with Bingo.

It is a good concept in theory, but not so much in practice. Kristin and I spent two hours of our lives attempting to beat the 90% of participants that were International Program kids, but to no avail. The quest for free items wore out and we walked away empty-handed.

I am very bitter. Next time I plan on using my Certamen skills to swat out the competition.

Decades Dining

After Thursday's phone debacle, we needed a break from reality. From the office. From people. From being blamed for not knowing how to use a pager. What did we do?

Took the best (and tastiest) time machine offered in Disney's Hollywood Studios, of course! Eating at the Sci-Fi Diner was as good as entering the fabulous fifties! The dim lighting sets the mood as you are placed in the compact seats of a car while watching a few science fiction movies on the large overhead drive-in lot. Of the three car rows, we sat in the last one, being the "hitchhikers" of the car.

The room was silent as guests watched the overhead movies flash before their eyes. Kristin and I were amazed by the constant need for the vintage story lines to entail people either from outer space, from the deep blue sea, a fifty foot human, or, better yet, all three.

Our lovely server, Martha, made our evening fabulous with a dessert courtesy of Mickey Mouse. Magic happens every day, and this day was one where we could have used all the help possible!

Apocalypse Now

Picture this scenario:

It's a calm, collected, quiet Thursday afternoon, with the Orlando breeze rustling through the trees. A storm is brewing outside.

Along with inside the halls of the Youth Sales department.

It seems to be a normal day. Interns scurrying about in an attempt to look occupied. Managers restlessly watching the clock until the prearranged event for all Marketing departments in the late afternoon away from the office.

The prearranged event that changed everything. It was meant to be a celebration of what the company had accomplished, as well as a look toward the future goals. Instead, it left a horrid path in its wake.

At least in the eyes of the three new interns.

During the normal day, one person watches the youth phone hotline in the morning, and one in the afternoon. It's never been a painful experience before. Sometimes it is actually quite cheery (where else can you end a call with "Have a magical day!" without sounding insane?!) Until, that is, all the supervisors and managers leave for the afternoon event thinking that the two other departments we worked with were staying behind from the event.

However, these other two departments were gone, with the others, to enjoy the festivities, leaving all their potential phone calls to funnel into the Youth Sales Hotline.

And the Youth Hotline was manned by three lowly interns, in a state of panic, as call after call rolled in with impossible questions and few solutions.

Three hours later, and countless phone messages to every Manager blackberry on our list, we managed to survive. Excruciating? Yes. Terrifying? Yes. Downright memorable? Oh Yes.

We survived!

Ugly Ducklings

Swan Family in Downtown Orlando

Like a Bolt out of the Blue

I absolutely love working in Disney World. Where else do you have the option to go sit on the beach with friends and watch a gorgeous fireworks show every night?

Terrible Two: fun and fancy free

On Monday evening, after a long day of filing papers and taking magical phone calls, it was decided that the perfect end to the evening needed to take place at the Poynesian Resort. So off we went, getting lost along the way, until we sat in the comfortable beach chairs, pineapple drinks in hand, waiting for Jiminy Cricket's spiel.

The fireworks show, Wishes, is one of my favorite things in Disney World. Whether it is the first time seeing it, or the hundredth, it is breathtaking. How the Magic Kingdom continues to amaze with this spectacular event every night is beyond me. I think what makes such an impact on my viewing of the show is how it affects others. During the show young and young at heart alike watch in wonderment, and listen with rapt attention (not to mention the many tears that are shed during the 15 minute show!)

Nothing can ruin Wishes. The only downside to our time on the beach was the music did not play (though I have heard it usually does, so this may have just been a singular malfunction). We were on beach chairs that partially obscured the already tiny castle (Cinderella lives on the other side of the Lagoon), but really nothing can block the fireworks that lit up the entire sky.

Take a night to make a wish, and do as dreamers do-- and all your wishes will come true!

Winnie Weekend

Every single one of us, once upon a time, watched Winnie the Pooh. And cherished every moment of it. We loved his antics, his friends, his constant obsession with honey. It was the best toy story before Pixar came along and changed the game.

What's a girl to do when Winnie completes a new installment to the animated collection? Go see it with the 5-year-olds of course!

I have to admit. It was beyond adorable. There was a short film featuring Nessie the Loch Ness Monster that tugged at the heartstrings, and then the audience was taken for a lovely adventure with Christopher Robin and friends. The plot is constant, with Pooh always searching for honey, but showing importance of friendship at the same time. Personally, I think Piglet stole the show (he is so pint-sized and cute!)

Winnie...Professional and Attempted

We had played in Hollywood Studios for the day, and when running into Animation Studios to escape a torrential downpour, discovered that we arrived just in time to take part in the animation class. And who did we draw?

Winnie. Of course.

In this half hour art class, we were taken step by step through completing an animated character from beginning to end. Whoever guessed the character, kept the instructor's drawing.

With Kristin's help, I won a much better drawing than I could ever manage. Let's just say I should never leave my profession to become an artist.

Chip and Dale Dancers

Friday night usually means dancing somewhere. Anywhere. Why not at the Magic Kingdom, with some of your favorite characters? Children and adults alike joined the chipmunks (and Stitch) in Tomorrowland to get their dance on!

CAUTION: They WILL be better dancers than you, and are not afraid to prove it. Don't tempt them with a dance off!

The Mighty Cubicle Mascots

Pierre and Stuart, like their owners, always hard at work

Let me introduce you to Kristin and my personal muses. Meet Pierre and Stuart. We stumbled upon these adorable dinos as we were searching for additional writing instruments. When we opened past intern desks, we discovered these little guys and felt it necessary to rescue them from cruel abandonment.

We hurriedly transported them into our cubicles, where they now reside on our bordering wall, the constant communicators between us, as there is still a ban on indoor carrier pigeons.

Pierre and Stuart's main diet consists of Worther's and coffee, with Pierre preferring blackest black and Stuart wimping out and pouring countless Mini Moo creamers into his coffee.

All in all...welcome to the productivity that is Kristin and my morning "desk time."

Two guys, two pianos...a whole lot of Billy Joel

This past weekend, we journeyed over to the Boardwalk's Jellyrolls, a dueling piano bar in the area. By the time we arrived, it seemed that every available inch of space was taken up, with both tourists and area locals alike.

The pianists were talented beyond belief, one minute having the audience sing along to power ballads of Journey, and the next minute the room teemed with laughter at their attempt to spew as many TV theme songs possible in under five minutes.

Nervous music purveyors ventured towards the pianos and deposited slips of napkins that revealed song requests (and often a bit of green) before being reviewed by the pianists. Of course, this all happened while they continued playing and singing without pause. Or, in the case of many songs, the piano men were also apt to beat box and play the tambourine. Maybe they should try some more cowbell?

Off to Jellyrolls

I knew we would be off to a good night when we entered to a rendition of "The Wild Rover" (Get your Irish on!) and then a bachelorette party proceeded to send the soon-to-be bride up on stage to show off her Irish dance skills.

Though there may have been an overabundance of Johnny Cash and Jimmy Buffett that night (I can only take Ring of Fire so many ways) it was a fun evening from beginning to end.

Recommendations: get there early. Keep an eye out for tables. Don't trust the popcorn. And if a 45 year old man asks to buy you a drink, promptly leave the vicinity.

The Randy Saga: Part II

We thought it was over.

We thought the chapter of our lives involving Randy was complete.

We thought wrong.

When the three interns entered the office in the early morning (no one really talks before the third or fourth cup of coffee) we were greeted by the cheerful manager that had previously mentioned her friendship with Randy (click here to read the first Randy newsflash). She exclaimed that after we put our bags down, she had something to show us.

We knew. Oh, we knew. It was Randy news.

And what news it was. We were shown her wedding album, which, when opened, revealed the manager's personal photos of the dress, her ceremony, her reception. It was all extremely lovely, but I was a bit confused why she was showing it to us. I mean, of course, beautiful pictures, but confused nonetheless.

But then, she pointed it out. One of her guests was a much younger and long-haired Randy. Not just Randy though, but a Randy that looked like he had just finished gracing the latest romance novel cover. It was AMAZING. I wish with my entire heart I could have taken a picture of it. I would never have believed it otherwise.

Another Randy secret: complete. The only step to be completed next would be to meet him in person. Cross your fingers!