OMG I FORGOT TO SHARE THIS STORY

One day I was working in Tomorrowland and it was a rainy day. I was doing a trash run in front of the Lunching Pad when a family— a mom, dad, and a little princess named Claire, walks up to me and asks if the 3:00 parade will happen even if it’s raining. I told them no, but the Rainy Day parade would take its place if there wasn’t any lightening in the area.

After talking about the Rainy Day Parade, they started asking me questions about the park, like how many cast members are there, is there really an underground area for CM’s, etc. They also wanted to know if Disney had given me the rain gear I was wearing or if I had to buy it myself. For those who don’t know, our rain gear is just a clear rain coat. My first thought was to tell them that Costuming had given it to me, but instead, the conversation went like this:

Me: Actually, I noticed earlier that it looked like it might rain, so I went to the three Good Fairies from Sleeping Beauty and I asked them if they could make me a raincoat.

Mom: Oh, Sleeping Beauty is one of Claire’s favorite movies!

Claire : Did you really get to meet real fairies?

Me: Yes! They make our costumes all the time! Fauna asked me if I wanted my rain coat to be a certain color but I told her no because I knew Flora and Merryweather would fight over whether it should be pink or blue.

She thought it was the coolest thing ever! She asked me other questions like if they can use magic or if they have to sew everything by hand. I told her that the only time they’re allowed to use magic is when they’re making clothes. The look on her face was totally priceless!

When our conversation ended and the family started to walk away, the father stayed behind with me and waited until Claire was out of earshot. He then told me how much he had appreciated how imaginative I was. I thanked him and told him that it was my favorite part of my job. He then said, “It’s people like you who make us want to come back here the most. I wish Claire always had someone like you in her life. We adopted her about two years ago and she hasn’t had the best childhood up until now, but people like you make up for that. Thank you for everything you do.”

That right there is what makes me miss my job the most. All I did was make up a story as I went along about my stupid rain coat, and this guy ends up telling me I’ve made an impact on his child.

That’s real magic.

My Disney College Program

A year ago today I got my acceptance letter for the Disney College Program. At the time, I had an idea of what I was getting myself into: I knew I was going to work long hours, learn to become self sufficient, meet people from many different walks of life, and make a lot of memories. Beyond that, I wasn’t sure what the program had in store for me.

What I got was so much more than I expected.

I saw a more confident side of myself, I made the Magic Kingdom my home, and I met some of the best people (friends, guests, and coworkers alike) that I will ever have the pleasure of meeting. I worked hard and played even harder. I became unafraid of approaching complete strangers, I learned my limits, and learned to cope with homesickness. I fell in love with the music of Main Street, went inside the Cinderella Castle Suite, became a voluntEAR, and was okay with only getting five hours of sleep every night. I reminded little girls of the princess inside of them, I saw Tinkerbell fly almost every night, I sang along to the Wishes exit music, and I even danced during a parade or two. But ultimately, I became a little more comfortable in my own skin, I learned to take pride in a job that others disparage, I made a whole lot of magic, and most importantly, I fulfilled an enormous dream of mine.

as an opportunity to show people that there is still magic in the world. I took a lot of pride in putting on a costume and being able to call myself a cast member because there was so much gratification in seeing a guest’s face light up because of something I did. Walt Disney once said, “It takes people to make the dream a reality.” I am so grateful for this invaluable experience and I am so proud to have been a part of making his dream a reality.

"Be our guest, our command is your request"

My roommate just made a reservation at the Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom for her birthday!! I’m so excited to eat at this GORGEOUS restaurant!!!

(Also, I realize that I'm updating this blog a lot before I actually get to Florida, but I figured this was worth mentioning because I'm really excited!)