We're almost halfway there!

     I know I know, I'm like 2 weeks late on this. I'm sorry!!! But I've been really busy with work, and there hasn't been a WHOLE lot of interesting stuff to write about. But, I have a day off today and a few things on my mind so let the fun begin!!

     So I've been working a lot. Like a LOT. I finally got into the swing of things and into a routine and boy is my schedule booked!!! I work 5 days a week every week and on my two days off I try really hard to do as much as I can and experience as much as I can. Mostly still it's going to the parks with whoever may have the time to do so that day. Work is nice, but I'm starting to realize it's not for me. While I do love my job still and I adore the people I work with, I would much rather be in a different role with the company. I am a people person. I love talking and making people happy. The whole premise of what Disney is trying to do is right up my ally! But as a lifeguard, almost all of that is thrown out the window. Disney's number 1 priority in all aspects of the company is safety. Safety for us, for the guests, everyone and everything is first and foremost SAFE. So working in a predominantly safety oriented role, leaves little room for anything else. Some examples: We watch our water and nothing else. If a guest comes up to you on stand you watch your water. You can glance their way and speak to them but eyes on the water at all times. If they need help that requires you to move or look away for too long it's "I'm sorry, let me call my coordinator to assist you with this. I have to remain at my post." You wanna help them out and make their day magical? Too bad bro. Your boss gets to do it. Almost all of our guest interaction is negative. "Get off his shoulders." "Don't go down the slide that way" "Get your drink out of the pool" etc etc. I'm not saying this isn't how lifeguards should be! This is most definitely the proper way to do your job and stay vigilant. I'm just saying I don't like it for myself. I want to be interacting with people, helping them and making them happy. Making moments for them that may stay with them forever. And while saving someone's life would definitely be a lasting memory for a guest, it probably won't be the highlight of their vacation. I mean it wouldn't be for me!!

     On the brighter side of things, I'm making tons of friends!! While me and Julia are basically attached at the hip when we have the time to be, sometimes (most of the time) we have conflicting schedules and have to find other people to entertain us. I have found the love of my life down here in Disney and he's the best gay boyfriend I could ever ask for!!! Anthony Lucchesi is the most fabulous guy, and we share a love for all things Disney that goes so far as spending the rest of our lives here. When our boyfriends can't handle our massive amount of Disney enthusiasm we turn to one another! Yesterday we went and met Anna and Elsa and totally fan girled out together!! It was "Literally like the best ever, like omg I can't. Hashtag dying/crying here! Basically." And unfortunately I'm pretty sure that exact sentence was said by both of us at least 3 times yesterday.  Judge us if you dare.  I'm also making lots of work friends! It may or may not be because I have a car and they don't, but hey I'll take what I can get.

Yes, I do know I'm wearing the same outfit I met Gaston in. Sue me. 

If this doesn't describe our friendship, then I don't know what does. 

     This past week was really special because my wonderful mommy came to visit me!!!! Her and her friend/my surrogate grandmother Lynne came down on Tuesday and spent several days with me. I got to take them to all the parks and we had a blast!! I really missed my mom and she came at the perfect time! Seeing her made my homesickness a lot better. Unfortunately they left a couple days ago and hopped on a cruise to the Bahamas for 5 days!!! Ugh so jealous. But I have to pick them up from the cruise so I'll see them again for a day when they get back! :)

WARNING: Sappy romantic relationship stuff ahead. The possibility of hurling from the sweetness is very high! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
     So tomorrow is a big day. It's mine and Lou's one year anniversary. One year ago tomorrow, he took me out to the pasture by his house overlooking horses, and in the dorkiest, cutest, most Louis way possible, asked me to be his girlfriend. I had no idea that today we'd be where we are. Hundreds of miles away from each other trying to make a long distance relationship the best it can be. It's been a really hard transition considering we spent the first 10 months of our relationship seeing each other basically every day. Before I left for Disney the longest we had gone without seeing each other was a week! It's been tough to adjust to this new lifestyle, but we're making it work. Luckily, I found one of the good ones, and I know I have nothing to worry about while I'm away. That and I have the joys of coming from a small college town where nothing can be done without getting back to me from someone. MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Ok, but seriously, he's been absolutely amazing about this. He's so supportive, and not once has gotten frustrated or mad at me for deciding to move 3 states away for 4 months. He's even amazing when I have my hormonal girl freak out moments, and I think everyone's forgetting about me. He makes it all better and sticks with me through it all. Including when I rant to him about Disney stuff and he has NO idea what I'm talking about!! Basically, I'm the luckiest girl in the world. While it really sucks that I can't be with him on our anniversary, he's coming to visit me in just 5 days and we can celebrate then!!! And yes, I am making him wear the anniversary Disney buttons with me everywhere we go!!! Hehehehe. :) I love you Louis, and I can't wait to see you!!! Happy Anniversary Shnookums!! ;P


     Ok well on that note, I think that's enough for this post! So basically, I'm still loving it down here and having the time of my life!! That's certainly not going to change. I do still miss everyone like crazy though. But I'm just about half way done with my program now, so it won't be long till I'm reunited with my wonderful home!! But until next time...

Peace, Love, and Pixie Dust,
Amy Dousay :)

Love the Thunder, Hate the Rain

     This week I experienced my first Florida summer storm. For those of you who know Florida pretty well then you know what I'm talking about. For those of you (like me) who had no clue that the Sunshine State can be everything but sunny, let me fill you in!! Apparently Florida gets just about as much rain as it does sun! How is this relevant you ask? Well you see, Disney pools have very specific rules for weather closures. The pools will only close if there is thunder/lightening or if it's raining so hard that the guards can't clearly see the bottom of the pool. I would assume if it's raining that hard there will also be thunder and/or lightening. So anyway I experienced pretty much all of this, this week. Wednesday is when it first started. I went into work at 3:45 and it was a a huge storm! Lightening, thunder, and rain so hard you couldn't even see the top of the pool, much less the bottom!! Perfect conditions for a lifeguards favorite thing, a weather closure!!! Yay!!!! So we got to sit around and relax a little, play some arcade games with some kids, and stay for the most part dry. Well, unfortunately storms here aren't like in Louisiana where it hits and then a few minutes later it's all sun and shine again. Nooooo the bad part settles in for a few hours and then all the conditions for a pool closure went away.  BUT the rain stuck around. Yay... :/  So it's raining just enough for us to get soaked to the bone but not quite hard enough for us to keep the pool closed. It held off all of Thursday which was awesome because I got out of work (that's a whole different story), but Friday it started up again. Go figure. Well all morning it was a thunder storm so the pool was closed. Well guess who didn't go into work till 3:45 again?? Yep you guessed it! Me. And guess what happened at 4? The thunder stopped!!! Big high five to anyone who can tell me what DIDN'T stop at 4.....anyone?? THE RAIN!!!!!! So I got to sit in the rain all night again. Yay me. Woohoo. And we aren't even done with the week yet!!! Well yesterday I go in at 4:15 and it is FREEZING!!!! Well like 66 degrees which in Florida is freezing!!! Luckily I went to costuming before my shift and got lifeguard pants and a jacket. Unfortunately as the sun went down so did the temperature. And what else happened?? IT STARTED RAINING AGAIN!!!!! It was cold and wet and awful and I couldn't have been happier to get off work last night and cuddle up with my giraffe in bed. So that, my friends, is why we love the thunder but hate the rain.

     On a much happier note, as I mentioned earlier, I got out of work on Thursday!! I got what at Disney is called an ER. No I was not rushed to the hospital. ER stands for Early Release. Ok so an extra person is scheduled to work for every shift in case someone calls in sick or doesn't show up or something like that, and when all the people come in then someone gets to go home. Well most of the time no one wants to because you're already there and you want the money. So Thursday everyone showed up and no one wanted the ER so I happily took it!! I was supper excited about this because I then got to go spend the day at Hollywood Studios with some of my new friends! This was extra special because Thursday was the 25th anniversary celebration of the park!!! It was sooooo cool and I got to see the motorcade of characters which doesn't happen anymore, and special show, sing Let It Go to a huge crowd of people who thought I was insane/drunk, and see the most amazing fireworks show I have EVER seen. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it!!! I was so honored to be apart of such a historical Disney day and boy was I glad I got the ER!!! Pictures of my wonderful evening bellow!!

Look at me Belle!!!!!

Oh what up Ariel?! Hey can I borrow your dinglehopper?? Your hair looks fab.

Two of my favorite super heroes!! 

He was legitimately scary. 

My boss and his bae. 

Captain Jack!!! Where's the rum?!

                                         

    It was such a magical experience to be a part of and I hope it's just the first of many!! And that brings me to another topic I've been wanting to talk about. My friend Anthony and I discussed this on Thursday and I've been asked this question a lot so I thought I'd just go a head and share with everyone. "Amy, has working at Disney ruined that Magic for you?" We hear a lot about the Disney magic and as a guest you don't really think about how that affects the workers. I've been asked this a lot and the answer is really very simple. No. Working here at Disney has not ruined the magic for me. If anything it has made me appreciate it more!! I will however say that it has definitely CHANGED the magic for me.  Now not only do I see and appreciate everything that goes into making these magical moments for everyone, but there is also this whole new kind of Disney magic that I've been introduced to that revolves around the cast members. When you meet a cast member or someone who has been one, they're going to feel one of two ways about working for the Mouse. It's a classic either you love it or you hate it situation. Some people see the big picture and know they are a smaller piece of that and they love that and feel special and a part of something bigger than themselves that makes thousands of people happy every day. Then you have some people who don't think that way and they don't like the way things are ran or maybe they just got unlucky and had a bad location or leader or co-workers and it just tainted the whole thing for them. Very few people come out of it and say "Yeah it was all right. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either!" I personally fall into the first group, and because I think that way I've discovered the magic that is the Disney company. And I love it!! Disney runs this ship tight and in such an efficient way, yet always keeps the cast members in mind and, to me anyway, it feels like they really have our best interests at heart. Granted we are only on week 4 here so I may completely change on this, but so far I love this place not only for the fun but for the company too. And no, the magic has not been ruined!

     So there has been a lot of ups and downs this week. Luckily today at work the weather was nice, I didn't have to jump in the pool, and I was at my favorite location! So I'm sitting here at midnight having just gotten off a 7 hour shift, ending this blog on a happy note! Because while I may be having some serious homesickness episodes and a few bad days at work, I am still in the happiest place on Earth having the time of my life!! So until next time....


Peace, Love, and Pixie Dust,
Amy Dousay :)

Let's go to the BEACH-each, let's go get away!!

     Week number 3 down!! That's right people this is my THIRD week here!! I can hardly believe it! Ya know it's actually kind of a strange feeling. Have you ever felt like there was a moment sooooooooooo long ago but really it was only a shot while ago? And then you think about it again and at the same time it feels like it was just yesterday? That's what this feels like. It seems like it was months ago that my friends threw me a going away party, and my last girls night with my favorite ladies, and the moment I said goodbye to Lou, but at the same time it feels like it was just yesterday that I arrived in Orlando!! It's all so strange, but I'm enjoying every second of it. Including this week!!

     So I talked a lot about my lifeguard journey in my last post, and informed everyone that I was an official licensed Disney lifeguard. Well.....I was wrong. I still had some training and testing to do this week but GOOD NEWS!!!!! Now I am an official licensed Disney lifeguard!! Yay we'll just celebrate again!!!! Woohoooo!!!!! So yeah Wednesday I had my last set of tests, what they call 'KAPA', and became 100% officially a lifeguard and FINALLY done with training!!!! I think I was more excited to be done with training than to actually become a lifeguard. Well Thursday was my first real shift and it was fantastic!!!! I was really worried coming into this that I wouldn't have a chance to experience the guest interactions that Disney is so famous for. I thought that as a lifeguard I would only really be interacting with people who were either injured/needed help or those that were breaking rules and pissed at me for stopping them. Thankfully, it didn't take me long at all to realize that I was completely wrong!! I get to see happy little kids play in the water and have a blast on the slide. I get to see the relief in the parents knowing they can relax for a few minutes while their kids are preoccupied. With all the concern I had about doing my job and making sure I knew everything I needed to know, I completely forgot that being in the pool is some of the best times for a lot of people, and I get a front row seat for all of it! So needless to say, so far I'm loving my job. :)
     Oh and one more note on the lifeguard side of things. I have a request to make to all parents out there. Please, for the sanity of the lifeguards watching your kids DO NOT let them play "I'm gonna lay face down like a dead/unconscious person and see how long I can hold my breath". IT IS THE MOST NERVE RACKING THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, in my first day alone I encountered like at least 10 kids doing this. I don't know if it gets easier to spot as you get more experienced, but my heart stopped SEVERAL times Thursday watching kids play this. Also, that is a sign we are trained to spot and respond to without even thinking about it. So if you don't want us jumping in after your kid and causing a commotion and embarrassing you and your child then just don't let them do it!!!! Ok, rant over.

     Ok let's get happy again!!! But not "Happy, Happy, Happy" because this blog is about Disney and last I checked they don't own A&E. But, anywho!! After I passed my final tests Wednesday, me and Julia went and celebrated with an evening at Magic Kingdom!! Since we've seen Wishes already and will probably see it several times in the next few months we took advantage of the short wait times and rode several popular rides during the show. It was great!! We then caught the late Electric Parade which was great because there were a fraction of the people that watch the first showing of it. This is also where I met my future husband, Prince Charming. You think I'm kidding? HA!! Nope totally serious here people!! He waved/pointed to me and Julia like 10 times during the parade. Even when he was so far away he could barely see us!!! Yep, it's true love. Cindy needs to get her blonde butt up out of my castle. New princess on the block!!


Ok so maybe it's a little blurry, but you can totally tell he's pointing right at me and saying "You, I want you!!" I mean duh.

 
Hello you gorgeous man. *Insert that heart eyed emoji several times here*


Oh and there is a lot of other cool stuff in the parade too!!! 


She's leaving the castle because she knows it's mine now...

 
Oh what up Alice?!

 
OMG THEY HAVE A 'Pete's Dragon' FLOAT THAT IS LIKE THE BEST MOVIE EVER.

 
Pete was happy to pose for my photos. Thanks bud! We're totally bros now.

 
And this would definitely be Lou's favorite float!!

And the week doesn't end there!!! That was only Wednesday! Friday me and Julia both had the same day off. That's the first time that's happened since we started working!! So we decided to do something new. We went to the beach!!!! Cocoa Beach to be exact. It was SOOOO nice and the weather was perfect! We tanned on the beach for a few hours, splashed in the water and then did some shopping!! We visited the original Ron Jon Surf Shop!! That place is HUGE!!!! It's a two story building covering almost an entire block. Luckily I had absolutely no money or I would have blown it all there. Didn't get any pictures of that, but me and Julia took a TON at the beach!! Enjoy and be jealous. :)

 Now it's time to sit and wait for our burns to heal...


     Ok so let's back track a little bit shall we? Last Sunday was Easter as you all know. It was a really hard time for me because not only did I have to work all day, but it fell just around the time that my homesickness was kicking into high gear. It being Easter just made it worse. 3 weeks. I've never been that long without seeing my mother. Since me and Lou started dating we've never been apart that long. I've never even been that long without seeing at least 1 of my best friends!! It's getting really hard being away from everyone I love and I've still got over 3 moths left. Last night was Kappa Delta's formal and I about had a breakdown because I couldn't be there with them. I have this awful fear that everyone's just going to forget about me. That I'm going to come back in august and everything is going to be completely different. What if my group of best friends falls apart? What if my sisters just throw me to the side and forget me? What if Lou finds someone else? Now logically I know these fears are completely irrational and just plain dumb. But lot's of fears aren't logical or warranted but we still have them.  People are still afraid of sharks even though more people are killed by dogs and horses every year. People are afraid to fly even though it's proven to be the safest mode of transportation. I think what I'm trying to convey here is two things. 1.) To my friends and family back home: I love and miss you all and please don't forget about me while I'm away. 2.) To the people currently on or going to be doing the Disney College Program: It's ok to be homesick and to be afraid of what's waiting for you back home. It's normal and natural and we all go through it in one way or another. Just know you're not alone!!

     So yeah, there's my sad depressing rant for the week. Sorry about it people!! But it's my blog and I can cry if I want to!!! Well I think that's enough for now. Hopefully enough exciting stuff will happen for me to post once a week from now on, but no promises. I'm still getting into the swing of things here and I might end up not having a ton of time to write. And of course I want to keep everyone on their toes!! Muahaha!!! I'm just evil, I know. But until next time...


Peace, Love, and Pixie Dust,
Amy Dousay :)

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To Work We Go!!!

     Well it's now almost been 2 weeks since I checked in here at Disney and have been living in the Sunshine State!! There has been so much that has been going on and tons I want to tell everyone about! But no worries, I won't keep you here forever. I mean this is a blog right? Not a book? Ok good, so I'll keep it simple. Well simple-ish. ;)

     Ok so lets start off with the big news!! I am officially a licensed lifeguard with Ellis & Associates for the Disney World properties!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!! Like seriously there in no way to express in written words how excited this makes me. It was a SUPER rough 3 days of class and for it to have come to an end with great news couldn't have made me any happier. Seriously it was rough!! I learned CPR for adults, children, and infants, I learned several different water rescues including those for spinal injuries and unconscious guests, several first aid techniques, how to use an oxygen tank, and how to safely use an AED (that's basically a mini defibrillator) on adults, children, and infants. We had tests on all of this including a long written test!! IN 3 DAYS PEOPLE!!!! It was not easy. But, not to toot my own horn, *toot toot* I was one of the best in the class. I know shocking right?! I just really enjoyed it and loved getting to learn this stuff!! I feel so honored to have been chosen for this role. I don't know if everyone who reads my blog has ever checked out the different jobs that CPs can get but there is a wide range. Including things like custodial, and housekeeping, and merchandising which is a fancy way of saying you sell stuff. I'm not saying these aren't important roles. They are! The show couldn't happen without every single one of them!! But to have been chosen as a lifeguard over all of that just makes me feel really good. One of my instructors of the lifeguard class said something that really made it feel real. He said, "At the end of the day being a lifeguard is a lot like being a surgeon. If you don't do your job right someone could die." ....wow. Like seriously WOAH. That really resonated with me. In all likelihood I will never actually use most of the things I was taught. I mean I really hope I never have to use those skills!! But the point is that I COULD do it. I  could save someone's life if the situation did arise. Now I know I'm no doctor and I'm not trying to make this sound like some glorious amazing thing that was bestowed upon me. I'm just really really happy with my role and some people come here and hate what they do. So I feel very very lucky. :)
   
     Unfortunately, after I leave the program my license is revoked. Apparently the class they gave us was very specific to certain regulations that Disney has that restricts lifeguards from doing certain things. So while we are licensed for here at Disney, we were not taught everything needed to have a full license. What I understood from it was that it's a big liability thing. With what we know and the protocol we have to follow, it protects us in the case of a lawsuit or any legal situation. I swear ya'll Disney doesn't cut corners anywhere!! They really have not only the guest's, but also the cast member's best interest at heart. Also, these classes are super expensive. Not only did Disney pay for the classes, but we got paid for taking the classes!! So technically Disney owns our licenses. Hey I ain't complaining though! I can take the class again if I wanna be a lifeguard back home. No biggie.  

     OK enough of all that serious stuff!! Ugh! So along with my lifeguard classes I had a couple other orientations/classes. All of the roles at WDW are divided into categories basically. Lifeguard is in the Recreation category and I had to take a 8 hour class on that. Talk about BBOOOORRRRIIINNNNGGG. But the instructors were cool so that made it a lot better. I also found out that along with working at Animal Kingdom Lodge I will also be located at Coronado Springs Resort. Those two are in the same "Region" so I'll be getting trained for both! Every place you work has specific orientations for that resort/park. For example, Julia is working at a restaurant at Hollywood Studios therefore she had an orientation on all of Hollywood Studios. Make sense? Well because I'm working at two resorts I will have two orientations. I already had mine for Coronado Springs and will be starting my on the job training there Sunday! The class was awful but the resort is absolutely gorgeous!!! It's Central American themed with lots of gorgeous architecture and beautiful colors. There are some seriously amazing restaurants and the pool is SO COOL!!!!! It's got this huge Mayan temple replica that has an enormous waterfall down the middle and a 123ft slide!!! It's the only pool at the resort that's guarded and I'm SO excited to work at it!!! My orientation for Animal Kingdom Lodge is on Tuesday so you guys will just have to wait for the next post to hear about how amazing that place is. I may or may not have an entire post dedicated to figuring out what I'm naming the 6 giraffes they have there.  
                                                                 You think I'm kidding....

     Oh oh oh!!!! I almost forgot!!! I also got my costume!! YAY PICTURES!!!!! Ok so it's not the most amazing outfit in the world but I promise it's by far the best one at Disney. They're very serious about their costumes (never to be referred to as uniforms) and I'm lucky tho have this one because they can get pretty crazy with some other roles.

Please excuse the mirror pic. No one was home to take it for me!
Also, how hot are those sexy cargo shorts?! #SoFrat

I get this really cool hat too. Like seriously who wouldn't want me to save their lives?! Like foreal. ;)


Julia got pretty lucky with hers too!! I mean those pants could be a little more tailored, but hey let's not get picky here! She has little aliens all over her shirt. Who wouldn't want that?!? Pizza Planet perks.

     Speaking of Julia!!! Ya'll I got SOOOOOO extremely lucky finding this girl. She is seriously like the best roommate ever!!! So Tuesday was one of her days off and I had lifeguard class from 8-5. So I come home and not only are all the dishes done (the dishes that I used on lunch break and didn't have time to wash) but she had also done some of my laundry for me AND had dinner ready. WHAT?!?! She's gonna make a great housewife one day. BOYS SHE'S SINGLE!!!!!! ;D But really I almost cried. The key to having an amazing experience in the College Program is having a good living situation to come home to every night, and rooming with Julia just makes everything easier!! Not only can I come home and know I can relax at the end of a long day, but I also have someone to tell everything too! I can tell her about the super sexy lifeguard instructor and crazy orientation leaders and she can gush to me about the hot guys she works with and how she stalks them at work. Hehehe! ;) But seriously she has definitely become one of my best friends. :) LOVE YOU!!!!!

     So all in all my 2nd week here has been a total success!! I start really working next week so you'll hear all about that next time. Also, the homesickness is starting to creep in so get ready for some tears! Well I mean you won't be able to see them...but they'll definitely be there!! I'm having so much fun here though, and it's really nice having so many people back home actually interested in how I'm doing. Ya'll this page reached over 700 views with my last post!! That's amazing to me!! So from the bottom of my heart, thank you guys. It means a lot to know that people care and miss me as much as I miss them. But until next time...


Peace, Love, and Pixie Dust,
Amy Dousay :)

   

Now The Fun Begins!!! My First Week at Disney :)

     Well the day that I have anticipated for the last 6 months has finally come and gone!! It's been a crazy week that I am so excited to fill everyone in on. CHECK IN!!!!! And boy do I have a lot to tell ya'll!!!

     Ok so lets go back a ways. You all know about Julia, my fabulous roommate I found on Facebook and, until this week, had never met. Well I finally got to meet her last Saturday!! And boy did I find a gem! We hit it off immediately and became besties super fast. Saturday we met up in Downtown Disney with our moms. We ate lunch at a wonderful Italian restaurant that I just can't think of the name of right now! After eating and a little exploring of Downtown Disney (which is absolutely fabulous btw you should totally check it out) the 4 of us decided we wanted to explore Disney but really didn't want to spend a whole lot of money. Which you would totally do getting into the parks!! So naturally we went.....RESORT HOPPING!!!! :D :D :D Wait....you don't know what this is?? Really?! OK well let me fill you in. Disney has God-only-knows-how-many resorts on the Disney World property that all have different themes and things to do and see. They also provide free transportation from all resorts to all parks and Downtown Disney. So from where we were, we took a ferry to a resort and checked it out. Got bored there so took a bus to a park, where we immediately got on the monorail to another resort. After spending some time there took another ferry somewhere then we got back on a bus or a monorail and so on and so forth and you get my point. Well it was a total blast and mom ended up spending like $20 bucks for the whole day. I highly recommend this to any Disney goer who wants to spend one extra day in sunny Florida but just can't stand spending money on one more park ticket. Just be sure that your last stop is at the Polynesian resort at around 10pm so you can get a world famous Dole Whip, sit on the beach, and watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. It's amazing.
Me and Julia on the dock at the Grand Floridian Resort waiting on a ferry!! No, not the godmother kind! ;)

     So Saturday was a fun filled day, but not nearly as much so as Sunday! We woke up bright and early, picked up Julia and her mom, and hit Universal Studios!! After a bit of a struggle actually getting in to Isle of Adventures (one of 2 sections of Universal that each require separate expensive tickets)  we were ready for some fun!! We spent all day riding rides and seeing the Universal sights! Including the wonderful magical HARRY POTTER WORLD!!!!! And let me tell you, if it wasn't for the awesomeness that is Harry Potter World I would never set foot inside Universal Studios. But I'm just too much of a Potter Head. Woe is me. But anyway, yeah it was a ton a fun and I loved hanging out with Julia and her mom! Oh speaking of, it was their first time at Universal and Julia loves Harry Potter almost as much as I do!!! So it was great to experience her seeing that for the first time.


     But for anyone planning a Disney trip: If you LOVE  Harry Potter then it is totally worth seeing, but if you aren't a die hard fan of that or Dr. Sues or Marvel (which Disney just bought the rights to recently anyway) then please don't waste your time and money with Universal Studios. Yes, some people love it, but in my opinion it is a glorified Six Flags and by NO means can it be compared to the Disney experience. *Steps off Soapbox*

     Ok so now we're on the day that we've all been waiting for!!! Monday is check in day!!! SO my morning started not so bright but oh so early at 4am. Yes I said 4. That was not a typo unfortunately. I proceeded to pick Julia up at 5:30 and then we made our way to Vista Way. Now they told us we couldn't get there any earlier than 7am. Well naturally we get there at 6. So they told us to go across the street and wait in the parking lot. Well we did alright. I felt like I was in some cheesy cop show.  We staked it out and made sure NO ONE got in before us. Well after 3 hours, meeting several people, and scaring ourselves silly that we wouldn't be first in line to pick the best apartment, guess what happened?? We were actually first in line!!!! Ha bet ya didn't see that one coming! Yeah well I'm not done. We were first in line....to find out that we didn't eve get to pick our apartments!! Ugh. Bummer I know. So yeah the apartments were already assigned BUT it didn't even matter in the end because me and Julia got EXACTLY what we wanted!!! We ended up with a 1 bedroom apartment in Chatham Square!! It's absolutely perfect and we love everything about it!! Here are some pics to show you the luxury I'm living in.


Our lovely living room!


Perfect little kitchen!! My favorite feature? Not pictured: Dish Washer!!!! :D


The cozy little balcony we'll probably never use for anything but checking the temp outside. :)


Are you really surprised that we bought matching bedding?? No? Yeah I didn't think so. ;)


Matching shower curtain too? Duh.


That white shelving unit we also bought. Our stuff was just not fitting!! Again, surprised? No.

 
But we did pretty good somehow fitting everything in the closet!! :D


We cute. We know. ;)

     So yeah that's the apartment!! Basically just proving to everyone how alike we are. I mean it took us all of  maybe 2 days to turn this place into any girls dream apartment. Except for the whole 1 bedroom thing. But what can we say, Disney won't let us put up another wall. Anyway, that's not the only thing exciting that happened on check in day!!! I found out that I will be life-guarding at..........wait for it......... ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE!!!!!!! For those of you who don't know the significance of this let me fill you in. At the Animal Kingdom Lodge there are six beautiful, wonderful, walking, eating, LIVE GIRAFFES!!!!!!!! No lie!! This is where I was RANDOMLY placed!!! Now if that's not a sign from God that I am exactly where I need to be right now, then I don't know what is. LIVE GIRAFFES PEOPLE!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D

     And we're not even done with the first day yet! We also had a casting meeting, which wasn't very exciting and just a bunch of paper work and legal hire stuff. Later that evening I had my lifeguard swim test!! There where only 5 of us compared to the 85 at the last check in day so it was very chill to say the least. They had us all test for shallow water guarding which meant we only had to swim 2 laps in a 50m pool and retrieve a brink from 5ft of water. Easy peasy. Passed with flying colors.

     Fast forward through us just getting settled in, saying goodbye to Julia's fabulous mother, and tanning by our cool new pool. Today was a very special day for any College Program participant. Traditions!!!! Traditions is this like 5 hour class where they teach you all about the history and values and goals and traditions of the Walt Disney Company. Despite sitting in a classroom for most of the 5 hours, it was absolutely amazing!!! I've always loved Disney, but this just made it a million times better! I could never do it justice so I won't try to explain it all but let me just put it this way. You know that feeling you get when you enter Disney World? That feeling that you've left everything behind and you're at this whole new world that cares about nothing more than your happiness and that you have a good time? That feeling that you've turned into a kid again and that there is obviously something very very VERY different about this place?? Well people that's exactly it. Disney does things SO differently than any other company and it works. I feel so at home here. Not just at the parks, but within the company and with my fellow cast members. Needless to say I've decided that today in my Traditions class was the first day of the rest of my life. I will have a career with Disney one day. You may just see me as Disney's first female CEO someday!! :)


"In some places you may have big shoes to fill. Not here. Here you have big ears to fill. Welcome to the family."



     Ok so I know this was a long one but I had SO much to share!!! I know this has answered some peoples questions so yay!! But if you have any more questions or I've sparked your interest in the Disney College Program please feel free to contact me and I'll be more than happy to help! I can talk about Disney all day if you let me! ;) But until next time...



Peace, Love, and Pixie Dust!
Amy Dousay :)

Heeeeeelloooo Orlando!!!!!

Guess who FINALLY made it to Orlando?!?!?! THIS GIRL!!!!!

     Yes folks, just about an hour ago we arrived at our wonderful cousins' house in sunny Orlando, FL. Well right now its dark...but you know what I mean! Sarah and David welcomed us in with open arms and we're spending the evening settling in and recovering from our two day, 14 hour drive. So what better time to get everyone a little caught up on things!! WARNING: This is going to be a fairly long post. A lot has happened in the last few weeks!!! Ok so let's get started!
     Well the last few weeks have just flown by! They were filled with lots of excitement, frustration, worry, tears, and of course TRAVELING. I spent a lot of time trying to spend time with as much people as possible. Between my dad, boyfriend, best friends, and mother it was a bit difficult. Luckily I have some amazing people in my life. About a week before I left my boyfriend told me he wanted to take me on one last special date. He wouldn't give me any details and kept throwing me off with fake hints!! Well I get to Ruston and he takes me to one of my favorite restaurants, Portico. We walk in and all of the sudden 30 of the most amazing friends pop out from everywhere yelling, "SURPRISE!!!". Those stinkers completely had me fooled!!! I was beyond shocked and thrilled! All my FLAWLE$$ crew was there, as well as all of Mamma's Lil Lambs, and a couple of my honorary "roommates". If you're apart of one of those groups you know it. ;) It was really emotional for me. Nothing has ever been so bittersweet!! To know I have that many people in my life that are going to miss me is such a blessing. I love you all and I already miss you guys like crazy!!! 
 
                                                                                              

     Then there was also lots of frustration. Some of you may have heard of the nation wide Chevrolet Cobalt recalls that are happening due to the ignition thingamabob. Well anyway guess what kinda car I have?? Yep. you guessed it. Chevy Cobalt. So about two weeks before departure date I had to take my car to the dealership. They then informed me that it would be at least a month before the part came in and that they would gladly pay for a rental car for me. Well after finding out I was moving to Orlando soon and I'm not 21, well no more rental car! Long story short, mom raised hell and I got a rental car. Unfortunately it was only till I left! So we had to tow the car down to Orlando and in the morning we are taking it to the dealership here to get fixed in a few weeks and I'll have a rental car from here in the mean time. But believe me...the struggle is real.  


   
     If you read my last post you know that my original plans for traveling got a little messed up. My boyfriend was chosen to participate in a preliminary run of American Ninja Warrior. So on March 30th we headed out to Dallas, TX to cheer him on. Can't give any details on how that went but we had a blast!! I sure was one proud girlfriend! :) SO anyway, after a weekend of traveling in the exact opposite direction of Orlando, I got home and the next morning hit the road for Florida!! But that wasn't before one of the hardest goodbyes I had. Me and Lou have been together for about a year now and the longest we've ever been apart was a week. He's coming to see me for our anniversary in May, but being away from him for 2 months is going to be torture!!  But anyway, enough of that sappy stuff...

    Ok so lets talk about packing huh?! I am SO glad we drove because I have NO idea how I would've crammed all my crap into 2 or 3 bags!! I loaded my moms van full!!! I mean I was packing for a weekend to Dallas, a week traveling/Orlando pre-checkin, and then everything needed for four months. But seriously I have a problem. "Hello, my name is Amy" "HI AMY" "and I am addicted to over packing."
   

     On the Disney side of things I got all my paperwork done and DORMS application complete and me and Julia are all set to live together!!! We still don't know much more than that but we did receive conformation that the two of us will be together so we are SO happy about that!!! Speaking of my lovely roommate...I GET TO MEET HER TOMORROW!!!! Well maybe the next day but soon for sure! That poor girl had two flights and three time changes to deal with today. But the Oregon native who's never played in the rain because all theirs is cold, is now in Orlando and get's to experience sun!!!! Hahaha. We plan on going to Universal together Sunday and tons and tons of shopping together very soon!!! I'm beyond excited!!! EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!! Hehehe.

     Ok so this post was really unorganized and messy and I apologize but it's like 11:30 at night and I'm exhausted. I just wanted to get a post out with pre-trip stuff before check-in because Ima have SO much to talk about then!!!

Sooooo....maybe this wasn't as long as anticipated. Whatever sue me. :P

Peace, Love, and Pixie Dust!
Amy Dousay :)
   

And They're Going Into the Final Lap...

25 days...

In 25 days I will officially be living in Orlando, FL on the Walt Disney World property.

TWENTY-FIVE DAYS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

     It seems like just yesterday I was opening my acceptance e-mail. It's hard to believe that was nearly 5 months ago! Well we've reached the last stretch, the final lap, I CAN SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!!!! So I thought I'd give a little update on things, and just let everyone know exactly what's going through my mind right now. :)
     Winter quarter ended about 2 weeks ago at Tech and in that time I've moved back home, spent some quality time at the Pharis House of Love with the boyfriend and his family for the last time till I leave, and had a fabulous weekend in New Orleans going out with a bang with my favorite guys, the gentlemen of Pi Kappa Phi, at their annual Roseball! It's been a whirlwind to say the least!! But today the spring quarter started at Tech and while my friends have spent the day meeting teachers, finding classrooms, and getting many many syllabuses, I've ate a whole box of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, had 4 cups of coffee, ate about 5 meals, and watched countless episodes of everything TLC and Lifetime have to offer. What does this tell you? It tells me I'm about to have a LONG 3 weeks ahead of me. This may be the last lap, but I swear the track has gotten longer...
     Luckily for me there is still a lot to do to keep me busy! I have to pack for one. That in itself is going to be a HUGE ordeal due to not knowing anything about my apartment. You see, being on the quarter program means that housing is done a little differently for us. While the normal DCPers know they're going into a completely vacant apartment and typically know exactly who will be in the apartment, us quarter system students have no idea of just about anything. We are just about guaranteed to be with a roommate of our choice, but the two could be thrown into a 8 person apartment that already has 6 tenants. From what I've been told the way it works is that we get there on checkin day and it's first come first serve. First person (or pair of roommates) in line is told the vacant spots and you get to pick where you want to be. Me and Julia are hoping for a 1 bedroom so we don't get put in with people who have already had 2-3 months to settle in and get to know each other. We don't want to be the ones throwing everything off!! But we don't know the likley hood of that actually happening. So do I need to bring my Keurig or is there already one there? Do I need to bring my TV for the living room or has one of my unknown future house-mates already done that? Oh the struggle!!!
     There's some last minute paperwork I have to fill out and work to be done in Ruston.. I have to sign some stuff to go on special standing with Kappa Delta so I can be away for a quarter. I also have to turn in some forms for TOPS so that I don't loose my scholarships while I'm gone. Also I need to keep training for the lifeguard test and I can only do that at the Lambright pool at Tech.
     There are tons of people I want to spend time with!!! My dad, who works out of town on average about 6-8 months out of a year, has been gone since Christmas and is coming home till April so I'd like to see him a good bit before I leave. I need to spend time with my mom who is already having a hard time with the thought of me being gone so long. I have friends in Ruston I want to make sure I get time with. My boyfriend and I have spent no more than a week at a time apart since we started dating last May. Of course I want some time with him before we're apart for 4 whole months!!! How I'm going to divide these 3 weeks between these people is beyond me.
     To top it off there was big news received this past weekend! The extraordinarily strong and manly American who is lucky enough to call me his girlfriend, Lou Pharis, found out that he was selected to compete in a preliminary round of American Ninja Warrior!!! Not only am I SUPER proud of him and excited for him, but I'm THRILLED that it films before check in!!! Unfortunately it is literally right before we leave and it's in Dallas. The opposite direction of where I'm headed. But I don't even care because I'm just SO happy I get to be there to support him!!!
     So while there may be some excruciatingly boring down time during the next 3 weeks, there will also be some really fun stuff going on too. And lets not forget the most exciting thing of all....NO SCHOOL FOR SIX WHOLE MONTHS!!!!!!!! Ya'll seriously have no idea how excited I am about that.  But mostly I just can't wait to get this experience started and learn everything Disney has to offer me!! Be on the lookout for my next post! I'm sure I'll add at least one more before I leave. :)


Peace, Love and Pixie Dust!
Amy Dousay

Tick Tock Tick Tock. April Where Are You?!?!

     Mondays are NEVER fun, but when I realized I was past the 70 day mark and 10 weeks from check in it made my Monday a million times better!!! I've been itching to post again since my first one but I decided to hold off a few days. To keep my readers on the edge of their seats....all 100 of you. AND OMG GUYS 100 VIEWS LIKE WHOA I DID NOT EXPECT THAT!!!!! Ya'll totally rock. Honestly thought it was gonna be like 5. Sooooo let's get going with some more wonderful info about the magic that is the DCP!!

     I thought I might explain what it's been like in the past 4 months since I found out about my acceptance and what I've had to do. There's actually a lot to it that I get A TON of questions about so this might clear things up for my family and friends, and hopefully in the future help other newly accepted participants manage their wait time!
     Right off the bat after I found out my acceptance there was a small series of steps I had to take to officially accept my job offer. The DCP is a paid internship so there was some immediate paperwork that had to be taken care of. I had to read some info, press a few buttons, give some personal info, and pay the DCP fee. (Which is actually super cheap compared to what this experience entails. You'd think it'd be an arm and a leg!) So really that was very simple and nothing you actually want to hear about.
     The next thing I did is something I HIGHLY recommend to any person who is even thinking about applying for the DCP. Join the Facebook groups! There is a huge private FB group for everyone doing the DCP for that season and it can be very useful! I didn't join it until after I got accepted but a lot of the people joined during their pending application process. I didn't mention this in my last post but while my application process took about a month, some people wait 2-3 months to find out if they got accepted! I was one of the lucky ones...
     But anyway back to the topic at hand! These FB groups can be very supportive. If you have any questions they've probably already been asked on the group and it just takes a few clicks to find your answer! If you can't find it then ask it. You'll get an answer almost immediately. They're also a pretty supportive bunch! You can also join specified groups. For example I'm in a group for DCP Lifeguards as well as one for the DCPers on the Spring Advantage Quarter system. It's a great way to connect!
     Speaking of connecting... The next thing you might wanna do is find your roommate. It's not something that has to be done so fast, or even has to be done at all! Disney does give you the opportunity to pick your roommates. Originally I thought I was going to room with someone I went to school with. This made me super excited because the thought of finding someone on FB that I had never met, to live with me for 4 months, was just terrifying! Well unfortunately her program fell through and I was left to face my fear.
    Disney has some rules when it comes to roommates. The person you live with has to have the same arrival and departure date as you and they have to be of the same gender. Also if you're under 21 you have to live in wellness (no alcohol allowed) and if you're 21 and up you can choose to live in non-wellness (alcohol is allowed), but if you're over 21 then you can live in wellness if you want. So I searched the Spring Advantage Quarter group (most all of us had the same program dates) and finally found someone that I felt comfortable with.
     I am SO  lucky to have found Julia!! We obviously haven't met but we text on an almost daily basis and we are basically the same fabulous person. We share a love for Harry Potter and Christmas. She's a tallie just like me and we are definitely the best looking roomies in the DCP. We plan on going to Harry Potter World together with our mommies before check in so we can all bond.  I can't wait for us to become total besties!! Love you girl!! :)
     After you've found your roommate it's basically just a big waiting game. I've preoccupied my time by watching Disney movies, reading DCP blogs, texting Julia, talking about it non stop and driving all my friends crazy, making plans with mom, and making a genuine effort to keep myself sane from the waiting. Now keep in mind that since I am one of the roughly 70 (out of a total of like 3,000 DCPers) who is stuck doing the Spring Advantage Quarter system because of the school I attend. This means I am in the last group to arrive and I have the longest waiting time. The normal Spring Program students started check in dates at the beginning of January! So you can imagine how miserable this is for us waiting till APRIL!!!! Ugh.
    There were a few things to take care of. For example I had to tell my current job I was leaving, I had to make special accommodations with Kappa Delta, I had to tell my roommates I was leaving early, take care of things with school and TOPS for taking a quarter off, etc. While I haven't had much to do, things are about to kick into overdrive. The month of February marks the end of winter quarter at Tech and my time to move back home. Classes end on the 27th and I have to be moved home on the 28th. During March I have LOTS to do. Roseball (My boyfriend's fraternity formal) is the first weekend in March, I have to visit family and friends one last time before I leave, I have TONS to pack, and make arrangements for our time in Orlando before check in. There's much to get done but I am SO very excited!!! Hopefully all of this will make time fly and before I know it it'll be April!

     So this might not have been the most entertaining post, but hopefully it answered some questions now and any questions that future DCPers might have that read this. Also, like I mentioned, I was just itching to get something down on paper (or computer screen) again to keep me sane during this awful wait!! Who knows what the next one will be about or when it might come out. But if you have any questions or suggestions for something to post let me know! I'm really starting to like this whole blogging thing...

Peace, Love, and Pixie Dust!
Amy Dousay

Jumping on the Bandwagon!

     If you Google search "Disney College Program" almost all you will find are links to blogs and vlogs of former or current participants. At first I had no desire to add to the craziness, but as I get closer and closer to my time to move in with the Mouse I find myself clinging to those blogs and vlogs. When I get so excited that I feel like I'm going to explode, I just find a blog I have yet to read and engulf myself in the wonders of the Disney College Program and fantasize about if my experience will be anything like that of the person who's blog I have delved into. So I figure I could help others (and myself for that matter) by contributing to the DCP blog world. And I guess there may be one or two people in my life that'll want to keep up with my time there. Even if it is just my mother. Hi mom!

So let's start with the basics...

     I found out about the Disney College Program (from here on out refereed to as the DCP) back in about August or September. Someone that I follow on instagram posted a screenshot of an e-mail regarding her application process. She said something about making her dreams come true and the email was quite obviously from Disney. It sparked my interest but I didn't inquire any further into the matter.
     Well fast forward about a month or so and I stat seeing these banners and flyers all over campus about this Disney thing. They always caught my eye but I never had the time to look any further into it. Well one day I get out of class, walk to my car, and find a DCP flyer stuck smack dab in the middle of my windshield! I took this as a sign. I went home and immediately looked it up. After about an hour or so of research I figured it couldn't hurt to apply. In my mind I had NO chance of actually getting accepted. After I finished the application I almost instantly got an e-mail saying I qualified for a web interview. That took me about 30-45 minutes and then I was just confused. I was wondering what this web interview was about? That couldn't be the only thing I had to do?
     I was pretty shocked too. Keep in mind this all happened in a span of a few hours. I hadn't even mentioned it to my mom or boyfriend yet! I told myself not to worry about it, that I was only applying to say I did. There was no way I was gonna get in! Well sure enough, the next day, I got another email saying I qualified for a phone interview and to schedule a time for it. At this point everything became real. I actually got a phone interview?? What?! I then proceeded to tell my mother about the whole thing. She was beyond excited. Her childhood dream was to perform for Disney, and she loved that I was perusing something similar. I was most worried about her not liking the idea so, needless to say I was excited! Everything seemed to be falling into place now and I was starting to believe that this could really happen.
     A few days later I had my phone interview and it was fantastic!! Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I know a thing or two about interviews, and this was one of my best. The lady I talked with told me I would get an e-mail in 2-4 weeks letting me know if I was accepted or not. I had NO idea this was the last step!! All I had to do now was wait! Boy was that harder than it sounded.
     Finally after 13 extinguishing days I got the e-mail I had been waiting for. All I had to read was "Congratulations!" before I proceeded to make a fool of myself in the back of Tolliver. I was screaming and running around and all my friends thought I was going into some sort of fit. Within roughly 5 minutes it was on Twitter, GroupMe, Insta, and Facebook. I called my mom, texted the boyfriend and was still throwing a fit. I ran as fast as I could to the library to look up my first batch of paperwork and find what role I got. To my surprise I was chosen as a Lifeguard!! I was SO happy!
     A mere 3 weeks prior I didn't even know what the DCP was and now I was accepted and on the fast track to working at Disney World! I never in a million years thought this was possible. This was such an honor! No way I was lucky enough?! But it actually did happen. Now, 4 months later, I'm only 73 days away from check in and spending 4 months living in Orlando, FL on the Walt Disney World Property. I'll be making magical moments and getting a few myself. I get to meet new people from all over the world, network myself to some very important people within Disney, and learn so so much about working for a company of this size. This is an experience of a lifetime and I'm beyond blessed to have this chance.

Well I think that's enough for now! Next time I'll give the in's and out's of what exactly I'll be doing while in the DCP and what all it entails. For now, though, I'm tired of typing. I think I'll go listen to the Frozen soundtrack for a while...

Peace, Love, and Pixie Dust!
Amy Dousay :)