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 :)