Exciting Happenings!

So this past week has been pretty great. For one thing, I finally tried the famous "Kitchen Sink" at the Beaches and Cream Soda Shop. Check this thing out...All I can say is, YUMMY! And it's just a good thing that there were four of us there to eat it. It became quite the mission (they put a whole can of whipped cream on top!).

Second of all, I got to spend a day at the beach --my first time on the Gulf Coast. I had forgotten how much I love swimming! (Hee hee, I'm not posting those pictures.) Then my friends and I finished our beach day off by going to the Hoop-De-Doo Revue dinner show at one of the Disney Resort areas called Fort Wilderness. It was a wild n' crazy time! The food was incredible, and I definitely got carried away with all of the singing, stomping, hooting, and hollering. Highly recommend it to anyone!



Oh, and I almost forgot...






the best news ever...





I GOT A PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP WITH DISNEY IN GUEST RELATIONS!!!! :D

I was called and extended the official offer yesterday (and I have been running around screaming ever since!!). I will be here from June until January, and I could not be more excited. I even get to stay in the Magic Kingdom! So I feel very blessed and will post more details as I learn them. But pretty much working in Guest Relations means I get to book reservations, answer questions, work with everyone coming into the Magic Kingdom, possibly do some VIP tours, etc. We are basically the face of the park! So yeah, life is GOOD. Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

Lots of Changes!!

Hi everyone! Happy Spring! Hope Easter weekend was wonderful for all of my friends and family. The past few weeks have brought a lot of crazy changes for me, so I thought I would just list some of them...

1. I cut my hair off! And I really love it. 2. I was able to extend my program, so my departure date has officially changed to May 14th! It was quite the ordeal, let me tell you. They were trying to ship me home early with the other BYU and BYU-Idaho students, but after lots of phone calls, meetings with managers, prayers, and a few tears...we got it all worked out. Ha ha, I feel so good about staying!
3. I have finally finished applying for those professional internships I mentioned in my last post. So now it's just kind of a waiting game to see if I get any offers to come back to Orlando in June. My most recent interview went really well, so we'll see what happens.
4. Since my departure date changed, I had to move to a new apartment and now have a new roommate. She is way cute, and we've been getting along great. Our place is so small though! I miss my old bathroom that was huge, because now it's harder to dance in the morning while I get ready.
5. The parks are so crowded for Spring Break that cast members have actually been asked to avoid coming in for a few weeks. So I have had to find other things to do besides watching the Finding Nemo show and riding Splash Mountain all day!
6. I have grown quite a thick skin the past few weeks. Most of you know I'm a pretty sensitive little person, ha ha. I tend to cry on occasion...or often. But working at Disney World has been really good for me, because I have had to toughen up some. Don't get me wrong, I'm no marine yet. But I am definitely better at holding my own when it comes to dealing with the really rude guests!
7. I'm not as pasty white as I normally am! I've been outside so much I actually am getting a little color...who cares if that color is red? :)
8. I'm now officially certified to drive water taxis at Downtown Disney. Okay, not really, but I had fun sailing with Adam the other night! He was flirting it up and luckily my wonderful friends decided to document the WHOLE thing...awkward.



9. I cooked Easter dinner with friends instead of letting my mama work her magic. But the food actually turned out delicious, and I had fun making the table look all festive!


10. It is the first time in YEARS that I haven't had to stress about finals coming up! This makes me so HAPPY... This photo is pre-haircut, but I had to document my first Disney turkey leg ever! Have a great week!! :)

BEST MONTH EVER!!

So it's been a really long time since I posted...there is a lot to catch up on!! So bear with me, because there might be a lot of pictures and some rambling in this. But here are some of the major highlights and happenings of the past few weeks:

• I got to see the "Cirque Du Soleil: La Nouba" show at Downtown Disney...twice...FOR FREE!! It’s an incredible show, and I’m so glad my roommate gave me the mad hookups. I even got to meet some of the performers. Umm and I have a huge crush on this guy in it, because he goes to church with me. A Mormon circus boy definitely spells trouble! • I applied for an extension to my program. If it's approved, I will be staying at least until May!
• I went to sing some crazy karaoke at Universal Studios’ City Walk. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. This is a picture of me there with my favorite girls from Tomorrowland! We call ourselves the “Buzz Buzz Sisterhood.” Yes, we are dorks. • I realized I have officially moved on from Provo life for the time being...I didn't buy a cap and gown for April graduation at BYU. And I feel really good about it!
• Some famous people may or may not have come to the parks…anyone heard of Johnny Depp or Taylor Swift? 
• I have started applying for some professional internships with Disney that would start in June. These are more specialized than what I’m doing now and lead to more long-term careers with Disney. Pretty exciting!!
• I started attending an awesome marketing class with a friend. I’ll be honest, it’s kind of fun to be in a classroom again. We don’t have homework or anything, so it’s just a lecture series with the big wigs in the company. I can’t wait to hear from the president of the Disney Cruise Line. Hee hee.
• The parks have started getting crazy crowded…Spring Break season is upon us! Therefore I’ve gotten really good at dealing with angry / hyper / grumpy / tired guests.
• And best of all…MY FAMILY CAME TO VISIT!! A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get three days off, get them in for free, and enjoy the full Rowley-Disney touring experience. I think we hit everything in each one of the four parks! The weather was almost perfect, and I had so much fun spending time with them. I’m so grateful for their support! And I was only a little embarrassed when they took pictures of me in my lovely space costume. Here is a small sampling of all the pics we took, starting with my very favorite from the whole trip...








Have a wonderful week, everyone!! Life is good if we choose to be happy! :)

So I Live With the Little Mermaid....

Okay, I don't really. But one of my roommate's is seriously named Ariel!! And she's the cutest. I think it's totally meant to be that she's out here working for Disney. Anywho, things have been way busy this past week, because the parks have been really crowded. I have been working lots of long hours. But luckily the other night I got to go with Ariel to one of my most favorite Disney shows ever (over at Hollywood Studios)...FANTASMIC!! Talk about amazing--it has fire and special effects, cool fountains and water displays, fireworks, Mickey, all of the princesses, etc.! It's watching those kind of productions that remind me again why I LOVE being here so much. Here are some pictures we took to document our night out.

And the best news ever...my family is flying out tomorrow night, and I get to spend three whole days off playing with them!! I love doing Disney World "The Rowley Way." For those of you who don't know what that means, shame on you. Just kidding, but I really must teach you someday what it all entails. Ha ha, I'm sure I will post lots after they come out. But for now, I hope everyone has a great week! :)

Funny Floridian Firsts for February Fourteenth!

Okay, so I like alliteration. Ha ha, but yesterday was definitely a day I will never forget. So I present to you all…a series of many firsts that occurred this Valentine’s Day 2010:
• First time Valentine’s Day has been on a Sunday…okay, I know this isn’t true. But I swear I can’t remember any other time when it was on a Sunday! :)
• First time I haven’t bought a box of cheesy paper Valentines (usually Disney or Sesame Street themed) and passed them out to all of my loved ones
• First time I wore a lovely space costume instead of festive red clothing
• First time I have been in the Magic Kingdom on a “black-out day”—sooooo many people!
• First time I full-on witnessed a car accident (everyone was okay, but delivery van drivers are crazy dropping those flowers off!)
• First time I haven’t eaten any of those conversation hearts
• First time I got a Valentine from the cutest seven-year old in the world named Michael (he was a heartbreaker!)
• First time I have ever had to work until 3:15am in the morning!!
• First time I got kissed on the neck by some random Puerto Rican (yikes!)
• First time I have been in Florida for a major holiday

So there you have it...I hope everyone had an awesome Valentine's Day!! Here is a picture from the sweet Tomorrowland Valentine's Day dessert/dance party we had a few days ago--love these girls!

Friends and Family Fun in Florida!!

You probably thought I had died...but I didn't :) Life has just been crazy busy! Good news though, I officially passed my attractions assessment ("earned my ears") a few weeks ago so I have been flying solo out in Tomorrowland. It is great to be more on my own. I get to blow bubbles and give out stickers and just have fun helping guests. But I'll tell you, it has already been an adventure...for example, I had a group of guys threaten and cuss me out because I let some Fastpass people go ahead of them in the Buzz Lightyear line! I wanted to say, umm it's just a ride, people. Ha ha, but I'm still very grateful to be here. I'm learning a lot of patience!

Some of the best things about the past couple weeks have been the awesome visits from friends and family. My friend Callie was able to come down to Orlando again with some great people from her school, and we hit up Animal Kingdom (my favorite park at the moment!). Love that girl! And my brother Brian was able to stop by after a business trip, so I got him into the parks for a day (Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios). We had an awesome time using my discounts, and I seriously feel so lucky to have had a chance to hang out with him. Nothing beats brother/sister bonding time in the Happiest Place on Earth! I'm going to go enjoy a day off, but I hope everyone is doing awesome. I will post again soon!




P.S. My hair is absolutely out of control here in Florida! Ha ha :)

Livin' the Disney Dream!

Hey again! So I promise that not all of my posts will include a top 10 list, but for now...it's just really working for me. So I present to you today---

TEN REASONS WHY WORKING FOR DISNEY
HAS BEEN COMPLETELY SURREAL SO FAR:
10. I get to refer to myself as a "cast member" and enter/exit the parks and other areas through special "employees only" gates. Hee hee. It just makes anyone feel cool.
9. Most everyone I have met is super friendly and helpful. You can talk to anyone! And I get to help visiting guests everyday--I love answering questions about Disney.
8. I got to take one of my best friends all over Magic Kingdom for her very first time!! Gave her a personal "VIP" tour and even got us some special FastPasses.
7. Each day when I go to work, I get to walk through the "Utilidors." It is the underground tunnel system used by employees in the Magic Kingdom. And it is such a top secret area, they won't even let you carry a camera down there! My favorite thing is walking UNDER Cinderella's Castle.
6. I get to hang out with really cool people ...like Belle :) 5. I am learning all sorts of secrets about the Buzz Lightyear ride and get to be "behind the scenes" a lot. It's actually fun to see an attraction with all of the lights on.
4. Sometimes I actually get paid to watch fireworks!
3. I get lots of random discounts on things like movie tickets, Panera Bread, Disney merchandise, etc.
2. I actually get excited to clock in on the computer system for my shifts, because sometimes there are little messages from Mickey on there for you. Everything really is more magical when you're working for the Mouse.
1. And my most favorite reason of the day...do any of you remember the TV show, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman? Well, one of my coworkers in Tomorrowland is most definitely Shawn Toovey, the guy who played little "Brian" as a young boy on that show! I met him today. He's all grown up now, but I definitely was starstruck all day. And even called him Brian at one point. I'm a loser, yes, but I work with a famous actor! Ha ha, life is good.
Shawn then & now-ish (hopefully I can snap a picture with him soon!) Hope everyone has a great day!! :) Thanks for the support.