My Newest Project

I just finished this the other day and I am super excited that I finished it. I was thinking about giving it to my sister for Christmas but I think I have decided to make the whole set and then frame them. I just bought the Tigger one the other day and I still need the Piglet and Eeyore ones so that I have the whole set. I think they would be super cute for a nursery but I have a few years (like 6) before I have kids, so who knows what I finally end up using them for. The picture quality isn't that great cause my camera is dead and I left the charger at home in Texas and I am in Florida.

I love Disney!

There is nothing more wonderful than the Disney College Program! I have loved this experience since day #1 and will never regret doing it. I have learned so much from being here and my program still has 3 more months before it is over.

I have met so many amazing people, some of which I know I will continue to have wonderful relationships with as the years go on. I have decided that at the end of my program I am going to return to school and graduate while maintaining seasonal status at Disney. That way I can continue to work at the Jungle Cruise. When I graduate I would love to return to Disney and audition to be a member of the entertainment department.

I am truly looking forward to what these next 3 months have in store for me. I could have never guess that I wold be having the experience that I am having now. Some people may think that this is a load of crap, but I believe strongly that your dreams really can come true. I feel like I am living a fairy tale and each day gets better and better.

Have a Magical Day

Thoughts on the first Month

So I have been a Disney World castmember for a month now and I absolutely love it. I love my job working at the Jungle Cruise in the Magic Kingdom. Last night on one of my boats I had a little girl come up to me at the end and said she wanted to take a picture with me. She was the cutest little thing ever, she even let me pick her up for the picture. I have been told that I have a really good boat by alot of people, even some of the other skippers who have rode my boat say that it is good.

The thing that sucks the most about the college program is living in the housing. I am at Patterson and the apartment is great and so is the complex but, the security policies SUCK. You can't have anyone over after 1 AM, if they arrive after 9 PM you have to check them in with a drivers license, and your visitors must be 18 years old. So if my sister wants to come visit me and see my apartment she can't because she is a minor.

I bought 3 books yesterday at Barnes and Noble, I figure since I don't have my sewing machine with me here I am going to be doing a ton of reading to keep me occupied in my off time. I do have some cross-stitch kits with me that I could also do.

I'm here

I have officially been here for a week, and I love it. I found out that I am working in Magic Kingdom as a Jungle Cruise Skipper, which is one of the most sought after jobs to have in the Magic Kingdom.

Today was my second day of training and I got to drive the boat around the track without guests and I practiced spieling.

Packing

I have been in the mists of getting all my stuff together and packing for my adventure to Florida for six months. I am pretty close to getting finished but I still have quite a bit to do before my parents, my sister and I leave Texas on Monday. I just got a new laptop today which i am currently using. I am really excited about it and I think it is going to work out great for when I am in Florida.

I'll post later when I get my packing stuff alittle more organized so that I can show off what I am planning on taking. Thats all I have for now.

Have a Magical Day!

I'm alive

I have just returned from my week long vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was an absolute blast despite the fact that y digital camera broke early on into the vacation and I had to buy a disposable camera to use. I had a lot of fun and returned home with a tan and not much sunburn. (Oh and the beach bikini workout book worked great! So if you are looking for a great workout to get you in shape for the beach I recommend picking one up)

I got my wisdom teeth taken out and that really sucked at first but the swelling has gone way done and I don't have much pain. The main thing that sucks is I can't exercise and I am on a liquid diet for a few days.

After I have recovered a little more I am back to packing for my move to Florida and I am hoping to make another Vlog before I go/while packing. We will see what happens. I am off to take some pain meds and go to bed for the night.

Have a magical evening.

Packing

I have begun my initial stages of packing for my CP and I am kinda glad I am doing some of it so early. My main motive is the fact that I have to get everything I am not taking and store it at my parents house while I am gone, which has proven to be a little more challenging than I thought.

Done!!

I am officially done with school till next January!!! I am very excited about that, I leave for Disney in less than 48 days! I just finished packing up all my stuff in my apartment for my journey home tomorrow, and I have to say you never really realize how much stuff you have till it is all in a pile in the middle of the living room. That is pretty much it for now, time to do some sewing. I finally have the time to relax and do some of that (I spent $50 bucks at Hobby Lobby getting fabric for 2 dresses I plan to make). Off to crafting!

Have a Magical Day/Evening

Last Week!

Today starts the final week of summer school, and I could not be more excited because I wont have "school" again till the spring semester. I am going to be taking 2 classes when I am down at Disney but I wouldn't count that as school.

This time next week I will be lounging by the pool at my house and not having to worry about papers, or homework or tests! I can finally finish the book I am reading for fun and work on my craft projects that are sitting half completed. It's going to be wonderful!

Well that's all folks, Have a Magical Day

A Few Updates

I felt like updating so here is how the next 59 days till Disney are going to go (surprisingly most of my time is booked/planned out):

This week(June 21-27): I am in my second to last week of summer school. I have a group presentation in my music class about Fantasia on Tuesday, on Friday I have an essay due in my American Lit class and a test in my Music class. This is also week #2 of my beach workout.

Week 2(June 28-July 4): Finals week! I have a two day Spanish final on Tuesday and Wednesday, and I also have my English final exam on Wednesday. Thursday I am done with summer school and I get to go home.

Week 3(July 5-11): Finally I have a full week without school. I am mainly going to be getting my stuff organized since it's all in boxes and I need to find what I am wanting to pack and take with me to Disney. I also get the lovely task of cleaning out the garage with my mom. Week #4 for my beach workout.

Week 4(July 12-18): Same as week three. Week #5 for my beach workout.

Week 5(July 19-25): Time to get packed for my trip to South Carolina, my flight is on the 23rd at 1:35. It is leaving from Houston so I will probably drive down there the morning of with my mom. Last week of beach workout.

Week 6(July 26-August 1): Myrtle Beach with my BF and his family.

Week 7(August 2-8): I get home from South Carolina on the 2nd of August, hopefully I wont be super sunburned. Time to chill and start to officially get things in order for Florida. Last full week in Texas.

Week 8(August 9-15): My mom, sister and I are leaving for Florida on the 11th to attend the Melaleuca Convention (its a business my mom and I do, I'll tell you more about it if you message me). The convention lasts through the 15th and that is when my Dad, brother and Bf will be arriving in Florida.

Week 9(August 16-19): Family vacation time/ spend time with me before they leave me in a different state. We are going to go to Universal and do other stuff in the Orlando/Tampa area. On the 19th they are dropping me off at Vista Way for me to begin my Disney CP adventure, and i think they are leaving the next day.

So that is my next couple of months. Have a Magical Day!

Beach Body Countdown

So at the end of July I am going to Myrtle Beach for a week with my boyfriend and his family. Well I have never been one to be super self-conscious about my body but I felt like since this vacation is devoted solely to going to the beach I decided to workout so I am all toned up for my trip. Also I figure it will help me fight off gaining weight while on my Disney CP because I have heard that you will gain weight while doing the program.

Today I bought the book "The Six-Week Bikini Countdown" and began my first day of working out. The book uses a combination of cardio, weight-training, pilates and yoga. Tonight my bf and I did the first day which is about 50 minutes of cardio, and it went ok. I haven't legitimately run any distance since I ran track in middle school, so it was a lot for me, but I am really excitd about the workout program. And my bf said that he will do the running with me, which is nice, since running alone can be boring.

I am hoping that when I get down to Florida that I can keep up this workout at least every other day or so.

Officially Have a Roommate

As of a couple days ago I officially have a roommate for my Disney College Program. We found each other through the Disney CP group on Facebook. Her name is Megan and I really think we are going to get along great.

We have already started talking about what each of us is bringing, and stuff like that. I am really glad this has been figured out and that on the first day I will know my roommate and also that we wont have a ton of duplicate stuff. Well that is all I have for now. Hopefully I will have more updates soon.

Have a Magical Day!

Mini-Breakdown

So, this morning I had my first (of probably many) breakdowns about summer school. For those of you who don't know, I am taking 10 credit hours of summer school all in only the first session (which is a lot). I looked at my calendar today and almost everyday from tomorrow on I have some form of test or quiz or project to tackle.

Well this morning at 5:50 AM, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was in a pretty bad mood through most of my Spanish class. I kept trying to figure out how I could drop one of my classes and if I would get a refund or not. But then I realized, I just have to make it till July 2nd and summer school will be over.

Once summer school is over I get to go home and do nothing for 21/2 weeks, then I am going to the beach for a week, and then only a week and a half later I am going to be in Disney. I guess it was looking at the broad scope of things that got me to realize that, hopefully, summer school wont be so bad.

Rolling Stone Necklace and Earings

I made these for the craft challenge on craftster.org. The challenge was to re-purpose a magazine. Well as the title says I took a magazine and turned it into a necklace. I used an Esurace ad and also a Flight of the Concords ad to make those awesome little folded stars. I then Mod Podged them to give it a nice glossy sheen. Add some beads and chain and you get a necklace that will be the envy of your friends :D.
And now the pictures:

My New Sundress

So here is the story, I started this dress last October. I had gotten the entire thing put together, lining and all, but never put the zipper in or finished them hem. Well I got busy with school and had a few medical problems that sprang up so the unfinished dress got put in a box never to be seen again till last week. SO yesterday I pulled it out and finally finished it.

I am really happy with how it turned out. I lined the whole thing because the flower fabric was pretty see-through all on its own. I used Simplicity pattern 3745. I think if I were to use this pattern again I would lengthen the straps just a bit, but other than that I love the way the dress fits. So here are the pictures.

Here is the finished product, and below is a close-up of the bodice.

Updates

So, it is now time for an update. My mom and I have official figured out our plans for when I go down to Florida. We are leaving Texas on the 10th of August and hoping to arrive in Orlando by the 12th (it shouldn't be too hard to do, we allotted time for stops at night). We then are going to attend the Melaleuca Convention from the 13th to the 15th.

Then my dad, sister, my boyfriend, and possibly my brother will either drive or fly down and be there by the evening of the 15th. We will then commence our "vacation" by doing stuff like going to Universal and Sea World (save the Disney visits till we have free tickets). Then on check-in day they are going to drop me off and help me get settled etc.

I have a feeling I will have the greatest number of people with me at check-in, but that doesn't bother me one bit. I am very much a homebody, so having them there to drop me off will make me feel a lot better.

Now that this is figured out it is time for more waiting, only 82 more days.

Spiked Cheesecake Bars

Today I tried out a recipe from my new cook book; the Spiked Cheesecake Bars.

Recipe:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 quick oats
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 package (8ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 granulated sugar
1/4 cup and flavor liqueur, such as coffee, orange or hazelnut (I used coffee)
2 teaspoons milk
1 egg
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom and sides of 8-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving 2 inch overhang.
2. For crust, beat brown sugar and butter in bowl of electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy. Combine 3/4 cup flour, oats and baking soda in small bowl; gradually beat into sugar mixture in bottom of prepared pan to form crust. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside on wire rack.
3. For filling, combine cream cheese, granulated sugar, liqueur and milk in mixer bowl. Beat at medium-high speed until smooth. Add egg and remaining 1 teaspoon of flour; beat until well blended. Spoon filling over hot crust. Bake 38 to 43 minutes or until set. Cool completely on wire rack.
4. Melt chocolate chips and drizzle over cooled cheesecake. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight for best flavor and texture.

As you can see from the top picture, the chocolate exploded in a couple areas. I think for a first attempt they turned out OK, but in the words of my boyfriend, "I mean they're not great". The next time I make them I think I am going to modify the crust to where it is more like a regular gram cracker crust on a original cheesecake. Other than that the cheesecake portion has really good flavor.

Work Problem

I figured out the other day that the job I have for the summer probably wont work with my school schedule. So now I have to task of figuring out what I am going to do for a job over the summer. I have a shop on etsy.com but I haven't posted anything because I really don't have any crafts to post yet. I have some vintage patterns that I am going to post once I use them, and some jewelry I have made that I just haven't taken the time to post yet.

I am going to talk with my supervisor tomorrow and see if I can figure something out because that would make everything easier. I really need to make some money so that when I go to Disney I will have some extra cash before getting my first paycheck from being down there.

New Cookbook

This past week I was able to go home for a few days and I got a new cookbook when I went shopping with my mom. I am very excited about it! I can't wait to try some of the creations that are inside :) especially the Spiked Cheesecake Bars, English Muffins, Caramel Walnut Banana Torte, Black Bottom Cupcakes, Old-Fashioned Pound Cake, and the Banana Chocolate-Chunk Cupcakes. Luckily I don't have much to do for the next few weeks, so I have plenty of time for baking!

Hopefully I can master a few of these recipes so when I go to Florida I will be able to make my roommates lots of goodies.

Finished!

I am officially finished for the semester. I took my last final this afternoon, it was terrible, but I don't care because I am done and I ended up with an A in my English class.

Now I can relax, somewhat, and do arts and crafts in my free time when I am not working. I just went to Hobby Lobby today and got some new projects to work on and also some supplies for one I am currently working on.

I have 99 days till I arrive in Disney and I absolutely cannot wait. But before I go to Florida I am going to Canada for a week with my parents and my sister to meet here boyfriend. It will be interesting to say the least. I'm also going to South Carolina at the end of July with my boyfriend and his family for a week. We are going to the beach, so I am excited about that.

Hopefully this summer will be relaxing and not too hectic. We will see.

Have a magical day!

Finished Product

I just finished this project the other day, and today I went to the store and got a really awesome frame for it. I love how the red frame and the pillow in the cross-stitch match. What really made me like this project is that the cat looks like the cat my boyfriend has, and the dog looks like my dog. Enjoy!

School is Almost Over

I'm sitting in the computer lab on campus working on an essay draft I have due at 3 and I just can't stop thinking about how close the end of the semester is. It makes me very happy to know that I am going to have 3 or so weeks off before I start summer school. Granted I am going to be working during that time, but I really don't care about that because I will be making money.

The end of the semester is killing me though. Right now I am supposed to be working on a critical interpretation essay rough draft that is due for peer editing at 3. The essay is focusing on Shakespeare's Othello and has to include 5 outside sources. It really is not that hard but it is rather time consuming because it has to be 7-8 pages long and a minimum of 2200 words.

After I finish the essay I need to write a speech that has to be 6-8 minutes long about the importance of protecting yourself against skin cancer, and how to avoid it. I am not too worried about the speech because I have personal experience with family members who have had terrible cases of skin cancer. Skin cancer runs on both sides of my family, so you can see I am definitely pro natural skin color and anti excessive tanning. The only thing I need to make sure for my speech is that I don't turn it into a rant about how excessively tanning is killing yourself, but rather make it an educational informative speech about the proper way to protect yourself against skin cancer.

Once I finish these things I am pretty much free and clear for the end of the semester in these two classes. I have the final draft of my essay due next Monday and that is no big deal, and technically after my speech tomorrow I don't have that class anymore.

I am just so ready to go to DISNEY!

Dream Places to Work

I got this idea from another blog and decided it would be fun to do it too. In the fall I am going to be an attractions cast member at Walt Disney World as a part of the Disney College Program. I thought it would be fun to share with y'all the places I would love to work at while in Disney.
First: The Great Movie Ride in Disney Hollywood Studios
Second: The Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom
Third: Kilimanjaro Safari in Animal Kingdom
Fourth: Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom
I think any ride at Disney would be great, but these are my top four that I would love to work at. Sadly I have to wait till August to find out exactly where I am going to work, so we will see what happens

My Next Quilting Project

For my next quilt I want to do something simple because I want to be able to finish it in a reasonable amount of time. I was looking at doing some thing like this, it is really simple and I can make it look whatever way I want because I can change up the fabric choices really easily. I am seriously considering doing it with different Disney fabrics. I really like this one: And there are a few more that I like too, I got a gift card to Hobby Lobby for my birthday so I think it is about time for me to go and spend that. I probably should wait till after school gets out so I am not distracted from my studies, but as it is I am distracted by the fact that I am going to Disney in the fall. So we will see what happens =)

woot.com I love you

So tonight I was waiting up to see what Woot, if you don't know what woot is, it is a website that everyday they sell something different at discounted prices. It's cool you should check it out woot.com. Anyway I wanted to see what they would have today and to my surprise it was something fabulous! The Magical Musical of Walt Disney, Original Motion Picture Soundtracks with Full Color Book. They are original from the 70's when they were first released. I then went to sellout woot and bought a record player because I didn't own one. Yes this was probably one of my sillier buying binges but I couldn't help it, it's Disney. Now it is time for me to get a job so I can afford these buying binges.

New Checks

I was in need to checks today, so I decided that there is nothing better than ordering Mickey and Friends checks from Wells Fargo. I am super excited about them, but it's going to take 7-10 business days till I get them and can use them. Here are some pictures of them:

Speech about net neutrality

Currently I am supposed to be working on a speech I am presenting on Tuesday about net neutrality, but instead I have been updating my blog layout and watching The Day After Tomorrow. So I figured that if I wrote a blog about what I should be doing, it would help me finish writing my speech.

Basically the idea of net neutrality is the idea that all internet traffic should be treated equally. For my speech I am arguing in favor of net neutrality mainly because I am in favor of it. There are several well know internet application companies that support it as well. They include: Google, Yahoo!, Ebay and several others. One really great website I found about the subject was SaveTheInternet.com.

So, seriously that's all I have so far. I have a ton of work to do before Tuesday, but I am not too worried. We'll see how it goes.

Counting down the days!

I arrive in Disney 141 days from now (well almost 140 because it's 11:45 at night). I absolutely can't wait, this summer is going to seem so long because I am waiting for something to happen. So far I have been trying to figure out how I am going to maintain my status at school so I can register when I get beck from Florida. I really want to start packing and everything but I've got a while so I have to hold back the urge! The waiting is killing me!!!

Current Progress

I started this cross stitch over Christmas break and thought it was really cute mainly because it looks like my boyfriends cat and my dog. As you can see I've only gotten the dog started. I'm bummed I've been so busy with school and haven't had time to relax and work on it. Hopefully I'll have some progress updates soon because I really want to finish it because it is so cute.

Disney College Program

I found out today that I was accepted to participate in the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World. I am really excited about having this opportunity because it is something that I have wanted to do since I was only 12 years old. When I got my invitation to be a part of the program in the mail I started to cry because I was so excited. This is basically what it is about (taken from the Disney College Program Website):

Program Overview

The Disney College Program at the Walt Disney World® Resort is a one-of-a-kind, Disney-designed combination of education and work experience. Disney College Program Cast Members have the opportunity to:

• Build transferable skills that include relationship building, problem solving, and written and verbal communication
  Obtaining and embracing these skills will help make participants an asset to any employer they have in the future, and these skills also will be helpful in their personal development.
  
• Explore networking opportunities at the Walt Disney World Resort
  Participants have numerous opportunities to meet Disney leaders, attend learning activities hosted by Disney executives and make the connections they want to learn more about the professional roles available at the Walt Disney World Resort.
  
• Tap into educational opportunities that offer new courses coupling academic theory and Walt Disney World management expertise
  All participants have the opportunity to take courses and possibly earn college credit. These classes will provide additional insight into the leadership and management concepts you're learning in the workplace.
  
• Earn real-world experience with a leader in the industry
  The Walt Disney World Resort has an international reputation for excellent Guest service and training, in addition to its popularity as the number-one vacation destination in the world.
  
• Make friendships that cover the globe
  Disney College Program Cast Members work with a diverse Cast and live with people from around the country and possibly the world.
  
• Enjoy the privileges of being a Walt Disney World Cast Member, including free theme park admission admission for you and your friends, and discounts on resort accommodations, merchandise and more
  Cast Members enjoy a wide variety of discounts at the Walt Disney World Resort and within the Central Florida community.

As a part of the Disney College Program I get to be an attractions cast member, which means I get to work on one of the rides at Disney World. The program is open to all majors, and there are several roles to chose from for the type of work you would like to do.

Another great thing is that the apartment you live in while in the program is only for college program participants and they have 24hr security, so you don't have to worry about who you are living next door to. I can't wait till I start my program; I'm scheduled for arrival on August 19th.

Spring Break

It is not officially spring break, and school is out for a week. Unlike many college students my spring break does not included getting trashed on a beach in Mexico. No my spring break is going to be much better. I get to stay at home and relax, work on the many craft projects I haven't been able to finish, and catch up on some much needed sleep. I'm going to see Andrew Bird in concert on the 21st and I'm looking forward to that.

The Jonas Brothers

OK, so yeah I'm almost 20 years old, but I absolutely LOVE the Jonas Brothers. In the beginning I thought they were kinda lame, but I went to a concert with my little sister and mom and I fell in love. I've been to 2 concerts and I'm going to see them again this weekend. I just can't get over how wonderful they are, not just their music, but them as people. They are good boys and they always say they just want to make their mom proud. Plus Joe is just too cute for words.

The Watchmen

I just finished reading the graphic novel "The Watchmen" and it was amazing. I have never read a graphic novel before, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but in the end I am glad my BF influenced me to read it before seeing the movie. Now I am just hoping that the movie does the book justice, and it doesn't turn out like so many other movie versions of books, terrible.

First Week

I made it through the first week of the semester, and I think things are going to go good. All my professors seem pretty fair with their grading policies and the amount of work they give out. I am a tad worried about my English class because my prof has a really heavy accent, but I think it is something I can adapt to. The worst part of the semester is all the reading assignments I'm going to have to do, but hey it could be worse.

My Very First Quilt!

So I finally finished my very first quilt I have ever made. It was my dads Christmas present but I had to give it to him half way done then finish it before I went back to school for the semester. The top quilt is made out of pairs of jeans, I even left the pockets on some of the squares, and I backed it with a sheet(a trick I learned from my granny Smith). I am really excited about how it turned out. Sorry about the pictures, the photo quality isn't too great.

Messy Houses are Good for Kids

So my siblings and I have always been pretty healthy. We have never had asthma or anything like that and we would only get sick on occasion; and that RARELY happened. I stumbled upon this article today and I found out that my being messy contributed to my good health. I thought it was pretty interesting, and I've always believed a few germs are good for you.