Living The Dream...This Life Never Gets Old!

Sunday, Oct 30th: Steeler Sunday!! At work, I saw a woman wearing a #86 pink football jersey. I couldn't see what team or player, but I figured it was Hines Ward. So I said, "Go Steelers!" And she replied, "NO! I don't like the Steelers! This is a Ravens jersey!" HAHA my bad. I feel like I insulted her, but it was kind of hilarious.

I went to Aaron's house to watch the game with him and his roommate Jillian. It was a great game against the Pats, although the end was a bit scary when they tried to make a comeback. It's good to have someone to watch the Steelers games with--sports are way more fun to watch with other people!

Monday, Oct 31st: Today was my interview for the Research Administration internship. That morning started off HORRIBLY. I got to the entrance gate at 7:30, but the guard said I didn't have clearance. Ummm that's complete BS! I told him I had an interview at APA, but he said he couldn't call them because no one would answer. Even more BS!! So I parked my car in the regular cast lot, and then ran to the CCC to throw my stuff there. I called Core Team twice, but no one answered. I wanted to see if they could drive me up to APA, but I had no choice but to bike there. Keep in mind that it's on the COMPLETE OPPOSITE side of the park. I got there at 7:52 (my interview was at 8:00). Stephanie, who had her interview after me, had called Core Team, and apparently I DID have clearance, but I guess they spelled my name wrong. Great. So I went into the interview out of breath, but I had calmed down by then. It went pretty well (although you'll find out later that I didn't get accepted).

After the interview, CT drove me down to the CCC, where everyone was decorating our team's Halloween pumpkins for the cast member contest. After a rainy and gloomy day at work, Sonia and I watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and then took a nap until 9:00 (don't judge us, we were tired!). Later, Betsy came over and we watched "Sweeney Todd." I'd forgotten how much I love that movie!

Tuesday, Nov 1st: Favorite quote of the day...I was at the anteater exhibit and three guys in their early 20s came up to it. The first one said, "That thing is pimp! It's badass!" The other one said, "That tail is off the chain!" Hahahaha. Wow.

That night, Melissa Hartley, Lindsay, and I went to Hanson's concert at Epcot. Again, don't judge me...I only recognized "MMMBop," but it was still fun!

Thursday, Nov 3rd: BTN was soo much fun today! I took care of Jenn, the squirrels, and harriet the opossum. Cait, Megan, Annie, and I even got to pet Zema the bobcat!! Definitely one of the highlights of my time there.

After getting home and showering, I headed out on my drive to see Chelsea in Tampa!! I met her and her grad school friends at Ceviche Tapas Bar. We went around to a few more bars that night and had a good time. It felt great to just get out of Orlando and away from all the drama that had been going on. I'm so glad I got to see Chelsea, too! :-)

Friday, Nov 4th: My drive home was pretty easy--only a little over an hour. When I was leaving Cumberland with Steph to go to Costuming, we almost died. I was making a left out of the apartment, and someone was coming from the opposite side to turn into the plan. I slammed on my brakes, and he fishtailed across the lanes, but luckily no one was hurt. Phew! After that, I paid more attention to traffic every time I left Cumberland. After I got a new presenter vest, we went to an info session about the animal keeper trainee positions at DAK. There are 4 positions available: one with the DAK Lodge, one with the Safari, one with Conservation Station/Tree of Life/Oasis, and one with Pangani/Maharajah Jungle Trek/Backstage Aviary. The meeting was really helpful, and I knew even more afterward that I wanted to apply for it.

Saturday, Nov 5th: Sonia, Steph, Lindsay, Karen, and I went to Cafe Tu Tu Tango for dinner, and it was delicious!! The food was very eclectic, and the atmosphere was bohemian-artsy. The meals were all in appetizer sizes, so we got several plates. Sonia and I got chicken pot stickers, steak skewers, and mango pizza. Karen and I also shared the rocky road dessert pizza. Although it was kind of expensive, the place was amazing and I'd definitely go back someday!

Sunday, Nov 6th: Alright, so I officially freaked a guest out today. We were at the main entrance with our bugs, and all of a sudden, I saw a guy with a Juniata Baseball shirt on. He was clear on the other side of the entrance, but I had to go say hi. So I ran over with my scorpion and asked if he graduated from JC. He said yes, and I replied, "That's awesome, so did I! You're the first person I've met here from Juniata and I got really excited to see a JC alum!" He responded rather rudely with, "Well that doesn't take much." Haha oh well, I think I just kinda freaked him out by running up to him.

That night, I went back to Aaron's to watch the game against the Ravens. For the most part, we were screaming at the refs for their horrible calls that changed the entire game. When I got home, I kind of had a breakdown. I just got upset about the Steelers, all the drama with the presenters, and my uncertain future. The animal keeper position was supposed to be posted that day, but it never was, and  it was really frustrating. It was finally up the next day, so I applied right away.

Tuesday, Nov 8th: Tonight was another team-builder for the presenters! We went to Fort Wilderness Campground for the bonfire, campfire songs, and viewing of Beauty and the Beast. Roasting hot dogs and making s'mores reminded me of good times I'd had at Juniata and Lake Raystown.

Wednesday, Nov 9th: Today, Cassie and I went to MK to meet characters and cross some rides off of my list. We met Stitch, Tiana, Ariele, and Prince Eric. Tiana has definitely been my favorite princess that I've met so far. She was so sweet and looked just like the real Tiana! I was SO excited to meet Eric, because he's my favorite prince. He asked if I liked the Beatles (I was wearing an Abbey Road shirt), and I said yes. He then asked if I liked the Beach Boys and he started talking about how he and Ariel like to surf. He said that Ariel isn't very good, and she has a dolphin under her board that lifts her up and makes it look like she's actually surfing. Haha sometimes Disney characters go crazy with theming--I love it! In addition to all those characters, we also met Push the Talking Trash Can! It's this robot trash can that walks around and talks to people in Tomorrowland! It was kind of creepy but pretty cool!

Thursday, Nov 10th: My morning started off horribly. I was on my way to the refuge, and when I was less than a mile away, I look in my rear-view mirror and see a cop on his motorcycle with his lights flashing and his siren sounding. My first thought was, "Oh CRAP! What did I do wrong?" So since I was in the left lane and there was nowhere for me to pull off, I kept driving until I got to the refuge's parking lot. He told me that I was speeding in the 45mph zone. I was in such a rush to get to BTN that I didn't even realize it. Also, the speed limit changes pretty drastically within a small distance, so I didn't notice that it had gone down to 45mph. To top it all off, I didn't have my wallet with me. This was the first time I've EVER driven without my license, and of course it's the day I'm speeding. That morning, I had checked to make sure I had everything with me, but I forgot about my wallet. Great. There's ticket #2. I was so freaked out by the situation, but I eventually calmed down. My day got a little better when Cait taught me how to take care of our ring-tailed lemurs! I had been waiting so long for that, so it was a nice reward.

Friday, Nov 11th: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was the last concert at Food and Wine, and it was a pretty good one. Not really my style of music (big band), but they were very entertaining. I also got a bunch of food--the dessert trio, fisherman's pie from Ireland, and tirimisu. Yummyyyy! I'm gonna miss going to Epcot for those free concerts and all the extra pavilions with food from different countries! On the way home, Steph and I almost got into another accident. Another idiot tried to move into my lane when I was in his blind spot. He had no turn signal on, and he slowed down while merging, so I had to slam on my brakes. Typical Florida driver. UGH.

Saturday, Nov 12th: Tonight was the Sleuth's Mystery Dinner event to benefit Back to Nature! They had a raffle, silent auction, and t-shirt sales. The show was a lot of fun--we had to solve who killed one of the characters. The whole event was a bit awkward because I had to sit with strangers, but at least the meal was delicious! Salad, cheese lasagna, and key lime pie!

Tuesday, Nov 15th: I had a few bittersweet memories today at work. First, I met a guy that was wearing a Penn State Ultimate hat!! I wish I had had the chance to talk to him more, but it made me miss the Irish Elk sooo much! Love you guys! Also, because tenting started a few days ago at JC, I wanted so badly to be sleeping in a tent, freezing my butt off with 7 of my closest friends. However, I won't admit that I missed being woken up by a vuvuzela every 15 minutes!

Wednesday, Nov 16th: Our Behavioral Husbandry seminar was today! We went to the elephant barn and saw little Jabali, the new baby!! We also watched the keepers give them baths and feed them, and they explained how they train the elephants. Afterward, we went back to the classroom and learned about husbandry and enrichment.

The only other exciting part of the day was that I used the iPad for the first time while I was at Cotton-Tops. We have a few interactive presentations that we do with guests so we can educate them about our animals by the Tree of Life. I'm not a huge fan of it because I feel like it breaks up the more meaningful conversations that I want to have with guests.

Ok, that's enough for now. Next time, I'll talk about the Pens game in Tampa, the Josh Turner concert (which was quite possibly the best night of my life), and my trip home for Thanksgiving!

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."--John Muir

A Family Visit and Concert Fun!

I'm finally back with more blog posts! I stopped for a while because I didn't want to risk any higher-ups finding this during all my interviews that I had for future internships. But now, since my ties are cut with the Company, I'm back! So I'll try and update you on my past few months in Florida! This is gonna take a while...

Thursday, Oct 13th: Today was an interesting day at the wildlife refuge. After finishing most of my work, I had to watch a great blue heron get put down. Its wings were severely broken (and were not fixable), and he had lost a lot of weight because of parasites. Although it was a really sad situation, the other interns and I used the opportunity to learn about avian anatomy and how their different bodily systems work.

When I got home, I quickly put on my Blue and Gold Macaw costume and drove to All-Star Sports, where my family was staying. My parents, Bethany, Aaron, Andy, Andy's parents, and Andy's brother and sister-in-law all were visiting for Aaron's third birthday. We got on the bus and went to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (this was my second time). Luckily, the line for Minnie and Mickey was really short, so we all met them. They were wearing adorable colonial costumes for Halloween! After wandering around the Kingdom, we went on the Buzz Lightyear ride (which Aaron loved), and then went to the dance party with Stitch in Tomorrowland. Aaron really wanted to show Stitch his Mickey shirt, so he lifted it up to him, but really it just looked like he was flashing poor Stitch. It was the cutest thing. After that, my parents and I got a spot for the "Boo To You" parade while the others enjoyed Space Mountain. That parade is seriously amazing! Later on, we watched the Hallowishes fireworks, and then headed home!

Friday, Oct 14th: I spent the whole day with my family, yay!! In the morning, we went to Ohana at the Polynesian Resort for our character breakfast. I remembered going there for a dinner luau when I was younger, but I couldn't remember much else about the Polynesian. I've decided that it's definitely one of my favorite resorts. The food was absolutely delicious--especially the passion fruit/guava juice!! That reminded me so much of the Galapagos. We had the typical breakfast foods plus Mickey-shaped waffles. While we ate, Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch paraded around the tables with some of the children, then they stopped for pictures and autographs.

After our breakfast, we hit up the Carousel, Mad Tea Party, and Tomorrowland Speedway. We all were getting pretty tired, so we we ready to head out. However, Buzz Lightyear was coming out in just a few minutes, so we hung around so Aaron could meet one of his favorite characters! After a power nap at the resort, we rushed to Epcot, thinking that The Seas closed at 7 (it actually closed at 9, oops). Later, we met Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald at the character spot. Then we all split up, and I hung out with my parents a little bit. We walked around the World Showcase, making stops for chocolate lava cake (to die for!!) in Ireland and Creme Brulee in France. That was definitely a good end to a long, but fantastic day.

Saturday, Oct 15th: That morning, I let my family in to Animal Kingdom with my maingate entrance pass. It took forever, so we just barely had time to take a group picture in front of the Tree of Life. When I was at CS, the fam found me and watched while Aaron did the scavenger hunt.

After work, I went straight to Hollywood Studios. My parents and I had dinner, went on the Great Movie Ride (I love that ride!!), and watched Fantasmic. Once the show was over, we met up with Bethany, Andy, Aaron, and Andy's mom. I gave Aaron a coloring book I bought him at Cast Connection, and then I said my goodbyes to everyone because they were leaving in the morning. I'm so glad they were able to visit, even if it was just for a few days.

Monday, Oct 17th: While I was at the Africa KDC, one of my leaders called to tell me that James Cameron (Avatar), Stan Lee (Marvel Comics), and the Vice President of Animal Kingdom were walking through the park and may go to the Pangani Trail. Unfortunately, they didn't end up visiting while I was there. A bunch of other presenters saw them, and some even got chosen to take overtime and talk to them at the animal exhibits. I was SO jealous. I haven't met a single celebrity yet, and almost everyone else has!!

That night, Sonia and I went to see Sugar Ray at the "Eat to the Beat" concert series at Epcot. It was like reliving the glory of my teenage years. They were SOOOO amazing. Mark McGrath may be getting kind of old, but is still hot and he knows how to work a crowd.

Tuesday, Oct 18th: We were so in love with Sugar Ray that we went to their concert again (this time with Hulbie and Cassie, too)! At the end of the show, the four of us were the only ones cheering in our section, so Mark ran over near us, smiled, and blew ME a kiss. Clearly it was only for me and not the other girls. :-) We all screamed like we were 13 years old and had just met Leonardo DiCaprio or someone of equal popularity.

Wednesday, Oct 19th: Some guy in Ohio who owned an exotic pet farm released all 56 of his animals (lion, tigers, bears, and monkeys, oh my) and then killed himself. What the hell is wrong with people?!?! The police weren't prepared, so they had to shoot 49 of them, mostly with small pistols. What a sad story.

That night, Cassie, Sonia, and I went to Dave and Busters. I hadn't been there in ages, but it was good to just relax and have a little fun at a place other than the parks.

Thursday, Oct 20th: At the refuge, I started off by feeding the barnyard animals, and then I taught Victoria how to clean the squirrels' cages. I went to feed Little Man an acorn, and he confused my finger for food and decided to bite it. It hurt soooo much! That's why I hate squirrels. Later on, I tried to feed our goat and deer some banana leaves, but then one of the ladies that randomly stops by the refuge told me that they were actually bird of paradise leaves which are toxic to goats. Soooo we've been using this as enrichment for months....Oops. I guess little Jenn must have a strong stomach!

Even though I took care of a lot of animals, I still managed to leave by 4:00. I rushed home to take a shower and get ready for the Sugarland concert!!! I met up with Aaron and then we drove to the Amway Center. We got there in time to see the last few songs of Sara Bareilles' set list. She was pretty good, but she was a weird opening act for a country artist like Sugarland. Jennifer and Kristian were amazing, as usual. They played a lot of their older songs, plus several from their newest album. They're definitely one of the top performers I've ever seen in concert. They're really charismatic and you can tell that they're having just as much fun as the audience.

Friday, Oct 21st: As if Thursday wasn't amazing enough, today was the Pitbull/Enrique Iglesias concert!! Pitbull was incredible! Because he does a lot of duets, they played recordings of the other singers, and then he did his parts. He is so full of energy and he knows how to pump up a crowd. Enrique, on the other hand, wasn't quite as impressive. He really didn't sing much, he mostly had the crowd do it for him. During his encore, Enrique sang "Hero" on a satellite stage that was on our far end of the arena. He brought a girl come onstage, and then he hugged her and kissed her on the lips. They danced together while he sang, and then they were lowered into the stage for a few minutes. Oh, how I wish I were her!

Saturday, Oct 22nd: After work, Cumberland hosted a Halloween party for its residents. It was pretty fun, as there was free food, candy, and drinks. I even met a few new friends!

Tuesday, Oct 25th: That evening, a bunch of presenters stayed for the "Anandapur Haunt" at DAK, which was a special Halloween event for cast members. First, we rode Dinosaur (one of my favorites), and then Everest twice. Around 6:00, the whole park closed so that they could get set up for the party. We waited for a long time, but then we got a ton of free food! We also played some of the fossil fun games in Dinoland (I wish we could have won real prizes)! Then we went on the haunted trail throughout the queue line of Kali. It was actually scarier than I thought it would be. There were cast members dressed up in scary costumes, popping out from corners and chasing us around. Most of the presenters were holding onto each other and screaming their lungs out. And then there was Melissa, who was shoving everyone out of the way so she could run away haha. I was very impressed at how fun the whole event was! Another good night at DAK.

Wednesday, Oct 26th: Today I had off, so I spent the afternoon shopping! I bought a few new clothes, plus some 80's stuff for my next Halloween costume. Later on, Sonia, Cassie, Alyssa, Hulbie, Julie, Betsy, and I went to the Boyz II Men concert at Epcot. It was so awesome, we even witnessed a proposal before they sang "I'll Make Love To You." During that song, all the girls ran up to the stage hoping to be handed a rose from the guys. I just sat back and laughed at them all and enjoyed the concert.

Thursday, Oct 27th: At BTN, I cleaned Mocha and Jenn's cages, the reptile yard, and I learned how to clean Spencer the Arctic Fox's cage!! At the end of the day, Annie and I tried to clean construction caulking off of a grackle. I got a lot of it off with my fingernails, but his feathers and feet were still pretty much covered in it. We then washed him in Dawn and dried him off. Next week, he looked much better, so I guess someone else had helped clean him up. On the ride home, some asshole nearly drove me off the side of the road because he didn't see me in his blind spot. I HATE Florida drivers!!

When I got home, I found out that I was scheduled for an interview for the Research Administration internship on Halloween! Yippee! Anyway, after hearing that great news, I got ready for Megan's party. Sonia was dressed up as Dora, Cassie was Boots, and I was Swiper. I'm not gonna lie, our costumes were pretty sweet.

Boots and Dora: Swiper, no swiping!

Swiper: Aw, man!!

Alright, well hopefully I'll be putting another post up soon, but in the meantime, here are some lyrics from Sugarland's song "Settlin" that I find inspirational.

"I've been leaving it up to fate

It's my life, so it's mine to make

I ain't settling for just getting by

I've had enough so-so for the rest of my life

Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high

Just enough ain't enough this time

I ain't settling for anything less than everything"