Thursday, Nov 17th: Somehow, at BTN, I got stuck doing most of the work. Megan and I were the only regular interns, and we had two new girls. So I started by showing Natalie how to clean all of the reptiles' cages, which included 13 turtles and tortoises, plus Spike, our Iguana. We split the work, but it still took forever! After that, I cleaned all the flight cages (Vulture, Great Horned Owl, 2 Barred Owls, and Bald Eagle) and fed the birds. After I finished, Debbie asked if I could handle the other birds. So I cleaned/fed our Red-Tailed Hawk and 4 Screech Owls, too. Miraculously, after I finished all my work, I still left on time!
I headed home and took a quick shower, and then picked up Sonia from work. Tonight was the Pens/Lightning game in Tampa!!! We got to the arena pretty early, so we waited for my Aviary friend Jenise to get there. I was so excited to see a friend from home!! Our seats were actually pretty amazing--we were really close to the glass! Thank you, Stubhub, for the awesome tickets! Unfortunately, there was a douche bag Bolts fan behind us who, whenever we had a shot that didn't go in, would yell "NOPE!" His other two common phrases were "Booyah!!" (who says that??) and "Run it!!" He was incredibly annoying, so I decided to return the favor. I started using his phrases whenever something good happened for the Pens. It must have worked because he left after the 2nd period haha. That's right, don't mess with me! It was a good game, but we lost 4-1. Kennedy scored our only goal. Oh well, it was still fun! When we got home, I bought a ticket for the JOSH TURNER concert at House of Blues!!
Friday, Nov 18th: Today I had to go to the Orlando Courthouse to handle my whole speeding ticket situation. It was kind of nerve-wracking because I had to go through a security check like they have at airports. When it was finally my turn, I paid $10 and showed my license so I could dismiss that initial fee for not having it when I got pulled over. Then I paid off the speeding ticket (seeee ya pay check!). The guy at the desk also said that if I completed online traffic school, my 3 points would be cleared from my record, yippee!
A bit later, I met up with Steph and we went character hunting at DAK! We met 18 out of 25 of them--winning! Our adventure continued on the safari--we saw baby Jabali!! Then we had ice cream, did some shopping, and watched some of the parade.
Happy Holidays from Animal Kingdom!
Although the afternoon was fun, the evening would prove to be nothing short of unforgettable. I could not WAIT for the concert. By the time I got in line at 7:00, it was already wrapped around the back of HOB!! I wasn't gonna let that long line stop me from getting up close to smokin' hot Josh Turner, though! While a ton of people headed for the bar or upstairs to the merch table, I ran right to the stage and got pretty close. A local band called Jill's Cashbox opened up, and they were really good. They played some original tunes, and also a few covers of Jason Aldean and Jake Owen. Josh FINALLY came on at 9:40 and I'm pretty sure I've only ever been that excited for a concert once before (Keith Urban). I can't even explain how amazing it was. Josh is so charismatic, genuine, and a great performer. He played every song I'd hoped for, and I sang every single word with him. After the show, I waited around, hoping for an encore, but there wasn't one. It was ok, though! His mandolin player threw guitar picks into the crowd. He pointed at a girl and threw it toward her, but it landed on my arm and I caught it!! Haha sorry, I wasn't about to give that back! Then I went upstairs and bought a Josh Turner tour shirt. After that, I went home, feeling like I was on cloud nine. What a perfect night! One good thing about Orlando is all the awesome concerts they have, and going to these shows has been one of my favorite things during my internship.
After work, Sonia and I met a few of the Pooh characters. They were too adorable to exclude from this post. Christmas cards, anyone?
Monday, Nov 21st: Not a bad day! I jumped in the hot tub with my girls after work, and then watched the Pens game. It was Sidney's first game back from his concussion, and we won 4-0!!! YEAH!
Tuesday, Nov 22nd: Today, Sonia and I worked late due to our longer holiday hours, so we closed CS an hour later than usual. While I was at the flamingo exhibit, a dad said to his kid, "Look, flamingos! That's what rednecks put in front of their trailers!" HAHAHA. Best quote ever.
After work, Sonia and I met up with Hulbie and Nicole at Hollywood Studios. We saw the famous Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, which is a display of millions of Christmas lights throughout the Streets of America. It was unbelievably beautiful! Every 15 minutes, the lights would blink and "dance" to the choreography of different holiday songs. At the end, snow fell down from the sky. That was one of those moments at Disney I'll never forget.
Wednesday, Nov 23rd: It was kind of slow at CS with Julie, so I decided to make a few lists. Lists of characters I still need to meet, ride/attractions I need to do, and other tasks I need to complete before January 7th. Boy, I still have a lot to accomplish!
Right after work, Steph took me to the airport because I was going home to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving!! When I got to my gate (wearing a Pitt Panthers shirt), a woman clad in a Mountaineers shirt sat across from me. Another man said, "A Pitt fan and a WVU fan together??" We joked that we were being civil to each other haha. It turns out they both were WVU alumni. Love that hometown connection in Florida!
It was so good to be back home in the Burgh--even if it would just be for a short trip.
Thursday, Nov 24th: Happy Thanksgiving! Today was such a great day because I got to see a lot of my family, especially those that I haven't seen in a long time! The Rihs clan headed over to my uncle's church so we could help set up for dinner. Meanwhile, all of the little kids ran around and played with each other to get rid of some of their crazy energy. Thanksgiving dinner was soooo delicious! Afterward, I watched Cars 2 with all of the little ones. Overall, it was a wonderful night with family! But it wasn't over yet.
I'm the only one over the age of 7 watching Cars 2 in this picture. Haha.
Friday, Nov 25th: In the morning, I played with the kids for a while, and then went to OT Park for frisbee!!! It was a good turnout--14 people. However, the field was really muddy. When I went to cut for the disc, I slipped and fell on my back. I was covered in mud, but it was pretty hilarious. I don't think I appreciated JC ultimate enough until I graduated, so I enjoy being able to play with my high school friends. Later that afternoon, my uncle and cousin came by to take me to the airport. Time to go back to Orlando. While I waited for Sonia to pick me up, I watched a Spanish family cram 7 suitcases and 7 people into their tiny Nissan Altima. It was quite a sight, but somehow they made it work.
Saturday, Nov 26th: Today I got some sad news. Winnie, the 37-year-old bald eagle at Back To Nature passed away of old age. She was such a sweetheart, and it was horrible to see her cage empty the next time I was there.
Tuesday, Nov 29th: While I was at lunch at Pride Rock, I listened to the voice mail I had on my phone. It was a Disney manager, and they wanted me to interview for the animal keeper traineeship!!! I was so excited that I squealed out loud and everyone congratulated me.
Wednesday, Nov 30th: During one of my breaks, I talked to a member of Core Team, and she talked to a few people and worked out a time for my interview! It was very difficult to schedule since my schedule changes every single day. But, she set it up for Tuesday at 1:30, yay!
That night, Lady Gaga and Sugarland performed "You and I" at the Grammy nominations concert. It was rather strange, but oddly amazing. Check it out right here.
Ok, I hope y'all enjoyed all the pictures! It was an eventful couple of weeks for me--probably some of the best times I've had here in the Sunshine State! Next time, I'll fill you in on my scary car situation, my fun day at Universal, and a story about a kid that tried to make friends with Marley the American Crocodile.
I'll leave you with some Josh Turner lyrics. I love this song, because it's about just enjoying the simple pleasures in life, which I appreciate.
"Everything is fine, fine, fine
Through the sunshine and the rain
I got a peace of mind
You know I can't complain
I'm feeling good and everything is fine"
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