A Florida Update. Finally.
Well, where to start.
I don't think I quite realized how busy I would be here in Florida.
I want to tell you everything, but there's just so much to say. I'll try my hardest to get it all in.
Being here is a mix of 1000 emotions. Having my family leave was really hard. They are my everything. Leaving people behind, leaving my home behind, leaving all I've ever known behind was really hard. Traveling to somewhere new I'd never been before, with people I had never met before, a company I had never worked for before was really hard. There was excitement to be sure, but it was so overwhelming. So many new things being thrown my way at once.
I am very grateful for my roommates, and that I found them before I moved down here. They have been a lifesaver to be sure. It was nice having a small sense of familiarity here, and already having friends even though we had never met in person before. What a blessing. It is very easy to see blessings here.
I have never before been so grateful for the gospel in my life. In a place where things are familiar yet foreign, and finding members of the church in my day to day life are few and in-between, it has been such a blessing to have a church and a temple in the city I live in. It's a 30 minute drive to church, which is just crazy and unheard of in Utah. So I'm still getting used to that ha. But I do like the drive, it's very green and full of trees. And it gives me time to listen to my beautiful Nauvoo music, and the beautiful album Brother Richards gave me before I left. I also think it is such a testimony builder not being constantly surrounded by people who believe the same things as me, because here I am being "tested." And surprise surprise I STILL LOVE THE GOSPEL AND MY HEAVENLY FATHER MORE THAN WORDS. I am so grateful for prayers, and for members of the church here trying to make me feel welcome. Even though I do feel like a fish out of water in a Singles Ward. LOL.
I love my apartment! It's very fun living in a house full of girls my age, and just laughing about the stupidest things. My roomie is my actual twin and we cackle all night. Like, not kidding though. We are twins. We have people convinced at our work location (because we have the same one) that we are sisters. People have called us by each other's names before and gotten us mixed up, thinking we are each other. Or when we are together, people say things like, "you look alike." We have weird similarities in our lives, with the obvious one being we are both major musical theatre nerds. And that we both work at the same part of Disney World. Sometimes, we even see pictures of each other and have to double take thinking we are seeing ourselves. I love her more than words. She is my best friend. She is the Elsa to my Anna. And I know she is definitely one of the reasons I am supposed to be here.
I can't believe I forgot, I haven't mentioned this to my blog world yet: I got my work location! And obviously now I have been trained and have started work... but here it is!
I WORK AT KILIMANJARO SAFARIS IN DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM.
Hearing it for the first time, and hearing that my roommate had the EXACT SAME LOCATION was suchhhh a dream. So surreal.
For those of you that don't know much about Disney World, let me fill you in. Disney's Animal Kingdom is full of animals from all over the world. It's a theme park with that same Disney magic, but it's story and world is centered around animals and the important part they play in our world. It has the hUGE tree of life in the center of the park. I work in the part of park that is themed as Africa. I work in the village of Harambe. Kilimanjaro Safaris is an attraction where the guests get to climb aboard an actual safari truck that seats 36+ people and get driven around Harambe Wildlife Reserve by a cast member safari guide. I am that safari guide. I drive that huge truck. There are over 30 animals on the reserve, and the entire tour takes about 21 minutes. (if all the animals are cooperating and not standing in the middle of the road lol). The fact that I'm a safari driver, that that is my actual job, is unreal.
But I also want to tell you that it isn't all sunshine and daffodils. 12 hour shifts are alive and well here in the world of Disney, and days off aren't always abundant. It's hard work driving 14 rounds on a truck in one day, but I am trying to make the magic that I treasure so much every time I step into a Disney park. I love interacting with the guests and making them smile. Sometimes it's as easy as saying Jambo (our form of hello in Harambe) or even just smiling. People are inherently good and I strongly believe that.
I dress like a boy scout with hiking boots to.. well boot. I love wearing that Disney nametag though. That was truly a magical moment getting that placed in my hand. (And our nametags were brought to us by non-other that Mickey Mouse himself).
I freak out anytime I see Hercules anything. There have been more flashes of him here in Walt Disney World than I ever see in Disneyland, so I guess it's got that goin' for it. Exploring the parks for the first time was very magical, and I've enjoyed every chance I've had to be a guest. The fact that I have free admission and can just drive 15 minutes to Magic Kingdom is an absolute dream. I can be there for a couple of hours, before or after work, and it's totally normal. The shows here are absolutely spectacular. Meeting characters is my favorite thing to do. They aren't as rushed here.
But I do miss Disneyland. I think that will always be my truly happiest place on Earth.
Or Nauvoo, it's a tossup.
I definitely am not a cook, and I don't like taking the time to do so. Well. I think I could be a cook, I just really don't like taking the time to do so haha. I definitely miss my mom's cooking. Why would I spend over 10-15 minutes to cook something when it's going to take me that amount of time or shorter to eat it?? Lol. BUT I still love baking. Don't worry ya'll the lemon squares are still alive and well.
Some of my roommates and I also got passes to Universal Studios and that was definitely one of my better decisions. It's so fun there! And Harry Potter World is absolutely incredible. I almost cried the first time I stepped into Diagon Alley, or the first time I rode the Hogwarts Express, or the first time I saw the Hogwarts Castle. That place is literal magic. The experience that tops it all though (and we've only visited Universal two times so far) was when Abigail and I decided to go into Ollivander's. And then. I GOT CHOSEN. They do a mini show in Ollivander's where they choose a young wizard to have their own Harry Potter moment like in the first movie. When Harry goes and finds his wand (or his wand finds him); that's what happened to ME. So I got to try two wands before my final third one that CHOSE ME. IT CHOSE ME. And there was this beautiful moment where the music started playing--the HP film score gives me lifeeee-- and he handed me the wand and the room lit up and my bangs flew off my face like freaking Harry Potter because of magic air (lol) and I just was speechless the entire time. The actor was unbelievably cool. Dang it, I wish I had thanked him properly. I want him to know he did an amazing thing for me that day.
So yeah. Cool things happening here in Florida.
There have been 2-3 days where it hasn't rained at all, who knew Florida was such a rainy state? But when the rain is away then there DEFINITELY is sun. It's like we are on the sun I swear. I never leave the house without an umbrella and a pair of sunglasses. I bought a raincoat and rainboots for the first time in my life.
Days here feel like weeks. It feels like I've been here forever, and yet no time at all in the same breath. Time is weird.
I am grateful for whatever this adventure brings my way. It is certainly trying me in new ways and ways I never expected. I am grateful for people being placed in my path here. My trainer was definitely designed for me, and I couldn't have accomplished what I did in that amount of time without him. And we had so much fun! I know I am here for a reason. But like most things in life, I'm not sure what that thing is. But I'm going to try really hard. I am strong. And I live in freaking Disney World. Life could be worse.
I hope you enjoyed this rambled, jumbled update of life and the facts that I live now. I love you all and miss you more than words. Enjoy that nice Utah weather for me, k?
What's Bringing Me Joy Right Now:
-My roomies
-Facetiming/talking to my mom literally every day
-My WDW nametag
-biscoff on bagels
-Emails from my frien Elder Wilkinson from Nauvoo
-frizz control
-air conditioning
-living in freaking Walt Disney World and just monorailing over to the Magic Kingdom
-Animal Kingdom and it's amazing theming
-Fantasmic!
-Star Wars fireworks
-meeting characters around the parks
-having this Sunday off so it feels actually like Sunday
-Abigail having the same location and shifts as me, she makes everything worth it
-having a "twin" for the first time lol
-My Rapunzel light that lights up
-Abigail's and my pile of plush in the middle of our floor when we sleep
-Mickey Mouse
LOVE YOU ALL
I don't think I quite realized how busy I would be here in Florida.
I want to tell you everything, but there's just so much to say. I'll try my hardest to get it all in.
Being here is a mix of 1000 emotions. Having my family leave was really hard. They are my everything. Leaving people behind, leaving my home behind, leaving all I've ever known behind was really hard. Traveling to somewhere new I'd never been before, with people I had never met before, a company I had never worked for before was really hard. There was excitement to be sure, but it was so overwhelming. So many new things being thrown my way at once.
I am very grateful for my roommates, and that I found them before I moved down here. They have been a lifesaver to be sure. It was nice having a small sense of familiarity here, and already having friends even though we had never met in person before. What a blessing. It is very easy to see blessings here.
I have never before been so grateful for the gospel in my life. In a place where things are familiar yet foreign, and finding members of the church in my day to day life are few and in-between, it has been such a blessing to have a church and a temple in the city I live in. It's a 30 minute drive to church, which is just crazy and unheard of in Utah. So I'm still getting used to that ha. But I do like the drive, it's very green and full of trees. And it gives me time to listen to my beautiful Nauvoo music, and the beautiful album Brother Richards gave me before I left. I also think it is such a testimony builder not being constantly surrounded by people who believe the same things as me, because here I am being "tested." And surprise surprise I STILL LOVE THE GOSPEL AND MY HEAVENLY FATHER MORE THAN WORDS. I am so grateful for prayers, and for members of the church here trying to make me feel welcome. Even though I do feel like a fish out of water in a Singles Ward. LOL.
I love my apartment! It's very fun living in a house full of girls my age, and just laughing about the stupidest things. My roomie is my actual twin and we cackle all night. Like, not kidding though. We are twins. We have people convinced at our work location (because we have the same one) that we are sisters. People have called us by each other's names before and gotten us mixed up, thinking we are each other. Or when we are together, people say things like, "you look alike." We have weird similarities in our lives, with the obvious one being we are both major musical theatre nerds. And that we both work at the same part of Disney World. Sometimes, we even see pictures of each other and have to double take thinking we are seeing ourselves. I love her more than words. She is my best friend. She is the Elsa to my Anna. And I know she is definitely one of the reasons I am supposed to be here.
I can't believe I forgot, I haven't mentioned this to my blog world yet: I got my work location! And obviously now I have been trained and have started work... but here it is!
I WORK AT KILIMANJARO SAFARIS IN DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM.
Hearing it for the first time, and hearing that my roommate had the EXACT SAME LOCATION was suchhhh a dream. So surreal.
For those of you that don't know much about Disney World, let me fill you in. Disney's Animal Kingdom is full of animals from all over the world. It's a theme park with that same Disney magic, but it's story and world is centered around animals and the important part they play in our world. It has the hUGE tree of life in the center of the park. I work in the part of park that is themed as Africa. I work in the village of Harambe. Kilimanjaro Safaris is an attraction where the guests get to climb aboard an actual safari truck that seats 36+ people and get driven around Harambe Wildlife Reserve by a cast member safari guide. I am that safari guide. I drive that huge truck. There are over 30 animals on the reserve, and the entire tour takes about 21 minutes. (if all the animals are cooperating and not standing in the middle of the road lol). The fact that I'm a safari driver, that that is my actual job, is unreal.
I dress like a boy scout with hiking boots to.. well boot. I love wearing that Disney nametag though. That was truly a magical moment getting that placed in my hand. (And our nametags were brought to us by non-other that Mickey Mouse himself).
I freak out anytime I see Hercules anything. There have been more flashes of him here in Walt Disney World than I ever see in Disneyland, so I guess it's got that goin' for it. Exploring the parks for the first time was very magical, and I've enjoyed every chance I've had to be a guest. The fact that I have free admission and can just drive 15 minutes to Magic Kingdom is an absolute dream. I can be there for a couple of hours, before or after work, and it's totally normal. The shows here are absolutely spectacular. Meeting characters is my favorite thing to do. They aren't as rushed here.
But I do miss Disneyland. I think that will always be my truly happiest place on Earth.
Or Nauvoo, it's a tossup.
I definitely am not a cook, and I don't like taking the time to do so. Well. I think I could be a cook, I just really don't like taking the time to do so haha. I definitely miss my mom's cooking. Why would I spend over 10-15 minutes to cook something when it's going to take me that amount of time or shorter to eat it?? Lol. BUT I still love baking. Don't worry ya'll the lemon squares are still alive and well.
Some of my roommates and I also got passes to Universal Studios and that was definitely one of my better decisions. It's so fun there! And Harry Potter World is absolutely incredible. I almost cried the first time I stepped into Diagon Alley, or the first time I rode the Hogwarts Express, or the first time I saw the Hogwarts Castle. That place is literal magic. The experience that tops it all though (and we've only visited Universal two times so far) was when Abigail and I decided to go into Ollivander's. And then. I GOT CHOSEN. They do a mini show in Ollivander's where they choose a young wizard to have their own Harry Potter moment like in the first movie. When Harry goes and finds his wand (or his wand finds him); that's what happened to ME. So I got to try two wands before my final third one that CHOSE ME. IT CHOSE ME. And there was this beautiful moment where the music started playing--the HP film score gives me lifeeee-- and he handed me the wand and the room lit up and my bangs flew off my face like freaking Harry Potter because of magic air (lol) and I just was speechless the entire time. The actor was unbelievably cool. Dang it, I wish I had thanked him properly. I want him to know he did an amazing thing for me that day.
So yeah. Cool things happening here in Florida.
There have been 2-3 days where it hasn't rained at all, who knew Florida was such a rainy state? But when the rain is away then there DEFINITELY is sun. It's like we are on the sun I swear. I never leave the house without an umbrella and a pair of sunglasses. I bought a raincoat and rainboots for the first time in my life.
Days here feel like weeks. It feels like I've been here forever, and yet no time at all in the same breath. Time is weird.
I am grateful for whatever this adventure brings my way. It is certainly trying me in new ways and ways I never expected. I am grateful for people being placed in my path here. My trainer was definitely designed for me, and I couldn't have accomplished what I did in that amount of time without him. And we had so much fun! I know I am here for a reason. But like most things in life, I'm not sure what that thing is. But I'm going to try really hard. I am strong. And I live in freaking Disney World. Life could be worse.
I hope you enjoyed this rambled, jumbled update of life and the facts that I live now. I love you all and miss you more than words. Enjoy that nice Utah weather for me, k?
What's Bringing Me Joy Right Now:
-My roomies
-Facetiming/talking to my mom literally every day
-My WDW nametag
-biscoff on bagels
-Emails from my frien Elder Wilkinson from Nauvoo
-frizz control
-air conditioning
-living in freaking Walt Disney World and just monorailing over to the Magic Kingdom
-Animal Kingdom and it's amazing theming
-Fantasmic!
-Star Wars fireworks
-meeting characters around the parks
-having this Sunday off so it feels actually like Sunday
-Abigail having the same location and shifts as me, she makes everything worth it
-having a "twin" for the first time lol
-My Rapunzel light that lights up
-Abigail's and my pile of plush in the middle of our floor when we sleep
-Mickey Mouse
LOVE YOU ALL
I love this post!! I love that you have a best friend out there, the two of you are darling! Can't wait for more updates... say hi to The Mouse for me! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm just now seeing this, and just now being able to respond on my computer. Thank you for this sweet comment once again Bailey, and I finally did get an update to you! And I'll definitely say hi to Mickey for you ;) Love you lots!
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