Miracles Happen

I have never taken someone to the Emergency Room before, but on Friday afternoon when I got home from a workout my roommate told me she needed to go. I called in for work and told them I wouldn't be able to make it in. By 2:30 p.m. we were in the ER. We did a lot of waiting. I didn't go home until 2:30 a.m. and poor Lacey had to stay the night. After five hours of sleep I went back to the ER to pick her up. The doctors still didn't know what was wrong with her but it wasn't life threatening and she didn't need surgery so they were sending her home. That day (Saturday) the Relief Society President called and took half the stress off my shoulders and I almost started crying. I hadn't really felt stressed at all until she called and offered to help and then I realized how much I'd done and how truly exhausted I was after being at that hospital for so long. That was miracle number 1.

The second miracle happened to today. I had gone to work without realizing my pump was out of insulin. I did alright for my first two and a half hours and then it really did run out and I started to feel sick. Four hours into my shift I felt really awful. I asked to go home early but management hadn't approved it. I had to go back to work but I said a little prayer that my blood sugar would come down and I would  be able to make it through work without feeling worse. I went back to work. Six hours into my shift I felt completely okay and went and tested my blood sugar. It had somehow come down from the 500s to 341. It couldn't have done that without insulin and I didn't have any. I am so grateful for the power of prayer. When I got home I fixed up my pump with another 3 days of insulin and gave myself a shot for what I'd missed.

All's well that ends well. :D

Night night!

Swimming in February!

You'll never guess what I did today! I went swimming in February! LOL I laid in the sun for a half hour and then decided it was hot and I wanted to get in the water. I did. A native Floridian thought I was hilarious because I thought it was so warm and excited to be in the water in February. I have the beginnings of a very nice tan going on.

After swimming around for a bit I went and got groceries. And after that I went to Hollywood Studios for a bit. It was a very leisurely day.

I've been thinking about all the random little things that go with working for a roller coaster. So have you ever ridden a roller coaster and then realized you may have lost that 25 cents that was in your pocket? Well it happens pretty frequently. What happens to that 25 cents? Well... it's hard for us to put it in lost and found. How many people will come looking for a lost quarter or two? We will try to get your attention and return it to you, but occasionally... it goes in our pockets. Which sounds kind of dishonest. But it happens. Today I counted it up and found out that I have $16 of change in my purse. Not ALL of it from the ride, but a lot of it. I can't believe it.

Hmm... I don't know what other little tidbits about roller coaster workers I have. Its fun. :)

Today's been a great day off!

Bad Day Gone Good

I was unknowingly late to work today. :P It was sad. I ran to get my job and it ended up being a speaking job. It was a good thing my coworkers don't know me well enough yet, and the Guests don't know me at all because I could hardly speak trying to hold back the tears. I was so upset. I couldn't believe I was late.

That was the start of my work day and it was bad for the first hour or so while I accepted that I'd been late. I didn't pull it together and get back into the job until much later, I'm sorry to say.

I did have some amazing Guests today though. It is amazing how when you're doing a job like this the tiniest most simple of things can make you so so happy. Today a Guest said my name as he went past me. Rather than just saying "thank you", he said "thank you Kristina". I smiled for almost two minutes. Right when I got to work and I was still holding back tears a Guest came to let me know that he'd lost his hat on the ride and when I told him that unless something happened to the ride we wouldn't be able to get his hat until closing time. I expected it to be World War III because we couldn't stop the ride to go get his hat. Usually that's how it is. Guests get so angry when we can't stop just for them. This man thanked me like I'd done something and told me he'd get the hat tomorrow. I wanted to hug him. It's just a little extra time that the Guest takes to think things through and it makes the lives of the Cast Members who are also trying to do that same thing a million times easier.

I like my co-Cast Members. They're fun. The day did get much much better after I let everything go. It's been a good day and now it's my weekend! Yah!!

ENERGY!

Today I worked for a short time on Unload with a newer girl who also goes to BYU-I. She is adorable. I was so impressed with the way she did her job. First you need a context. :)

Lelsy and I were working on Unload. I was checking for Lost and Found and she was directing traffic. She had so much energy. It was like being onstage with a great actor. Her energy was infectious and pretty soon she had the Guests, her "audience", cheering as they got off the ride. I want to do that! How fantastic! I've been recognized for my in character spiels but I think she deserves the greater reward. If you don't have a Guest's attention what good is a great spiel? So I think I'm going to try that from now on. :)

Tomorrow will be my first very late work day. I work until 3:30 in the morning. It's going to be insane.

Goodnight world! :D

Sleeping Beauty

Today was a great day off.

I spent the day at the Magic Kingdom starting on my autograph collection.

First I met Mickey and Minnie. I decided they had to be first because they're the classics. Then I went and met the Princesses.

That's when my inspirational day all began.

I went through the first two princesses, Belle and Cinderella. Both were very sweet. Then I started talking to Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and we started talking about me being a Cast Member and she asked me where I worked and then we joked about the three fairies from her movie and how they turn the Mountain colors. She was cute. So then we posed for our pictures and I went to get my camera from the person taking pictures and Princess Aurora grabbed my hand and told me very seriously and sincerely "You know Princess, I see hundreds of Princes and Princesses every day who are very excited because of what you do. Keep it up." I walked out just a little choked up. I hadn't let on that I was losing the magic for my Space Mountain that badly, had I? No... I'd been excited about it. Because I do love Space Mountain. I was so touched that she would take the time to say something so sweet to me. Maybe she doesn't even know how much I needed to hear that.

I went on to meet Ariel and Prince Eric. It was fun. Then I met up with my fantastic roommates to see Fantastmic. As we were waiting in line I was thinking about the same show in California and remembered the time I'd seen it. It was one of a couple strong bricks that helped me to realize my love for theater and that I never wanted to completely give it up. It was a beautiful show! I loved it.

So tomorrow I will go back to work with my attitude nicely readjusted and we'll see what this new day and attitude brings.

It is, after all, a job.

The past few days of work have been "normal" for me. I talked to my mom last night and she said something about how all jobs become normal after a while. Which is true, but kind of sad. I don't want my job to be "normal" because... well... it isn't.

Yesterday was a crazy day for Walt Disney World. There was a fire in a power plant that supplies our power and most of Tomorrowland and a lot of Fantasyland was down for about four and a half hours yesterday while they fixed the problems at the power plant. I started work after we were back up and running.

Every day I've worked for the past four or five days Space Mountain has gone down for a short amount of time at least once. Even after the hullabaloo with the power plant yesterday morning Space Mountain went down for about twenty minutes again in the early evening.

Did you know that if there are enough people in the park to increase wait times on most attractions significantly they extend park hours by an hour? It's true. The past two days the hours have been extended an extra hour. Monday, Valentines Day, was the first day I've seen it happen and then it happened again yesterday evening as well. It will be interesting to see if it continues to extend it's hours.

Today is my day off and I'm going to Animal Kingdom for the first time! Pictures will be on my Facebook tonight. :) Have a good day everyone! Make a magical moment for someone you meet today.

Walt Disney

Today I learned something interesting at church (actually... I learned a lot of interesting somethings at church today it was a great day). This particular interesting something that I learned was that Walt Disney's funeral was in a Stake Center (or an LDS church building) in LA. Walt Disney loved the members of the church although he was not a member himself.

I've been thinking a lot about Walt Disney and a particular quote that is posted everywhere backstage. It says "You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." The Cast Members here at Disney are those "people" for Disney.


We're going to do one of those fun "close your eyes and imagine" things, except without closing our eyes. Imagine that you are twenty-seven and you've been working on a project for years. The first try didn't go so well, but you've recovered and you're ready to start completely on your own. You're a little nervous. So much could go wrong, but so much could go right. Maybe you're starting to doubt yourself a little. That special person in your life, whomever it may be, walks in and gives you a hug and tells you not to give up, that you're doing great and everything will be great. Your confidence returns and a few months later you introduce this new project to those who decide who stays and who goes and they love your idea and turn it into a huge label. That one project pales in comparison to the huge projects you end up undertaking in the years to come. After a while you look back at the success of your first idea and wonder to yourself "what would have happened if I gave up? Where would I be instead?" You realize that there were always supports for you to lean on when you just couldn't see the dream anymore and there is a lump in your throat when you think of those who've reminded you all along the way of what is most important, who have guided you when you didn't know where to go next, who have listened to every detail of every idea you've had and helped you trim off the unnecessary branches. There was always someone who believed in you.


I'm sure Disney had a moment or two or a thousand like that. I don't know who his support was, but I know I wouldn't be where I am with the supports I've had. My amazing mother, my sisters and brothers, my fiance, my friends. Who are those supports in your life? And maybe more importantly.... Who are you that support for and how could you be a stronger support? Amazingly enough, huge dreams can be supported by a small, single, seemingly meaningless kind word.


I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. DREAM BIG!

Magical Moments

Here at Disney World they used to have "Story Time with Belle". That area is now used as a Meet 'n' Greet place for Rapunzel and Flynn. Well tonight it's going to be "Story Time with Kristina". 

So much happened today that I hardly know where to begin. This morning I got up a little late and decided to go return movies and eat lunch and just get out of the house and go someplace not Disney. It's amazing, but too much and you start to lose it. That was great. The weather here is absolutely gorgeous. Er... at least... today it was. :) It still rains quite often. That was a great start to a great work day.

I got to work and was a little grumbly, but around the clock in area there are posted little emails and comments from Guests from  recent days and their times in Tomorrowland. I read some of them today and remembered why I'm here, and what exactly I'm doing. So I clocked in and started work. Now for the stories. I don't exactly remember what order these all happened in so I figure a general story time is the best way to tell about all of them.

I was working as Grouper (in case you've forgotten, that's the person who tells you where to sit) and because of how busy we were I had a few minutes to stand and talk to this little girl and her grandmother. She was seven (I think) and this would be her third time on the ride. Her grandma had been on the previous two times and was done for the day so she was going to let her ride on her own. We had a nice chat about who knows what and I let her sit in the front. A few minutes later I went up really quickly and told her to have a good time on the ride and then directed the grandma on how to get down. When the grandma thanked me it felt like she was thanking me for more than just telling her how to get down to meet her granddaughter. It felt really good.

The next one I was working as Load (the person who presses the button and stands there and waves as you go into the ride). A couple got on in the brake in front of me and the guy turned around and asked "how long have you been here?" I had no clue what he meant so I told him I'd been working here for about a month. He said "No. I mean how long have you been here today?" I'd been there for a few hours at that point and told him and he said "Well I'm just so impressed with how happy you are. I thought you must have just gotten to work because no one is that happy especially in a rush like this." Ah! So cool.

Right after that I got switched back to Grouper and there were two teenage boys. The sign outside had said that they'd be waiting for 50 minutes and they'd been in line for an hour and a half. They were still okay about it, but the energy and excitement had just seeped out of them. I asked them where they were from and trying to be as energetic as I could to get them excited. They seemed so impressed and as they went to get on the ride the first one turned around and told me that I was the epitome of the what Disney says they work for. Their energy was back. :)

After that a guy came up with his family and energetically asked me how I was. I love when Guests ask me so specifically and sincerely how I'm doing or where I'm from so I stopped and talked with them. He asked me if I really did like it when it was this busy. I told him that sometimes it was frustrating, but it was still Space Mountain and it was still fun and I had no reason to complain. The next family in line had heard me talking to them and the guy asked me if I'd been faking when the first family asked. I honestly had not been faking so that's what I told him. Both families got on a little more extra excited then they had been.

The last story I want to especially share. This boy got on the ride tonight and I'm sure he couldn't have been over 14. He got on with his older brother, and as he got on he started motioning to me and asked if I wanted to ride with him. LOL it was SO cute because he was so young and trying to be very smooth. It was darling. I told him that I'd love to go but that I had to press the buttons and that if I went down with him he wouldn't be able to leave. It made me laugh the rest of the night.

The End.

Not really. There was so much that happened today. The prince of Saudi Arabia came through, and so did Vanessa Hudgens from High School Musical. I saw the prince, but not Vanessa Hudgens. I was on break.

So that's all from Space today. It was just an utterly fantastic day. Thanks for reading!!

Hmm... "Killer Seagulls"

I can't think of a good title for today... LOL

I spent a few hours back in Epcot today. OH! I have the perfect title.

"Killer Seagulls"

Yes, that's right. Seagulls. Here at Disney World they are the scariest things ever. Those birds are huge to begin with and when they're fearless they get right in your face. Today I was walking towards the bus with my baguette munching along when from the left out of my peripheral vision there's this huge grey thing. Right as I go to put my little bite of bread into my mouth this giant bird snatched it right out of my hand. My hand was not even an inch from my mouth. I shrieked. It was scary.

I spent some time at a CP party where we had dinner and I failed at winning a hula hoop contest.

After I failed at the contest. It was fun.

Then we went to Downtown Disney and I got the most amazing shirt ever! It has Belle, my absolutely favorite Disney Princess, on it and "tale as old as time" written at the bottom. I love it! I can't wait to wear it. I also finally got around to getting pictures on the motorcycles in the windows at the Harley Davidson store. It was fun.

I've been wanting pics on this bike since I saw it.

It's been a great two days off. I think tomorrow I can happily go back to work. :)

"You're Mormon? You'll live up."

It has been a long couple of days. We're going to run through them in fast forward with all the good parts.

I got to do a Magic Moment with a family. They were SO excited. The line was like two hours long and they had really wanted to do it again, but with a two hour wait it just wasn't an option. I didn't even know the line was that long until after I took them back up to ride. It was great.

We've had a lot of dance teams here competing. It's been fun to see all of them and find out where they're from and how they did.

Today was a long day. But it was good. I got to talk to Guests when the ride went down for a few minutes. I like doing that as long as I'm not outside. Outside people have a lot of questions that I don't know the answers to which makes me feel bad.

I'm still loving being here! I love my job!!!!! :D

I hope you're all doing great!

And those three things weren't the only good things, but they were the ones I could remember off the top of my head tonight. :)

The Magic Kingdom

Hi everyone!

Yesterday was my easy day off. I went to Downtown Disney and spent the day watching movies and taking it easy. Now I'm feeling a hundred times better. This morning I slept in and ran a few errands and then went and met up with my fabulous roommate Elizabeth and one of our great new friends Cherika at Magic Kingdom. We went on Pirates of the Caribbean ride, on Aladin, and the Big Thunder Mountain. It was fun. I finally got my autograph book so I'm going to start collecting character names. I'm realizing that there are a lot! It'll be fun.

So that was all for the last two days so far. I'm watching TV with my roommates on my roommate's laptop. I'm not such a fan of the show we're watching... it's Grey's Anatomy. I really don't like it, but it's fun to sit with my roommates. We have hilarious conversations.

I think I'm going to try to put a Guestbook on my blog. Would everyone who's reading that isn't a technical follower, would you sign it? We'll see if I can figure it out. :)

My Friday

Hello everyone,

Today was an interesting day to say the least. I lazed around this morning and then went to work. The first hour or so I got continuous “Buckets” which are odd jobs around the Mountain. It was a very slow day and I was outside for a little while. I ended up on Grouper for about an hour. I’m still losing my voice. There were two guys standing by in case we got busy they could open a second route for Guests to get on the ride. After forty-five minutes of doing my Grouper job I could hardly talk. The last family I talked to got a little flustered because I couldn’t speak loudly enough to get over the noise of the line and the deafening music and audio on Space Mountain. After that one of the standby guys came and saved me and I just directed traffic. It was such a small thing but I am so grateful to that Cast Member who was paying enough attention to notice I was having difficulties.

I had a tough time after that today. I think was just really dehydrated, and possibly hungry because I didn’t eat a lot today. I ended up with a terrible headache and I was dizzy. My blood sugars weren’t terrible. Diabetes-wise I was okay. The rest of my body was just feeling a little neglected.

I’m so happy to have two days off now. I’m going to take it a little easy. It would be good for me to rest.