Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo - My Training to be a Fairy Godmother in Training

So this is probably the most exciting post I'll have on this blog because its something not too many people get to do, and I really apologize for the length! I had 5 days of training to become a Fairy Godmother in Training (aka FGIT), and it was both fun and stressful! Unfortunately, since this post talks about some backstage info, I won't be able to post pictures!

I received my training schedule on my arrival date. I was starting later than most of my friends - my training did not start until Wednesday. Well, Monday morning at 8am I get a call asking why I wasn't at my first day of training! After explaining my situation, they checked my paperwork and saw that I was given the incorrect schedule! They arranged my training so that I would start on Tuesday instead. It ended up not being a big deal, but it sure stressed me out!

So my ACTUAL start date began at costuming where I met my first trainer, Connie. She is super sweet and patient, and she was perfect for my first day. Going into costuming is about the most magical thing ever - you see the costumes from all of the cast members at the Magic Kingdom! Even the checkout process is magical - you walk through a scanner, like at an airport, but it actually reads all of the costume items that you have. Super cool.

We took the shuttle over to the Magic Kingdom. I entered the boutique for the first time, and we took a little walk around Fantasyland. It was so exciting to see everything for my first time as a cast member! After that, we went downstairs. My first day of training was in a tiny room in the tunnels. The first part was information about the boutique and it was a lot to remember. After we went over paperwork, we started working on mannequin heads. Connie taught me and the other girl I was training with, my friend Kayla, how to do the different styles. She was pleased with how quickly we picked them up. Kayla has a lot of hair experience, so she was great right away! Some styles take more practice than others. The first FGITs had four weeks to perfect the styles - we had about 4 hours! After learning the hairstyles, we had lunch, then went back to practice. I got to meet with one of my many fantastic leaders, Paula, who took the time to get to know a little bit about us and why we wanted to work for the company. When people think of working for Disney, they don't think about meetings like this, or the family feel the company tries to create. Disney is really a special place to work. I feel like there are so many people looking out for me, and I feel very lucky for that.

After our meeting, we practiced the styles for a few more minutes, and our day was done! I couldn't believe that my next day of training would be working with little princesses on the floor!

Before I did that, I had Magic Kingdom park orientation. It was the best work orientation you could ever imagine! The day started out with us seeing the opening show and some of us teared up a bit. We had a tour down main street, then around the park. It was a chilly day, so we appreciated our ride in the Haunted Mansion. Who gets paid to go on rides? I DO! I really enjoyed MK orientation, but I was so ready to get started in the boutique!

The next day, I was on the floor in the boutique! I met my second trainer, Ramona who is like my work mom. She is SO sweet and is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. I loved training with her. She taught me so many tips and tricks and made training so much fun! The first girl I had was super excited to be there. She jumped into the chair! While I knew it was my first time working on a "real" princess, she nor her mother knew that, so I could only freak out on the inside! I tried my best to look calm and collected, especially after taking a better look at her short, stringy hair. While a beautiful blonde, her hair did NOT want to stay in that princess bun! Ramona helped me mold the hair and showed me some tricks to keep the strands down. When I turned her around in the chair, she gasped! She was so happy!! I was so glad that the first girl I saw had such a happy grin! When we finish, we bring the princess to the front so they can pay and we can give them a bag and stickers! Then we head to the back to scrub our hands to make sure they are clean for the next princess. When we went to wash our hands, Ramona told me that she felt bad that my first princess had such unruly hair and that she was proud of how well I did! I was really happy to hear that. With every princess, I get better and better, even now that I've been in the boutique for about a month.

Day three I had a new trainer, Maggie. She's really nice, and watched me from farther away. She wanted me to feel like I was on my own. Day four was similar to day three, except I had a new trainer, Dawn. It was very much like Day three. I was feeling much more comfortable. On day five, Dawn taught me how to work podium. It is a bit stressful, but I like it because it is a change of pace. Podium 3 is my favorite because you get to go shopping! You also get to bring the children to the dressing room and its like making magic every few minutes because it is always exciting for the kids to have their dress magically appear in the room! Podium 1 checks people in. This is the most stressful position for me because there is sometimes confusion with reservations. Podium 2 is fun because you get to look at dresses with the girls. You also get the invitations from Cinderella ready for the girls. And podium three you get the dresses from the back and make sure the dressing room looks super magical for the royal families.

That's all of my training! After that, I was on my own! Even now, I can call over a trainer if I really need help, so you never have to REALLY be alone. Every girl is so different. Sometimes the hair is so thin and short, it is nearly impossible to make a bun, and sometimes you have girls with hair so long and thick that you can barely wrap your hands around it. You also have children that will talk to you and laugh and sing your whole time together, and then have a child who will barely say a word. You really have to learn how to adjust to each child - both with the hair and with your personality (if a princess is shy, I won't be as loud or crazy as I am with a princess who is just as zany as I am! That is what makes the job exciting though - you never know what to expect! Coming down, I thought I would really love working with the little princesses most, but I learned that I really enjoy the older girls. I feel like most of the memories I and at the boutique are with older princesses who are old enough to really grasp how special the experience is, and who have wanted to be princesses their whole lives.

I've also learned that working at the boutique is like putting on a show. You ARE a character, and you have to stay in character the whole time! Sometimes parents will ask questions, and you have to answer as a FGIT - questions like "did you have hair experience before working here," or "what are you majoring in at school" or even "how can I work here?!" You never know what people will ask so you always need to stay on your toes! I think my favorite thing to do is talk about the parks and give advice. Sometimes parents will take out a pen and paper to take notes, or pull out a park map and ask me to circle the rides I think their child will enjoy. It makes you feel like a Disney expert, and it is so exciting to share your knowledge about something you love so much!

Now this post is getting super long, and I have to save some info for future posts! But I will post a couple princess stories because some of these princesses are just too funny, and some of these stories very heartwarming!!

- "I'm younger than I look! I look like I'm 16, but I'm actually 6!" (says the little princess in a booster chair because she was so tiny!)

- "Princess Story: I had a 12-year-old princess who was in the boutique for the first and last time since 12 years old is the age limit. She was enjoying every second. I got a magical moment card that said that she was "forever a princess." Something so small meant so much to her that she came back about an hour later to thank me, give me a hug, and take one last picture. It was such a special magical moment.

-  I actually had a little princess tell me that "people die in Disney World." How do you respond to that one.....

- Princess Story: I had a girl one day come into the boutique - she was the last girl I had that day, and it took me a while to brush through her hair so we spent a lot of time telling stories. She told me she had trouble with math, so I taught her the 9's multiplication trick and she almost fell out of the chair because she was so giddy with excitement that she finally understood math. We sang songs and played games and had so much fun. While I was putting on the finishing touches, the mother whispered in my ear, thanking me for making the experience so special for her daughter. Then she told me that her daughter was a cancer survivor so it really meant a lot to them. I held in the tears as I gave her a special button that showed she was an extra brave princess. When I turned her around in the chair, she started laughing and was so happy. The whole family cheered for her and it was really special. While her family spoke with the photo pass photographer, she pulled the handheld mirror in closer. When she didn't think anyone was listening, she said to herself with a bit of surprise "I'm pretty." I bent down to her and told her that she was more than pretty - that she was beautiful inside and out, and she gave me the biggest hug. I'm getting teary-eyed as I write this now, because it is moments like this that you feel like you really are making a difference. Every time that girl multiplies by 9, she'll remember her time in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and how beautiful she felt, and knowing that I was a part of that is the best feeling in the world.

More Than a Dream - My First Days in the DCP

So I've been here for over a month and FINALLY have the chance to post about my first few weeks! I've had a great experience so far - I love my life! I walk into work with a smile on my face, and I walk out with a smile  - though I'll admit after 12 hour shifts, it is a bit more tired of a smile! This post will be about my first few days in the program. I'll put my first few weeks of boutique experience in a separate post!

My first day started early as my mom and I prepared for Day #1. I got a text from my roommate - we were so happy to have been placed together! But it was in Vista Way. Vista is famous for being the party complex - and those of you who know me know that isn't quite my personality! Neither is my roommate's - but we decided to make the best of it because at least we were together!

When I arrived for my arrival time, the first thing I received was a sticker. I didn't realize I would find out my role that quickly - but there it was. I found out I would be working in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in MAGIC KINGDOM! The thought of working in the castle everyday is such an indescribable feeling. I started crying in line! I then met with someone who checked my license and social security card, and received my rooming assignment (which I already knew). After that, I got my room key and met with another group to fill out paperwork, then someone went over our schedules with us - I'd be going to casting the next day. After that, someone taught us about safety and another about the academic opportunities available. It felt like a college orientation. After that, I was free to go to my apartment and get things ready! I finally met my roommate, Tatiana (we're literally like twin sisters - our personalities are identical!), and the other girls I was hoping to room with (but wasn't able to). After that, we got lunch and my mom picked up cleaning supplies for our apartment.

My first few days in the DCP were not average. I had a problem with my first apartment - mildew all over the floors, and I got sick from it. I got hives, a sore throat and really bad sinus headaches every time I went in the apartment. We tried to scrub it down, but it just wasn't enough! I was still getting sick. After spending the night in a hotel with my mom and Tatiana, we decided to go through health services and see if we could get moved from the apartment. My mom had to extend her stay to help with paperwork.

A picture of the carpeting - Not sure how well you can see it, but the stains were pretty bad. 

My amazing mother scrubbing the apartment with me and my roommate. 

After a few days of stress,  I was finally able to move to a new apartment! My mom and my uncle helped me move into my new apartment in Patterson, and my new place is beautiful. The only sad thing is that my roommate isn't with me =( Tatiana is still in Vista, though she got them to clean the floors and she has a new roommate who is wonderful. We still hang out all the time though, and I'm glad for that!

But backtrack a couple of days! While we were getting all of the paperwork ready, I still had to get things done for the program. I went to casting, which is really just a lot of paperwork. They had trouble reading my fingerprints, so I had to fill out additional paperwork, but it worked out just fine. I also had a housing meeting - when we walked in the lights were out and there were flashing lights and TVs everywhere! The actual meeting wasn't very exciting, though the facilitators really did their best to make it exciting for us!

Okay, now we're all caught up! On Friday, it was time for Traditions, which is a special class all new cast members must take. It teaches you about the history of Disney, and your purpose as a cast member. They emphasize the four keys (safety, courtesy, show and efficiency), and really drill in your brain "we make people happy." There are lots of surprises which I won't post on here because it will ruin the experience for people who have never been and are hoping to become cast members, but let's just say its pretty magical and half the people in the room cried a few times.


And there you have it - my first few days in the program. My next post will be about my time in the boutique and about my training and making the magic happen there! Thanks for reading!

Life is a Highway - My Trip to Florida

Hello! It feels like so much time has passed since my last post - mostly because so much time has passed! I can finally write about the exciting part of the DCP! As I traveled,  I wrote up these little reviews, and I've finally had a chance to post them! So here is a summary of my travels...


DCP Travel Day 1

The adventure has finally begun! I will be writing notes to myself as we go and posting them at the same time to save myself from lugging my laptop around. We arrived in Fredericksburg, Virginia at 1am on February 5. We had some medical setbacks today, and started traveling at 7pm (the time we planned to stop traveling)! I like driving at night to avoid traffic, so it ended up being okay. I got my arrival time for my room check-in today. 10:45am! Pretty nice so I can sleep in if we decide to play in the parks on Sunday. I also finished my new hire paperwork this week (tedious but exciting) and got info about my Disney class (I have to set up my profile). Other than that, there's nothing too exciting.

I am so appreciative to everyone who sent me texts today wishing me good luck with my travels. It was so encouraging to hear from the family and friends I'm going to miss so much! So if you're reading, THANK YOU and I love you all!

Yesterday was full of goodbyes (I must have given Brendan 10 hugs), and I fell asleep cuddling with my puppy, Andy for the last time in a while. While it is sad to say farewell for a while, it's not a "goodbye," it's just a "see 'ya real soon!"


That's all for now! It's 2:34am and i have a full day of travels ahead! Goodnight!


DCP Travel Day 2

Well, day one of traveling went by so fast- we flew through each state! But once you hit Virginia, things tend to slow down because the states get bigger! Today dragged a little more than last night, but that's okay because we listened to an awesome audiobook called "Wonder." It's a great read (or listen) and we're both really enjoying it. Definitely good for the whole family - both kids and adults. We still have another 4 hours left of the book, which is absolutely perfect because that's how much time we have left to travel! It has really helped the time pass by.

We woke up right before the hotel breakfast closed and it was great. Then we went back to sleep until it was time to check out and we were on the road again! We made a pit stop to my favorite restaurant, Cracker Barrel (I swear, if someone opend that restaurant on Long Island, they would be rich)! We also mad ea pit-stop at South of the Border, just for old times sake and it was so funny. Run down, but brought back some great memories. We had trouble finding a good hotel when we stopped at 11. We ended up lucking out at a great place and we are both very happy! Our trip is almost over and I'm looking forward to finally being in Florida. It is 1:45 am so goodnight!


DCP Travel Day 3

We're here! We're finally here! Though we haven't quite gone through the gate of Walt Disney World, we're about 3 minutes away. Today was a relaxing day of traveling. I got my nails done so I'm "Disney-look ready" and it took about 2 hours for a manicure and pedicure! We couldn't believe how long it took! Then we went to my Uncle Adam's house and had dinner with him. It was nice to see him and catch up. Then we headed down to the Disney area. I found this great discount at a hotel and we're preparing for a big day of preparation tomorrow!


DCP - The Day Before Check-In

This one will be short because I am EXHAUSTED! Is it really 2am already? We spent much of the day getting things ready for the big day! Making sure we had all the proper paperwork and getting our stuff together. When we arrived to the hotel (Art of Animation), we were surprised with a complimentary upgrade to a family suite! The hotel was amazing! My mom and I were both so excited!

This was one of the rooms at our amazing hotel!

The view from our room!

A hidden bed - that we didn't sleep in!

Every detail - even the shower curtain - was Finding Nemo themed!

After getting everything done, I surprised my mom with a night in the parks. I cried my eyes out during wishes - after listening to that show everyday for months, it just hit me that I'm here - and my wish actually did come true! Currently drifting to sleep in the most fun hotel room I've ever stayed in. Life is so great!

All this time, I thought I would be so nervous the night before check-in. Surprisingly, not true! Idk if it was seeing the castle today or just being so peaceful or talking to my DCP friends or staying in this amazing hotel - but I'm just excited and at ease. These next few days are going to be some of the best in my life. I'm so overwhelmed with joy. Let the adventure begin!

Almost There - The Countdown Begins!

Hello there! I haven't posted in a while since there hasn't been much to talk about. This semester has been so crazy, and while I'm going to miss SJC, I couldn't imagine a better time to go down to Florida for the DCP! The Show Choir raised over $2,000 for our Disney trip, and we just returned from our magical adventure. If it is possible, it made me even more excited to do the program. We did a Show Choir Magic workshop, and it was an absolutely incredible experience. We had the most amazing time, and our instructor was an absolute perfect match for our group. We had a surprise visitor at the end of the workshop, and our performance was live streamed to Downtown Disney which is pretty cool! It was stressful planning the trip because it was booked through the school, so I'm glad everything went smoothly and that everyone had a great time. Here are a few pictures from the trip!

Now that the trip is over, I can focus on preparing for my move down to Disney World!

Just a couple of updates about the DCP! We found a fifth suitemate, and she is really nice! We will have three people in one room and two in the other. This will drop the price of rent dramatically, and we'll be able to use that money to have extra special experiences at the parks! Plus, we're really happy with the group we have now and wouldn't want to change it! I also signed up for Disney Heritage, which was like a little online battle between DCP participants. I woke up 15 minutes before registration began and had my my mouse on the "submit" button until 10:00am arrived. Almost everyone registering for classes had glitches with the system due to the overwhelming amount of people trying to sign up. So many people registered that a week later, they took the people on the waiting list off the waiting list, then put others who thought they were enrolled in the class on the waiting list. The fact that I got into the class was an absolute blessing, and I am so grateful! That's about the only update I have so far, but things will really get more exciting when I get down there in February! I may do some vlogs instead of blog entries depending on what my schedule is like because that might be a little less time-consuming, but we shall see!

You've Got a Friend in Me - Finding Roommates

Sorry I haven't written on here for a while! There hasn't been much to update about! However, since this marks 100 days until I start to work at Disney, I thought it was time for a new post! One of the few things people do as soon as they get accepted (other than cry, dance around, or scream) is try to find roommates!

So how do you find roommates for the DCP? There are a few options. You can opt to get a random roommate through Disney. They'll place someone you have never met in your room/suite and you can just hope for the best! I didn't choose to do that. I saw a website early on that was like a dating website for finding roommates. While I thought it was a great idea, I had already found an awesome roommate at that point so I didn't do that. So, how did I find my roommate? Facebook!

I know what you're thinking - finding a roommate through Facebook? Honestly, it is how most people doing the DCP find their roommates (many also use Tumblr but I don't have one). People fill out a roommate survey that includes your name, your age (which will determine the type of housing you will live in. Wellness - under 21 and no alcohol allowed and non-wellness - 21+), you arrival and departure dates (which must be the same), what housing complex you would like to live in, and then some personality questions. You post it on the Disney College Program Spring 2015 website, and hope someone will comment with similar interests to you! I was lucky enough to find a roommate really early on. We have so much in common that when we posted our suite mate survey, people were commenting on what perfect roommates we were! Most importantly, you look for people who have the same values as you. I was very lucky to find a perfect match!

You may think you have nothing else to worry about once you find a roommate. FALSE! Unless you want to live in a one-room apartment and pay a fortune, you have to look for suite mates. Tatiana (my roommate) posted our surveys to a few groups on Facebook, and we were lucky enough to find two more amazing girls to live in our suite! After talking for a few days via Facebook messenger, making sure we all wanted the same housing and details like that, we all decided that we would all be a good fit! We're still looking for two more suite mates so we can stay at our 1st choice housing, Patterson, but we're really happy with the group we have now!

In the past, roommates and suite mates had to arrive really early in the morning (3 or 4am) and stand in line together for hours so they could room together. Luckily, Disney has a new system now so people can submit their roommates in advance!

I was so lucky to find amazing people to live with during my program. We all live in different parts of the US so we won't be able to all get together in person before our program, but I can't wait for us all to finally get down there! If anyone has any questions about Disney living, feel free to comment below and I'll get back to you!

You're Never Too Old to Wish Upon a Star - Why I chose the DCP

So why do the Disney College Program? Why drop everything you are doing to move to Florida and work crazy hours with little sleep, and graduate a semester late (in my case)? Well, there are LOTS of reasons why the DCP is a valuable experience for everyone! It doesn't matter what your major in college is - there are many, many opportunities to learn and grow through the DCP! These are some reasons that are important to me:

1. My dream has been to work for Disney for just about as long as I can remember. Every time I visit Disney World, the cast members go out of their way to make my experience special. I want to do that for others.

2. Working in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, I will work with little girls everyday from around the world. I will learn about different cultures, and will be able to implement the skills I have learned in my special education classes into my job to create a more magical experience for children with special needs.

3. I will have an amazing costume.

4. I will be able to put Disney on my resume. This is an amazing thing to speak about in an interview, and is something that will make me stand out when applying for jobs.

5. I get to take classes only offered to DCP participants. The two I am most interested in are Disney Heritage and Disney Leadership. While I will not get credit for these classes, there are classes that do offer FREE college credits. That's right. Free.

6. I'll be living in Disney World in an apartment suite with several other girls. I really wanted to go away for college, and this will finally be my chance!

7. I'll be working for Mickey Mouse!

8. I can go into the parks for free whenever I'm not working! Feel like watching wishes tonight? Just head over the Magic Kingdom after work! In the mood to ride Soarin'? Just stop in Epcot.

9. I get 6 free credits from my school for going!

10. Disney offers special opportunities like backstage tours, volunteer opportunities, events like "Night of the Stars," and more!

This is such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I could not pass up! I first learned about the program when I went down to Disney World my senior year as a graduation present from my mom. I was looking like crazy for Mickey graduation ears that looked like this!

Cute, right? Well, I couldn't find them ANYWHERE since we went down in August :( BUT, I did see a lot of these!

My mom and I asked a couple of college students who were wearing the ears where they got them. They explained they had just completed the Disney College Program. I started talking to different cast members when I was down there. I had heard about the DCP, but didn't know much about it. I spoke with one cast member who actually started to cry talking about the program because she was having such a wonderful experience. She loved it and gave us a little magical moment by writing my name on the ears for free! Not the graduation ones of course =) When I went home, I started researching like crazy! I knew this was something that I HAD to do! I was in the Honors Program at my school, so I knew I couldn't leave until my junior year because the Honors Program was going to Ireland in Spring 2014 AND I became an executive on the campus activities board, which was a year-long commitment! However, I'm glad I waited because it gave me time to become really involved on campus, and I love my school! While I will definitely miss SJC while I'm gone, I'm so excited about going to Disney World!!!

Adventure is Out There - DCP Application and Acceptance

Thank you for taking the time to look at my first blog! I'm new to all of this, but thought it would be a great way to look back at my experience in the future and update my family (and any friends who are interested) on my DCP journey! I have also learned so much from other DCP blogs, so I am hoping to help future applicants navigate the program and see what to expect! Especially future FGIT, but I'll get to that later...

So what is the DCP? The Disney College Program (DCP) is a competitive internship where college students can live, learn and earn at Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland. There are many options available, but I'll be going down for about four months to WDW in Florida. I will be leaving on February 9th and my journey will end on May 29th, though I may have the opportunity to extend for an additional 3 months, or up to a year! 

I was given pretty much the best role in the world! I was accepted for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Hostess. I will be a Fairy Godmother in Training, which means I'll be making little prince and princess dreams come true! I will either work in the Magic Kingdom or Downtown Disney, though I won't know my location until I get down there. Either way, I'll be able to pick up shifts in either location, and they both have their perks. Being a FGIT (Fairy Godmother in Training) is what I've wanted to do for just about as long as I can remember. I've played the Fairy Godmother in a couple productions on Cinderella's Glass Slipper, and there is nothing more magical than PIXIE DUST! I'll be seeing a lot of that in WDW :) Although I won't be playing the Fairy Godmother, getting to make dreams come true is just about the best thing in the world.

Cinderella's Glass Slipper (Soluna Studio)

Cinderella's Glass Slipper (SPAC)
"Yay" for using my Sweet 16 dress more than once!

My application process was a bit different than most people who apply for the DCP. I only selected one role, which was really risky! Only about 25-30 girls get selected for this position, and it is one of the most popular roles to apply for. Most people apply for a few roles. You have the choice of picking "High Interest," "Moderate Interest," "Low Interest" and "No Interest." Even though you put low to no interest, it is still possible to get put in those roles, though it is rare for someone who puts "No Interest" in a role to be placed there. There's no clear answer as to how many people apply and get accepted each season, but I've seen anywhere from 3,000 - 6,000 students accepted, and I've seen up to 60,000 people apply! Don't quote me on that though!

I applied on August 21st (technically August 20 because I applied a little after midnight the first night applications became available). After my application was reviewed, I moved onto the Web Based Interview (WBI). Some people do not get past the initial application process, so I was grateful to be able to complete it fairly quickly. The WBI could be considered a personality test, though it is a bit more than that. They ask you similar questions that are worded differently to look for consistency, so it can be tricky. Again, not everyone gets past this process. I've heard some people say this interview is easy, but I also know so many qualified applicants who did not get through this process. If you pass the WBI, you are asked to schedule a phone interview. Mine was scheduled on August 26th. I had a very nice interviewer who asked me some general questions, questions about the Disney look, living with roommates, some questions based on the role I applied for, and general park questions to see what kind of advice I would give to guests! My interview lasted a little over 20 minutes, and I was told I would hear back anywhere from mid to late October. Remember, this was AUGUST, so I was ready for a long wait!

Last season, I applied the first day, had my phone interview a couple days later, and three weeks after that I was pended. According to my last interviewer, she described being pended as being "put on hold" because "they want you, but don't have enough room." After months of waiting...and waiting.....and waiting to hear back, I found out I was not accepted into the program. While I was sad, I knew I had a lot of exciting things coming up this semester, and I had a lot to look forward to. I told just about everyone I knew I was applying last semester, and I had to tell everyone I wasn't going to Disney. This time around, I only told a couple of people, so it was very exciting when I could finally say that I got in!

On September 18th, and 12:19pm, I received the most magical email in the world. I had just left my teacher observations, and was heading to school for a meeting. There is a long stoplight near my school, and it has become my place to check for Disney emails. Almost everyday last semester, I would quickly check to see if any magical message had come through, and of course I never got anything. This time, however, I saw something that said "Disney Recruiting: Congratulations!" I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES! Was this really happening? Of course, the light turns green right away, so I'm driving, trying to find a place to pull over, trying to calm myself down just incase I read the message wrong. I pull into the closest parking lot I can find - a nursing home- and read the email 3 times over. I was going to Disney!

While I had assumed I got BBB (short for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique), the only way to be sure was to log into a computer and see what role I was accepted for! I drove to school with tears in my eyes, and ran to the computer lab. I was accepted not only for my dream role, but for Spring 2015, my first choice! I ran to a meeting, but didn't tell anyone because I wanted my parents to be the first to know. I had a plan since the last time I applied to get a cake for them that said I was going to Disney, and wanted to stick to that! I did tell some people at school the news since I had some long-term commitments that I would no longer be able to fulfill and paperwork to fill out. Since I had told a couple of people, I decided to text my best friends Amanda and Mike, some of the few people who knew I was applying. It is so nice to have such supportive friends - they were so excited, and hopefully they'll be able to come down to visit during one of their breaks! Here are a couple of pictures from our recent magical trip!

This is when it really became a reality. How can I leave all of my commitments? How could I leave Show Choir when we are just getting started? I wouldn't be there for my private voice students around NYSSMA time, and I hold an executive position for several clubs and organizations on campus! But this is my dream, so how could I say no? 

I texted both of my parents to see when they would be home, and both were worried that something was wrong because I was so vague. Obviously, it was quite the opposite! I ran to Carvel and dropped the first cake at my dad's house. I showed it to my brother Chris, and he asked what it said. When I told him, he said "I didn't want to say it just incase I was reading it wrong, but congratulations!!!" He helped me hide it in the freezer, and made sure my dad and his mom saw. He's an awesome brother!

I taught a voice lesson and broke the news my amazing student (who will do well with whoever she works with!) and contacted a new student I have just started working with (another fantastic musician)! We worked things out, and I'll make sure they're set for NYSSMA prep!

When I got home,  I had my mom pull the cake out of the fridge. A friend told me to record it (shout-out to Nicole!) and I'm so glad I did. I won't post the video on here because my mom would be so mad, but basically her reaction could be on a Disney World commercial. 

The cake! It says "I'm Going to Disney! DCP Spring '15" 

I paid my fees, filled out some online paperwork, accepted my position, and celebrated! And there you have it, the start of my Disney journey. Sorry for the lengthy post, but this is all stuff I want to remember when I look back years from now!

My day basically consisted of listening to Wishes and crying (happy tears of course)! The following days pretty much followed the same thing, because I'll be making wishes come true everyday! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!