Traditions, Training, and Then Some

I feel like so much has happened since I last updated here. I'll try to back up a bit and write things in order.
Our drive down here was rather uneventful, with the exception of my favorite event: picking cotton in Alabama! 

I can't explain why I wanted to do this so badly, but now I can say I have.

Our first night on the road took us all the way to po-dunk Grove Hill. We stayed at their 'finest' #1 hotel, Windy something-er-rather. At first I was charmed by the kittens greeting us on the front porch, then when a barefoot man came out from around the door to give us our key, things started going downhill. The worst part of the experience was the sleeping accommodations. Our pillows were literally made of plastic, and the pillowcases kept sliding off throughout the night. By the time we woke up in the morning, we had all shoved our worthless pillows onto the floor.

Now back to Disney! Yesterday I had my Traditions class the majority of the day. I got to learn a lot about Disney history and see some previews of what I have to look forward to working with the company. It was a long day in the classroom, but when MICKEY arrived to deliver our name tags, it was all worth it! It was so exciting to have him surprise us at the door; the magic was very much alive!
After Traditions, I rushed home to my apartment to quickly change, then headed over to Epcot.

My amazing parents spent 2 long days in the car to bring me down to Florida, then enjoyed 2 days exploring Magic Kingdom & Epcot. Since they had an early flight today, and I had early training, we had to say our goodbyes last night. I met up with them and we visited Nemo and saw Talk with Crush before watching IllumiNation's firework show. It was so beautiful! The three of us went to ride Soarin' for the first time ever and it was SO COOL. Dad then took me to ride his two favorites, Test Track and Mission:Space. Mission:Space was insane. I felt like a dog with my head out the window, whose face is flapping back in the wind. There's a pretty image, right? I also took note never to ride that soon after eating.
These last few days have been a reminder of just how blessed I am to have the parents I do. They have been so supportive and encouraging. It was very hard to leave last night, knowing it'll be a few months before I see them again. But they prepared me well and I know time will begin to fly by. I thank God daily for my mom and dad. I pray one day to be as good of a parent to my children as they have been to me. 

Last family dinner before Jeff's sendoff to Hawaii

Today I had a training session for all Entertainment cast. A lot of today was spent backstage, and while I can't share what all went on, just know it was phenomenal! We got to watch Dream Along with Mickey on the Castle Stage. I'm not going to lie, I got goosebumps.  I also got my costume today! But, in order to keep the suspense alive, and also to get myself to bed sooner, I'll save that for next time! I promise to include pictures as well.
Last of all, I recorded a video tour of my apartment and uploaded it so, if you're wondering about my new humble abode, you can view it here! http://youtu.be/hlNrYMguSYs
I filmed it on my cell phone, so forgive me for the poor quality.

Until next time!