All I Care About is Money and this City that I'm From...

No, no, that's not all true! That line just tickled my fancy and it doesn't hurt that it is played every. 2. minutes. on the local radio stations...

What I mean to say is that I finally live in a city big enough to have a GROUPON!!! I have always lusted after the cool steals and deals that you can find in big cities while sitting in my bed in my little tiny towns. (The madness of Orlando does have perks!)

So far I've gotten an awesome price on a gym membership, but that's my only splurge. While the e-mails are a little overwhelming every day, I could totally see myself buying us a nice restaurant bargain or even one of the sweet getaways they have for beaches and cities nearby.

My top 3 Groupon wishes:









Painting with a Twist

In this class, you get to learn step by step how to create really cool, beautiful paintings! They serve hors 'doeuvres (yes, I had to Google the spelling of that) and you can bring your own wine! At the end of the night you get to bring your painting home... insta-bragging rights! Sounds like a purrrrfect evening to me!

Keratin conditioning treatment

I am just biding my time until this one shows up... I have a good feeling about it! With this treatment, my lovely locks will [apparently] not be affected by this Florida humidity and they will be much shinier and healthier... Here's hopin'!



Charleston, SC.

I have always had a LOVE for this sweet place. They have had a few deals here and there for getaways but I am staying tuned in for maybe Labor Day weekend or a good deal on another long weekend! Vay-cay hay hayy.

Life Lately!

Hellooo again everyone!

These past two weeks have been super crazy and packed with fun with all of my new friends and our new city :)

We've ventured downtown...
Oh, DT Orlando, how you slay me! We had an amazing girl's night filled with VIP lounges, late night hot dogs and lots of interesting characters like this kind man who kept telling us he was Bobby Kennedy... Hokay.


Cooked until we couldn't eat ONE more thing... (thank goodness for stretch pants...)


A group of girls and I (fondly named the Spicy Girls by our cab driver Adele...) whipped up a delicious Italian family dinner on Wednesday night. I got a little overzealous to the point that even my stretch pants needed stretch pants. Who knew seat belts could be snug?! [dessert not pictured... yeah that's a whole 'nother course. Barf me.]

Gotten the VIP treatment...


Somehow [read:at around 4:55 on Friday] we scored tix to the preview of the new Dave and Busters in Orlando. (For anyone who doesn't know, Dave and Busters is basically an adult version of Chuck-E-Cheese!) The way they open restaurants, they split up their new staff and let half of them practice serving and half of them get to bring guests and enjoy themselves! Those sessions were so crowded that they opened up a few more VIP nights, which is what we attended! We got a whole free meal and got free tokens to Big Buck Hunt, Skee Ball and Whack-a-Mole the night away, just like the good ol' days!

...and got our entertainment fix!Yes, yes indeed we saw Monte Carlo. It was just as cute (and just as Lizzie McGuire Movie recreated) as we had dreamed! We can never get enough of that little cutie Selena Gomez and she surely did not disappoint!

HP7, of course, was EPIC. We giggled, we cried, and we literally screamed and grabbed each other so many times we were almost politely asked to leave.

So there you have it! A big, bad recap of these past couple weeks! I apologize for the brief overview, but rest assured there is much more on the way!

"...He makes me MELT like a popsicle, on the 4th of July"

One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies, Little Rascals (as many of you know I may or may not have pretended I was Darla for most of '94-'96......... I was cute. Whatever.)

Just as I had expected, 4th of July here in FLA did not disappoint! The only downside was my poor little body getting tricked to believe that every weekend could be 3 days long... SYKE.

Friday night we just hung out at the apartments and had a li'l girls night to rest up for THIS great place on Saturday morning bright and early!

Recognizeeee?

Epcot was so different than I remembered and was so much easier to appreciate now that I have a little maturity under my belt (What? Maturity? Moi?). We rode SpaceShip Earth and geeked out at our pictures, we stalked us some princesses, ate lunch in China, made up stories about ancient Swedes in that rando Norway ride and got so hot that our fingernails bout melted off. A good day was had by all.

That night was our foray into Jellyrolls, and from my last post I'd say it was no secret that I enjoyed it immensely! I missed a trip back there this weekend (ya I am a wee bit behind in the posting situation) but I know I will for sure be back soon!

Sunday consisted of errands overload, considering that is pretty much what I dedicate most of my free time here so far. I literally find SOME reason to head to Target/Walms/Walgreens/etc. at least once a day. It's just some superhuman nesting disease I am afflicted with. A special treat of today was checkin' out IKEA and getting lost in the miniature bedrooms, superfluuken and olvido (just made up some Swedish words, hope I didn't just cuss anyone out or anything). Ps. Check out this video shot in IKEA. I die.

Ikea heights: A legit soap opera set INSIDE an Ikea. HA!

That night we went to the Wedding Pavilion (SWOON) and watched fireworks from the beach! We sprawled out in the sand and even dipped our toes in the water for just a few seconds. Too legit to quit.

Monday morning I got to sleep late and then we went buzzin' around town to prepare for our cookout! It was hot, delicious, hilarious and perfecto.

No fireworks were had that night because we had an early morning coming up, but since we were so undernourished at our extensive cookout (read:I was still stuffed...?!?!) we did steal away for some Chili's cheeseburgers with a side of delicious Austrailian waiter. God Bless the USA and all that other stuff too!

Overall, it was a grrrreat weekend! Hope y'all had a great one as well!

Sing us a song, you're the piano man!

I first thought I would include this post with the 4th of July weekend update but y'all, this place deserves a post of its own. When my roommate first told me about this place, I admit I wasn't quite sure I understood. The convo went something like this:

"Do you want to go to a dueling piano bar?"
"I mean... sure? What.. is... it?" (thinking: Mozart)
"They play Ke$ha. On the piano."
(At this, I am sold.)

I am not kidding when I say this is the coolest place I've been since I got here! The way it's set up is there are two pianos facing each other on stage with a mirror behind them so that everyone can see all the fancy fingerwork. There are bars on each side and you get to kind of choose your view and your bar and your favorite pianist. There are four who rotate in and out and I can't believe there are only 4 for how much work that they do! Did I mention they sing as well?! And are absolutely hilarious??

These guys can play a.ny.thing. Yes, seriously. Some of my favorite songs of the night included Baby by Biebs, Under the Sea from the Little Mermaid, Doe a Dear, Dixieland Delight (can't say I didn't tear up a little bit... SA love), and oh... am I forgetting one... yes that's right BABY GOT BACK. Just casually on a Baby Grand Piano complete with dance moves. They also played the classics like Journey, Billy Joel, and the Temptations. I was in heaven!

The other perks of the night include getting to play on the Boardwalk itself (which has ice cream shops, candy stores, boutiques and a sweet view!), the "big red cup" signature drink with a side of all-you-can-eat popcorn, and watching everyone sing their hearts out when their song came on.

Literally, the best time I've had in a while and I can't wait to go back! have any of y'all been to a piano bar? Any cool stories??

Wah.

Sorry the blog looks so weird today! My newest post ate my other ones. Working on it! <3

I hope you stay American Baby

Happy 4th, American Babies! Hope everyone has a great day celebrating Amurrica's B-Day (as we've fondly begun to call it here). I am grilling out, sunnin' and funnin' and checking out the fireworks in one of the parks! Can't wait to hear about all y'alls plans :)

"I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed... But can you be just whelmed?"

..."I Think you can in Europe!"- 10 Things I Hate About You (#CLASSIC)

Welp, first week at work is history! And can I say it was just phenom?! Training, learning names and responsibilities, trying to get to work on time and not end up somewhere in Tampa... This has all been very overwhelming! But only the best kind. And from learning about the amazing things I will get to do and the people I get to hang with, I am certainly never going to be underwhelmed in my time here. I am, however, looking forward to when I can get in the swing of things and have gym nights, not be heading to Target at 11pm (this may not will not change), and getting to spend more time catching up with friends and family. I know this is all so new and it will come in time!

Anywhooo, as I said, the first work week was great! Day 1, I was greeted on my floor with this adorable sign:

A close-up of mine!

As any of y'all may know, I LUHHH me some Muppets, most especially Kermie (love you Daddy ;)) and Miss Piggy! I may have squealed when I saw this.

After the initial meet and greets, I went into some training for the first day and got to meet a bunch of other interns in my department. It was so helpful to see everyone at once so I would have some pals in the cube 'hood. That afternoon, we went to our departments for the first time and jumped right in! First things first, I got to go to a local restaurant, Tiujana Flats, home of the most delicious Mexican I've had in some time! Defff check it out if you are ever in Florida (and you will be!)

The rest of the week was spent getting acclimated, trained and used to the great big 9-5 day. One of the coolest aspects of the week was getting presentations from every leader in our department and figuring out who we would interact with, what their title and responsibilities were, and the cool things that they have their hands in that we see every single day in the real world.

I've learned that this organization is SO super friendly and welcoming and everyone always has their doors open for questions, chats and advice. They are a culture of "meet-and-greets" and shadowing, where you can spend time with someone else and see up close and personal what exactly a day looks like for them and if it would be a good fit for you. They also highly accept and widely use acronyms, which I love considering half my vocab is abbrevs.

I am so excited to learn the ins and outs of our department and my position and soak everything up while I have this awesome opportunity! Stay tuned for some more deets as next week gets cookin' and of course for a 4th of July recap!

I Think I'll Go to Disney World Today!

Sunday was our first roommate bonding adventure and we packed up our sassy side bags and headed off to Magic Kingdom! We did all the good stuff that I remember from my first times there like Splash Mountain (complete with our sexy bright red ponchos), Haunted Mansion (a little less scary than my 4 year old nightmares remember) and even the Country Bear Jamboree which was the one thing I made my parents sit through several times as a youngin'.

We made it a full park experience and stayed for the Main Street Electrical Parade and Disney's spin on a light, music and fireworks show, Wishes. I would be telling y'all a boldface lie if I said I didn't get a tad bit teary as photos of families were projected on the castle and sentimental music was playing in the background. I loved seeing all the families together trying to see if they would make it up on the show! Plus, the things they did with the effects and the castle was legit the stuff dreams are made of!

It was so awesome to get to see that Magic Kingdom was just right where I left it. The rides were still just as fun and I may or may not have produced a high pitch squeal at the sight of Princess Tiana herself. Though I've changed a lot since my last visit (let's be real... have I really?), I still got the same butterflies in my basket walking around the parks that I did then.

Check back soon for an update on my first week :) Meanwhile, here are some videos from the parades so you can check them out as well! DISCLAIMER: Seeing these videos does not disqualify you from hearing me whine incessantly until y'all all come down and visit me and see them for yourself! kthxbyee.




For this one to seem real, I am going to need y'all to follow these simple steps:
1. Turn the heat on in your house to around 113 degrees.
2. Find a group of at least 10 friends.
3. Squeeze together, bunch up and push each other, step on each other's toes and informally invite yourself into someone else's personal bubble.
3.Be creative! Do you have a stroller? Do you have some sunscreen you could spray for effect? All these will make the experience that much more accurate!
(All joking aside though, the parade and show is MORE than worthy of the amazing crowds it draws each and every night!)



THIS one... is truly breathtaking in person. Firstly, you will come visit. Then, you'll laugh, you'll cry... If you don't cry with me the first time then we can sit and watch it every night until you cry. Loveya!

"...Life has just been sort of a dress rehearsal and we are just getting started"

"I just want to leave you with this thought, that life has just been sort of a dress rehearsal, and we're just getting started. So if any of you start resting on your laurels, I mean just forget it, because...we are just getting started"

-Walt Disney

Today began bright and early at 6am! We were due at Disney University for our Traditions class. This class was all about learning the history, values and methods behind this MEGA company. It really hadn't set in to most of us yet that we are a part of a multi-billion dollar corporation that owns everything from TV channels to comic book characters (why don't YOU try bossing the Incredible Hulk around, huh? We OWN him.)

One of the coolest parts (besides that our teacher was Prince Charming... No, like, literally.)
was getting to go to Magic Kingdom and see what we were learning in action. Disney is world- renowned for its AMAZING customer service and we got to spy real life situations happening on the fly!

The main thing we learned from our tour was that the magic of the characters and stories are to be kept alive at all times in the parks. This even means that there are vacuums in the tunnels to suck the trash out of the trashcans and transport it off-site to keep it from stinking up in this glorious Florida heat.

At the end of the day, the boss himself... MICKEY! Came in to hand deliver our name tags. Though our feet were a little sore and our stomachs were a little rumbly, the day was so great and educational! Here are a few pics from the day!

The outside of Disney University! Cast members can take classes here in everything from marketing to costuming. I am dying to take a broadcast journalism class, but I'm not sure if it will fit my schedule or if they even offer it. Once you finish, you earn either your "Mouseters" degree or your "Ducktorate" (ya'll know my obsession with puns!)

Cute little characters popped out from ceiling tiles all over the school!

All of our name tags once Traditions was completed :)

4 Things Florida Has Taught Me... Today.

1. STORMS. Ya know those storms that you get, like, once a summer and you probably leave Piggly Wiggly in deadly conditions even though you shouldn't, end up having to pull over and even your brain feels drenched? Yeah... Those happen twice a day here.

2. Traffic. Where I am from, traffic can get held up on our two lane highways, sure. Often its for a family of ducks to cross the road or because someone left their lunchbox on the school bus. Here, all the highways have 18 lanes and people help themselves to the three inches of space that exist between you and the car in front of you. Those aren't yours. I did not invite you over. I am becoming a very defensive driver, though. Fast.
PS. My phone/GPS (Henceforth referred to as the Nimbus 3000) is programmed to predict traffic. So when she tells you that going somehwere 4 miles away will take 22 minutes, she isn't stupid and she isn't kidding.

3. Errands. Anything and anywhere you think you might need/want/ever wondered if it existed is within a 10 minute drive of our apartment. If you would like to shop somewhere and you simply cannot find it nearby, then you probably made it up in your head. This makes errands highly distracting when you need contact solution and see 5 J. Crew Outlets.

4. I am not that strange. I know what you're thinking. All two of you who read this blog (hi, Mom and Dad!) know me and know that I am that strange. But in Orlando, I have competition. It's okay that I take off my shoes and walk barefoot 700 feet in the parking lot of Ross Dress for Less (see #1- STORMS.) because men here wear capris and women here have rat tails. The end.

Little darlin', here comes the sun and I say, it's alright

Well, I survived my first day and night in FLO' RIDA!

Yesterday began bright and early saying adios to the awesome staff at the Fairfield here in Orlando. Packed me up a little nanner for the road and set off to drive to my apartment complex to check in!

We were first shown to the MOVIE THEATER to have a housing meeting (THE. MOVIE. THEATER. Where am I?!) We learned the lay of the land and got some important info for where we will be living. Despite popular belief and lots of neck craining and shoulder peeking, we did not find out our roommates yet! I did, however, make 2 new friends which was awesome!

After that meeting, I ventured back to my apartment where 2 out of 3 roommates were already moving in! We hit it off instantly which was a huge relief.

Once I got settled a bit and made some plans, it was off to Casting for us! Another brief check in and rundown of information, and we were free to go! It was nice to get our special notes from our offices and mentors telling us who to meet when and where to go.

Once we returned from casting, I ran to meet my friend who is doing the College Program for lunch and check out her apartment. I loved meeting her roomies and checking out the differences in all the complexes.

When I got back, I finally met my roommate! We got along great from the second we met, down to admitting how glad we were that the other brought her stuffed animals and had several big, pink bags.

The day was filled with more flying clothes, plastic shelves and moving things from drawer to drawer but I must say that the place is shaping up quite nicely! Our room is a great size and we may have to rent out our bathroom/closet to Sea World because I am telling you now that Shamu could fit in there.

Last night we headed out to the Orlando Ale House with some girls from our complex for a Professional Intern meet and greet! Everyone was SO friendly (I am learning this about Disney), I could recite my job title in my sleep and my face literally hurts from smiling! It was such a great time and I'm so glad we made it out of our cozy twin beds to head over there!

All of the PI's have today off and I've heard of people doing everything from shopping to parks to going to Cocoa Beach! I will most likely just hang with the rooms, finish unpacking and settling in and track down this mythical SuperTarget! A little time spent by one of our pools would not break my heart either ;)

Tomorrow morning bright and early will be our Traditions class, so stay tuned!