Nice things

I was always confused when people say that they like "nice things". I also like nice things, but I don't mean  to say that I like big tv's or fancy restaurants or shiny shoes. Nice things hold value, but those things never did, for me. For me, when people say "nice things", the first things that come to mind are things like hand-written notes, good conversation, and hot chocolate. This past week involved a lot of my nice things. I have known a couple of girls from one of my classes since the beginning of my program, and we've always gotten along well, but we recently started spending time together. It is wonderful! Natasha and Kelsen are cousins from Utah, and they're both just lovely. They're grounded girls with their heads and the right place, yet they can also be fun and helplessly romantic- which, of course, is something we have in common. Well... the second pair of adjectives, at least. We stayed up talking last week and ate strawberries and pretzels dipped in melted chocolate and frosting the other week while talking about our families, friends, and faiths. Kelsen is Mormon, and her moral code is so encouraging. It took a bit, but I've finally found some girls that want to have fun the way I think of fun. They don't need alcohol, but it usually requires food :) My type of girls, for sure! The other day we stayed up and ate white cheddar cheez-its and watched episodes of the twilight zone. After that, we talked more about our lives, started planning their visit to D.C., which we have all sworn to implementing, and I got to do some healthy gushing about Kevin's visit.
Which I will do a very abridged version of now.
I picked up him up at the airport, we checked him into the hotel where I talked to the concierge (we have mutual friends in the program) and awkwardly explained that only he was checking in and that I obviously wasn't too because we're not married or grown-ups and feeling judged walking him to his room and wanting to explain to everyone that passed us that I wasn't staying and ugh it was emotionally distressing. I mean... I got over it eventually haha. Then he came back to my apartment and got to meet some of my roommates. I got him out of there as soon as possible, lest he be fully exposed to roommate behavior ( I failed, he definitely got them in full blast the following couple of days). Then we watched Forrest Gump, which was awesome! We also went for a walk to the basilica and walked around outside- there's a beautiful little shrine to the Blessed Mother and Child, along with a lovely little rosary garden. It was so separate from what I've gotten used to in the abrasive world that is the college program, so it was very refreshing. I had to go to class for the majority of the next day, but headed to dinner with his brother, Ryan, after I finally got home. I gave Kevin a Metallica history lesson on the way, because, apparently, Ryan likes Metallica, and we got to talk about it during dinner. It was funny, because I thought gaining that knowledge was a total waste of time. We did go to the wrong Seasons 52 at first... so we were late... which is something Kevin and I are good at. The next day we were at Islands of Adventure all day- mostly in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. BUTTERBEER IS THE BOMB. One of my favorite parts was buying Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans and picking them for each other. I succeeded in picking a few really, very truly nasty ones. We ate dinner that night at Bubba Gump Shrimp, staying true to watching the movie earlier. We also watched "The Last Lecture" which one of my favorite books is based off of. Read it if you have a weekend to yourself! The next day, we slept in a bit, headed to Animal Kingdom, where I got to show Kevin where I work sometimes, take some pictures with characters, and see both the Finding Nemo musical and The Festival of the Lion King.
**Oh! Fun fact! Translation of the beginning of the Lion King:

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba [Here comes a lion, Father]
Sithi uhm ingonyama [Oh yes, it's a lion]

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
Sithi uhhmm ingonyama
Ingonyama

Siyo Nqoba [We're going to conquer]
Ingonyama
Ingonyama nengw’ enamabala [A lion and a leopard come to this open place]**

so that was hysterical, and we laughed about that for a while. The best part of that show is that there was this little girl with dirty blonde hair and big green eyes that couldn't have been older than five who was sitting next to us. Near the end of the show, I poked Kevin and both of us marveled at her adorable-ness. I realized that her mom probably noticed we were staring and I told her, "She is just so precious!" Her mom said thank you, and a couple moments later, she laughed and told me that the daughter asked her what "precious" meant. I told her that it mean very, very cute and special. I wish I got a picture with that little girl instead of pooh, she was way cuter. Then we went to epcot where we walked around, took pictures, went on a couple of rides, and watched the fireworks show. We ate at planet hollywood, which , by the way, has amazing barbeque bacon cheeseburgers, and watched Up at the hotel. The next day, we went to church in the morning, and drove to Tampa right afterwards to have lunch with Kevin's older brother, Troy. It wasn't exactly in tamp, it was in this place called Ybor City. Kevin promised me roaming chickens, but apparently, some recent construction has scared them off. Both of Kevin's brothers are great. They are very kind, very friendly people, and I felt welcome in their company. After lunch with Troy, I took Kevin to the airport. We split some starbucks and reminisced about the visit, and then we said good-bye at security. It was sad, but I only have a month and a half left here- 7 weeks. I'm so excited about going home! I got a great letter from my sister, and it just made me want to get on a plan then and there. My mom pointed out something to me the other day, though, that was insightful and encouraging. I am here for a reason. I'm not sure what the reason is, but there is a greater one than "forwarding my resume". I hope I can live it out to the best of my ability, but I also think I'm going to make a tear-away countdown to coming home tonight :)

Excitement and Kleenex

Ok! So when we last saw our struggling, overly-bedazzled college programmer, she was sick, yet enthused with being accepted into the Disney talent show.
...Not much has changed haha.
I called to confirm that I want to participate, and I left a message, but wasn't able to talk to anyone which kind of worries me, but, eh, no big. I really should be finishing my last 10 pages of "Common Sense 101", right now, but I just got back from work at Hollywood Studios, and I have a box of white cheddar cheezits that I'm going to do some damage on while I blog and watch an episode of one of my favorite shows, The Big Bang Theory. I looooove me some Big Bang Theory... and white cheddar cheezits.
Anyways, because my fever finally went away yesterday, I decided to go for a run. I am still a little sick, and I haven't run in 3 days, so I did 2.5 and was exhausted. Last week, when Mallory went for a run, her I.D. fell somewhere and she couldn't find it. I got scared by this and wore really big basketball shorts so I could keep my I.D. safe in the deep confines of the boy-pockets. Lo and behold, it still manages to fall out at some point of my run. I went back and looked for it, but it was late and dark. Thankfully, some kind soul from the richy-rich complex found it and returned it. I've heard a lot of stories like mine where people hear a story, get scared into changing their routine, and the thing they were scared of happening happened as a result of that change. I bet there's a word for that in German...
Last week, I got to do some great networking with the wedding planners here. I really think that if I keep up contact with them, I might have a place here for me in a couple years with the professional internship. I'm going to write a thank-you note to the woman I interviewed, because I think I did a really good job on the assignment having to do with networking, thanks to her. We have a huge project due in that class at the end of the semester and I'm so pumped for it. It's a huge board that describes (and artistically presents) the career that we want. I'm thinking some lace, some satin ribbon, some scrap-booking paper, rhine stones, pearls, and toulle and BAM! we got ourselves a winner :) In my other class, marketing you, we had a sub who spoke a good bit of class about C.S. Lewis and Tolkein. He was hysterical! He also mentioned that he was not a relativist, when he was talking about how he believes in being honest with people you work with if they have a viewpoint that is wrong, but humble enough to admit when you might be wrong. He claimed that he would never see us again, so after class, I approached him and asked, "Can I make a prediction?" He looked kind of surprised, but said "Uh..Sure?" I said "You're Catholic, you know about the Inkpots, and are probably a Chesterton fan." He laughed out loud and said that I was right. We talked about a couple of books and swapped favorite quotes for a bit and then exchanged e-mails. It was funny, I felt like Kevin. Speaking of which! Kevin comes down this coming week, and I'm SUPER CRAZY EXCITED. Who's going to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Yeah. That's right. We are.

Dry updates are like toast. No butter. No jelly. Just toast.

I have a fever... this thoroughly disables whatever organ comes up with the billions of metaphors and other cleverness apparatuses that I occasionally put to use.

Ergo (and consider yourself warned), a completely dry, thoroughly empirical update.

1. I auditioned for the "Night of Stars" talent show and did not feel that great about the audition- I got an email today saying that I've been selected to participate :) I'm super excited!

2. I was able to interview an assistant wedding planner for Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings today, and it went great!

3. Tomorrow, I get to go to a networking seminar for Disney event planning- it's sure to be very interesting,  so I'm also very excited for that.

... because this feels so immensely inadequate and unsatisfying, I'll probably write something at least attempting above robotic emotion tomorrow.

Faith, trust, and... oh geez, please no more pixie dust.

Something about this place has made me sarcastic. I think it's overexposure to sparkles. Actually... I'm sure it's overexposure to sparkles. Any of the glitter, color, ostentatiousness, joviality, and otherwise stated pomp that would, or could, be included in my normal day to day is extremely augmented and then concentrated into my work environment. Don't get me wrong, I love happiness. I would not be working for Disney if I did not love happiness, and, of course, the happiness that comes with entertaining people. But, this being my blog, I must use a metaphor. If you get sick of metaphors easily, hold your breath and speed-read, it will end at some point.
In the summer, my family makes a ton of lemonade. We use country something or other powder to make this lemonade. For me, making lemonade is difficult. My thought process is usually as follows:
"Wow. It's hot outside. I want lemonade. Dang it! There isn't any made in the fridge... Ok, here we go again. What? Fluid oz.? But... there aren't pounds of water... there are liters... how many is 16 oz then? How many are in a liter? This pitcher could maybe be a liter or two I suppose. WHAT. There aren't even any markings on this pitcher! Should I call mom? Heck, I bet Greg could even figure this out... Gah I don't want to look stupid, I have to just try a couple times. WOAH HO that is way too sweet. Yep and that tastes like water now..."
My point is, balance. There is too much sugar in my pitcher.
An effect of this overly-sweetened life is trying to make some balance. Gossip in the break-room and complaining about shifts used to not be a problem for me, but it's been introducing itself lately. So I gave it up for lent. No more complaining or gossiping. I've given up gossiping before, and it was really tough. Surprise! It's tough again. I didn't realize how tempting it really is until I gave it up. It's an easy way in to conversation, an even easier conversation starter, and it takes all potentially criticizing eyes away from you and onto another person. To be completely honest, the more I keep myself from doing it, the more I realize the poisoning effects it has. It is definitely making it less difficult.
As far as complaining goes, Japan knocked that out of me pretty effectively.

"Why don't they give us real food instead of desserts" loses in a my horse is bigger than your horse contest with "I don't have a home or food anymore" any day of the week. I also think that not complaining can only be made easier with gratitude. I'm really excited to see what the effects of this Lent are for me. Anyways, finally got some pictures worth sharing for you all :)

Here is a character that I have become quite close to ;)

And here he is again with some of his friends! 

Shmlove

The first two paragraphs or so are a me-history, if you will, so if you are my mother or sibling, you can skip to the bottom for current things :)
My parents both went to UVA, and were involved in FCA there. My Dad was, initially, the only Catholic in the big group of them. Probably to my pastor-grandpa's discontent, he was the guy that my Evangelical Free Church mom fell for. While they were in that FCA, they founded some very, very strong bonds with a good number of people there. The men, especially, stayed incredibly close after college. They called themselves "shmoo"s. They all grew, and were married, and started families of their own. Now, we are 13 families, with some adult children who are second generation shmoos. I am a second generation shmoo, and, as such, have been given an indescribable gift. Since birth, I have belonged to a family bonded through faith and friendship. This past summer, I had one of the best experiences of my life with a number of my shmoo brothers and sisters on the beach. We stayed awake, talking from 2 till 6 in the morning, about everything and anything that mattered in life, in the most encouraging and uplifting ways, bolstered by the love we have for each other.
I have two girls that I have always felt especially close to in the shmoos (although I love all of them more than I could ever say). Their names are Kati and Kali. Kati is a year older than I am, and is not only my sister, but a mentor, and a dear friend to my heart. She goes to school in Texas, and her family resides in Turkey. I miss her lots and lots. Kali is a bit younger than me, but we used to be inseparable when we would get together when we were younger. She is a ball of joy and sunshine and many other wonderful things. Kali and her family were in Orlando this week, and I got to visit them at their hotel-- which was just down the road from where I live! It was very cool. True to our pasts, we stayed up from 11pm-3am talking. Her parents were there for the first couple of hours, but left us to be teenage girls for the rest of it. It was so nice to have family here.
Familiar faces have been a saving grace for me. A couple weeks ago, one of my amazing youth ministers, Nate, and his wife, Margaret, were down here on vacation. I got to spend a few hours with them, too, and it's one of the most encouraging things to just see someone you know.  It also helps that the people that I've seen are people that have always been uplifting influences in my life. Anyways, Kali, if you're reading this... I love you! We shmoos think/know that if we add "shm" to anything it automatically personalizes it and makes it cooler, so I suppose you could call this a "shmout-out" :D. Woops, attempts at cleverness at 3 am. That means I will look at this tomorrow and it will no longer be clever.
I realized I mentioned this earlier with no explanation. Tomorrow (Friday), is my un-birthday. In my apartment, we all either have legitimate birthdays during the program, or we've picked a day to be our "un-birthday", so we all get a special day. So far, they've been lots of fun! Tomorrow's mine, so I guess that's kind of exciting. I will celebrate by scheduling a doctors appointment. And doing laundry. Know why? Because I'm an adult, remember?! That was too much enthusiasm for it being so late at night... Anyways, my cousin, Caity, comes down next week, and I'm so excited! She is, besides absolutely beautiful, a very sweet girl, and I always enjoy spending time with her. I would come up with something clever to end with... but, again, I won't find it clever tomorrow, so I think I'll pass :)
God bless!

First Morning Blog!

Today, I made myself do things I knew I'd be happy about later. This is a skill that quite a few species of animals have in relation to migration even in their youngest years, but not that very many humans of "superior intellect" in their college years have come to acquire. I woke up bright and early at 7:10, and got to mass a half hour early at 7:30 for some journaling and reading and other stuff that makes my soul happy. After mass, at about 9:15, I went for a run...with ashes still on my forehead. I thought about washing them off first, but I remembered that when you're away from home, it's harder to remember holy days of obligation. I decided that I'd be very grateful to see a reminder if I had, by chance, forgotten. The interactions with people were obviously different. Some people, not unlike when I'm running without a big black cross on my forehead, looked determinedly forward or downward. Others looked confused. Others exchanged knowing smiles with me. People squinted through car windows, and my security guard said "Oh, hey! It's ash wednesday!" I laughed and joked "Aw, no, I just thought this would look cute..." We laughed together and I told him I just got back from mass. He smiled and wished me a nice day. Reactions are always going to be different when you mark yourself obviously as a Catholic, or a Christian, even. I have heard stories from nuns and priests that go through this every day. It kind of made me think about how simply a mark can identify a person. Words also can boldly state affiliations and beliefs. How clear, how significant would acts need to be in order to be unquestionable evidence of being a follower of Christ?
My audition the other day was fun, not too sure how I did, but I did it for fun, so no worries. I ended up singing paparazzi into telephone- it sounds sweet acoustically. My unbirthday is in two days...
Oh! Lent! I'm giving up gossiping, complaining at work, and facebook, and I'm going to start doing morning prayer every morning. Excited!! The sermon at mass was talking about cutting out not just what is impeding your walk with Christ, but things that are keeping it from being the best it could possibly be. Although I think facebook has many honest, good uses, it eats so much of my time that I could be using to do awesome reading and learning and other better things. Complaining and gossiping are just mood-draggers. Morning prayer will be a challenge for me, but the priest (who is new to Mary, Queen of the Universe and it is my favorite priest I've heard since I've been here) also said looking for little things that could do big things in our spiritual lives. Making time in the morning is definitely one of those things.
Anyways, I officially can have animal instincts, was my first point. Now I'm writing in my blog at an hour earlier than 3 am on my day off, and I'm quite pleased with myself.
...Now I'm off to do more adult things. aka go to Disney World.


update: I already want facebook. But! I did learn a good chunk of French today from the friends with whom I went to Typhoon Lagoon. My favorite is "Je suis très dégoûté!" It means "I am very disgusted!" It's just very fun to say. I also learned to say things like "You are cute, I am hungry, I want to eat, she is small, kiss, I love you, you are goofy, sarcastic, who is he?" and lots more. It's really fun, and making fun of accents is even more fun... for them. It's times like these that build up humility :)

I have a condition. And conditioner. I like conditioner more.

Ok, so first off, I have to go the doctors, because there is something wrong with me. It's comforting to know that no one is completely, perfectly healthy... and that other than this thing, I'm pretty close. Anyways, every once and a while (a few times a week) I get this really intense, sharp pain in the middle of my left rib cage. Because my family has heart history (as in we have a history of heart problems, not as in we all have history of having hearts... even though I suppose that is true as well), I decided to finally get it checked out when I went home about a month ago. It's been going on for a bit over a year but I was convinced that I could overcome it/ it would go away/ I am invincible, so I only got it checked out now. I got an EKG and a basic examination and everything was fine. If I remember correctly, my doctor even said that I had really amazing blood pressure... but I digress. She said that if she is reading my symptoms correctly, there is nothing wrong with my heart, but she was 95% sure that I have a "condition" that involves a splinter of the intercostal cartilage in my rib cage inflaming the surrounding tissue and occasionally pinching nerves in that tissue. I don't know if anyone reading this has pinched a nerve before, but I don't think I have besides this condition. I guess the only way to describe this from a more widespread perspective is to imagine a muscle cramp, then concentrate it into a pencil point. I don't like to complain or exaggerate... but my doctor called it "temporary, sharp, and intensely forceful pain". Thankfully, it only lasts from 1-3 seconds, normally. Those seconds hurt, but they're usually over quickly, so it's really not a big deal. I was, however, in my costume when it happened the other day, and I messed up on an autograph, which made me sad :( Anyways, I thought I should explain this, and I will very rarely mention it because I don't like talking about being sick/other physical ailments. We all have them in varying degrees of discomfort, so I don't see a need to complain about mine. I do have to get an echocardiogram while I'm here at some point, though, so I might say how that goes.
The worst part is that all of these developments are happening 900 miles from home. Even though I won't complain too much/ignore the existence of medical issues, they become more scary when you're dealing with them without your mom close by. This became very clear today when I had a 3 or 4 second long spell and all I wanted was a warm cookie (or something else warm that includes lots of unnecessary calories) and my mom. I think the reason I want my mom is because even though I like feeling, or appearing, tough, I know I can't fool her. She held me in my most fragile state, and knows a piece of that has endured. She's the one who has come to know my weakness in every scratch and every bruise that she has tended to, and who has seen my vulnerability in every tear she has wiped off my face over the course of my childhood. It's true that, for me, there have been far less tears than injuries, but she will always see through my toughness.
Ok, so I audition for the talent show tomorrow if I can fill an empty slot. I'm nervous because I am torn between auditioning with Jack Johnson to show off some more guitar stuff, Lady Gaga for vocal stuff, or   a song called "Boats and Birds" for originality. I think I'm going to ask whoever is auditioning me what they'd like to hear, because I really just don't know at this point. I also don't even know if I'll get a slot... which is sad. I also got re-measured today and get to be another character! Heck yes for the company wrongly measuring me a whole inch and a half!

Worries

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."
-Matthew 6:34

Yeah, I'm on it...?