One year ago I drove down to Orlando, FL in order to go on a Disney Cruise (highly recommend cruising with Disney, by the way), but naturally I had to experience the Magic Kingdom in order to get the party started. So the gloomy morning before my cruise I travelled to the Magic Kingdom and had a thought that changed my life. What was the thought? Well, the first thought was probably that the lady at the ticket window did a great job convincing me to buy the military 4-day hopper ticket. Buying multiple days meant I had to come back (it was really a fantastic deal though)! As I went throughout my gloomy, wet day I rode fun rides and experienced the Magic Kingdom to the fullest extent. The park was clean. The shows were exciting. The rides were fun. The people (oh, the people!) were greater than any people that run a large operation. The experience was incredible.
Oh, you actually wanted to know what the thought I had was? I’ll tell you. I thought, “this place is incredible. The attention to detail, the friendliness of the people, the commitment to excellence is something I can get behind. I want to be a part of this.” That thought changed everything.
Here we are in 2017, a year later, and I am once again in Orlando, FL (well… I’m in California, but I digress) not as a guy going on vacation, but as a Walt Disney World cast member. I made the team! It is incredible to look back and see the timeline of events and where they have led me. You can read about the timeline of events on one of my previous blog posts: “The Wilds Ride Continues.”
So here we are at the end of January. Quite a bit has happened since before Christmas. First off, my family got to come visit! I wore my mom and grandma out, but otherwise we had an exciting time together. Walt Disney World is a cool experience during the holidays. I ended up working New Years Eve and New Years day. It was really exhausting, but I got to see the fireworks at midnight. If you have never seen the New Year fireworks display at the Magic Kingdom then you have got to see them. Here’s a video of what you missed:
Skip to 8:15 for the good stuff
And here’s my view from work. Be warned: all you can hear are noisemakers, but you can see the fireworks! Watch until the end.
Work has seen the potential in me and appointed me a Disney Trainer for lifeguards at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. That’s a good step in moving up/around in the company. Thankful for the opportunity! We are currently on 10-hour days (four days on, three days off), which is exhausting. My first week of doing that was incredibly terrible because I would get home and crash on the floor or the couch, but I had a lot of stuff to do to prepare for drill that coming weekend.
Speaking of drill, January drill was cancelled. I ended up at The Wilds a day before drill started and found out the day of drill that it was being cancelled due to snow. Okay, that’s fine. So I got a snow day at The Wilds again! Being at camp and hanging out with my friends was a wonderful time. Ms. Bonnie even made snow day donuts! Big fan.
By the way, sushi is life. I had it twice.
Now here I am in California visiting Disneyland. Perks of being a cast member are free admission and resort discounts. More pictures and fun stories to follow.
Thanks to those still reading. Thanks to the ones who pray for me. Thanks be to God who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Until next time: Be strong. Love God. Love others.
rejoice.always
The Wild Ride 