Happy New Year : 2013

This year was filled with adventures, journeys and new memories as I traveled around the U.S. continuing this never ending story.

The friends I made, the laughs and shenanigans we got into will forever be instilled into my heart. From adventures in the west Coast, to adventures in my own city as well as experiencing new places with new people and taking a picture here and there along the way.

I will ALWAYS remember 2012 as the year of new heights, knowing that NO dream is too high to reach.

Reach for the stars everyone, because you never know how far you'll get till you dream as far as you can and then with the help of a little pixie dust, dream a little farther!!!

The new year is like a Chefs ingredient-filled kitchen, it has SO much potential to allow for new creations to be made, new discoveries to be documented, and new memories to remember.

Happy New Years EVERYONE!

 

Cheers to continuing the never ending story! :') 

The Gift of Giving

While working for the Walt Disney Company I realized that we are generalized a lot as a whole.

"Thank you all so much for making the opening of New Fantasyland a success"
"Thank you all for working so hard during this holiday season"
"Thank you all for helping us bring in the New Year"

It gives us this mentality of doing something as a team and together, but rarely do I feel as though we are recognized as individuals in our own natural work environment. I feel as though when we are recognized, it's for doing something incorrectly, and what to do better about it. Only when we go above the norm do we get recognized for it in a positive way.

That is.... Until I met Kathy after dancing with Santa Goofy, Capturing a picture of the "Captur'er" aka photopass photographer, meeting the Captain of the Black Pearl, swimming with mermaids, and learning the power of "Grace and Poise" from the Tremaine family

 

You see Kathy, (whom I never met before) was a guest at Chef Mickeys when she is normally a character attendant.

As a thank you to Goofy and all his pals working on Christmas eve (and year round as a matter of fact) she gave not only Goofy but Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Donald as well ALL Christmas gifts and homemade cookies ♥ Goofy was SO moved by this that he couldn't hug her and kiss her enough, so when her and her gorgeous family were ready to leave, he escorted her out of Chef Mickeys with her crutch in one hand and Goofys hand in the other.

"oh my goofy, everyone is starring at us.... this is wonderful" :') 

To be seen as an individual is an amazing feeling and Kathy allowed me to see that. In returning the favor of Kathy's gift I decided what I was going to do on my day off for Christmas....
 

Return the gift of giving with what I am passionate about most. Taking pictures of my amazing friends.

Thank you Kathy for all the gifts, and spreading the holiday cheer this year. And as the new year is right around the corner I hope to come across more people like you. 

P.s. The goofy ornament is right on my tree <3 thanks again

Ugly Sweaters and The Holidays!

"Feliz navidad, Merry Christmas, Feliz Natal, Buon Natale, Joyeux Noël, 메리 크리스마스, عيد ميلاد مجيد, Wesołych Świąt, Frohe Weihnachten, เมอร์รี่คริสต์มาส."

When I was growing up I thought that the idea of Christmas was suppose to be the exchanging of gifts, Santa Claus, and being home with your family while eating tons of food.... and while the elves continue to amaze me every year with how hard they work for others, I realized it doesn't matter what part of the world you're spending this holiday season, this time of year is meant to be spent with people who matter in your life.

I'm fortunate enough to spend it with people from ALL OVER the world who matter to ME. :)

You can say Merry Christmas in over 100+ languages, but if you don't know the true meaning of it, then its useless to you. Although I wont be home for Christmas this year, I know I'll be in good hands with friends who matter to me as if they were family :) 

P.S. it's not the holidays unless you have an ugly sweater on atleast ONCE .... ;) 

Happy Holidays everyone!! <3 

The Disney College Program Graduation

The one thing I've taken for granted since the very beginning of this program is time. No one has the rights to our time; we are blessed with it as it comes day by day because at any moment we can have our time taken away from us for good.

The college program through my eyes has been a journey of finding ones self and growing as a person in this short life we all have. The last couple weeks have been full of amazing adventures with friends I'll never forget and as we continue this journey with the last couple weeks of this program together we can finally say that we've....

EARNED OUR EARS
(well in my case for the 2nd time) 

After countless hours of stress, work, getting paid (the "internship" pay) and insomnia, we have finally received our diplomas which in our eyes is more of a right of passage or "I paid my dues" mentality from those long shifts and rude guests.

But behind all that is a person who has worked hard to get where they are and what better way to celebrate this graduation then to go where it all began....

DISNEY WORLD!!!!!

let the memories.... continue as we embark on the last couple weeks of this amazing journey :')