FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER...I'm NOT GOING HOME!! UPDATE DEC.30 PG 74

[ursula43]

Just catching up on your tr. Showed grandpa the pictures from the car show. He really enjoyed seeing them. He would have loved it.

 

[ursula43]

I wondered if there would be a picture of Ursula. Made me teary eyed remembering all the times we played Little Mermaid in the pool. Loved the picture of Dumbo, Mickey and the castle and of course the one of Walt.

 

[Joanna71985]

Congrats on the Universal AP! I have one, and I love it.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I don't think you're crazy for working out, but I do with I had the motivation that you have to get up early in the morning. I'm just so not an early riser!

Margaritaville is on my list.

Mmmm, the Melting Pot! Awesome. I haven't eaten there either, but so many people I know have and absolutely love it.

Ugh. Roommate drama. That's just never a good thing. Living with a bunch of different people just isn't easy.

 

[MEK]

Breakfast looks delish! Sounds like you had a very fun day checking out some new and some old places.

Roommate drama? That does not sound fun. I hope its a thing of the past.

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Great updates. Thanks for making all the magic!!! It is the cm's that make WDW the great place it is!!!

Aw thank you so much!

They secretly admire your dedication and wish they could be so good about exercising. If I don't exercise first thing in the morning, I find it extremely difficult to do it later.

I love potato skins. It is a great gluten free food and it is just so normal. People just need a little more imagination when they eat gluten free.



Those classes sound like fun. I bet that is the part of working at Disney that would be the most interesting. We took the KTTK tour and learned a lot, but I am sure that there are many more things that you are learning. Do you have classes every week?

I can understand why you haven't had time to update with work, classes, the boyfriend situation, the roommate drama, and looking for a place for your parents.

I have had to get used to working out later with my crazy work schedule!

They are soo good! Leah and Ben are extremely good about me being gluten free!

I really haven't learned much that I didn't already know. I was hoping I would but I really haven't. I do have classes every week this week is my last week for classes.

It's been busy!

City Walk looked fun, but I'm not much of a drinker. Is Pat O'Brien's like the one in New Orleans though? I'd get a hurricane there for sure.

The classes sound interesting and fun, but it would be a bummer to have to give a whole day off to attend them.

Sorry about the roommate drama, but glad to hear it's getting better!

It is a lot of fun! There are plenty of shops too!

It actually looks exactly like the one in New Orleans!

It has been!

It is!

Love reading about all your experiences! We'll be down there in one more month, Yay!, so will definitely be looking for you at Nemo!

Thank you for reading!

I hope I see you!

That breakfast place both looks & sounds amazing, definitely a place I will have to try out when I get down there!

Glad you've had lots of time to spend with your friends/bf even with all the insane working and gym time! Lol.

Sorry to hear about the roomate drama! I think that's what I'm most worried about!

It's soo good!

Yep I try to make time for everything!

It happens but you get over it. I hope you have some good roommates!

Sounds like you are still having a great time - except I'm sorry to hear about the roommate drama. That is NO fun. Hopefully everything is smooth sailing from here on out.

What kind of gym work do you do? Do you lift? I end up just running and it's not enough anymore; I need to vary the routine.

I'll be there in October; will you still be around? If so, I'll say hi if I see you!

It's gotten a lot better!

I do yoga, lift, machines, elliptical, running and biking.

I will be around in October. I hope to see you!

Isn't City Walk cool??? I haven't been for a couple of years so I'm looking forward to visiting again in September (Diagon Alley being the priority of course).

Bob Marley.

Seriously, how many classes involve ride on Dinosaur??? Sign me up!!

Diagon Alley is amazing!!!!

It was fun!

Just found this the other night and read it all - keep it up. It is great to hear about a Michigander that made the big move an loves it. I hope you don't miss it too much once winter hits - lol.

Thank you for reading!

It's been great! Totally different in a good way!

Congrats to your Dad! That will be a great experience having your family in Florida with you during your CP.

Glad you are having a great time!

Congrats on all the Magical Experiences you are having with your job!

Thank you!

I am!

They make the job a thousand times better!

it's great reading your updates, and following you on FB - you & ben look cute together!

you are doing a really great job as CM - you'll get more of those 4 key cards!

coincidence you mentioned Melting Pot - DH is taking me to one near us here for my b'day!

exciting your parents are moving to florida - good luck with helping them move!

but best of all: no more snow shoveling for you! (insert jealous snow shoveling smiley here.)

Thank you for following along! Thank you! I do too but I'm biased

Thank you!

I hope you love it as much as I did1

It will definitely be an experience!

I am so glad!!

Just catching up on your tr. Showed grandpa the pictures from the car show. He really enjoyed seeing them. He would have loved it.

I wondered if there would be a picture of Ursula. Made me teary eyed remembering all the times we played Little Mermaid in the pool. Loved the picture of Dumbo, Mickey and the castle and of course the one of Walt.

You guys need to come visit during that time!

Aww I love you grandma!

Congrats on the Universal AP! I have one, and I love it.

Thank you! It really comes in handy!

I don't think you're crazy for working out, but I do with I had the motivation that you have to get up early in the morning. I'm just so not an early riser!

Margaritaville is on my list.

Mmmm, the Melting Pot! Awesome. I haven't eaten there either, but so many people I know have and absolutely love it.

Ugh. Roommate drama. That's just never a good thing. Living with a bunch of different people just isn't easy.

I have always been an early riser so it just comes naturally.

You will love it! No La Cava but still a fun place.

You need to try it!

It isn't but you get used to it.

Breakfast looks delish! Sounds like you had a very fun day checking out some new and some old places.

Roommate drama? That does not sound fun. I hope its a thing of the past.

It was fun!

So far everything has been going well!

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Friday August 8

Today I had to wake up super early for work! I was blessed with an 845-245 shift. Now it may seem early so not so blessed but getting out early is amazing! I usually work until close on Fridays and Fridays are our nighttime EMH hours. That means I'm usually not out until 1115-1130.

Work was a normal shift and it went by pretty quickly. The only thing to write home about would be the abundance of children in Turtle Talk who couldn't speak English. That usually makes for an awkward situation!

After work I got ready and Ben met me outside of my ride. He had never been on the ride or to see Turtle Talk so it was fun showing him around. He was really excited to find out exactly what I am talking about when I discuss work

Once we were done learning how to speak Turtle we headed to Figment. This was another new experience for him and he seemed to enjoy it.

We were both ready for some food and drinks though so we headed to Mexico for these!



I got a cucumber margarita and Ben got a jalapeno one. We also ordered the dip trio and we loved everything we had!

Our bellies full we had to take a silly hat pic before the Mexico ride



The Mexico ride was another new one for him and it was so much fun seeing him experience these rides I have been on a thousand times!

After Mexico was Norway where we rode Maelstrom and became Vikings



I make a way better Viking than he does!

We continued on our way and stopped in China



My hat wouldn't stay on so my face is weird but his is on purpose!

Ben needed a drink again so luckily Germany was up next! He got a grapefruit beer and we split a chocolate and carmel covered pineapple spear.



You can tell the booze is setting in!

That's the end of the pictures but we hung out in World Showcase for a while. I tried a macaroon from France and we got drinks in the UK and listened to the British Revolution. It was a very fun afternoon! We then rode Mission Space which he loved! We ended our time at Epcot with Soarin and then headed to DTD.

We grabbed a couple salads at Wolfgang Pucks before we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy. This was my second time seeing the movie and I love it!!!! It's so good and I definitely recommend seeing it if you like hero movies!

Saturday August 9

Ben and I went out to lunch at BJs Brewhouse before I had to head to work. This place has the best gluten free pizza! I had their buffalo chicken pizza and it was amazing!!!

I had to work from 245-845 and it seemed like an extremely long shift! I had a couple experiences that made me happy and one that really upset me! I had a family come up to me and to pin trade with me and it was the little girl's first time ever pin trading! They ended up going on the ride a few times so they would always wave to me when they saw me I also had a family with three kids and then the parents. The kids were in one shell and the parents in another. The parents had on anniversary buttons and were kissing and grossing the kids out. I told the kids to keep an eye on them and the kids shouted "We know!" The parents laughed and I wished them a happy anniversary.


So the bad and the ugly. For some reason people think it's perfectly safe to pass their children across shells. They will hand their baby off to someone in the shell next to them while the ride is moving! Our ride has a 9 foot drop and a big open space between where the back of the shell is and where the wall is. If you dropped your child they could easily roll between it and drop to the concrete. It makes me furious to no end. I had a family do this and I had to stop the ride. I usually give them a talking to about how unsafe it is. I just can't believe people do that!

After work Ben picked me up and we went to go get Leah and let me change. The three of us headed to City Walk to check out the bars that had been closed the other night. We went to Margaritaville, the Hard Rock Café (where I had an awesome burger), Pat O'Briens and back to Margaritaville.

Pat O'Briens was fun and we sat in the dueling piano bar area. My only complaint is they had a female piano player who sang "I like big butts". Yes I am a bit sexist when it comes to my piano players and I also think that song should be sung by a male

It was a great night though!

Sunday August 10

Ben and I grabbed breakfast at Keke's which we had been trying to get in to for weeks! The omlets here were very good and better than at First Watch!

I had work from 1230-915 so Ben was going to drop me off at the apartments. Well on the way there he got a flat! Literally right across the street from my apartment area! It took him forever to try and fix it so Leah had to pick me up and take me to the bus stop. The busses were messed up so I ended up being late for work! Luckily one of my managers took pity on me and erased the point

Nothing excited happened today except for seeing Stevie Wonder!!!!

I was at the unload belt and noticed a man struggling to get out of the shells so I slowed the ride down. When I looked up at the man it was him! This is my first celebrity siting so it was very exciting for me!

 

[PrincePluto]

Hmmmm! This grapefruit beer you speak of sounds intriguing! Is it available year-round or for a limited time?

Edit: Can't believe people would be so careless of the safety of their young ones! (Sadly, though, I really can, with some people...)

 

[dawnbu40]

You are constantly on the go! I think you'll probably sleep all the way from Michigan to Florida to catch up Glad you are having so much fun though!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We grabbed a couple salads at Wolfgang Pucks before we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy. This was my second time seeing the movie and I love it!!!! It's so good and I definitely recommend seeing it if you like hero movies!


Nothing excited happened today except for seeing Stevie Wonder!!!!

I was at the unload belt and noticed a man struggling to get out of the shells so I slowed the ride down. When I looked up at the man it was him! This is my first celebrity siting so it was very exciting for me!

What a fun day you and Ben had. It is always fun to show Disney to people for the first time.

We saw Guardians of the Galaxy and thought it was pretty good. I didn't know anything about the movie before seeing it the first time, so I think a second viewing would definitely be a good idea.

That is really cool that you saw Stevie Wonder. There might not be a lot of celebrities coming to Turtle Talk and the Nemo ride, so it was nice to got to see a major one.

 

[declansdad]

You are certainly keeping busy.

And there is nothing wrong with a woman liking big butts.

 

[glennbo123]

So awesome you saw Stevie Wonder!!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Haha, I always love hearing about you guest interactions Caitlin. Keep it up, because that is the Disney difference.

But... I too would be FURIOUS to see parents handling their children that way. I know people tend to let their guard down a bit in Disney, but to put their children in a position to get hurt, or worse, is just not ok. Some people just shouldn't have kids.

STEVIE WONDER??????? OMG that is SO AWESOME!!!!

 

[Clarf]

Ben is cute! Love the hat pics.

You had an awesome weekend, it sounds like!

Shame on parents for passing their kids between shells. Rules are there for a reason, people. That would have upset me too.

Sorry about Ben's flat, but I"m glad your manager erased your point!

Oh, and STEVIE WONDER???? Awesome! Did you talk to him?

 

[Oodalally13]

Argh, as I prepare to start another year teaching I am vacationing vicariously through your adventures. It looks and sounds like you are extremely happy with all of you job, adventures and friends. Congrats again!

 

[jedijill]

Looks like a fun day at Epcot!

Cool for seeing Stevie Wonder! He is awesome.

Jill in CO

 

[TheMaxRebo]

looks like a fun afternoon at EPCOT and you two look very cute together! You definitely make a better Viking - I don't recall many Vikings smiling that much

Oh my gosh! Know how big the drops are I would definitely give those parents a talking to! I assume most time people just don't think - more than being actively dangerous, but still, unacceptable!

So did that piano player change the words to be about a male or was she into girls? 'Course now I am thinking of Sir Mix-A-Lot in drag and it is not a pretty picture

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Hmmmm! This grapefruit beer you speak of sounds intriguing! Is it available year-round or for a limited time?

Edit: Can't believe people would be so careless of the safety of their young ones! (Sadly, though, I really can, with some people...)

It's available year round. I have heard very good things about it!

It's so sad! I hate it when that happens.

You are constantly on the go! I think you'll probably sleep all the way from Michigan to Florida to catch up Glad you are having so much fun though!

I know!

I might

What a fun day you and Ben had. It is always fun to show Disney to people for the first time.

We saw Guardians of the Galaxy and thought it was pretty good. I didn't know anything about the movie before seeing it the first time, so I think a second viewing would definitely be a good idea.

That is really cool that you saw Stevie Wonder. There might not be a lot of celebrities coming to Turtle Talk and the Nemo ride, so it was nice to got to see a major one.

It was such a good time!

I only knew a little about it before going to see it so it was a bit of a surprise. You should go see it again!

We have had a couple since I have been there. We had Mark Hammill and Luke Bryant. We get a lot of celebrities but usually the ones who have things going on at Epcot like the Candlelight Processional.

You are certainly keeping busy.

And there is nothing wrong with a woman liking big butts.

I am!

So awesome you saw Stevie Wonder!!

It was very cool!

Haha, I always love hearing about you guest interactions Caitlin. Keep it up, because that is the Disney difference.

But... I too would be FURIOUS to see parents handling their children that way. I know people tend to let their guard down a bit in Disney, but to put their children in a position to get hurt, or worse, is just not ok. Some people just shouldn't have kids.

STEVIE WONDER??????? OMG that is SO AWESOME!!!!

Thank you!

It's just terrible that people would do that. I have been surprised by how some guests act when they are in the park

It was!

Ben is cute! Love the hat pics.

You had an awesome weekend, it sounds like!

Shame on parents for passing their kids between shells. Rules are there for a reason, people. That would have upset me too.

Sorry about Ben's flat, but I"m glad your manager erased your point!

Oh, and STEVIE WONDER???? Awesome! Did you talk to him?

Thank you!

It was a great weekend!

I am hoping people start thinking more when it comes to handling children on our ride.

The flat didn't end up costing that much to fix and I am so happy I was able to get it erased!

I didn't talk to him but his family and people thanked me for slowing down the ride.

Argh, as I prepare to start another year teaching I am vacationing vicariously through your adventures. It looks and sounds like you are extremely happy with all of you job, adventures and friends. Congrats again!

I am glad you can live through my adventures!

I do love my job and friends!

Thank you!

Looks like a fun day at Epcot!

Cool for seeing Stevie Wonder! He is awesome.

Jill in CO

It was!

I was so happy to see a celebrity!

looks like a fun afternoon at EPCOT and you two look very cute together! You definitely make a better Viking - I don't recall many Vikings smiling that much

Oh my gosh! Know how big the drops are I would definitely give those parents a talking to! I assume most time people just don't think - more than being actively dangerous, but still, unacceptable!

So did that piano player change the words to be about a male or was she into girls? 'Course now I am thinking of Sir Mix-A-Lot in drag and it is not a pretty picture

It was such a fun day! Thank you! I didn't think they smiled either

I always do!

No she continued to say girls and oh my that is an odd picture

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Monday August 11

Today I had a 1030-915 shift. It was a pretty basic day except for two instances. I had a little boy in a wheelchair come through the FP lane with his parents. When he got to me at merge he looked up at me and said "This ride is gonna be awesome!" He gave me a high five and throughout the line I could hear him talking about how awesome it was

The other was not such a good experience. When it comes to working on a ride we have a set rotation. You're in a position for about 40 minutes then rotation comes through and you go to a different position. Well someone skipped me for two rotations and I ended up walking on the conveyor belt at unload 1 (I stand there and say "watch your step" when you get off of our ride). I ended up there for over an hour and was beat by the end of my shift! I went home and ended up falling right asleep.

Tuesday August 12

Today was another long shift! 1045-930. I ended up getting out early though thanks to my awesome coordinator! I ended up out at 830 and I was just so tired by the end. I did get to some DISers though! I got to see Mr. and Mrs. Capell who used to post a lot on the DIS as TheCapellFamily. I was at Unload 1 and they came over and chatted for a bit and once rotation came through we took a picture outside of the Seas.

By the end of this day I was dead tired and ended up getting a little slap happy. One family was walking through the Q singing Under the Sea and I started singing along with them. It was a lot of fun and very cute! Definitely one of my favorite moments thus far!

Ben picked me up after work and we grabbed some Taco Bell and watched the Rocketeer. Ben is a huge nerd and loves this movie so I watched to appease him

Wednesday August 13

Today was my last day of classes!!! I got my Mousters Degree for Leadership and Disney Heritage! Today was another beat day though and I ended up relaxing a lot. I worked out after class then laid down for a bit. I talked to my grandma on the phone for a bit then headed out to Raglan Road to visit Ben at work.

Ben got me one of these



A Bailey's shake! These are sooo good!!!

After I finished it was the end of his shift so I told him I would go shop for a bit while he finished up. I headed over to Pleasure Island and stopped at DStreet. They had the new Haunted Mansion Vinylmations so I had to pick one up! I got Mickey in the Haunted Mansion butler outfit! I also picked up a Guardians of the Galaxy figure for Ben that ended up being Star Lord

I also stopped at Curl and got a pair of Toms and artwork set up. I am getting Michigan Toms! I am having the outline of Michigan on one shoe and my sports team logos on the other. I will definitely post pics of them when I pick them up next week!

Once I was finished Ben came and picked me up so he could get ready and we could go out to dinner. We went to dinner at Taverna Opa which is a Greek restaurant. It was very good! I had the greek salad and octopus. I really enjoyed it and Ben got the surf and turf which he loved! After dinner we headed to Player 1 which is a video gaming bar. They have a bunch of old video game systems set up and you can play while you drink The N64 was down so we didn't end up staying long. We had other plans though and stopped by a game night one of his friends was having and then went to another friend's for their birthday. It was a very fun night and I really like Ben's friends!

Thursday August 14

Today was a bittersweet day. Today Ben left for Jamaica and dropped me off at the Grand Floridian on his way to the airport. It was sad knowing I won't see him until next week but I hope he has an amazing time! I was headed to the Grand Floridian for breakfast! I decided since today was so tough I was going to have a Treat Yo Self day!


My morning would start off at the Grand Floridian Café with this amazing view



My waiter was great and I started off with a Florida Sunshine and a pressed pot of coffee



I ended up ordering the frittata for breakfast



I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast but then I had to hurry here



This is Senses the Spa the at Grand Floridian. Yep part of Treat Yo Self was a spa day!!! I was going to get a massage, facial and pedicure!!! I was so excited for this! I have been meaning to get a massage for a while and I felt like there was no better day than today.

The staff welcomed me inside and helped me start on my "journey". They try to invoke all senses at this spa so when I set out on my journey I was offered tea to begin with. The tea had peppermint in it and it was so good! They took me back to the lounge where I could change in to my robe and slippers. They also had cucumber infused water and hot tea available along with some fruit. You wait in this room until you get called back for your treatments. My massage and facial were first. I chose the aromatherapy massage which was amazing and the brightening facial. Both were amazing and helped me feel so relaxed! After this I went back to the lounge to wait for my pedicure. For my pedicure I chose the relaxing one so I had geranium infused water to help me relax. This was a great pedicure! I was also able to keep the nail polish color I chose!

Here are some pictures from the spa



If you decide to take a shower after your treatments they have everything you could need. Razors, shaving cream, and a blow dryer.

Also they have a hot tub and steam room if you choose to use these after your treatments.



It was such a great experience and I ended up being there for about 4 hours. Once I was done I headed to the Poly for some food before I went back to my apartment



I got the grilled ham and cheese. It was soo good!

The reason I needed this day was because my dog Lucky was put down today. We have had him since he was a puppy and we got him when I was in 6th grade. It turns out he has had dementia for quite some time and was not improving any. It was very hard on myself and my family and I needed something that would help cheer me up. I spent most of the day before crying and mourning

I had a lot of laundry and packing to do so I ended up spending my night doing that. I was supposed to go out with some people from work for a going away party for one of my good work friends but I wasn't up to it. I did take him out for dinner on Monday night though so I am glad I was able to say goodbye. I just needed some time to relax and be able to rest up for an extremely long day tomorrow!

 

[pkondz]

Hi Caitlin.
Just to let you know that I haven't abandoned you.
Been a super busy summer (and it's not going to slow down for at least another 10 days).
But I have been following along.
Hopefully, later on I can start commenting a bit more.

So sorry to hear about your pup.
Having to put a pet down is a responsibility that many pet owners (including me) have had to deal with and it's never easy.