Post Grad Life = humidity, Disney and new beginnings

Well it's May 13. I am currently sitting in my new Disney apt at Chatham Square watching Kelly and Michael. One day in, and I am slowly realizing how big of a jump I took into something completely new. Let's back up a little.

Graduation came and went. The weeks leading up to graduation were, of course, full of tears for me because I am an over-emotional girl. Saying goodbye to my friends, mentors and club was hard. My last weekend in OKC was spent finally participating in the OKC Memorial Marathon (5k) and having a sleepover with some of my best friends. The time I spent with them was so fun and saying goodbye early the next morning was hard. I am sad I won't have another college summer spent with these people going to get snow cones, being a counselor at camp and just hanging around eating stuffed crust and watching documentaries. After our goodbyes, I drove 14 hours by myself to Germantown KY, where I spent a week in farm country central with my parents. I am glad I was able to spend some time with them before I leave and have my mom help me prepare to move, but man, farm town is BORING. It was also this depressing in between time after graduation where I suddenly went from being surrounded on every end by 2,000 people around my age to all the sudden it just being me and the cows. I was really missing OKC and social interaction. So off I went on my 10-hr road trip to visit my cousin (more like sister) Tori and her family in North Carolina. It was a perfect two-day trip with her. Even though Tori and I live completely opposite lives, she will always be my sister. I am glad we were finally able to spend time together.

Soon, it was time for the big move to Orlando. Another 10 hours later I arrived and was greeted by friends from my social club at OC, Caitlin and Carly. It was a great reunion and it felt good to be around OC people again. I was so tired and once we got back to the hotel I felt a little bad to be the first one to fall asleep around 9:30. The next day Caitlin and Carly took me to a church they found when they lived here called Concord Street Church of Christ. I was very impressed and felt so welcome by everyone there. It is a surprisingly big church and the set up made me feel a little bit like I was in the movie Footloose (one of my favorites!), except without the super conservative no dance rule. After service we met Rhonda, and let me tell you, the lady is the embodiment of hospitality. She welcomed me with a big hug, gave me her address and told me to come any time. We spent the night at her house that night, and when we pulled up to the driveway we were greeted by a "Welcome Caitlin, Carly and Sadie" sign, shrimp cocktail, fresh fruit and chocolate and punch! I can't get over how welcoming Rhonda is. In this huge city, where I am realizing I really don't know anyone, it is the best feeling to know I have someone who I can call and will help me whenever I may need it. I honestly don't know how I would survive a move if it wasn't for going to church and finding a second family in an unknown place.

Yesterday was the big day! Disney check in/move in day was crazy. I felt like a freshman again, which is always an over intimidating experience. It was exactly like a freshman orientation with a little more new-hire paperwork and waiting in line involved. First we got our housing and work location assignments. My roommates and I are so glad we got assigned exactly what we wanted (3 bedroom in Chatham). We then took a bus over to Disney casting. Did I tear up when I walked through the Alice in Wonderland door? I'll never tell. Walking through the doors of casting, we were greeted by a beautiful, tall room with gold statues of some of my favorite characters like Mickey, Chip and Dale, Pluto and more. Walking into that was so exciting for the kid inside of me. A good 30 minutes later though, I won't lie, I was sick of waiting in line. We got our work assignment, did background checks and that was basically it. Except it took us three hours!! My feet were killing me, and you try waiting in line with a ton of loud, disney obsessed people. I am a pretty positive person, but put me in a three hour line when I start to get hungry and you'll see a different side of me. Needless to say, it was a long start to my day. Once that was over it was time to move in to my apartment! Thanks to my wonderful mother helping me pack my car, moving in was pretty easy. I still have a few things to unpack, but for the most part I am settled.

The rest of the day was spent with my roommate, Megan. I am pretty lucky to have her, along with the rest of my roommates. We all really get along and we all ended up staying up late just getting to know each other. The whole time I was just realizing how new the whole experience is for me. Moving in to college was nothing like this for me since I knew so many people going in to it. I literally don't know anyone. I didn't know my roommates, and I still don't know anyone living around me. It's weird, and it does make me miss the comfortable living at OC where everyone knows each other by sophomore year, but I know this is what I should be doing. I needed to get out of my comfort zone, and last night spent laughing and telling stories with my new roommates was proof that this was right for me. Everything is a world a part from the OC bubble, but that's good. God gave me a spirit that is meant for meeting new people and trying new things, so that's what I will be doing from now on.

So the next two days are wide open for me to get settled and explore my new home. Thursday I start work with what is called Disney Traditions. It's basically the beginning of my training. I will have traditions/training for three days in a row and somewhere in that time I will get my schedule. I will be working in the Art of Animation Resort, which is one of Disney's newest resorts. My role is hospitality, and from what I've been hearing about my location I guess I really lucked out on this role! This resort does front desk differently than all the others, and although I am not sure what that means yet, I am excited to find out! Also, many people have been telling me the staff there frequently bursts out in flash mobs!! YES PLEASE. You know I am all about that life.

So I hope you stuck with me through all of this. A lot of people have been telling me to keep them updated about this Disney Program, so I will let you all know what all my next 8 months with Disney will entail! If you are an OC friend that just graduated I would love to hear how the next chapter of your life is going! Thanks so much for the texts and phone calls that let me know that even though one part of our lives is over, we will always be friends.