REEEAAAAALLLLLY Long Post

Ughhhhhh blogging is so hard! I'm going to give you a run-down of things that happened and stuff. I wish I was a more consistent blogger, but there are so few hours in the day when you're a College Programmer!

July 4:
The Fourth of July was a pretty great day here in Walt Disney World (mostly because I had the day off and didn't have to manage the ungodly amount of guests). For most of the day, I just relaxed and hung out at the pool with friends.... and we were the only Americans. In the evening, however, I ventured out with my friend and roommate Sarah to experience the firework extravaganza! We decided to go to the Magic Kingdom because they were doing a 360 degree firework spectacular. Everyone else and their second-cousin-twice-removed had that same thought process, though. When we attempted to go into the park, we were informed that the park had reached its capacity, and we were not able to gain entrance. No matter, Sarah and I went to Epcot instead. And, let me tell you, I'm so glad we did! While it was still insanely busy, it was an excellent choice. We ate our Fourth of July dinner in China and watched fireworks from Canada. I've never seen a more brilliant firework display, either! It began with the nightly display affectionately entitled Illuminations (get it?), then launched into a full on American-firework-patriotic-USA-fest. It. Was. Awesome. The American Adventure pavilion, which is in the center of the World Showcase, was all aglow in red, white, and blue lights while a multitude of star-shaped fireworks lit up the sky behind it. It kind of looked like it was exploding. While all eyes were trained on American Adventure, dozens and dozens of fireworks launched in the center of the lake, exploding in an amazing display of light, color, and sound. I could feel the fireworks in my heart; it was really cool.

Oh, and the Star Spangled Banner played the whole time. I may or may not have gotten choked up by the sheer American-ness of the whole spectacle.

Buuuuuut... then it took us an hour and a half to get home. That's a trip that usually takes less than ten minutes. The moral of this story is: take the bus to the parks for major holidays and people from Florida are the worst drivers of life (sorry if I offend anyone).

This is not my video, but please enjoy it anyways!


http://youtu.be/a2SP55iCF88


July 8:
You may be wondering to yourself, "July 8th? Why the heck is she going to detail July 8th?" Well, my darlings, I'll tell you why. July 8th was my 20th birthday. And it was the first birthday of my life that I didn't spend with my family, which was kind of hard to deal with emotionally. But! We persevere! At midnight, my wonderful best friend, Rebekah, surprised me with a delicious homemade ice-cream cake, Mickey Mouse shirt, and this month's edition of Cosmo. It was great. I also received a torrent of birthday wishes from my wonderful friends, both from Orlando and my real life. On the actual day of my birthday, I worked scooping French fries for hundreds of hungry guests, but I got out early enough to do fun things in the evening. Immediately after work, I went to Steak N Shake with a couple of girls that I work with, which was fun because we really got to talk and know each other outside of the Electric Umbrella. Then Rebekah and I went to Magic Kingdom where she bought me a BIRTHDAY WAFFLE!!! It was the best waffle I've ever eaten ever. It was huge and soft. It was also smothered in Nutella and topped with a mountain of fresh bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. We devoured it as we watched Wishes (the nightly firework display at the castle). We also spent about 45 minutes dancing. Yep, dancing. In the middle of Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom. It was so much fun. My birthday was so simple, but it was really just what the doctor ordered. A few days later I received a few cards from family and an AMAZING package from my sweet friend Trish!

July 11:

Ah, yes, July 11 marks the one month anniversary of my living in Disney. We didn't exactly do anything to celebrate, but Paige, Amanda, and I did go to Animal Kingdom despite the rain. The first thing we did was go to  the show It's Tough to be a Bug inside of the Tree of Life. It was awful! Not the show... the quality was really excellent... the CONTENT! BUGS! Ugh, I will not be doing that again. I never thought I really minded bugs until that show. In an attempt to stay somewhat dry, and also because it's cool, we decided to get a quick snack at the Rainforest Cafe,then watched the show Festival of the Lion King. It was spectacular. I was enthralled from the beginning to the end. I highly suggest seeing it, should you come to Disney. Finally, the girls and I went on a wild safari adventure! We thought we would be disappointed because it had been raining all day, but the animals were out in full force! I've never seen them putting on such a show!

July 13:

Paige and I both had the day off, and one of my favorite people from high school was coming to Orlando for a school convention called Renaissance. That morning I spent a billion years looking for a Regions bank to make my own. I successfully found a Starbucks and a Quiznos before I finally managed to find the darn bank. I then proceeded to blow all of my newly deposited money on food at Wal-mart because I roll like that.... JK, I've just been living off of water and noodles for the past two weeks; now, I eat like a king! Anyways, back to the interesting part of my day, Paige and I met up with Ms. Ladner, who was one of my absolute favorite people during my days at Hancock High School. While on our way to meet her, Paige and I ran into some of Aurora and Belle's friends backstage, and they were quite rude to us. I was quite shocked at their behavior! Just as we met Ms. Ladner, it began raining in the usual Florida fashion; I was so disappointed for her, but we trucked on anyways! We rode several rides and were nearing the front of the line for the Jungle Cruise when the sky opened up, and they were forced to shut down all outdoor attractions. Rather than be upset, Paige and I shared one of my favorite secrets with her... the magical Dole Whips! There is a place in Adventureland that sells the most refreshing, delicious pineapple floats in the world. We spent the rest of the evening exploring Magic Kingdom and catching up; it truly was wonderful to see her again!

AND that, my dear friends, is what has been happening in my life! So, until next post, have a magical day!