Defining Moments

A couple of weeks ago my friend Josh and I were having lunch together.We were talking about a number of different subjects when Josh asked me a question that has stuck with me since our conversation.
He asked what one of my defining moments was.
At first I was a little confused by the question, then he explained a little more.He asked if I could remember a moment where I had two choices or maybe two instances where I was late and missed something, basically a moment that if I had chosen the opposite option my life would have gone a different way.
Then he gave me a movie as an example.The movie stars Gwyneth Paltrow and is called Sliding Doors.In the movie she plays a woman who is running to catch a train.  It then goes on to show how her life would have turned out if she had caught the train and how it would have turned out if she had missed the train.
That train was her defining moment.
So, what was my defining moment?Or at least, my defining moment as of right now.  Because who knows, I may have another defining moment at another point in  my life.  
My defining moment was in the Spring of 2009.  I had to decide if I wanted to go back to Disney for the summer and work the Summer Alumni program or if I wanted to go back to the summer camp I had worked at the previous summer in Pennsylvania, Lake Greeley Camp.
Now clearly, my ultimate choice was to go back to Disney.  I wanted to see my best friend again, I wanted to live in Florida again, and I wanted to work for Disney again.  
But what if I had decided to go back to camp?  I had an amazing time at camp in the summer of 2008.  I met some amazing people that I'm still in contact with today. And it was where I decided I wanted to teach high school rather than elementary school.  

These are the girls from my cabin.  We were the Sparrows.  They were crazy, fun, exhausting, sweet, and I'm proud to say I learned a lot from these girls.  
I think it's safe to say if I had decided to go back to camp I never would have applied for a Professional Internship and I never would have moved back to Florida.  I would probably be teaching high school some where in Texas, I would be living in Texas, and maybe I'd even be married with a baby on the way by now.  Who knows, because I didn't go back to camp.  I chose Disney instead. 
One thing is for sure.  I wouldn't have the 5 fabulous friends who were my roommates that summer.  

And I honestly cannot imagine my life without them.
But since that conversation I have been wondering what my life would look like if I had made the opposite decision.  I'm not saying I regret my decision at all.  I'm happy with my life.  Very happy actually.
But it would be interesting to see how it would have played out, had my defining moment gone the other way.
So, now I have to ask.
What was your defining moment?

It's Finally Friday!

Woo hoo! As you can see I have a little surprise for everyone on this fine Friday!

 How do you like my new design?!! I for one, am totally 100% in L-O-V-E with this beautiful new look. And I have the lovely Aubrey from The Kinch Life Designs to thank for creating a look that is soft, feminine, and welcoming using some colors that I loved but weren't sure would look good together. But Aubrey is amazing and she made them work very nicely together!

 So Aubrey, THANK YOU!! You are so talented and I just love what you created! :) 

 Now on to the goods for today! It's Friday so of course I'm sharing my top five favorites from this week with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk:

1. My new design is def my number one favorite thing from the week! :)

2. I chopped off my hair on Friday!
Oh and bought this cute new top from Target.
Love me some mint and silver.

3. Lace and Leopard are now two of my favorite combos.
This outfit will definitely be repeated.

4.  Jordan, her mom, and I went had super yummy dinner at the Trails End Restaurant last night!
Nothing beats good food and good friends.

5. I finished The Night Circus this week and it has officially made it's way onto my all time favorite books list.  

It's so good, I'm linking up with Heather and Katie for their Book Club Friday to share with everyone! :)

Here's the synopsis:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is calledLe Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

My thoughts:

The writing it amazing, the characters are endearing, and now all I want to do is run away and join the circus. Read it friends.  You won't be disappointed you did. :)

Yep, pretty sweet week if you ask me! :)Now I'm gonna go stare are my new design some more.  Hope you all have a great weekend.

And the Golden Globe Goes To

Sunday marks the start of my favorite season!That's right ladies, awards season is upon us.  We kick things off with a celebration of both film and television with The Golden Globes!This year the hosts are two of the funniest women in TV :

Amy Poehler and Tine Fey!Just to give you a taste of what we can expect from these two, here's a clip I found on Youtube.
Yeah, they are gonna rock as hosts.   I think the best part of the Golden Globes is that all the stars get to mix and mingle.So when they go to commercial breaks they're all running to each others tables to say hi and you know catch up. Then when the show is back you have them all scrambling back to their seats.Plus, you never know what will happen.Also, Leo is nominated for Best Supporting Act this year so we'll get to see this gorgeous face the entire night:

(And you'd better enjoy watching him at the Golden Globes, because he was not nominated for an Oscar.  Blasphemous if you ask me!)This year I've seen more than half the movies that are nominated for awards. So I'm excited to see which of my favorites come out as winners.  And luckily, I'm off work early that day so I get to enjoy every single minute of the show.  From the red carpet to the very last award presented!  Woo Hoo! Awards Season is the BEST!Till tomorrow, friends.:)

We're Going to Disney World!

Welcome to part one of my Disney How To series!Every Tuesday I'm going to share different ways to make the most of your Disney Vacation.The series will cover everything from the individual parks to some hidden Disney treasures that most people don't know about! So to get things started I'm going to give you the best "what to do" right after you've decided that you are going to DISNEY WORLD!But first here's a Disney commercial that will get you excited and may make you tear up just a tad.(At least that's what it did to me!)
Ok so the first thing you should do is RESEARCH!You wouldn't believe how many people who come to Disney have no idea what each park has to offer.Friends, there are a TON of difference resources you can use to explore Disney from your home.The best is going to be the Disney Website.This site will give you everything you need to know including:-Resort details-Park details (maps, times guides, restaurants)-Dining options-Ticket options-Special Events-Disney packagesAnd you can even book your vacation online, if you feel comfortable that is.*My opinion: I would call  407-WDW-DISNEY.  This will get you in contact with a Disney Cast Member who's job is to help you decide which vacation options are best for you.Because trust me people, planning a Disney vacation can get super overwhelming, so it does help to talk to someone who knows the ropes.  It's still a good idea to do some research before you call though, just so you have at least a basic idea one what you and your family might want to do.There are other websites you can use but keep in mind that they are not official sites run by the Disney company so their information may not always be up to date.Here are some books you can also check out that have some pretty good tips:Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2013The Unofficial Guide: Walt Disney World 2013Fodor's Walt DisneyWorld 2013I cannot stress enough how important it is to actually research Disney before you come. You're vacation will go so much more smoothly if you just Google Disney World or head to Barnes and Noble, grab a few books on Disney and some Starbucks then start reading!Trust me. You, your family, and all us Disney Cast Members will be thankful you did!

Mental Health Day

On Saturday I took a mental health day.I woke up 15 minutes before I was supposed to leave for work and realized I just did not have it in me to be my charming self while giving a Segway tour. Didn't have it in me at all.And sometimes, you just need a day.  (Even though technically I had just had two glorious days off.  I needed a third.)On this glorious extra day off I had intended to just laze about the apartment and read.But I decided to see what movies were playing on my handy dandy AMC app.Lo and behold there were not one but TWO movies that I have been wanting to see.So I went to the movies.Alone.I'm a huge fan of seeing movies alone.  There's no one else around me, I can see whatever I want, and just let myself get lost in the film. Now what two movies did I see?First, I saw The Impossible.

It follows the story of a family who was in Thailand during the 2004 tsunami.  It was heartbreaking, inspiring, touching, moving, terrifying, and I pretty much cried the whole film.Thankfully it has a happy ending, otherwise I probably would have had to go straight home after it was over.  The entire cast does a phenomenal job and I give mad props to Naomi Watts.  She was amazing.  I can totally understand why she's been nominated for a Golden Globe and will most likely be nominated for an Oscar .Highly highly recommend this film.  Unless natural disasters are a big fear of yours, then I would skip it.Movie numero dos was, Hyde Park on Hudson.

This movie is about FDR right before WWII.  It follows the weekend he invited the King and Queen of England for a weekend visit to the States.  The main story line however is about an affair FDR had with his 5 or 6th cousin, Daisy.  (Apparently he had many affairs, which is something that I did NOT know before seeing the movie.)It was a very light film (especially considering what I had just seen) and was fun and easy to follow.  I'm a huge fan of the 1930s so I loved the clothes, cars and music that filled the screen.Bill Murray did an ok job portraying FDR, but I personally don't think he was that convincing, especially looks wise.  Especially after having seen Lincoln!  Where Daniel Day Lewis looks creepily like the real Abraham Lincoln.Over all though I really enjoyed the movie.And if you're a fan of FDR and the 1930s.  You should see this too.Mental health days are just the best!Hope each of you had a great weekend.PS.  Part 1 of my Disney series starts tomorrow! woo hoo!

High 5 for Friday

This week was insane.  Especially the beginning of the week since I work at place that turns into an all out PAR-TAY on NYE!That's right people, if you want a G-rated NYE you go to Magic Kingdom.  If you want a PG, PG-13 and dare I say it sometimes even an R-rated NYE you hit up Epcot.I think I head Gangnam Style about 30 times before the night was over.  And the adult beverages were flowing quite nicely.  The two combined created quite an interesting effect to bear witness too.Of course I didn't get to experience it as a guest, but as a Cast Member.  Which was interesting to say the least.  But yes, I did ring in the new year working.  Luckily I had some fun peeps to help me do it.The rest of the week passed fairly smoothly and things have returned to normal for us here in Florida.My top 5 from the week were as follows.

1. Ringing in the New Year!  2013 you're looking pretty good so far!2. The Christmas present from Santa finally arrived and I am OBSESSED.  It's a Michael Kors wristlet that has a place for my IPhone and few spots for cards.  Again I'm obsessed.3.  Christmas present from my bestie Suzanne finally got here too!She made me a video of pictures celebrating our friendship.4. This little lady will always be one of my highlights.She insists on laying directing across my chest as often as she can.5.  On Wednesday some peeps from work and I had a Mean Girls watch party. Complete with Taco Bell, cheese fries, and Toasters Strudel.And obviously since it was Wednesday....we wore pink.Have a great weekend friends!

Disney is Coming to the Blog

As most of you know I work for Disney.But I don't share very much about work on the blog.  I've really only shared about getting the job itself.  And since one of my goals is to be a better blogger, I've decided to create two new series that center around one of my favorite places in the world!You guessed it.DISNEY!

Source: flickr.com via Erin Elizabeth on Pinterest

The first is going to center around the job itself.You'll get to read about guests that I encounter, moments at work, new opportunities, and anything else that happens at work.This wont be a weekly series but you will see it pop up several times a month! I'm going to call it, Mad About Plaid. I used this title a couple of times in 2011, but it kinda fell off the map. So it's back and better then ever!The second is going to be a Disney How To.I know there are tons of books and websites that are dedicated to this, but I want to give an insiders look into how to do a Disney Vacation the right way.I'll be sharing tips on getting through the day, I'll give a run down of each park, tips on using fastpasses,   when the best times to visit Disney are, etc.  It'll be a weekly post and my hope is that it will be a great reference to all you lovelies who may be thinking about taking a Disney vacation!I'm really looking forward to sharing more about Disney with y'all.It will give me a chance to show why I love it so much!Now I'm off to get my Wednesday started!