Tuesday, June 28, 2011

DISCOVERY DAY!! We all went back to Epcot but not in costume this time and our trainers were Joshua and Frank. Joshua is so funny! He's tall and lanky and you'd think he'd be awkward but he isn't at all! He makes everything funny:) In fact he kinda reminds me of John Bytheway haha! But anyways they were training us about Epcot and Walt's dream for it and we got to see drawings of the original ideas he had. So cool! He wanted it to be the city of the future. Not just a theme park, but a for real city! Crazy but awesome! In fact hearing about it I wish they could have done it how Walt wanted it! Maybe someday. Anyways, we also got to tour around this park, and the first thing we did was ride "Spaceship Earth", which is the ride inside the "huge ball". (The Epcot ball, it's actually called the geodextrous sphere but whatevs:) It was super cool! It basically takes you on a narrated tour through time and advancement, starting with neandrathals and mammoths, ending with present day and then at the top its all stars everywhere and the narrator tells you now its your turn to decide where we go next. And then a screen pops up on your car and you get to "build your own future". It's pretty cool. I got a couple pics of the future that Mariana and I created haha. It's awesome because at the beginning of the ride they take your pic and then they put your face on the characters in the future you've built at the end haha:) pretty cool! So then Joshua took us around through the Innoventions building, showing us the cool activities that you can do there that are all about discovery and the future. Then he wanted to show us all the countries in the "World Showcase" (where we're all working), but instead of us all walking from pavillion to pavillion we got to take the ferry around the lagoon while he and Frank described each country to us. You know, it makes sense, but I didn't realize that the opening to each pavillion is the same size (to represent equality) but they extend back farther or not depending on how much money the actual country was willing to put into its own pavillion. Canada's is decent:) haha The other thing I thought was super cool is the fountain in the middle of Epcot, called the World Fountain. Yes, it's super cool because the water dances periodically throughout the day, but when Epcot first opened each country represented in the World Showcase brought some of their own water to dump into the fountain. Cool hey? And they repeated it again for Epcot's 25th anniversary:) Ya, super awesome. Anyways, we had a great time, and I was even able to talk to Joshua afterwards about who to talk to about becoming a performer (his reg position in the company is working with the characters and being in the parades)!! SO awesome!! Obviously because of my position and my visa I probably can't end up there this time but it's all about getting the contacts and the info and leaving my mark! BOOYA!!

It only went til noon then we had the rest of the day off so me, Kyra, Alex, Mariana, Arin, and Javier went to lunch at the Wave restaurant in the Contemporary resort:) It was really awesome and we got an awesome discount for being cast members too! oh ya! After lunch Arin, Mariana and I went to the Magic Kingdom:) Arin has only been here once before and she was nine only went on a few rides so I'm loving experiencing her first times haha! Mariana used to come here 2 or 3 times a year all growing up (she's from Mexico, slightly closer than we are) so she's like a veteran! haha but she's just as crazy about Disney as Arin and myself so that's awesome and she's funny too:) The first ride we went on was It's A Small World. Yep, laugh it up. I finally went on it, and willingly:) haha it was ok but I see no need to EVER ride it again haha! And hilariously it wasn't even the song that turned me off but the puppets, though oddly cute, are all really creepy, like something out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and/or the Simpsons (the episode when the smokey aunts take Bart and Lisa to the amusement park... *shudder*). Ya, just a tad too creepy for me to endure again, but def interesting and I'm glad I finally experienced it first hand haha. We also went on the Carousel (which is Prince Charming's carousel here), Snow White's Scary Adventures (which was super cool but actually a bit scary), and we watched Mickey's Philharmagic. So awesome! Oh and PS: while we were walking around Peter Pan himself ran past me!! I was so in shock I didn't even think to get a pic I'm sorry Kayla and Kyle and Darren haha. I'll get one while I'm here I promise:) I also saw Rapunzel and Flynn Rider getting pics with little kids, it was so cute! They have their own spot right outside the castle:) After that we went on Big Thunder Mountain Railway, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and the Haunted Mansion, all of which were super awesome:) You know, they're all slightly different than the same rides at Disneyland in California, which I expected but I really think the lines here are much more efficient. I don't know for sure but I figure as much since it was built after Disneyland was so they prob wanted to work out as many bugs as possible. And trust me, here they're ALL about efficiency! And why not? In fact, quite a few of the rides actually have a couple of different lines and more than one track (like on California Screamin' in Disneyland) so you're not in line nearly as long. It's pretty awesome. At the end of the night we watched the Main Street Electrical Parade which was sweet! I so want to be in a parade!!! anyways, it was super awesome because I saw characters and floats that I haven't seen in forever, like Pete and his dragon! SO cool!! Disney never ceases to amaze even me! love it!!!

 

 

 

Monday, June 27, 2011

Today we headed back to the Disney University for our "Mechantainment" training:) Yes, that is what it's called, basically using merchandise to entertain the guests:) haha We all know I love doing that!! haha SWEET! Our trainers this time were John and Nancee, and btw Nancee is crazy just like me!! haha we had a hilarious time all day! The group was split into a couple different ones and this time I was the only Canadian in my group so I'm sure they all think that all Canadians are crazy now haha! You're welcome everyone!! haha no it was great:) We started the day off doing more training modules on the computers, then we trained on cash registers they have set up in a room at the University. It was super crazy! But awesome! Ya, nothing was super difficult for me on the registers~thank you Toys 'R' Us!~except that they don't have debit down here so that's kinda weird. AND they don't have chipped credit cards either which is REALLY weird since that's such a big deal in Canada now! crazy! But the registers are all computerized and touch-screen and nice!! (also not surprising but very nice haha) Anyways, it was a great day and I'm sure I left a crazy but positive mark on their day, just like they left one on mine! haha In fact, on Sunday Kyra and I didn't get ribbons that say "EARNING MY EARS" because Andrew said we'd get them on Tues but then everybody else got them on Monday so I was sad and Nancee ran all the way to her car just to get one for me! haha And John made an announcement and I got a little ceremony:) haha it was super awesome! Ya we had a great time! It's crazy how many different trainers we get for every different thing but it's awesome how super but unique each of them is! I'm having a great time! And like I said, I decided today to make it a goal to leave a positive mark on this company, even if I have to do it one day at a time, one person at a time. It's the only way I can move forward, right? Anyways, thanks mom and dad for teaching me that:) I love you all!

Day 12

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sunday was my first day at Epcot, in my costume:) No, I didn't think to get a pic of it but no worries, I'm sure you'll see it soon enough:) And then you can all laugh at my ridiculousness haha! And if anyone can tell me what cullottes are without looking it up 5000 points for you! haha I get to wear them and they are something else! Honestly they are the most difficult part for me thus far but it's all good because I'M STILL HERE!!! awesome!!!!! Ok so Kyra and I brought our boots in the morning and met our trainer, Andrew. He is from ON, much like most of the Canadians here right now:) (I think there might be one more Albertan, from Calgary, and there are a few from BC, one maybe two from Winnipeg, a couple from Quebec, and like 5 or so from the Maritimes but most are from ON.) The first thing we did was go get our costumes. As it happens pretty much everybody hates their costumes but they all look good to everybody else so I'm not worried or feeling left out:) haha I just figure it's all about the show and that's what the costume is for and that's what I'm here for so BOOYA!! Anyways, we spent the day with Andrew, he showed us around the Canadian Pavillion, we saw the store, we watched the 360 movie, and he took us backstage for the first time. It is also something else. Not gonna lie, a little part of me dies every time I go backstage because it's "REAL". Even in Epcot, going from the park to backstage is like leaving a storybook and getting a reality check:( Oh well, like I say, it's all about the show! And being here as an employee rather than a guest I realize that more and more and I want to keep it magical for the guests so that's really good:) We spent time doing modules on the computers like you do in pretty much any job but we also got to meet managers and other cast members and also we got to interact with the guests! Honestly it was SO amazing! People just come into the store and see you have Disney pins on your lanyard (every cast member is given a lanyard with 12 pins to trade with the guests, and it's like the biggest thing down here!) and immediately come ask to trade with you. I guess there are quite a few pins that you can ONLY get from a cast member so that's cool. Anyways, I had little girls coming up to me to trade pins and one girls mom took a pic of her daughter with me! Serious!! I got to be a part of their magical Disney vacation! CRAZY!! It makes me cry to think about:) All the pics you get with random people or things on vacation, and now I AM ONE!! But ya, definitely guest interaction is the best part of being here:) I thought it would be experiencing the magic but I didn't realize how amazing it would be to create it for someone else! It's so incredible! Anyways, safe to say I'm loving it!

Days 9, 10, & 11

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Thursday all of us "new arrivals" spent most of the morning in another meeting, this time going over the legal side of living here for a year. We signed a bunch of things and then were given the rest of the day off so that was nice:) A few of us realized we had not gotten everything we needed from Publix the day before, but we figured Wal-Mart was too far away so we decided to walk to Walgreens, not wanting to wait for the bus. It was a nice walk, we learned a lot about our location and each other and then finally got there. haha it's located RIGHT beside Publix!! haha it was fun:) We picked up a few things and then walked back to The Commons (which is the name of our apartments). After a quiet afternoon nap we all met up again and spent some time at the pool. It was nice and warm of course! haha and I LOVE that when you get wet here you don't get cold! (at least outside you don't~inside the AC makes it feel more like home, so that's one good thing about the freezing I guess haha) So after the pool and visiting we went to a steakhouse called Santa Fe, which is apparently where all the Canadians in our program hang out on Thursday nights. Not gonna lie, I think Arin and I were the only 2 people there (out of about 60) who weren't drinking but we had an awesome time! I think it was because this time the attention was NOT all on us, so we got to casually mingle with everyone, and they all found out why I don't need to drink! haha I was so crazy hyper it was awesome:)

Friday, June 24, 2011

We got Friday completely off! And I had not been to Wal-Mart yet so I still did not have a pillow so that was the number one thing on our agenda for the day:) Me, Arin, and Kyra headed out on this rainy day. It was actually beautiful when we got there, and even after our shopping but then we had to wait for the bus which took about an hour to come! bah! oh well. the funniest thing was that Kyra had to go to a store across the parking lot from Wal-Mart so we all headed over there, not realizing that the cart would "lock" when it got to the edge of the parking lot... ya we got there and all of a sudden it wouldn't move! haha that was an experience! so Kyra went into the store while Arin and I stood beside a tree at the far edge of the Wal-Mart parking lot with our "stuck" cart of groceries and whatnot. And then it started raining! haha boy I tell ya, when it rains here it POURS!! Like I say at least it's warm, but still. Arin and I ended up using my 2 pillows for slight coverage!! oh it was awesome! And then as soon as the rain stopped Kyra came back outside:) She felt bad so we made her push the cart back but then she couldn't do it alone so we all helped and then waited at Wal-Mart for another LONG time for the bus to come, meanwhile the rain came back again so that was quite an adventure:) we had a great time!!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Saturday we had our first paid training day, called TRADITIONS, and we got to go to the Disney University for it! If you've never heard of it its because it is considered "backstage Disney", so "not-available-to-the-public", and as our trainer Rob says "It doesn't exist in the real world", so even if you search for it on a GPS or google you won't find it! Cool hey? But I am now officially a DISNEY CAST MEMBER so I'm now privileged enough to be in the know:) haha The training was so much fun! It was almost our entire arrival group except those working in the couple of pavillions at WDW that arent' actually run by Disney (like Mexico for example), called "Operating Participants". So unfortunately our friends Javier and Marianna weren't there but Kyra, Arin, Alex, Gabby, Colin, Gabrielle, myself, and a bunch of our other friends were and we had a blast! Our two trainers were FLOR and ROB and they were awesome! We spent most of the day in a classroom at the University, watching videos on the history of the Disney parks, learning Disney trivia, and doing group activities. Now at 'Disney-style' interviews and meetings such as this one, the trainers love participation so to encourage us to answer questions they reward each answer with Disney knick-knacks. This time there were 5 little Disney figurines and I don't want to brag but I got 4 out of 5:) haha It's probably not surprising, me speaking up! haha So when it came time for each table to pick a "Team Leader" I turned my chair to face my table and every finger was pointing at me! haha So I got to be the TEAM LEADER the whole day! I led my team to victory during the Disney trivia game, and I got to make sure none of my team got lost on our field trip TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM!!! ya that's right! We went on a tour backstage and also onstage in the Magic Kingdom! (sorry I was not allowed to take any pics of that part but it was amazing) And it was during one of the parades so of course I was dancing along! IT TOTALLY ROCKED!! No biggie, haha how many places take you to a Disney park to train you? BOOYA!! It was awesome:) Oh ya, and prob my fav part was that we got to eat in one of the Disney Cast Member cafeterias, called the Mouseketeeria (haha) and I TOTALLY SAW RAPUNZEL AND FLYNN RIDER AND PETER PAN and others eating lunch!!! I was SO SO excited!!! I texted Kyle:) haha It was the best! So then after our field trip we returned to the Disney University for the rest of our training day. But about an hour or so after we got back GUESS WHAT HAPPENED!!! MICKEY MOUSE HIMSELF CAME TO OUR TRAINING!!!!! It was so amazing!!! I definitely started tearing up when he came in!! SUCH THE BEST DAY!!! Oh man it was so awesome!

So when that exciting day was over we got our schedules for the next couple days AND OUR OFFICIAL DISNEY NAMETAGS!!! Not gonna lie, I almost cry everytime I look at mine and see "Raymond, Alberta" on it! I love my town!! haha We also got our schedules for the next couple days and Kyra and I realized we were expected the next morning with hiking boots so we ran out to the Outlet mall near our complex right after we got back. We found some boots and then ended up only paying half price for them because they were on sale and we're Cast Members!! SO AWESOME!! After we got back from getting our boots Kyra, Arin, Alex, and I all headed to Epcot to watch the fireworks show, "Illuminations". It was wonderful:) Disney always does amazingly cool stuff during their shows and this one has a spinning globe on top of the water, and all the continents on it are lit up with projections of animals and peoples from all over the world. It's pretty cool:) After that Arin and I wandered around Epcot, checking out the pavillions as best as we could (everything was closed). But we had a really great time:) What an amazing day!!

 

 

 

Day 8

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

This was a great day! I had unpacked the night before and I knew where I was supposed to be Wed morning. All the "new arrivals" had to meet for our first meeting, and they basically told us all about the program we're doing. I met a couple people and then I recognized Arin, one of the girls I had met and hung out with in Toronto at the interview. She's from BC and she was with Kyra, who's from PEI. After the morning meeting was over we all went for lunch together. And on the way we also ran into Brooke and Rebecca, a couple of the other girls we met in Toronto, and they came with us too. They have been here for a while, I think Rebecca came in April and Brooke's been here at least 3 weeks, so that was really nice to see familiar faces. In the afternoon we "newbies" got on a bus and went to fill out some paperwork in Vista Way. They took our pics and we got our housing IDs so we could ride the buses. That didn't take long so afterwards Arin and Kyra and I made plans to go to Publix for groceries. They had met a boy from Mexico (Javier) on Tues so he came with us. We had a great time and spent a couple hours grocery shopping which I always like:) After we had come back and put away our 10,000 pounds of groceries we 4 all met up again and walked to the mall. Once we got there, however, we didn't know what we wanted to do (since we're all being careful with our money until we start getting paid) so Javier suggested we take the bus to Epcot, ride the monorail and check out a few resorts in the Parks. Now it's interesting because we don't have our Disney IDs yet so we can't get into the parks but the monorail doesn't cost anything and so you can just explore the resorts and boy is that entertaining in itself! The first one we went to was Disney's Polynesian Resort, which has waterfalls and huge green trees and grass huts INSIDE and then a water park outside and its own private beach. So we waded in the water, strolled on the nice white sade, and lounged beside the beach for a bit and that was so nice! The weather was beautiful (as always haha) and we even found wi-fi there haha:) After we left that resort we checked out Disney's Grand Floridian Resort! OH MY GOSH! It was absolutely amazingly gorgeous! I would never decorate this way but it gave me goosebumps! I'm talking marble pillars and gold stairway railings and white balconies and huge old-fashioned chandeliers hanging from the domed glass ceiling! It was incredible! Just classy in every way! And I think someone got married the day we went because there were many little girls in white dresses and then those who weren't in white were dressed up to the nines as their fav princesses and there was even a little boy dressed as a prince! oh it was SO adorable! I definitely cried! And there was a live band playing Disney music on one of the balconies and a huge grand piano in the lobby! Fantastic! Absolutely amazingly fantastic! And that was all INSIDE! Outside its all white and just as elegant and classy as inside but there's also a pool and some fountains and palm trees:) Wow is all I can say:) The next one we went to was the Contemporary Resort which is different from any other hotel or resort I've ever been to or seen. From the outside it looks slightly odd but modern and the monorail actually stops INSIDE of it. And there are def elevators but there are also escalators everywhere inside this one. It's decorated with painted metal and brushed steel and neutral tones and really neat architecture and is more how I would decorate. This one has more conference rooms and there were not a lot of people there but we had a really nice time. Arin and I even found a Canada sign outside one of the conference rooms haha:) After a little while we headed back and got to see everything lit up which was really cool. The bus driver who brought us back was really cool too! After we got back the three of us Canadians went to a CANADA WELCOME party which was fun. There are SO many Canadians working here! I think there were about 60 people all squished into one apartment haha. It was crazy but it was fun:) And Arin and I became buddies because we both don't drink so that's really awesome:)

  

Day 7

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

THE BIG MOVING DAY!!! I was excited, nervous, and also sad to leave Stephen & Jenna & Colby, but that's what I came for right? I woke up in the morning and made sure 2 or 3 times that I had packed everything, then we packed up the car and headed to Orlando. On the way we stopped at a mall in Gainesville so Steve could get a new Florida Gators hat. We did a bit more shopping there (I window-shopped, although I did buy myself a yogurt at Red Mango which I had missed so much!!! ---it's similar to Yogen Fruz but better, you can get flavored yogurt and all the fruit is fresh--SO GOOD!!) then got on the road again. We got to Orlando and went straight to the temple so Jenna & I could make the 3pm session. It was so wonderful!!! She and I were literally the only two people in the session but it was still awesome:) And it was a new experience for both of us haha:) Up til now my fav temple has been Provo UT, but Orlando topped it:) It was so so gorgeous I just cried! And besides, this one has palm trees!! haha Afterwards we got some pics outside by the fountains and palm trees and then went to Downtown Disney! We parked by Planet Hollywood and walked through the crowds of people to the other end to make a reservation at The Rainforest Cafe. There is always SO MUCH to see at Downtown Disney, so we took a few pics and did a lot of window-shopping and actual shopping, and Colby even got to ride a little train roller-coaster ride:) He wasn't quite sure what to think of it but it was cute:) We took pics beside the huge lego figures that are located just outside the LEGO store there, and they are ALWAYS amazing!! I've included a couple pics of them, the Sleeping Beauty one is my fav! It's hard to believe that its ALL made of lego!! Ya, so sweet! I don't know how often they change it but I guess I'll find out; it's probably really frequent. Anyways, So when it was time to eat we went back to the Rainforest Cafe. If you've never been there it's FANTASTIC! The food is really good but its mostly about the restaurant itself because the entire inside of it is designed like an actual rainforest, right down to the RAINSTORMS! Yes, it actually rains INSIDE the restaurant (not on the people obviously, but still its so cool). The walls and ceiling are all covered with vines and leaves and lizards and monkeys and butterflies and trees, and there are even animatronic elephants!! Yes, they move and blink and make noises at you while you eat haha it's incredible! And the middle of the ceiling looks like an african sky, with blinking stars and changing lights. And like I said, every few minutes all the lights flash and you hear thunder and it actually starts raining! SO COOL! And the bar stools have animal legs and tails and when you first walk in you go underneath a MASSIVE fish tank! SO crazy cool!!  When we finished eating we made our way back over to Planet Hollywood and went inside to look around at all the movie props and costumes and memorobilia. All the different Planet Hollywood locations have different things from different movies but this one is the biggest one. It's shaped like a huge PLANET! I know, seems obvious but how many buildings are shaped that way? Anyways, they've got 3 floors you can eat on and there's even stuff hanging from the ceiling!! like Herbie the punch-bug! yup, hanging from the ceiling:) CRAZY!! So cool! So after we had looked around there they drove me to Vista Way (one of the 4 Disney program complexes) where I was welcomed by some awesome people. I said goodbye to Steve & Jenna so they could get home, then I was driven to my complex, which is called The Commons. Most of the people in the International program live here, so that's nice. My roommate's name is Mai (rhymes with "eye") and she is from Japan. She works in the Japanese pavillion, and she's been here for 9 months. She is SUCH a sweetheart!! I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful roommate:) The other girl that lives in our 2-bedroom appartment is from Italy and she's almost finished her program here. I guess they have arrivals and departures every week here so it should be interesting and easy to meet new people all the time:) I'm super loving it here so far!!

 

Days 5 & 6

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Sunday morning we had 9am church and I actually woke up and was out of bed by 8:15!! weird I know, and I didn't even remember to set my alarm so thank Heaven!! I can't deny, God's definitely been watching out for me:) clearly I'm where I'm supposed to be:) anyways we went to church about 10 min away, it was beautifully hot of course, and there's always air conditioning inside so often you don't even remember how warm it is outside. It was Father's Day so all the talks were about fathers and Steve's sister-in-law gave a really nice one:) After Sacrament meeting they had everybody stay seated for a moment while the Young Women awarded "Father Awards". It was really neat, actually, and worked out well because the ward is pretty small. There were awards for "father with the most kids here today", and "father with the least hair" haha, "oldest father here", and others. Steve got the award for "youngest father in the ward" and his older brother Jimmy got the one for "father with the youngest child". It was really fun, and they all got "awarded" chocolate:) During the meetings I sat beside a girl named Jackie Hand; she and her husband just got married on Thurs and this was their first Sunday in the ward. Super super cute girl, super friendly, and I took advantage of the fact that neither of us had real close friends there to sit with (Jenna was teaching Primary and Steve went to Priesthood with the men) and we were 2 out of about 5 20-something-year-olds there:) haha we had a great time, I'm SO glad I got to meet her:) After church I fell asleep (no doubt because I woke up SO early haha) for a few hours and then my dad called me!! BTW I got my US phone working down here so if anyone wants to pay the LD to call me feel free to text me on my AB cell and I'll give you the number:) I had a great chat with my dad and wished him Happy Fathers Day of course before getting on the phone with mom. It was our first time speaking since I left and she only started crying a couple times! I'm so proud of her, I know its really hard. love you mom! love and miss you all!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Today I was determined to get up early and stay up so I set my mp3 alarm for 9am and woke up to Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4". OH YA, that got me pumped for the day!! haha love it thanks dad! Later on in the morning Jenna, Colby, and I went back up to Ichetucknee Springs State Park, although this time we floated down the river rather than swimming in a pool. It was about the same temperature, pretty cool but boy did it feel good!! We headed up there around 1:00 so the sun was at its hottest and that river was SO welcoming:) I had an awesome yellow tube and Jenna & Colby floated in a medium-sized dinghy. (TOTALLY reminded me of Darren's dinghy and the sleep-over we had in it on the lake in Riverstone haha -- ask me about that one sometime) Jenna and I enjoyed a beatiful, peaceful float and Colby fell asleep in the raft so I guess he did too:) Ya, it was like floating down rivers in AB except that trees lined both sides the entire way, and they were really tall and leaned over the water and almost all of them were draped with Spanish moss, just like --duh duh duh-- in a movie (The Princess and the Frog kept coming to mind)! The water is spring water and the park people are really picky about keeping it clean so we could see down into it the whole way, and it didn't have sand or anything, just a LOT of river grass (which looks astoundingly like quackgrass but underwater). ...so I guess its really not at all like floating down a river in AB haha... I MOSTLY didn't let the river grass gross me out, but sometimes I forgot and sometimes it was really thick went for a long time... But it was still just grass so nothing to worry about:) And I only saw one snake and it wasn't in the water so that was really nice too:) haha mom don't freak out but yes a snake:) It was really cool to see actually. And we saw a REALLY big turtle too! that was cool! He was black and just hanging out on a log:) Ya, we definitely had a blast! What a great time! Unfortunately I didn't get any pics because I didn't want to risk getting my camera wet but I want you to catch a glimpse of the amazingness I experienced so I'm including good pics from the internet:)

Day 4

Sat, June 18, 2011

Today we went to the beach in Jacksonville, which is where I flew in, and about an hour east of where Steve & Jenna live. On the way there from Lake City (the place they live) we saw lots of trees lining the road again but this time more houses, no farms, some trailers, some construction sites and a few prisons:) It was crazy to see them (the prisons), they look just like what you see in tv shows and movies!! I love it when that happens!! haha don't freak out mom, they don't hold serial killers as far as I know. But ya, def saw the big "watchtowers" and the huge fences all the way around looked like they were wrapped around about 5 times with barbed wire...who would WANT to attempt that? geez.

So we got to Jacksonville and parked around the corner from the beach entrance, just down the street from Joe's Crab House (I think that's its name), which looked like something you'd see on Forrest Gump or Spongebob Squarepants:) I think it's funny that buildings like that actually exist haha! We walked down a "boardwalk" that was lined with palm trees, carrying our bags and chairs and the baby and from there crossed over a bridge to the sand, which was WHITE. OH YA!! This is the Atlantic side!! haha The sand was so fine, it was beautiful! Steve says it gets absolutely everywhere because its so fine but I'm not feeling any now so that's good:) We set up the chairs decently close to the tide because I was worried about leaving our stuff so far away while we were all in the water...then we kept having to move the chairs further back because the tide kept coming in further and further on the shore about every 20 min or so:) Oh well we had a great time! Even Colby really liked it! He wasn't a crazy fan of the waves washing on him all the time but he liked the temperature: it felt like a warm bath!! Seriously, we're at the OCEAN and it's WARM!! And not too terribly salty either:) But yet again I think what was most shocking to me was that after I got out of the water I WASN'T COLD!! Even though there was a pretty good Alberta-like wind blowing, I just wanted to stand there and let it blow on me haha:) It's so crazy!! I'm so used to getting USED to the freezing water, then RUNNING to my towel for some sort of shelter from the breeze, but not here!! I could just live at the beach!! haha well maybe...:) We all had a great time, and Steve found and let me hold a dead jellyfish, so that was pretty neat. We found lots of seashells and Colby met lots of other kids playing in the sand:)

After the beach we ate supper at the Golden Corral. I've been there before, in Montana and Utah so I figured I'd know what to expect. It was mostly the same but I definitely tried a few things that I'd never heard of before (or that I'd ONLY heard of before in movies or books): southern-style black-eyed-peas (tasted similar to baked brown beans), fried okra (kind of like a mix between a jalapeno and a zucchini -- not spicy), fried squash, hushpuppies (fried cornbread), and cornbread stuffing. It was all pretty good, I'm glad I got to try new food:)

 

 

Days 1, 2, & 3

Hey all!!!
So I've made it to Florida, and with almost no hassles!!

Wed, June 15, 2011
My first flight (from Calgary to Chicago) was delayed 2 hrs and then once we finally boarded we waited for them to change the plane's oil and whatnot so we ended up finally leaving around 9:30am rather than the original 7am time. Sorry but thank you so much to Jocelyn and my mom and sibs for being there with me at 5am:) You're all troopers!! Love you!
Anyways, so once we landed in Chicago it was right about time for the connecting flight (to Washington, DC) to depart so many of the passengers on the Chicago flight stayed behind so the connecting passengers could make it to their departure gates in time. I didn't take time to look at the board, I just followed the other passengers who looked and started running down the hall!! Luckily our gate was only a few gates away:) So we all arrived there, panting, and then waited for 30 min to be boarded:) crazy! This flight was only about 45 min late departing so I made it to Washington with plenty of time to board my last connection (to Jacksonville). It was when we landed in Washington that I remembered to use the "restroom" and eat something:) I had a beautiful salmon salad at a place called Cosi. I HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone! And it wasn't horribly priced either. So I found the right gate and made the trek over there, then discovered that for some reason I had to go through security AGAIN before boarding this one. I'm still confused about it but whatever; good thing I still had everything in place from when I went through security in Calgary. So it all worked out, I boarded and ended up getting a window seat at the back, and there were only a few passengers so many of us (including me) got three seats all to ourselves. That was nice:) By the time we were in the sky at 8:30 it was already dark!! I know now I'm living in Eastern Time but still I was shocked! I guess the sun rises here around 6:30 which is nice, and perhaps one of these days I'll wake up in time to see it...? haha maybe:) So I arrived in Jacksonville, FL around 10:20pm ET and was welcomed by my friends Stephen & Jenna Hansen with their baby Colby to pick me up. It was great to see familiar faces and nice to sit down knowing all my luggage was in the same place again:) Stepping outside felt like a SAUNA but man was it nice!!! I told you all I would LOVE the heat and humidity here, well I was not wrong:)

Thurs, June 16, 2011
Yesterday was a relaxing day, I slept til I felt ready to wake up, which apparently was 1pm! I know its ET but still that's like 11am MST! Oh well, I'm blaming it on "jet lag" haha. Jenna and I watched a couple WaltDisneyWorld shows on netflix and then I had a shower which was also nice. It's funny how many things didn't even cross my mind that probably should have while I was packing/preparing to leave, and one of those was showering:) haha don't judge me:) So then we watched Step Up 3 while carpet was laid in the guest room in their house. (Stephen & Jenna are rennovating the entire place, so I guess I showed up just in time to use the guest room. Post-carpeting they set up a bed in there and Stephen has even painted the room bright lime green!! I'm so excited!!!) After helping to move things into the room and set them up Steve's brother Jimmy came over with his 2 girls to go swimming in Steve & Jenna's pool. We all went out there, it's really nice, although I only dipped my feet in. And probably a good thing, because they had forgotten to turn off the solar heater for the pool so it was more like a hot tub than a cool refresher haha! Oh well Steve tells me it's much better now that he's turned it off:) But I had a great time chasing toddlers around the pool. Then the missionaries came over for supper and we had a grand visit with them. Both elders from Utah, no surprise there:) One is definitely letting the "southern" accent slide into his speech and I actually somewhat fear that might happen to me! And I've only been here 2 days!! Can you imagine, me with a southern drawl? haha you'll have to let me know when you see me next cause I probably won't even notice:) So after doing dishes for Steve & Jenna (yes, I actually like to do dishes and it's the least I can do since they're being so hospitable) I headed to bed. On the way, I heard distinct sounds on the windows coming from outside. I had to go into the bathroom to see what was crawling around out there, and I was definitely afraid to find out... Turns out gecko's hang out here at night!! Which is totally ok because they're not spiders:) I can completely handle little lizards! 

Fri, June 17, 2011

Today I woke up earlier, around 10 ET which is 8am MT so yay for me!! haha It was nice to wake up in a room and with bright green walls all around me:) I got up and ate some cereal and watched the 20th anniversary celebration of Sesame Street (yes its old but it was still SO awesome!!) with Colby while Jenna had a shower. He's a little character:) Every time he wakes up he is grumpy that I'm still here but after a little bit his groggyness fades and he comes to play with me. He's 16 months and so funny! doesn't say much or even laugh that much but today I found his ticklish spot and I finally heard that epic toddler laugh! he's great:) Anyways after Sesame Street Jenna, Colby and I went to Wal-Mart for groceries and to get me a phone for down here. I found one that's supposed to allow me to RECEIVE (not make) calls from Canada so that will come in useful when we can get it completely set up. The phone company said to give it 24 hrs so I'll keep you posted with that info. But for the time being I still have my AB phone which does allow me unlimited texting within Canada and the US so feel free to text me:) After Wal-Mart we came back and put Colby down for a nap. I stayed with him while Jenna ran more errands. When Steve came home from work we decided to head to Ichetucknee Springs. It's a beautiful State Park here in Florida, but I swear it looked more like we were in Utah when we got on the road! All of a sudden the road was lined with farmhouses and tall tall pine trees and thick vegetation which did NOT include palm trees! Beautiful but so weird for Florida:) The actual park looks a lot like Writing On Stone or even Indian Battle Park (or a Cold Lake campground) once you get there but instead of a large train bridge or hoodoos we walked down to a forest-surrounded path to a small pool that looked like something out of a book. It was so gorgeous! The water was cold, really cold for Florida but def not as bad as Waterton. I was a bit of a baby at first, you know, easing my way in, but it really was colder than I wanted it to be:) After a few minutes though I did finally go all the way in and then it was really nice. Relaxing, refreshing, and the water was so clear! Amazing! When you swim out to the middle of the pool you can see the cave where the water comes in and it's really neat. You can even feel a bit of the pressure from the water. So when we got out the thing I realized right away was that I was warm! Weird, because I'm so used to being in cold water and then getting out and freezing in the wind but again I was in love with the warm humidity of Florida! I didn't even shiver! SO AWESOME!! haha it was great:) You all need to try that sometime, it's quite a shocker:) So after that we came back and Jenna made home-made chicken pot pie. So good! Last night Steve made bbq ribs:) 2 home-cooked meals in a row and I'm not even family!! these guys are way too good to me:) love you all!!