[Insert Travelling Pun Here]

I finally made it to Orlando.

Window Seat!

I am not trying to be artsy or clever.  I am legitimately entertained by looking out the window of airplanes for two hours.

And look who greeted me!

Like a lot of the CPers (college program interns) that stay the night near Disney before check-in, I stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort Lake Buena Vista.  If anyone who plans to do the Disney College Program and stay at this hotel stumbles upon my blog, please note:  MEARS TAKES YOU DIRECTLY TO THIS HOTEL!!!!  That was my problem, finding a way to get from the airport to the hotel.  My driver was pretty awesome, too.  He was a retired Greyhound driver and gave me tips on what roads to know and where important Orlando landmarks are.  There were also two women who were kind enough to entertain me.  So disaster averted thanks to a handful of people that aren't me, including my mother and father who had to look up phone numbers and directions. Thanks.

The view from my window

So what is a person to do when they have an afternoon to themselves in Orlando, FL?  Examine their room and then promptly fall asleep to Marlon Brando trying to sing Luck be a Lady.  I know... wild and crazy, right?  To be honest, I was exhausted and that Diet Coke at the airport had already gone through my system.  Plus, look at those pillows!

That is a hippo on my pillow

Tomorrow is my first day and I am somewhere between apprehensive and really excited, but I can't wait to get those Mickey Mouse name tags I keep seeing everywhere!

Ghosts of Disney Past- 1992 to 2005

So I got lazy and just threw the rest of them together. 
In 2005, my family went to Europe and went from England to France to Belgium to Italy.  It was awesome, but halfway through we (meaning me and my little brother) were museum-ed and history-ed out.  We were in Paris and staying at a really awesome hotel that was castle themed that was on Disneyland Paris and everyday we walked by the parks to go to Paris.  So mom caved and let us go to Magic Kingdom on our last day.  It was cold and overcast, but we were thrilled (or at least I was).  Come to find out that Europe has pretty nifty rides in their Magic Kingdom like the Indiana Jones roller coaster and a upscale Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion as well as an upgraded Space Mountain. 

Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Magic Kingdom Disneyland Paris- Supposedly Cinderella's Castle was off limits because it was based on a castle in Germany and that presented a problem.  I would what Prince Phillip thinks of his home being entirely pink and robins egg blue?



The most excellent Space Mountain 2 that shot you off into space and twisted and spun you everywhere.  It is a step up from the Disney World one, but the only downside is you have to listen to annoying people bash the USA in English just because they know they can speak the only language you know.



Indiana Jones ride, which also took you upside down

... and Teacups!

 In sometime during middle school and before my first band trip, we went as a family to Disney World to fully appreciate it before my brother was too old for it.  I clearly never grew up because I am going back down in ten days!



Teacups again, but in the USA

Mom and I were excited to see Belle, but Kyle wasn't so much.

 Before that we went in 1995 because I had an uncle get married and you can't take an enormous amount of young cousins to Florida without making a pit stop at Disney World.

Me and my cousins waited in line just for Mickey

So I reach the first time I went to Disney World.  I know that I went out of order and backwards and that is just weird.  I searched through my mom's photo albums to find these last pictures so it was necessary.  It was 1992 and I was little.  I don't remember too much about this trip besides what I am told.  Supposedly I was sick at one point and was frightened by the trolls on the Norway Pavilion in Epcot so my parents were plagued with riding "It's a Small World" over and over again.  Plus, I was terrified of Mickey and pretty much anyone that was dressed up.

Me, my mom, and some scary 'dog-thing'

Let's ignore the fact that I had an imaginary friend called Minnie, but suddenly she is huge!  At least dad is having fun.

To be honest, I think the reason I got the Character Attendant role was my story about being terrified as a child of all the characters.  How is that for irony? 

So that is all my Disney World memories.  If I were to actually say all of them I would be still typing on January 3rd and no one really wants to read about all that. 

Ghosts of Disney Past- 8th Grade Trip

Done with my undergraduate year at Indiana University.  That feels really weird.  High school seemed to go on and on forever and ever, but college evaporated into thin air in a snap.  It felt really nice though to have a legitimate answer when someone would ask me "What are you doing after college?"  I would answer, with a smile on my face, "I'm going to Disney World!"  That probably got old fast.  So to prove that I really graduated...

Unfortunately, I still have not received either of my diplomas yet, but here is me and my cousin outside of the great Assembly Hall after commencement.  So, now I am trying to be productive... packing and unpacking, cleaning, plotting (I mean planning), watching Daily Show and Colbert Report, etc.  I have a hotel and a plane ticket.  Now I am going to reminisce some more.
Middle School was the closest to hell I have ever been, but there was one nice, shiny light at the end of the tunnel:  Disney World and Universal Studios.  Marching band gave me my first trip without parents (it would give me several other opportunities like this).  It was scary and frightening, but really it was just awesome.  Below are some really bad quality pictures.  They were taken with a disposable camera and then photographed with an ipod touch... yeah, they are bad, but I like them.

Outside Magic Kingdom (I am the blurry person, second on the left)

Hollywood Studios phone box with friends

He was totally going to jump us as we sailed by.  Don't be fooled by their happy song!