Saturday, November 24, 2012

How Tokyo Happened



About a year ago when I was spending my first few months working in Orlando as part of the Disney College Program, I went to a Tokyo Disney audition on a whim, thinking it was crazy that they actually held these. When I walked out about half an hour later after not getting kept, I specifically remember deciding right then that if I ever went to one again and actually was selected, I would definitely go. When friends of mine were chosen for Tokyo that year and went, I realized that it was a future possibility, and a year later, dropped $$$ on plane tickets to fly in and out of California rather quickly to stop home and audition in the middle of Fall semester.
One of my good friends met me at the audition, and together we went through the process of staying through to the very end, delighted beyond words hours later when they handed us more information about the park and company. Auditions in themselves are highly entertaining, so it was almost worth the trip just to see all the different people at the audition ;) LA’s a great place!
Afterwards, we left the studio jumping up and down and yelling at the top of our lungs, called our loved ones, and we were on top of the world as we spent the rest of the day playing at Disneyland :) The casting directors had told us they would contact us via email in the next month and a half if they were going to offer contracts to us, and so we geared down for the wait.

playing in Disneyland

And wait we did. I can’t tell you how many text messages were sent back and forth between me and my other friends that auditioned, how many times I eagerly checked my email only to be disappointed. We even figured out the time difference in Tokyo to gauge what time they would be most likely to contact us. I was haunted with dreams when I slept of checking my email and getting one from Tokyo; it was embarrassing.
And then on the night I got home to California for Thanksgiving Break, I randomly checked my email right before I went to bed and there it was!! Sitting in the top of my inbox at that point for about an hour already, and I hadn’t checked earlier because my phone had died from the drive down. I couldn’t help it, I started freaking out! Most everyone in the house was asleep so Aric took me outside to jump up and down and shriek to my heart’s content, and once I calmed down we spent the next few hours discussing it. It was hard to sleep that night for sure.



A better surprise came in the morning though, my other friend had gotten an email for a contract too, so the three of us that had originally planned on going (she’s dating my friend who came with me to California) if we had actually gotten the chance, could!
So! In approximately three months I will fly in the beginning of February to the land of my birth, and spend the next 14 months after working in entertainment at Tokyo Disney :) I will keep this blog updated while I’m there, so if you want, you can share all my adventures with me. 

Sooo excited to go with these two!!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

On My Way To Everywhere


So, contrary to popular belief, I am in fact still in Provo. But only for about 13 more days. I am more than overjoyed to say that I will be going HOME soon, home to Newport Beach, California, and I cannot wait. I keep ripping off receipt tags at work to make count-down lists of how many days til my summer escapades begin. 22 days until Winston’s mission farewell. 2 days til Gabby leaves for WA/Canada, 1 til Hannah leaves for her internship in California. 43 until a certain homecoming. 35 til Christie’s wedding in San Diego. 33 til Winston goes into the MTC. 23 til EFY starts in Santa Barbara. I can’t wait to soak myself in the sun and joie de vivre of being a counselor for beloved EFY kids again. I can’t wait to move back to Florida and hug kids and live in a giant humid Disney cloud. I miss my little brothers. I can’t wait to go home :)

sky-diving with Winston







poca pose


love my family


sweet reunion


I hate saying goodbye at airports




quality time with Theodore and Pooh Bear

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Taking a moment to breathe, this my current To Do list:


1. Continue praying to get into the Advertising Program.
2. Stop spending so much time on Pinterest (saving wedding pictures), Facebook (stalking the newly engaged/married, and those left in Florida), and my phone.
3. Buy a plane ticket to Florida so I can go home.
4. Register for Spring classes.
5. Sign an apartment contract for next year.
6. Plan out my life--Jerusalem??, EFY, internships and studies abroad and missionaries coming back--whaaaaat, and finally getting my Hogwarts letter.
7. Write the missionaries back.
8. Apply to go full-time at Disney.
9. Keep attending Disney auditions (I'm addicted to them).
10. Read the Book of Mormon in French.
11. Go on a date willingly.
12. Achieve the Arabic/Moroccan abs necessary to fly around on a magic carpet without tummy rolls.
13. Get hired at Victoria's Secret (it would save me a lot of money).
14. Call my grandma.
15. Visit BYU-ID so I can see Winston. And Suzy and Jacquie and Becca and Angie and Jake.
16. Hit up the Wizarding World again to snatch a time turner so I can get all my textbook reading done.
17. Learn to be a grown-up.
18. Spend more quality time with Pooh Bear.
19. Go to Yogurtland with Gabby.
20. Go ring/dress shopping for kicks and giggles.
21. Finish decorating my room.
22. Learn new recipes for our cooking-for-your-roommates-once-a-week plan.
23. Finish having lunch with everyone in Provo I have to catch up with.
24. Go to the temple.
25. Pay tithing.
26. Don't drool when I fall asleep in class (inevitable).
27. Get back that awesome habit of going to bed earlier to avoid falling asleep and drooling in class.
28. Exercise self-control when kicking around our devil cat.
29. Get a gym pass (but only if I pay for it myself).
30. Spend less money on room decor, plane tickets, and Disney merch so the future hubby won't gasp with exasperation when he sees our combining bank accounts. And I can save for...kids? More plan tickets? Jerusalem!!
31. Graduate.
32. Hit up the Park City outlets.
33. Learn how to ski.
34. Become a cook at INO.
35. Get a car.
36. Plan a trip to Palm Springs with Victoria and Peotter.
37. Keep up with Jessi's life in Spain.
38. Continue my progression as the  ultimate 5th wheel with Aric and Kim, and Brad and Kat.
39. Try all the yummy bagels at the BYU bookstore.
40. Go see Beauty and the Beast in 3D for the Tangled short.
41. Hang out with John Smith and Meeko.
42. Turn 21 so I can be on The Bachelor.
43. Catch up with Gossip Girl.
44. Go back to Color-Me-Mine.
45. Maintain individuality in the three bubbles I've managed to live in (Newport Beach, Provo, UT, and Disney World).
46. Find the "UP" house in Utah.
47. Grow my hair out.
48. Go to the Sundance film festival before I move away from Utah forever.
49. One day own/run Disney with Xander Casad and Phillip Blackburn (Rebekah and Suz could come too).
50. Be a good dancer. 
51. Fly to Rome, Italy for the temple dedication. 
52. Become a domestic goddess.


My Living Prophets professor told us today to have a good weekend and live happily ever after. And I think I shall.


I need to keep up my daily allowance of hugs


we have this weird thing for children



I could do this every day

miss my friendsies


Miss these ones too. They're running through the forest without me :(



what a weird stance

fabulous crew


miss Belle. I was her compass.


Last but not least, Pooh Bear keeping me on top of things. I wouldn't study so hard if he wasn't there to keep me motivated.