I realize it's been a while since I last posted, and I apologize. There just hasn't been much to say! My life is all work, pretty much, and sleep when I'm not working. This past weekend I was scheduled for a 12.5 hour shift on Friday, a 10 hour shift on Saturday, and a 12 hour shift on Sunday. I knew there was no way I was going to make it, so I ended up switching my 12 hour on Sunday with one of my coworkers for her 6.5 hour shift. That was really nice, because her shift was from 7:30-1:45, so I felt like I had the rest of the day to myself.
On another note, Star Wars Weekends is back! It began last weekend and continues for the next three. I headed over to Hollywood Studios after work one day this past weekend to see if I could meet Darth Vader, but unfortunately, he had already retired for the day. I'm hoping that I can trade shifts with someone this weekend so that I can go earlier in the day to meet him. And, of course, Darth Maul. And Jango Fett. And Boba Fett. And some Storm Troopers. But really, I'm most excited for Darth Vader. Who wouldn't be?
It's funny, because Allyson works at Hollywood Studios, and she said that she sees them all the time backstage. I'm so incredibly jealous. I'm used to seeing all of the princesses in various states of dress, but I'd LOVE to see the Star Wars characters backstage. Some of my roommates actually know some of them. I believe Bri said she knows Darth Vader, which also makes me green with envy.
I've spent some more time in the parks since I last posted. I decided that if I ever wanted to see the parks, I was going to have to get over my exhaustion and just go after work by myself. So I've been doing that the past couple days, spending time in Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom. Here are some of the things I think should be seen at Hollywood Studious and Magic Kingdom (in case you ever decide to come here):
1. Beauty and the Beast
At Hollywood Studios. This is a 20 minute show that quickly goes through the story of Beauty and the Beast. It's a pretty good show, and very entertaining. I would highly suggest seeing it. But make sure you get there early! I went by myself and still ended up sitting in the back in the corner. If you're going with a group, make sure to get there at least a half hour before.
2. The Voyage of the Little Mermaid
At Hollywood Studios. This is some spectacular puppetry work. I was amazed by it. The special effects in this show are really cool, and the girl I saw as Ariel was amazing. It's a 17 minute show in a small theater, using both puppetry and live actors.
3. Tower of Terror
At Hollywood Studios. Of COURSE this has to be on my list, because it's my all-time favorite ride. When I went after work, we were seated in the elevator, buckled ourselves in... and got stuck. The seatbelts didn't want to release us, so we were stuck for about 15 minutes. Thankfully, the bellhop serving us was a great actor and kept us entertained, and we were eventually moved to another elevator. When we got off, we were sent right back upstairs and put directly on another one to make up for the inconvenience. I think it's worth getting stuck on that ride. Also, this ride is MUCH better at DisneyWorld than at California Adventure. For both the scenery and the ride itself. The ride here has 13 different types of drops, so that you can never predict when you're going to fall, or how.
4. Rockin' Rollercoaster feat. Aerosmith
At Hollywood Studios. Good music, a great rollercoaster, and air conditioning. Need I say more? It's an entirely indoor rollercoaster, set up as if you are on your way in a limo to an Aerosmith concert. One of my favorite rides here at DisneyWorld.
5. Star Tours
At Hollywood Studios. This may be old and cheesy, but I still find it entertaining. The line for this ride is spectacular, and there's a lot to look at. However, they're shutting down this ride in June and are completely changing it. It will still be Star Tours, but newer. Chances are that it will still be closed by the time I leave, but I bet the new one will be fantastic.
6. Jungle Cruise
At MK. This is a ride everyone passes over when they come to Adventureland. I think it's a ride worth doing, if not multiple times. As far as the ride goes, it's a pretty lame ride--but the skippers know that. If you get a good skipper, it's a hilarious 5 minutes or so. At the MK, if you ever get the chance to go on it, request Jack. I've been told by Bri that he's the funniest, and the president of the MK went on his boat, loved him, and now Jack is allowed to say whatever he pleases without following the script. Therefore, his boat is the best one. I have yet to go on his, but I have been on Bri's and Becca's (a girl who lives in the apartment above me) and they are both very funny.
7. Peter Pan's Flight
At MK. One word of advice: wait in the line! This ride always has an extremely long line, and there is no fastpass for it. There should be, but there isn't. However, I think it's a fantastic ride, and well worth the wait. Maybe not if it's a two hour wait, but an hour? I say go for it. Then again, I love Peter Pan to death, so I may be a little biased.
8. Pirates of the Caribbean
At MK. Now, I try not to compare the rides between DisneyWorld and Disneyland, but I have to say... the Disneyland version is so much better. The line for this one is much cooler, because they had so much more space for it, but the ride itself is better at Disneyland. It's still worth going on, though.
9. Wishes
At MK. This is a spectacular fireworks show. It's competing with their old fireworks show to be my favorite. Makes me cry every time I see it. I don't know why, but it does. It's simply fantastic.
10. Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It
At MK. This is a parade that actually lets guests get involved, rather than just sitting on the side of the street. It usually happens three or four times a day, and it's a pretty fun parade. It's full of stilt walkers, characters, and dancers, and it stops right in front of the castle. When the parade stops at the castle, they invite everyone to come in the street with them and dance. I thought it was going to be a pretty lame parade when I first heard about it, but I actually quite enjoyed it.
11. Fantasmic
At Hollywood Studious. Simply spectacular. It's an amazing water, fireworks, and special effects show. Another show that makes me cry without fail every time I see it. Disney knows what they're doing. :)
12. The Haunted Mansion
At MK. MUCH better here than at Disneyland, hands down. The inside is actually different from the other, and though there are some similarities, I like the changes they made to this one (by the way, this one IS newer than Disneyland's. Everything in DisneyWorld is newer, because it's a newer park. Just in case you didn't know that. Except for Cinderella's Carousel in Fantasyland here. That is the oldest ride in ANY Disney park. I believe it's from 1910 or somewhere around there, from another amusement park. It's name is going to be changed to Prince Charming Regal Carousel starting June 1). The mansion is cooler looking (and creepier), the ride is cooler... I just like this one a lot better.
That's about all I can think of for now. I would also suggest, if you have small children and can afford it (or if you just like to meet princesses), that you book a reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table inside Cinderella's Castle. You dine with the princesses on the second floor of the castle, and it's the only way to see inside (unless you happen to know how to get a reservation for the one hotel room at the top of the castle, and you can actually afford it). Another fun dining experience that a lot of princesses tell me about in the boutique, is dinner with the princesses at the Crystal Palace near Main Street in the MK. There's also something like a storytime dinner with the princesses in Norway at Epcot. Those three are the restaurants I hear most about from my princesses and their parents.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Where'd the Sun Go?
Yesterday was my day off for the week, as well as Bri's, Lindsay's, and Ally's. Before everyone left for work, we made a big pancake and egg breakfast, which was a great way to start off the day (at 11:30... we all slept in pretty late). The four of us who had the day off headed over to Typhoon Lagoon afterward to spend the day soaking up the sun and relaxing by the wave pool. However, the one time I had this week to work on my tan, the sun decided not to make an appearance, and the entire day was overcast. I still got a little bit of a tan at least, but it was chilly. There was a cold wind and with the sun behind the clouds, it took a long time to dry off. It was still a lot of fun, though, swimming with sharks, getting bulldozed by the giant waves in the wave pool, and floating around the lazy river four times. Afterward, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom to take a picture with Pluto, since Brooke was going to be friends with him that day. However, when we saw Pluto, we could tell it wasn't her. Turns out we DID know that Pluto though--it was a guy in our ward named Christian. It was his last day and he'll be heading back to BYU today. So we got pictures with a Pluto we at least knew, but not the Pluto we were looking for. We hopped in line for Peter Pan's Flight since it was relatively short (30 minute wait for Peter Pan? It's unheard of!), and then we jumped on the monorail to head over to Epcot for dinner. We ate in China, and to my extreme excitement, I found out they serve Strawberry RED BEAN ICE CREAM!!! I, of course, just had to get one, so I did. And it was delicious. And my roommates liked it as well, which gives me faith that one day we might be able to eat in Japan and they won't flip out. :)
As for today, I went into work at 1:30, but I wasn't feeling too well, so I did one princess and then they let me go home. I'm really happy they let me leave, because I wasn't feeling completely awful, but enough that I didn't really want to be there. And they only scheduled me for one day off this week, so it's nice that I'm getting most of today off. Now I can spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting everything done that I didn't yesterday :)
As for today, I went into work at 1:30, but I wasn't feeling too well, so I did one princess and then they let me go home. I'm really happy they let me leave, because I wasn't feeling completely awful, but enough that I didn't really want to be there. And they only scheduled me for one day off this week, so it's nice that I'm getting most of today off. Now I can spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting everything done that I didn't yesterday :)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Today's Highlights
Some of the better moments of today:
1. Princess Aubrey
She was a 3 year old Chinese girl, adopted by a white family from Ohio, I believe. She was my first princess to fall asleep in the chair. I had to hold her head while another girl did her makeup, and then her mother said "You're almost done!" The only word she heard was "DONE!" and she gasped, whipped her head around to see what she looked like, and peeked way before she was supposed to. From then on, she kept trying to peek around me to look in the mirror, and I had to keep covering her eyes.
2. Princess Jordan
She was my first Make A Wish princess. She had spinal bifida, and I'm not sure if she had something else, but her scalp was really red and tender and I could tell she was in a lot of pain. But she remained happy and positive as one of the other boutique girls read a story to her while I worked on her hair, and in the end, she was so happy and we got her all set with a purse and gloves and wand and crown. She was a sweetie, and I ended up having to run to the back to cry once I said goodbye to her.
3. My First Handicapped Princess
I can't remember her name, but she reminded me a lot of Lauren. I'm not entirely sure what she had, but she seemed developmentally delayed and speech impaired. She was six years old, but her speech was at the level of about a two year old. She didn't say much, but her mom and grandmother talked to me the majority of the time, and at first I found them to be a little overbearing and abrasive, but when I finished they were all praises and just aweing over what I had done to their daughter/granddaughter. And then, much to my surprise, they asked if I could sign her autograph book and take a picture with her to put next to my signature. Let me tell you--I need to work on my signature. I signed it "Fairy Godmother in Training Caitlin" as I'd been instructed to (we're not allowed to just sign it Fairy Godmother since... she actually has her own character and signature) and we took a picture and her mother started crying and then gave me a $15 tip. It was a nice surprise to the end of that one, because the mother was a hairdresser, and usually those are the mothers that are the worst to deal with because they nitpick at everything you do. I hadn't thought any of them were enjoying it until the end when they totally flip-flopped and started gushing about how wonderful it was and how amazing I was for doing it. Definitely a self-esteem booster right there, and a better end to that princess's time than I thought it would be.
4. Rainforest Cafe
After work, I dressed in casual clothes and went into the MK through one of the cast doors. I ended up making my way to Downtown Disney where I met up with Brooke, Lisa, and Bri (they'd spent the day at Blizzard Beach). We made a reservation at the Rainforest Cafe and Lindsay and Ally met up with us once Ally got off of work. We split our dishes to reduce the cost, and got a 20% cast member discount on top of that, so Brooke, Bri and I decided to go for one of the more expensive plates and get a bunch of seafood. In the end, it was about 8 bucks per person for a filling seafood dinner. I think it was totally worth it. Afterward, we headed over to the Ghiradelli Ice Cream Parlor and Brooke and I split a sundae. It was a nice way to finish off the day and start my break. :)
Tomorrow, those of us who have the day off are heading over to Typhoon Lagoon for the day. I love Typhoon Lagoon because it's such a lazy water park. I'm not a fan of water slides at ALL, so they all did Blizzard Beach today and last week on days I had work. But I love Tyhoon Lagoon because I can just lay there and enjoy the water and the sun and not feel anxious about all of the water slides. They really just make me jittery. Even if I'm not going on them. Just having them nearby puts me on edge for some reason. So tomorrow I'll spend time in the giant wave pool and the "beach" and we'll probably swim with the sharks. :) It'll be really nice to finally spend some time outside. Here's to hoping I get a tan tomorrow!
1. Princess Aubrey
She was a 3 year old Chinese girl, adopted by a white family from Ohio, I believe. She was my first princess to fall asleep in the chair. I had to hold her head while another girl did her makeup, and then her mother said "You're almost done!" The only word she heard was "DONE!" and she gasped, whipped her head around to see what she looked like, and peeked way before she was supposed to. From then on, she kept trying to peek around me to look in the mirror, and I had to keep covering her eyes.
2. Princess Jordan
She was my first Make A Wish princess. She had spinal bifida, and I'm not sure if she had something else, but her scalp was really red and tender and I could tell she was in a lot of pain. But she remained happy and positive as one of the other boutique girls read a story to her while I worked on her hair, and in the end, she was so happy and we got her all set with a purse and gloves and wand and crown. She was a sweetie, and I ended up having to run to the back to cry once I said goodbye to her.
3. My First Handicapped Princess
I can't remember her name, but she reminded me a lot of Lauren. I'm not entirely sure what she had, but she seemed developmentally delayed and speech impaired. She was six years old, but her speech was at the level of about a two year old. She didn't say much, but her mom and grandmother talked to me the majority of the time, and at first I found them to be a little overbearing and abrasive, but when I finished they were all praises and just aweing over what I had done to their daughter/granddaughter. And then, much to my surprise, they asked if I could sign her autograph book and take a picture with her to put next to my signature. Let me tell you--I need to work on my signature. I signed it "Fairy Godmother in Training Caitlin" as I'd been instructed to (we're not allowed to just sign it Fairy Godmother since... she actually has her own character and signature) and we took a picture and her mother started crying and then gave me a $15 tip. It was a nice surprise to the end of that one, because the mother was a hairdresser, and usually those are the mothers that are the worst to deal with because they nitpick at everything you do. I hadn't thought any of them were enjoying it until the end when they totally flip-flopped and started gushing about how wonderful it was and how amazing I was for doing it. Definitely a self-esteem booster right there, and a better end to that princess's time than I thought it would be.
4. Rainforest Cafe
After work, I dressed in casual clothes and went into the MK through one of the cast doors. I ended up making my way to Downtown Disney where I met up with Brooke, Lisa, and Bri (they'd spent the day at Blizzard Beach). We made a reservation at the Rainforest Cafe and Lindsay and Ally met up with us once Ally got off of work. We split our dishes to reduce the cost, and got a 20% cast member discount on top of that, so Brooke, Bri and I decided to go for one of the more expensive plates and get a bunch of seafood. In the end, it was about 8 bucks per person for a filling seafood dinner. I think it was totally worth it. Afterward, we headed over to the Ghiradelli Ice Cream Parlor and Brooke and I split a sundae. It was a nice way to finish off the day and start my break. :)
Tomorrow, those of us who have the day off are heading over to Typhoon Lagoon for the day. I love Typhoon Lagoon because it's such a lazy water park. I'm not a fan of water slides at ALL, so they all did Blizzard Beach today and last week on days I had work. But I love Tyhoon Lagoon because I can just lay there and enjoy the water and the sun and not feel anxious about all of the water slides. They really just make me jittery. Even if I'm not going on them. Just having them nearby puts me on edge for some reason. So tomorrow I'll spend time in the giant wave pool and the "beach" and we'll probably swim with the sharks. :) It'll be really nice to finally spend some time outside. Here's to hoping I get a tan tomorrow!
Monday, May 10, 2010
What Day Is It Again?
There is a lot I could say about the past few days that's not so great... but instead, I've decided I'll just list the positive things I've experienced. I'm trying to keep myself thinking positively about this job, even though it's stressful and tiring. But there are moments that make me happy, even if it is hard to remember them sometimes.
Best Moments Since Friday:
1. Princess Katelynne
First off, she was automatically awesome because we have the same name. It may be spelled entirely differently, but still. It's the same name. Second, this girl was about three years old with a high pitched voice that just made you smile. She was super happy and smiley, and I got the pleasure of doing her hair on my last day of training with my third trainer, Jennifer. Princess Katelynne's favorite princess was Ariel--and she showed me how she could sing just like her. She broke out into Part Of Your World (I'd asked if she could sing any Disney songs but hadn't expected her to actually sing one) and when she forgot a line, Jennifer and I both jumped in and the three of us sang the rest of the song. She then proceeded to sing Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo for me, since I don't actually know that one, and all the surrounding boutique girls got excited because she was singing "our song". She gave a big "WOW!" when I turned her chair around and she saw that she had long, red hair "just like Ariel!"
2. Princess Jordan
This princess was 11, and I got her today. She seemed like she didn't really want to be there--you know, that whole "I'm too old for this" attitude. Her four year old cousin had finished before her, and she began running around my feet, talking to me and asking about ever two minutes "When is she going to be done?" I was getting a little irritated at how frequently she was asking, simply because the hairstyle Princess Jordan chose was the longest one to do, and I felt like the lack of conversation plus the little girl's continuous questioning was making it seem like I was taking forever. But when I turned the chair around, much to my surprise, Princess Jordan gave a big gasp and exclaimed "WHOA!" with a big smile on her face. She jumped out of her chair and then surprised me again by giving me a big hug. Of course, her little cousin decided that SHE needed to give me a hug as well, even though I hadn't done her hair. So she motioned for me to bend over and then gave me a hug. As I grabbed all of Princess Jordan's things and told her parents to go to the cash register, Princess Jordan hugged me again, and then we walked over to the front. I handed her her goody bag, and, again, she gave me a big hug.
3. The Portuguese Princess
I cannot for the life of me remember this princess's name, which is sad, but this little princess didn't speak a word of English. I almost prefer to get the princesses that don't speak English, because I don't feel any pressure to keep up conversation. When I turned her around, she gasped as the others had, and squirmed in her seat, clapping her hands. Then she stood up on her chair, leaned over and wrapped her arms around my neck, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I nearly burst into tears right there. It had been a long day and I was just ready to get home. She was my last princess of the day, and I'm glad I got her. She made me leave on a positive note.
4. Princess Morgan
Princess Morgan was my most talkative princess yet. She was my first princess today, and I only had to ask her a few questions and BOOM! She was off. She told me all about her teacher, her friends, her favorite princess, and she even made up stories. I told her about how the pirates stole Cinderella's crown, and she said "I bet it's Tinkerbell! The pirates didn't take it, it just got knocked over when somebody was cleaning and Tinkerbell saw it and took it home to clean it. Tinkerbell is SUCH a kind fairy. And she just LOVES to fix things. She was just being helpful!" Well. I was stumped. I told her that she had a MUCH better explanation than me. And truth be told, she was much closer than our scripted story. Custodial really did knock the crown over, shattered the case, and bent the crown. It's currently being fixed somewhere and we have no idea when we'll get it back. Anyways, so I asked Princess Morgan if she had a Prince Charming, and she responded with "YUCK! No WAY! I'm NEVER going to have a prince!" Her father had been standing nearby talking on and off with me, and he began to laugh, so I commented and said "I bet your daddy is really happy to hear that. But perhaps someday your prince will come." The response? "Never! I don't EVER want to get married! I'm going to stay home with mommy and daddy forever, and it'll be us and my sister, and my daddy will just have to work forever to pay for us." Well, her dad and I nearly fall over laughing at that, and her dad was laughing so hard he was crying. He had to go sit down because of how amused he was by that. She had some really fun parents as well, which always helps my job, because I can switch between talking to them and to the princess.
5. The Magical Mom
So we have these things called "Magical Moments" where we do something out of the ordinary for guests. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything big, just something that goes beyond what we're required to do. Well, yesterday I had had a really hard day with a lot of grumpy, angry parents and some rather unpleasant princesses. Today, I got a princess who wanted rainbow colored hair with a hairstyle called Disney Diva. I was fairly certain I had been told I could use the rainbow hair for this style, so I do the hair, get it all done... and then my manager comes up to me and quietly says "You need to stand the hair straight up with the rainbow hair. We can't have it flattened down for the diva hairstyle because that's not what we advertise." So I've got this princess all finished, and now I'm told I need to change it to something else. So I quietly go over to the mom and explain that I was terribly sorry, but I was unaware that this particular hair piece was required to stand straight up in the Pop Princess style, rather than the diva style. Of course, the mother didn't want this style, and she knew her daughter wouldn't like it, so I'm sitting there feeling awful about totally spoiling this. But the mother was really understanding and super nice and we managed to work it out without any problems. I removed the hair piece and turned it into the Fairytale Princess bun, and the mom was thrilled. At the end, she just kept thanking me over and over for it, when I'm sitting there thinking "Lady, I should be thanking YOU for being so nice to me even though I messed up." AND she tipped me. She definitely made a Magical Moment for me, that's for sure.
6. Peter Pan
If you know me well, you know that I am absolutely OBSESSED with Peter Pan. I have had the biggest little girl crush on him since forever, and every time I see him walking around backstage I get all giddy and the magic most people feel when looking at Mickey Mouse is definitely there. I can see Peter Pan walking around in SWEATS and I still feel the magic. I just love him that much. So imagine how incredibly thrilled I was when he suddenly runs into the boutique and talks to me. He was looking for a little boy, and thought that he might be in the boutique with his sister. I was working the podium that day, so I was the "information center." He ran up to me, said he was looking for a 9 year old boy, and asked if I'd seen him. What did I do? I stood there, dumbstruck and frozen. The only thing I could think was "PETER PAN IS TALKING TO ME!!!" Thankfully one of the girls helping me with the podium had her head on straight and told him to go ahead and look around the boutique. I just stood there and smiled like a fool. What a great impression on my childhood fictional crush, huh? :)
Well, those are the biggest things I can think of for now. I got a lot of magical moments today FROM my princesses and their parents. I think it was thanks to Heavenly Father. I was having a really hard time yesterday after receiving a lot of angry parents and stressful princesses while functioning on little sleep after a 12.5 hour shift. I came in today not wanting to work at all, and every princess I got was wonderful. Each one progressively made the day better, and I think it was a little way of showing me that there IS happiness in my job, even if there are days that aren't so fun.
On another note, the CEO of Youtube's daughter came in on Saturday, a little princess threw up right next to me as I was checking her in, and I was able to go to church yesterday. My ward is really odd, mainly because it's a ward made up of mostly CPs. People come in casual clothes or costumes because they have to run off to work after they take the sacrament. People are leaving meetings periodically throughout it so they can catch a bus. It's just odd. Very different from what I'm used to.
Till next time!
Best Moments Since Friday:
1. Princess Katelynne
First off, she was automatically awesome because we have the same name. It may be spelled entirely differently, but still. It's the same name. Second, this girl was about three years old with a high pitched voice that just made you smile. She was super happy and smiley, and I got the pleasure of doing her hair on my last day of training with my third trainer, Jennifer. Princess Katelynne's favorite princess was Ariel--and she showed me how she could sing just like her. She broke out into Part Of Your World (I'd asked if she could sing any Disney songs but hadn't expected her to actually sing one) and when she forgot a line, Jennifer and I both jumped in and the three of us sang the rest of the song. She then proceeded to sing Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo for me, since I don't actually know that one, and all the surrounding boutique girls got excited because she was singing "our song". She gave a big "WOW!" when I turned her chair around and she saw that she had long, red hair "just like Ariel!"
2. Princess Jordan
This princess was 11, and I got her today. She seemed like she didn't really want to be there--you know, that whole "I'm too old for this" attitude. Her four year old cousin had finished before her, and she began running around my feet, talking to me and asking about ever two minutes "When is she going to be done?" I was getting a little irritated at how frequently she was asking, simply because the hairstyle Princess Jordan chose was the longest one to do, and I felt like the lack of conversation plus the little girl's continuous questioning was making it seem like I was taking forever. But when I turned the chair around, much to my surprise, Princess Jordan gave a big gasp and exclaimed "WHOA!" with a big smile on her face. She jumped out of her chair and then surprised me again by giving me a big hug. Of course, her little cousin decided that SHE needed to give me a hug as well, even though I hadn't done her hair. So she motioned for me to bend over and then gave me a hug. As I grabbed all of Princess Jordan's things and told her parents to go to the cash register, Princess Jordan hugged me again, and then we walked over to the front. I handed her her goody bag, and, again, she gave me a big hug.
3. The Portuguese Princess
I cannot for the life of me remember this princess's name, which is sad, but this little princess didn't speak a word of English. I almost prefer to get the princesses that don't speak English, because I don't feel any pressure to keep up conversation. When I turned her around, she gasped as the others had, and squirmed in her seat, clapping her hands. Then she stood up on her chair, leaned over and wrapped her arms around my neck, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I nearly burst into tears right there. It had been a long day and I was just ready to get home. She was my last princess of the day, and I'm glad I got her. She made me leave on a positive note.
4. Princess Morgan
Princess Morgan was my most talkative princess yet. She was my first princess today, and I only had to ask her a few questions and BOOM! She was off. She told me all about her teacher, her friends, her favorite princess, and she even made up stories. I told her about how the pirates stole Cinderella's crown, and she said "I bet it's Tinkerbell! The pirates didn't take it, it just got knocked over when somebody was cleaning and Tinkerbell saw it and took it home to clean it. Tinkerbell is SUCH a kind fairy. And she just LOVES to fix things. She was just being helpful!" Well. I was stumped. I told her that she had a MUCH better explanation than me. And truth be told, she was much closer than our scripted story. Custodial really did knock the crown over, shattered the case, and bent the crown. It's currently being fixed somewhere and we have no idea when we'll get it back. Anyways, so I asked Princess Morgan if she had a Prince Charming, and she responded with "YUCK! No WAY! I'm NEVER going to have a prince!" Her father had been standing nearby talking on and off with me, and he began to laugh, so I commented and said "I bet your daddy is really happy to hear that. But perhaps someday your prince will come." The response? "Never! I don't EVER want to get married! I'm going to stay home with mommy and daddy forever, and it'll be us and my sister, and my daddy will just have to work forever to pay for us." Well, her dad and I nearly fall over laughing at that, and her dad was laughing so hard he was crying. He had to go sit down because of how amused he was by that. She had some really fun parents as well, which always helps my job, because I can switch between talking to them and to the princess.
5. The Magical Mom
So we have these things called "Magical Moments" where we do something out of the ordinary for guests. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything big, just something that goes beyond what we're required to do. Well, yesterday I had had a really hard day with a lot of grumpy, angry parents and some rather unpleasant princesses. Today, I got a princess who wanted rainbow colored hair with a hairstyle called Disney Diva. I was fairly certain I had been told I could use the rainbow hair for this style, so I do the hair, get it all done... and then my manager comes up to me and quietly says "You need to stand the hair straight up with the rainbow hair. We can't have it flattened down for the diva hairstyle because that's not what we advertise." So I've got this princess all finished, and now I'm told I need to change it to something else. So I quietly go over to the mom and explain that I was terribly sorry, but I was unaware that this particular hair piece was required to stand straight up in the Pop Princess style, rather than the diva style. Of course, the mother didn't want this style, and she knew her daughter wouldn't like it, so I'm sitting there feeling awful about totally spoiling this. But the mother was really understanding and super nice and we managed to work it out without any problems. I removed the hair piece and turned it into the Fairytale Princess bun, and the mom was thrilled. At the end, she just kept thanking me over and over for it, when I'm sitting there thinking "Lady, I should be thanking YOU for being so nice to me even though I messed up." AND she tipped me. She definitely made a Magical Moment for me, that's for sure.
6. Peter Pan
If you know me well, you know that I am absolutely OBSESSED with Peter Pan. I have had the biggest little girl crush on him since forever, and every time I see him walking around backstage I get all giddy and the magic most people feel when looking at Mickey Mouse is definitely there. I can see Peter Pan walking around in SWEATS and I still feel the magic. I just love him that much. So imagine how incredibly thrilled I was when he suddenly runs into the boutique and talks to me. He was looking for a little boy, and thought that he might be in the boutique with his sister. I was working the podium that day, so I was the "information center." He ran up to me, said he was looking for a 9 year old boy, and asked if I'd seen him. What did I do? I stood there, dumbstruck and frozen. The only thing I could think was "PETER PAN IS TALKING TO ME!!!" Thankfully one of the girls helping me with the podium had her head on straight and told him to go ahead and look around the boutique. I just stood there and smiled like a fool. What a great impression on my childhood fictional crush, huh? :)
Well, those are the biggest things I can think of for now. I got a lot of magical moments today FROM my princesses and their parents. I think it was thanks to Heavenly Father. I was having a really hard time yesterday after receiving a lot of angry parents and stressful princesses while functioning on little sleep after a 12.5 hour shift. I came in today not wanting to work at all, and every princess I got was wonderful. Each one progressively made the day better, and I think it was a little way of showing me that there IS happiness in my job, even if there are days that aren't so fun.
On another note, the CEO of Youtube's daughter came in on Saturday, a little princess threw up right next to me as I was checking her in, and I was able to go to church yesterday. My ward is really odd, mainly because it's a ward made up of mostly CPs. People come in casual clothes or costumes because they have to run off to work after they take the sacrament. People are leaving meetings periodically throughout it so they can catch a bus. It's just odd. Very different from what I'm used to.
Till next time!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Day 6/7
It's official. I can now do a princess's hair with confidence. For the most part, at least. I've been working the chair for the past two days, and I must say, it's quite fun. Stressful, but fun. It also makes the day go by a lot faster when I can count the princesses instead of the hours. I do about four princesses from opening to first tea, and then three to four princesses (depending on the hairstyle) before second tea. And then I'll finish up with two princesses, unless one is particularly difficult. So all in all, I did about 10 to 11 princesses today. Yesterday I only did three, though, because it was my first day on chair with my second trainer, Connie. She had me watch her for most of the day, and then towards the end I took over and she showed me the ropes.
I've discovered that I am not a talker. Connie and Amanda prepared me beforehand for the different types of Fairy Godmothers in Training, and she said that some get loud, some sing, some just ask questions, some prattle on... and then there's some like me, who stop talking as soon as we start on the hair. I discovered that I'm quite chatty in the beginning when I introduce myself, ask how old they are, where their castle is, and what hairstyle they would like. I've also got my script about how the princesses come downstairs every morning to get their hair done and Princess Aurora has pink bunny slippers that she likes to wear. I've also got it fairly memorized that Cinderella's crown is missing from the boutique for some reason we don't know--we think that perhaps pirates snuck in during the night and stole it, or perhaps it's being cleaned for a ball that night (there is a row of really expensive, elaborate crowns that each belong to a certain princess that are on display in the boutique, but Cinderella's has been taken down for some reason). If they say that Ariel is their favorite, or if they have really tangly hair, I can say that when Ariel comes in, it always takes quite a bit of time because her hair is always tangled and full of seaweed and dinglehoppers.
But other than these stories, I'm not a talker. We usually get through this conversation all in the beginning while I'm preparing to start working on their hair--helping them pick combs, crowns, nail polish, etc. But once I actually start to work on their hair, I instantly stop talking and just work.
At first I thought it was a bad thing, and I've tried to work on it, but Connie has reassured me that there are several who work the same way. She said that she herself does that, because it's hard for her to hear, and most of the princesses talk quietly. It's a loud room, and they're facing away from me, so I can never hear them unless I lean down next to them--but then I ruin the hair I'm working on. I'm feeling better about it now, and I don't feel quite as much pressure to keep up conversation as I work. Sometimes the parents will stand next to me and talk, and that's fine because I can hear them, but it looks silly to be bent over the princess asking "What?" over and over again because I can't hear them. And I tend to get the shy ones. All of my girls have been extremely quiet and shy, which is nice for me, because it means they don't particularly want to talk. So no pressure for me.
The best was a little Spanish princess who came in yesterday. First off, she had some of the most gorgeous hair ever. Second, she spoke barely any English, and her father reassured me that it was alright and that I didn't need to get a translator or someone who spoke Spanish to do her hair instead. So she said patiently and quietly as I worked, and at the end, she didn't give the big "WOW!" reaction that some girls do, but her face just lit up and she smiled and thanked me quietly, and she got the biggest emotional reaction out of me yet. It's cute when the girls have a huge reaction to seeing themselves in the mirror, but it's girls like her who are so polite and genuinely happy with what you do that make it worthwhile.
I was extremely nervous with my first princess yesterday, and wanted to cry once it was over. I thought I'd done horribly--I'd barely talked at all, the bun was slightly crooked, and there was a little bump in the back. Connie assured me that it was well done and that I was far surpassing her expectations, but I was convinced that she was just being nice since she could tell I wasn't pleased with my work. What made me feel better, however, was as I was in the back room washing my hands, I had several other Fairy Godmothers in Training come up to me just to say that I'd done a beautiful job and they were very impressed. I still wasn't entirely convinced, until tea when we all sat together and people started telling me about their first chair experience. Next to them, mine was a breeze. And then Connie confided that I was her best trainee yet, and she was surprised with how quickly I had learned everything. It's been a huge relief to hear it, because I still feel really inexperienced, but I guess a lot of the girls in here came with absolutely no hair experience and because I've had some, it's been a lot smoother for me.
Today's biggest story was the Pumba Princess. A Pumba Princess is a princess with a head full of lice. It's a big deal in a boutique dedicated to styling hair. With everyone working on hair, we don't want to spread lice around to the entire boutique. I wasn't there for it because I was taking my tea, but one of the girls who had to confirm it was telling me that her head was almost completely covered in eggs. They quickly threw her hair up in a slightly messy princess bun and then sent her on her way. And then the fun began.
When a Pumba Princess comes in, the chair she was at must be completely scrubbed down, as does the surrounding area. Anything that the Fairy Godmother in Training touched during the time she's with the Pumba Princess must be thrown into a yellow plastic bag that looks as if it should say "TOXIC WASTE" in big black letters. Then the Fairy Godmother in Training must run to the back and strip. All of the costume pieces must be separated into different yellow bags, and then they have to run down to the tunnels to the locker room to shower with some shampoo for lice. After that, they have to hop on the bus and go to the costuming warehouse to drop off the bags to be majorly cleaned. It's a big hassle and quite the process, so be warned: Don't bring your kids if they have lice. Apparently some parents bring their kids even when they know they have lice. I think that's just mean. To the Fairy Godmothers in Training AND the princesses.
After work today all of us but Bri headed over to Epcot for a little bit. We rode the crash test dummy ride... the name escapes me right now, but it was fun. Then we headed over to Italy to grab some gelato and watch the fireworks/laser/light show. We were planning to head over to the Magic Kingdom afterwards, but we were all so exhausted from work today and it was so hot and humid that we decided to just head back home. I'm glad because I have tomorrow and Wednesday off, and then Thursday is my last day of training and Friday I begin my normal hours without a trainer. I'm definitely glad that my break is tomorrow--it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. My poor feet have just about had it, and I need to get some shopping done for the job, but I just haven't had time to. Tomorrow will be a good break to get everything done that I need to. I haven't had a break since I started, and it was sad that I had to work on Sunday and miss church. Hopefully I'll be able to get most Sundays off so that I can attend church, because I have a feeling that that's the place where I'll make some good friends (aside from my roommates, of course). Well, there's always next week. :)
I've discovered that I am not a talker. Connie and Amanda prepared me beforehand for the different types of Fairy Godmothers in Training, and she said that some get loud, some sing, some just ask questions, some prattle on... and then there's some like me, who stop talking as soon as we start on the hair. I discovered that I'm quite chatty in the beginning when I introduce myself, ask how old they are, where their castle is, and what hairstyle they would like. I've also got my script about how the princesses come downstairs every morning to get their hair done and Princess Aurora has pink bunny slippers that she likes to wear. I've also got it fairly memorized that Cinderella's crown is missing from the boutique for some reason we don't know--we think that perhaps pirates snuck in during the night and stole it, or perhaps it's being cleaned for a ball that night (there is a row of really expensive, elaborate crowns that each belong to a certain princess that are on display in the boutique, but Cinderella's has been taken down for some reason). If they say that Ariel is their favorite, or if they have really tangly hair, I can say that when Ariel comes in, it always takes quite a bit of time because her hair is always tangled and full of seaweed and dinglehoppers.
But other than these stories, I'm not a talker. We usually get through this conversation all in the beginning while I'm preparing to start working on their hair--helping them pick combs, crowns, nail polish, etc. But once I actually start to work on their hair, I instantly stop talking and just work.
At first I thought it was a bad thing, and I've tried to work on it, but Connie has reassured me that there are several who work the same way. She said that she herself does that, because it's hard for her to hear, and most of the princesses talk quietly. It's a loud room, and they're facing away from me, so I can never hear them unless I lean down next to them--but then I ruin the hair I'm working on. I'm feeling better about it now, and I don't feel quite as much pressure to keep up conversation as I work. Sometimes the parents will stand next to me and talk, and that's fine because I can hear them, but it looks silly to be bent over the princess asking "What?" over and over again because I can't hear them. And I tend to get the shy ones. All of my girls have been extremely quiet and shy, which is nice for me, because it means they don't particularly want to talk. So no pressure for me.
The best was a little Spanish princess who came in yesterday. First off, she had some of the most gorgeous hair ever. Second, she spoke barely any English, and her father reassured me that it was alright and that I didn't need to get a translator or someone who spoke Spanish to do her hair instead. So she said patiently and quietly as I worked, and at the end, she didn't give the big "WOW!" reaction that some girls do, but her face just lit up and she smiled and thanked me quietly, and she got the biggest emotional reaction out of me yet. It's cute when the girls have a huge reaction to seeing themselves in the mirror, but it's girls like her who are so polite and genuinely happy with what you do that make it worthwhile.
I was extremely nervous with my first princess yesterday, and wanted to cry once it was over. I thought I'd done horribly--I'd barely talked at all, the bun was slightly crooked, and there was a little bump in the back. Connie assured me that it was well done and that I was far surpassing her expectations, but I was convinced that she was just being nice since she could tell I wasn't pleased with my work. What made me feel better, however, was as I was in the back room washing my hands, I had several other Fairy Godmothers in Training come up to me just to say that I'd done a beautiful job and they were very impressed. I still wasn't entirely convinced, until tea when we all sat together and people started telling me about their first chair experience. Next to them, mine was a breeze. And then Connie confided that I was her best trainee yet, and she was surprised with how quickly I had learned everything. It's been a huge relief to hear it, because I still feel really inexperienced, but I guess a lot of the girls in here came with absolutely no hair experience and because I've had some, it's been a lot smoother for me.
Today's biggest story was the Pumba Princess. A Pumba Princess is a princess with a head full of lice. It's a big deal in a boutique dedicated to styling hair. With everyone working on hair, we don't want to spread lice around to the entire boutique. I wasn't there for it because I was taking my tea, but one of the girls who had to confirm it was telling me that her head was almost completely covered in eggs. They quickly threw her hair up in a slightly messy princess bun and then sent her on her way. And then the fun began.
When a Pumba Princess comes in, the chair she was at must be completely scrubbed down, as does the surrounding area. Anything that the Fairy Godmother in Training touched during the time she's with the Pumba Princess must be thrown into a yellow plastic bag that looks as if it should say "TOXIC WASTE" in big black letters. Then the Fairy Godmother in Training must run to the back and strip. All of the costume pieces must be separated into different yellow bags, and then they have to run down to the tunnels to the locker room to shower with some shampoo for lice. After that, they have to hop on the bus and go to the costuming warehouse to drop off the bags to be majorly cleaned. It's a big hassle and quite the process, so be warned: Don't bring your kids if they have lice. Apparently some parents bring their kids even when they know they have lice. I think that's just mean. To the Fairy Godmothers in Training AND the princesses.
After work today all of us but Bri headed over to Epcot for a little bit. We rode the crash test dummy ride... the name escapes me right now, but it was fun. Then we headed over to Italy to grab some gelato and watch the fireworks/laser/light show. We were planning to head over to the Magic Kingdom afterwards, but we were all so exhausted from work today and it was so hot and humid that we decided to just head back home. I'm glad because I have tomorrow and Wednesday off, and then Thursday is my last day of training and Friday I begin my normal hours without a trainer. I'm definitely glad that my break is tomorrow--it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. My poor feet have just about had it, and I need to get some shopping done for the job, but I just haven't had time to. Tomorrow will be a good break to get everything done that I need to. I haven't had a break since I started, and it was sad that I had to work on Sunday and miss church. Hopefully I'll be able to get most Sundays off so that I can attend church, because I have a feeling that that's the place where I'll make some good friends (aside from my roommates, of course). Well, there's always next week. :)
