DTD and Licensing

After much harassment and guilt trips, I have decided to update again. :)

I'm officially at my two month mark tomorrow (which also happens to be Lauren's 8th birthday!), and it's crazy that I'm now more than halfway done with my internship. It started off slow (unbelievably so) but now I have that split feeling where part of me feels as if I've lived in Florida forever and part of me thinks I got here two weeks ago. I'm starting to get rid of the "I just got here" feeling, though, and I'm mainly feeling that I've been in Florida all my life. I won't lie, I'll miss Florida when I have to leave it. I love the state, even if the job is tiring.

Last week was my week of deployment to DTD (Downtown Disney). It was interesting to say the least. The boutique there is SO much different than the Castle, enough that I can honestly say I don't think they should both be called the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. I think they should be entirely different boutiques, because they cater to different age groups, different types of people, different personalities, etc. Everything about is different, except the hairstyles they offer (and even then, they do their hairstyles differently, so that's semi-debatable). On the left is the DTD costume, which, I personally think, is much uglier. It also doesn't breathe as well, and the boutique there is SO much hotter than the Castle, so I was sweating all the time in there. It was gross.

First off, I got a mixed welcome. Half of the DTD girls welcomed me with smiles and were glad to meet me and have my help. The other half... well, they glared and said "Oh. You're from the CASTLE. Well. We do things differently here." Needless to say, some of the DTD girls harbor resentment towards the Castle girls, which I find rather pointless and baseless. The only reason they dislike Castle girls is because we took their customers. But honestly, who would want to get their hair done in WoD (World of Disney store) when they could get it done in Cinderella's Castle? The DTD location was the first Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at DisneyWorld, and so some of them have this sense of superiority because "they were first." Some of the FGITs in there have been there since opening, so they're very territorial about it, which is understandable, but not enough for some of their hatred towards the Castle. I was told that Castle girls are "stuffy" and "boring" and "high and mighty." I can see how they'd get that opinion of us in all honesty, because we do have a higher bar set than DTD, simply because we're in the MK and people expect us to create magic right and left (example: guests sometimes honestly believe that we can control the weather and get legitimately angry at us when we don't stop the daily thunderstorm). We also work in a CASTLE. That creates an entirely different character for us to play, and there is a lot more acting that goes on in the Castle than DTD.

The atmosphere in the two boutiques is extremely different. First off, the Castle boutique LOOKS like it belongs in a Castle. There's light blue drapes everywhere, crowns, chandeliers, fancy wall sconces, and the mirrors have these beautiful giant frames around them. The chairs are a light blue, the seating is all in reds and golds, and everything just looks classy. The music is quiet, and it's all princess songs/instrumentals from movies. DTD, on the other hand, is all hot pink and white. The chairs look more like salon chairs, with a plastic hot pink back, and the seating is pink as well. The mirrors are this plastic looking gold frame that looks like it belongs in a Barbie playhouse rather than the boutique (no offense), and it's really bright in there. The music is stuff like S Club 7, the Cheetah Girls, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and Freaky Friday. Tween pop, basically. What kills me is that I know all of those songs in DTD and remember them from when I was the age of the kids I'm doing, and when I ask if they know those songs, they have no idea. Why they're still playing those songs, even though no kids who come in recognize them anymore, is beyond me.

Because of the different atmospheres and locations, there are two different types of guests, I've discovered. The Castle gets, well, classier people. There's really no other way to say it. The people in the Castle are not only paying the $210 for the princess makeover, but they also paid the $80 something it cost to get into the MK. And most of these people have reservations for Cinderella's Royal Table, where, on average, one adult plate costs $40. They tend to also have reservations for the Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's, two other expensive character dining spots. They also tend to stay in the big resorts here. So obviously these people are a bit wealthier, more willing to spend, and want quality in their experience. DTD, on the other hand, has no admission to the area, and so anyone can just walk in and get an appointment. Most of the people there are also only getting the $50 princess makeover, and, sadly, most of them live in trailers. I don't mean to be rude when I say it, it's just true that when I asked a lot of princesses where their castle was, they said in a thick southern twang, "I don't live in a castle, I live in a trailer." It's just a different crowd.

The other difference is the age group. The Castle gets mainly 3-5 year olds, and then 20+. Sometimes a few teenagers, mostly 14+, but not many, unless there are four generations getting their hair done together, which is always fun. DTD gets a lot of 7-10 year olds, and a few tweens. I think I did one three year old in the entire week that I was there, and that was surprising to me, because that's about the only age group I work with at the castle. It threw me off at first, because I didn't have any practice working with that age group as a fairy godmother, not to mention I didn't know any of the scripted stories they tell at DTD. All of my stories usually relate to the castle, so they were irrelevant at DTD. I was able to use a few things, though, such as the question "How old do you think I am?" which always gets some interesting answers. I had one girl tell me I looked 46. When I told her I was 200 and asked if I looked my age, she looked at me seriously and then nodded and said, "Yep, I see it." Her mom was laughing her head off, and I'm just sitting there thinking, "I really hope I NEVER look 200 years old."

It got easier to talk to the 7-10 group, though, and it was a lot less tiring, that's for sure. For one, they sit still. Two, I can ask them about school, sports, hobbies, etc, and I can talk to them more as a friend than as a fairy godmother spewing lies to little kids (which is how I tend to feel at the Castle). My voice also got a nice break, because I didn't have to talk in a higher pitched voice all day--I could use my own without them thinking I sounded rude, which was nice. In the Castle, if you don't raise your voice about an octave, you sound grumpy and the little kids are afraid of you. It's just how it works. I ended up losing my voice for a week because of the constant strain on it to talk in a higher pitch.

My first day at DTD I was scheduled for the night podium shift, which is something the Castle doesn't have, so I wasn't trained for it. It was probably my favorite shift so far. It was 4-10 PM, and so I got all morning to do stuff, take my time, and then head to work. The boutique closes at 8, so everyone leaves then. Whoever has night podium is the only one left in the boutique, and you just stand up front at the podium (which is in the princess room of WoD), and make reservations. However, we don't make reservations at the Castle, so they just handed me a pixie dust wand and told me to tell people to use the Pink Phone (there's a giant pink phone at the registers in the WoD which connects you to the Reservation Office). So I stood there for two hours with this giant crowd of kids around me (and adults), and I gave them all pixie dust. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of acting on my part. My voice was dead by 10, because I'd been talking in a higher pitch with no break, but it was a lot of fun to pretend to be this sweet little fairy godmother granting wishes.

There was one little boy whose sister had gotten pixie dust, and I asked if the prince would like some as well, and he's like, "Welllll... does it REALLY make your wishes come true?" And of course, me being the realist that I am, thought, of course not silly boy, it's just tiny shards of glass I'm going to put in your hair, but I said, "Well, with some hard work and a lot of wishing, your dreams can come true." So he looks at me for a minute and then shrugs and is like, "Alright, give me the dust." It was pretty cute. I also had a gay guy about my age come up to me in tears and say, "This is a really big moment for me, because this is my last day on the college program and so I just want a little magic." So I gave him the pixie dust, said my shpeal (Bibbidi bobbidi boo, may all your princely (or princess or queenly or kingly) wishes and dreams come true, bibbidi bobbidi boo), and he's sobbing by the end of it and gives me this huge hug and says, "This is magic right here, this is magic!" I was dying on the inside, I wanted to laugh so hard. I also had a whole family get pixie dusted, and for one of them, I said my shpeal and he says, "Did my wish come true? Can I have your number?" So everyone's laughing and I say, "Sir, I think I'm a little too old for you, I'm 200." Mind you, this guy is in his 40s. So everyone thinks that's hilarious, starts laughing again, and all wave goodbye to me. It was particularly cute how many princesses I had come up to me and just look up at me with these huge eyes and ask, "Will it really make my dreams come true?" That was the best night of work so far.

In other news, I am officially licensed by the State of Florida as a Hair Braider. Whoo! Don't get too excited now. I laugh about it, but then I look at the certificate they gave me and remember that I'm legitimately licensed in a state to practice a section of hair styling, which is kind of cool. I can put that on my resume now. What's even funnier is that in my two day class, I didn't do a single braid. We didn't even TALK about braids until the last 40 minutes of the second day. We talked about HIV/AIDS, diseases, hair care, products, skin care, lice, etc. Mostly things you should know as a hairdresser. Which was really interesting and helpful, I just find it amusing that from all of that, we were licensed as Hair Braiders... But I now have an official certificate I could technically frame and post on a wall somewhere to show my credentials, but I won't, because I find it kind of useless, since I really didn't learn much about hair braiding and I don't want people to ask me to do something crazy with their hair. I did learn how to do a few cool braids, I won't lie, and they're much simpler than I thought they were. I can do a fishtail braid, a wedding braid, and a cool type of braid that kind of looks like a french braid, but only uses a few strands from each side and has most of the hair loose underneath the braid. It's really cool looking, but hard to explain.

The other big thing I got to do there was the window. DTD has this one chair that is completely separated from the rest of the boutique, and it's right in front of the window to the princess room. It's on display there, and they use it for magical moments, so that everyone can watch this princess get her hair done and she can wave at them and feel royal. They asked me to do one during the week I was there, and I actually really liked it. It was during a huge thunderstorm, so I got a nice breeze every time someone opened the door to the store, and I could actually hear the princess, which I was having a hard time with inside the boutique because the music was so loud. I thought it was a lot of fun being in the window.

Another thing they do that the Castle doesn't is the Princess Parade. I really wish the Castle did it, but I understand that we're a lot busier and Fantasyland is a lot more crowded than DTD. Every day they have princesses sign up for this princess parade, and they basically just hold onto a rope with bells all over it and walk down Downtown Disney waving at people while music plays. It stops at a carousel, and then everyone gets to ride it. Including the FGITs involved. Once they told me about the parade, I did it every day. You get PAID to hold a flag, wave at people, and then ride a carousel. Can it get any better? Well, I suppose it could be cooler outside. That was one drawback. But it was still a lot of fun.

And that's about it for now. I'm back at the Castle tomorrow, and will be indefinitely. It was odd going back to the Castle after DTD, because I had to get re-used to everything there. Even the stands we use with all of our supplies are completely different, so I had to learn the stands all over again. But I'm back in full swing at the Castle, so it's all good. :)

Pictures!

That's right, I'm finally posting pictures! Here are some that were taken of me (and the ONLY ones that were taken) of me in costume in the boutique.
The girl sitting next to me is Lea Anne and the one on the right is Haley. Haley goes to BYU-I and Lea Anne lives in Florida and one of the part-timers.

All of the girls who were there for the closing shift this particular day. The one in the middle (Pietrina) wanted a picture for her last day in the boutique.

A close up of me sitting in Cinderella's Royal Chair. I actually normally wear my hair down and put on a lot more makeup, so I tend to look a lot different than this, but oh well. :)

This is the only one of me actually working, and really, this isn't a very accurate depiction of what I do because this was the very last princess left in the boutique after we had closed, and we were doing a special thing because it was the last day for one of our FGITs. We had the FGIT who was leaving, the little princess, and her parents all close their eyes and the rest of us ran around with wands and pixie dusted everyone. I mean, I DO pixie dust princesses, but it's usually with them in the chair. And it's a princess I've just spent a half hour with. I didn't know this princess at all.

And that's all for now! Hopefully I can get a picture of me in the DTD costume, but I think that might be wishing for a little too much. The photopass people at the MK actually like me, so it was no problem. But we'll see if the photopass guys at DTD are nice. :)

Settling In

After a month and a couple weeks, I feel like I've finally settled into my spot here at DisneyWorld. The old CPs are gone and the new ones are mostly in, and now that I'm not the new one (let alone the ONLY new one), I'm feeling a lot more in place where I am. Some of the new CPs are really nice, and we get along great. I'm glad I've made some friends in the boutique that 1. have the same day off as me and 2. like to do stuff together rather than with other people from around the park. It makes the days off a lot more fun, and nights after work as well.

A few highlights from the past couple weeks:

1. Imogen Heap
She performed at the House of Blues last Tuesday, and so Brooke, Sarah (one of my coworkers), and I went after work and saw her. She was absolutely amazing. I was exhausted afterwards, but it was worth it. I had the next day off anyways, so it was all good. :)

2. Typhoon Lagoon
Last Wednesday, two of my coworkers, Lea Anne and Haley, went with Bri and me to Typhoon Lagoon. We went around 11 and stayed till closing, so we got quite a bit of sun (and it actually stayed out for me this time!). I'm proud to say that I now have a recognizable tan line. I've even got an annoyingly clear line around my wrist because I forgot to take my hair tie off before we went out.

3. Cast Preview
Last Thursday was the cast preview of Disney's Electrical Parade (the name has been changed... it was originally Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade. I don't know why they changed it though). We were so excited to see it... until we realized they were going to make us stand for about an hour (after we'd already worked a 12.5 hour shift and were ready to keel over). We got home around 1:30 AM, and fell asleep immediately, we were so tired. I ended up spending a total of 19 hours on my feet that day. Sadly, the parade has been changed... there are missing floats (apparently they got damaged beyond repair when being transported from California), the music isn't as good, and the new floats just aren't as amazing. Also, California apparently has different rules about what can be done in parades than Florida, so a lot of the choreography has been lost over here because they aren't allowed to perform high kicks, flips, etc. Another problem for this parade is the fact that the Magic Kingdom has hills, while Disneyland does not. I've watched the parade in the park during hours, and it's quite amusing/sad to see--the floats get stuck sometimes because of the hills, and they have to roll back and then zoom forward. Of course, this isn't exactly the safest thing, because 1. the drivers have a limited range of vision, 2. the float behind them is sometimes really close, 3. the crowd freaks out and thinks there's a malfunction, 4. it disrupts the flow of the parade. In the end, I think the Electrical Parade is just more suited for Disneyland, but hopefully they'll work out some of the kinks here. After all, the parade has only been run twice for guests, so it still needs some fine tuning. But apparently the cast and guests are liking SpectroMagic, the preview electric parade, much better than this one.

4. Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular
Is that a mouthful or what? I think they went a little overboard with the "nightastic" and "spectacular" combination. One would have been fine. Oh well. The fireworks show has officially changed, starting last night. I saw the first run of the Summer Nightastic show (for this summer, it's an old show, so it's not the first time ever) last night after work, and man. It WAS spectacular. I still like Wishes, the previous fireworks show, better, simply because I liked the show aspect of that one better. Summer Nightastic, however, is just mind-blowing. The fireworks for this show are definitely more impressive than Wishes, even if the storyline is a little lacking. But it's a lot more involved, with fireworks going off all around the guests, rather than just behind the castle. It's bigger, louder, and more exciting--just not as touching as Wishes. Apparently you can get 3D glasses to watch the Nightastic show and it's supposed to be really cool, but I think I'm going to stick with my regular vision. I don't really care about watching something that's already 3D through 3D glasses.

5. Shift exchanges
I finally have two days off again! Not by the scheduling office, they still scheduled me for only one day off, but a girl in the boutique wanted a Tuesday shift, so I gave her mine, and I now have both Tuesday and Wednesady off, like I was originally told I would. Another person in the boutique told me that once all of the new CPs are in and trained, we SHOULD get our two days back, but we'll see. I've also been told the opposite--that we never get two off because merchandise in the MK doesn't get it, and we're technically classified as merchandise (though WHY we are, I have no idea. Apparently not too long ago we used to be included in the entertainment section of Disney, but then they booted us down to merchandise. Which means they can pay us less)

And that's about it for now. Next week I won't be working in the castle--they've deployed me to Downtown Disney for the whole week, and they have me working 50 hours. I like the hours there a lot better though. They open later and close later, which I can handle. I'd much rather leave at 10 and come in at 9 than leave at 8 and come in at 7:30. Because with bus scheduling that translates to leaving in the morning at 6:40 for a 7:30 shift at MK, as compared to leaving at 8:30 for a 9:00 shift at DTD. So we'll see how it goes. I'll be wearing the uglier costume for a week, and I'll have to learn what to do with this whole Hannah Montana style they have that we don't. They also have a lot of different rules at DTD, and the script that I mostly spout out without thinking doesn't really apply to DTD because a lot of it revolves around the castle. Oh well. It's sure to be fun, and I'm looking forward to a change of scenery. That boutique is a lot more open as well, since it's inside the World of Disney store. I may even see my roommate working, since she's in merchandising at WofD.

Till next time!

One Month Mark!

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.

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 :)

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!

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!