The End.

I'm sitting here, struggling to come up with the words to describe my feelings about my Disney College Program. For those of you who know me personally, you know I'm never at a loss for words, so this is a true rarity. But how can I sum up what has come to be the best 7 months of my entire life into one blog post, and make all of you understand what an incredible, life-changing experience this has been for me? Well, the truth is, I can't, but please bear with me as I try...

It's officially been one week since I arrived home from Orlando. I've been running around, seeing friends and family, trying to get ready to go back to Clemson at the end of the week. People ask me, "so how was Disney?" I'm left with the typical responses, "awesome, so much fun, amazing..etc" I've been telling the same funny stories about crazy guest interactions, my wonderful coworkers, my lifelong friends, and crazy roommates stories. But honestly, I think it's the stories I don't tell that really sum up my college program. It was the nights spent sitting in the apartment with my roommates watching TV and eating ice cream, the days where we would run to the parks to literally only meet one character or do one ride, the time spent at Nemo laughing with my coworkers in the middle of one of our many cast parties, and the way that suddenly, without really thinking about it, friends turned into family and moments turned into memories, that truly shaped my Disney College Program experience.

It's funny to think back to me in January, right before I was leaving for my DCP. I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me. And now, sitting back and reflecting on those magical seven months, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I learned lifelong lessons, made incredible friendships, and truly had the time of my life.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my Disney Dream. Dreams really do come true, and I am so thankful to have had the most incredible experience during my Disney College Program.

As Walt once said, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

And there you have it, my Disney Dream Come True.

August 1 - The Final Goodbyes

August 1st came in way too hard and way too fast. I was looking forward to my last day of work, but the last day of my program? No way. It came with way too many goodbyes and heartbreak, and that just wasn't something I was prepared for. But, before I knew it, August 1st rolled around, and with that, the end of my program.

I had my whole day planned out very strategically. There were certain people and places that I needed to say goodbye to, and I made sure that I got to hit each and every one of them before the day was over. The morning started out with my mom and I arriving to Animal Kingdom bright and early, me clad in my graduation ears and favorite new dress and donning a pin that said "I'm Celebrating DCP Graduation." I went and rode Expedition Everest one more time since it's my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World. Then, I saw the first show of Festival of the Lion King (FOLK), where I was lucky enough to get VIP seating. FOLK is one of my favorite shows, and a lot of people that I worked with at Nemo also work at FOLK, so it was nice that I got to say one last goodbye to them. FOLK is also where my first tears of the day fell. It's such a beautiful show that captures the essence of Disney, and I just felt so loved and happy there. Maybe it was the special way the performers were treating me (Timon waved and blew kisses at me in the middle of the show), or maybe it was just the reality that my program was finally over, but I started tearing up at the end of the show.

Finale of Festival of the Lion King

After FOLK, my mom and I headed over to Adventurer's Outpost where I met Mickey and Minnie! I hadn't met Mickey and Minnie there yet, and I was really anxious to see what they would think of my graduation ears. Needless to say, they were completely adorable. Mickey kept touching my ears and clapping and Minnie blew me endless amounts of kisses.

Meeting Mickey and Minnie at Adventurer's Outpost

After our lovely meeting with the mice, we headed to Discovery Island to look around the stores and eat at my favorite quick service location on property, Pizzafari. Then we quickly headed over to Finding Nemo, The Musical to catch my last and final viewing of my beloved show.

When I got to Nemo, I felt like a celebrity. I was saying hi to all of my coworkers, many of whom I hadn't seen since my last day of work or even before that. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and get a hug from my Nemo family. I got VIP seating for the show and got to catch up with everyone beforehand, although that wasn't enough for me, so I had to go back out and say goodbye afterwards too. 

Honestly, the show was really hard for me to watch. I got teary eyed at multiple parts, just thinking about how it was my last time seeing this show for such a long time. Then, towards the end during the "that's my dad, that's my son" scene (for those of you who know the show), I just lost it. Hence, cry number two of the day. The idea that I wouldn't be seeing this show I loved for a very long time or seeing these people who truly became my family for who knows how long just completely broke me. I'm talking quivering bottom lip and all, people. I was a mess, I even had to put my sunglasses on before I left the theater so I didn't walk out looking like a blubbering idiot. I cried straight through the last five minutes of the show, but in my opinion, that's a testament to the Cast Members who work at Nemo. My experience would not have been nearly as wonderful had it not been for all of the wonderful people there. 

My mom and I with Marylou, a huge part of my Nemo family

After Nemo, it was time to say goodbye to Animal Kingdom. I had a farewell photoshoot in front of the Tree of Life, where I truly did get to say goodbye to Animal Kingdom. It's been my home away from home, and I truly could not imagine a better place to work, learn, or grow as a person, and I am eternally grateful to the people and park of Animal Kingdom for making my Disney College Program such a wonderful experience.

Always in my heart

While saying goodbye to Animal Kingdom was sad, I still had a large part of my day in front of me. So, with that, my mom and I went off to Magic Kingdom, where we met up with my roommate, Allie, and her parents to watch our last Festival of Fantasy parade together. The parade was amazing, since I was wearing my ears every single character either came up to me or waved to me. The mime from Tangled even came over and gave me a big hug! It was a great experience, and it was nice to be noticed by all of the characters in the parade. It made my last Festival of Fantasy even more special. 

Allie and I celebrating our last Festival of Fantasy together

After Festival of Fantasy, it was time to get on some of my favorite rides. We went on Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Small World, Philhar Magic, Under the Sea, Buzz Lightyear, Laugh Floor, and even got to meet my favorite princess, Ariel, one more time! My dad met up with my mom and I in the middle of this, so it was nice to spend some quality time with my parents during my last day in Disney World.

My favorite princess, Ariel

I also was able to have a mini photoshoot in front of the castle as well, which made me feel like a princess. 

Forever my favorite castle

My family and I were lucky enough to get reservations at Be Our Guest for dinner, which is the restaurant inside Beast's Castle. I had a wonderful time, the meal was excellent, and I even got to "try the grey stuff!" Trust me, it was delicious. After dinner I was able to meet our gracious host, Beast, take some pictures, and explore his castle!

Be Our Guest Restaurant

After dinner, my time left in the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World was slowly coming to a close. My mom booked the dessert party for us during the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, which was a lot of fun. They had a ton of desserts and also primo viewing spots for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes. Speaking of Celebrate the Magic and Wishes, they were also the third and fourth times I cried that day. Celebrate the Magic is just a wonderful show that pays such tribute to Walt Disney and the legacy he created. I lost it when they had Walt's picture on the castle and him saying "I only hope we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse." I'm so honored to have been a part of Walt's legacy and vision, and this just really got to me. Finally, at the end of Wishes, I bawled like a baby. Wishes is all what Disney is about, making your dreams come true, and the fact that my wish had come true just made my last time seeing it all the more magical and sad.

Tinkerbell flying over the Magic Kingdom during Wishes

After the shows and dessert party, my time was really coming to a close. I had really worn my parents out by that point, so they went back to the resort and I was left in the Magic Kingdom with my roommate, Allie, and my friend from work, Alli. The three of us ran and did Space Mountain one final time before walking along Main Street USA, doing some last minute shopping, and taking some final pictures. The whole experience of saying goodbye to them was unreal. It didn't feel like goodbye, probably because it's impossible to become that close to people and then just decide to never see them again. That's how I felt saying goodbye to all of my friends, coworkers, roommates, and other people I met on the program. How can I just say goodbye to people who have come into my life and changed me for the better? So there I stood, in the middle of Main Street USA, wiping the tears from my eyes as I squeezed some of the best friends I'll ever have goodbye. It was hard, but, as I said before, I know it isn't forever. 

Alli, me, and Allie saying our final
goodbyes to Walt Disney World

So folks, there you have it. My final day in Disney World. It was heart-breaking, wonderful, depressing, exhausting, enchanting, and most importantly, magical, which I would say is an overall summary of my entire Disney College Program. It's hard to believe that 7 months came and passed by so quickly, but the memories I've created, the friends I've made, and the magic I've shared will last me a lifetime. 

So, Walt Disney World, friends, family, coworkers, and everyone: It's not goodbye, it's "see you real soon!"

Disney's Service Celebration

A nice part of the Disney College Program is that they thank their College Program Participants by throwing a service celebration at the end of every program. The celebration that I attended occurred on my second to last day (July 31st) at the Chatham Square field. It was nice to be able to officially "graduate" the program and get my graduation ears and my certificate of completion. However, I was clearly not the only person graduating the program, since we waited in a 40 minute line to check in to the celebration and then a 2 hour line to meet Mickey and Minnie! I thought that was the one thing I was leaving when I departed Disney World - the long lines! Nevertheless, it was worth it, because Mickey and Minnie were very proud of me and it was nice to be able to get some pictures and let loose a little bit. There was music playing, free food, and a lot of people hanging out. After the service celebration I had to go back to my apartment and finish packing up my things, but it was a nice way to unwind and I got some awesome graduation ears (that I had personalized), a nice memory box, a certificate of completion, and most importantly, a great picture with Mickey and Minnie!

My graduation ears

I'm officially a DCP graduate!

My Family's Last Visit

My family's fourth and final visit coincided with the last week of my Disney College Program. They planned it out so that at the end of their visit, my mom would be able to stay and drive home with me and all of my stuff. I'm really glad that they were all able to come down for one final time and we could spend some time together in Disney, especially since it will probably be a few years before we are all in Walt Disney World again. Since this was the longest period of time that they were with me and also because it was the end of my program, their visit was jam-packed with a lot of fun activities and time well spent.

This visit my family was able to stay in the Grand Floridian Villas, and the resort was BEAUTIFUL! It's definitely my new favorite place to stay. It's super convenient since it's on the monorail line and the grounds are gorgeous.

The Villas Lobby

The Grand Floridian Resort

This visit was also particularly nice because I was able to spend a lot of time with my roommate Allie and my family together. We went on a horse and carriage ride through Port Orleans, visited the parks together, ate at Be Our Guest (twice!), watched the Frozen Fireworks Spectacular, saw Fantasmic, ate dinner at Mama Melrose with Allie's family, and they visited me at work. It was a busy, but fun visit. 

Horse and carriage ride through Port Orleans

Dinner at Be Our Guest

Meeting Mickey

Visiting me at work

Although we had a lot of fun together, I was working a lot too, since it was my last week, and I had my last clockout during their visit. It was a weird experience, I was sad that I was done being a Cast Member, but I was happy to be done work at Hollywood Studios. I think if I had still been at Nemo, my last day would have been different, but nevertheless, it was a weird experience clocking out for the last time. 

The last clockout

Clocking out for the last time

The best day with my family was definitely my last day in the parks, but I'll blog about that in another post dedicated solely to my last day. I want to thank my family once again for all of the time they spent traveling down to Florida to visit me, and for supporting me every step of the way during my Disney Dream. It's been a pleasure working for the mouse, and I'm so thankful to have a family that is so supportive of my dreams. Look for a few more posts coming from me about my final goodbyes and last days in Disney World. Until then, keep on dreaming!

The Last Few Weeks

The last few weeks of my Disney College Program were kind of a blur, and in hindsight, I think they needed to be that way in order for me to get through them. Basically after my roommate, Megan, left, I was chomping at the bit to wrap up my program and get home. But then suddenly, it hit me. No matter how much I despised Olaf Distribution, or how hot I was all the time, or how much I was ready to see my dog and cat, or how much I hated the afternoon Florida storms, or how lonesome I was for my family and friends at home - I had only a few weeks left in the most magical place on earth. It started to hit me that whenever I did something in the parks or the resorts, it could very well have been my very last time doing those things for a few years. YEARS - can you imagine that? I've had Walt Disney World as my playground for the past 7 months, and now all of a sudden I'm forced to come to grips with the fact that I won't be doing these rides, seeing these shows, watching these fireworks, or shopping in these stores for another few years. The thought alone was enough to make my stomach churn. I started running around in my free time, determined to make the most of my "last time" doing everything. We went to Universal again, I sat by the pool after work, we went to see movies at the theater, we watched all the fireworks shows, and so much more. I began taking pictures of things I never really thought to take pictures of - the thought was always "oh, I'll see it again." But suddenly, I wasn't going to be seeing, doing, or having anything to do with these things again. It was an overwhelming thought, and I truly believe that's why those last few weeks kind of flew by. In all the time that I wasn't working (even though I was getting scheduled for 6 days a week), I was running around, saying goodbye to my favorite people, places and things. I bought all the things I'd been talking about buying for so long (2 Nemo stuffed animals, the Finding Nemo soundtrack, a Nemo ornament... you get the picture). Anyway, I think you probably get it, I was in a frantic rush to make the most of my time. What had seemed like an eternity was finally coming to an end.