Week Four & Five!

Florida is hot.

And from what I hear, its just going to get hotter.

I'm also working a lot. Outside. In the heat.

But its a good thing I work in the most magical place IN THE WORLD. I have finally gotten into the swing of things down here. Making food, waking myself up for work, getting on the early bus, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping. I have officially decided that when I get home, I'm never moving out ever. Growing up is AWFUL. At least I'm only living in Walt Disney World, which is as far from growing up as I'm ever going to get. I visit the Magic Kingdom at least three times a week. You never get tired of fireworks here.

Work is good. We get a lot of people coming in saying "Welcome to Canada, eh."... And then I have to tell them that they're saying it wrong. Guests often ask me if I'm actually from Canada. And every so often, we get French speaking guests, and I'm slowly getting better at putting my years of french immersion to good use! Also, because I'm still newer (more new?), I close every evening I work, which means I get to see IllumiNations! Which is EPCOT's fireworks. Boom.

Last Wednesday I auditioned for Disney's Christmas Candlelight Recessional. So that'll be super fun if I get it!

The hardest part so far has been being away from my family. I miss hugs, I miss dinner time. I miss Friday nights at Grandma's. I miss my cats. I miss driving. I miss my church. I miss my friends. I miss my own space, my bed, my room. The most magical place on earth isn't so magical without the people you care about.

The BEST part so far has been the biggest and bestest prayer answered ever, and thats Cast Member Church. It's literally a church for Disney cast members. The wonderful thing about it, is that its like a backwards church, so instead of meeting all together once a week (which is impossible because Disney is 365 days a year company), it is made up of a bunch of small groups (CommuniD's) of 3-5 people who meet up all over Disney property! So my group meets at Coronado Springs resort on Wednesday mornings, since I'm off Wednesdays! It is so nice to finally know other Christians down here. And because God is just so incredibly wonderful, one of the girls in my group also works with me in Merchandise at the Canada Pavilion! Amazing!

Thats all for now. :)

Love love love,

Morgan

PS. MY FAMILY GETS HERE IN ONE MONTH!

Week Two & Three

Hello all!

I am proud to say that I've earned my ears, and now officially a Disney Cast Member! Woooo! My Birthday was a blast and a half. Went to 1900 Park Fare character breakfast with Heather, and we got to meet Mary Poppins, Tigger, Pooh, Alice, and The Mad Hatter! After that I went to Senses Spa at the Grand Floridian to get my nails done, which was lovely. And thennnn I went to the Magic Kingdom! If you ever get the chance to go to the parks on your birthday, DO IT. Everyone says Happy Birthday to you and its the most magical thing, and it makes you feel awesome. After getting the best farmers tan I could imagine, I went home for dinner, and then headed to Hollywood Studios to see the Frozen fireworks and Fantasmic with my roommate Pam, and co-worker Becky! So needless to say, it was an absolutely wonderful birthday. :) (And thanks for the ears, Heather!)

 The past week has just been busy with work. Most days I work 3:30pm-9:30pm. I went to see Disney Pixar's Inside Out with my Roommate Solvor from Norway, it was cute! I also went to a dueling, sing-a-long piano bar thing called Jellyrolls with my co-workers which was so much fun as well. :)

As for today, I went to the Magic Kingdom with some friends, had breakfast at Be Our Guest, the Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant. It was simply breathtaking. One of my most favourite things about Disney, is how much detail is put into every aspect of the park. The imagineers do a stellar job.

And I also met Gaston! Totally forgot my autograph book though, so I'll have to go see him again. :p

Tomorrow I'll be going to the Animal Kingdom! Finally! And then on Wednesday, I get to go to the Cast Member Church at Coronado Springs with my friend/co-worker Micayla! Can't wait to meet other Disney-loving, Jesus-following people! :) 

A vlog will be coming soon, don't you worry. I've just run into some technical difficulties. Thats all for now, folks. Have a magical day!

Love love love,

Morgan

I have arrived!

Greetings from Florida! Here's a recap of the last 10 days:

The Tuesday morning I was due to leave, I realized that I had been weighing my suitcases wrong, and they were in fact much more than 40 lbs each. So I left a good portion of my belongings behind. Mind, you this is all occurring at 2am, a couple hours before I had to be at the airport. Ha.

After lots of hugs and kisses (and tears, mainly when I had to say goodbye to my cats, LOL), I boarded the airplane to head from London to Chicago. After a looong wait at U.S. Customs, I had to run through the airport to get to my connecting flight to Orlando. Thankfully, it was delayed, otherwise I would have missed it. (Blessing!)

I got to the Vista Way Clubhouse at around 3:30, and fiiiinally got to my new apartment in The Commons! I was super excited that I got the housing complex I wanted, but all magic comes with a price. I ended up in one of the older buildings, so a lot of things weren't working. And of course, I ended up in a bunk bed on the top bunk. Not so great. HOWEVER, I have some of the most loveliest roommates in the world, and I am so thankful for that. :)

The first few days involved shopping trips to Walmart and meetings regarding housing, immigration, etc. And then on Saturday, we had the most magical day of all; TRADITIONS! Basically a class at Disney University that teaches you about the history of The Walt Disney Company, and gets you super stoked to work there. We also got our I.D. and our name badges on this day!

The next few days were a couple more classes and then a couple days of in-store training, and I finally got my costume! I didn't think I'd like Merchandise as much as I thought I would. I looooove it. I get to pin trade, interact with guests, and play with the merchandise. So much fun. :)

Also, last Friday I went to Universal Studios and got an annual pass. Totally worth it! Even though it rained, we still had a blast. The new Harry Potter part of the park, Diagon Alley, is incredible.

Today was my day off so I went grocery shopping and went to the pool. My Birthday is tomorrow, so I have breakfast reservations at 1900 Park Fare with my friend Heather, and we're going to meet Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh and his friends!

So that's what I've been up to! Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me during this transition, it has been quite the adjustment.

Love love love,

Morgan

P.S. Its hurricane season in Florida, so it basically rains every day for at least a couple of hours. Ew.

T'was the night before Disney...

It's currently 11:30pm. I am 95% packed. My room is a disaster. I'm pretty sure my bags weigh more than 50 lbs each. I still have laundry to do. Annnnd I have to be at the airport for 4:30 A.M. Cool.

The past few days have been jam packed with visiting friends and family, running errands and procrastinating. To think that in just a few short hours, my life is going to totally change.

Boom.

Love love love,

Morgan

One week to go!

This time next week, I'm going to be in the land of palm trees, sunshine. Living there. Full-time. What.

On Friday we had my family goodbye party. Let me tell you, I have the biggest, most fun, loving and caring family I could ever ask for. Between the BBQ, ice cream cake and sing-a-longs, I couldn't help but smile just thinking about how lucky I am to be a part of something so special.

And to top off the evening, my mom gave me the best gift I could ever ask for.

SHE MADE ME A T-SHIRT QUILT! Made with shirts dating back to when I was like, 6 years old. I maaay have cried like a baby when I opened the box. Its just so perfect. <3 

Tonight, I went to Young Adults just like any other Tuesday. But when I entered Mark's house, SURPRISE! A goodbye party with cake! And hats! And princesses! And balloons! And weird conversations! 

Thanks you guys. :) 

The next week is just crazy busy with visiting people and packing! TIME IS GONNA FLY, KIDS. 

Love, love, love,

Morgan

Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust

Are you scared?

Are you excited?

Are you sad?

Are you happy?

When people ask me these questions, I usually answer yes to all of them. Now that I have less than a month until I leave, a whole mix of emotions has me bouncing off walls with excitement, crying, and panicking about all the things I have yet to do.

I've never been a homebody, but I've never been a wanderer either. I often have people tell me that they'd love to live in a different country or city, anywhere far away from here. As for me, I'm content living in my hometown, surrounded by family, familiarity, and comfort. Sure, Orlando isn't that far away. Its still in North America. But the mere fact of moving away from my family, my friends, my job, my church, is sometimes terrifying.

Lately the main thing I've been worried about is putting my life on hold for a year. Am I being irresponsible for not going back to school? Am I running away only to work at a theme park? Am I giving up the opportunity of being in love? What if by going away, I'll lose my friends? These are the questions that have constantly been racing through my mind. But at the same time, utmost joy is taking up the other half of my heart.

I get to work at the happiest place on earth. I get to be a part of creating magic for kids. I get to make new friends from all over the world, and live and work with them. I get to see what its like to live away from home, discover new things about myself. I get to have as much fun as I choose. I get to start a new life. Though it may only be for a year, for a brief moment in time, I get to live a dream.

I don't know why God has led me to go at this time, as there are many things that seem to be going wrong. But as I've said before, His timing is perfect. And His plan is always better than our own.

This leaves me with a choice. Though we may not be able to choose what happens to us, or when; we can choose how we respond. I can choose to stay, and live my comfortable life, or I can take the leap, and live out this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity I've been given.The following verse is above the door in my room:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, or discouraged. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

So with a bit of pixie dust, and a whole lot of faith, I think I'm gonna be just fine. :)

Love love love,

Morgan

Introducing: Mickey & Morgan Vlog Channel!

After many takes, and several hours of figuring out the new software, episode one is finally complete!

Enjoy my weirdness. ;)

Mickey & Morgan - Disney CRP Episode 1: Meet Morgan!

Love love love,

Morgan

Coming Soon...

Mickey & Morgan vlog channel is coming soon! Finally going to be getting my hands on Adobe Premiere Elements 13 on Monday, so my first video will be uploaded on Friday, May 1st  soon! :)

Get pumped!

Love love love,

Morgan

Approved!

Check it out.

I've been approved! I get to work in America for a year! All thats left to do is to get travel insurance, save money, and pack!

8 weeks to go. :)

Love love love,

Morgan

Disneyfying...

Well hello! My sincere apologies for not posting for awhile.

Nothing exciting has really happened since my last post. However, I did get my Police Check clear, and sent all my documents off to get my visa! I should be expecting it within the next few weeks, which is crazy to think about. I'll be living in Florida in just 2 months and 13 days!

While I've been waiting, Heather has inspired me to do some Disney DIYs (She has even made disney mugs! Whaaat!) So I made these:

All you need is 4 things! A letter of your choice (I got these from Michael's for 4.99), Modge Podge, a paint brush, and a picture book! (I got the books from a thrift store because I didn't want to destroy my own!) Cut out the pictures you want, and just glue on the letter to make a collage. And bippity boppity boo! LOL. 

I also made a Disney binder to help keep me organized. (Cause Lord knows I need all the help I can get in that department.) I've been seeing it everywhere, such a brilliant idea! It has all of my required documents that I'll be needing once I get there.

In other news, Target is now closed. Still haven't really processed the fact that I'll never be in my office again, no more 7:30am start times, no more grown-up job chair. Craaaaay. Though, God is good and provided me with a job at LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics until I leave! Couldn't have asked for a better place to work. Everyone I work with is so much fun, its going to be so hard to leave them in June!

Also, if you haven't already, GO SEE CINDERELLA. It was so magical, they did an amazing job turning it into a live action film. :) She will always be my favourite Princess. 

Love love love,

Morgan

Ps. Have courage, and be kind. ;)

AND FOR MY BESTEST FRIEND JOANNA, I'M GOING TO MISS YOU SO MUCH. BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO TO HARRY POTTER WORLD AND JURASSIC PARK TOGETHER WHEN YOU COME TO VISIT AND ITS GOING TO BE OFF DA CHANGG.

Four months to go...

Today marks 4 months (or 120 days, or 17 weeks) until I move to Orlando, Florida! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. So far, this is what I have completed:

Paid my Assessment Fee

The Assessment Fee is what gains you access to the Onboarding website, as well as holds a spot for you in the dorms, and pays for all the fun things they have planned while you're there! (Parties, games, Grocery Bingo, activities, etc). Its $154.50 USD, which converted to $179.74 CAD for me.


Filled-Out Onboarding Paperwork

There are about 7 agreement forms that I had to fill out, acknowledging everything from taking care of my costume, to a Public Health questionnaire. These forms require a Social Security Number, so I'll have to get one of those from the U.S. Embassy before I leave to save me a trip down there!


Booked My One-way Flight

This was a huge thing emotionally for me. I won't be in my house for a whole year. I won't see my cats, most of my family, my friends. I'll be living an entirely different life! I'll get to experience living with roommates, serious budgeting, and make friends from all over the world. How blessed I am to be given such a wonderful opportunity. :) My flight came to about $280 CAD. But I get to fly right out of London! I have a layover in Chicago, and then I'll be arriving in Orlando at 12:35pm. Disney requires you to upload your travel information, so I did that as well.


Background Check

Even though I haven't received the email from Yummy Jobs asking for my background check yet, I still sent out for my Police Check yesterday, as it takes about 4 weeks for them to process it. It was $45 CAD, and I was able to do it all online!


Other than that, I've just been working on my packing list, purchasing things that I'll need, and getting very excited! Four months! Wooo!

Welcome to the team...

After a crazy weekend and a long week of waiting (and $210 later), I finally got my new passport! Disney required that I get a new one because my old one was going to expire while I was there! So now I have a fancy 10 year one. I won't have to step foot in that passport office until I'm 31. Yesss.

Anyway, I finally uploaded it to DOC and received access to the Onboarding website!

The Onboarding website is for accepted applicants, and has pretty much all the information you need to know about the program until you get there! Everything from housing, to work life,  as well as all the pre-arrival things you have to do! Not going to lie, I may have cried. :)

More info to come soon!

Over the moon...

So even though I'm under the weather today, on the inside I am still leaping for joy from all the excitement!

Just need to get a new passport and I can finally start the immigration process. 4 months and 22 days!

Everything's coming up Milhouse!

CONGRATULATIONS...

I don't even know what to write. Except for God's timing is perfect.

Thursday, January 15th I received an email letting my co-workers and I know that Target Canada would be discontinuing operations. Our last day of severance would be May 16th, What a way to start off the year. It has been such a chaotic few days. Put our whole store in shock. The sandcastle we built was being kicked down. Two years of hard work, and passion, soon to be nothing but a memory. But God never shuts one door without opening another.

This morning I prayed, "God, what ever your plans are for my life, just make it so." At 4:10 PM, He answered my prayer.

Sue Sharpe, the Disney Recruiter sent me an email offering me a position in the Cultural Representative Program in Merchandise starting June 16th, 2015! I did it! I got accepted! Guys, I'm moving to Orlando, Florida! A few minutes later I received the official email from Disney International Programs.

I was just finishing work as I read the email, I could not stop shaking. All I could do was laugh as I skipped around the office repeating "I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!". I started immediately thinking of ways to tell my family. I finally decided on writing them a letter from "Mickey Mouse" requesting my presence in his kingdom. LOL. Right before dinner I slipped it under my mother's plate. After we sat down she read it, nearly burst into tears, and then I had her read it to the family. I'm pretty sure she's more excited than I am. Hahaha.

So here we go. 146 days until I move to Walt Disney World. Unreal. You'll be seeing a lot more blog posts, and I'm going to be starting a vlog as well! Thank you everyone for all your prayers and crossed fingers, I am so blessed to have such wonderful and encouraging people in my life. :)

Wow. <3

We like you! But don't need you right now...

As of 10:36 EST this morning, I have been put on the wait-list for the Disney Cultural Representative Program. 

Yay? At first I wanted to bawl my eyes out. I have been waiting 8 weeks, only to be told they don't have a spot for me right now. But after talking to a few people on the Canada Disney CRP Facebook group, being wait-listed isn't a death sentence, its actually a good thing! 

Apparently being wait-listed means they are planning on hiring you, but they're just waiting to plan a time-period where the positions will open up again. Most people who get wait-listed, do end up getting hired! The average wait period is about 5 months, but hey, I'm a pro at waiting now. 

In a way, this could be a blessing in disguise. It means I get to go on a missions trip to Portugal in July, it means I have time to save money, and it also means I get to see Keith Urban at Rock the Park in August! God's timing is perfect, I just have to continue putting my trust in Him. 

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

So please keep your fingers crossed, and keep praying for me! 

xo Morgan