Tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's here, it's ACTUALLY HERE! Tomorrow we leave for Disney. I can't believe it. I have almost all my stuff packed up, bought basically everything I needed, and...can I actually say it? I think I'm all set! The only things left are packing some odds and ends, finishing packing my clothes (yikes!) and saying my goobyes, which is the hardest thing to do. I think tonight we're bringing our pets over to my grandfather's house so he can watch them until my family gets back. I'm going to miss my cat and my dog so much :( especially my little baby Horatio (my cat, CSI Miami fans anyone?) then tomorrow I say goodbye to my best friends. We also find out if one of my friends is moving to Ohio, so it's just going to be a rough day. I'm trying to keep positive (I've cried already...I don't know if it was at how much stuff I had to pack or if I'm actually sad to leave) I'm so excited for my vacation with my family, but I can't really think about it right now because I have so many sad things going on beforehand. Well this was just a quick update, I have to get back to packing :] sorry I've been neglecting this blog, but I've been playing around with tumblr and it is my new obsession. Here's the web address;

http://www.caimart.tumblr.com

I update on that one daily, so it's a lot more fun to read :] I might do another post tonight, but if I don't get it, I will be taking a little hiatus until after my vacation and after I am all set up down there.

bon voyage :]

FOOD

When I first started this blog I knew I wanted to write about some of the "extra stuff" I would like to do while I'm doing the Career Start program. This includes stuff in the parks and stuff out of the parks :] they are kind of like goals for myself because I want to get the most out of this experience as I can while I'm working and while I'm not working, so that means I want to be apart of as many events and see as many things as I can. And now that I only have...12 days!! It's kind of sinking in that this is actually happening, and it's happening very very soon. So let's get to it!! These are some of the things I would like to do while I'm doing the Career Start Program!!!



The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Happening October 1st, 2010-November 14th, 2010
Okay, if you need to know something about me, here is the one thing you MUST know; I.LOVE.FOOD. I love it a lot. I was in the Culinary Arts shop at my high school and here's what I learned in four years. 1. I love food, and 2. I hate making food. I don't hate baking cookies and cakes and stuff like that, I actually like that a lot and I was really into decorating cakes and things like that, but making food isn't really my thing. I'm more of a....a taster....and a decorator I guess? Anyway, so basically what this is is they turn Epcot into a foodie paradise. All around the World Showcase they have stations where you can try different foods (wines and beers too but I will not be partaking in that part because I'm still a youngin'!) they have little stores, they have music, and usually there are a few famous chefs doing presentations. Now, we watch the Food Network pretty religiously in this house so it would be so cool if I saw someone that I've seen on TV before!

So there we go, one of my first events that I really, really want to see!! I will definitely be putting more things up, maybe even another one tonight :D

Quatorze?!

It's official. 14 days. 2 weeks. 336 hours. Actually, 336 hours makes me feel a little better! I remember in April when I got my letter thinking, "God it's going to take forever to get to September"...not so much. It's already August 6th and in 2 weeks I'll be on my way to Orlando...THIS IS CRAZY!!! I have so much to do, so many people to see...AHHHHH. Right now I'm more overwhelmed than excited. I think I'm just being dramatic though. Everytime I go somewhere no matter what it is I pack at the last minute...meaning on August 20th at around 4 a.m. I'll be almost halfway packed. That's just how I am. And I mean, I don't want to bring too much stuff because God only knows how much I'll buy down there ;]
on one hand, I'm a wreck. I don't want to leave, I'll miss everyone, whinewhinewhine. On the other hand, I can't wait. I love it down there. It feels more like home than it does up here, and I can't wait for the vacation part. We have so much planned, including water parks and Disney Quest! We haven't done any of the water parks or Disney Quest so it's something to really really look forward to. I can't wait to meet my roommates they all seem like total sweethearts, and I can't wait to meet all my other Disney friends. I can't wait to find out what ride or show I'm going to be working at, I can't wait to see the apartment, then go get more stuff for the apartment...the goods kinda weighing out the bad huh? Of course I know I'm going to have fun and this is a once in a lifetime kind of thing, I just wish I could just skip to the vacation instead of having to deal with packing and saying goodbyes. Well I could, I would just be very unprepared and very rude. I think my next post will be about what I want to do while I'm there and some goals I have for during the program :] I'll try to be a good blogger and actually, you know, BLOG :]

DONE!

Alright I'm finishing this tonight because I will have no time this week.

Day 27: Best wardrobe

Charlotte from The Princess and the Frog

Day 28: Favorite Sequel

Toy Story 2

Day 29: Favorite overall moment

Lilo teaching Stitch how to be good/ Elvis Stitch

Day 30: Favorite happy ending

When Carl gives Russell his pin

All done. Well, it's been fun! I have my big skating competition this week, so I won't be on really. And I got a new computer today that has a webcam :]

25 &26

Oy vey I am so behind!

Day 25: Favorite lyrics

When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires will come to you.

If your heart is in your dream

No request is too extreme

When you wish upon a star

As dreamers do.

Fate is kind

She brings to those who love

The sweet fulfillment of

Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue

Fate steps in and sees you through

When you wish upon a star

Your dreams come true.

Day 26: Most magical moment

I think every little girl wishes this would happen to them. I know I always wanted this to happen :]

Day 24: Favorite parent

She counts right? Well, it's my challenge so I say she does! Mrs. Potts is just so loving and motherly, even to Belle who was a complete stranger. She made sure she was completely comfortable. And she loves Chip so much and is so protective of him it's so cute :]

Days 22 & 23: Bravest princess and Favoirte dance scene

So for bravest princess my first thought was Mulan, but I feel like I've used her in a lot in these, so I'm going to pick a different one :]

Bravest princess: Pocahontas

I think out of all the Disney princesses Pocahontas is the stongest physically and mentally. She goes by what she believes is right, which I think is the bravest thing a person can do.

Favorite Dance Scene: Beauty and the Beast

I tried to pick something else for favorite dance scene but I just can't! This scene is just too perfect :]

Days 20, 21, & 22:Funniest moment, Favorite quotes, and Bravest princess

Oh man :( I fell behind. Oh well, I'll catch up today :]

Funniest moment: Spanish Buzz in Toy Story 3 has to be the funniest thing I have ever seen in a Disney movie! I couldn't stop laughing after the scene when he tries dancing with Jessie. It's literally like 30 seconds long but it's the funniest thing ever.

Hola :]

Favorite quotes: I have so many Disney quotes that I love that it is really really hard to pick just one.

From Winnie the Pooh:

"Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known."

"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so that I never have to be without you."

"If there ever is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart I'll always be with you."

From Mulan:

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all

From Cinderella:

"For with each dawn she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true."

There are tons of other ones I just can't think of them all :]

I think I'll do bravest princess later...gotta think about this one ;D

Day 18&19: Favorite name and Favorite soundtrack

Work has been kicking my butt lately :( I hate it! But let's get back to business;

Favorite name: Abraham Delacy Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley the Alley Cat

Kind of explains itself huh?

There are actually a lot of names that I like from Disney, even the common ones...I don't know why but when I like a name I get really attached to it...weird I know :p Let's make a list;

• Giselle
• Jasmine
• Belle
• Meg/Megara
• Wendy
• Ellie

There's a whole bunch of other ones too but I can't think of them all! I just noticed that all of these are girl's names too. I don't know I've just always liked them.

Day 19: Favorite soundtrack

Probably the toughest one for me. I love Disney music! I listen to it all the time so it's really hard to just pick one...*going to get my iPod* alright, just in my Disney playlist alone I have 532 songs...Thank you 32 GB you do your job well. The problem is I mostly have mix cd's of Disney songs, so it's hard to pick a full soundtrack. The one that really stands out in my head though is the Mulan soundtrack. I remember listening to it over and over again and always loving it! Plus, hello? Who didn't LOVE 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder singing "True To Your Heart"?? It's an instant classic...for sure!

Day 17: Best eyes

Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I'm jealous that she has dark, wavy hair and green eyes! Why not me :(

Day 16: Favorite singing voice

Favorite singing voice is definitely Mulan! I have always loved her singing voice. Lea Salonga has such a pretty voice. She was in Miss Saigon too which I also really like :] "Reflection" is my favorite song she has ever done though. It would be unfair though if I didn't mention Jasmine too because Lea Salongs also is Jasmine's voice in "A Whole New World", so both of them really have my favorite singing voice! I just have always loved "Reflection" a lot.

So, tomorrow will make it 6 weeks and a day until I leave for Disney. It feels pretty unreal right now and a little scary know that leaving is right around the corner. Well, I have decided that I am going to do a 6 week diet and exercise plan! Perfect timing. I thought that if I talked about it on here it would give me more motivation to actually do it. I won't even tell you how many times I've told myself I'd do this and it doesn't end up happening :p So I will be starting tomorrow :]

Day 15: Favorite romantic moment

So now that i'm in air conditioning after a sweltering day I'll get down to business on this :] this one I had to really think about. There are the classic romantic moments, and then there are the really cute ones...I think I might split this one too!

Wall-e and Eve are so cute :] I love when he's taking her around and dresses her up in the christmas lights and everything. And then when they are flying around, it's adorable :] this movie is one of my favorites from Pixar!

And for the classic one I had to go with the dancing scene in Beauty and the Beast. It's so pretty and it's always been one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Plus, "Tale As Old As Time" is one of my favorite Disney songs, and that song is very romantic too.

:]

Day 14: Favorite villain

I had to put this one into two categories. I picked a funny and not so funny villain because they are some that make you laugh, but they are some that are just plain old mean.

For funny villain, I chose Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove. Whether she can't get rid of Kuzco or she has something in her teeth, the poor woman can't catch a break. She also is the winner because her partner in crime is Kronk who has to be one of my favorite characters of all time. Plus, she changes into such a cute little kitty! (Hades from Hercules came in a very close second place for this one!)

For the not so funny but totally scary villain, I chose the Wicked Queen from Snow White. Maybe it's the whole give-me-Snow-White's-heart-plan she has or maybe it's the voice or the stare, but she has always been the creepiest one out of all the villains in my opinion, even more so than Maleficent, who seems to be the main evil one. Snow White is the sweetest princess of them all how could she want to kill her?! (and in such a gruesome way too!) She just screams evil I think, more so than any other villain.

(Or maybe it's that lazy left eye of hers...hmm...)

So on to a different topic, I have decided that I am going to make a scrapbook of the time I have during my family vacation and the Career Start Program. I've always wanted to make a scrapbook, but I just never have, so this is the perfect time to start one! :] I bought some scrapbooking pages today when I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics with my mom today, and she got some too. I got some tinkerbell ones, princess ones, and some mickey and co. ones, so it's a start. My mom has tons of stuff already that she has gotten over the years because she wants to make one too eventually, so we will probably go through some of it tonight. Is anyone else thinking of making one? It would be really great to have someone to work on it with down there, it would probably keep me more focused on it :]

Day 13: Favorite outfit

This was a difficult one because there are so many outfits I like, but I chose Princess Tiana's green dress. Everytime I would see it in the Disney store I would tell my mom how much I wish I could squeeze myself into the Princess Tiana kid's costume for prom...that would never happen though :[ but I've always loved this dress. It's very pretty, and I like how it takes frog-ish (?lol) elements and makes it so beautiful!

Day 12: Favorite nonanimal sidekick

I have two for this one!! Both Pixar;

1. RUSSELL! He's so cute. If and when I have a child, I want one to look and act exactly like him. It'll probably be easier for the kid to act exactly like him than to look exactly like him, unless I look for a specific boo..

2. MO!!!! Who didn't love little Mo in WALL-E? Seriously. So cute. He is also very sassy :]

In other Disney news, I got some more stuff for Disney. I got a cup with a bunch of characters on it, a big Mickey Mouse plate, a smaller Minnie Mouse plate, and a Tinkerbell placemat. So I've added more stuff to the list :]

Days 10&11: Best hair & Favorite animal sidekick

Darn it I missed another day! Stupid work...alright, time to catch up! :]






Day 9: Best hair

Hands down, Ariel from the Little Mermaid. The length, the color, everything about it is gorgeous. So jealous. If I could pull off this color red I seriously would try it. It was the color that won me over too because the other choice for me would have been Aurora...but she doesn't have this color and rock it. I think I'm going to watch The Little Mermaid right after I'm done with this... :D

Day 10: Favorite animal sidekick

Mushu from Mulan!! You can't say he doesn't make you smile and laugh :] he's sassy. I love it.

Day 9: Best couple

I had to go with the classic best couple; Mickey and Minnie Mouse of course! I love watching the old cartoons with them because they are so adorable. They were made for eachother...literally :] best couple by far!

Day 8: Saddest moment :'(

This one was also very easy to pick. I'm not usually a person that cries during movies, in fact, I can probably count the movies I've cried during on one hand, and this is one of them. Not only did Up make me cry, it made me bawl like a little baby. It hits you right at the beginning too! Not fair! Because Carl and Ellie are the perfect couple and they are so happy and so cute and then WHAM! Gone. NOT FAIR!!! Well, first they start off with the doctors office which made me start to tear up and sniffle, and then they show them all old and cute, but no! Right when I was thinking, "Gee I really like Ellie!", Pixar dashes my hopes to bits. We saw this at the Drive-in, so thankfully I was outside and not in close proximity to strangers because I was crying. Not a little either, it was like red in the face, swollen eyes, runny nose, can't catch your breath crying. The whole movie has moments where I would just cry and cry, and then I would laugh and be happy again. Of course, the movie became one of my absolute favorite movies of all time. Did I mention how cute Carl and Ellie were together? Did I mention how unfair it was?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYmGt7RnTlI&feature=related

Confession: I watched this just now and cried! I'm really a sap :(

Day 7: Favorite castle

This one was a no-brainer for me. So much so that I started to doubt my decision, but no, Cinderella Castle is most definitely my favorite castle. It's the castle I grew up dreaming I would see at least once, and when I saw it for the first time I teared up a little (whatta sap.) I could stare at the castle all day and not get bored. I think that it is so beautiful, and everytime I see it before a movie starts I get all giddy and excited. One day I would like to see the castles that this castle, and all the castles in each Disney park, were modeled after.

The Chateau de Chaumont in France & the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany

I want to see these two the most! They are so pretty :]

Days 5&6: Favorite kiss and Prettiest princess

I'm so sorry! I had my skating competition this weekend so I was getting home really late at night and I was too tired to write :[ then yesterday I twisted my ankle skating so I was just exhausted, but I will catch up on the challenge today! I'll write day 7 later today so I'll be all caught up by tonight :]

Day 5 is favorite kiss. The kiss from the Princess and the Frog definitely has to be my favorite. Tiana looks so disgusted when Prince Naveen says she has to kiss him. The facial expressions she makes are hysterical!

Alright Day 6 is prettiest princess. I think all of the princesses are pretty so it's difficult to pick just one as the prettiest. Well, after thinking about it, I chose Princess Aurora, probably just because I wish I looked like her haha :] PLUS, my mom and I go over this all the time because how in the heck are her legs so smooth when she is living in the middle of the forest?! It's amazing. And I was always super jealous that she could have either a pink or blue dress. Plus, she has to win because of how pretty she looks when she's "sleeping". No one looks that pretty sleeping ever!

Day 4: Favorite song

I have a skating competition all weekend which is making the 30 day challenge a little tougher than I thought...day one and I'm already exhausted! Alright;

Favorite song: I Won't Say (I'm In Love) from Hercules.

Why?:
~When I was little, I would sing this song on the top of my lungs everytime it came on. I would belt it out like a champ.

~Meg is one of my absolute favorites. She's so sassy. Disney needs more sassy girls like her. I bet she'll show up again somewhere during this challenge.

;D

Day 3: Favorite prince

At first I couldn't really think of a prince that was my favorite. I like them all the same, and none really jumped out as a favorite. But then I remembered, Prince Caspian is definitely a Disney movie! So Prince Caspian is hands down my favorite Disney prince. Well there are the definites like he is generous, brave, and kind, which are the Disney prince characteristics...but umm...I kind of like that he's...absolutely gorgeous? :] haha Sorry, I couldn't resist. Look, I love the Chronicles of Narnia it was one of my favorite series that I read when I was little, but the movie wasn't that great. He made it a lot better to watch though! The last time we were at Disney for Christmas I got a Prince Caspian pin that is still on one of my backpacks that I use to travel with. Plus, the accent helps :]

swoon

Okay I'm done gushing. Anyway, last night I met up with Jess again who is going to be my roommate in Disney! We went to Cold Stone and then saw Toy Story 3 again :] we had a lot of fun getting to know eachother more and laughing about the Michael Jackson impersonator (lol) it's nice to have someone that I can talk to face to face about the CareerStart program because she is just as excited as I am about starting! Plus, it makes it a lot more real feeling that I'll actually be there soon :] can't wait! Day 4 tomorrow...

Day 2: Favorite princess

So, this probably is no surprise at all! My favorite Disney princess is most definitely Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Like I said in my last post, out of all the Disney princesses she is the one I can relate to the most. I love that even though she was the oddball in her town, she never changed who she was no matter what. She also loves books, which always made me very happy because I love books too :] Even though I was 13 the first time I went to Disney, I was still all excited to meet Belle! She was even my favorite when I was little and I was her for Halloween when I was younger too :] I'll find a picture of it and put it on here soon. Anyway, there you go! Day 2 of the challenge is complete :]

P.S. Sorry about all the background changes lately. I've been experimenting and trying to find the perfect background, so it will probably change about 50 more times, and then 50 more times after that :]

The 30 Day Challenge: BRING IT ON!

So Jess and Nichele told me that they were going to do this 30 day Disney blog challenge that they got from Haley and that I should check it out, and it looks like so much fun! Plus, it gives me a reason to blog a lot more :D Alright so here is the list:

Day 1: Favorite movie

Day 2: Favorite princess

Day 3: Favorite prince
Day 4: Favorite song

Day 5: Favorite kiss

Day 6: Prettiest princess

Day 7: Favorite castle
Day 8: Saddest moment

Day 9: Favorite couple
Day 10: Best hair
Day 11: Favorite animal sidekick

Day 12: Favorite non-animal sidekick

Day 13: Favorite outfit

Day 14: Favorite villain

Day 15: Favorite romantic moment

Day 16: Favorite singing voice

Day 17: Best eyes

Day 18: Favorite name

Day 19: Favorite soundtrack

Day 20: Funniest moment

Day 21: Favorite quote

Day 22: Bravest princess

Day 23: Favorite dance scene

Day 24: Favorite parent

Day 25: Favorite lyrics

Day 26: Most magical moment

Day 27: Best wardrobe

Day 28: Favorite sequel

Day 29: Favorite overall moment

Day 30: Favorite happy ending

So let's begin!!! I'm so excited :D

Day 1: Favorite movie

This is really tough! I bet I'm going to have a tough time with every single one, but for this one I have two that I just can't pick one over the other. My first one is Beauty and the Beast. This has been my favorite move ever since I was a little girl, and I'm basically obsessed with the story. I've seen the show, I've been to the Disney on Ice Beauty and the Beast (My first Disney on Ice ever!), and I have read so many versions of the story, but the Disney movie will always be my favorite. I love all of the characters, all of the music, and the movie overall is just absolutely gorgeous! Plus, out of all the Disney princesses I've always been able to relate to Belle the most.

And my second favorite movie is definitely Lilo and Stitch. This is one of the cutest movies I have ever seen! I remember that my mom got the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack before the movie even came out, and I loved it! I love the hawaiian music and I love Elvis Presley, so that makes it amazing. I love all the characters in Lilo and Stitch too! My iPod pops up as Cobra Bubbles when I plug it into the computer, and we were very close to naming our cat Stitch (But he was also almost named Jack Bauer like in 24/It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but was then named Horatio after Horatio Caine from CSI:Miami. We didn't realize that lots of people don't watch the show as religiously as us, so we are used to the funny looks we get when we tell them his name. It's also fun when they call his name at the Vet's office.) Plus, the movie makes me laugh all the time! It made me also want to visit Hawaii so badly. Hawaii is at the top of my list of places I desperately need to go to! Plus, I really want to start celebrating sandwich day because of Pudge.

Yay Pudge! Stay tuned for Day 2!!

#9

Now that school is over it feels like the days are going by soooo slowly! It feels like graduation was a million weeks ago, not two weeks ago. My schedule has been very boring. I've just been working, cleaning, and skating these days. To try and make the days go by a little faster so it doesn't feel like they are going by as slow as molasses, I've been making my list of what I'm going to bring down with me, which always makes me excited :] what doesn't make me excited is that it's about three pages long front to back...and it's not even close to being done. You see, I always need to bring everything with me (I get it from my mother, hi Mom ;D) so I always end up overpacking for wherever I go. I know I'll probably be sending tons of stuff home once I get there, but at least I will be well prepared for the first few weeks :] really, I pack like I'm getting ready for the apocalypse. Anyway, I'm really looking for stuff to do so August 20th will get here faster because working at this sandwich place is definitely not cutting it. It's only been about two weeks and if I see another Mayflower (Mayo, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and turkey) I might throw it at the person ordering it, not Disney-like behavior at all, but it's not like I'm making sandwiches at Disney, which I would be always be happy doing because I would be in Disney, I'm making them in boring old Franklin. Alright, enough with my ranting because I bet there will be plenty more to come. I will leave you with this ah-mazing video that always makes me smile and always makes me realize that even though it feels very far, going to Disney is right around the corner :]

Click the links for the best Disney videos ever :]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyZfIlxwsfI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6pTRcVuoRA&feature=PlayList&p=04A032984E17AA99&playnext_from=PL

Wait...WE'RE GRADUATING SUNDAY?!?!

The last month has been so crazy for me! Between skating competitions, my birthday, the school play, and getting ready for graduation, I've been as busy as a bee. This past week was senior week, and who knew that senior week would be so exhausting?! First we went to High Meadows in Connecticut, which is kind of like a campground and they set it up with different activities for us to do, but it was a total bust. It rained on and off all day, our bus broke down on the way there so we had to switch to an already full bus on the Mass Pike (which I have to admit made me a little scared!) and there were so many other schools there that it was too crowded to really do anything. None of us were too happy about that trip, but it did have some fun moments!

Wednesday we had a cookout at school which was pretty fun. The teachers just let us sit outside and eat and then let us out early. That night we had honors night, and I won $100 for a weird test I had to take! This money will probably start my savings for Disney :] or I'll spend it on something useless. Either way, I'll make sure it's something good!

Today we had our Boston Harbor senior cruise which was really fun too :] it was semi-formal so everyone was dressed up and there was really good food and there was a DJ too! It was kind of like our last hurrah as the Tri-County senior class of 2010. Tomorrow is our last day ever at Tri-County and graduation rehearsal and then poof! graduation is on Sunday!!

It still really hasn't hit me yet that we are graduating and not coming back next year. Don't get me wrong, I am a little sad that it's all coming to an end. I'll miss some of the people and teachers, but on the other hand I'm excited to finally be done. Everyone always wonders what their graduation will be like when they're younger. At least I always did at the end of every year I was at Tri-County because they would start setting up the graduation stage the week before graduation. I always wondered what it would be like to walk across the stage. Now that I'm really close to doing "the walk", it's....I don't even know how to explain it!! It just makes me even more excited about Disney and how it's almost here!! I think it'll really start to hit me when I cross that stage, and maybe that's when I'll get a littly teary-eyed, but it will also be a relief, and I can now put all of my attention towards getting ready for Disney!! Cue the stereotypical graduation jams...now!

Your feet can learn the steps, but only your heart can skate them.

I wrote a personal narrative in my english class this year about college and it started like this;

"I have spent at least 8,268 hours of my life in a skating rink."

Actually, this is a lie. Over the past 12 years, I have spent way more time in skating rink than this. I did the bare minimum numbers for this math. And the crazy thing is, I'm really going to miss it.

I started skating after my failed attempt at gymnastics. I actually hated skating at first too, but it wasn't because of the actual skating. I hated the dumb helmet I had to wear. It was this huge, ugly, black hockey helmet that would pinch me when I put it on. Ew. Just thinking about it makes me cringe. In my first skating show I was actually in a Pocahontas group program! This blog is slowly turning into six degrees of separationg the Disney version...Anyway, I loved skating from the first time I got on the ice. I remember staying up for hours the day before my next skating lesson wondering what I would learn next. I loved the dresses, I loved getting my makeup and hair done, I loved my programs, I just loved everything about the sport.

I do both solo and synchro skating. Synchronized skating is team skating...I always describe it to people that don't know what it is by saying, "It's like synchronized swimming on ice, but it's way better". I've been doing synchro since I was about seven. I've been on so many different teams. One year I was actually on three different teams at the same time...which was interesting.

Skating has led to many great things for me. Not only is it fun, but I have made so many good friends that I would've never met if it wasn't for skating. This is probably what I'm going to miss the most about it. I'm going to miss all the girls I skate with, my coach, all the little kids I have helped coach, and everyone on the other teams. It's crazy, but I'm also going to miss my early morning practices that feel like you're waking up at the crack of dawn. Probably one of the worst and best feelings is being so exhausted and getting on that ice bright and early to work. I'm probably not going to miss the bumps and bruises that I'm always showing off, but I'm pretty sure I've hit those same spots so many times that I will permanently have purple bruises on my legs.

There were many times that I almost thought of quitting skating, especially when my grandmother died. She was my biggest fan, and that April when we found out she had lung cancer to that January when she passed away was the hardest time of my life. She would always be at my skating competition down the Cape, and at that competition I lost it. We had found out the week before my competition what her diagnosis was and literally, I was in my warm up bawling my eyes out because I just wanted to do the best program I had ever done for her. When she died in January, I had to leave for my competition in Lake Placid a day after her funeral. There was one moment where I just wanted to give up and not go. I was an emotional wreck for 10 months, so I wasn't ready for this really important competition. But, I knew that she would've slapped me over the head. She knew how important skating was to me, and she would've never wanted me to stop because of her. So that day when I competed I knew that she was in the stands of the 1980 olympic rink cheering me on, and I know that at every competition she is there cheering me on.

Didn't mean to get all sentimental folks :) well in conclusion, I know that I will always have a special place in my heart for skating. It's never been that nice to me, if you think about how many bumps and bruises and injuries it's given me. But I know that when I'm thirty and my knees are already giving out because of so much skating, I will still love it. It will always be apart of my life, no matter where my life takes me. I'll always remember the feeling of getting on that ice. And when I get to Orlando, I'm finding the closest rink and going skating.

"Do you remember why you skate, or has it been too long? Is it because you’ve worked so hard to get where you are, or because you love to be part of this team? Is it because you don’t want to let anyone down, including yourself? Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become, the hours of practice, the teammates who believed in you, and the fans who cheered for you, is the little girl who put on her first pair of skates—who fell in love with the sport, and never looked back.

Skate for her."

Number one!! :D

My number one favorite ride at Disney World is....drumroll please!!!.....

EXPEDITION EVEREST AT ANIMAL KINGDOM!

I could go on Everest all day, everyday. In my opinion, it is the best roller coaster in Disney World. I had the chance to go on it our first trip, but I was stupid and stayed to sleep at the hotel instead of getting up and going to the park with my family, but I think I've made up for that by going on as many times as I can when I'm there. I love going up and up and up at the beginning, it's my favorite part. I wave at all the people down below, and I usually get some waves back. My mom absolutely hates this part of the ride and refuses to wave. I got the chance to be in the first row one time, and when you get to the broken tracks you can see Tower of Terror and Epcot from the top!! Coolest thing ever. Funny story though; I didn't see the yeti until like my 50th time on the ride. Let me explain; I knew there was supposed to be a huge yeti at the end of the ride, but it's more...up. I always look straight ahead on roller coasters, plus there are strobe lights and I paid more attention to those than the yeti, PLUS my dad had never seen it either...PLUS I like the cute and cuddly looking yeti (my mom and I own these):

Not this scary looking furball:

See? Wouldn't you rather a cuddly, loveable yeti? Yeah, me too! I still choose not to look at the yeti when I'm on the ride, I'll take cute and cuddly please :] after this ride, I became obsessed with Mt. Everest, I find it so interesting! Anyway, there it is, my top 10 rides of Disney World!! I'm going to think of another list that I can do...suggestions are welcome :]

My 10 Favorite Rides at Disney World Part 3!

4. Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom: I didn't go on this ride until my 2nd trip to Disney, but it became one of my favorites right away. I love Walt Disney's idea of how an American family was and what he thought it would turn out to be. The last time we were at Disney I made my family go on with me twice. It just always makes me really happy. Plus, I'm super jealous of their house. I want it! Plus, the song gets stuck in my head all the time but that's totally okay with me :]

3. Big Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom: I can go on this ride 50 times and not get sick of it! In fact, I try to go on this ride about 50 times when I go to Disney :D it's such a classic ride and it is always so much fun. It's perfect for people who don't love the bigger rollercoasters that much either. Once when we went on something happened and it went really really slow the whole entire time...it was really weird and I've always wondered what went wrong that made it go so slow! Every single time we get off this ride everyone asks eachother, "Can we go on again?!" Believe me, it is very rare when all of us agree on something so easily, and when it does happen, it's great :]

2. Philharmagic at Magic Kingdom: Best.3D Movie.Ever. No, 3D movie doesn't even give Philarharmagic justice. It's like you are really at a show with all of the characters. The first time I saw it, I literally had to pick my jaw off the floor. I didn't expect how amazing it was going to be! I love how many characters are incorporated, how it smells (we actually have a spray that smells exactly like the pie in Philharmagic from Bath and Body Works! It's my favorite!) It's also so cute when you see all the little kids reaching out for everything, and I've totally done it too just like a little kid :] we always try to see it as many times as we can. When we go during the summer after we've been out in the sun all day, someone always says, "Let's go to Philharmagic!" Just know that if you ever go to Magic Kingdom with me, you'll be going to this at least twice :]

Next is numero uno!!

My 10 Favorite Rides at Disney World part 2!

Numbers 7-5!!

7. The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios: This is the ride that made me want to work at Disney in attractions. I think it's because there is so much interaction between the cast members and the people on the ride...or it could be because the first time I went on the person that played Mugsy was extremely good looking. I am always devastated when we get the cowboy instead. The cowboy will never be as good as Mugsy. Ever.

6. Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom: Okay, I have a confession. I did something very un-disney when I went on this ride for the first time. But, a little background first. I hate drops. I can do loops on roller coasters, I can do cork screws on roller coasters. I hate drops with a passion. So, Splash Mountain was never something I considered going on. I only went on because the rest of my family was going and I didn't want to be by myself. Plus, I had some weird confidence that I could go on...until I got on. It doesn't help that there's about a year of animatronics before the drop even happens. I was so mad and so nervous, that I looked at brer rabbit and brer bear and fox and said, "I hate you."...these characters show up about 15 times during the ride, and every single time I would look at them and I would say, "I hate you." However, the ride isn't that bad...it's still pretty scary to me...but it's not that bad. Plus, my mom always gets soaked which is very funny!Not to her though...none of us get wet except her every single time. And, I usually sit next to my Dad, and in every single picture on Splash Mountain he is cowering behind me...he swears he's not but the proof is right up on that screen after we get off the ride. AND I DO NOT HATE BRER RABBIT OR BEAR OR FOX! I was just overcome with the jitters that I said some things I didn't mean. In fact, I have a brer rabbit stuffed animal :]

I don't hate you guys. Promise :]

5. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin/ Toy Story Midway Mania at Magic Kingdom & Hollywood Studios: It's a tie! These are both equally great. I love these ones because my family and I are super competitive when it comes to these games. Here's how it works for us;

- My mom & my brother sit together; My dad and I sit together.

- No sabotage. It's rude.

-If you don't get a picture of your score on your phone or your camera, the score never existed.

We get so competitive in fact, that we go on both of these rides more than once. My mom usually beats all of us, which is pretty impressive considering she is the only one that has glasses and is pretty blind without them. One time my gun glitched on Buzz Lightyear though, and I automatically got a 99999999 times a million, so I sat through the whole ride. It was great.

To infinity and beyond...until next time :D