You Call It Vacation, I Call It Home

I am now moved into my new apartment with my amazing roommates and I am having the most incredible experience of my life! And it's only been 2 days! This is going to be a fairly long post, but don't worry, there's pictures!

So, here's a little breakdown of how the first few days have gone.





MOVE-IN DAY: At the bright and early hour of 8:30am, I arrived at Carnegie Plaza to begin my Disney journey. After checking in and completing all of the necessary paperwork, I finally got the keys to my apartment and discovered that I got the roommates I had been hoping for! After months of talking with these girls, I couldn't wait to meet them all. When we had all finally arrived, it was like we had known each other forever. There was no awkward "hi, how are you?" just lots of hugging and excitement!

My roommates and I on move-in day!

Now the actual process of moving in was a bit more complicated. With about 200+ people moving in all on the same day (at different times, but still, that's a lot of people), you can imagine that the elevators were a bit overcrowded. Thank goodness I only live on the 2nd floor! I was so worried I had severely over packed but once I saw everyone's piles of boxes and suitcases, I definitely realized that I was not alone in the over packing. Unloading 5 people's girls' stuff into one apartment was chaotic! There was stuff EVERYWHERE! Thankfully by now, everything has found a home in our new place and I must say I kind of love my home away from home.

We have a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. While I may be in the 3 person bedroom (bunk beds included), I also got lucky with the walk-in closet! Thank goodness, because I have no idea where we would have put 3 girls' clothes in this rather small place. Within the next few days I hope to make another post with a picture tour of the apartment.

My family and I in front of DCA

About 8 hours later, my family and I headed to Downtown Disney for a very late lunch/early dinner at ESPN Zone. After eating and shopping around for a few hours, we headed back to my apartment and they went back to my aunt's house about 30 minutes away. That night, my roommates and I headed over House of Blues for the first night out with our fellow CPers and had an amazing time! There was drinking and dancing and lots of picture taking! As we rode the tram into Downtown Disney, the fireworks inside the park started and it's very possible that I may have teared up while watching. It is still hard to believe that this is now my life.

Night out at House of Blues

DAY 2: The first morning our new place we all had the lovely opportunity of waking up early to attend Orientation and find out a little bit more about our program and the cast members who will be helping us along the way. This was short and sweet, which was good because we were all exhausted from moving the day before. After making a trip to Target for a few things and some groceries, I headed back to the apartment, finished unpacking, and took a much needed nap. Naps are going to become my best friend, I can already tell.

Later that evening, we had the DCP Welcome Party out in the courtyard. There was pizza, dancing, a DJ, a photobooth, and some prizes. At the Welcome Party, everyone wears their college gear and it's a fun way to find out if there's other people from your school or hometown.

My roommates and I at the welcome party.

After the welcome party, my roommates and I got dressed up and headed over to Rainforest Cafe for our first (of many) roommate dinners! When we came out of the restaurant, it was once again time for fireworks so of course we had to stop and watch them. Two nights in a row! Dreams really do come true! Anyways, from there we headed over to Trader Sam's Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel and had some drinks with our fellow CPers.

Roommate dinner at Rainforest Cafe

As I sit here and write this, on probably the only morning I will sleep in for the next 5 months, I cannot stop thinking about how truly amazing this experience is. At our orientation yesterday, they told us that out of the 30,000 people who applied to this program, there are only about 260 of us who were accepted into the program at Disneyland Resort! I am so unbelievably excited to start working in the parks and to continue meeting new people.

Tomorrow I have Traditions, which is also my first paid day as a Disneyland Cast Member, and then tomorrow night my roommates and I will be making our first trip (of many, many, many more) together into the parks! And for Paige (my roommate from Georgia), it will be her first visit to Disneyland EVER and I am so excited to experience that with her!

"Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy."

Packing 101

Alrighty folks, the time has finally come for the madness that is packing to begin. This also means that I will be leaving for Southern California in only 5 days. Yes, 5! I really can't even believe it myself!

Now, if you are anything like me, packing is the most awful task known to man. Whether it be for a weekend trip or 5 months of living and working at Disneyland, packing is something I absolutely dread. I own far too many clothes and shoes to decide what I should and shouldn't pack. Because of this issue, I have decided to create a somewhat extensive, but nowhere near complete, packing list to help future DCPers as well as my fellow cast members who have procrastinated as long as I have.

Clothes
-Tops/Blouses (try to bring ones that can be worn for both classes and going out)
-Gym T-shirts (I plan on going to the gym often so I have quite a few of these)
-T-Shirts & Tank Tops (for going to the parks & other activities)
-Long sleeves (probably only 2 or 3, but it does get a little cold at night during the Winter)
-Sports Bras
-Business Pants (neutral colors to follow the "Disney look")
-Jeans
-Yoga Pants or Sweatpants
-Workout Pants
-Shorts (I'm actually bringing a lot since it's Southern California and it will be warm majority of the time we are there)
-Comfy Shorts (Norts/Soffee - for hanging out at the apartment or working out in)
-Pencil Skirt
-Business Dresses
-Casual Dresses & Skirts
-Blazer
-Pea Coat (surprisingly, it does actually get cold in Anaheim)
-Cardigans
-Rain Jacket
-Sweatshirts
-Bathing Suits (Carnegie does not have a pool, but hello, BEACH!)
-Underwear & Bras
-Socks
-Scarves, Gloves, & Beanies
-Hats
-Belts

Shoes (disclaimer: I like shoes. A lot.)
-Flats (for classes and Traditions)
-Heels (nude & black)
-Wedges (cork & solid black)
-Tennis Shoes (Sperrys, Toms, Vans)
-Brown Riding Boots
-Cowboy Boots (there's a country bar in Fullerton with line dancing, just saying')
-Running Shoes
-Sandals
-Flip Flops


Bathroom Necessities
-Shampoo/Conditioner
-Toothbrush/Toothpaste
-Body Wash
-Face Wash
-Razor
-Deodorant
-Perfume
-Lotion
-Flat Iron/Curling Iron
-Hairbrush
-Hair Ties/Clips
-Feminine Products
-Anything else you use to get ready for the day :)

Misc.
-Makeup
-Book Bag or Backpack
-Laptop & Charger
-Speakers/Stereo
-Camera & Charger/Batteries
-Phone Charger
-Blankets
-Pillows
-Sheets & Comforter
-Bed Risers
-TV & DVD Player (talk with your roommates and coordinate who will bring these)
-Pens/Pencils (you will be going to school AND you'll have homework)
-Printer (again, talk with your roommates if you know who they'll be ahead of time)
-Brita Water Pitcher
-White Board
-Bathroom & Kitchen Hand Towels
-Long Mirror
-Lamps (I've heard there isn't a ton of light in the bedrooms)

The kitchens do come with dishes and pots and pans, but I'm also bringing some plates, cups, bowls, George Foreman grill, and a few other glasses and pans that I already own from living away from home for 4 years. If you don't have this stuff, don't go out and buy it until you're moved in and decide you need it.

But then again, there's always this option.

Well there you have it. My DCP packing list! I'm sure there are items that I have left off and will hopefully remember to pack, but I hope this helps anyone who has as many packing issues as I do. Worst case scenario, you over pack and ship a few things back home or you don't pack enough and have to take a few trips to Target and the mall, or the Disney Store. I have a strong feeling that I have packed too much, but hey, I'm a girl and I love clothes!

"So come with me, where dreams are born and time is never planned. Just think of happy things and your heart will fly on wings forever in never never land."