Update on Life

I suck at blogging here lately. >.<

Anyway, I finally heard back about the PI I applied for, and........I didn't get it. :( Oh well. At least I still have my extension, so I can stay here a little bit longer. :) That's definitely an upside.

Speaking of staying here, I go next Tuesday to find out my new housing placement. I know I'm going to be living with one of my co-workers (Kim) who is also extending. We've gotten pretty close during this program, so I'm excited that we'll be living together come January 4 (move-out/move-in date). We don't know who else we're going to be living with. I guess we'll find that out next week. :)

So, I know that my blog has been mostly about the positive experiences I've had while I've been down here. And for the most part, this has been a very positive experience for me. However, there are times when it gets hard being here and away from my family. Like the holidays. I have a pretty big family, and I'm used to spending Thanksgiving and Christmas around them. And I love being around them. So, it does suck that this year, I missed Thanksgiving, and I'm going to miss Christmas. And it makes it hard because I haven't really had a chance to incorporate some of my families traditions down here. However, my parents are coming back to visit me over Christmas weekend, so that will definitely help because I'll be around them on Christmas morning. And I'm also planning to Skype with my brother and his family that morning as we open our gifts. :) It's not going to be the same as actually being around my nieces and nephew when they open their presents, but it will definitely help. :)

And the program does a lot to make sure that we have a good holiday season down here, too. They know that we're all away from our families, so they try to make up for that. They had a Thanksgiving feast for us the week before Thanksgiving, and on December 20, they're putting on a special edition of Grocery Bingo. Which reminds me, go to at least one Grocery Bingo game while you're here. They are so much fun, and if you win, you get a ton of stuff. They definitely treat us well here. :)

Plus, Disney has some amazing holiday traditions to experience and be a part of. The Magic Kingdom has Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party on select nights in November and December. That's probably one of my favorite traditions. I've been to the party 3 times in the past 10 years, and it always amazes me. :) Epcot has Holidays Around the World, which is my favorite thing to do. You get to walk around World Showcase and learn about the holiday traditions in the different countries. It's so cool! :) Hollywood Studios has the Osbourne Spectacle of Lights, which is amazing. I need to get over to the Studios to see those this year. And Animal Kingdom has Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade, which I need to go see as well.

So, even though I'm away from my family this year, there is a lot to do to still get in the holiday spirit. Although, I'm not exactly used to wearing shorts in December, which I was doing up until Wednesday night. Then we actually got a cold front, which meant I could finally wear jeans and a jacket outside. But we're apparently going to be warming back up here today. Our high for the day is 78 degrees. It never stays cold long here in Orlando. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about that. :p

Well, time to get ready for work! Have a magical day!

Reasons Why I Love Disney [[Day 34]]

**3 days! 3 DAYS!!!!**

Source: Simple Disney Things

I love Kilimanjaro Safaris. In my opinion, this is the best ride in Animal Kingdom. You get to ride in this cool vehicle and see all these animals that you would see if you really went on a safari in Africa. And the coolest part? The animals are real, and yes, they will walk up to your vehicle. In fact, I got to see a rhino up close and personal back in April when it wandered up to the part of the truck I was sitting on.

Yeah....no zoom needed.

Reasons Why I Love Disney [[Day 27]]

**10 days until check-in!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!**

Source: Simple Disney Things

The little scenarios you see in Camp Minnie-Mickey at Animal Kingdom are adorable! They have quite a few of them there that include the Original 4. :) Plus, they have one where Donald is taking his nephews camping. So cute!

And for those of you who don't know, Camp Minnie-Mickey is the place in Animal Kingdom where you can go and meet a lot of the characters, including some you don't see too often. Back in April, we saw Thumper and his girlfriend. We didn't get to meet them because the lines were way too long. And, we were on our way to see "Festival of the Lion King", which is also in Camp Minnie-Mickey. But that's another post. :p

Reasons Why I Love Disney [[Day 19]]

Source: Simple Disney Things

Mornings at AK are the best. Mornings are the best time to visit, especially if you want to ride Kilimanjaro Safaris. Also, for some reason, AK gets hotter than any other park, so mornings are great because it's still cool out.

And then, there's always the character breakfast at Tusker House. :)

Goofy gave me a huge hug at Tusker House! :)

Day 6!

*13 weeks until I'm at Disney!!!!*

Day 6: A picture of something you've never ridden/seen at the parks.

As many times as I've been to Disney, I have yet to ride Rock'n Roller Coaster or Expedition Everest. I know Everest is the newer ride, but I've been to Disney TWICE since it opened. >.< However, I will be riding these two rides at some point during my program. :)