It's that time of year again!

2015 has been a whilwind year for me...from graduating university to moving to florida and back I would definitely rate it in the top 5 years of my life! There have been many tears shed, laughs had, and lessons learned about myself, ministry, and following God through it all.

Let's start with New Years Eve. The end of 2014 and a new, fresh start. Coming off of my last full semester of classes for my degree, I had a really great Christmas break. It was my nephew's first christmas, so we had a lot to celebrate! New Years Eve was spent at a friends playing games and laughing and just having a ridiculous time. Probably the best way I could have spent my night.

I tried to do this month by month, but to be honest, they're all a little fogged in my head. So I'll go by season I guess!

Winter: January/February

Winter semester I started my internship in Springdale. This was one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done, and I remember driving home crying after my first sunday from the overwhelming pressure I put on myself to be someone I wasn't. Over my 4 months I learned a lot of what it takes to be a pastor - and that no one is really cut out for the job. That's where the grace of God comes in and saves the day. I also learned that if you really need to, you can fake it til you make it. Pretend to be a people-person long enough and you might just find yourself liking people a little more than you thought you would. I also learned that working and taking courses at the same time sucks and you have to be a lot more disciplined than I am to make it work.

In January I also had my interview in Toronto for Disney! After feeling so down on myself after the first couple of weeks on my internship I got to take a couple of days off and visit my baby "sister" and visit the Disney offices which was so incredibly cool. My trip started out rough (like a snow storm and potential cancelled flight) and finished up not so nicely (like coming back to a dead battery in my car and snowed in with no shovel), and I was convincing myself it was all a waste of time....but it wasn't! A week later and I had my offer letter for Custodial! January/February was a pretty exciting couple of months.

Spring: March/April 

March and April kind of melt together in my mind, But in April I finished my internship and early May I finally graduated from Tyndale! That's right, you're looking at (reading from?) a BA. Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, that is. I packed my bags and headed home for a couple of weeks. Just long enough.....

Summer: June/July/August

To move to Disney! Summer 2015 was arguably the most incredible summer of my life because I spent it in Florida working at Disney (If you want to read, or re-read, about my adventures check them out here). Endless days at Magic Kingdom, in the florida sunshine (and humidity), with some of the greatest friends I have ever met from all over the world.

I learned to be fearless. I learned about my flaws. I learned how to make magic. I learned the location of every restroom in Magic Kingdom. I met the most magical people - and those were just the cast members. I memorized every second of the Electrical Parade even though it was the worst. I dealt with some disgusting situations and learned that watching wishes with your friends is the cure to a terrible day - and that iHop tastes the best at 3am when you're overtired and laughing with your favorite co-workers.

  I could seriously go on forever. Man, I miss it. It was the perfect summer to end off my university career.

Fall: September/October/November

Okay, I'm going to include this with "Fall", but I really had already gotten my job at Claire's around the end of July after a facetime interview. The day after I had gotten home, still with pixie dust in my eyes, I started working. It took some time to get used to it after not having worked in retail before, but I adjusted and put the skills I learned from traditions and my Disney training to good use. I learned how to pierce ears and adjusted to living with my parents again for an undetermined amount of time. 

It was during the fall that I started to panic a little. Over the past four years I had always had a plan. I knew exactly where I would be an what I would be doing. I would memorize my class schedules, plan out when my papers needed to be started and finished, and counted down the days until the end of the semester. Now I had no plans....this was my life for an undetermined amount of time.....since I graduated from high school I haven't lived in one place for more than 4 months at a time. So being able to settle and commit to things is still a big, scary thing. On top of all of that, I got hit with a big bout of the post-disney-depression. Night and day missing disney and missing having things to do after work. In florida there were literally endless possibilities - I could spend every waking moment doing things and I still wouldn't have been able to do it all - so coming back to my small town was kind of a disappointment. 

But, I'm learning to deal with it. Picking up new hobbies, obsessing over the Hamilton soundtrack, and beginning to pay off my student debt. As always, there are days I am up for anything, and those when I am paralyzed at the thought of the future. Right now I get to teach Sunday School under the leaders who raised me up in God, and to lead kids in Worship every sunday in KidsZone, which is my happy place. 

So there's a quick glimpse into my 2015. What will 2016 look like? I have absolutely no idea. If you have any ideas or know what I'm supposed to be doing, please let me know ASAP. Do you have any exciting plans or resolutions for 2016? Let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear from y'all!

love + pixie dust,

sarah

love + pixie dust (one last time),

sarah

I recently saw a post about what they "don't" tell you about the Disney College Program.

But what don't they tell you about being an INTERNATIONAL college programmer?

They don't tell you that America is weird. I know what you're thinking, "Canada isn't that much different...you barely count as an international person". Wrong, my friends. America is both wonderful and terrifying. It is a land of endless mcdonald's sweet and sour sauce and super cheap groceries. I mean, I've watched enough american television (that's basically all we have in Canada, right?) but I just assumed that TV was full of stereotypes. I, apparently, was wrong.

They don't tell you how much you'll love your coworkers - until the inevitable day comes when your visa says you have to go home and they all get to stay. The last two weeks are spent crying with your other international friend who have to leave and saying goodbye to your American friends who get to stay another 6 months AND can extend after that. These weeks consist of trying to convince them to marry you so you can stay in the US longer, and - if that doesn't work - plotting ways to steal their identity so you can complete the rest of their program for them. 

They don't tell you how much it sucks that some of your favorite people literally live on the opposite side of the globe and "see ya real soon"s quickly turn into "oh my gosh i may never see you again in my entire life" which quickly turns you into a puddle of tears because crap these are my people.

They don't tell you that despite cultural, language, and personality differences, you will bond with the most unlikely people - and they will become your best friends. Whether it's because of a disgusting unfortunate incident in a restroom, a difficult guest, or those late night iHop/Steak n' Shake/Mcdonalds trips after closing out Magic Kingdom, you're going to get close. These friends will see you at your worst - in all of your disney costumed glory, after working a twelve hour shift, into the wee hours of the morning. They see it all. Also - they probably won't recognize you when you're in real clothes and without a nametag for the first time. 

They don't tell you how attached you can become to a "nighttime fireworks spectacular" - especially when you get to watch it every night.

Most of all, they don't tell you how the magic changes. I always joked that ICPs are only at disney for three months - not long enough to become jaded or frustrated - and we get to leave while we're still in the "honeymoon" phase. But, as a cast member, (i think at least) you get to see what makes the parks tick. You get to see through the pixie dust to see how things work and appreciate the people who make the magic. 

Thousands of people come together every day to make the magic. And for a short amount of time, you get to be a part of that. Sure, I know some who are just there to make pay, but I also know countless cast members, coordinators, and leaders whose top priority is to make magic in any and all ways possible. These people make it their prerogative to help even more people leave their cares and worries behind, creating magical moments of guest interaction.

And, to me, thats the real magic. People coming together to make the dream of one man a reality. 

And as I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport, waiting to board my (delayed) flight, dressed in my magic kingdom shirt and my MonstersU hat, writing out my thoughts in my minnie mouse journal, and listening to the Wishes soundtrack, this is the magic i miss the most. 

That's what they don't tell you about the ICP. The magic isn't made just by a mouse named Mickey - the real "magic" of disney is it's people.

"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." - Walt Disney

love + pixie dust.

sarah

Here it is...our last week. How insane is that? It feels like a combination of we've been here forever and have our established schedules and habits, yet it feels like we just got here and have done nothing!

One thing that we as roommates (aka the RCKLSS CRU as meagan dubbed us early on in our friendship) decided was to head to Tampa for a weekend away. Well, we FINALLY got to do it! We all managed to get the same two days off, packed our bags, and hit the road!

(and by that i mean they picked me up after my shift ended at 12:30am and got free pizza at 7-Eleven, and arrived at 3 in the morning)

We had a great couple of days with Cora's mom eating and soaking up the ocean.

I am honestly the most thankful for these girls - I've heard so many horror stories about roommates on the Disney College Program, and it's been almost three months and we don't hate each other (most of the time)

We spent the day at the beach, and went to get ice cream! This place totally reminded me of somewhere my parents would take me as a kid on our summer camping trips...they would have loved it!

We also went to this totally adorable french cafe for lunch - Cafe Soleil - and it was incredible! I had a marcel sandwhich and an iced latte. The Marcel was chicken, grilled zucchini, and fresh mayo and it came with a little side salad. Soooo good.