Floridian Life

Hello all!
Sorry about the long delay for an update on my life. I am still alive and breathing (: 
The past month of Floridian life has brought challenges as well as great moments. I shall do my very best to describe to you what has been going on in my neck of the woods.
(Brace yourself, this is going to be a long one)

For starters, until about a week ago I was going through what I would like to call a one-month-slump. Some of what this slump consisted of was me missing home, missing family, greatly missing my friends and their fellowship. Florida does have its perks, but beginning afresh without knowing anyone, is always difficult. In my previous post I explained that I have been doing a lot of self discovery. One of the most recent things that I have learned is that it is okay to miss home. However, I also must learn to embrace where I am in the here and now. This can be a difficult task because I enjoy reminiscing about the past and dreaming about the future. Finding peace in life is something that I constantly lift up in prayer. C.S. Lewis says it perfectly, "God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." As soon as I let go of my need to be in control of my life, the slump that I was experiencing disappeared.
Ever since I came out of my one-month-slump, life has been brighter. Last week I was pleasantly surprised to receive an invite to hangout with a group of believers. It was all very surreal for me. I had a difficult time wrapping my mind around the fact that the girl who invited me had only met me once and yet knew I was a Christian. It may sound odd to some of you, but for me to be able to freely speak about Christ and the challenges I have been experiencing was wonderful! There is something incredibly powerful about the body of Christ and the familiarity we have with each other because are focus is on something greater than ourselves. This group of believers that I am now in contact with meets a few times a week. I am hoping that, when time permits, I will be able to attend them (: 
An interesting thing that I realized about the timing of this in my life is that it came after I had released the power struggle that I had on my life, up to God. Though I would have liked to know a group of Christians lived so close to me a month ago, God's timing is perfect; and I must rest in that. 

Being a Cast Member under Disney has been great! It is the one part about being in Florida that has continuously been enjoyable. The only thing that I wish I could add to my work life is more hours and busier shifts. Right now is the slow season at Walt Disney World and especially in Animal Kingdom. Working in merchandise has been a good place for me and also an overwhelming one. The past few years I have been working on figuring out what I want to do with my life professionally. I would like to work for Disney, and until I got to Florida I thought I had a a basic idea of what job I wanted. However, since being here my mind has been blown with the reality that I can do anything with the Disney company. This realization is another thing that caused my one-month-slump. I like to know what I am doing with my life. When I started working, my supposed interests began to change shape. Even in this minor set-back, I have seen God work. All of my managers have been extremely helpful! They are more than willing to answer questions and to work with me to network with people in fields I am interested in across property. Slowly, but surly, I am beginning to sift through what I would like to do professionally and it feels fabulous! 

In closing, I think that photos are one of the best ways to share experiences with others. Below are some photos of my recent adventures. Hope you enjoy (: 
And until next time have a magical rest of your day!

Here is the long awaited photo of the costume I wear to work. I give you all permission to laugh, it's okay (:

The Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom

Pocahontas

Having fun in Down Town Disney

Celebrating Octoberfest with German Mickey

The Walt Disney World Wedding Pavilion

The view from the Wedding Pavilion. It is difficult to see in this picture, but the castle is in the background

Cinderella' Castle

With my friend Morgan on her 21st Birthday

The Tremaine family

With Merida

Marie from The Aristocats

Picture with the boss (:

Morgan's Birthday dinner at Down Town Disney

Self Discovery

First off, wow, can you believe that the month of September has already begun?!
In about a week, I will have been in Orlando for one month. Working for Disney has been great. The company is constantly looking for the best and most efficient way to accommodate their guests and to satisfy their cast members. I am beginning to feel very comfortable in the role I have been placed. Now the challenge is to continually find joy in what I am doing. Already there have been days when I have woken up tired and not felt like going into work. The first time I had this feeling I remember that I instantly thought, "oh great, this can't be happening already." Funny thing is that I honestly did not think I would ever have that mindset, or at least not this early in the game. It has been moments like this that began the ball rolling for me to start observing, learning, and self discovering once again. 
Let me re-phrase that last sentence, I have now begun an intensified time of observing, learning, and self discovering. Truth is that I never stop doing these three things. The intense part comes in whenever I spend time away from my home, or in other words, my comfort zone. After experiencing the move to Pennsylvania for college, I thought I had gotten used to being out of my comfort zone, however I have found that to be false. Living in Florida has brought with it a new group of challenges and discoveries. For one, I have decided that the use of colorful language is very unflattering. Not that I ever thought the opposite, but now that I am constantly surrounded by it, the decision is 100% set in stone. Our society has turned most words that were originally set aside to offend or get the attention of someone else, into acceptable vocabulary. As a result of this, people have become immune to what is actually being said. Even I am having to be extra attentive to not only what I say, but also the words I think. I find the use of colorful language very unattractive. The self discovery part comes in because I have decided I am to set the example. 
A second thing that I have observed is that a smile completely changes the appearance of an individual. A smile acts like magic in the sense that even the most unfriendly looking person, with a smile on their face, looks the most approachable and happy. I learned this while working in Animal Kingdom. Every time I say hello to the guests most all of them instantly became the happiest looking people. Since I have learned this, even on those days that I am most tired, I do my very best to bring smiles to everyone in the park. True, this may be part of my job description, but it also helps me as well. Not sure about you, but I have a difficult time smiling if I am not happy. Therefore, every morning I have to find something to be happy about. As a result of this, my days are much for enjoyable.

There is a larger life lesson in what I just wrote about. As a young Christian woman, I should daily find joy in life because my life is not my own but Christ's. However, like pretty much everyone, I tend to take life for granted. I forget what a blessing it is to be able to wake up in the morning and breath on my own. Having to be a happy person at work has challenged me to be purposeful in finding things to be thankful for. Even in my lonely moments, and I have a lot of those moments, I am learning to find joy in them. Being a Christian in the environment I am living in, is not simple. The longer I am here the more I am coming face to face with the differences between the choices I make and the ones that the general crowd makes. I am having to decided how I want others to view me and that is a difficult thing the do. It is next to impossible to fit in with every type of people group. I have pretty much always been comfortable in my own skin, but going through this is causing me to become even more solid in who I am. A song that goes through my head often is "Your Heart" by Chris Tomlin, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aWEhNqnjuY. There are many songs that I find encouraging, but this one is close to the top of my list.

Thank you very much to all those who have been praying for me! I greatly appreciate it. There has been a lot going through my brain since I have been here, so the above is just touching the surface.
Until next time,
Have a Magical evening ~