Week long Update!

After Food Core Cafe Chelsea, Tamara, Linsey and I went to Magic Kingdom!

On our way to the monorail!

Chelsea and Tamara were stoked on the tiaras. 

Rode Splash Mountain!

Last two rows...I was pretending to sleep...sooo funny. I know. 

We decided this is quite possibly the cutest way to draw flowers ever.

The next day (Thursday) was my first day in the restaurant! It was nerve racking, but I got bombarded by familiar faces (especially in the kitchen) and it was nice to see so many people remembered me! Kind of overwhelming actually.  I feel a bit of pressure to remember everything and preform exceptionally well.  I'm trying to work hard and learn my menu well.  Things were a little different with the restaurant turning signature.

Like lapping napkins.  I can't lie. Laying a napkin on a middle aged man's lap is awkward.  Yup.

It's good though, we spiel paintings by The Group of 7 on our way down into the restaurant and then get to practise spieling desserts as we have a table with them displayed now.  Then we go to the table and let the guests know a fact about the province they're sitting in, and lap their napkins (read: awkward)

With training there are 4 positions inside (well kind of only 3) and then 3 positions outside.  I started my training inside the restaurant.  My first day was PM seating, then Stocker training then I had two days off!

The responsibility of the stocker is to make sure there is bread and cutlery all the time for the servers and to bus tables and help out where ever you can.  As well as stock the side plates and wine glasses in the side stations, rotate the white wine and stock the red wines.  It sounds pretty simple and most people thing it's the easiest shift but I feel like I'm running around the whole shift bussing and setting tables, doing bread, running cutlery, or doing something.  Maybe I just need practise lol. Last time I was here it was a shift everyone dreaded because you had to work hard (there's the laziness of my friends haha) where as now people are totally relaxed about it. Differences :)
Speaking of my days off...
I went to Epcot with my friend Meaghan, her roommates (from Mexican and Norway..soooo awesome!) as well as Laura and her boyfriend Troy who were visiting from Canada (Laura was on my last contract!).  It was super fun! We walked onto the Mexican Boat Ride (my favourite!) and listened to these guys...

The picture is a bit blurry but they mariachi band is SO good!

We also walked onto the Norway boat ride which was sweet! We did Soarin and test track as well! We had lunch at Le Cellier for the first time since coming down and it was of course really good! I had a mixed greens salad, gnocchi and a creme brulee although I could only eat about half of each course. So much food!!

After the rides I went to Hollywood Studios to meet Linsey for her birthday!! We had dinner at the Brown Derby (appies and dessert! So much food today!) but it was really nice and yummy!

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee with a Dark Chocolate Dipped Biscotti

Bumbleberry Cobbler

Can you guess which of these desserts is mine? haha. I LOVE creme brulee. After dinner we watched Fantasmic which is Linsey's favourite show and we had great seats right up front in the middle. It's such an emotional little show! Really gets you! haha. It was such a great day! So jam packed with awesomeness!

I had Sunday off as well and after doing some chores around the house (laundry mainly) I ventured to this place:

Everest!

Animal Kingdom!!!! I LOVE Animal Kingdom.  It doesn't have as many thrilling rides etc as the other parks but it's so gorgeous and peaceful.  I went and studied my menu for a bit at a table surrounded by trees and water (trying to create a homelike environment in Central Florida haha) and then decided to hop on the Safari for a quick spin.
So glad I did!

Black Rhino bum!

Black Rhino taking a mud bath!

Hungry Hungry Hippos!

I can never remember their names..but their horns are filled with honeycomb
and actually not super heavy. They help them cool off somehow I think...

Giraffes going in for dinner!

Cool twisty horns!

I LOVE elephants!!!!!

I even MORE LOVE baby Elephants! (Good english there eh?)

This little guy was on the road and made us stop safari!

White Rhino! 

After Animal Kingdom closed I bussed to Magic Kingdom to do something I only do alone...

Grand Floridian Stop Over! Big band playing over the lobby

Huge chandelier! So gorgeous!

.....Watch the Hall of Presidents.  It is slightly embarassing enjoying this show so much when I am not American.
Here is why I love this show:
-The audio animatronics are incredible.  Abe Lincoln actually stands up, talks, gestures with this speech and sits back down.  All the presidents are introduced and nod, and then as they are being introduced all the other presidents turn to look at them, look as though they're making comments to one another, it's crazy impressive.
-Barack Obama.  He gives a speak at the end that is all about hope, coming together and truly being a group of people working together for the betterment of all the people, not just the rich and privileged.
-The Overall Message.  Yes this show is about American Pride.  However it's also about the roots of the creation of a government. The leaders who are showcased such as George Washington, Abe Lincoln and Barack Obama all speak messages of being one of the people, of working together for everyone, of being equal, tolerant and hopeful. I cannot stand the American Adventure show at Epcot, will never go in it again, and want to gag the whole time, as its a false glorified version of their history that focusses on their greatness and power and ignores their faults.  I would watch the Hall of Presidents continuously for 5 days straight instead of watching the American Adventure show once. Now that that rant is over...
So yes, I went to Magic Kingdom just to watch the Hall of Presidents. It shows the bad with the good as how you deal with things is how you form a real nation. Plus B-Obama is just generally awesome.

Castle Shot!

A Custodian Cast Member made this Goofy with rain water!!! SOOOO impressive and cool!
I'd heard they did this but had never gotten to see one :) Yay! Magical Moment!

Leaving Magic Kingdom I wanted to try and find something for another birthday coming up and headed to Epcot!

Must do Spaceship Earth Shot

Chelsea likes Hello Kitty so I was trying to find something for her at the department store in the Japan Pavilion.  I didn't like anything really so just gave her my original idea instead...which you'll hear about in December...yup, a ways off! haha

Epcot sunset!

I was craving a pretzel since I arrived (I have a gross love for pretzels in any form) and thought Germany would be the perfect place to get one.   Unfortunately it was super dry and not very yummy.  I'm willing to try one more sometime, but not soon.  Instead I got what is kind of a snow cone from Japan instead. And it was SO GOOD! It's called Kaki-Gori and you get to pick the flavour (I got rainbow) and it's fruity juice but didn't taste like normal topping syrup. It was less sugary and just yummy! And the ice didn't clump into a big chuck which made it perfect!

I made my way home after this and went out with Chelsea to celebrate her birthday at TGIFridays! We just had a chill meal and chat. It was fun :P)

Monday I was trained on AM seater.  It's a lot like dinner seating however you don't lap napkins and we have a different table setting and different desserts. That night I went to Canadian Girls which went out to a bar called Sun on the Beach.  It was fun, there was lots of dancing and Backstreet Boys.... haha.

Tuesday was my last training shift in the restaurant and I was trained on Greeter.  Much like it sounds you greet people into the restaurant.  It's a pretty chill position and besides the fact that you're standing in 90 degree weather in polyester black pants and a long sleeved totally buttoned shirt it's fun.  The part that sucks is telling guests continuously that we are full! They look so disappointed and it feels like I've crushed their hopes and dreams...continuously all night! Sometimes they got upset at you as well, saying that they paid a ton to be there, that their kids are so tired and starving etc... makes you feel bad but there isn't anything you can do as the greeter.  No decisions are made by us.  Most people are super nice about it and understanding though so that's good. And the few times we can take walk ins makes you feel so good!

After my Greeter shift, I had to have 4 shifts proving I could do the 4 positions I've been trained on.  I have done my prove it greeter, PM seater and stocker shifts and tomorrow I have my prove it AM seater shift.  Then Tuesday I'll start training outside on the popcorn cart!

Yesterday and today were my days off this week! Yesterday was one of the most fun days yet!

Gabrielle & Camille!

We started bright and early with Wine Class at 9am with Janice.  She taught us quite a lot about tasting profiles on our popular wines and we got to do a tasting! Then we ate lunch at Le Cellier (I know, no more meals out until I spiel!) which was delicious and so fun! They marked that it was an anniversay so JS said he was having one with himself, which landed him an Anniversary celebration plate and both of us some champagne! At lunch with was JS, Camille, Gabrielle, Kyle, Tamara and I! Wade served us in the very middle of the restaurant, good times! So much laughing.

Happy Anniversary!!

Anniversary Champagne

After lunch we headed to Typhoon Lagoon!!!! So much fun! Tamara, Linsey and I headed over and had a blast on the raft water slides and in the wave pool.  It took us about two hours on the bus though because we took a really bad route! haha. After Typhoon Lagoon we met up with Chelsea at the Beach Club for ice cream at Beaches and Cream. I don't know what happened but I started feeling SO sick as soon as we went in and watching the guy make the sundaes made me sick! I definitely didn't have one, although Tamara and Linsey did, Chelsea and I shared onion rings which made me feel better. I think it was because I ate my left over lunch after it had been sitting in the sun for a few hours....whooops!

After Beaches and Cream we made our way over to Downtown Disney where Gabrielle joined us (after sitting at the bus stop for an hour poor girl!) and we had Earl of Sandwich.

Earl of Sandwich is the greatest sandwich known to man.

It's so good.

If you haven't had Earl of Sandwich stop reading, google your closest Earl and go there immediately.

It's that good!
hehehe

I couldn't finish so got to have some left overs today (well refrigerated, don't worry!) We got home and headed to Gabrielle's to hang out for a while before coming home and hanging out at Meaghan's.

Long day but soooo much fun!!! Today I'm taking it easy a bit as I have some chores to do and a big exciting surprise that I can't tell until tomorrow!!!!

Sorry for such a long post!! Hope you're fully caught up and I didn't over share! haha And if Vanessa ever reads this...HI!!! ;)