I worked at Walt Disney World & this is what happened

Have you ever gone to Disney World and wondered how the magic happens? Well I got to experience the magic and the mystery behind it at the same time. See I went to Disney World the first time when I was a freshmen in college after being accepted in their internship program. And you can say it was an interesting experience. How, you say? Well, let's start with the three strange, challenging and difficult parts.

1. The difference between the magical place and backstage. Hmm... how do I word this without Disney being on my back? Okay... let's say the place you all know looks like this, right?

Well, the backstage area was like...

Okay it's not that bad but there's a drastic difference with the environment, the people and even the energy. It's pretty cool though cause it means Mickey got some edge. I remember seeing Mickey backstage like ...

He's lovable either way! 😉 But seriously, it's hard in the D... isney.

2. The costume, the music and the themes. Imagine being in an old style dress, hearing country music all day and working in a barn-like place everyday. Okay that may be a dream for some of you but for this Philly R&B loving chick right here, it was like pulling teeth. However, I had to smile my way through it. I learned a lot about hiding my discontent which works well in retail and in life so yay? 😄

3. The twilight zone was nothing compared to my day to day. When I worked at Disney, Magic Kingdom to be exact, I started to hear the theme music of the Twilight Zone in my head. I sometimes felt like I was in another Universe. I mean the families started to all look the same, even the Black ones and the kids started to act alike to me. I remember one time, I was working at the restaurant counter where I would make drinks (the kid friendly ones) and I made this huge order of sodas and waters. Two seconds later, I had to dump the whole order because the family decided they wanted no ice after the fact. I was like... 😳 *cue the Twilight Zone  music* Unfortunately, this is just one of many examples where I had that facial expression  internally. Nevertheless, it taught me one major lesson in life - patience, hella patience, especially when I became a sales associate after the internship.

Now, let's end with the three normal, cool and bright parts.

1. Being able to visit Walt Disney World for free and still feeling that magic. You know despite living that backstage life on the regular, I still managed to live in the magic of Disney when I visited during my free time. What can I say? Disney is damn good at creating a special feeling for kids and adults! Although I was working there for months before making my very first official visit to Disney as a guest, I still was super excited to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse. My inner child was just bursting with joy. I was still in awe of the shows I went to and the other characters I met. I'm sure some of them were giving me the side eye because I was there by myself but I didn't care. I was enjoying it wholeheartedly and would recommend anyone - young and old - who hasn't visited to come through to Mickey's streets!

2. Meeting some pretty cool people from all over the world. To be honest, I wish I took more advantage of my opportunity and interacted with more people while there but I was shy and dealing with depression (you'll learn more about that in the next point). However, I still managed to meet some cool people from my Oklahoma girls to my cool chick from Japan. I also met someone who gave me the best advice about getting a tattoo and it stuck with me to this day (and I haven't gotten a tattoo yet thanks to her wisdom...still waiting for the timeless inspiration). And there was also my gay boyfriend who was so flamboyant but really thought he could make his ex jealous with me. lol His hugs were the sweetest though so I didn't mind playing my role. 😊

3. Learning one of the biggest lessons of my life. Honestly, I went to Disney World to escape my depression. Before I realized I had Generalized Anxiety Disorder, I was just a nervous and sad young lady feeling the pressure of figuring out what to do with the rest of my life. Looking back, it's pretty ridiculous to feel that way but hey, it happens to 20 somethings. Also, I just felt like I wasn't growing up at the same rate as everyone else so ironically, I thought taking a huge risk like going to Orlando for an internship at Disney would help shake off this inferior complex and make me feel like an adult but I learned a huge lesson - you can't escape your emotions no matter how far you travel. They only travel with you and eventually, you just have to face them head on so I went back home earlier than planned and did just that. So despite the abrupt ending of my time as an intern at Disney World, I have absolutely no regrets about this experience because I learned one of biggest lessons in my life.

Now I know I am definitely not the only one who can share some stories about working at Walt Disney World. In fact, the popular YouTuber, Swoozie, worked at Disney World while in high school and has hilarious stories because of it. I could definitely relate to some of the craziness. lol Watch a few of his funny stories below.

Have you ever worked at Disney before or do you know someone who did the internship? How was it for you/them? I'd love to read your stories!

3 ideas I'm willing to try to become a better blogger's blogger

Is it weird that I am a blogger and have the hardest time keeping up with my fellow bloggers? It's not that I am not interested either. I'm very much curious about what my fellow bloggers are writing about on the interwebs but for some reason, I am not good at reading a bunch of bloggers on a consistent basis. I do have my faves that I go back to on a somewhat consistent basis but even with them, they see my participation like once or twice a month. The struggle is real y'all. I see some bloggers who have a huge family, 18 kids, a million friends, 5 side hustles, 3 main jobs, a youtube channel, a daily blog, and a pet chicken and still able to read more blogs than me. I'm like... How sway!?

I got a full time job, this blog, a slight addiction to YouTube and Instagram, a huge love for music and food, and a problem sleeping at a decent hour. That's it and I'm struggling. So this year, I am going to try my hardest to improve on this so I am working on some ideas on how to get better. Let me share them with you and you can tell me what you think.

Idea #1: Figure out a way to turn all blog posts into mini audiobooks. I can listen my way through them. Play a little Stevie Wonder and then a little "5 Fashion Styles That'll Get You A Bae in 5 Minutes."

Idea #2: Ask bloggers to study telepathy so they can send their posts via the mind. That way, I can just know about all the bloggers' content on a pure conscious level. It works for me.

Idea #3: Develop smell-a-blog for all blogs. Some may smell like chocolate, others may smell like buttered popcorn and my ultimate favorites will smell like mama's cooking with a different speciality each week like grits on Monday, mac and cheese on Friday and freshly-baked apple pie on Sunday. I would be on those blogs faithfully like the greedy mofo I am.

So that's just the three main ideas I have for right now. I believe one of them will help me, for sure!

Of course, you may have an even better idea, especially my fellow bloggers who are reading this so can you guys please share your ideas and thoughts with me on how you stay on top with reading all the blogs while living a busy lifestyle? I need help! 😅

my sister & a sprig of rosemary: a funny story on the power of synchronicity

Have you ever planned a major meal and browsed through your local grocery store only to find out that a major ingredient is missing? Have you ever felt the heartbreak of such a tragic event when your entire menu seems to crumble into pieces even if you have all the other ingredients for everything else? You simply want to give up your chef’s hat and walk away in defeat but then, something miraculous happens and you know that God is on the look out for the cookout - literally.

Let me tell you the story about my sister and a sprig of rosemary. So this past weekend, my sister planned this elaborate meal for a belated Thanksgiving family celebration. Being the good sister I am, I met up with her the day before to help her prepare for the occasion, including grocery shopping. While going up and down the aisles, we both gathered the necessary items that were on our list with ease until something absolutely horrifying stopped us in our tracks -

There.

was.

no.

rosemary.

via GIPHY

We searched throughout the spice section in hopes to find any brand of rosemary but there was nada, nothing, zilch! I could see the anguish in my sister’s eyes and she told me that the chicken stock would not be the same without this key ingredient. After staring at the sparse section of seasonings, we eventually continued our shopping, a little more empty than we were when we arrived. There was a hole inside of us, especially my sister who was cooking the whole meal, that only that savory rosemary could fill.

To make ourselves feel somewhat better, we decided to put all the groceries away and go out to eat since cooking was out of the question at this point. Also, we love food a little too much. We went to a pretty fancy diner that really felt more like a cozy restaurant; and I immediately went towards the comfort food because the devastation was too much to bare without a warm dinner and a soothing drink. So my sister got her go-to dish - huevos rancheros. She was oddly in the mood for Mexican food. Hey, whatever makes you cope the best. For me, I got meatloaf, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Now, this is when the hand of God was at work. My plate of food came out first and was placed right in front of me. My sister immediately noticed something magnificent at the center of my mashed potatoes -

A

sprig.

of.

rosemary.

via GIPHY

The way her eyes lit up, you would’ve thought she saw Mother Mary. Who knows? Perhaps, she had something to do with this incredible intervention from God. I mean really, what are the odds that a sprig of rosemary would be standing at attention in the middle of my mashed potatoes, like “Hey…you were looking for me”?

My sister quickly realized, more than ever before, the power of synchronicity and how awesome God can be during times of trouble. God can part the seas for a sprig of rosemary. God can put the thought in my head to get meatloaf (which I rarely get) in order to align everything just right for my sad sister. Her frown turned all the way up into a big smile and I turned into the best little sister ever by laughing at her excitement all the way home.

So let this story be a friendly reminder that when you are aligned with your purpose, God, the Universe, the All That Is, the Source will work with you to see it through, even if your purpose at the moment is cooking the best chicken stock that was hardly used.

5 signs you love food a little too much

There are people that love food and then there are people that LUV food to the point when they can't even spell right. The sight, the smell, even just the mention of food makes their whole world stop and they can only focus on that piece of pie, those french fries, that bbq chicken or that cheese plate. It's an attraction that can't be broken because food is so lovely, so kind, so dependable, especially when you have the taste for something and then you are able to appease that craving with pure delight. That's relationship goals for real. Whether you're #teamcarnivore #teamvegetarian or #teamvegan, one thing that can bind all of us is our level of greediness because we are all truly on the next level with our love for food. So if you're scratching your head and wondering whether you're on our level, then I got you!

Here are 5 key signs that you love food a little too much (if there is such a thing):

1. You can binge-watch cooking videos with no problem. Facebook is the devil when it comes to this or perhaps, Facebook is really a sweet angel. It depends on how you view it. Either case, you find yourself clicking on one cooking video that is randomly on your timeline and end up watching a playlist of 55 other recipes. The funny thing is you don't ever cook any of them. You simply are watching marathons of Buzzfeed's Tasty for the pure joy of it. That is some greediness for ya!

2. Your favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I mean the best thing about the holidays is the food... I mean family. 👀  But you know damn well you are more so thinking about that Thanksgiving spread though. It's like you've waited all year for this moment and then thee food gods just open up a plethora of deliciousness! Yeah, you can tell I love that food porn when I start getting Shakespearean about it. Don't judge me.

3. You plan your whole day around food. Every day, your first thoughts are about what you are going to have for breakfast, what you're bringing for lunch and what you'll have for dinner. Oh and let's not forget about the snacks. The rest of life will just have to just work around those golden moments of flavors and fun.

4. You love going out to eat by yourself or with friends. Sometimes, you give no fucks and decide that food is more important than company so you take yourself out to eat because you remember that succulent steak that you couldn't resist so you, the go-getter that you are, will sit at the fanciest restaurant with your best threads for the best date ever - Filet mignon. I mean who needs friends when food is around? Just saying...  And whenever a friend ask you what you want to do, you immediately say "Let's go to that new restaurant. I heard they got some good food there." You really know you got it bad when you are down to go out to eat no matter the time of day because you're game for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dunch and dinner.

5. You have that signature dance move when you are eating something really good. Let me just let Janet take this one for me.

janet, janet jackson eating, love food dance, food, eating, greedy

Looks familiar? Then you, my fellow greedy friend, may love food a little too much just like me. :)

Now it's your turn, tell me how much do love food? Are you part of the greedy committee? Let's talk about it!