No Pictures

This week has been crazy filled with work. Instead of getting up really early in the morning, I've been arriving to work around 9ish and finishing around 7pm. As school lets out and Star Wars Weekends continues, it seems as though my workload every week increases just a little bit. Don't misunderstand me, I am glad for more work, but I am really to get out and do something fun. Star Wars characters are everywhere, and they are so neat to take pictures of! Sometime tomorrow, I am going to sneak out of work and get a few shots of their amazing costumes. Some of them are really scary, and I can only imagine how cool it was to make the film. And thankfully, the rain is beginning to become less and less each day. However, the humidity seems to get heavier and heavier as the summer months go on.

Eventful Day

After waking up around 10am, I was slowly getting up and ready for the rest of the day. Between having a cold and making a few phone calls, I was in no hurry to get the day started. By 3pm, I had gotten everything together to run a few errands before dinner. I dropped off a movie at Blockbuster, stopped by Publix, and wanted to end at Michael's. I was wanting to look at several wedding invitations that I had seen online and possibly get ribbons of the colors Joe and I talked about for the theme of the wedding. After leaving, I searched multiple times through my purse to find my keys. However-they were nowhere to be found! After retracing my steps, looking through my purse again, and asking the Michael's management, they were no where to be found. Thankfully, my dad signed me up for AAA service, and I called to have them assist me in opening my locked car. I finally found my keys, lodged into the little space between the middle consol and the driver's seat. After driving home in the rain, I was ready to jump into pajamas and watch a movie. Not the most exciting Disney day, but a day full of events to say the least!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

As most of you know, the past few weeks in Central Florida have been pretty damp. It is pretty unusual to have a completely rainy day in the Sunshine State, but for the past week or so, it has downpoured for the majority of the day. It has been a little crazy. I feel bad for families who spent so much money to come to Disney World and have not been able to see as much because of this crazy weather. Since this weather has began, I have been reminded of the cloudy skies that I once left in the north. It is amazing how much the sun can lift your spirits and make the day just a little better. I am waiting with anticipation for the cloudy, rainy, sticky, and humid weather to leave and the sunshine to return!

I am so excited to have the next two days off! I have been working many hours over the past week, and cannot wait to sleep in!!!!!

Star Wars

Since this weekend is the first weekend of the month-long celebrations of Star Wars weekends, I decided to rent a few of the thrilling dvds and learn a little more about the story. I actually really enjoy the saga, and have been inspired to watch it because of all the amazing characters walking around the past few days. I started with the first movie and am going to attempt to watch all 6 by the middle of June (the end of Star Wars weekends).

Not much to report on any other end. It has been raining cats and dogs here for days, and none of us have had the ability to play outside. The sun has been missing for about a week! This is very unusual for Florida. I have been working everyday since I returned from Indiana-at least 10 hours every day! Hopefully, the sun will return and uplift some of the damp spirits down here soon.

Saying Goodbye

This morning, I said goodbye to the majority of my roommates in apartment 1108. May 22nd was the last day of their program and everyone had to be out of the apartment by 11:00am today. I was very sad to see them leave. I couldn't help but look around the rooms that we have spent the past 4 1/2 months in and wondering if I imagined the kind of relationships that would be formed there. Some of my most cherished memories of the Disney college program were a direct result of the wonderful girls I lived with. They encouraged me, included me, and loved me during this crazy time in my life. They have been so supportive and have seen me through alot of things (graduation, engagement, etc.). I know I will stay in contact with them after Disney, and hopefully we can all see each other again in the future.

Well...Hello There!

Cooper is on the move...literally.

I love Baylor!! He is just a joy.

Sweet Cooper! Love him so.

All of Joe's buddies from college in front of his last apartment

Graduated, finally! So many exciting things to come :)

My wonderful family!

Joe's wonderful family

Belle came to cheer Joe on too!!

Yay Joe Joe!! Check out that pink tassel...

The graduate walking up to get his degree!

DePauw University on the beautiful graduation day!

To All of my Faithful Blog Readers,

This is my formal apology to you (all 3 of you). I know that throughout your daily activities, you often think, "I wonder what that Megan gril is up to in Disney World?" You can't wait to get home and check the blog around 11pm at night to see what I have been up to all day. You get your hopes up, type the website into the web address, and to your dismay, nothing new appears. You go to bed every night disappointed, distraught, and worried. You hardly get any sleep, waking up to go to work without a wink of shut-eye, all to be let down again and again every night. For this, I am completely sorry.

Seriously, just kidding.

But anyways, the past few weeks have been a bit busy. Between my graduation two weekends ago and Joe's this past weekend, I have been between Indianapolis and Orlando. Flying on airplanes has become my new hobby! However, I have enjoyed every single minute of it. I loved being back and seeing all of my beloved friends and family, and it makes me a little homesick. I was so thankful for all of the people that came to support me at my graduation ceremony, and even came to a little after-party cookout at the Shadday's house. Between the two graduations, I came back to Orlando to work at bit at Disney.

This past weekend, I was so blessed to be a part of Joe's graduation festivities from DePauw. I am so proud of eveything that he has and will accomplish, and we both kept saying how amazing it was that we are finished with our undergraduate degrees. When I look back, it's hard to remember a time in college when Joe wasn't there. We had a great time celebrating all of his achievements, and even found time to do a little planning for the wedding! I must say, I think Joe and I will have a great time planning this wedding :)

Once I got back from Indiana, I was immediatly busy with a long list of to-dos. Included in this list was moving into a new apartment for the second half of the college program. Even though I moved into the apartment directly above my original, it was still a hassel to shove things into boxes and take one flight of stairs. I finally have everything settled in and am enjoying getting to know my new roommates. I can't wait to feel "at home" and have everything put together.

I have made it my priority to keep my blog up-to-date from now on. No matter how busy I am, I promise to write at least something about my day or about a neat event that I experienced during the day.

Earl of Sandwich

Our favorite Disney hats!

MMM...Caprese sandwiches!

After a hot day at work, Katie and I decided to go treat ourselves to a dinner at Downtown Disney. The weather was perfect towards the evening, and we decided to get a sandwich and sit outside near Earl of Sandwich. I got my favorite sandwich, the Caprese, which has become somewhat of a food obsession to me as of lately. We watched the kids playing in the water squirting up from the ground outside of Once Upon a Toy. It was so freeing to watch the kids play. Children are so in the moment-not worrying about what is coming next or the effects of their actions at that particular time. We enjoyed watching the joy on their faces, the almost exuberance that was displayed on their smiles and glees of happiness. Sometimes I wish I could be a kid again. In their minds, all they could think about was, "How can I have the most fun time right here and right now?" And for most of them, that answer was becoming extremely soaked by the water that was shooting out of a Mickey shaped head on the ground! After sitting under the warm May sunset, we walked around to different shops and looked around. It was nice to just enjoy the weather and spend time with my roommate Katie!

Disney College Program Graduation!

With my favorite Graduation Stars

Yay! We finished!

Diploma count: 1 out of 2. Check!

The twins celebrating

Roommates with Goofy!

My Dad's favorite, Donald Duck, struting his best Tommy Bahamas look

Goofy getting down on the dance floor.

Today was a beautiful day to celebrate! My roommates and I requested the day off a few weeks ago because the College Program was sponsoring graduation activites for students completing the Spring semester! We all dawned dresses and headed to Mickey's Retreat (across the street from our aparmtent complex) to attend the festivities. It was a VERY Hot day! We have been experiencing really hot weather for the past two weeks (mid 90's) and haven't had a drop of rain since mid-April. However, it didn't hold us back from having a good time.

They had lots of things to do at Mickey's Retreat-a DJ, large inflatables to play on, a place to have a caricature drawn of you, pictures with Mickey, Minnie, and all the gang, paddleboat races, food, etc. It was a really great way to celebrate all of the hard work we have done this semester. We even received Mickey ears with a graduation tassel and a certificate of achievement!! It was really neat for me to attend, simply because my official graduation is in just a few days.

I received my graduation memo from Anderson University today stating that I am officially graduating on Saturday! I had been waiting for my internship portfolio and materials to be reviewed by my advisor and a grade to be turned in. Not only did I pass my internship, but I received an A for my presentation! Hooray! I can't wait for this weekend!!

Live to Worship

As of lately, I have been struggling with my calling in life. I have had doubts about remaining in Disney or attempting to look somewhere else to start my career. Converstations I have had with people here have led me to believe that maybe this isn't the place for me to start. I am still open to working and living down here if an opportunity occurs or a door opens, but I am beginning to broaden my search for God's true calling in my life. I've been concerned about bills, insurance, benefits, and simply a salary that would allow me to support myself. Above all, I have been truly wondering what God has in store for me and how I should live my life.



However, tonight I was running on the treadmill and it hit me. A song came on my iPod called "Live to Worship" by Joy Williams (one of my favorite Christian artists). The chorus of the song simply states,



"We will live to worship, give you praise with all our hearts for all our days. Father, we want to do what you created us to. We will live to worship to you."



It doesn't matter what kind of monetary value I put on life. It doesn't matter what I do or where I am. At the end of my day, the most important question I should be asking is, "Did I live to worship you today?" God created us and gave us one purpose-We are alive to worship Him. As long as I am genuinely seeking Him and living to worship and praise Him daily, it doesn't matter where I am or what kind of a job I have. In God's eyes, all He wants me to do is honor him in day-to-day activites and interactions with people. This concept seems so simple, but it can be so hard. During the upcoming months of uncertainty, I will be trying to keep this in the front of my mind. In order to get through this time in my life, I will have to keep in mind-I was created to worship Him and nothing should stand in my way!

Create Your Own

The finished products! Our yummy treats!

We LOVE Goofy Candy Company!

Katie keeping an eye on hers...

It looks so good!!

Watching Mike make our treats...

After two days of long hours at work, I was ready to relax for an afternoon. Since I worked from 7:30am to 1:30pm, I was able to enjoy time to myself at the apartment. The weather was perfect today, and the sun was strong and shining. I layed by the pool for about 2 hours and was able to get a nice nap in the process. After a nice nap, I went to the gym and did a long day of exercising. It felt so great! I also quickly ran to the outlet mall next door to my apartment and found a dress that I could wear for graduation next weekend. One thing off of the to-do list. Yay!

Since Joe and my parents came down a few weeks ago, I have been craving a little treat at Downtown Disney. My mom discovered a service at Goofy Candy Company where they custom make a Mickey rice krispie treat for guests! To start, a guest fills out a piece of paper telling the cast member the different chocolates and toppings desired on the treat (they do apples, pretzel rods, marshmellows, rice krispie treats, etc.). The cast member then makes the treat, generously dipping it and rolling it in the toppings. After the chocolate has set, the treat is place into a fancy box and sealed with a Mickey sticker. These treats are gigantic! I am sure it will take an entire week to eat this (or a least one stressful day at work)! We had a great time talking and remembering all of the fun adventures we have had while being here at Disney in the college program.