As Disney As Always

So... I did a thing.

I did not die. That is not the thing. Though I am fairly certain some of you believed that to be the case. I do not blame you. I kinda fell off the face of the Earth and went MIA. 

Not literally. That was a metaphor.

No, the reality is that I graduated college. 

I know, right?!?!?!?!?

It feels totally insane and unreal because I feel like I started this blog yesterday as I entered college and now I have a degree and stuff. Wow.

But that's also not the thing. It's a thing, but not the thing. Oh, no.

I actually applied for and got accepted to the Disney College Program! (*and the crowd goes wild*)

So I packed up all my stuff and boot scooted my way down to Orlando to start my new job, and I LOVE IT!!!!! 

But telling you all about my new job is not my goal for this post. That will come later... maybe... if I remember to post...

Since I'm here at THE infamous Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, I have had the incredible privilege of experiencing all the new schtuff Disney has to offer. 

And now I'm going to tell you about it! And give you opinions and stuff. There will probably be pretty pictures involved. 

Excited yet? You should be.

And now it's time for (drumroll please)... EXCITING NEW DISNEY STUFF!!!!!

1. Rivers of Light

The first cool thing I got to go see was Rivers of Light. I don't yet have any pictures of this one, but will be sure to take some next time I go.

Rivers of Light is the new nighttime show at Animal Kingdom. When we went, it took place at 9:15, though I've heard they are adding more showtimes as we approach the summer months.

Rivers of Light employs a lot of visually stunning new technology as platforms move through the water and light up on their own.

In fact, their are only four human performers in this show. In my opinion, it's a missed opportunity.

Having been fortunate enough to see Jungle Book: Alive with Magic during its short run, I expected the same enthralling level of dance ability and costuming, and was rather disappointed when Rivers of Light did not provide me with either one.

It is a very pretty show. The lights are amazing, the music is good enough. It is visually very engaging, but you really just walk away thinking "that was a pretty show"; it doesn't leave any sort of impact.

2. Happily Ever After

Like with Rivers of Light, Happily Ever After is a veritable feast for the eyes. The new fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom opened recently and has already received glowing reviews.

Unlike with Wishes! you have to see the castle to get the full effect of the show. There are impressive projections coupled with beautiful fireworks all strung together by (in my opinion) a catchy, fun remix of Disney songs and the "Happily Ever After" theme.

I really like these fireworks. The 18 minute show is fun, and oh so pretty. 

But I also feel like it does not make as much of an impact. Wishes! made me cry every single time. Honestly, they were not my favorite fireworks, but there was an emotional element that drew you in and filled you with hope and the determination to follow your dreams.

Happily Ever After feels more like a celebration of all things Disney. Which is totally fine and really cool to watch, but doesn't leave you with much afterward.

3. Once Upon a Time

This new projection show on the castle...

I actually haven't watched yet. Moving on.

4. The Welcome Show

I HATE IT!!!!! I loved the welcome show Magic Kingdom used to do. The song would get stuck in my head all day, but I didn't even care because when Mickey and his friends would roll up to the station in the train, I burst into nostalgic, childish tears of joy.

Every single time.

It was my favorite way to start any day. I am not a morning person, but I will always get up early to see that welcome show. And now it's gone.

Instead, characters just kinda parade around the castle stage while the Fairy Godmother throws glitter. It's L-A-M-E!!!!

I am so disappointed in Disney.

5. Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire

If you have not seen this show, you are missing out. This daytime performance shows four to six times during the afternoon on the castle stage in Magic Kingdom.

If you are looking for good music, wonderful choreography, and beautiful costumes: this is the show to go see. 

It features all the characters kids want to see: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisey, and Goofy, along with a few other friends ;)

This show opened last summer, and I'm absolutely obsessed with it.

So many pretty pictures!

6. Pandora

I know this is what you all actually care about.

I don't know or care what you've heard about Pandora, but let me at least pretend to be the first to tell you that it is absolutely AMAZING!!!!

10/10 would recommend. 

As soon as you walk into Pandora, you can see the fabricated "natural" beauty of the alien planet.

I was not able to do everything there as I had limited time, and hoards of people flocked to enjoy the area in its opening week. 

The first thing I did though was ride Avatar: Flight of Passage.

Guys. That ride is insane!! It's the coolest thing I've ever been on.

Like the kid in front of me while exiting said, "That, Universal, is how you do screens."

I'm not generally a big fan of screen rides. Universal relies on them pretty heavily, and I am often disappointed with the product. Up until today, my favorite ride with a screen was Spiderman at Islands of Adventure.

That is no longer the case. 

My friends and I waited in line for two hours to ride Flight of Passage. When we finally got up to the front and were ushered inside the first screening room, we each got matched with our own Avatar that best fit our facial structure.

Once we were let into the actual ride itself, we climbed into the seats. Imagine the light bikes from Tron; you know how you are basically sitting on a motorcycle, but leaning forward? That's how these seats were.

You stepped up to it, sat down like on a back, then grabbed the handles which leaned you forward. Back and leg restraints came up automatically to strap you in.

Then we flew on banshees!! They took all the technology from Soarin' coupled with this awesome new ride mechanic and made a work of art. You could even feel your banshee breathing beneath you as you rode on its back.

It was so cool.

Next we went to Windtraders: a store selling Pandora merch. Nothing was too terribly exciting except for the banshees. 

I did not buy one because it didn't fit in the budget I gave myself, but for roughly $50, you can have your own baby banshee that clings to your shoulder and can be controlled to move its head, flap its wings, etc.

They're really cool looking but entirely unrealistic to own. What are you going to do with it when you leave Disney?

A friend of mine likened it to buying a wand at Harry Potter World: it's all about the novelty of the thing.

Then we went to eat at Satu'li Canteen. The food was so good, and I can't wait to go back and try more of it. You get to build your own bowl which opens up more combinations of dishes than Disney normally offers at their Quick Service locations.

But the real treat is the dessert. I'd seen videos and could not wait to try the rumored "blueberry cheesecake".

It's literally a cool looking blueberry cheesecake with a passion fruit sauce of some kind, and a lemon curd, and a hard meringue on top. 

But wow was it a delicious cheesecake.

Overall, I applaud Disney's work on Pandora. I cannot wait to see it at night when all the flora is supposed to light up. I'll have to remember to take some pictures to share!

Until next time, friends.

As Disney As Always,

Ali

As Slightly Panicked As Always

Two days. That's it. I have no idea where the time went.

I've been trying to mentally prepare myself for my inevitable departure since the beginning of this month, but it's really hard to get mentally prepared when you keep waking up in the place you keep telling yourself you have to leave.

The truth is, I don't want to leave.

Not necessarily because of any deeply sentimental connection to Klagenfurt itself, but rather because I don't know how to go back to my life. 

Being here has changed me in ways that might not always be outwardly visible, but that are incredibly real. The person who boarded a flight bound for Austria back in February is not the same person who will be returning home.

And I'm scared.

I like who I've become here. This experience has made me more adventurous, more extroverted, more loving and accepting, more of a humanitarian, I can even speak German now for goodness sakes. Do you know how many people can speak German back in the states? Not very many!!

And I'm not sure if the person I am now can thrive in America.

I honestly believe that our experiences shape who we are as people. From an early age, we come to know about ourselves and the world around us by interacting with things and learning from those moments. 

My home, my friends, my job, and my university shaped who I was before coming here, and they haven't changed. But I have.

Will I now be a square peg trying to fit in a round hole? Or will I sand my edges back down to slide perfectly into the spot I originally built for myself?

Because that's not what I want!!

Why would I take everything I've gained here and throw it away? I wouldn't. But does a square hole exist for me back in America? I'm not sure.

Plus, there's something about never again being in this place with these people that freaks me out. Some of them I might never see again. I mean, who knows if I'll ever be in Klagenfurt again either? But I'll miss them.

I will miss them for who they are, but also for what they represent. 

This will forever be the only group of people who understands what this semester was like. Who watched my transformation. Who grew with me. Who made wild, crazy memories with me.

They're the only ones who get it. 

And I have to say goodbye to them. Some of those goodbyes will be for now, some will be for life.

I mean, I know that when I get back home I will be happy to see my family and friends, my dogs FOR SURE, and it will just generally be nice to be back.

But then I'll start to think of the little things:

Of not eating rice and beans every night. Of not ever being alone in our overcrowded kitchen. Of hearing the voices of my friends in the hallway, and poking my head out to see what's going on. 

Of walking to the lake even if we don't swim. Of manipulating people into buying me coffee. Of going to parties I don't feel like being at just because everyone is happy to see me.

Of traveling, and being free.

Of chocolate, pastries, and my many Gelateria options.

Of sitting on my porch at night and listening to the rain.

I think it is much easier to go to a new place and adjust to being there than it is to return home and try to readapt to an environment you used to know as a very different version of yourself.

Now, I'm not writing any of this to be profound, or immortalize any of my adventures here (although I promised to tell you stories and I will). I just need to get some things off my chest.

This is probably the most honest blog post I've ever written because you know what? I'm seriously freaking out right now.

I'm anxious, a bit panicked actually, and I'm not sure what I can do because I know that nothing will stop my plane from leaving on Thursday morning. It's happening, and I'm trying to deal with that fact.

In the upcoming days, I have to pack and clean. I have to say my goodbyes. I have to try and make as many more wild, crazy, beautiful, amazing memories as possible and that's a lot of pressure. But it's preferable to wallowing all alone in my room.

I can't be sad now because I have to enjoy these last moments. And that kinda makes it all harder.

I dunno. I'm not sure where I was going with any of this. I might not even post it. I just kind of rambled on.

Conclusion: I don't want to leave, but sucks to suck I guess.

All I can do is keep calm and shine bright. 

I'll try to muddle through the next two days, and will probably post when I get home. Don't get too excited though, no promises.

That's a lie. I do promise that my next post will contain all sorts of fun stories from my time here. Something to look forward to!

Until next time you guys!

As Slightly Panicked As Always,

Ali

As Adventurous As Always

There's something really special and difficult to describe about sitting on a porch at night, listening to the rain, and writing a novel. It's a feeling of comfort and contentment, but with a healthy dose of inspiration.

It's something I'm going to miss about being here in Klagenfurt.

Also high up on that list is my friends. I don't know if any them will ever read this, but I want them to know that this experience would have been nothing without them.

You guys were my travel buddies, my crazy kitchen family, my partners in crime, my fellow bakers. Some of us even suffered through dumb classes together.

I learned so much about myself and the world around me by being here and most of it is because of all of you. Thank you.

Have to say though, coming in at a close second on that list is all the sweets. Gelato, chocolate, Zuckerreinkerl, you name it! Man, am I gonna miss that stuff.

... my not so toned stomach and empty wallet will not though.

I'm going to miss the mountains.

Extra points to anyone who just started singing Next to Normal in their head. You da real MVP.

The Austrians have such a respect and adoration for nature that I just don't get to experience back home.

And, of course, every city is different and has a unique feel to it; so I have to say that above all, I'm just going to miss being here.

I'm not even sure what "here" means. My dorm room? Klagenfurt? Austria? Here with this group of people? I don't know. All I know is that with only three weeks left, I'll be sad to go.

I mean, yeah, I guess I'd like to see my parents and my dogs and whatnot, but why can't they just come here so I don't have to leave?

It's just... the person who arrived here in Austria is not the same person who's going home. I'm not that girl anymore.

Who knows if that's a good thing or a bad thing?

No, really. If you know, please tell me. 

I don't have the answer!

The girl who arrived here in February would never have tried to speak German.

She never would have starting looking up the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and WWOOFing.

She never would have imagined that she would be friends with people from Ireland, Serbia, Poland, Austria, Germany, France, Korea, Portugal, all over the place!

I always knew I had a sense of adventure, I just never knew how far it could take me.

I thank every single person who thinks this applies to them for helping me make this the most fulfilling experience of my life.

When I get home, I have one more year of my degree. Then, who knows? It's all in God's hands from there. 

And you know what?

I think I'm ready to take on whatever adventure he has in store.

As Adventurous As Always,

Ali

P.S. Be on the lookout soon for my stories of being abroad. Naturally, I'm going to tell you everything, I just have been a little busy and haven't gotten around to it yet. Sorry!

(Not sorry)

As List-Making As Always

I don't know what to write. I made it to Austria? It's great here?

I'm gonna make a list.

Things I like about Klagenfurt:

• I can see mountains
• The pastry shop on the corner
• The pastries in general
• And the chocolate
• Zuckerreinkerl
• The pretty buildings
• And pretty nature
• And pretty everything
• The snow
• The people are all super nice
• Public transportation actually goes where I need it to
• Getting to experience new things
• City center is ridiculously beautiful
• People invite me to go places and do things
• But they totally understand if I want to sit in my room all day watching Supernatural and eating nothing but chocolate and rice!
• I've started to make some great friends
• But of course my Courtney still takes time to talk with me even though we're in different time zones

Things I don't like about Klagenfurt:

• I feel mostly useless sometimes since I don't know German
• Learning German is hard
• Watching Disney movies in German is harder than you'd think
• Having to share a kitchen with people
• Having to put pants on to go to my kitchen because there are other people in there
• Having to put shoes on to go to my kitchen because there are other people in there
• Having to see people in the morning when I go to the kitchen to eat breakfast
• Cooking instructions on packages are in German
• My mattress
• It's rained or snowed the entire two weeks I've been here
• My grocery store doesn't sell black beans

I do love it here. I already don't want to leave and I've only been here for two weeks. I feel like I'm adjusting really well, and definitely looking forward to upcoming adventures!

I know this post is short, random, and basically told you nothing, but that's because I'm putting together a video for my YouTube Channel. I did say I was going to Vlog after all.

Ah, but we all know I like to talk. Well, here are some pictures, and if I happen to say anything about them, lucky you!

That's me in the airport in Vienna: where the adventure really took off! ;)

So, funny story. After my 8 hours flight during which I didn't really sleep (I watched Pan, Minions, and the Peanuts Movie in that order), I was a little loopy. So when they asked to inspect my backpack at security because they saw something suspicious on the scanner, I didn't hesitate to pull every single thing out and tell them what it was and why I had it and why it wasn't dangerous.

Turns out my microphone looked dangerous on their X-Ray machine. It then took me a solid four minutes to then put everything back into my backpack.

So to board our plane, we got on a bus that drove us out to the tarmac, and we boarded this eensy little baby plane from there.

Baby plane!!!

Flying into Klagenfurt was probably the most naturally beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. I could try to put it into words, to describe it to you, but I wouldn't be able to do it justice. Not even close.

But lucky for me, the city itself is super pretty too! Have some pictures of the City Center on the one day the sun came out.

Lots of pretty buildings and spires and churches and statues in the center of the city. I was trying to explain to people that we just didn't have pretty buildings like that. Our buildings were all just functional, they generally weren't designed to look nice. And even when they were, they didn't match the buildings on either side.

Klagenfurt is the capital city of Carintha (a state in Austria), and the mascot of said city is the dragon pictured to the left.

The little troll/dwarf/gnome was my favorite statue downtown. According to legend, he created the lake in Klagenfurt by opening up his barrel and flooding the sinning heathens living in the area. He warned them. They didn't listen. Moral of the story: always listen to the little dwarf man's threats.

This is the Landhaus: one of the iconic buildings of Klagenfurt.

Yup! Those are my pictures of the city. You're welcome mother. Wow, so much lazy blogging is happening right now.

Wanna see some pictures of snow? Of course you do!

Here are some pictures capturing the progress of Klagenfurt's snow as seen from my balcony.

This last one is me covered in snow. I like being covered in snow. It makes me happy.



My fonts and pictures are being so weird today. I give up trying to format things!

Here's my last picture from one of the prettiest days I've experienced here in Klagenfurt so far. 

Yup! That's all she wrote folks! Video will be up soon, promise.

As List-Making As Always,

Ali

As Long-Winded As Always

Before I say anything at all, I have to clear something up. My last post put a few people in an uproar, so I just want to alleviate their fears and reassure everyone that yes, I did in fact finish Dragon Age: Origins directly after posting a few weeks ago.

I know a lot of you have been worrying about that, and I'm sorry for not letting you know sooner. It was really mean of me to do that to you.

In case you are still concerned, yes, I did restart the game. No need to be alarmed, I'm only 30 hours in. Barely halfway!

Anyway! I promised to let you all know about this last semester I just completed, so here it is.

**What? Ali is actually updating when she said she would? What is the world coming to? Is it ending? Should I be preparing for the apocalypse?**

Well, no the world's not ending... as far as I know. Although if you want to stockpile supplies, I will for sure come hide out at your house when the zombies attack! ;)

But for real, this semester was crazy and tough and slightly insane. There were multiple days when I felt like I was going crazy and banged my head on the wall thinking, "Why am I doing this to myself!?!?"

Which in turn made my roommate think I was crazy as well. So basically, everyone thought this semester was my decent into madness.

Let's be real, we all knew it was coming eventually.

To start it all off was recruitment. 


It went AMAZING!!!! We got the greatest group of girls possible. In all my imaginings of what our new pledge class would look like, I never thought they would be as talented, smart, driven, and downright incredible as they are.

And with our new ladies, I got a GrandLittle!!!

In actuality, I got two GrandLittles: one from my sorority, and one from my Theatre fam. It's funny because they are so different from one another, but I love them both soooooooooooooooooooooo much.

I couldn't have asked for better GrandLittles. I hope they know that.

However, getting GrandLittles made me feel really old and I realized that I don't have much time left at college.

So naturally, the only thing to do at that point is to get super involved in my sorority and volunteer to help with/plan every possible thing I can.

Honestly, I'm happy I did that. Even though it added to my stress, it gave me more opportunities to bond with my sisters and gave me a greater satisfaction and sense of belonging with my sorority.

Let's see, what else has happened since I last posted?

Oh, yeah! I was in a show this semester!

It wasn't a show on campus :( but rather, it was at another university in the area: Rose State College Theatre.

Don't laugh at me. The production was...

Oklahoma!

I know, we did Oklahoma! in Oklahoma. Hilarious.

For those in my immediate family (and friends if you really want), I have a recording of the production if you would like to view it. So long as you promise not to sell tickets to view.

Pinky promise me!!!!

Just remember, I'm always watching.

The production was a lot of fun. I got to dance a lot which was different. I used to think I had seventeen left feet, but it turns out I'm actually a pretty good dancer.

I'm so proud of myself. I know you can't see me, so I'm telling you that I'm giving myself a pat on the back.

Yeah, so:

I got a job!

Everyone has told me over and over that I would absolutely hate working retail. 

I think what they meant to tell me was they hate working retail.

I L-O-V-E working retail. At Charming Charlie at least. My job was so much fun! I loved working there, and plan to go back when I'm living in OKC again.

The girls I worked with were all so nice, and I loved greeting and assisting customers. Working weekends were my favorite.

I know, I sound crazy.

I'm really not lying in case someone from work reads this, I really do love working there!

Okay, so we're in about October here at this point. Halloween happened, but it wasn't anything exciting. 

I mean... we carved pumpkins.

What was more exciting was what happened the week AFTER Halloween.

I know this happens every year, so it doesn't seem like I should still be making a big deal about it, but that is because you are all silly and do not know the wonders of:

HOMECOMING!!!!!!

Woot! Woot!

Pictures will go here as soon as I work up enough energy to go searching for them, but the OCU theme this year was "Unite".

Our theme for my sorority was Disney Villains. 

So basically, I was the Assistant to the Head of Lip Sync, and Chairman of the Script Writing Committee this year. Which inevitably meant that I got to play Cruella de Vil.

(I stopped being lazy long enough to find this picture)

My sister thinks I should audition to be her at one of the Disney Parks. I've always thought of myself as more of an Ariel or Cinderella girl myself... 

Although it is one of my life goals to play Ursula on Broadway...

But anyway, we took 3rd this year which is super impressive!!!! Since we don't have a football team to make Homecoming a big deal, all of Greek life makes it a big deal by going all out in each aspect of the competition.

It can get intense.

So getting third on our crazy competitive campus is a major win.

Sometime following that was Victory.

Aren't I so cute!?!?!

Obviously it was a beach theme. Luau theme.

It was great fun, but I'm not a big fan of dances, so I mostly sat around talking with my sisters.

Let's see, did anything else important happen?

Oh, duh!

Guys.

Guess what!

Did you say "what"?

You better have said what.

Guys!

I went to Italy.

My parents decided to go live over there for three months for funsies, so they flew my siblings and I to meet them for Thanksgiving.

We went to Venice, Rome, Florence, and Milan spending Thanksgiving itself in Florence at my parent's apartment.

Naturally, my parents knew a guy whose restaurant served an American Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving, so I got my turkey and smashed taters.



The real priorities.

I was worried. I almost snuck peas into my suitcase to make sure I got my traditional Thanksgiving meal. My sister convinced me to bring Fruit Snacks instead at the last minute.

But I like Fruit Snacks, so really it all worked out.

When I got back from Italy, we only had three weeks left in the semester and my roommate (and bestie) is graduating in May, and since I'll be studying abroad this semester, I wasn't going to get to see her again before she left the nest and entered the adult world.

So I threw her a Murder Mystery Party.

Yeah, I'm a weirdo. I even wrote the entire thing myself, I didn't use a kit. I invented the characters, wrote the clues, and threw in a few scavenger hunts to find possible murder weapons.

This is after sleeping 11 hours in four days. I'm pretty impressed I pulled it off.

Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, and even asked me to do it again sometime. Hopefully with some sleep beforehand though.

I don't really have any good pictures of the party, so here's a picture of a cookie I decorated that night instead!

Other quick things:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was awesome and gave me the opportunity to take some Shameless Star Wars Selfies.

Hilarious.

People stared at me like I was crazy in each store, but I'm starting to learn this is a common occurrence.

Also, I learned how to play guitar this semester. I'm still not very good, but I'm getting there.

So naturally, I had to buy myself a guitar!

The primary reason was so that I could give my brother my old guitar for Christmas so that he would stop bothering me about wanting to play it all the time to which I could only ever respond,

"It's mine. Get your own."

But he's broke. And lazy. So I bought him his own.

Sister of the Year Award goes right here folks!

Speaking of Christmas though, I get a little obsessive about the holiday. I can't help it. I really like the Christmas spirit. 

And the music. And the food. And the decorations. And everything that could possibly have anything to do with Christmas.

This is how I decorated my tree this year. If you can't tell, the Ali on the left is full to the brim of Christmas spirit.

Or hot chocolate. One of the two.

But it's okay. For as much as I get crazy about Christmas, my family gets even crazier.

Sometimes, all you can really do at that point is take a good, wholesome family Christmas picture.

Oh yes, my brother. This is the reason you do not upload pictures to my Google Drive.

Well, that was long.

Props to anyone who actually read all of that. I promise to write a shorter post next time. 

I will close us out the only way one can truly close out something like this.

With a picture of me and a cardboard cutout of Socrates.

Until next time. May the Force be with you.

As Long-Winded as Always,

Ali