Fun in Florida, and Why Purple is My New Favorite Color

I've got so much to write about! I've had trouble with the internet over the last few days, and plus, I've just been so busy that it's been hard to find time to write anything! Emily, Tiffany, and I have been in Florida since Friday. It was a crazy drive, and we've been busy almost non-stop since we got in at 1:45 Friday (actually, Saturday morning.) On Saturday we made the hour drive from Lakeland (where the college Emily is visiting is located) to Orlando. We spent several hours in Ikea, and, man does that place have EVERYTHING! And as we pulled into the parking lot we saw that, not only was there an Ikea, but there, in the same shopping area, was a West Elm! Disney World, Ikea, West Elm...It's official. I must have designed Orlando in a previous life.

After Ikea, we went to Downtown Disney, and then rode the monorail and visited some of the Disney resorts. This whole experience made me want to participate in the CP more than ever.

Yesterday we went to the beach and got plenty of sun. It was a gorgeous beach, and not too crowded considering that it's Spring Break time. We did have one interesting neighbor, however. A man and his wife came to the beach soon after us. Imagine your stereotypical work-aholic--Neither ever got into the water, or even got out from under the shade of their umbrella. The man just made work calls, in a New York-tinged accent and in rapid Spanish. His wife just lay there in her bikini, patiently eating a bowl of mixed fruit while her husband did his business. Every now and then, she would shove the bowl of fruit under his nose, and hold a piece out to him on a fork. Maybe he took some, but out of all the times I was watching I never saw him acknowledge her.

Of course, we ended our beach day with a great seafood dinner. Crab legs, mmmmmmm!

Today, Emily went on her visit, while Tiffany and I returned to Orlando to go shopping. Today was a little more calm, and a little less exciting (but no less fun) than the last two days. Until, that is, this afternoon when my dad called me.

After a few pleasantries, ("Are you having fun?" "Enjoying the beach"?) my dad said, "Hey, there's some mail here for you from Disney. I caught my breath--I told my mom about the big letter=good, little letter=bad equation, but did she tell my dad? I asked, with great trepedation, what size the envelope was. And my heart sunk as my dad said, "Oh, it's just a regular letter. Do you want me to read it?" he asked. "Sure," I muttered. The damage was done now. I could only get good news if he read it to me; maybe it was only a processing letter.

But the good news was great news, as my dad came clean. "Nah, it's a big letter!" That's right--I've finally got that beautiful purple folder.

There was just one more hurdle. Did I get QSF&B? My dad read me the letter--the typical pleasantries, "Thank you for applying...we are pleased that you will be joining us..." and then that magical word, "Merchandise!" I'm working Merchandise! I still don't know where exactly; I won't find out until August when I get to Orlando. But I'm basically okay with anywhere.

What a perfect time to get this news--I was just talking with Tiffany about how much I'm loving Orlando. It will be really great to live here for a few months, and, guess what...I'll get to shop at Ikea on a regular basis. :)

Some Silliness, and "Florida, Here We Come!"

Welcome back, readers! And now for the exciting conclusion of "Indecision Sucks!"

When we last left our heroine, she had been trapped by the monstrous QSFB. She was tied to the tracks, struggling to break free when..."Toot, Toot!" She heard the train barreling towards her. Faster and faster it came, as our heroine tried to make her fateful decision: Should she continue to struggle, possibly wasting her strength for nothing and looking quite foolish in the process, or should she simply wait, and hope the train was diverted onto the other track?

"Oh, whatever shall I do?” she wailed.

Finally she made her choice. Our heroine decided...to do absolutely nothing. She would wait, and just hope that the train loaded with burgers, french fries, churros, and popcorn did not hit her.

Tune in next week to find out if our heroine will survive her ordeal!

In case my little Penelope Pitstop-style narrative confused you, dear reader, I have decided that I will not call to try to take QSFB off of my role checklist. I've decided to simply trust to God and chance, and, if I do get QSFB, to make the best of it and take what I can away from the experience.

But on to more fun topics. My friends and I will be making a trek this next weekend to the promised land...sun, sand, and Splash Mountain. That's right: we're going to Florida! The friend who is applying to the WDWCP with me, Emily, is also looking at schools for next semester. And one of her choices is in Lakeland, Fl. So Tiffany, another good friend, and I will be accompanying her. The three of us have been thick as thieves since High School, and so this will be a fun road trip with two of my best buds.

Although we're going to Florida, chances are we won't be going to WDW. We are, after all, poor college students, and, besides, Emily and I are hoping to get in plenty of times for free next semester. (fingers crossed!). We will, however, be going to the beach, Downtown Disney, and...wait for it...IKEA! :D

That's right--Ikea is a big deal for us. The closest one to home is 8 hours away, so its understandable why I've never been, even though, as an interior design major, I spend hours slobbering over their catalog when I'm supposed to be picking out furniture for projects. But hopefully I'll be able to remedy this next week. Emily still doesn't know that Tiffany and I have decided to go, but maybe we'll just go while Emily is at her college visit if she doesn't care to join us.

So we'll be spending three full days in Florida, with a full day on either side for travel. It's about an 18 hour drive each way, so I'm sure we'll probably be really sick of each other before the trip is over. (just kidding, girlies! You know I love you!)

The reason I'm blogging about this trip here is, well, first of all it's my blog, so I can post about whatever the crap I feel like. :) And secondly, I'm wondering what this trip will do to my excitement index. (See the graph in the 3/11 entry, if you don't know what this "excitement index" silliness is all about). It's going to be really hard being in Florida, and right outside of WDW, without knowing whether or not I've made it into the program. My mother already has strict instructions: If, while I'm gone, a BIG envelope comes, she should call me--that will be an acceptance letter. If a small envelope calls, she should definitely NOT tell me about it, because it's either a processing letter ("We're still trying to decide, and we'll let you know soon") or a rejection letter, and while the first option would only be frustrating, the second option just might ruin my vacation. I'm not going to REALLY start looking for an acceptance/rejection letter until two weeks after my interview, so I'll be back before then, but you never know. And, thirdly, I'm really excited because the fact that there's an Ikea in Orlando means I'll be shopping there a lot next fall if I get into the WDWCP. Orlando really is a magical town--Disney and cheap furniture, my two greatest loves, all in one place!

So, dear reader, keep checking back for more updates. I will be posting lots of pictures and stories of silly hijinks during our trip. And please just pray that that train doesn't squish out heroine flat before her adventure even has a chance to begin!