Disney Vacation Entry 2!

I know this took a little longer than I was hoping, but here’s the second installment of my Disney vacation. Hope you enjoy it!

 

                Alrighty, so this is just a short (hopefully/maybe) write-up about what remained of our first official Disney day, after arriving 5 hours later than we were supposed to, of course. Getting off the plane was just fine, but since my dad bought some package through “My Disney Experience,” we had to find that specific area in the airport (which took another hour, but I won’t bore you with the details this time. In short, we did not land in the main terminal like we were supposed to, so we had a short train ride there and THEN had to find where we were supposed to be AND new shoes + running around airports= a no-go.) Anywho, we found where we were going and took a bus from the airport to our resort, which is technically in Disney. We are staying in the Sports All-Star Resort and I can’t even describe to you how epic it is. Food court, arcade, giant pool, different sports-themed buildings. I honestly hate most sports and I think it’s awesome anyway, so if you are like me and you get stuck in the sports resort, do not be concerned. Everything down to the shower curtain is a combination Disney-sports theme. The other All-Star resorts are movie, music and animation themed, from what I remember, and I can’t even imagine what they look like. When we checked in, we got the “Incredibles” electronic wristbands that you tap as a room key, credit card charge and fastpass at the parks.

                After we tried out our superhero gear (we actually felt more like Power Rangers, but you get the point), we ate at the Food Court and the food was AMAZING and not nearly as expensive as I was anticipating. Our bags were dropped off at our room when we came back from getting gelato (we never even had to go to the claim!) and we took a shuttle bus straight from our hotel to what is called Downtown Disney. We didn’t have all that much time (or energy) after our late arrival, so it was the perfect amount of activity. The bus did take a while to get there, but at least we weren’t standing like some others, since the bus was absolutely packed with people. Once we got there, it was beautiful! It was still decorated like crazy with Christmas stuff and there were carolers everywhere. There was a giant volcano thing that turned out to be a “Rainforest Café,” a steamboat that turned out to be a seafood restaurant, and giant figurines everywhere. Both the outside and the inside of each of the stores looked like attractions and there was unlimited food and shopping. The food was more expensive there, just so you know. The only issue was, it’s obviously way smaller than the parks and it’s the only thing that stays open late, so it was ridiculously crowded. Like “can’t even keep track of your family for 5 steps” crowded. Also, much of the merchandise was the same in a lot of the stores and with it being so difficult to stop and look at anything anyway, we ended up getting frustrated and leaving a little earlier than we’d planned.

                The rest of the night was uneventful. We just rode the bus home and bought some snacks from the Food Court while walking back across the resort. Tomorrow, we’re doing Magic Kingdom, which is what I’ve been looking forward to the most, so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to write about in the next section!

~Disney Vacay Entry #1~

Hey everyone! This is the first baby blog post in my Disneyworld vacation series! They are all pretty detailed, just because I wanted those of you who have not been to Disney to be able to enjoy this series as much as those who have. Some are just quickly written on the plane, some are more thorough at the end of a long day of Disney parks. Anyway, enough jabbering, hope you like them and let me know what you think! I’d also love to hear about your Disney parks or cruise experiences!

 

                First, to start off this little adventure-journal thing, I am 19 years old and have never gone anywhere besides Maine, Boston and NYC. That means I have also never been on a plane before this trip. I was absolutely terrified, but I always said that the only time I would fly would be if Disneyworld (or the less-likely Disneyland) were on the other end. I felt like I had to stick to my word, since I’d been begging both of my parents to take me for as long as I can remember. With Christmas and everything, I honestly didn’t have time to think about it….until the early hours of this morning, when I couldn’t sleep from all the anxiety. Ahh! Meanwhile, my little sister gets motion-sickness on long rides, so she got to take Dramamine an hour before we left (making me extremely jealous of how calm she was when we all thought she would be the nervous one).

                We got picked up at 5:30 AM by a GORGEOUS Lincoln town car (like the one that Mr. Big rides around in on “Sex and the City,” which was all I could think of). I told my sister to enjoy it because it would probably be the first and last time she’d ever get to ride in one. Anyway, once we got to the airport, I couldn’t even eat…trust me, it’s a huge deal for me. The whole security and boarding process went a lot faster than I expected (being terrified probably added to that just a tad). Boarding the plane, I was clutching onto my sister’s sweatshirt. The inside of the plane was a lot smaller than the ones they show in TV shows and movies. The longest period of down time was waiting for the plane to take off, which is conveniently when I was the most nervous. I’ve always been told that take off was the worst part, and I’m going to be brutally honest here…It wasn’t bad at all! If anything, it was fun! If any of you are really scared of flying and it has held you back from ever taking a plane, I’m here to tell you that it’s a lot less stressful than you think it’s going to be. Once you’re in the air, it’s impossible to visualize how high up you are.

                My first flight ever, however, did have a few minor glitches. There wasn’t too much turbulence or anything like that, but we had to make an emergency landing at JFK in New York because of the air pressure in the cabin. Switching planes and taking off again took about 2 hours (and I’m just glad I didn’t absolutely hate taking off and had to do it twice!) Even with all of this, I would fly again in a heartbeat. There is a bit of turbulence now, which is kinda scary, but I still haven’t really felt “unsafe” during any of this stuff. We’re landing in Orlando in about 30 minutes, but this has been my first notable experience of my Disney vacation-and we’re not even in Florida yet! I’m hoping to write at least once per day in installment-type sections, so let me know about your vacation escapades, I’d love to hear about them!

Peace and love,

Emmy

Making the Most of Being a "Little Fish"

                Living in Manhattan is considered one of the most exciting experiences in the world. The amazing sights, sounds, and opportunities suck in thousands of occupants and hopefuls alike. However, one can get lost in the hustle and bustle of the big city. It’s so easy for a person to feel small and insignificant when living among hundreds and thousands of goal-focused men and women. Having only been here for a few months myself, I find myself thinking quite often: what difference does my life make in such a huge and heavily occupied pond?

                What I’ve decided to do is make my life count- like really count! By trying to improve myself and therefore affect the future generations, I feel that I can make every day meaningful for both myself and those around me. Here are some of the goals that I hope to work on in the upcoming year:

1.       Be less superficial: As a girly girl, I tend to get caught up in loving makeup and tutorials- it verges on obsessive. That’s all perfectly fine, in my opinion, but it seems that my first thought upon meeting a new person (which tends to happen a lot during the first semester of school, by the way) is regarding whether they’re attractive or not. What the hell is that about? That’s not supposed to be a conscious thing you actually say to yourself in your head. I’ve begun to obsess over it when in reality, people have so much more to offer than their appearance. I hope to turn my focus on myself more to “healthy” than to “pretty” and think less about other’s appearances and more about what’s on the inside.

2.       Become my own woman!: Most women are very confident in the fact that they’re independent and don’t need a man- I’m not lucky enough to be one of those women and never have been. Every day, I just daydream about when my prince charming will get here a whisk me away. I so strongly prefer being in a relationship that I feel that I am very emotionally dependent on another person, whether a consistent friend or boyfriend. In moving to the city, I’ve already taken a step toward independence and as of being recently single as a result, I hope to continue the independence on an emotional level, as difficult as this can be in a new environment.

3.       Make the most of my time in college: Real moment: college is super expensive, so I want to get as much out of it as possible! For me, that means figuring out if I want to minor in something and also to be 100% sure that this major is for me by taking a wide variety of classes about many different subjects. I also want to stay focused on my acting without turning into the typical cut-throat, competitive aspiring actress. I want to find a balance between doing what I love in studio and still having time for truly experiencing New York entirely.  I want to discover what I REALLY love. Originally, as most of you know, I thought my calling was in the realm of musical theater, and I obviously love acting with all my heart, which is why I accepted changing my focus with open arms. However, as I’m learning more about myself, I’m realizing that I adore kids, weddings, fashion, writing for you guys (both articles and stories) and so much more! I’m hoping to figure this out through studio and NYC, which combination makes me happiest.

4.       Find balance between new life and family: I absolutely had to leave home to follow my dream and I completely understand embracing independence, but my family has always been super close. My new goal is to go home for one weekend every month, but it’s already been more frequent than that. I really hope that it will eventually become a relatively even balance of time and effort.

5.       Read books: The best sense of satisfaction accompanies finishing a good book, especially one that you’ve wanted to read for a long time. Although it might be a challenge schedule-wise, I hope to revisit favorites and classics and read great books that I’ve heard of, but never had the time to read. This is another way for me to learn through my own devices and choices.

6.       Only reach out to my true friends: College is all about meeting new people. It’s totally okay to have only superficial friends at first, but I eventually want to get to a point where I’m only putting in effort to genuine, loyal friends, both from home and school. This will assist with my visits back home as well because it’ll still be nice and everything, but old fake friends won’t hold me back. I will therefore be able to let go of negativity in my past and move forward in my new life on an emotional level.

7.       Find a way to help people: As much as I love acting, it’s always felt like a very self-serving profession. I’ve recently found a way for it to be less selfish (which I will talk about later, in case you’re interested), but I also try to reach out and help others through my writing. I’m interested in a little volunteer work on the sides as well. It doesn’t seem like much, but a small difference in the world around you is still a difference and you have no idea who you could be affecting.

8.       Broaden cultural horizons: Coming from a small town, I experienced little to no cultural diversity in my lifetime and the furthest I’ve travelled is Maine. NYU is incredibly diverse, and if I’m able to go abroad, I will be able to open my mind to new experiences and people. This one’s pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll move on to the end. (I think y’all have read enough at this point).

 

In general, I’m trying to figure out a way to make my life more meaningful every single day and I hope to inspire my readers to join me on this journey. You may be a little fish, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a big splash, both personally and for others.

A Friendly Warning

Hey guys, long time no talk!

(Just letting you know, I wrote this a long time ago, so keep that in mindJ)

                This weekend, I went home for an event at my old high school that tons of alumni go to. I was so excited to see all my friends that were coming home and to be doing something with my sister. I was just really looking forward to it! Then, on Thursday night, I was having a talk with one of my best friends from home who conveniently goes to the same college (it’s always nice to have at least one….you know, girl emergencies and such) and she was really upset that I was going home for this event that we knew my ex would be at. She said even though there was only a small chance of a direct run-in, I had made so much progress since we broke up (after 2 years together, in case you didn’t know). She also didn’t want me to look like “pathetic ex-girlfriend running around the old high school,” but I could care less about that.

                All night, I could not figure out what my friend meant. Did she think that although I’m not totally over it, I would regress back to being a total basket-case? That I would go back to changing the radio station every time any type of love song came on? That would go back to posting everything I did on Facebook to show him how “happy” I am and how great my life is? Well, I still sort of do that, let’s be honest. But really, does she think I’m that weak? Ladies and gents, I now know EXACTLY what she meant. The hole is back in my chest, the sinking feeling back in my stomach, the choking sadness back in my throat. Just from seeing him…and him not even acknowledging me. Awkward encounter is one thing, this was a whole new kind of hurt.

                When you think of 2 months after a break up, you picture someone moving on with their life, or even someone who’s perfectly okay when they reflect on their relationship, even someone who’s friends with their ex. I have realized that I am nowhere near this stage. Why does it feel like in the ending of relationships, I’m the only person who can’t let go?