Disney College Program Course Registration

The course registration for the fall classes during the Disney College Program opened tonight at midnight eastern time. I however totally forgot about it, even though I had been reminding myself about it all day today in order to not forget. Tonight I was finishing up my assignments for one of the summer online courses I am currently taking to offset taking this fall semester off when the registration opened. Not thinking anything remotely about registering for my DCP classes, I got onto blogger to see if any of the blogs on my reading list had a new post. At the top of my list was a post by the blog Hannah's DCP about how she registered for classes and everyone on the Facebook group was freaking out when the registration opened due to the site being overloaded with traffic and not loading. As soon as I saw her post I panicked and quickly signed onto the on-boarding sight to register afraid that all of the classes would be full. Unfortunately Disney Heritage was wait-list only. However, that was not the only class I had in mind of taking. The class that I registered up for was my first choice, Creativity and Innovation. It cost only $24 to take and I believe I will have to buy/rent a book for the course as well. Compared to all of the cost of college courses this is a steal, and I have no problem with paying that amount.

You can take two classes during the fall, but I could not decide if I wanted to take any of the other courses. I am a Sociology major and a Psychology minor so a lot of the courses have no relation to my degree. The one that did in a way was the Security Professional Studies course, but I am not going into that area so it would serve no real purpose to me. I would LOVE to take the Engineering Professional Studies course!!! I almost majored in engineering and wanted/would love to be an Imagineer, but you have to be a engineering major to take the course. So I just opted to wait-list the Disney Heritage class, and if I don't get in it is cool and I will take just one class :)

So a big Thank You! goes out to Hannah for reminding me with your post tonight to register for classes!! On another note, I am even more excited now (if that's even possible!) after registering for classes to start my Disney College Program!!!! 43 Days!!!

Lifeguard Re-Certification

                                   

So Saturday I got re-certified as a lifeguard through the American Red Cross. I decided that I wanted to re-certify for several reasons. The biggest is to have a little extra income this summer (other than what I am already making as an Assistant Swim Team Coach) to save for my Disney College Program this fall!! Another is so that I get some more experience as a lifeguard before I am one this fall during my DCP. Also, it helped me know that I am prepared to be a lifeguard for Disney.

Going into the re-certification class I was really nervous about remembering everything and how to properly do it. I knew deep down I would be just fine and everything would go smoothly, but that didn't help calm my irrational nerves. However, despite my nerves everything went great like I knew it really would! I was able to breeze through the re-certification requirements.

For the American Red Cross swim tests I had to do:

•a 300 yard swim test- 100 freestyle/American crawl, 100 breast stroke, 100 freestyle/American crawl in that order without stopping

•the brick test- swim 20 yards, retrieve a 10 pound brick-equivalent to a hundred pound person in the water- from 10 ft deep water, and swimming the brick back carrying it with both hands on your chest while on your back within a minute and forty seconds(which is way more than enough time to do it in)

•a two minute no hands water treading

I also was able to successfully and effectively demonstrate all of the proper techniques for lifeguard saves/rescues, CPR, AED, and First Aid without any trouble. Plus I passed the written test without missing a single question.

So I re-certified through  American Red Cross, but for Disney we have to certify through another group called Ellis. The swim tests that you take the night of check-in consists of (from what I have gathered from others) is:

•a 200 yard swim- 100 less than the American Red Cross!

•a brick test- retrieving a brick from about 8ft using a feet first surface dive (basically the same as the American Red Cross only I am not sure if Ellis has a time limit for this like the Red Cross does)

•a two minute tread- exactly what I did Saturday

I am not sure what all of the training sessions will be like in regards of comparison to the American Red Cross ones, but I do know Ellis will be more thorough due to there being water parks, slides, and other added risks to worry about when on duty as a lifeguard at Disney. Even though there are some differences between the two processes, I believe that I will be just fine! :) I finally feel like I will be able to do my DCP role to the best of my ability this fall, and it feels awesome knowing that I am prepared for it!! I am super excited to start my DCP!!!!! Too bad I have 47 days till my check in. It's a good thing my summer is going great and time is flying by! :)

Oh and if any of the information about the swim tests for Ellis is wrong feel free to leave a comment and I will correct it :)

"And, it's also my birthday, just so you know"

So today was my 20th birthday!!!!! Well yesterday was, because this most likely will not be uploaded till the 2nd, haha! If you don't know where the quote in the title is from, it is from Tangled! I love that one and this one:

Rapunzel: So mother, earlier I was saying tomorrow is a really big day, and you didn't really respond, so I'm just gonna tell you: IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! Tada!

Mother Gothel: No no no, can't be. I distinctly remember, your birthday was last year.

Rapunzel: That's the funny thing about birthdays, they're kind of an annual thing. 

I went around saying them and the lines around them with my sister all last week and today! :)

                     I couldn't decide if I liked the picture or the full quote better so I put them both :)                    

One of the best things that happened on my birthday was after asking for a long time, I FINALLY got the Buzz Lightyear to my Woody!!!

                              

One of the coolest things about him is the fact that he came with ANDY written on the bottom of his foot!!! Also that he has the Star Command access panel communication spot, his laser works, and he has karate chop action!!!! 

   

              


I also got Anna and Elsa Disney Infinity characters! I will have to make a post one day about the Disney Infinity collection that my family and I have gathered over time. When I do I will link it here. Along with Anna and Elsa, I got two Frozen Posters that are Awesome!!! Plus they are only $5 each at Walmart and there are five different posters to choose from!!! These are the ones my family got me and I am in LOVE with them!!!

            

My cake this year was also Disney themed, it was a Disney Fairies cake with Tinker Bell and her sister Periwinkle on it. However, it still does not top the cake my sister made me for my 18th birthday. So while I do not have a picture of my cake from this year, I do have a picture of the AMAZING cake my sister made me for my 18th birthday so here it is:

Toy Story will always be my favorite movie ever, but Finding Nemo is sooo close they are almost tied at first. To have them both on my cake that year and tied in to each other the way they were on this cake thanks to the Hawaii Vacation Toy Story short was just perfectly amazing!!!!

I got other non-Disney items for my birthday too, my favorite being a new camera that I am really excited about from my parents!!! I am going to try out vlogging with it, because I really love the idea of vlogging and LOVE watching DCP vlogs!! So I hope to make my first vlog/youtube video sometime this week/weekend, and if I do I will link it on here. Fingers crossed that I like doing them!!

Disney College Program Up Themed Countdown!!!

So I decided that I really wanted to do a count down calendar for my Disney College Program. Finally after weeks of wanting to make one I finally buckled down and made one. I looked to Pinterest for ideas and came across a lot of great ones but none that I really loved until I came across this idea by Kawaii Jess. You can find her pin here and if you want to pin my idea there is a button at the bottom of this post that allows you to or you can find the pin I have for it here.

Everyday her boys would pop balloons and inside would be a paper that had a different activity on the inside for them to do. I LOVED the Up theme of the countdown but I HATE to pop balloons. I decided that instead of popping balloons to count down I would add balloons to Mr. Fredricksen's house to help me fly away to my destination. So each day I will attach a new balloon to Mr. Fredricksen's house and reveal how many days I have left before I have enough balloons to "take off" to my Disney College Program!!!

The countdown calendar took me about a day to complete, mainly due to all the balloons I had to make. It was actually easier than I ever thought it was going to be. The supplies I used was very minimal and cheap due to having everything at my house. All I used was colored copy paper, white printer paper, sharpie, scissors, stick glue, tape, and a number/alphabet stencil I had around my house.

For the house I based my design off of the original pin that I found, because I liked how simplistic it was and how it still resembles Mr. Fredricken's house. For someone like me who is not the most artistic person in the world this house was very easy to do.

As for the balloons I made them by tracing a balloon shape from a post-it-note type paper in a balloon shape and making a paper stencil to use. I then folded each piece of paper in half and traced the balloon shape on one side. I then would cut two balloons out at once. For the numbers I traced them using stencils I had around the house, and after tracing the numbers I filled them in using sharpie.  For the strings I just cut strips of the paper.

 

  For the balloon holder that tells me how many days I have to go, I just took two sheets of paper and taped them together in an envelope fashion. Then I used the same stencils that I used for the numbers to do the letters on the balloon holder.

*I am really excited to see the balloons grow and grow as my DCP grows nearer!!! This countdown calendar can be reused for future countdowns, but I think that I am going to keep mine all together when I am done with the countdown and turn it into a mural type wall art. Also I can finally say that I marked one thing off my DCP bucketlist so far!!!

Disney Vera Bradley Purchase!!!

     So yesterday I got in my Disney Vera Bradley "Midnight With Mickey" Print Mini Hipster Bag! If you aren't familiar with the Disney Vera Bradley Prints let me tell you some about them. Every season Vera Bradley puts out new prints for their products. Their products are mostly purses, bags, and wallets along with similar items such as id cases, lunch bags, and office supplies. Vera Bradley is a popular brand among both adults and teenagers, therefore Disney paired up with the company to make Disney exclusive prints. The prints debuted at the 2013 Disney Flower and Garden Festival and went on sale last fall. Disney started off with two prints: "Just Mousing Around" and "Midnight with Mickey".

"Just Mousing Around"(left) and "Midnight with Mickey"(right)

     I was originally going to order the smartphone wallet in "Just Mousing Around", but before I could make up my mind on if I wanted the wallet or possibly a bag everything was sold out online. So I decided that I would just wait and see if they restock online, because the only other option for me would have been to buy one that was waaayy over priced on ebay.



     Disney did not restock the "Just Mousing Around" online, and I have no idea if they still have that print in the parks. Disney and Vera Bradley have since released at least two more prints "Where's Mickey" and "Perfect Petals". On top of that they announced a new print called "Bouncing Bouquet" that is being released soon or just has in the parks (I'm not sure about it's release).




"Perfect Petals"

"Bouncing Bouquets"



"Mousing Around"

     As of right now disneystore.com has the print "Midnight with Mickey" in stock in the Smartphone Wallet, Zip ID Case, Hipster Bag, Large Duffel Bag, Backpack, and Mini Hipster Bag items. When these items came back in stock online I was looking for a small cross-body bag that I could carry around the parks this fall with ease. Normally all I carry around on a daily bases is a Vera Bradley All-in-One Wallet that I have had for like four years now. Therefore, I decided that the Mini Hipster Bag would be the perfect size for me to carry around the parks this fall while I am on the DCP. It easily stores all of the stuff I had in my wallet in the built in card slots, and there will be plenty of room for me to carry around a camera, sunscreen, sunglasses, and other things I might want like my pin lanyard.

     Now when it comes to the Disney Vera Bradley Prints the layout of the pattern on your item varies and can turn out all sorts of ways when you receive it. There have been numerous people who have had to order their item, then sell the item on ebay, then order another one of the items sometimes multiple times to get a pattern layout on their item that they liked. I however think I got really lucky for I got the perfect pattern layout for me!

     I really did not want too big or too many Mickey and Minnies on my bag because I really like the other parts of the pattern! So having Mickey and Minnie right in the center of the flap is perfect! It shows them off all while letting the rest of the pretty colors and design shine as well.

     With Disney Store orders you have to pay shipping unless the order is over $75. This bag was $65, and shipping would have been a little over $10. So instead of wasting $10 on shipping, I just bought $10 worth of stuff and got free shipping! What I got were these awesome cups, one for me and one for my sister. They are soo cute and I love them!!

 

 

     So this might not have been completely Disney College Program related, but in a way it is because it is items I will use during my program all the time!! If I wind up vloging as well as blogging (which I hope to do because it seems like a ton of fun!) I will try to remember to do a what is in my bag vlog to show what all the Mini Hipster can hold and what all it has in terms of pockets and things. If you have any questions about anything just comment on this post or any other and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Oh and I hope all of the CPs that checked in this past Monday are having a blast so far with check-in and traditions!! Also that those that will be checking in during these up coming weeks will have an awesome time as well!!



You've been accepted into a DCP now what?

      Everything builds up to the moment you get accepted into a DCP. Once you get accepted you pay your program fees of $304.50 (this is the current cost and it covers housing activities and rent for the first two weeks when you aren't really getting paid), pick your arrival date, and find your roommates. Once those few steps are done you are back to waiting again. There is still a bit of paper work that you have to do, as well as register for housing and classes, but none of these things are available till a month or so before your program. For those doing just Fall, like I am, there are around 100 days or so till those things are open to us. There is still a ton of waiting for us Fall DCP folks. So here are some thing that you could do while waiting on your DCP to start:

•make a blog

-blogs are a great way to keep family and friends up to date on how everything is going without having to call everyone all of the time, and if you make it this early you can work out all the kinks before your family and friends see it

•make some vlogs

-same thing as the blogs, only with vlogs they can actually hear your voice and see what you are talking about

•read some blogs

-there are tons of DCP blogs out there and they offer tons of suggestions for things to do when you are down there

•watch some vlogs

-there are even more DCP vloggers out there that take you on some pretty awesome experiences, my favorite is amypuddlesDCP

•chat with some of your future fellow Cast Members

-Go on the Facebook group and chat it up

•make sure everything is good to go with your school and scholarships

-now is the time to make sure everything is in order with your school, not once you're down in Florida 

•make a Disney themed countdown

-There are tons of fun countdowns that you can make to help the time go by faster. Pinterest is a great place to go find ideas for Disney countdown!

•make a DCP bucket list

-a bucket list will help you figure out some of the thing you want to do when you are doing your DCP and will be a great reference on days you can't figure out what you want to do. You could even take yours and your roommates bucket list items and put them into a jar to draw out of to see what to do that day. Kind of like this only with Disney ideas.

 

•spring clean your room

-hate it or not it's a time waster, and you will know where everything is when it is time to pack.

•prepare for your DCP role

-this is more geared for lifeguards, prepare for the swim and CPR/lifeguard tests that you have to pass in order to keep your role and not be transferred to another

•make a Disney canvas 

-make a Disney canvas painting to put up in your room now and when you get to the DCP

•make a DCP Pinterest board 

-you can pin bucket list ideas, Disney quotes, and tips about the parks and the DCP

•learn to cook very easy and simple meals

-learn now or else you will wind up eating ramen or hot pockets every night

•take the empty boxes, bags, suitcases, and containers you will pack with and do a mock packing of your car to see exactly what you will be able to fit in you car

-this will let you know just how much you can fit into your car to take down there, and it will help you not over pack 

•make a detailed packing list

-this makes sure that you don't forget any of the important stuff and don't bring a lot of unnecessary stuff

•focus on school instead

-drive head first into school, pass those finals, and get that 4.0 GPA

*who am I kidding, how can one possibly focus fully on school when they are going to Disney soon!!!

•volunteer

-spend your time volunteering and if helping others is not enough of a reason, it also will beef up your resume 

•watch every Disney movie in order

-bring out those old VHS and watch every movie from Snow White to Frozen and don't forget Pixar movies!! You could even have a separate marathon of Pixar movie if you like

•dye your hair

-it's your last chance to do so before you have to follow "the Disney Look"

•disneybound

-this is an awesome thing to do to keep your disneyitis (like senioritis but worse) somewhat at bay

*if for some reason you don't know what disneybounding is here is the link to their tumblr http://disneybound.tumblr.com

•get a short time job

-get a summer job in the role you were selected for to gain more experience in it, and/or to make extra money for spending on the program

•sell or donate old cloths and items

-donating will feed your sole, but selling them to confinement/second hand shops will feed your piggy bank so that you have extra money to do things during your DCP

*Remember these are just my opinions and half of these I made up on the spot. If you have any ideas on how a future CP like myself can pass the time before their program feel free to comment them or any questions you have below.

 

A Kid at Heart

     So this was yesterday's (March 27th) Luann. This sums up my ideal way to spend a day perfectly and to top it off Toy Story is my favorite movie!!! I not only can see my sister and I saying the same things, we do stuff like that a lot! When I lived in the dorms at the college I transferred from my favorite thing to do in the morning was watching Disney Junior while sitting on my bed eating cereal. If I was really lucky I had Cap'n Crunch! When I do things that I did so often as a kid I remind myself to not stress over school or whatever is on my mind and instead remember how simple and easy going life can be and is. I can say whole heartily that I still get the same satisfaction from doing what is considered "kids stuff" as I did when I was a kid. Therefore I truly am still a kid at heart, always will be, and can totally relate to this comic!!! I hope that you got the same joy of reading this as I did!

Update March 28th: Here is today's Luann and they watched Toy Story and ate Fruit Loops!

Update #2 March 29th: Luann just keeps getting better and better for me! I think that today I will do just as them and watch Toy Story, drink Kool-Aid, and eat some Cap'n Crunch!