Day 1132: Before the Blog: FBLA

I realized that while I'm entering my 4th year of blogging, there's a whole lot of my life that came before Everyday Disney, and so much of it was focused on Disney. A while back I did a post titled "Before the Blog," where I discussed where I draw the line for what "Everyday" means for my blog. However, after chaperoning for FBLA this weekend I recalled that in all the blog posts I've written, I don't know if I've ever mentioned, or at least discussed in length, the Disney connection I have to FBLA.

In 2011, my FBLA adviser suggested to me that I should join Future Business Leaders of America, as it would most certainly benefit me professionally, but also for one key reason: nationals that year was in Orlando, and we all know what else is in the Orlando area. I obviously did end up joining FBLA, particularly participating in Public Speaking, although I had literally no clue what I was doing. I ended up writing a speech about public speaking, of all things, and it led me from Regionals and onto State. Much to my surprise, I took first place at State too, advancing me on to the National Convention in Orlando that had gotten me into the organization in the first place. We did head to Disney World on that trip, and you'll have to excuse young Lizzie in the picture above. Turns out I've changed a lot in 5 years or so...

That was a sort of odd trip for me though, as it was the first I'd taken in the summer, the first one I stayed (at least part of the time) at a hotel off property (that I remember), and also one of my first experiences with other Orlando area attractions aside from Disney. I loved every second of my FBLA Nationals experience, although I still definitely wouldn't trade my time at Disney for anything else.

But I think more than anything else, this trip holds a special place in my heart because I got to experience Disney with my Adviser's son and many of my friends from FBLA. That's not an experience you have everyday, and it's one of the reasons I love trips like these so much. Even though I wasn't going somewhere I'd never been before, I created memories that I'd never be able to create on a solo trip or a trip with my family, and that's what lasts in the long run.

I'm definitely hoping to do more of these "Before The Blog" posts in the future though! There's a lot of my life that's been filled with Disney long before I started blogging, and while those "everydays" may have been in the past, it doesn't mean they're completely irrelevant now!

Have a magical day!

Day 397: FBLA - Level: Chaperone

I am so tired right now that I'm honestly starting to question whether or not writing this blog post is a good idea...so humor me with my mistakes (I'm trying to get myself past that state of tiredness where I am no longer tired so I can work on my philosophy homework yet tonight).

Why am I so tired you ask?

Well, I was up at the wonderful hour of 5 this morning so I could go along with my High School FBLA Chapter to their Regional Competition. We had to be at school at 6:15, so that meant an early wakeup call for every single one of us. But it's always a fun day, so it's not like you can complain too much. Plus, this year it was in Kewaunee, and I have family there, so I got to see some of them today, which was pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

And you know what, while I don't specifically have a picture of it, a little bit of Disney did work its way into the competition today, specifically in a workshop on leadership. I missed the first couple of minutes of the workshop because I escorted someone out so they could leave with their parent, but I was there for most of it, including the Disney part.

One of the speakers talked about the four different kinds of leaders, and he used animals to describe them: The Golden Lion, The Loyal Blue Retriever, The Busy Beaver (or something like that) and the something or other Monkey (I honestly don't remember what it was other than it was Curious George on the slide). Now, the Lion, that was Mufasa...and I felt accomplished because even at first glance I knew it was Mufasa and not Simba (also everytime I write Mufasa I just hear it in like a hyena voice LOL). And then the Beaver wasn't really a beaver at all, but was the groundhog (I think it is) from Winnie the Pooh. The speaker was saying that he couldn't find an actual cartoon beaver that we would know and I was like "LADY AND THE TRAMP!" Except for quiet and only to my friends.

So now I'm sitting here trying not to fall asleep while my cat sits on my lap and does just that: fall asleep. Silly kitten.

Have a magical day!

Day 107: No Disneyland

Today is my first day back to normal life after spending the last few days at our State FBLA conference, and sadly, I have to report that I'm not headed to nationals this summer...and therefore, there will be no Disneyland this summer. I received 6th place at the competition in Public Speaking II, and while I'm fine with not winning, it is still a bit disappointing to not go to Nationals...and specifically for me, Disneyland.

But since my speech was largely about how FBLA has changed me as a person, and about my goals to become an Imagineer, I figure that I shouldn't dwell on it for too long. Life does go on, after all, and we always keep moving forward. That's certainly something both FBLA and Disney have taught me, and it makes no sense for me to stop listening to that advice now.

Honestly though, I think more than anything, I'm just awful tired. The state conference is an amazing event...but the downside is that you get very little sleep...and therefore, everyone who went is walking around with glazed over eyes today. I have to say that I found it a bit amusing when I got out of bed and it felt as if my feet had been to Disneyland without me...when in reality it was just from wearing my heels so much the past two days.

Hopefully there will be a trip to Disneyland in my future though, and in fact, I know there will be, because I'm not going to stop chasing my dream of becoming an Imagineer. I may have lost, and I may not be going to Disneyland this summer, but I'll get over it, and I'll continue to obsess over Disney as I always do. It's how life works.

We keep moving forward.

Here's Today's Disney History: 1924: Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and the Louis B. Mayer Company merge to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...or MGM. MGM will become one of the biggest producers and distributors of films and television programs and even team-up with Disney to open a Florida theme park in 1989 called Disney-MGM Studios (known today as Disney's Hollywood Studios).

Have a magical day!

Day 105: Little Things: FBLA Edition

Once again, I'm writing at a later date, but this one really does have reference to particular day and experiences I had! On the day this article was supposed to be written (and is dated as such), I was smack dab in the middle of my Future Business Leaders of America state competition...which is, was, and would be my final FBLA competition...unless I go back to help next year, but this was it for competing.

Anyway, we spent three days at Wisconsin Dells for the event, and there were several little things present throughout those days that really had references to Disney. The last time I did a "little things" post was back in January, when I talked about the references in my Physics class...but I realize now that "Little Things" could be somewhat of a normal post, because in reality, there are many small details in our lives that remind us of Disney...at least there are for those who are as into the company and parks as I am.

So here's a few things at the FBLA State Leadership Conference that reminded me of Disney:

Off the top of my head, one of the first I can think of was one of the buses we were on. The Dells Center, where all the large events were held, was about a half mile to a mile away, so we had bus shuttling for when we needed to be over there...meaning that multiple times a day we would all crowd onto a school bus for a short trip down a very narrow winding road. It really wasn't all that bad, especially since one time we got on the bus and I immediately thought of two things, and then told my best friend the thoughts that had entered my head. The smell was distinct, and it reminded me of nothing more than a combination of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Spaceship Earth. I don't really know how to describe this smell, other than there was a hint of BBQ sauce stuck in there...but it certainly got my attention and made me think of Disney.

While I didn't take the test itself, a few of my friends competed in an open event and told me there was a question about Disney on the test. I'm honestly not sure what the question was, or if I'd even be allowed to post it online if I did know, but there was a question, and I thought that was really awesome...even if I didn't see it for myself.

My best friend and I also made a small reference to Singin' in the Rain every once and a while. Pretty much every time we were on the bus we started singing Moses from the song...which was just awesome...and each morning we woke to Good Morning playing on my phone. Originally we were going to watch Sleeping Beauty and Brother Bear, but since that didn't happen, it doesn't really count much more than we thought about it.

But I think the most I thought of Disney was with the customer service of the hotel. I'm not saying the hotel was terrible, it was quite enjoyable, but I realized just how many things there are at Disney that we take for granted. The internet was terrible where we were staying, a far cry from the free wifi that works great everywhere on Disney property (especially in the hotels...where it is honestly faster than my wired internet at home...and think! They provide internet for every guest on property...which is way more than any other hotel). Along with this, when we first arrived, we had a group of 15 people and four carts of luggage, and were told that our room wasn't ready and that we wouldn't be able to check in until later...even if our bus was leaving and we had nothing else to do. Now, Disney has similar policies, but it reminded me of when I did go to Disneyland a couple of years ago, and one of my favorite memories was made when we were told our room was ready, traveled up multiple floors and found that it wasn't. We headed back to the lounge and got upgraded to a park view room for free. To this day I wouldn't want to stay in any other room than a park view room at Paradise Pier. I loved seeing World of Color every single night (it is, in every way, my favorite part of Disneyland). That was awesome of Disney to do, and our hotel this past weekend did nothing but argue with our adviser  Every visitor at Disney is a guest, and nothing less. They get the best quality, and if they don't, there's someone there to try and make it more magical anyway.

I'm sure there were a few other things at FBLA that really reminded me of Disney, but those are the main ones in my head, at least at the moment! I can't say for sure if there will be more "Little Things" posts, but something tells me they will make an appearance again.

Here's today's Disney History: 1962: Voice actor Tom Kane is born Thomas Roberts is Overland Park, Kansas. Best known as the voices of Yoda and Admiral Yularen in the TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as of 2012 Kane is the new narrator aboard Walt Disney World's monorail system. His Disney credits also include episodes of Kim Possible.

Have a magical day!

Day 33: FBLA

Today was my regional FBLA competition. I know I talked briefly about it the other day, but since today was the actual competition and it largely involved Disney for me, I figured I'd talk about it a little more.

I participate in Public Speaking II, which means I write a speech, memorize it and then present it to a group of judges. This is my third and final year in FBLA, and I'm more determined to go to nationals than ever. Why? Because it's in a little city called Anaheim, California...which just happens to be the location of Disneyland. I have been excited about it for quite a while...and I really want to make it to nationals. At the moment though, I really want to focus on state and getting to finals. One step at a time. One step at a time. 

But anyway, we don't have a lot of guidelines for writing this speech, other than it needs to include an FBLA goal and be centered on Business. This year, since it is my final year, I decided to do a speech on just how much FBLA has impacted me. I don't want to talk too much about the content here though, just in case someone out there is reading...but it does center largely around how FBLA has changed me as a person and has helped me in my decision to become an Imagineer. Of course, it's a challenging occupation  but basically because of FBLA I am prepared to do whatever it takes to reach that goal. 

And so, I ended up recieving first place, and that means I'm going to state competition. I won first place the last two years as well at the regional level, once in Public Speaking I and once in Public Speaking II, and at state I got 1st in public speaking I and 5th in Public speaking II. Overall pretty successful I think. I'm exciting to be headed to state for my third year, and I can't wait to continue work on my speech and make it the best it can be. 

Here's today's Disney History: 2006: Disney announces that the Disneyland and Disney World Pirates of the Caribbean attractions will be undergoing a 3-4 month makeover to work in character and plot elements from the movie series that took its inspiration from the original attraction. (The attraction now features Jack Sparrow, Mermaids and several other elements of the film series).

Have a magical day!