DCP 2015: ON THE JOB TRAINING AND A SOLO TRIP TO EPCOT

Howdy y'all! Oh wait...hi everyone :) The past few days I've been training at my location in Frontierland so talking like a cowgirl is basically ingrained in my brain now! Remember how I had my "Earning My Ears" ribbon on my nametag while I was training? Well, yesterday I passed my assessment and finished my on the job training so I got to take my ribbon off! Tomorrow is my first shift on my own (when i say on my own i mean not training, i'm never really on my own because at any given time there are probably 50 other people working anyways!) and I know I won't be perfect at anything right away, but with a little faith, trust, and pixie dust I know can do it ;)

For those of you who might be wondering, I do in fact get to wear a costume to work! And yes, it is the same one every day! Actually, in addition to working at Pecos Bill's in Frontierland I also work at Tortuga Tavern in Adventureland (aka right across from Pirates of the Carribbean, aka my favorite ride ever) however sadly I wear the same costume for both :( I was really hoping for a piratey costume but no such luck! Surprisingly enough, I like my costume! (trust me, compared to some that i've seen, mine is cute!)

I had the day off on Thursday (!!!) so I decided to make a solo trip to Epcot while my roommates were all at work! Everyone felt bad for me when I told them I was going by myself, but honestly going alone is so much fun! You can wander around, do whatever you want when you want, and best of all: utilizing the single rider line, which gets you on practically every ride in 20 minutes or less!

Shockingly (sarcasm, you'll understand in a second), I started and ended my day in the United Kingdom pavilion! It's no Winchester or London, but it sure does make me feel like I'm back there if only for a little while :)

fish and chips...nom

italy! don't mind my finger lol

china! gotta come back and eat EVERYTHING

trolls in norway...

That up there is Norwegian school bread and IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! The bakery in the Norway pavilion has lots of yummy treats, but I had to try this one because I've heard so much about it. It's a bun with cream in the middle and cream/coconut on top! I was sad when it was gone because it was so delicious :(

I went on over to The Seas with Nemo and Friends later on in the day to check out all of the awesome marine animals! I had a nice conversation with a couple of cast members who had done the college program and are now doing a professional internship as dolphin trainers :)

until next time,

DCP 2015: RESORT HOPPING, MAGIC KINGDOM, AND BECOMING AN OFFICIAL CAST MEMBER!

Hi everyone! I've gotten up really early the past 2 days (like 5 a.m. early) so I apologize if this post seems a tad bit scatterbrained! I've been non-stop busy since my last post, so let's get into it! :)

Since we couldn't get into the parks yet, Meghan, Brittany and I went resort hopping on Wednesday. First we went to the Grand Floridian which I think so far is one of my favorite resorts...it's just so classy and beautiful!

The Grand Floridian is home to the Wedding Pavilion, and we went and had a peek since the gate was open! :)

brittany proposed to me...it was magical ;)

Next up, the Polynesian! As of right now, this resort is my number one...you can't beat tropical flowers and luaus!

Wanna know what the best thing about the Polynesian is? Nope, believe it or not it is not the private beach! It's the Dole Whip...

Behold the beauty! Now, I must say that I'm not the biggest fan of pineapple...but this pineapple and vanilla swirl soft serve is to DIE FOR. Dole Whip is bae <3

Last but not least, Wilderness Lodge! I've stayed at the Grand Californian in Disneyland before, and the Wilderness Lodge is very similar in style and theming.

On Thursday, I finally had Traditions! For those of you who may not know, Traditions is a class that all Disney College Program participants (and other cast members as well, I believe!) take before they become official Walt Disney World cast members! Traditions covers the history of the Disney company and the values and culture that structure it! The most exciting part of Traditions was getting my nametag and my first pair of ears :D Oh, and getting to go backstage in the Utilidors...sorry, my lips are sealed! ;)

On Friday night, Meghan and I used our park passes for the first time to go to Magic Kingdom! We were only there for a few hours (because it closed at 9 p.m.) but we managed to ride quite a few rides before it closed :) We utilized our time wisely and rode Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (the newest ride in Magic Kingdom) during the fireworks so we only had to wait about 15 minutes! Pretty good compared to the normal 100 minute wait...

my first mickey ice cream cone <3

my new home in frontierland :)

On Saturday morning, I had a class called Welcome to Food and Beverage which basically just covered food safety and all of that jazz. This morning I had my Magic Kingdom specific orientation (Once Upon a Time is Now...isn't that cute?) which consisted of a four hour walking tour and finally getting my costume! :D My first day of on the job training is tomorrow and I am excited! I will be working in the front of house, so if you are ever at Magic Kingdom and you see me, come say hi! :)

until next time,

AN INAUGURAL BOOK REVIEW: THRONE OF GLASS BY SARAH J. MAAS

Hi everyone! This is my very first book review on Essentially Shannon, and I couldn't be more stoked! I'm thankful for Thanksgiving break because I actually had a chance to read some books that I've been wanting to read for so long (kind of ironic because as an English major i'm constantly reading...) But on that note, I (literally, like two hours ago) just finished Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas so here is my review! :)

Hold on a second, can we just take a second to marvel at how beautiful this cover is? I know it's what's inside a book that's important, but come on. This cover is AMAZING. You don't even have to open the book to know it's going to be crazy good. I mean, you should open the book and read it...but just wait till after my review, okay? ;)

I feel like before I tell you what I thought of this book that I should just say: Harry Potter is, and will always be, my favorite book series. Nothing can ever compare. That's just how it is for me, literature wise. So, when a book/series even comes anywhere close to my love for Harry Potter, you know it has to be good. And this book does not disappoint in any way.

Okay, with that little disclaimer out of the way, let's get into this (spoiler free) review. First of all, you're probably wondering, "Shannon, what is this book even about?" Oh, I'll tell you what it's about. Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien, aka the most kickass female protagonist in any book ever, an 18 year old assassin who is imprisoned in the salt mines of Endovier while she serves out her sentence for the plethora of crimes she has committed. One day, everything changes when the Crown Prince arrives and offers Celaena her freedom, but with a catch: she will compete against other fugitives to become the King's Champion, the royal assassin who does the king's bidding without question. If she emerges victorious, she will be granted her freedom after four years of servitude as the royal assassin.

Upon her arrival in Adarlan, Celaena begins her training and things seem to be going pretty well. Although she pretends to be somewhat incompetent in front of the men she is competing against, it becomes clear that Celaena is the front runner to win the competition. However, her competitors start to be murdered one by one and Celaena discovers that something truly evil is lurking among them.

I know, I know, that synopsis is kind of vague but it has to be because I don't want to give anything important away! And plus, I really want you to read the book! ;) For me, this book started out a little bit slow (but really, what book doesn't) but once I got past the introduction of the world and the characters, I was hooked! Like I said earlier, Celaena Sardothein is the most kickass female protagonist ever. I mean for one, she's an assassin. And two, she doesn't take anyone's crap. And three, she wears beautiful clothes and Dorian the Crown Prince is in love with her. So, I mean what's not to like. 

I thought the plot was great, it kept me interested and there were a few red herrings, which always makes for an interesting read! The world building was pretty extensive (it is the first book in a series, after all) but I enjoyed getting to learn about the different kingdoms and I can't wait to learn more. In my opinion, for fantasy series in particular, creating an interesting world with an intriguing story and mythology is one of the hardest things to do but Maas went about it really well. This book is considered "romance" as well, and the romantic aspect was one of my favorite parts surprisingly. Usually, I am leery of romance in YA fantasy books because it tends to be cheesy or just plain annoying (cough Twilight cough) But, I am a huge fan of Celaena and Dorian (Delaena? Can we make that happen?) Their conversations were by far some of my favorite scenes in the book, and I can't wait to see where the next book takes their relationship.

Speaking of the next book (Crown of Midnight, if you're wondering), I loved Throne of Glass so much that I bought it immediately after I finished and I plan on starting to read it...oh, right after I finish this blog post! If I had to give Throne of Glass a rating, I would easily give it a 4.5 out of 5 starts! It's definitely up there on my list of favorite series and I can't wait to start the next book! If you're looking for a great fantasy read, I would most definitely recommend it!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7896527-throne-of-glass

until next time,