Everyday Life With Mindy

Pumpkin carving is a typical Halloween festivity!

I will more than likely be doing that this season too, but I also decided to paint some pumpkins!

Have you ever painted a pumpkin?

To me, it felt pretty relaxing and therapeutic! I haven’t painted in a few months but there’s something about a monotonous stroke of the paint brush that makes me feel at peace.

Painting pumpkins is a really fun Halloween activity to do with your significant other, friends and family of all ages!!

I decided to go the simple route with my pumpkins. I wanted some to put on my front porch and what better designs could I have done for that reason?

One pumpkin says, “Branson” because that’s the town I live in. The second pumpkin has the numbers, “231” because they are in my address!

I used acrylic paint that I bought at Hobby Lobby. I also used my boyfriend’s heat gun to speed along the drying process, which you don’t HAVE to have!!

Check out my pictures, below!

Let me know if you are going to be painting pumpkins this season, too!

Also, in casebook you’re wondering, my adorable T-shirt is from the boutique, “Lacie Girl” and I found them through the app/website, “Jane.”

Specific Shop Instagram: @laciegirls

Specific Website: http://www.laciegirl.com

Housing Website is: Jane.com

Housing App is: Jane

Housing Instagram handle is: @veryjane

Do you love to dress fancy or casual?

I actually love both, but I can never go wrong with a comfortable tee!! This tee is incredibly soft and has a stretchy feel to it. I’ve never own a sage colored shirt but now it might be one of my favorite shades! I truly find this color and design adorable, yet sporty!! You could wear it for an evening with friends, on a casual date or even to a sporting event!! So versatile!

I found this Varsity Tee through http://www.jane.com which is a beautiful website/app (Jane) that houses MANY boutiques!! You can also find them on Instagram using their handle: @veryjane

The particular boutique I found this Varsity Tee in is called, Glowing Gold Boutique! You can find them on Instagram using their handle: @glowinggoldboutique

Below you will see some pictures of this Varsity Tee! 

Remember how I explained the challenge I am accepting, with Forrest?

Well, it all started with breakfast. I am in love with breakfast! I always have been and I always will be. It doesn’t matter what kind of breakfast it is, unless it is pork roll!!

Sidenote :  My friend, Kaitlyn, lives in New Jersey and when I was there visiting her last summer, I tried pork roll for the first time. She mentioned how it is a hit or miss on whether people like it or not, but let’s just say it wasn’t my favorite! 😂

Let’s get back to it! I love breakfast. A few weeks ago I was talking to Forrest about how I wanted to try all of the breakfast nook‘s in Branson!  The long list of restaurants had me wanting to add every food joint I hadn’t tried yet, to my list!

So, we checked out Clockers, in Downtown Branson!

Clockers is an older establishment in my town and I am sure thousands of people have eaten there over the years. Our waitress was extremely nice and very efficient. She kept our glasses full and checked on us multiple times. As a former waitress, that is one thing I tune in to because I find customer service to be the most important aspect of serving!

 I ordered The Haystack!

The Haystack is 1/2 a biscuit, a sausage patty, 1/2 an order of hashbrowns, and an egg all smothered with sausage gravy!

Mmmm it was so good!!! I stayed full for hours!

Forrest ordered The Country Fried Platter!

Which is: Your choice of sirloin steak or pork tenderloin, hand cut and battered, then fried to perfection, covered in rich country gravy, served with 2 eggs, hashbrowns and your choice of bread.

I know we really enjoyed the meal, the workers and the intriguing painting at our booth, that had Forrest and I busy interpreting for an hour!

If you have any questions about this restaurant you may drop a comment below or check out their website linked below.

https://www.clockerscafe.com/menu/

Clockers Cafe
103 S Commercial St
Branson, MO 65616

Phone: 417-335-2328
Email: contact@clockerscafe.com

Have you ever wanted to accomplish the task of visiting every single restaurant and doing every little thing in your hometown?

Forrest and I have decided to take on that challenge, in my hometown! So, for those of you who don’t know, I live in a tourist town. People from all over the United States, and even other countries, visit my town. I personally think there’s a lot to do and see here, but I know there are some others who disagree, and that’s okay!! However, I LOVE living in Branson, Missouri!!

You know how I mentioned tackling every restaurant and every attraction? Well, we’re just focusing on the restaurants right now. We’ll hop on the attraction train later!!

So, this past weekend we drove the 25 miles to Branson West and  we tried “Pizza by the Chef” for the very first time!!

You guys!! I’m not kidding when I say I paused for about 4 seconds when I took my first bite of that pizza!! I froze! I thought that was the best bite of pizza I’d ever tasted!!

Seriously! We had a pizza called, “Hercules.” The amazing flavors of the sausage, Canadian bacon, salami, pepperoni and cheese just POURED out of that pizza. I could taste every bit of the flavoring. I was extremely impressed and happy to say I’ve finally tried the pizza I hear so much about!! If you have the chance to visit Branson, Missouri, make sure you put this restaurant on your to-do list!!

The staff was also great. They all pitched in to help serve, clean and seat. It was a teamwork atmosphere!! The bathrooms were super clean and I personally watched an employee wipe off the tables TWO times for extra cleanliness. You don’t see that often! Overall, I give the experience a 10 out of 10!

Restaurant 1. Pizza by the Chef ✅

 

Website: http://www.mypizzabythechef.com/

Contact Number: (417) 272-8287

Branson West
18050 Business 13 Unit B
Branson West, MO — 65737

 

If you aren’t a teacher or don’t really know a teacher, you may not know what all goes into getting a classroom ready!

I’ll tell you, it’s a lot of work! At my school, I’m so blessed to have a janitorial staff who spend countless summer hours in the school, preparing the floors, walls, bathrooms and halls for the upcoming school year!! Seriously – they’re amazing! With that, it means teachers have to take almost everything down, off of walls and counters, every May (or June, God forbid)! Trust me, that’s a ton of work! So, when it’s time to get my classroom ready in August, for a new school year, it’s quite time consuming. Thankfully though, I have a boyfriend who is incredibly talented!!

My boyfriend’s name is Forrest and he is a graphic designer, for the Oklahoma State University college football team. Forrest not only designs logos, posters, wall art, recruiting graphics and basically any other kind of graphic, but he is also an incredible artist. Y’all should see his work!! Anyway, I’m thankful I’ve had him to help me decorate my classroom the past three school years!

This is Forrest! ❤️🧡❤️

This is an example of something he’s painted for my classroom, in the past! I told you he’s good!!

This year, my school went back to “pirates” as our building theme because we are the Branson Pirates! Fitting, right?! My classroom transformed in a matter of days because of Forrest!

We started the morning by picking up some Krispy Kreme donuts, because Forrest deserved them for his help, as he told himself haha! He LOVES Krispy Kreme!!

Then, we got to work and powered through the last of multiple days in my classroom!! At the end of the pictures, there’s a link to my Vlog, on my YouTube account, about this very day!! Please check it out. There’s some humor in there that you just can’t possibly miss out on!!

My mom put together those sweet little candy bags!! I have a great support system!! 🙌🏼

Let me know what you think and don’t forget to check out my Vlog!! Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/gjRBjed0lEM

xoxo,

Mindy

Disney College Program Part II

I’m back with more on the DCP!

“What was it like to move to Florida?”

That’s a good question! I believe many people have a hard time thinking about living in a tourist trap, especially one as big as Disney World, but once I got past the awful drivers, it wasn’t so bad! But really… watch out for the drivers if (and when) you go!!

“What was it like to be so far from your family?”

In all honesty, I had a hard time being away from my family. This is the part about my experience that most people have never heard. I went away to college but my school was a tiny bit over an hour away from home, so I had the opportunity to see my family quite often!! However, when I moved to Florida, I believe that was the longest I had to go without seeing my fam. That was hard!! Harder than I had anticipated… and because of that, I wanted to move home and leave the internship very early on. Which leads me to the next question I received:

“What were the hardest parts about working at Disney World, for you?”

Missing my parents, the comforts of home, adjusting to a very strict boss/captain who sincerely intimidated the heck out of me, stressing about the time schedule you can’t mess up on as a character attendant, finding my way around backstage Disney, making it to work on time because all of the buses and trams you have to catch backstage, making sure I had on white socks if I was wearing shorts or black socks if I was wearing pants (which is a big deal), focusing on not dying every day I got in my car while dodging careless drivers or drivers who had no idea where they were going or what they were doing, all played a part in why I didn’t think I was going to last my full internship.

I remember crying on the phone with my parents saying, “I want to go home!! I don’t want to stay here! I don’t know where I’m going! My captain at work scares me! I don’t know anyone!” Etc.

I’m so thankful my parents calmed me down and had me focus on why I chose to do the internship in the first place!! I had to redirect my thoughts and attitude. I had to make a decision to be happy, find my way around and see that time in life as an independent growing/learning period! Once I changed my mindset and realized life didn’t have to be so scary or stressful, I really enjoyed myself and my internship! So much so, when my internship ended, I was in tears heading home!! Tears all around!!

“Did you enjoy working at Disney January-May or do you wish you had done the fall internship?”

This is a tough question, so thank you to those of you who asked me this because it has made me think!! I really don’t think I would have a huge preference. I enjoyed January – May because the end of January and all of February, the parks were pretty vacant. There were obviously people everywhere, but in comparison to most seasons at Disney, the parks were VERY open during those times. My friends and I enjoyed the “no wait” signs in front of rides and attractions and you could walk with space between you and the people you’re with instead of walking on top of one another!!

Working a fall internship would be very fun because of all the decorations and festivities geared toward the holidays!! Everything in the parks would be festive and consistent/appealing to the eye. Characters would be dressed in adorable outfits for each season/holiday, so you’d get to experience a lot of cheerful times in the parks. On the flip side, my sister worked a fall internship at Disney a few years before I worked there and I experienced her sadness during Thanksgiving, especially. I think it was hard for her to be away from family during the holidays. I know Halloween wasn’t hard for her to be away and Christmas was fine because we all traveled to Florida and spent Christmas in Disney, but I do know Thanksgiving was tough for her. So, if holidays aren’t important to you, you may not think twice about working a fall internship!!

“Did you have to find a place to live?”

Yes and no!! Disney College Program interns are blessed to be able to live on Disney property! There are a few apartment complexes. Some are known for being better housing than others. In order to get the housing complex of your choice, you have to stand in a giant line and get there as early as possible, for check in. I believe my roommates and I met up and hopped in line at 4:00 or 4:30 AM! Luckily we did, because we got the housing complex we desired!!! Phew!

“Did you live alone?”

No, I did not! I had 5 roommates!! Disney allows a few different options for housing, with up to 6 people in an apartment, which is what I did. The more people you have in your apartment, the cheaper your rent will be!

“How did you find roommates?”

There was actually an online survey! So, kind of like online dating, but for finding compatible roommates instead!

Another one is complete!

Thank you for reading part two of the DCP! I hope you have found this blog to be helpful to you or someone you know who is interested in going through the Disney College Program!

“TTFN! Ta- Ta For Now!” – Tigger

The Disney College Program

Holy Moly!!! I cannot believe how much feedback I received from my first blog, about my internship experience, with the Walt Disney World company!! I received questions like:

“How do you apply?” “When should you apply?” “Was there a job you wish you had over being an attendant?” “What was the hardest part?” “Was it hard to move out there on your own?” “Did you have to find an apartment by yourself?” “Did you live alone?” and sooo many more! I’m actually very humbled by the questions, because it lets me know how interested you all are, as my readers! So, thank you!

I’m going to categorize the questions and make separate blogs, so this one will be about the application process.

How do you apply?

Go to: https://jobs.disneycareers.com/disney-college-program

That site should direct you to a sign up page, but of course you’ll have to have a few things all set before you apply.

You need to make sure that you have a job/leadership/community service resume ready to go! You also would need to be in college for at least one full semester. For example: I could not apply for the DCP if I had just graduated high school. However, I could apply if I were about to start my second semester of college.

“Now Mindy, how did you get accepted into the DCP after you had already graduated college?”

Oh I’m so glad you asked!! You have to be enrolled in college while you apply, so I was in my final semester of school when I made that choice!!

“Do you think there is a better time to apply than when you applied?”

I wouldn’t say, “a better time” because it would just depend on how you want your college experience to go. If you want to work at Disney World as much as possible and have the chance to do so multiple times, I would suggest applying after your first semester of college. If you’d rather finish all of your schooling in consecutive semesters and graduate “on time,” I would suggest waiting until your final semester of school to apply! There is something to think about with waiting, though. There’s a possibility you might not get accepted into the program, which means you would no longer have the opportunity to be in the DCP. Just food for thought!

“What do you think the interviewers are looking for when speaking to you?”

Good question! I feel like they’re looking for someone who appears outgoing, someone who can keep a conversation flowing and someone who seems to have great communication skills, including diction/articulation in their voices. I know Disney prides themselves on great guest service, so they want to add cast members who can fit that mold!!

“Was the application process easy?”

In my experience, it was!! The online process is always the easiest part, right? So, that was a breeze because anyone can make themselves sound decent on paper.

The next step was the phone interview. I was extremely nervous for that portion of the application process because I had all of the natural thoughts! “What if I say something incorrectly?” “What if I misunderstand their question?” “What if they offer me a job that I don’t want?” “How will I sound excited if that happened?” “What if I go blank and I forget everything I wanted to say?”

You know those thoughts, don’t you?

Well I say, shake the devil away because the phone interview was a super fun experience for me (but I do know for others it was rocky). The woman who interviewed me was so kind and upbeat, as you’d imagine any Disney Cast Member to be, right? She was interested in everything I had to say, which made me feel comfortable speaking with her. She did ask the dreaded questions, though.

“What are your top three job choices on the Walt Disney World property?” She asked.

I listed my top three, entertainment being my first pick. Now I was completely holding my breath in hopes she wouldn’t say anything about a job I didn’t want… I wasn’t so lucky.

“If you did not get your top three choices, would you still work with our company?” She asked.

Of course you want to loudly proclaim, “where I spend the next 6+ months of my life needs to be enjoyable so that I can stay positive and live out the dream I’ve always had of working at Disney!” But don’t that!! Just say something along the lines of, “I’d absolutely still work for the company. I wouldn’t let the job I’m placed in determine my happiness.” Which in all sincerity should be the case when you sit back and think about it. It’s Disney World!!! Not everyone can say they’ve worked at WDW, so any job you’re placed in will be ✨magical✨ if you want it to be.

That’s all for now!

I believe I have covered all of the application questions. If I missed any, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you! I hope this post was helpful to you or someone you know who is wanting to apply for the DCP! I’ll be back soon with more posts about the other questions I received. Thank you so much!

Enjoy a few pictures from my DCP experience!

 

Born

I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1990. Apparently it was a VERY stormy night and I came without much warning… mom says, with knowing who I am now, that was very fitting. I’m not quite sure how to take that!!

My sister remembers the evening well. In her words: “It was traumatic!” Thanks sis. She can even remember exactly what my dad was wearing the night I was born, and she was only 2 years old! That’s impressive.

I did not live in Omaha for long… 10 days to be exact. My grandpa used to give my parents a hard time for making me sleep in a box, while my clothes were in milk jugs! *Not really people* My grandpa just exaggerated how I barely had a place to call home as a newborn, because my family was all packed and ready to go. My parents were awaiting my arrival before we moved to a new state!

Childhood

I lived in St. Louis, MO for a very short time as well and moved to Tulsa, OK when I was about 2 years old. I do not have actual memories of living in Tulsa – just memories of how I pictured events based off of pictures and stories told.

We made our final (for my childhood) move to Owasso, Oklahoma in 1994! I was lucky enough to be able to live in the same house from just under 4 years old to the age of 24! 20 years (with the exception of college and an internship)!!

I had the most wonderful neighborhood a child could ever dream of growing up in. So many kids my age to play with and their parents were all so amazing! They were the type of neighbors you could turn to if you needed a few eggs to finish a recipe or just a tsp of salt. Those are the best kind!

*We spent church days, holidays, vacations and extracurricular activities together! So blessed!*

Let’s just not even mention that 90’s style.

I attended Owasso High School, where I played Varsity Tennis and competed with the Pride of Owasso Marching Band.

Go Rams!

College Days

I attended Oklahoma State University and graduated in December 2012, with a degree in Elementary Education. At OSU, I marched in their band for two years and I was an active Kappa Delta for four years.

1st image: Yes – that is GARTH BROOKS!

2nd image: Yes – that is me on the first row without my cowboy hat on. Typical.

Disney College Program

After I graduated from college, I moved to Florida for a few months, and worked at “The Happiest Place on Earth!” That’s right! I worked at Walt Disney World!!

Everyone always wants to know, first and foremost, what my job was with the company. I was a character attendant! AKA: A Blueberry, as Disney cast members would call us! My job was to make sure that characters made it on and off set on time (very tight and tedious schedule), cut que lines by guessing about how many people I could squeeze in to see the character in that given time frame, make up cheesy sayings as to why a certain character was going backstage for a few minutes, try to explain to non-English speakers what I wanted them to do or when their time was up after taking 1,000 pictures with Mickey in 1,000 different poses, take pictures with guests cameras, serve as the characters body guard (in a light sense of the meaning), make children smile, wish everyone “happy birthday” or “happy anniversary” as they proudly wore their pins, and last but not least, anything a guest would ask me, I’d find out that information if I didn’t already know it!

I spent 99% of my days off in the parks or at least on Disney property. So the answer is, “no, I never did get tired of Disney!” How could I?!

Sadly, my internship ended after 5 VERY FAST months, in Orlando.

Teacher Life

After my Disney internship, I moved back to Oklahoma, worked at Rosa Parks Elementary in the Union School District for one year and then made my move to Branson, Missouri in July of 2014! I just completed my 4th school year in Branson and I’m about to start my 5th year, in a few short days.

Thank you for catching up with me. I believe I sped through 28 years of life like it was nothing, however, now you know more than you’d ever care to know about me!!!

I’d be honored and grateful to have you continue this blogging journey with me and see all of the crazy things I come up with from day to day!