A whole new decade!

I'm a sucker for "Best Of" lists -- so the end of the 00's (is that what we're calling this decade?) is quite delightful for me, as each magazine reviews the best movies/personalities/news stories of the past 10 years. 10 years seems like such a long time, and for me it has been the most defining decade of my life, so far anyway. I've probably said that every 10 years... but isn't that what living is about? Defining yourself and your goals a little bit more distinctly each year?

I started the year 2000 at Walt Disney World- did my coordinator shift at Garden Grill restaurant in the Land pavilion and rushed home to toast the New Year, arriving just in time to watch the ball drop - I spent that New Year's night with Judith, Jenn, Vaughn, Whirl and friends... and nothing makes me happier than knowing that I still count them among my very best friends. In February of 2000 Jenn moved back to MA, our roommate Keith got a dog, we moved to an apartment in Orlando and my boyfriend talked me into moving back home myself to New Jersey, under the auspices of finally settling down, getting married, etc. I got a job at Montclair State University and moved to Montclair, NJ... which I knew from the day I got the job was a bad decision. Even though Jenn had left, and Judith was planning to leave, I loved my Disney friends as my family, and was growing very close to them. But I got to be in NJ for when Judith arrived, and we bonded over being fish out of water. While my job at MSU was not exactly a dream job, I met incredible people there who will always be part of my life, and was given great opportunities to do what I wanted to do, develop a progam, teach a class... I probably wasn't grateful enough for the opportunities I had at MSU while I was there. I was closer to my best friends from high school, Niki and Kate, so we got to hang out a lot. I got back into performing, at the Studio Players in Montclair... and learned to be on my own when my boyfriend decided that he could do better than me and dumped me less than 2 years after I moved up there to be with him. I was hurt and bewildered, but it was the best thing that could have happened.

Everything happens for a reason, right? I also happened to be living in New Jersey in February of 2003, when my father had a stroke and our world got rocked. It was so inspiring to watch him work so hard to recover, and watch my mom be so unconditionally supportive of him. With my sister in Nashville, I was glad to be close enough to visit every weekend, help out when I could, and serve as a point of contact for my family through his recovery. (He's doing great now, by the way. You'd never know he had a stroke.)

Many trips to Walt Disney World, plus some trips to California, cemented the fact that I needed to get back to working at Disney full time. I applied for job after job, and finally got a full time job in reservations at Disney Cruise Line. Was it my Disney dream job? No, but it was AT DISNEY, where i needed to be to finish what I started. Moving back was hard, financially, but it was the best thing I could have done emotionally. I moved in with Bessie and Ryan, who became my Florida family, and eventually got selected to be an Entertainment Manager at my "home" park, Epcot.

That job changed my life - I made plenty of mistakes and learned plenty of tough lessons, but I also appreciated the fact that I looked forward to going to work every day. I got to share an office with Howdy, who had been so supportive of me through all of my moving back & forth, and uncertainty about where I was going and what I was doing. Working at Epcot also introduced me to John- who became my "can't live without" friend, my Florida partner in crime.

I got moved to the Magic Kingdom, which I treated as a great tragedy at the time, but became a great opportunity to learn more and do more than I ever thought I could. I came into my own at that park in a very weird way, and developed a confidence that I never really had before.

I also struggled while I was there, as I was dealing with being "single" for the first time since I was 17. I certainly made mistakes in that area too... but it all worked out for the best when I was a bridesmaid in my friend Niki's wedding in September of 2006, and met an adorable young man who asked me to dance over and over. I was in love faster than I thought I could be, but Shaun was and is exactly what I needed. He's funny without trying too hard, smart without being a showoff, and so sweet and caring that I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be the recipient of his affections. Unfortunately he lived in Massachusetts.

His attempts to move to Florida touched my heart, and were also coupled with a move at work that put me on night shifts in an area that was interesting and fun, but not the same challenge I enjoyed in my previous job. I loved visiting him in Boston- and Niki was there too, as well as Jenn only 45 minutes away and my friend Kristy not far away either- so I started looking for jobs in Boston and got a job almost immediately at Boston University. Would it be a good idea to move away from Disney AGAIN for a boy?

It was completely different the second time though. This time, it was my decision, not his. I cried upon saying goodbye to my friends: Bessie, Ryan, Howdy, and especially John, but I wasn't as sick with sadness as I had been in 2000. I was ready to go, ready to make the move, and ready to start a new chapter in my life. Even though I'm not a millionaire, I had accomplished a lot in my mind: I really felt like I made a difference in people's lives. I was starting to feel like I couldn't keep up with my fast and fancy-free Orlando lifestyle, and wanted to settle down.

So to Boston I came, where I started grad school, started volunteering at the John F Kennedy Library, and carved out a nice little life for myself. Shaun and I spent most of 2009 planning our wedding, I still get to visit my Disney friends, and I'm growing a nice little batch of friends up here too.

Oh- there were travels in there too - I cruised through the Panama Canal, hit up California 3 times, went to New Mexico & Colorado for the first time, and I'm packing for my trip to India that leaves tomorrow (so technically part of the next decade, not this one).

Is my life different than it was 10 years ago? Absolutely. But my 4 best friends in 2000 are my 4 best friends now, plus a few more added in. Our family lost Mom-Mom Chebra, my last living grandparent, but we added my brother-in-law, Clif, and just a few months ago my gorgeous niece Eden, and will soon be officially adding Shaun. My friends have gotten married, had beautiful children, some have gotten divorced, but they all are happy.

My life is pretty much the same as it was 10 years ago- no husband (well, at least not for another 128 days), no kids, no homeownership, no millions of dollars in the bank, but in so many ways I am so much richer than I was before. I appreciate more, I love my family and my friends more, I have the most wonderful fiance a girl could ask for. The 2000s have been very good to me... and I can't wait for all of the excitement to come in the next 10 years.

Ready for my closeup

Lots of kids in my town played soccer or baseball. I never cared much about participating in sports- I was more interested in singing. My favorite toy was my mother's turkey baster, which I used as a microphone when I would perform song after song on my parents' driveway. I would recruit my younger brother and sister, as well as any other kids in the neighborhood, to put on shows in our basement.

I was not a shy child.

This was recognized by Sister Pat, the music teacher at my elementary school. She asked me if I'd like to be the ONLY kindergartener in the school play (normally reserved for 3rd grade and up- they needed one little kid to be the youngest princess in "The King and I"). I of course jumped at the chance, and thus began my career onstage. The school play at Grey Nun Academy led to community theatre productions, and eventually some "touring" too. I was good at memorizing lines, and even if I wasn't the prettiest little girl, or the most on-key singer, I had so much energy for it that I usually got to play the good parts. In one of the reviews for a production of The Sound of Music I was in at the age of 8, they described my "big voice" as Gretl - I was definitely always the loudest.

Performing was fun because it was something I happened into organically. I was the kind of kid who loved applause and taking a bow, and my teacher recognized that and gave me an opportunity. From there, I begged to audition for other shows- my mom never pushed me into it, or decided it's something I should be doing. It also taught me about rejection at an early age- sometimes, no matter how much you want something, you don't get it. I also learned to make the best of what I was given. I didn't always get picked for a lead role, but I was going to be the best person in the background that I could be.



When I was in high school, I decided to share my love of theatre with the younger kids in my town and started a group called Backyard Stars for kids 6 to 12. We held rehearsals 2 days a week during the summer, and put on a show each August. It was both a great way to earn money doing something I loved and a way to get the kids who played sports to expand their horizons a bit. I loved sharing what I knew, loved running rehearsals, and loved seeing how excited the kids were when they got applause.




I continued performing through college, but I knew that as much as I loved it, it wasn't ever going to be my career. Unlike the people you see on American Idol, who are blindly told that they are talented even when they are not, I always knew that I wasn't talented enough to really make it. I also like knowing when my next paycheck is coming.


I no longer sing into a turkey baster, but have retained my love of musical theatre and my admiration of those who make live theatre the most exciting form of entertainment there is; the only form of entertainment that will never be replaced by an online option. Applause doesn't sound nearly as good on YouTube as it does in person, I know that for a fact.

Hail to the Chief

I was in kindergarten during the 1980 US Presidential election. In school, we were to draw a picture of who we would vote for (were we of legal voting age). Well, the night before this particular assignment, I had watched a special on TV with my grandmother: "Bob Hope for President." Being an impressionable 5 year old, I guess I didn't understand that it was merely a variety show for entertainment purposes; I truly believed that Bob Hope was running for President. So as my kindergarten friends drew their pictures of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, I drew Bob Hope.





I don't know if it was because of the giant picture of Bob Hope as my presidential candidate of choice posted at parent-teacher night, but since that time my parents have always gone out of their way to make sure that I knew my American History. February breaks that other kids spent skiing, we spent in Washington DC visiting the White House, Lincoln Memorial, and Smithsonian Institution. We visited Mount Vernon, Monticello, and FDR's mansion at Hyde Park during my childhood, and I always got books about the Presidents and First Ladies as souvenirs. By the time I was in 4th grade, I fancied myself quite the presidential scholar. I loved knowing mildly trivial things, such as Grover Cleveland's status as the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms or the bizarre notion that Eleanor Roosevelt's maiden name was Roosevelt (and her real first name was Anna). Wanting to know more about the Presidents fed my interest in US History, and led me to attend a weeklong stay in Washington called Presidential Classroom where high school students learned all about the nitty-gritty of running the US government.

I studied American Government at the University of Virginia, mostly because I was fascinated by all of the courses available about the Presidency. I never wanted to go into politics, I just loved how alive the subject made me feel. (And yes, my favorite Walt Disney World attraction is the Hall of Presidents.)

Since then, I have visited Presidential museums from Key West to Quincy, still loving the new knowledge received at each location. Since I'm in Boston, and I've always been particularly interested in the presidency of John F. Kennedy, I recently started training to be a volunteer docent at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

My presidential obsession can be a neat party trick (give me a number between 1 and 44, I can give you the President, as well as the corresponding First Lady), but it's also something that gets me excited. Is that so wrong?

Ready for Some Football!

I love football. I love football season. I grew up a Philadelphia Eagles fan, and they have been breaking my heart for years.... but I keep coming back for more. Perhaps since the Eagles have given me the gift of potential (without the bonus of actually, you know, WINNING a Super Bowl), I have gotten more and more into Fantasy Football, where I can feel some of the glory of victory, and have only myself to blame for defeat.

Not everyone knows how Fantasy Football works, so here's a quick tutorial: a league is made up of owners each of whom draft a "team" made up of actual NFL players. Each week, each owner selects a Quarterback, Running Backs, Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, a Kicker and a team defense to start. Points are accrued based off of how the player performs in the actual NFL game. For example, Donovan McNabb had 79 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 27 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown and 1 interception on Sunday. This translates to 17 Fantasy Points:

1 point for every 25 passing yards = 3
4 points for every passing touchdown = 8
1 point for every 10 rushing yards = 2
6 points for every rushing touchdown = 6
-2 points for every interception = -2

The total score of all of my players is matched up against the total score of another owner's players each week: that's the matchup.

Now, every league has a different scoring system. This happens to be the scoring system for my ESPN league, where I'm commissioner. I also play in another ESPN league, as well as a league on Yahoo and one on FoxSports. It's sometimes hard to keep track of all of my players, but it's so much fun on Sundays when EVERY game matters.

I love Fantasy Football because even when my Eagles lose (which affects my mood so much more than it should), I still have a chance to be a Fantasy winner. It also keeps me in regular touch with friends from all over the country- even though we may not all work together anymore, we've been playing Fantasy Football for almost 10 years and will continue to meet up every fall to draft our players, and smack talk each other upon victory. It also keeps me in the loop of the NFL- I know which players are good and which ones are fading, which means that no matter where I am, if football's on, I'm part of the conversation.

After this weekend, I'm 2-2 in my Fantasy Leagues. The Eagles had a resounding victory, though, so I came out ahead. On to next week...

The mouse.

The most significant work experience of my life has been as a Disney Cast Member. I worked full time at Walt Disney World from 1998-2001, and again from 2003 to 2008. I am still employed there, seasonally, and learned more from my years with the company than I learned in all of college and graduate school combined.

Some of the best things about working at Walt Disney World:

* You'll interact with people from all over the world, and learn how not only to talk to people, but to listen to them and really understand their needs.

* The pace is incredible - there is always something new- a new attraction, a new initiative, a new entertainment offering. It is impossible to be bored, and you learn to deal with change a roll with it.

* There is no company culture like Disney. They have traditions and specific nomenclature, and are always true to the company heritage. "Walt would have wanted it this way" is a ubiquitous phrase, but a company that was founded on one man's distinct vision still retains much of Walt's initial values... and also his desire to be the first, biggest and best and whatever task he undertook. That energy pervades the company.

* The people that work there are some of the most amazing you'll ever meet. Whether high school students, retirees, or somewhere in the middle, people work for Disney because they love it. It doesn't mean that everyone is happy all the time, but everyone knows their "role in the show" to coin a phrase. It's the most team-oriented environment that I've been involved in, but also where I felt the most personal professional success.

* Since I started at WDW full time, I have held the following job titles: performer, entertainment trainer, entertainment coordinator, duty coordinator, scheduler, Disney Cruise Line reservation sales assistant, group sales assistant, reservation services supervisor, entertainment manager. And once I became an entertainment manager, I was involved in atmosphere entertainment, holiday events, character dining, Magical Gatherings, entertainment deployment, payroll, labor liaison, and fireworks. I held all of those jobs... while working in two departments over the duration of 8 years... and that is only a teeny tiny part of the operation. I worked very closely with food & beverage, and interacted with park operations, costuming, guest relations, resorts, security, etc. on a daily basis. The place is HUGE- there are thousands of jobs in thousands of places, and it would be impossible to learn everything about every department in one lifetime.

* It's a "learn by doing" environment. Your background, education, experience don't amount to much when compared to how you do your job every day and what you get out of each experience. It's the quickest route to learning personal accountability- the place is so huge that if you don't keep your nose clean and do your job well, you can't advance. If you do keep your nose clean and do your job well, the place is huge enough that the possibilities of where you can go are endless. But no one hands you anything - the Vice President of Magic Kingdom started out as a Haunted Mansion host. I bet he showed up and did his job well, and took lessons home on the hottest and most crowded days. That's respected more than anything else. You have control of your own destiny.

* The place is all about personal empowerment. If a guest is unhappy, the Cast Members (everyone is a Cast Member, no matter what the job) have ways to fix it- they don't have to go ask a supervisor to do something special. You learn quickly how to recover a bad situation, and what sort of accommodations can be made without cost to the company.

* There are very few people from Orlando working there- just about everyone is a transplant from somewhere else, so you make your "family" among your coworkers, and develop a kind of closeness that can't be replicated.

Which leads me to what I didn't love about working there:

* Walt Disney World is open 365 days a year, and almost 24 hours a day. Holidays are the busiest time, so the idea of a family vacation over Christmas or flying to see your parents at Thanksgiving just doesn't exist. Sometimes I had to be at work at 5:30 am, other times I got out after 2 in the morning. 9 to 5 Monday through Friday with Holidays off is simply not a possibility.

* Orlando is not the best city that ever was. If you don't like theme parks, there's not a lot of culture.

* The whole "you have to work your way up the ladder" is not an appealing prospect to many people. And the place is so big, it's easy for great people to get lost in the shuffle. That's frustrating to see.

* Remember how cool it was that I got to do so many jobs over a relatively short time? Well, if you really really really love one of those jobs, you can still get moved. As a manager, you can be told to report to a new department, new area, or entirely new park the following week. It's exciting, but not the most stable place in the world. As I've gotten older, I started to seek stability a bit more.

* Someday, when I have kids, I want them to be so excited about going to Disney World. That's not a possibility when that's where Mom works.

And the biggest reason I left Walt Disney World is related to that final point - I fell in love, and am getting married next May. He looked for jobs in Orlando, but the prospects weren't as hot as they are up here in Boston. I found a job quickly, and made the move. I miss working at Disney every day, and am grateful that they still let me work when I'm in town. Maybe someday I can work for another segment of the company, up here in Boston, where I can be part of the "magic" without being IN it. But for now, I'm grateful for all that I learned, and for the fact that at least for a little while, I really did have the best job in the world.

Just an introduction.

Most kids grow up wanting to be a doctor, a lawyer, a cowboy.... they have some sort of identifiable interest or goal which may change but at least serves to ground them as they travel through life. I was not one of those kids. I was interested in a lot of things, and excited by a lot of things. I didn't want to pick what I wanted to be when I grew up, because I was afraid of all of the options that would be eliminated.

Does that mean I'm unfocused?

Maybe.

I prefer to call it eclectic. I try to love what I do, and do what I love.

The inspiration

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman