I had such a great day today!

First of all, today was the first day the Christmas Parade went to daytime. So MOUCP has replaced Celebrate a Dream Come True until January 3rd. From today until Thursday we run the parade at 3pm, and starting Friday (XMAS!) we run a parade at 12 and 3:30. Like I said, I don't have a day off... but surprisingly I get a lot of time off before and after the parades.

Well today was our OPENING DAY (kinda). We've been so used to being there for Christmas Parties and running two parades during the night. Well today was different... VERY different. It was a nice, cool, sunny day (it couldn't have been better!) and the Magic Kingdom was close to full capacity. IT WAS CROWDED! Usually, during party nights I would see 2 or 3 rows of people behind the ropes along parade route... today I saw about 6 or 7 rows of people (and even people on the bridges and ledges and anything they could step on). IT WAS AMAZING! Such an adrenaline rush.

It really hit me today that this is my job and this was my dream. As I went up Main Street and saw the faces of everyone, I got a little choked up. Although I have a different perspective on what it's like to perform at Disney... I just saw so much magic there today. It was really cool.

And after a great day of work... Sam and I met up to do a little more Christmas shopping and some other fun. Our original plan was to see the Candlelight Processional at Epcot because Whoopi Goldberg is here as a celebrity host. Welllllllll.... we got a bit distracted and didn't end up going. Instead, we walked the countries doing ridiculous things. We bought some crazy things and explored each country... and I found some new things I've never even noticed before. We ended up buying some dried and candy coated crabs and these bean paste Japanese candies. And we also got astronaut ice cream and cinnamon apples. We also did a little exploring of our own... which maybe I will post about later.

But overall, I had a fabulous day. And it just hit me again how much I am going to miss my friends. I don't know how I will go 5 months without my Sam!

Ah, wait! I almost forgot to add in some pictures from opening day...






**All photo credits to Daniel Gorman**

I finally saw The Princess and the Frog today... and I loved it!

Before going I heard a variety of mixed reviews. But overall there seemed to be more negative reviews than positive. Since I went in with such low expectations I was wonderfully surprised and absolutely loved it.

The biggest thing I have to say is that the true hero of the movie is NOT Princess Tiana (as marketing would have you believe) but rather it is Prince Naveen. See my review behind the cut (spoiler alert).

( SPOILER ALERT!!! )

I officially move out in 16 days. I can’t even begin to describe how I feel – it’s just a tremendous mix of emotions. And it is slowly creeping to the end…

Last Friday was my last day at Play-n-Dine (where I spent a lot of time over the past 8 months). I got to hang out with my favorite Little Einstein (June, the ballerina) and work with some of my favorite people on that last day. And it was sad! There’s nothing like acting like a six-year-old and getting to play with other little friends. Here are a couple pictures I managed to get of June and a couple of her favorite Play-n-Dine friends:


June and Playhouse Pal, Antony! He would crack me up and make P&D so fun. And he could cook like Paula Deen.

June and Jeny!

This past Wednesday was my completely last day to hang out with friends (besides Jolly). Another really sad day. ☹ I got to spend it with the Chipmunks in their winter attire… I was really happy to be with THEM one last time. And it was a GREAT day with a lot of great families and good times. But I am very sad thinking that I will not get to hang out with Chip and Dale for a really long time.

And that’s only the beginning… I am really, really, really sad that I didn’t get to see Pooh one final time. He has a special place in my heart. And although I hated him in so many ways, he gave me the best times and we’ve shared some great memories.

It’s just all so sad that everything is coming to an end… and I know I can always come back… but it’s still sad to think THIS IS MY LIFE and I will be away from it for at least 5 months. It’s hard to explain. Nobody can fully understand unless you’ve gone through it. The only thing I can say is that I will miss hugging cute kids and watching the magic happen… because it is the most rewarding thing I have ever experienced.

And from December 15-January 2, I will be hanging out with Jolly. Not one day off, Jolly the elf, Once Upon a Christmastime Parade… EVERY DAY. It’s hard, it’s exhausting… but it is SO MUCH FUN. And I don’t think I would like it as much if we didn’t have amazing people apart of the cast!

Here are some newer pictures of Jolly and others from MOUCP:



Jolly coming down Main Street.


My friends Zack and Amanda came to visit Jolly and Sheen!

Jolly, Toffee, Brett, Amanda, Sheen, Fizz, Mel, Christopher Robin and Megan. A special Meet & Greet!

Mom and Laura came to visit this past weekend! We had a blast!

They arrived on Saturday and we met up at the hotel (All-Star Sports). We checked in, browsed the hotel (since Laura hasn’t been here in a few years) and went to Downtown Disney. We met up with Jill and Sam for lunch at Rainforest Café, did some shopping and went back to the hotel to rest up a bit. That night, Mom and I went to the Grand Floridian to see the Gingerbread house and then walked over to the Polynesian to watch Wishes from the beach. It was great!






Sunday we spent the entire day at Magic Kingdom… and I give Mom and Laura SO MUCH CREDIT for keeping up with me considering they aren’t used to walking a park for 14 hours a day like I am. It was exhausting but very, very fun! Mom was so giddy (I hope you are reading this lol) and looked like a child at MK… I could tell she was enjoying it too much. Neither of them has been to MK in a REALLY long time, so much has changed. We saw some of my friends in Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It and Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee as well as rode many rides and walked around. We had lunch reservations at Kona Café at the Polynesian, which was DELICIOUS! I got the Mahi Mahi over the bok choy and noodles. SO GOOD! And then we went back to the park for ice cream. I had to go in for work but they stayed for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. They got to see Jolly in both parades that night and even had a special meet and greet with her. Unfortunately, Mom has those pictures but I will get copies soon to post. They loved the party and Mom couldn’t stop talking about how she loves Disney at Christmas… the snow, the music, the lights, everything. And when she saw Jolly dancing down Main Street for the first time… she cried. And Jolly got a little teary-eyed as well. It was sweet.



This picture was taken on Laura's phone during the meet & greet. Jolly and Mom!

Monday we did a lot of park hopping – Studios and Epcot. We spent most of our time at Studios and got to do a lot of rides, shows and a drawing class. Laura said her favorite things from the trip were riding Toy Story Mania and watching American Idol. The only thing I wish they had gotten the chance to see were the Spectacle of Lights… but, next time. We did have reservations at Hollywood & Vine, which was awesome as I was expecting. And after dinner we went to Epcot to walk the countries, shop and see Illuminations. By the end of the night, we were all far too exhausted. But we accomplished A LOT in those three days and had some good times.


Mom finally got to meet one of her favorite characters, Mike Wazowski.


Tuesday that had to leave. ☹ I left them at the hotel around 10:30 because I also had to rush home and get ready for CP Graduation. It was a great visit though and we had a fun trip!

Over the last week I’ve gone to CP Formal, CP Graduation and Jingle Ball. Formal was a lot like Prom. It was held at the Contemporary and there was a lot of yummy food and some characters. Graduation was held at Mickey’s Retreat (across from my apartment) and was fun. I received a completion diploma, graduation Mickey ears and a bunch of other prizes (as well as free food!). Jingle Ball had nothing to do with the College Program, it was just a night where a bunch of Entertainment Cast Members went to Atlantic Dance Hall at the Boardwalk resort. It was a great night reuniting with everyone I have worked with or met while down here. But again, sad… because it was most likely the last time I would see a lot of them before I left.

Of course, here are some pictures!


A group shot with Belle and Beast.

Me, Jill, Tyler and Sharyn at Formal.

Raquel, Me, Aladdin, Jill and Sharyn.

Me and Ariel. I LOVE this girl!

We're such characters! Kaylin, Sharyn, Jill, Me, Tyler, Jessie and Amanda.

Mickey Ears and Goofy at Graduation.

WE MADE IT!

Jessie, Sharyn and I at Jingle Ball 2009.

Me and Stacey :)


I guess that was my week wrapped up. I did A LOT of Christmas shopping with Jill yesterday and have to go sort the stuff and figure out what else I need. So, until next time… ☺

(this is from Tues and Wed)

Man, I seriously can't believe the first half of my CP is almost done. I only have 2 more days of work this week, 5 days next week, and however many days for the last week (the schedule is not out yet. But I am going to guess it could be anywhere from 4-6 days of shifts). Time sure has flown by. It really feels like December just started yesterday, and already it's halfway over. But anyway. The first of my two tours was on Tues, Expedition Adventure (at AK). When I first signed up, I thought at first it was the Everest tour again (but didn't really read the name too closely). It turned out to be really interesting though. The group was really small- only 4 other CMs (one of whom left after 1 hour because her family needed to be checked into the park). The tour guide was Glenn, and he was really nice. We walked around Dinoland, Asia, and Discovery Island. It was pretty neat taking a closer look around the Tree at Discovery Island (getting up close to the tree, and seeing all the animals carved in, was pretty neat. And he showed us things I had no idea were there). We also got to ride Dinosaur, walk the trail in Asia, and see It's Tough to Be a Bug (we also were supposed to ride Everest, but it was 101 at the time). I would definitely do the tour again. Then there was yesterday. I had graduation in the morning, and I was there from 10-11:30am. I saw Mickey/Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Chip and Dale (Goofy, Donald, and Chip/Dale were in holiday attire). I won a phone pouch by answering a trivia question ("how many theaters are there in CoP?" there are 6). And...I also rode a mechanical bull! I really did. I was seriously hanging on for dear life. But it was fun. The only bad part about graduation was that there were no antena toppers, or the artists. But anyway. I had made plans to hang out at the Studios afterwards with Christine (we had both signed up for the Great Movie Stride tour). So we went over around 12:30. I was able to get us FP for TSM, so we did that. I got my new high score- 253,000! Overall we met the UP characters, Buzz and Woody, Mike and Sulley, Mickey, and Prince Caspian (we also rode GMR twice, at the end of the night). We had the BEST interaction with the UP characters, and Buzz and Woody! While meeting the UP characters, I accidently made Carl "cry", when I forgot to say hello to him. And the attendant had to keep threatening Dug with the Cone of Shame (he was being naughty, but really silly). And when Christine went up, he tried to look through her bag to see if she had any treats! And before we left, untied Russell's shoe. It was too funny. And then the Toy Story characters- they were a riot! Buzz and Christine had a little misunderstatement about crying (I forget exactly what happened). But then Buzz tried to leave with us! And he actually got out the door before the attendant noticed! We were both in hysterics. So to end the night (and to pass time), we rode GMR twice. Then it was time for the tour. And it was amazing! The guides were Sarah and Nicolette. They were both pretty nice. And they gave out a lot of really interesting information. Plus we got to take pictures with James Cagney, John Wayne, on the Yellow Brick Road, and with the Witch! That was pretty cool (though really tight! We had to go into the little alcove she pops out of). We got to see the break area for the bandits/gangsters, and see the Handprint Hallway (which was really neat). At the end, I got my picture taken with the two of them. So overall, an awsome night.

So here's the update I've been dying to do but technically couldn't...

I was called on Wednesday (a week ago) to interview on Friday!

Then I was called on Monday to let me know that I made the bench... but they still had more interviews to do.

I was called tonight and officially offered the job - I accepted!!!

I am joining the Entertainment Safety Team as a resource assistant. I will be working at Maingate (with the Entertainment big wigs) and start my new job on January 3rd.

I am super excited and can't believe how lucky I am to have this opportunity. It's actually a continuation of the job I did on my PI but never got to finish because my internship ended. Instead of doing it as a writer, I'll be doing it from the area's perspective.

The job is a temporary assignment, which means I get to continue doing my facilitation for Once Upon a Time!!! The TA will last one year then I'll return to the League in order to keep my status current and then who knows where I'll be going from there!

I am actually a little sad as well, I really do love the people at the League and am sad that I only have two more weeks with them. I guess that means I get to throw a goodbye party then - YO HO!

-At some point, you will never again be able to get good and drunk, stay up late, and get little to no sleep without feeling like death the next day. I will never forget those times when I WAS able to get wasted, stay up until 4/5/6 AM, wake up at 10 AM, feel fine, go to work, and do it all over again the next night...but those days are over for me and unfortunately have been for years now :o/

-No, a person cannot be happy ANYWHERE--*but* we can make the best of what life hands to us. Sometimes you can give a place a chance and it won't fit completely, but that doesn't mean that you can't learn and grow from the experience--and if you TRY, you can make friends anywhere. I could never have lived in Lynchburg, VA for the rest of my life, but there are things I miss about it, and when I put a little bit of effort into my life there, I did make some great friends and have some awesome times. If you refuse to even try to build a life in a new place, you have no right or reason to complain about how much it sucks. As someone who is guilty of having done that in the past, I know.

-You CAN go home again...if you're willing to accept that home won't be exactly as you left it. I went back to my hometown in 2005 wanting it to be just like the good ol' days--it wasn't, and I was miserable. I went back last year having accepted that things would be different, and even if it wasn't easy...I don't regret the decision to go back or the time I spent there.

-Quit wishing for your 21st birthday, because once it has come and gone, the rest of them are never as exciting. Even if you try your best to make them so.

-Don't be afraid to tell people what you think/feel. Better to say it to their face then say it behind their backs. I'd rather be known as an outspoken bitch than a backstabbing fool. This goes for relationships as well--is it difficult to tell someone that you care for them as more than a friend, or that you no longer are in love with them? Of course. With the former, there is always the concern that the other person doesn't feel the same way. Realizing that sucks, but in the end, you will waste less time moping after someone who doesn't want you. With the latter, maybe you'll get lucky and the feeling will be mutual, the break up easy...if not, again, things will be a bit rough at first, but you will have the chance to make your life your own and move on to what you really want/need, be it as a single guy/gal or in a new relationship.

-Never think twice about writing off a toxic friend/significant other. Does it suck? Yes. Does it hurt? Sometimes, when it is someone you cared about who has changed, or simply suddenly shown his or her true colors. Is it worth it? Absolutely! The only people who should be privy to your ups and downs and private life are people who truly care about you, people who don't want you to be miserable (especially if they only want you to be miserable because THEY are miserable), people who don't stab you in the back at every turn, people you don't judge you, etc. The ones who act like this don't matter, and the ones who matter won't act like this.

-The person you are at 20 is not the person you will be at 25. College changes you; life changes you. The decisions you make and the people who come and go have an inevitable impact on your personality and your beliefs, whether you want to admit it or not.

-Never say never. It wouldn't be a cliche if it wasn't true. Example: for most of my life I swore I would never have children; now, because I am in the right position money- and age-wise, and have found the right man, I want them in the worst way.

-Sometimes, you will travel halfway around the country/world (and even date/marry someone from far away), only to realize that your soulmate is someone you have known for a huge chunk of your life. Give time to everyone you meet, because you never know who that person might be. I wish that I had been more honest with myself and with Steve years ago, and maybe we wouldn't have wasted so much time being "just friends" and so much of our lives with people who weren't right for us.

-You will never be able to have everything that you want, so you might as well be willing to compromise once in a while. This was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to realize, because I am an extremely stubborn individual. But if I had never been willing to compromise, never been willing to admit that someone had "moved my cheese", I may not be where I am today--career-wise, relationship-wise, location-wise. And I am very, very happy with my current life.

-As amazing as the big occasions are, it's the little moments that make life worthwhile. This, I think, is self-explanatory, but if you need an example...for me, a really important one is how excited my dog is to see me when I come home from a long day at work, or from a weekend away. She doesn't hide how she feels and I can tell how much she loves and appreciates me. She's not "just a dog" and her actions and reactions have made my day more than once.

-There will always be people who don't like you. Take their criticism (if they even have the balls to tell you why they dislike you, and usually they don't) with a grain of salt and move on. Like toxic friends, the opinions of these people don't matter and if someone just doesn't like you you will not be able to change that person's opinion...so no point in trying. I repeat, move on.

-You may not always agree with the decisions made by other people, but it's not your place to judge those people. I've made a million mistakes in my life and because of that, I've done my best to step back and let others lead their own lives. Do I agree that my sister got married at 21? No, but she's happy and I hope that it works out for her. Could I ever imagine spending the rest of my life living within a 10 mile radius of my hometown? No, but I understand that not everyone feels that way. This kind of goes along with a few other things that I've mentioned in this entry, but I feel that it deserves its own mention because there are far too many people in this world who refuse to even try to understand others and the fact that not everyone shares their political or religious views, career or life goals, etc.

-Try new things. Music, food, hobbies, traveling to different places, whatever. Another cliche but I would have missed out on some of the most amazing pleasures of life had I not just sucked up my nerves/assumptions/etc. and listened to a new band, tried a vegetable I always thought I hated, forced myself to learn the guitar, gone somewhere I had previously had no desire to visit...

-Always remind your friends how thankful you are for them, and how much they mean to you. You never know what will happen. It would take forever for me to give thanks to every single person who has touched my life in a positive manner, but I do have to name a few people in particular. People who have always been there, never screwed me over, always been happy for me when I'm happy, not been afraid to tell me I was being an idiot when I was, well, being an idiot: Jenna Littlefield, Mike Humphrey, Andy Knapp, Ali Solomon Gross, Katherine Sammons, Judith Henderson, Chad Rioux. I cannot imagine my life without these friends, past, present, or future.

And there are probably a million other little things as well, things I've learned or things I just know...like, you should freeze raw chicken if you won't use it within 48 hours; or all men and women should take care of their own birth control to prevent unwanted, or unwanted yet "planned" pregnancies; or you should never wrack up a credit card with more money than you make in a month; or that everyone should learn how to cook...I could go on and on. But I'm out of time and I'm afraid I've lost everyone's attention by now anyway ;o)

I had planned on taking a lot of wintry/Christmas-y pictures this month to post a sort of "12 Days of Christmas... Pictures!" type of thing, but I've felt sort of uninspired to take wintry/Christmas-y pictures. So...

Today I'm starting a 12 days of Christmas Pictures with some of my favorite pictures by other photographers on flickr. I have been inspired by many other photographers on flickr, and I think being a part of that site is gradually making me better and broadening my scope a little.

Sometimes at this time of the year, it's easy to get grumpy--because of crowds at the mall, differences of opinions about religion, and countless other things--but let these pictures help ease the stress a little. The photographs I'm going to share really capture the feeling that Christmas is truly a joyful time, no matter what your denomination.

Most of the pictures I'm attracted to have a pretty feminine vibe. I like "cutesy" photos. This is what you'll be seeing a lot of for the next 12 days!



This picture is by the photographer fullofbliss. This picture is really special to me because the sheet music there is the exact book of Christmas songs that I taught myself to play piano with when I was a kid! My grandma had it, and I would spend the entire Saturday afternoon at her house playing Christmas songs. (Every month of the year!)

Hey everyone! Just letting you know that I'll be gone for the next 5 days! :)

Today was Day 2 of my dad and sister being down here. The plan for today was to spend the morning at the Studios, then head over to Epcot for the evening. Our first stop at the Studios was Great Movie Ride. It was really slow there. Our car was only half full (the gangster girl was really good though). After that, we went over to TSM. I won by a landslide. We then decided to ride Backlot Tour, and see MuppetVision. Backlot was not running the tank scene (they were doing cold weather shows), but the hostess was pretty upbeat despite the no volunteers. And MuppetVision was as good as always. Then it was back to TSM, where I won by a lot again (didn't do as good as the first time, though). We then decided to leave for Epcot. We first rode Spaceship Earth (I loved the future me and my sister got), then rode Soarin (got first row), Imagination (there actually was a wait for it! 15 minutes, in fact), and saw AA (before the show started, we caught the end of the Voices of Liberty. They are really good). After the show ended, it was close to 4pm. So we headed over to Germany for lunch. Luckyily, there was room for me to eat there too (just not on dining package). The food was really good there. I really enjoyed the food. I had macaroni salad, roasted potatoes, roast beef, mac and cheese, and really good desserts (apple strudle, and this fruit tart thing). Plus, one of the ladies at the table was celebrating her birthday, so the server brought out a mini cake (so everyone got a piece). I have no idea how I was able to move around afterwards, I was so stuffed. By this point, it was time to check in. So off to get ready. I really enjoyed Candlelight with Andy Garcia. And there was a guest conductor, who was hysterical! I had a blast watching the 2 of them. One thing I really enjoyed, was that Andy Garcia did part of the show in Spanish, which was pretty cool. And my dad taped the show (and my sister took some pictures, hopefully they turned out), so I can't wait to see the video.

This is all from yesterday. But anyway. My dad and sister flew down for a short, 2 day visit. They arrived around 2:30, and stopped by the apartment so my sister could see how it looked (she has never been down here while I've been on any of my CPs), and to drop off Christmas presents. I got money from my grandmothers, and I got a new lense from my family. The lense is really nice. It has quite a bit of zoom to it, and is just what I wanted. After a bit, we headed over to the MK. It was raining when we arrived, so we stopped to get ponchos. Of course, wouldn't you know that it would stop after buying the ponchos. But it was fine with me. I was glad the rain stopped (or course, it got quite cold over the course of the evening). Then we got dinner at Pinocchio's. I got a veggie pizza, my sister got the pizza/salad combo, and my dad got the new meatball sub (which was really good). After dinner, it was off to do rides. Over the course of the evening, we did Mickey's PhilharMagic twice (my sister loved it), Small World, Haunted Mansion, Hall of Presidents, Pirates, Tiki Room, Peter Pan, saw the parade, fireworks, and CTS (I was able to tape the fireworks and CTS). We also stopped a few times for holiday treats. One thing that was weird, was that there were no horses in the parade. Donald bumped Scrooge from his float (so no Daisy), Cinderella and Prince Charming were put on the Romance float, and Tiana and Naveen were downed altogether. I'm pretty sure it had to do with the cold weather, but that's just a guess.

Anyway, I probably should get off to bed. Tomorrow (well, later today) is going to be busy. We're going to the Studios, then Epcot. We're definitely doing TSM at the Studios (and probably Backlot and GMR), and probably doing Soarin at Epcot. Then it's dinner at Germany, and Candlelight (my dad is going to tape the show, and my sister said she would take pictures for me). I'm really looking forward to it.

Yesterday I got to do Candlelight again. I was off, and decided to try to go standby (to see if I could get pulled). Luckily, I got pulled for the early show. I was really happy about it, as the narrator was Anika Noni Rose (the voice of Tiana). I can't believe I almost forgot about this- during the show, I kept looking back into the tech booth. Well, during Rejoice With Exceeding Great Joy, the techs were bouncing back and forth (and dancing). It was the funniest thing ever! I had hoped to also get pulled for the late pair as well. But in the end, I was happpy I didn't. I went home, and watched my new copy of HP6 (which I had bought earlier in the day). I also had to end up getting the Ultimate Edition for HP1 and HP2. I can't wait until the rest are released. And with the new editions to my collection, I now have 32 non-Disney dvds, and 47 Disney dvds.

Then there was today. I was off again, and decided to relax at home. I got my ticket for graduation (I will be attending next Wed), and was able to sign up for 2 backstage CM tours (one for Everest, the other for GMR). I'm looking forward to the GMR tour, as my roomie Christine will also be taking it. So it should be fun. I had my last class of the semester at 3:30, then was off to Formal at 7. It wasn't too bad. The theme was "Tale as Old as Time". The characters ended up being Hook and Smee, Belle and Beast (Belle was in the holiday gown), Sorcerer Mickey, and Aladdin. Aladdin ended up being friends with Zach! I was so happy to see him there (I had been hoping it would be him). The food was pretty good too. I had some pasta, and dessert was strawberry shortcake. Yum! Overall it was a fun evening. Tomorrow my dad and sister come down for a visit, and will be here through Friday. Tomorrow we are going to MVMCP, and Friday we will be going to the Studios in the morning (so they can see TSM), and then Epcot in the evening (dinner at Germany, then they will be attending Candlelight to see me sing. I also will be having my dad tape the show). I'm really looking forward to their visit.

I had 8 hours of training for my cross-U as a Once Upon A Facilitator today! After working in the parks day after day you forget the impact you're having on the guests, but going through training today has really re-energized me and is exactly what I needed. I start officially teaching the class in January!!!

At the end of class I noticed I had a missed call, voicemail, and text all regarding the same thing... a job interview. I will be interviewing on Friday. I'm not sure yet how it'll affect my facilitation with MK, my assumption is that I'll lose it, but hopefully I will be able to negotiate something?

And then on Saturday I'm going to yet another audition for something else (it never ends).

In the middle there, on Thursday my mom is coming to town (to see our new house), then she leaves on Sunday, and I return to work on Monday.

The next couple of days are going to be a little crazy!

I'm taking picture of kids with Santa tomorrow and getting paid for it. Ahhh!

It's for work. We're having a Christmas program two nights in a row, and the kids can get their picture taken with Santa in the library afterwards. Sunshine, the school nurse who is also a photographer, asked me a few weeks ago to help with pictures tomorrow. (I can't on Wednesday because my class will be in the program, and then I have to mingle with parents over cookies and punch afterwards.)

Anyway, I found out today that I alone am taking the pictures while she fills out receipts and handles the paperwork. I get to use her camera, too. It's nice. I'm taking my camera, too, as a back-up. I'm incredibly nervous, mostly about learning how to use a new camera. Hopefully I'll have plenty of time to set everything up the way I want it and the only thing I'll have to do is push the shutter button for each group!)