I'll be home for Christmas!

Just a few of the people I miss back at home! So happy that I will be seeing some of you in 6 days!!!!

Mom and Dad

My Dana Ladies

YAME

Kasey and Company

GA and Lover

The McKown Crew

The Brothers

Crave and Friends

Small group girls

Tenarry

FlOWer

Girls Night

Taco Scoop Movie Tuesdays

Thanks for so many incredible memories! I miss you all so much and I am so thankful to have you in my life! Love you guys!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

I feel like I haven't posted in forever!!! So much has happened over the last few weeks!!!

My mom came to visit this weekend! It was so wonderful seeing her...I can’t believe it’s been a whole month since I left California!! It worked out perfectly that her hotel was just around the corner from both my apartment and my rehearsal facility. We walked around the city a little and I got to show her around the rehearsal studio and the apartments. I took her to some of my favorite parts of Toronto and we even went and saw “The Muppets” up by the Eaton Centre. She was able to meet a handful of my cast members including my wonderful roommates! It was so nice to catch up with her and show her how much fun I am having up here in Canada!

Can you see the snowflakes on our coats?!

My roommate, Ava, turned 25 last Monday! Maleah planned a surprise birthday party for her. She painted a “Happy Birthday” sign and baked some brownies, while my mom and I made a cake! All of our treats were delicious!!! Ava went out to dinner with a couple girls and she was told to stop by one of out cast member’s rooms afterwards to pick up something. Our whole cast was hiding in the room anxiously awaiting her arrival! She finally walked through the door and we all shouted “surprise!” She almost cried she was so surprised! It was so much fun!

Happy Birthday Ava!!! 

A couple of weekends ago, the Fantasy 1 and Dream 3 Character Casts went ice skating together!  There is an outside skating rink down by the water that is actually a pond that they freeze in the winter. We had a blast skating around the pond together and taking tons of pictures and falling all over the place. We even did some Zumba to the music that was playing outside!

Fantast 1 and Dream 3 Characters!!!

Our Character manager, Michael(bottom left)  tried skating under Justin's legs (the guy I am pointing and laughing at)...The most hilarious collision I've ever witnessed. We were laughing so hard that we all fell down.

We're dancers...

Which means we're really not all that graceful...

Two of of our cast members organized and hosted a Trivia Night. There were 7 groups of 5-8 people and we were given different questions to answer and challenges to complete. We had trivia on Canada, geography, films and celebrities. There were three challenges: finishing the lyrics to a random song, smelling and tasting a mystery substance and trying to guess what it was, and collecting a list of items from our teammates’ rooms in 7 minutes. Our team name was Team Train Wreck because our team was thrown together last minute, but we ended up tying for third place! 

Our lovely hosts! 

We are currently sharing the rehearsal space with the Fantasy 1 cast! The Fantasy is the brand new Disney cruise ship that sets sail in March 2012! I have made a lot of friends in this cast and last weekend we were invited to watch the first run-through of the brand new Disney musical, Wishes! It was fantastic! There were a lot of Disney executives observing the rehearsals and filming the Fantasy cast for videos like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mFP9Po5-FE&sns=fb

There are so many exciting things going on up here. We are finishing up our second main stage show and then we only have one show left to learn! Pretty soon we will be doing daily run-throughs! We only have about a month left in Toronto and then it's off to the ship! I'm getting pretty nervous for Orlando, but also anxious to perform all of our shows in costume and on stage in front of a live audience!!!

God brought two new friends to our bible study this week!  I haven’t been able to set an exact time and day when we can meet because our schedules are always different. Only 4 of the usuals showed up this time. We all shared a little bit about where we're at and what we believe. After a long discussion about love and religion and such, we went around the circle and asked for prayer requests from everyone. After the group meeting, our two new friends said they definitely wanted to start coming regularly! 

I decided that I want to be a prayer warrior. I have witnessed the power of prayer first hand and I know that God listens. I want to become more comfortable with verbal prayer and more confident with private prayer. I want to fully experience the intimacy of prayer. So I'm starting this new thing I like to call a prayer jar. Each week I will collect prayer requests from the friends in my small group as well as from anyone back home. I will write all of these prayers down and keep them in a jar on my bed stand. I will designate a time once a week where I sit down and pray each prayer and spend at least an hour just spending time and listening to God! 

After closing small group in prayer, I shared a video that was made during this year's Halloween up in Santa Barbara by the church I became a part of in Isla Vista. This video had really spoken to me earlier that day and reminded me that I am not in control. I do not have to strive to be a light because His spirit lives in me and He is always working. I need to learn to rest and trust in Him more. If you have the time to watch this video, please do. It is a beautiful example of God's love and how He intended His people to live: freely and joyfully!

http://jesuslovesiv.com/portfolios/isla-vista-church-bssm-halloween-2011/

But the greatest of these is love.

It starting snowing today!!! I can’t tell you how long I have waited for this. The forecast has been predicting snow almost daily for the past two weeks and I have woken up and checked outside each morning hoping to see our balcony covered in fluffy white snowflakes. It have been years since I have seen snow and today is the first time I have actually witnessed falling snow! I am experiencing so many new things here in Toronto!

Okay...so you can't really see the snow falling, but this is the best I could do!

On Sunday night, we finally had our Thanksgiving Feast. A group of our cast members rented out the party rooms in our apartment building. They decorated the room with candles and flower arrangements and they organized all the dishes we brought in by category; there was a table for the main dishes, a table for sides, a corner for bread, and a table for desserts! Everyone was great about bringing in something for the whole cast. There was definitely enough to go around! We called our feast The Great American Thanksgiving and as a joke, one of the English guys in our cast entered with a tray of McDonald's cheeseburgers spelling out "God Bless America." The best part: the Americans totally ate them. Too funny.

Our Great American Thanksgiving was delicious. Definitely the best Thanksgiving feast I've ever had! We had SO much food. We have so many leftovers! 

We have some really talented cooks in our cast! My roommates spent days cooking special homemade recipes and all I did was open a couple cans of Cranberry sauce (definitely my favorite Thanksgiving food). I labeled it "Homemade Cranberry Sauce By: Alissa." A few people totally believed it for maybe...30 seconds...

Can you find my "Homemade Cranberry Sauce?"

I had a super long and tiring day of rehearsals yesterday from 8:45am-6:00pm. I learned three new dance numbers from two different shows. Today we have a put-together for one of our deck parties where we do all of the numbers we have in the order of the show. In this particular deck party, there are 7 dance numbers and I am in 5 1/2 of them. Today will be the first time we run them all one after another without stopping. It is going to be exhausting because it requires high energy the whole time! I also have to learned the lyrics to all of the songs so I can sing along.

I changed our small group night to Tuesdays so last night we got together. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 has been popping into my head quite frequently lately so I read it to the group. I put in bold the phrases that really stuck out to me...

"Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  

God is love and I have faith in God because I feel his unconditional love. I try to live everyday for Him and I try to love people the way He loves them. But in order to share this love with others, it is crucial to know the definition of love. It is more than giving someone a hug or telling them “I love you.” It is loving them no matter what, under any circumstance, without anything in return. 

Patience is a huge aspect of love. I am very aware of the fact that I will be living with the same 44 people for the next 9 months and I would be lying if I said no one is ever going to get on my nerves or that I am never going to feel stressed or frustrated. But I know that my relationship and dedication to God will keep me calm and peaceful. 

Pride can also a serious problem in a group of performers. Cast lists go up and confidence levels heighten and it's easy to confuse self-confidence with pride. This is where patience comes into the picture. I am learning how to be patient and also learning to keep no record of wrongs of those who may hurt me with their pride. 

And this is where I have to remember the most important part of this verse: love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. I trust that God will keep me strong and rooted in His word when I feel frustrated or defeated because I know that God's love will always protect me and will always persevere.

My favorite.

You make beautiful things out of the dust.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! I’m sitting here eating a sandwich on my lunch break just waiting to go back for 5 more hours of rehearsal because Thanksgiving doesn’t exist in Canada! Our cast is having a Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday though, so I won’t be missing out on any good food! This is the first time I haven’t been home for a holiday and it feels a little weird...but I don’t feel homesick! We’ve been here for 3 weeks now and it truly feels like home. 

I’m very excited for Christmastime here in Toronto! It’s supposed to snow soon and I can’t wait! Last weekend a group of my cast and I went to watch The Santa Claus Parade which is supposedly a big deal here in Toronto. Honestly, the parade was pretty awful and the fact that it was freezing out made it even less fun, but I still had a good time with my cast of hilarious commentators. Also, Canada has some weird obsession with clowns that none of us understood...

The Santa Claus Parade

They were handing out clown noses. We thought they were Rudolph noses...but we were so wrong.

I also took a trip to Niagara Falls over the weekend!!! About 15 of us booked a bus tour that took us to an adorable town called Niagara by the Lake, then took us to a beautiful vineyard, and finally dropped us off at the breathtaking falls!!! The view was incredible and the weather was perfect! It was such a fun trip and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see this famous landmark!

Reif Winery

Niagara Falls

Cute Ponchos

Beautiful.

Rehearsals are becoming very tedious. I am so happy to have been cast in almost all of the shows so far, but there are a lot of rehearsals and it’s starting to take its toll on my body. I have to attend mandatory strength training for Spanish web and my muscles are constantly sore because of it. It is such a blessing to have two days off each week! I don’t know what I would do without that break. But the pain is definitely worth it, because each and every number I get to be in is so much fun. I get to be a pirate in two of the deck parties!!! I even get to sword fight! We finished one of our shows today and did a run through! We still have so much to learn, but things are starting to come together!

We had our second bible study last night. God gave me a really good word to share about living as a light and setting an example along with some other passages about not judging others or allowing others to fall into sin because of your actions. This last weekend I experienced a small taste of the pain God feels when people live in the darkness of their sin. I felt that it was really important to let the people in my bible study know that if we are going to share our faith with others in our cast, we need to set an example and live differently so that we are seen as unique and different in a positive way. A couple of the girls shared how they have felt God change their heart about certain things but also how they know they have to avoid putting themselves in situations that could encourage them to sin. I have definitely felt God change my heart and I am so thankful for these changes. God is preparing this group and changing our hearts so that we can bring truth and hope to the broken souls in this cast. 

A quote to ponder:

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

Live big. Create Magic. Inspire Greatness.

I am completely in love with my job. I have never worked so hard and had so much fun in my entire life. Each and every cast member is always giving 100% and absorbing as much information as possible. We support each other fully and there is never a competitive feeling between anyone because we are all rooting for one another. It is so awesome to already feel like a family after only one week of knowing each other.

There are 44 performers in my cast. I am the third youngest and the average age is around 24 or 25. Every performer is so talented and we all work really well together. Everyone in my cast is so diverse and it is an honor to be getting to know so many different types of people from all over the world. Each day I seem to learn something new about someone in the cast and it fascinates me.

But this job isn’t as easy as it sounds. There is a lot to take in and think about. There are hundreds of details you have to pay attention to. There is so much to prepare for, but I know that by the time we are on the ship we will be ready. Last week was focused solely on character work. It is was interesting and I’ll admit, WAY harder than I ever imagined it would be, yet also so much fun. Sometimes I forget that I’m actually getting paid for this! Our character cast became super close in just a matter of days. Each rehearsal ended on a positive and emotionally stimulating note and we began to form this close bond. 

Dream 3 Character Cast

This upcoming week we are finally starting to learn the choreography and blocking for the shows! We are being placed in different roles and I’m excited that not only do I get to do character work, I also get to learn Spanish web (aerial work), stage and weaponry combat, and most importantly...I get to dance!!! I am ecstatic to have these opportunities!!! I realize that I will be extremely busy with back to back shows on the ship, but it is all going to be worth it! I just love performing.

Toronto is beautiful. I have always wanted to live in a city and I’m finally getting a real taste of what it’s like. Our rehearsal studio is just across the street which is so convenient. The weather is still bearable and although the forecast has told us three times in the past week that it was supposed to snow, it still hasn’t happened. There is so much to do up here: movies, ballets, musicals, shopping, restaurants, and sights to see.

God really knows what He’s doing. It’s like He has a box full of puzzle pieces and each day he gives me a new piece of the puzzle. I am starting to see how everything is fitting together and I know that by the end of this contract the puzzle will be complete. Last night I held a little get-together for some girls and boys in my cast that I had learned were Christian. I planned the meeting about a week ago with just a handful of people and the word spread and several more cast members attended! The evening was so full of glory I couldn’t wipe the radiant smile off of my face. We share bits of our testimonies and I share some spoken word videos that had really inspired me over the summer. We all prayed together and felt this overwhelming sense of comfort and security in this new fellowship. I am so excited for this loving support system and I can’t wait to see how God is going to move through us and use us as beacons in our cast. God truly answered all of our prayers and I am so thankful that he put it on my heart to lead this group. I pray that I never lose sight of why God put me on this ship. 

This is how I feel right now. Ready and willing for anything.

Hello, Goodbye

Life is a continuous cycle of hellos and goodbyes. Personally, my life has been chalk-full of both salutations.  I’ve lived in two different states and I’ve attended 8 different schools.  Although I’ve lost connection with many friends over the years, I have also met some incredible people who I will love and cherish forever.  Switching schools and starting over and over and over again is difficult but I finally realize that God has been preparing me for this journey my entire life. He has taught me to be bold and personable. He has taught me to be compassionate and encouraging.  He has taught me how to adjust to new places and situations. It took me 19 years, but I finally understand why so many things HAD to happen for this amazing opportunity to arise.

Saying goodbye to friends or family you deeply care about is never easy. When I first got the job with Disney I was ecstatic and completely ready and willing to get up and leave without a moment to lose!  This was my dream job come true and I could not wait!!! But as the countdown to November 4th creeped up slowly, I began to feel scared and anxious about the journey ahead. I had just become very close with 6 amazing women, not to mention the countless other friends I met this summer, and I finally felt comfortable, accepted, and trusted by each and every person. It seemed unbearable to have to leave everyone. I started to realize that this new chapter in my life will open up so many opportunities and produce friendships all over the world.  Francis Chan writes about the disciples in Forgotten God : “They were no longer timid or confused; they were bold and inspired and began to declare and live the gospel of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit (68).” At this very moment, that is exactly how I am feeling! Although it is hard to say goodbye, I know that I will see my friends again and that we will all have so much to share with each other. It’s not goodbye, it’s just see you later!

Here is another thought-provoking quote from Forgotten God:

“Is it true that God may have called you to be exactly where you are. But it’s absolutely vital to grasp that He didn’t call you there so you could settle in and live life in comfort and superficial peace. His purposes are not random or arbitrary. If you are still alive on this planet, it’s because He has something for you to do. He placed us on this Earth for purposes that He orchestrated long before we were born ( Ephesians 2:8-10). Do you believe that you exist not for your own pleasure but to help people know the love of Jesus and to come fully alive to Him? If so, then that will shape your life in the place where you are (92).”

As I sit in the back row of this tiny jet on my way to Toronto, I realize that God is already answering my prayers. On my first flight from Orange county to Minneapolis, I was seated between two traveling businessmen who worked for a Lutheran-based Finance Company. They were very friendly and we struck up a conversation. I learned a little about their children and grandchildren and they asked questions about my job with Disney. The man to my left, Jay, noticed I was reading “Forgotten God” and he asked if I had always loved God. I very briefly explained to him how I was raised in a Christian family but lost my way a little throughout high school and just recently gave my life to Christ in my first year of college! I felt very safe on that plane where God had stuck me and He answered the panicked prayer I had said that night: “Keep me safe and don’t let me get lost like I always do.” 

As we exited the plane, Jay wished me luck with my career and told me to always remember Jesus through the hard times because the entertainment industry is tough. He said that this is my mission and I completely agreed. I know this is where God wants me to be. Th two men kindly helped me find the gate for my next flight. It was supposed to be a 35 minute layover, but our flight landed 30 minutes early. Perfect! I no longer felt panicked at finding my way to the right gate because God had seated these men beside me to give me a sense of comfort, safety, and encouragement. God is ALREADY answering my prayers!

       The main purpose of this blog is to keep my close friends updated on my travels and experiences while I am away training and traveling with Disney Cruise Line! I know that this journey is a gift from God and it is exactly where I am supposed to be. He is going to use me in so many ways but I know that it will be difficult to keep my focus on Him and His beautiful truth. So I ask for prayer from anyone and everyone who is willing to take the smallest fraction of time to pray for my protection, dedication, and diligence over the path that God has laid for me.

To all of my friends and family, I miss you already!!! Shout out to my Crave crew, my GNO girls, my small group sisters, my YAME loves, IVC, all of my UCSB dance majors, and last but certainly not least, my beautiful mother. Thank you for all you have done for me this summer! I am so blessed to call you my mommy! 

Alissa