College Comes at a Cost

Ever since I entered college, I can definitely say that I have been living comfortably. Going to a university that only costs $10k a year and receiving scholarships that covered those entire costs greatly contributed to this comfort. The income I received from my job went straight into my pocket. This provided me with many opportunities - purchasing camera equipment, going skydiving, traveling to New York, and splurging while living at Disney World. It was a fun two years, and I am grateful for what I have been able to do. But now it's time to put in the hard work and earn my education - and I am also grateful for this opportunity.

I have now transferred to the University of Kentucky as an out of state student. This means about $25k per year in school costs, not to mention my rent (which is a heck of a lot more expensive than it was in Utah). Though I am currently employed and doing an unpaid internship, I am now in search for another job to decrease the amount of loans I must take out. Not only this, but I have started learning the craft of couponing! I still have a ways to go until I'm a pro, but I've saved a dollar here and there by using coupons, and it really adds up. I am really excited to learn some great skills over the next couple years - budgeting, conserving, and sacrificing.

What I may be most worried about when it comes to budgeting my money is my upcoming trip to Hawaii. Everyone knows that this is not a cheap vacation spot. Luckily my dad and sister live there, so I don't have to worry about paying for an expensive hotel. But I'll be there for nine days - I'm going to have to spend money on something at some point or another. My plan is to budget, plan, and record. I'll seek out cheap or free excursions or souvenirs, and share it with you all! When the time comes closer, I will give myself a budget and stick to it, then share the how-to's of vacationing cheap in Hawaii with the world! Stay tuned!

VidCon 2013

Well it has been a very fun weekend! I went to spend a few days with my older sisters and their kids, and I got to see my newest niece for the second time since her birth this past December! I am not even exaggerating, she is the cutest baby you will ever see.

At the moment, I'm still trying to fit a bucket list item into my schedule for this week, but that is really hard to do when all my friends have jobs. I really am grateful for my empty schedule, and I'll be sure to cherish it before I move to Disney World and start working 40-50 hour weeks...

But I think I have found another item that deserves to be on the bucket list: VidCon. In a nutshell, it's an online video/YouTube convention in Anaheim, California from August 1st-3rd. They will be featuring loads of special guests that include (to my extreme delight!), but are not limited to, the following:

Alfie Deyes                             Caspar Lee                             Jenna Marbles
Zoe Sugg                               Jack and Finn Harries             Sam Pepper                      
Marcus Butler                         Alex Goot                                Shay Carl
                   
                              
Excited is an understatement. The first road block is, like it will be for the rest of my life, money. I have it, but I still have college to pay for. But in my head, I figure that I will just make the money back again once I start working in Florida. Second, I don't have anyone to go with, and I doubt it will be much fun if I'm there alone. I know people who would love to go, but I don't think they'd like to drop that kind of cash in one weekend. Tickets alone are $110... We'll see what happens.

To visit my Disney College Program blog, click here.

 

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2,200 Miles

Today I made what I thought was a pretty sad realization. In my entire life, the farthest I have been away from home is a total of 2,200 miles. And that was when I was two years old. I perceived this as depressing because I have barely been anywhere, I haven't gone on any adventures! Besides that trip to Alaska when I was two, the farthest I've ever been was North Dakota. Exciting. (No offense to anyone who does live there... It wasn't exactly my cup of tea).

But then I took that 2,200 miles (3,500 km, if you will) and took a good look at Europe. With 2,200 miles, I could travel from the edge of Spain to the edge of Russia. That's practically across the entire continent - potentially 11 countries!

So it's settled, at an undetermined point in my life, I am moving to Europe, where the adventures seem endless. Who knows, maybe I'll buy a flat outside of London and settle down for a bit? I don't know, I just need some adventure. Perhaps I'll hit up New York first - that is of course after I'm done living in Disney World for half a year.

Hmm, that actually doesn't sound like a horrible way to spend my life. I've never really liked the idea of staying in one place for too long. I'll just spend an unknown amount of time living in each of the places I've always wanted to visit around the world. I'm going to make a list, and I'll post it in a tab above called "Travel." Look for it soon to see where in the world I will live some day, at some point in time.

Until then, how are you going to spend your 2,200 miles?
Now is the time to cash them in.
Now it the time for an adventure!

Mobile, Agile, Hostile!

I would just like to start off by saying... I ran a 5k yesterday! My roommate and I signed up for it about a week and a half beforehand, trained (minimally...) during the week prior, and successfully ran the race without passing out! Now, you have to understand that I was a year-round athlete in high school and since coming to college, I usually try to play frisbee once a week, and that's about it. It's safe to say I'm a little out of shape. But I ran it in 32:30, which is good for my first 5k in a little over a year! At least I think it is...?

But lately I've found the motivation to just try to be healthier all-around, whether its eating, exercising, or getting a good night sleep. I feel better, am more energized, and am better able to focus on my studies (when I have the motivation to do so...). And signing up for these 5k runs has helped me achieve this goal, probably because I'm paying for it, so I want to get my money's worth!

Anyway, I signed up for the 5k during the Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend at Disney World! That's going to be in early October later this
year. I also plan to sign up for a few in between now and then (most likely one before the semester is over, and a couple after I head back to Seattle).

OH! And there is officially 24 days until the semester is over!! Now, go get healthy!

DISNEY WORLD, HERE I COME!!

I have never written two posts in one day, UNTIL NOW!! Why, you may ask? Because I have been accepted into the Fall 2013 Disney College Program in Walt Disney World!

 

Let me tell you how it happened:

It all started in Psych 301 (mmmm...statistics). I let my professor know that I had to leave class a little early (there was an ultimate frisbee game going on, but I didn't tell him that part). The class runs from 4:30pm to 6:20pm, and I had planned on leaving around 5:45pm. At about 5:00, we start getting into multiple regression. Pftt, I thought, I already know all this. Time to enter the world wide web.

BAM! Email from Disney. First word, "Congratulations." I start hyperventilating and want to scream, but I remember where I am. I want to run out and call everyone I know, but it's the middle of class! Then I remember I already asked to leave class early. Mwaha! So I slipped out at 5:15 and called my mommy, and yelled, and ran home, and yelled some more!

I will be in Orlando from August 12th, 2013 through January 2nd, 2014 and will be working Quick Service Food and Beverage.

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!

Disney College Program

It has been way to long since I've posted a blog entry, but I am back! Today, I'm going to be focusing on my adventure so far in applying for the Disney College Program (DCP) ! I figured my roommates were tired of hearing me talk about how excited I was, so I'd just write it all down for the world to know!

So the story begins Thursday, February 28th. This was the day that I first found about DCP. I sort of half-seriously started working my way through the application after reading up as much as I could about the program. Before I knew it, I was finished and submitting my application!

Not even an hour later, I received an email directing me to proceed to the online interview/questionnaire. It said that when I was finished with this interview, I would immediately know afterward if I qualified to advance in the application process. After seeing this email, I decided that it was late, almost 11pm! I headed to bed because I had work at 7 am the next morning. However, I was tossing and turning for an hour and a half before I decided to get up and do the online interview at 1:30am!

After I finished, I found out that I qualified for the next step: a phone interview! I scheduled that for Wednesday, March 6th at 12:30pm. I have spent the last day and a half furiously searching every forum and blog that has to do with the DCP so I can prepare as best I can! This would seriously be a once in a lifetime, MAGICAL opportunity! Wish me luck, and I will update later about how everything goes, as well as what the program entails!