Category: personal

Well, yesterday I had the awesome opportunity to sing in the Candlelight Processional with Jim Caviezel, Jesus Christ from Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. He was amazing and funny at the same time. Before the second show, he came out and was joking around with the cast choir. After the shows, a group of us went to watch Illuminations and the special holiday ending. All I can say folks is that you will want to go see this ending. It plays the beautiful song ‘Let there be peace on Earth’ with lots of fireworks. In-fact, there are more fireworks in this last four minutes than in all the other shows on property combined! After the pyro display, Andy and I split from the group and went to go see Polar Express. Now, as a child I remember reading this book over and over. I really enjoyed the movie and it sends a message that you must believe. Great movie for all ages. Well, I am off to work the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tonight so have a great week!

Well, the holidays are starting here at the Walt Disney World Resort. I know I haven’t posted in almost a week it seems but I have been busy with work. We are slowing down a bit after the rush at Thanksgiving and will start picking up again when we get closer to Christmas and New Years. Holidays around the World at Epcot is also started and I will be in the Candlelight Processional starting tomorrow night. Mom and Dad are here for the weekend and both sets of Grandparents should be up later today as well. Today is offically my Friday so I can enjoy two days off with my family since I wont be home for the holidays.

This morning I am at the Disney Learning Center in the utilidor at the Magic Kingdom killing time until I meet Mom and Dad for their tour at 8:45. I have been here since about 6 for the big Porperty Control tent sale where we can purchase new merchandise at 75% off normal prices. Can’t beat that! Anyways, I’ll post more tomorrow night after Candlelight.

Well, I was going to post this yesterday but my schedule became booked in the evening when I would have posted. Yesterday was Stitch’s Celebration a the Magic Kingdom marking the Cast Holiday/Appreciation Celebration. There was a tent sale for merchandise, food, information booths which I was working at the WDW Pin Trading one, and Segway Training. It was a lot of fun and all I can say now is that I want a Segway! As well as being a day for celebrations, yesterday also marked Veteran’s Day. The Magic Kingdom honored our nations veterans with a special flag retreat on Main Street USA complete with the Voices of Liberty from Epcot and the Main Street Marching Band. Also on hand was a special color guard made up of Magic Kingdom Cast Members whom had recently returned from serving over seas. What a great way to honor our veterans at the park. Well, that’s all for now.

Yesterday I received word that my Great Uncle Jim had passed away after getting sick in the summer of 2000. A friend of my extend family wrote this about Uncle Jim:

James B. Hannah died this morning at the Veterans Hospital. He was in his mid-eighties and had been in declining health for some time. I was always particularly fond of Hannah, because he used to introduce me to people as his lawyer. “I like having a lawyer who looks like a lawyer,” he’d say. Whatever that meant. Never said anything about any skill I might bring to the discussion, however.

Hannah graduated from Harvard College and went into the Navy in World War II. The story was that his was the first American ship in Tokyo Bay at the end of the war. A sub-chaser, I think. He would have been a junior officer, but he was in command of that little ship. If he’d jumped off the boat and shot some wounded Japanese guy, I suppose he would have run for President.

I remember growing up going to his home in Hopkins. While visiting with him and my Great Aunt Bunny, I remember playing in his loft. His loft was filled with ship memorabilia and my mom reminded me that I was especially enamored with the ship’s bell when i was younger. You could always count on him to make you laugh. I’ll miss you Uncle Jim just as much as the rest of the Hannah and Swanson families will.

Well folks, yours truly has been selected as one of the lucky few that can pre-order the Cities 97 (Minneapolis 97.1 FM) CD Sampler 16! For those that are not aware, the sampler is created each year and includes a track listing consisting of a handful of Studio C (Acoustic) recordings by various artists with the proceeds going to charities in the Minneapolis Area. I missed out on my chance to buy the CD last year so I was so delighted to come home from work and see the e-mail in my inbox telling me I could pre-order it. Check out the link to the site by clicking the album art and listen to some of the samples from the tracks.

Ok, so it has been a LONG time since I got a chance to even sit down and write. This is the last week of 6-day and I am so happy about it. I was off yesterday which was my first real day off since last Sunday. I got a chance to sleep in a bit and then I met up with my friend Steve from Eckerd and we hung out and did our thing with our computers and chilled at the mall and Downtown Disney for a bit. New CPs are coming in finally so we are back to 5-day weeks next week. I am at Pirates Merchandise this Friday and Saturday though and then I have two days off to hang out with Paul when he arrives. Still having fun though and love what I do, that’s what is important I guess. Now, back to laundry, lunch and then work.

Well, I know it has been a LONG time since I had a chance to post to my site. What can I say, i have been busy with work. Anyways, Anna and Amanda came in to town for the weekend. Anna had wanted to come visit me and with all the things going on at home with Scott, she decided it was time to get away from home and come down. Friday, I was scheduled to work from 10-2100 but, I arranged for an ER (early release) so I could get out at 1800 to meet up with them. We went out to Downtown Disney and then met up with my roommate Matt who got us in to PI with his comp pass. It was a fun time.

Yesterday though was probably the most memorable day of the weekend. I had to day off and two comp tickets that I had saved. Anna and Amanda had both not been to Disney World since they were younger so we went to Epcot in the morning and went “around the world” before taking the monorail (“Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantangenese alijados de las puertas”) to the Magic Kingdom just in time to catch the “Share a Dream Come True” parade. We did the classics of Space Mountain, Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion as well as the new favorites of Buzz Lightyear and Mickey’s Philarmagic. And to complete a perfect day, what better than Wishes!™ a Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams. It was a great day filled with many fond memories of childhood. Now, I am back to six day work weeks until the new CPs arrive.