Old People

One thing I miss about working at a normal Walgreens is all of the elderly customers. The store I work at now is pretty small as it is practically located on UNC’s campus. There is no parking lot at this store so we don’t get that many elderly customers..They either don’t want to walk or can’t walk which makes sense..when I’m old I don’t want to have to walk to the pharmacy either haha. Anyways...even though we don’t have a parking lot we still get a few and I love it when they come in.


A few weeks back an old man came in looking for his shaving cream, the packaging on his had changed so he asked me to help him look for it so I did. It was a pretty slow day that day so after we found his shaving cream we just sat in the aisle and talked about life for a good 30-45 minutes. Old people love to do this and I love to hear their life story so I listen and then share mine. It makes both of us feel good.

Well this man came in again today, at first I didn’t recognize him because he was all dressed up in his Carolina gear (he is a retired professor from the university) he told me today would probably be the only day I saw him all dressed up because he had just finished having lunch with the chancellor after a morning of golf. (I wish I lived this retired lifestyle...well maybe not the golf part but I could enjoy a good lunch date and day at the spa) Anyways, he said he was coming to find me to help him find his Gatorade because he remembered the customer service and listening ear I provided the last time. He said he needed the Gatorade to drink before and after his routine colonoscopy (a little TMI but he’s fun to talk to regardless). Haha..Today was a little busy so we didn’t get to chat long but he remembered that I was applying to grad school to become a doctor in something unusual and asked me about it. I reminded him it was for audiology and then he remembered right away—I told him I was waitlisted and deciding between two other schools. He congratulated me and wished me the best—hoping for Carolina. This 10 minute conversation made my day. I love customers like him.

Mrs. Dorothy is another elderly customer her comes in on occasion when she’s headed to the post office. This woman makes me laugh, she’s always looking for some wrinkle cream—saying stuff like “enjoy your twenties when you’re 80 like me you get ugly and there is nothing you can do about it.” She likes me to tell her stories about Disney because when she was younger she did some stuff with Broadway and it reminds her about it. Mrs. Dorothy always has something interesting to say.

Not only do I enjoy talking to old people at work but I’ll listen to their stories anywhere. When we go on family vacations I don’t pick the spot at the pool next to the cute boy who I’d like to give my number to but I choose the seat next to the old couple watching their grandkids play in the pool. Old people LOVE to talk about their grandkids..haha its their favorite topic and I like listening.

I also find it entertaining to just watch older couples especially if they are bickering..I remember before my grandmother passed away she’d always do the cooking and my grandpa would do the dishes..My grandpa was a pretty good cook too so sometimes he’d sneak in the kitchen and try to tell her what to do and she’d “yell” at him to get out of the way and as soon as he’d turn his head she’d make a face at him. The face two year olds make at each other when teasing (stuck out tongue and everything). I know I’ll be just like her one day.

I have so many other stories I’d love to share like how my other grandpa went and ate at the soup kitchen once a week (like my grandmother didn’t feed him) just to make friends haha...but this is getting long and drawn out. I think you get the point...I love old people :)

Today was a good day

Little Miss Perfect--Pageantry gone too far

Many of you know that I am a fan of beauty pageants as my sister and I have both competed in them over the years. And if given the opportunity I’d definitely do it again. However, something just doesn’t sit right with me when the announcer to “Little Miss Perfect” pageant advertises the pageant as a competition for excellence through God given beauty. I agree they are competing for excellence but not through God given beauty. National American Miss is a better pageant for God given beauty. In this pageant contestants under the age of 10 aren’t allowed to wear makeup and only model age appropriate attire. “Little Miss Perfect” pageant is more of a competition of talent and who can “wow” the judges the most through creative costuming and routines. It is a glitz pageant. In one episode the judges said the child was cute but didn’t have a chance to win that round because her hair wasn’t cartoon-big...I’m sorry but first off what is cartoon big? Haha and second even if I knew what that meant it isn’t God given beauty its 3 cans of hairspray and a hairpiece. These girls don’t even show their real smiles—most of them wear flippers which are false teeth for children who are missing a few. There is nothing wrong with glitz pageants as long as you understand it is a glitz pageant and no one is perfect.

This isn't my God given beauty but my glitz headshot meant to "wow" the judeges.

I think pageants have helped me boost my confidence and self-esteem but to me it was more of a stage performance than a competition to see who was prettier. I did it just for fun and if I didn’t win my feelings were not hurt and neither were my parents. I can’t stand watching the “Little Miss Perfect” pageant when a parent is screaming at their child because they missed a step or when a child is being forced to compete even when they don’t feel well. Those parents are taking the pageant to another level...a level that is only going to hurt their child’s self esteem rather than boost it. The child is going to think being perfect is the only acceptable way to be when in reality perfect doesn’t even exist.

Don’t get me wrong, I love pageants and if I have a little girl I plan to put her in them but I will make sure she understands a glitz pageant is just for fun. It’s nice to get dressed up and model on stage—it makes you feel like a princess for a weekend. You can also learn a lot from pageantry if it’s done with the right intentions. They can teach you how to present yourself in positive ways—a warm smile, nice posture and how to be elegant.

When it Rains it Pours

Normally I like to take my shower at night so I can wake up 15-20 min before work and still make it on time.  Essentially I just brush my hair and teeth use the restroom add a little make-up and walk out the door.  Today however, I decided to wake up an hour early so I'd have some extra time to do my hair and switch over my laundry.  Everything seemed to be going smoothly...it was a pretty productive morning actually.  I straightened and curled my hair, checked and even managed to get a load of laundry started.  I thought today was going to be a pretty descent day until I step foot outside to gross weather wind and rain...there went my hair.... I drove part way to work like normal and had to walk the rest of the way.  Normally this isn't an issue but because it was raining AND windy my umbrella and rain coat did not help much if any at all.  I was constantly fighting the umbrella to keep it from turning inside out...needless to say I arrived to work 7 minutes late and a wet mess.  To top it off I was greeted by a manager with "Samantha your hair..."  and it wasn't a "your hair looks good" comment but "maybe you should buy a brush before work" comment...good thing I keep one at work. 

I told a coworker that today wasn't going to be a good day for me...I could just feel it.  Well only a few hours after saying that while stocking the nail polish I manage to drop one and it shattered splattering my pants and covering my sperrys.  All I could do at the time was repeat over and over to myself  "I love my job, I love my job, I love my job."  I was so angry!  Both my shoes and pants will have to be replaced and as most of you know sperrys aren't cheap!!  My nice clothes were essentially ruined by cheap nail polish.  And to make things worse my coworkers followed me around the rest of the day calling me 'little red riding shoes'.  I seriously felt like throwing shopping baskets at all of their heads. haha

I'm about to head to the gym to run off some of my frustration but at the rate this day is going it'll probably end in a disaster as a result of a twisted ankle or worse...oh I hope not.

Today sucked...but hey tomorrow is another day right?

Walgreens...I want a raise

I'm Not Yours and You're Not Mine, Be my Anti-Valentine?

First off Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I thought I’d post something brief on my opinion of the special day. I don’t believe Valentine’s Day is a day to be hated but a day to be embraced. It’s not a day just for ridiculously cute couples, it’s a day to take the time to remind everyone how much you care about them and it’s also a day where you are reminded of how much you mean to others. When was the last time you told your best friend how much they mean to you? Have you told your parents how grateful you are to have them in your life? I understand we don’t need a day to remind us to say these things but let’s be honest life can get a little hectic and we don’t always tell our loved ones exactly how much we appreciate them. All I’m saying is if you’re single don’t sit around wallowing and being bitter about Valentine’s Day...Make a Valentine for a friend and tell them how much you love them. Remember in elementary school when you gave out Valentine’s to everyone? You may have given the kid you weren’t so fond of the Valentine in the box that you thought was the least attractive, but that’s not the point. The point is even that kid still got a Valentine. I send out Valentines to a bunch of my friends every year just to add a bit of sunshine to their day. I know I love receiving greeting cards, I still have most of my cards from growing up...they mean more to me than gifts because it’s the thought that means most. I’m a firm believer that the best Valentine you can give comes from your heart and can be put in a card. Even if you haven’t noticed it lately God has blessed you with many people who love and care about you. Now is a great time to tell them that you care about them too.


So how are you spending your Valentine’s Day? Are you sitting alone being all bitter because you haven’t found that special someone yet? Or, are you spending it with a loved one be that special someone, a family member or a great friend? It’s only a miserable Hallmark Holiday if you make it one.

I know I’m having a nice Valentine’s Day dinner at my place complete with great friends, spaghetti, baked ziti, toasted garlic cheesy bread, a tossed salad and possibly a nice glass of wine :) If I haven’t told you lately I love you all and hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

The Frustrations of a Twenty-Something Girl

So im going to attempt to post this via my iPhone so I apologize for any typos in advance and I'll try to correct them when I'm near a computer.

Being a twenty something girl I experience a lot of frustrations and it's time to get a few off my chest.

Frustration #1 is my most recent experience with my iphone4. It really let me down the day before yesterday.  I set my alarm so I could make it to work 6am on Sunday.. I even went to bed by 9pm do I wouldn't oversleep.  That has to be the earliest I've gone to bed since arriving in florida.  However, instead of waking to my alarm at 4:30am like expected I woke up on my own at exactly 6am--the same time I should have been clocking in at the magic kingdom.  Thanks for nothing iPhone-- I was 40 minutes late to work on one of my last days here at Disney because of you! Thankfully I haven't called in or been late much so I'm still able to go seasonal. Maybe it's payback for all the other iPhones I abused but I don't deserve this. 

Frustration #2 is packing. As I was telling Diana Crowley last night I HATE (with all capital letters) packing/moving every few months. It's exhausting and such a waste of valuable time that I could be spending with the people I'm going to miss most.  I wish I could snap my fingers and my room and car could be packed and ready to go.  I guess it wouldnt be so bad if I didn't have to turn around and pack even for my return to chapel hill as soon as I make it to Jacksonville. 

Frustration #3 are uncontrollable  emotions. I ant stand being such an emotional person it makes me crazy. It never fails I start to fall for someone at the most inconvenient times. End of a semester, end of a summer, end of this internship...it sucks. Im in love with the idea of someone and that makes it hard to leave. He's everything i think i want, so completely different from all the others. It just makes me think what if we'd met at a different time, different place, would things be different? I'm driving myself crazy with all the what ifs. I just need to forget about them and start thinking about the nows, but that's much easier said then done.  The song "haunted" by Taylor Swift is the story of my life right now.  Pray for me-I'm extremely frustrated with my emotions. It'll all work out I'm sure. Cait and Anna the next time I say I'm not going to talk to boys while away, I'm going to stick to it because this is a mess.

Other things I'm frustrated by but dont care to elaborate on:
Cranky babies

Parents who shove terrified babies toward characters

Being ordered to take 20 photos with 1 person "one more, one more!"

Straightening hair

Having to pee 3 times in the middle of the night

Bad Floridian drivers

Being locked out of several accounts because I can't seem to keep my passwords straight. They all have different requirements.

Thank you for listening/reading my rants. I'm truly blessed to have such great friends. 

The End Draws Near

So as the program comes to an end, I’m realizing I’m really going to miss just about everything here. Well I could live without the 4:30am alarm for the breakfast shifts but, besides that, everything else. I’m going to miss hanging out with all of my furry friends, especially Minnie Mouse. I love her flirtatious personality. I won’t miss Duffy. Screw that bear, hahah jk. I’m going to miss the 2 am trips to ihop with my Disney Friends. I don’t know what I’ll do without Alyssa—she is like my twin. She’s the first friend I’ve had who I can easily trade clothes with—very exciting. After working for Disney, I’m not going to know what to do with myself when I’m not at work. I won’t have rollercoasters to ride or characters to play with on my days off. My roommate is laughing at me as write this because I’m tearing up and Alyssa is screaming in the background for me to stay. Oh what I’d give to be able to stay....so many mixed emotions. It really is bittersweet, as I do miss my friends back home terribly and I’d like to be able to go home for the weekends again. I wish we had a sweet tomatoes in chapel hill, I’m slightly addicted to that restaurant but I guess I can live with noodles and chipotle.


Since my last update, a lot has happened so much that I can’t remember it all...haha but I do remember getting a fanatic card. A fanatic card is recognition for going above and beyond what is expected at work. I received one for extending on Thanksgiving day. I was scheduled to work 7am-6pm but ended up staying until 11pm because Minnie Mouse needed help with dinner at Chef Mickey’s. I went to a formal with coworkers, it was nice to be able to get dressed up, take pictures and go dancing. It reminded me of chapel hill briefly. I’ve also completed my leadership class and got my Mouseters Degree in the leadership series (Cute right?? I know.) I feel like I was able to take away some valuable information from that class. I’ve learned that when it comes to approaching conflicts I need to be less of a competitor and become more of a collaborator and/or compromiser. I’m a really headstrong individual and need to take a step back once in a while.

Today was the CP graduation...we all got our ears and took pictures with Minnie and Mickey in their caps and gowns. This would be my first graduation that I haven’t completely broke down and cried. I actually had a lot of fun and enjoyed spending time with the roommates and friends. There is only 3 weeks left of the program and I’m going to take advantage of all my free time and appreciate the amazing job that I have. There is so much left on my list of things to do that I know I’m going to run out of time so, I’m definitely going seasonal. I’m planning on making a trip down here in March and May and if Graduate school doesn’t work out Disney could be my new home as soon as June 2011. I’m going to leave you all with a few photos...



Oh wait first...funny story...

Little Boy to Princess Tiana: Princess Tiana I can dougie.

Princess Tiana: Dougie? Hmm whats that? Could you teach me how to dougie?

Little Boy: ....breaks out in dance...

HAHAHAHA best moment ever!!

And another story...

Last night while hanging out with Minnie Mouse I met Brian from the backstreet boys. Yes be jealous. My job is amazing! :D

My Fanatic Card! :D

Formal with Alyssa and Branden.  Mickey and Minnie looked amazing per usual.

Graduation with Josh, Minnie and Mickey.

Who needs a Masters degree when you can get a Mouseters Degree?  :D

ºoº .•:*¨¨*:•.Samantha.•:*¨¨*:•. ºoº

A Promise

I promise to update this blog soon! haha!