A Whole New SOLO World: A July 2015 WDW TR - My 1st! (complete)

[bamacmac]

I'm wishing you tons of pixie dust & great wishes for luck filled with happiness while you reach for your dreams ! You deserve it!

A HUGE THANK YOU so very much!!! I so appreciate you reading along and for all of the wonderful comments and well wishes.

 

[bamacmac]

An extra day at Epcot was the perfect ending!
I'm so happy for you that you made your decision to move to Orlando. It sounds like you have a great game plan. I always tell my DH that since I moved away from family for his job that retirement will be my choice to move to Orlando. Sounds fair to me! I hope you enjoy the ride.

Ha! You definitely deserve to retire to Orlando! Perfect!!!!I hope you get to.

Thank you so much for reading and for your great comments! Much appreciated!!! I plan to enjoy the ride for as long as I can!

 

[bamacmac]

I'm so excited for you! It sounds like you have put a lot of thought into this and have a great game plan. I'm sure you will be able to find a wonderful faith family in Orlando and God will use you in your new hometown. Maybe Highlands could start another satellite church down there! Please continue to keep us updated as you move along this new "magical" journey!

Thank you so much!!! I have put a ton of thought into it and will continue to overthink it to death for the next year....I am sure! It's easy to say I am moving there for Disney, but to be honest, this has more to do with God than that. I was going down such a specific path and I clearly felt God saying that it was not right. So I listened and got off of that path. And since then things have just snowballed in this direction. I truly feel like God is using my somewhat new passion for WDW and Disney to get me down there for a bigger reason! No idea what it could be, but I really want to find out!

I actually asked if Highlands would ever plant in another state, but they are committed to staying in Alabama. However, I do know that Celebration church out of Jacksonville has an Orlando campus now, and that church is very similar to Highlands! Stoval Weems is their Senior Pastor and I have listened to some pretty great messages by him. So that is a big possibility! But I'm sure there are plenty of churches to check out!

 

[bamacmac]

You mentioned that you will be looking for a church in the area around WDW. This is just a thought, but Yehaa Bob is apparently involved with leading choir at Ocoee Christian Church, and he says everyone is invited there, so maybe that's one you may like to check out?

Thank you for that information! I will have to make a note of that and find out more about that church!

 

[mrsflynnrider]

What a wonderful TR, your pictures made me feel like I was there and I miss it sooo much! So excited for you and your plans to move to Orlando! What an amazing City to call home and be so close to WDW. Good luck and cannot wait to hear about your journey!

 

[Elevationist]

Congratulations, and I'm insanely jealous! I have been dreaming/wanting/trying to move to central Florida for probably 10 years now. The problem, and what has prevented it all these years, is the cost of living. Moving to a safe neighborhood down there would mean my rent would double (from the $600 I pay now to about $1100-$1200 down there)... But my starting pay would only be about the same as what I make now.... ESPECIALLY if I went to work for Disney, as I want to do! I've run the numbers over and over, and I just can't make it work on my own financially... and I love living alone, so finding somebody to move in with just isn't for me (or my two cats). LOL. It's very discouraging, but then anytime I see somebody following that dream, I am SO PROUD of them, and it gives me hope that maybe someday I'll be able to make it happen, too!

 

[sara1215]

What an exciting development! Working for Disney! No better time to do it than when you are young and unattached. I can't wait to hear more about it.

 

[bamacmac]

Congratulations, and I'm insanely jealous! I have been dreaming/wanting/trying to move to central Florida for probably 10 years now. The problem, and what has prevented it all these years, is the cost of living. Moving to a safe neighborhood down there would mean my rent would double (from the $600 I pay now to about $1100-$1200 down there)... But my starting pay would only be about the same as what I make now.... ESPECIALLY if I went to work for Disney, as I want to do! I've run the numbers over and over, and I just can't make it work on my own financially... and I love living alone, so finding somebody to move in with just isn't for me (or my two cats). LOL. It's very discouraging, but then anytime I see somebody following that dream, I am SO PROUD of them, and it gives me hope that maybe someday I'll be able to make it happen, too!

Money has been one of the biggest concerns of mine. For sure. Currently my rent here is in the $1100 range, but I have a 2/2 with a garage. For that down there in the nicer areas I would have to go to a 1/1, no garage. I know I won't be making a ton of money working for Disney, but I plan to cut out a lot of monthly expenses that I have now in order to live there. Like I've decided I won't have cable, just internet. At least not for a little while anyway. I think I will be so obsessed with the parks at first, I won't need cable anyway. Here I have had a a gym membership and massage envy membership, but I am getting rid of those and won't have them down there. I drive a TON here. Really it's crazy. Sometimes 200-300 miles a week, and that's just if I stay in town. And that is because everything I like to do isn't near me. Also I drive to my hometown pretty often. I anticipate that weekly mileage to go down if I live close to the parks. Plus I won't be making the frequent trips home. It's going to be tight, I know that for sure. But I'm determined to find some way to make it work. So I'm just going to do it! I started a side business as a consultant selling kids books recently, and am hoping to turn that into more of a dependable source of income.

Thank you for all of your kind words! I know it's a leap of faith in so many ways, but I know it will be worth it!!! Totally agree about living alone too...I see people posting all the time looking for roommates, but I just could not do that again. That ship sailed a LONG time ago!!!

I hope you can make it happen one day!!!! (And I hope I'm successful with it!)

 

[bamacmac]

What a wonderful TR, your pictures made me feel like I was there and I miss it sooo much! So excited for you and your plans to move to Orlando! What an amazing City to call home and be so close to WDW. Good luck and cannot wait to hear about your journey!

Thank you SO much! It's so exciting and crazy and scary and a million other things! Ha! But I think it will be amazing.

 

[bamacmac]

What an exciting development! Working for Disney! No better time to do it than when you are young and unattached. I can't wait to hear more about it.

Thank you!! I know right? I really feel a "now or never" type thing with it all. And an even bigger "WHY NOT?!".

 

[Elevationist]

Money has been one of the biggest concerns of mine. For sure. Currently my rent here is in the $1100 range, but I have a 2/2 with a garage. For that down there in the nicer areas I would have to go to a 1/1, no garage. I know I won't be making a ton of money working for Disney, but I plan to cut out a lot of monthly expenses that I have now in order to live there. Like I've decided I won't have cable, just internet. At least not for a little while anyway. I think I will be so obsessed with the parks at first, I won't need cable anyway. Here I have had a a gym membership and massage envy membership, but I am getting rid of those and won't have them down there. I drive a TON here. Really it's crazy. Sometimes 200-300 miles a week, and that's just if I stay in town. And that is because everything I like to do isn't near me. Also I drive to my hometown pretty often. I anticipate that weekly mileage to go down if I live close to the parks. Plus I won't be making the frequent trips home. It's going to be tight, I know that for sure. But I'm determined to find some way to make it work. So I'm just going to do it! I started a side business as a consultant selling kids books recently, and am hoping to turn that into more of a dependable source of income.

Thank you for all of your kind words! I know it's a leap of faith in so many ways, but I know it will be worth it!!! Totally agree about living alone too...I see people posting all the time looking for roommates, but I just could not do that again. That ship sailed a LONG time ago!!!

I hope you can make it happen one day!!!! (And I hope I'm successful with it!)

Girl, if it meant I could live in Orlando and work for Disney, I would happily leave behind my 2/2 and 1,100 sq ft apartment for a freakin' STUDIO if I had to! It's just me and two cats, I'd be all right!

But seriously, now you got me dreaming again... and apartment-hunting. And I stumbled on something interesting...

https://bhmanagement.com/communities/fl/orlando/sabal-palm-at-lake-buena-vista-apar-1504/

It's 3 miles from Downtown Disney, has awesome reviews, is in a good part of town... and a 1/1 unit starts at $848.

 

[bamacmac]

Girl, if it meant I could live in Orlando and work for Disney, I would happily leave behind my 2/2 and 1,100 sq ft apartment for a freakin' STUDIO if I had to! It's just me and two cats, I'd be all right!

But seriously, now you got me dreaming again... and apartment-hunting. And I stumbled on something interesting...

https://bhmanagement.com/communities/fl/orlando/sabal-palm-at-lake-buena-vista-apar-1504/

It's 3 miles from Downtown Disney, has awesome reviews, is in a good part of town... and a 1/1 unit starts at $848.

Anything under $1000 seems really good to me! I am a little concerned with being TOO close to the parks...my dog isn't the biggest fan of loud noises, so I hate to make her deal with nightly fireworks. So I want to be close but not so close that they are loud.

I'm also planning to explore the rental house option closer to time. You never know what could pop up with those at any given time!!!

 

[Elevationist]

Anything under $1000 seems really good to me! I am a little concerned with being TOO close to the parks...my dog isn't the biggest fan of loud noises, so I hate to make her deal with nightly fireworks. So I want to be close but not so close that they are loud.

I'm also planning to explore the rental house option closer to time. You never know what could pop up with those at any given time!!!

I just typed a super-long post, then realized I totally highjacked your thread with it, and made it all about me, so I'm PMing you instead.

 

[bamacmac]

I just typed a super-long post, then realized I totally highjacked your thread with it, and made it all about me, so I'm PMing you instead.

Haha! Hijack away!! No worries.

 

[SwimminAtAKL]

Impressions de France. This 18 minute film is enough to make you want to but a ticket to France right then and there. Or at least that is how I feel about it. And that is the goal of this movie, right? Goal accomplished. The stunning French countryside, hot air balloons, Versailles, Bastille Day….and the music. Seriously, the music. I can’t tell you how often I listen to this in my car, but it’s a lot.

Hi @bamacmac,

I'm totally playing catch-up, and having so much fun reading your trip report! I think we are secret Disney twins. I go crazy over all the same things!

So I loved your take on Impressions de France-- I lived in France as a teenager (Normandy mostly, Marseille for a summer --in the 80s, no less!), and it's like this movie was made from pieces of my heart. I've been most of the places they show, and they bring back those memories with such splendor! And like you say, the music! I listen to the soundtrack all the time too.

Anyway, thanks so much for the vicarious fun! And I'm only on page 1! Woo-hoo!

 

[bamacmac]

Hi @bamacmac,

I'm totally playing catch-up, and having so much fun reading your trip report! I think we are secret Disney twins. I go crazy over all the same things!

So I loved your take on Impressions de France-- I lived in France as a teenager (Normandy mostly, Marseille for a summer --in the 80s, no less!), and it's like this movie was made from pieces of my heart. I've been most of the places they show, and they bring back those memories with such splendor! And like you say, the music! I listen to the soundtrack all the time too.

Anyway, thanks so much for the vicarious fun! And I'm only on page 1! Woo-hoo!

Hey! Thanks for taking the time to read along! It ended up much longer than I thought it would be, but I just couldn't leave anything out. Haha. And yay for being secret Disney twins!! It is so much fun to connect on here with people who like the same things about the park that I do! So yay for that!

SO cool that you lived in France. Wow. Yes the music. It's become my favorite track to listen to on the way home from work. Just kinda helps me chill out, relax and takes me back to the film every time.

Excited to hear what you think about the rest of it!!!

 

[SwimminAtAKL]

Hey! Thanks for taking the time to read along! It ended up much longer than I thought it would be, but I just couldn't leave anything out. Haha. And yay for being secret Disney twins!! It is so much fun to connect on here with people who like the same things about the park that I do! So yay for that!

SO cool that you lived in France. Wow. Yes the music. It's become my favorite track to listen to on the way home from work. Just kinda helps me chill out, relax and takes me back to the film every time.

Excited to hear what you think about the rest of it!!!

Ha! Yay indeed! I totally look forward to catching up-- such fun! You are so right about how great it is to vibe on the Dis together!

(Sorry, off topic, but...) Yeah, France was really amazing! Oh my goodness, the FOOD! I was in high school while there, and they had a 2-hour long lunch break, with a multi-course, truly delicious home-cooked meal each day-- in the SCHOOL CAFETERIA (go nuns!)!! Incroyable!!! I always say I had such an unending bounty of good food there (CHEESE!), that even if I had to eat Matrix goop for the rest of my days, I'd go to my grave feeling blessed.

OK, can't wait to read more! Hope you're having a great day.

 

[bamacmac]

Ha! Yay indeed! I totally look forward to catching up-- such fun! You are so right about how great it is to vibe on the Dis together!

(Sorry, off topic, but...) Yeah, France was really amazing! Oh my goodness, the FOOD! I was in high school while there, and they had a 2-hour long lunch break, with a multi-course, truly delicious home-cooked meal each day-- in the SCHOOL CAFETERIA (go nuns!)!! Incroyable!!! I always say I had such an unending bounty of good food there (CHEESE!), that even if I had to eat Matrix goop for the rest of my days, I'd go to my grave feeling blessed.

OK, can't wait to read more! Hope you're having a great day.

So funny that you had a lifetime of good food while living in France. That's awesome. What an amazing opportunity.

2 hour lunch? Wow. America does it all wrong. Haha.

Happy reading!

 

[jessicar82]

Loved reading your trip report and your updates! I will embarking on my first solo trip in December so reading your report has really eased any anxiety I am feeling!

 

[bamacmac]

Loved reading your trip report and your updates! I will embarking on my first solo trip in December so reading your report has really eased any anxiety I am feeling!

Thank you so very much!! Oh yay...I'm SO glad it's helped ease the anxiety for you! I hope you have an amazing trip. I will be there in December too! So excited!