magical world of mack @magicalworldofmack-blog - Tumblr Blog

new adventures

Hello, my internet people. I’m back on this blog that I made and posted on all of three times and then abandoned completely. I think I’ve finally found a purpose that can keep me accountable to updating this thing, though, and hopefully those out there reading will find it interesting. I need a place to ramble, regardless, so really this is benefitting all parties involved.

The last time I wrote on this blog, I was living in Branson, Missouri with thirty other beautiful souls that I miss deeply. I had given up my Disney dream to take hold of the plan that the Lord had so graciously given to me. While different dreams came true that year and I truly learned more about myself than I ever thought possible, I also found that I still wanted to make Disney a reality. I lived quite a confused six months of life, trying to see where the Lord wanted to take me and where he wanted me to use the gifts he’s given me. After moving home, going back to school, and working several jobs that made me realize why passion and goals are important, I decided to reapply for the Disney College Program. By some miracle, I was accepted ... and here we are now, almost an entire year later.

The last five months of my life have been incredible. While it has, by no stretch, been easy to live so far from home, I’ve created a community in Orlando that makes it worthwhile. Working for Disney has been a lot of things, none of them quite what I expected. My expectations have been exceeded, met, and sometimes missed completely. I love it, though, and for the moment am truly living my dream in Florida.

I want to use this blog to talk about life working for the mouse. Now, obviously there are things I CAN’T say, to the misfortune of the few readers I may actually have, but I want to share my adventures with whoever is interested and maybe inspire someone else to apply for the Disney College Program and to make those dreams that may not seem like a reality come true.

Soon, I’ll post a (probably too long) blog about my DCP and it’s ups and downs. As I’m now entering a new realm of possibilities with my professional internship in VIP Tour Services, I decided now is a good time to share my stories.

If you’re interested, I did attempt to start a vlog during my program. It didn’t end up panning out too well because I lost interest and also felt like a complete idiot talking to a camera in the middle of a theme park, but I did make a few funny videos with my roommates chronicling the first few days of my life when I first moved to Florida. The link is right here:

www.youtube.com/kenzieface

I hope this is exciting/intruiging to at least some people, and I hope to share some Disney magic and maybe some insight along the way. PLEASE let me know if there are any specifics or questions you would like to know or ask, because I’m more than willing to do the best I can to answer them :)

Thanks for reading, thanks for being here, thanks for being you. I’ll see ya real soon.

#dcp #disney college program #dcp fall 2017 #dcp blog #dcp vlog #dcp spring 2018 #dcp fall 2018 #disney professional internships

Accepting the Invite

Hey, remember that time I started a blog and never wrote on it and everybody forgot that I started a blog in the first place? Me too!

Life has taken many twists and turns since I began this blogging journey. As many or most of you know, I am not living in Florida and am not working for Walt Disney. It truly is strange how things happen and it always tends to turn out for the best. For those of you that don’t know, I decided to forgo my Disney adventure and turned my eyes to the hills of the Ozarks. I packed up my bags and moved to Branson, Missouri to embark on what I can now say is probably the greatest journey I’ve taken thus far in my 23 years of life.

Barnabas Prep is much more to me now than just two words. When I accepted this job, I had an idea of what I would be doing and what I was signing up for, but I had no idea how it would impact my life in just a few short months. Barnabas Prep is a lifestyle, a joy, a ministry, a hug, a laugh, a relationship, a struggle, and an incredible experience. This program is built for the students who attend, but the structure that is there supports and teaches all who enter this house on Lake Shore Drive.

I don’t know if you’ve ever felt called by the Lord, but it’s a strong pull. I didn’t really understand what that looked like until this summer when I was sitting on the porch of the office being told that I belonged with Barnabas and trying not to totally break down into a puddle of graciousness and confusion. I realized later that night as I was aimlessly wandering around camp trying to pull my thoughts together that God was sitting in front of me paving a path. I cried - a lot. I had never felt so overwhelmingly loved and taken care of.

When you get told “no” a lot it really breaks your spirits. I was in a spot in life for several years when I would hear that word over and over again. Not feeling good enough had sort of become a norm. I had faith that the Lord would come through and a big miraculous happening would occur that would make all the “no’s” worth it, but I don’t know if I actually believed He would.

And then He did. He laid His plan in my lap and simply said “go.” And, after several excruciating weeks of letting my head and my heart fight, I did. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.

I’m currently reading Love Does by Bob Goff (a genius of a guy). It’s an incredible book that is totally changing my life and I just read a chapter about accepting Christ’s invitation to live. Of course we’re all living - we’re breathing, walking, talking - but are we actually living? That’s Goff’s point. Anybody can just live a life but are we actually participating in the life that God has given us? Are we appreciating every color in the sunrise and the sound the leaves make when the wind blows through them or that smile that gives you butterflies?

I’m slowly learning what it looks like to not only live but to live fully. Following Christ and letting him lead us is just the beginning. I wake up every morning living in a house with 30 other people and I am excited to live. Every day is a chance to thank God for the innumerable blessings He’s given us. So walking through life is no longer an option for me - I plan on running, jumping, and soaking in this life Christ has led me to. I want to take the Lord’s invitation to this life and give him the biggest RSVP possible.

God has given us an incredible world to explore and see so don’t let your invitation sit in the envelope collecting dust.

Everybody loves a good party.

The Parenthood Finale (and other thoughts)

I love good television. I am actually a television nerd. I think at this moment in time I am watching 8 shows consecutively...but after last night it's down to 7.

Parenthood is over. Now, you may say "it's just a stupid TV show what's the big deal?" and to you I say "IT IS THE BIGGEST OF DEALS." If you never watched Parenthood, it's basically a show about a big family with issues and how they deal with those issues. It's real life. It's my life. Most of the time, yeah, I attach to television shows and I'm sad when they're over because then I don't have anything to do on Tuesday night and no reason to eat chips and guac, but watching Parenthood end was something completely different altogether.

Coming from a big, loud family, I projected people in my life onto these characters because they were so scarily similar. They were also going through situations at times that my family was dealing with as well. Not to mention, Craig T. Nelson is a genius actor and I want to be his best friend.

Seeing things end is hard. I've seen a lot of things end in my life and most of the time it sucks. Not only the end of seasons of life but of people, emotions, love. A friend's life ended far too soon. Relationships that should've ended before they started. My life in college is about to end. My "childhood" is about to end as I enter the adult world that is full of taxes and bills and furniture salesmen. When thinking of Parenthood, though, I think of my grandmother.

My grandma is one of my best friends. We spent summers as I grew eating ice cream in the heat and watching Spongebob on the floor of the den. She would make me grilled cheese and I would play her the piano. She's a beautiful creation of God and how I was blessed with her as a grandmother astonishes me to no end. A few years ago, Nene was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and we realized that she couldn't live on her own anymore.

This normally would just result in a move to an assisted living center or in with a relative (which the first of those did happen, and it has blessed our lives in many ways), but the part of this that took my soul in it's fist and twisted it around was the fact that we had to sell the house. My grandma's house was the epicenter of our family. Sunday dinners, pool parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, regular days, funerals, graduation celebrations, reunions, slumber parties. Anything that happened in our family happened within those walls. As I started coming to terms with the fact that after 19 years of life everything about these events was going to change, Camille and Zeek started debating whether to sell their house on Parenthood. It was uncanny how familiar it was to watch. But I did watch, and I cried with them and their kids and their grandkids.

We sold my grandmother's house as did Camille and Zeek sell theirs, but that does not mean we sold the memories that came with it. Fireworks in the backyard, falling off of tire swings and out of trees, hunting Easter eggs, singing in kitchens, unwrapping gifts from Santa, playing poker into the night, hours by the pool, and most importantly, pool baseball.

Yes, pool baseball. Plastic bats, whiffle balls, scraped knees, laughter, tears, splashes, tackles, wins and losses. Pool baseball was a staple for the Kelly family. In the last episode of Parenthood, in the very last scenes, Zeek (the grandfather) finally succumbs to his heart condition and you see this big family gathered on a baseball field scattering his ashes. And then they play. And laugh. And grow together through loss.

I have been blessed with a Braverman family of my own, but we're even better because we are the Kellys. We are strong, and funny, and weird, but most importantly we love each other to no end.

Love is funny. I loved the show Parenthood and it will always be something special to me. I love my family more than anything and I would do anything for them. I give thanks for my grandmother and grandpa every day, because without them, none of the craziness and happiness I have experienced in this life would exist.

So, thank you Parenthood, for a beautiful show about life, love and family. And thank you, Nene, for melting ice cream on a hot summer's day.

Life is really cool sometimes, I have to admit.

Lately I have really been thinking about how amazing it is that in your life things can disappear, reappear, change, flip over, hide, leave, stay, or even remain the same and this happens over and over again for years upon years and we accept it. Sometimes slowly, sometimes without bother.

I've been through almost five Christmas breaks in my time as a college student and each year it's different. Now, friends are married, have jobs (careers if ya fancy), are in grad school, or just choose not to come home for breaks anymore. Going through this, watching people grow and move on, has shown me what it means to "pick up where you left off" with people. Sometimes I see people from back home and talking to them is like reliving each bad day when your nose ran in front of someone or you tripped walking up the stairs. There are those few people, though, that you can go without seeing for months, or even years, and when you see them, you're back to where you were. You catch up, laugh, reminisce, learn.

Experiencing this with friends has also taught me a lot about Christ and His love for us. I know, personally, sometimes I go through dry spells when it comes to my faith. I don't read the Word enough, or pray enough, or just talk to God enough. I find myself "too busy" to have quiet time or have time with Christ. But just like with old friends, new friends, and those in between, Christ is always there to "pick up where you left off." He'll never be mad at you, or berate you, or tell all His friends that you never texted back. Christ is the best buddy, the oldest acquaintance, and the perfect forever friend. Life is for learning lessons like this and realizing where they come from. Like I said, life is really cool sometimes. I have to admit.

*I also learned that when you go a year without eating Taco Bell and then you eat it, your stomach will hurt and it will not be fun. Don't ever pick up where you left off with Taco Bell.

This is A Blog (I Think)

Hello friends, loved ones, Internet trollers, and other welcome guests.

You've happened upon this page because you're either interested in my life and writings or you've made a terrible mistake. Either way, hello! I, Mackenzie, have decided to start a blog. What will I talk about? How often will I write? These are questions I have not answered and are kind of TBA...but my assumption is that it will include some silly things, pictures depicting my chaos, and great inspiration from Jesus from whom I find my spirit.

For my first post, I didn't really know what to write about and then I recently happened upon an old post I had done on my other tumblr (the one for my mounds of Parks and Recreation GIFs and obscure Spongebob humor) where I had made a list of facts for each year I had lived on this earth. So, in the spirit of nostalgia and for me needing a kickoff point, here are 22 facts about me. Thanks for coming to my blog. If I was really creative I'd give you 22 reasons why you ROCK but alas here we are. Okay, here goes.

22 Facts about Mackenzie That You Otherwise Would Never Need to Know

1. I hate the sound of people chewing and sometimes it actually makes me angry. I googled it and it is an actual thing called misophonia. Sorry in advance.

2. I rededicated my life to Christ a year and a half ago and the world became brighter and more full of love. It was the greatest decision I've ever made.

3. LEGGINGS ARE PANTS A LOT OF THE TIME ESPECIALLY DURING FINALS OKAY

4. I can sing, dance, play piano, play trumpet, kind of hit drums, kind of strum strings on a guitar, and I enjoy these things about myself.

5. I am an only child and it does not affect the way I treat others, contrary to popular belief. I was just blessed to be able to only share my parents with my American Girl Dolls and any and all pets inhabiting our home.

6. I really liked high school.

7. I have lived in Oklahoma all of my life and I am super duper proud to have grown up here. Boomer.

8. If I could pick a famous and otherwise well-known man to marry it would hands down be Justin Timberlake. If you ever want to talk about all things JT just call me beep me.

9. I don't like no bake cookies and I have only ever met one other person who shares my feelings. They're gross. Sorry.

10. I am currently in my fifth year at Oklahoma City University and will graduate in May with a B.S. in Entertainment Business. I never really thought of attending college as a "big deal" until graduation became less than a year away and I can say now with confidence that I am really proud of myself for attending a challenging school and succeeding.

11. I love movies and television and some would consider me an addict of both. I also absolutely love documentaries so Netflix is a dangerous, dangerous place.

12. I love reading books but I get so tied up in them I can't put them down and then I don't do my homework so I can't read them during school which is no fun.

13. My faith is the most important thing to me and I will definitely write about it on this blog. If you don't know anything about Jesus and want to, feel free to contact me. I'd be glad to share his Word with you :)

14. Batman is the best superhero and you cannot prove me wrong.

15. When I was eleven, I fell onstage at my dance recital while doing a tap-dancing tambourine routine. I am still scarred.

16. I have a passion for traveling and want to see as much of this world as I can while I'm still able.

17. I really wish I was a runner or that I could learn to be a runner and run everywhere and be super athletic and runny like a runner, but I HATE running and honestly like why do people even like running it's SO HARD.

18. Amy Poehler is my daily inspiration and is, I'm convinced, a goddess.

19. I'm a blonde and I am not dumb.

20. My favorite food is bread (boring, yes, but also delicious).

21. I work on my campus as a tour guide and I love giving tours to new kiddos coming to college. There's something about sharing a thing you love with someone else and watching them start to love it to. Life is good like that.

22. I have started a blog. It may be good. It may be bad. I will write and hopefully you will read and hopefully we'll journey together somewhere.

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

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