Nate's Life, June 2014

Hi Family and Friends! Decided to start a sort of update on my life for you all! Lots to discuss going on with me! So here goes!

Starting with the recent past, I was able to take a vacation to Chicago and New York City this May. It was a lot of fun, and I was able to do a lot of amazing things, such as see the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, go up on the Skydeck at the Willis Tower (aka Sears Tower), see the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, and enjoy the magnificent public transportation in both cities and dream of what could be here in the Los Angeles metro area. I also was able to try out the bikeshares offered by both cities, both Divvy in Chicago and CitiBike in New York, and was thoroughly impressed by both. I had a blast in the cities and love vacationing. I also spent only $150 on the week and a half long trip, due to credit card signup bonuses.

 Nothing greater than the Chicago skyline from a bicycle.

 Except for the Chicago skyline from upside down above it!

Requisite dinosaur coming to life shot (Field Museum, Chicago)

As a side note, the reason I loved the bike shares so much is my love for biking. At home I bike everywhere I go: to work, to the gym, to the store, and even to the train to go to San Luis Obispo to visit the parentals. I have a car, but I’m pretty sure she’s been getting lonely.

Anyhow, to arrive at the present, most of you know I work at Disneyland. I’ve been working in Attractions in Tomorrowland, specifically at Space Mountain, Star Tours, and Autopia. I’ve also done quite a bit of working with children in Disney California Adventure through the YES program (Youth Education Series), where schoolchildren are able to come for a field trip and have an educational trip to Disney, and be taught by me! (And others like me.) In addition to that I’m part of the training team for new hires and transfers at Disney. So I’ve been loving all the variety. But I decided I want even more variety.

So I’m transferring to another department at Disney. I’ll now be working as a character host, which means I’ll be the friendly face standing near the characters. This will give me tons of variety, since I may be on Main Street with Goofy one day, and California Adventure with Mr. Incredible the next day. I’ll still be able to do the YES program and new hire training as well. I’m really excited about this opportunity, and thrilled to get it since it’s an audition-only process and a quite coveted position. Anyhow, I transfer June 29th, so that should be fun!

As if my job isn’t fun enough, I get the chance to do fun things on the side. Things like Higitus Figitus. Hig Fig, as we call it, is a collection of childhood games played by adults in a summerlong competition. We meet on Mondays and do things like kickball, scavenger hunts, and ultimate frisbee. It’s really a blast, and my team is awesome. Couldn’t have asked for a better summer activity.

My Blue team won first place last time!

Well, unless that summer activity was racing canoes around the Rivers of America at Disneyland. That right, I’ve been given the opportunity to captain a canoe racing team this summer. We meet before the park opens and see how fast we can paddle around the river. I’m excited for such a terrific opportunity. And very competitive! We’ll see how it goes!

I also got the opportunity to participate in Coasting for Kids recently. The group raised over $700 for Give Kids the World, an organization which sends children with life threatening illnesses to the Orlando resorts all expenses paid. It was an amazing event. Thank you to those who donated, and if you didn’t, feel free to look up Give Kids the World and do so. I also have another sponsorship opportunity near the bottom of this post which is slowly becoming an autobiography.

I’ve also found a new church home and spent the last few months getting settled there. I’m going to Rock Harbor Fullerton and attending a “Life Group” with that church. (Basically Bible study) It’s been great and I definitely feel God there. Lots of good people too. Pray that I continue getting plugged in there.

Another thing I’ve been able to be involved in is a website called Couchsurfing. This site allows people from all over the world the opportunity to stay in the house of a stranger, or new friend, as I prefer to call it, instead of a hotel when traveling. This not only saves money, but provides an insider perspective on whatever city you’re visiting. It’s great for an extrovert like me. I’ve enjoyed the program from both sides, both hosting people from all over the world at my place to staying with new friends in Chicago and New York. And before you ask, everyone is reviewed and referenced, so it’s safe.

Post Summer Plans:

Oh, you thought it would end with summer? Nope! Near the end of August, I plan on having my brother visit and taking him on a quick trip to a couple local theme parks (not Disney though. I guess he wants some variety. It must run in the family.) I’m also hoping to travel to San Luis Obispo again after summer, not sure exactly when though.

The next super awesome adventure I have planned is the Bike MS: Bay to Bay Tour 2014. I’m trying to raise $400 to fight Multiple Sclerosis as I take a 150 mile bike ride over two days, with 100 miles the first day and 50 the second. All to raise money to get us closer to a world without MS. Anyhow, the link to donate is http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/natelawrence91, and I would definitely appreciate any help you could give, even if it’s only sharing the link with other friends.

After that, we move back into the vacation season. One of my best friends, Daniel, is spending the summer working in Philadelphia. So after he’s done in September, I plan to fly out there and we’re going to make a road trip across the United States, stopping at almost every Six Flags park on the way. That should be the adventure of the lifetime. We plan on going from Philadelphia to Chicago to St. Louis to Dallas to Los Angeles, so as to hit as many parks as possible. Any suggestions for things to see and do along that route would be much appreciated!

Also on the agenda for future trips are a trip to Disney World, a Disney cruise, hiking down the Grand Canyon, hiking up Half Dome in Yosemite, and a trip to Europe, possibly coupled with a transatlantic cruise. Lots of excitement on the horizon.

Anyhow, God has blessed me greatly, with so much more than I could ever express in a simple blog post! I’ve been blessed to overflowing and love to be able to give some of my time and money away. I’m constantly blown away by what God is doing in my life and I spend time in thankful prayer every day.