Santa's Little Helper

It seems just yesterday I had lots of free time being occupied by Netflix and boredom while I tried finding something to do in this town. Until I got a phone call asking me to come work for Cherry Hills again! For anyone who doesn't know this is the same company that I did the Easter Bunny for, only this time around I'm Santa's helper! I chose to come back once again as an assistant manager and even have some of the same crew from last season. The big difference with this job is unlike a bunny suit, you cannot throw anyone in as Santa because he talks and has his face showing etc. We have about 3 men who all come in on different shifts to interact with the kids and they are all great at what they do and really nice guys. In shows and movies they always act like the mall Santa is just any guy willing to take the job for a couple hundred extra dollars and could care less. I was shocked to figure out that not only did they take their jobs so seriously, they book jobs year round! 

We are located in the Downtown Summerlin Mall inside the giant Igloo right next to the skating rink. If I walk outside I get to see families skating alongside Elsa and Anna on one side, a Christmas tree lot to the other, and a giant Christmas tree behind us. The mall wanted us to go for a very chic modern feel and I think they did a good job, however I'm a little sad I have to wear all black. I think I'm the only employee who was HOPING to be dressed like an elf, but we could have at least got a red apron. When you bring your child into the igloo they are greeted by Santa as they tell him what they want for Christmas and even hand him a letter, then hop on the lap to smile for a photo or two. While the parents choose the best photo and package they want the kids will be getting a light up reindeer nose as a present from Santa. From there they can tell the cashier if they want to buy a frame or plush and pay. By the time you are done the photos have been printed and handed to you along with a shutterfly gift card as a present for the parents. If you come in early your kids can get a lot of one on one time with Santa but the closer it gets to Christmas the pace is going to pick way up. 

So even though my schedule is busy now why did I choose to stay? I would never come back if I didn't like it and this is one of my favorite jobs I've done. I get to work with adorable children, make the parents happy, and work with a fun crew. Not to mention I get to learn how to use the camera, POS register inside and out, helping managing a crew, customer experience and so much more. Hope to see you there!

Cats out of the bag!

So this is a serious topic that I've kept kind of under wraps until recently. For anyone who doesn't know yet I have dropped out of college. Some people may be wondering why and thinking it was a bad idea but I want to assure you it wasn't. I'll start by saying that I haven't been happy in college for a while now I love taking classes for learning but couldn't find motivation for my major. I chose a major that was easy but I didn't like and then tried switching it to a subject I loved but wasn't good at but neither felt right. This is when the worst summer of my life happened, I was told by a family member who was supporting me I was cut off. I tried calling another family member for advice or help and was told to suck it up and drop out if I can't hack it. In retrospect I should have known to go to a friend for this rather than family, it's never been a good idea. My bf was donating plasma and I was taking odd jobs that would accept me in order to not lose the apartment and afford ramen. I tried donating too but passed out and was told by a doctor I physically couldn't. We couldn't afford to run the AC when it was reaching 112 outside. We sat down and had a very serious talk about what we were going to do. It was obvious how unhappy I was and I admitted it was because I didn't want a career, I wanted to be a stay at home wife and mom someday. We kept talking about how possible it was and what our life would look like. I have to work for now while he is in school, so I kept taking odd jobs to build up a resume and hopefully get a real job. Still it was absolutely terrifying that I wasn't a student anymore and had no safety net until the day I worked a bachelor party. Another girl was there as a bartender named Jayde and we hit it off immediately. She was about the same age as me and had also dropped out. She was this carefree breath of fresh air who took what she wanted and it actually came to her. She showed me another side of living in Vegas and even ran a successful blog which I had wanted to start for years. She inspired me to let loose some, to start my blog, and not be ashamed of my decision. Thinking back to how unhappy I was and how negatively I viewed my future only a year ago, it's really obvious how much happier I am and excited I am for the future. Most of my jobs have been a blast and given me interesting experiences.I don't regret any of my decisions because they have given me good and bad experiences and I finally feel like there is a destination so the road no matter how long, seems brighter.

Photo Op Time!

Last Week or so we did the photo shoot for the advertisements, billboards, etc. There isn't too much to tell but a lot to show, so this post will mostly be pictures and rightly so. We got pizza for the cast that everyone was too scared to eat until after their photos were taken, you can probably guess that I wasn't one of those people. I was the girl who had a slice before and after and now can't stop thinking about how badly I need to get into shape. Hollywood fad diets here I come, next up military diet! Everyone was fun and took great pictures, mine were hit and miss because it's rare for others to take my photo and I don't know how to position myself. I should really work on that, but first I'll work on my ass so it becomes naturally more photogenic.

 

 

D Coffee Shop Closes at 9PM!

So I have scoured Craigslist for fun and odd jobs and met my share of creeps, cons, and easy money. I came across an opportunity that has made me drop my listing addiction and kept me busy. I saw an ad for a television show being filmed here in Vegas and needed some more people to be part of the team. Of course I jumped on it, but how I actually got it I have no idea. The show is called D Coffee Shop Closes At 9PM. I read the script for the 1st episode and have to say it's right up my alley. It reminds me of the old Twilight Zone episodes (which I'm a HUGE fan of) but where the person who enters it is able to escape better off. My title is sales executive and I'm trying to get people to advertise on the show. So far it's been really fun working alongside Steven Rush and Lakisha Swift and even getting to go to Interop and the proceeding after parties hosted by various businessmen. After which I got to meet "Big Tigger" and get a photo op. I don't want to give a lot away, but will of course post about my best adventures on the job right here. If you live in the Vegas area make sure to tune into MYLVTV when it finally airs in August, and in the meantime you can always go to http://www.lovemindspirit.com/dcoffee.html to learn about the show and some of the stars on it.

2 weeks of Easter

I haven't cared to celebrate Easter since I was told I wasn't allowed to participate in those egg hunts for 13 and under, which was when I was about 16. What can I say? There's perks to looking young and one of them was my favorite holiday activity. We seriously need an adult version, get it together! While scouring Craigslist I see an ad to be the Easter bunny for a couple weeks and jumped on it. Having to stand there in a costume hugging kids for a couple hours a day and get paid? Sounds pretty sweet. When I got to the interview she liked me so much she offered to make me assistant manager (I couldn't get manager because I didn't have a car). I was stoked because this would be almost a real job and look amazing on a resume.For the most part the job was easy enough, learned on the spot, and the parents were fairly nice albeit a little too anal about how their child's picture with the Easter bunny is going to look. The suit was hot and sweaty, the mall was outdoors and hot enough it melted our keyboard. Twice. The part I hated was they didn't offer overtime. For the days I worked over 8 hours they transferred the extra to other days and I couldn't work over 40 in the week. The last day was also the first day of a pay period so I didn't have these restrictions. I got there before anyone else and a few hours in our district manager showed up saying she wanted me at her mall since she was short staffed. She promised at the end we would throw everything in the storage to deal with tomorrow, then give me a ride home. She had also praised her team so much, when we got there her team was so whiny and rude I couldn't believe it. We closed an hour later than we were supposed to and she decided she wanted to box up everything right there. I almost passed out a couple times but persevered through an almost 17 hour shift. I laid in bed for 2 days which is why it took me so long finally crawl out from my blankets and write this. That and the fact that I went back and forth on whether or not I should. Mostly because God forbid anyone at the company sees this and gets mad when they're still holding my paychecks. On the plus side we made enough to get the bonus, which means I get about 19 extra dollars altogether.Happy Easter everyone!