Best Safari Shift Ever!

I know I've said this a lot, but seriously.  Today I had the best safari shift EVER!  For real this time!

It all started when I picked up the shift from EHH.  Because seriously, I love safaris so much just the fact that I was working there for the first time in a  month had me excited.  When I got to work, bright and early at 7am, I was notified that it was Cast Appreciation Day!  Score!!!  Free food!

So then I went to work. Opened a truck, went through a few rounds, asked for an extend on my shift (I wanted more hours cuz it was so fun) and they approved it!

I got another truck and when I drove up to the departure dock, for the first time ever, I got red flashing lights.  Red flashing lights is bad.  I've never gotten it before, but I've heard about it.  I wasn't really sure what to do, but I called it in.  Despite the fact that my truck appeared safe to load, the red flashing lights meant something was wrong so I'd have to try again.  Under normal circumstances, I'd just take the truck off the nearest exit, quickly drive it back on, and try again.  But, the nearest exit was actually closed for some freak reason, so I got to do an entire empty round!  So awesome!  And no worries, the next time I docked it worked out fine... but I'm still not sure how I managed to get red flashing lights...  someone told me that particular truck does that sometimes lately though.

So I did another round with guests and drove up to the exit dock.  And there, waiting for me, was a backstage safari.  This means I hand the mic over to someone else and all I have to do is drive around and listen to her spiel.  Love it!

After that I got my 45 minute break meaning I had time to go to the cast appreciation event.  I walked over there and grabbed some food and sat down at a table of my fellow safari-ers.  Shortly after, the prizes lady started walking around looking for people to hand out random prizes to.  This one girl got a DVD of Finding Nemo!  Someone else got a digital camera.  Then she walked around looking for the third person.  My friends were going nuts this whole time, standing up, screaming, yelling, shouting, the works.  I was laughing at them, and smiling and trying to yell.  Honestly, I was torn between trying to be invisible and wanting to fit in.  I find myself in that situation a lot.  So funny.

Anyway, the lady finally walked over to our table.  I knew that it would be one of the screamers.  I looked down at my baked beans and started eating, trying to be invisible.  Then I heard the lady say, as she walked around the table, "Hmmm, I think I'll pick... the quietest person at the loudest table!"

I looked up.  Yep.  Every eye on me.  She made me turn beet red in front of everyone and then gave me an Ipod shuffle. 

I received an Ipod shuffle because I have loud, crazy, obnoxious friends.

I freakin' LOVE my job!!!  I felt bad for a bit and tried to offer the Ipod to one of them.  But it was really one of the funniest things ever, and my safari friends just laughed. 

So then, after getting my giant chocolate cupcake and a magical cup that's green but turns blue when you put cold stuff in it, I went back to play work.  I drove a few more safaris and had some very fun guests.  Definitely one of the best days ever.  And then, just as I was beginning to get tired because I only slept for five hours last night (that's how excited I was for this shift today, seriously), someone came to bump me off of my truck and it turned out I got an Early release from my extend.  Right, exactly, in perfect timing.

Such a great day.  My life is so totally awesome.

Not that I don't love Deployment.  Cuz I totally do.  But I love Safaris as well.  I am so ridiculously lucky it drives me crazy.