I grew up in a very poor area and I moved to Florida to try and make a better life of some kind. I got a job at Disney and it was terrible. (theres actually a video of me discussing working at Disney and Pete made me scrap it because he said It seemed like I hated Disney and was going for them too hard - ironic right?) I made $7.83 per hour but it was my dream so I did it. I lived in a terrible motel on 192 called 'Home Sweet Home' that ended up getting shut down because one of the rooms exploded from a meth lab mistake and its all I could afford because they gave cast members a discount to live there. So I lived in that hotel or if I had a late shift (extra Magic hours would go til like 2am) and then had to open the next day (be back by like 6 or 7am) I would just sleep in the cast parking lot with some of the others that had the same issue or some were just homeless and lived in their car and would get a gym membership to have a shower.
I started seeing a guy who wasn't 'out' and he was a police officer. He was drunk one night and asked me to pick him up from a bar in downtown and I did. When I got there I had 2 beers with him and drove him home. I got pulled over after dropping him off and the officer questioned me hard about 'who' I dropped off and I wouldn't say because I didn't want to out him. So they arrested me, I blew under the legal limit but they arrested me anyway. (Apparently you can be arrested at any Blood Alcohol Level, but you only lose your license if you are at or over the legal limit) I didn't lose my license or anything, but I was no call, no show for work at Disney, so that was auto firing (beyond me already having dings for being late, Im late a lot sadly). I was given 24 hours to vacate the motel because I was no longer a cast member. I was contacted by every lawyer in town saying I was in a lot of trouble and needed to prepare for court, so I hired a very expensive lawyer and maxed out my credit card doing that. Then I couldn't rent anywhere without a job, so I had to live in my car a bit there until I had some money. So it was just a long series of unfortunate events. My case was immediately thrown out in court and the officer got reprimanded (turns out he and the guy I was seeing were going for the same promotion and he wanted to 'out' him to help his own odds apparently) but that didn't get me my job back or place to live. So long story short, desperation.
I slowly started to rebuild my life and finances and I took gigs like Uber, TaskRabbit and Instacart to try and stay afloat, but the money was definitely a lot better in escorting. I paid my taxes on it so I was able to buy a house and had my proof of income. I built that business up but I didn't want to do that forever, it was just a temporary thing but then I met Pete and I spoke earlier about first meeting him and that he was very pleasant and he gave me a chance with a job, but I just quickly realized, I wasn't given a job. I was just his personal escort and I was still in the same boat I was before, just making a lot less money and now with a bunch of jewels and crap I dont even like. I was determined to try and make the DIS work in some fashion because I felt there was something good there for me but I just didn't know what exactly, just a gut feeling that I should stick with it and eventually Ill know the plan. I actually asked to start as a volunteer and I begged to not go on camera but eventually I had to step in for someone on a Tuesday show because there wasn't enough people and Pete wanted me on everything, whether I was good or not at the topic.
I actually like doing real estate but I don't like running my own business. I like having a structured day and then when Im done, to shut my brain off. The DIS and MTO (and now with having my own) it just feels like my brain is having to constantly work, even when Im not active, so business ownership isn't my strong suit but it's the cards I have right now.
When I stopped, I had to come to terms with what I had done for those years and I eventually accepted it and moved on and now I have funny stories. As far as the Pete side of things, I am not there yet with that experience and I currently feel it wasn't worth it and I wish I'd never met him. Down the road I am hoping it's just another funny story, but we will see.