Disney Details

I have now officially fallen into what I like to call Post Disney World Depression. This weekend surpassed all my expectations and was absolutely amazing. I don't even know where to start....

Jman and I had to work on Thursday but we got in late thursday evening and hopped on to the magical express to take us to our resort. We stayed with my mom, dad, sister and brother in law at the Wilderness Lodge by the Magic Kingdom. On Friday we slept in until about 8, had a nice breakfast in the room and then headed off to the expo. It was so crowded there but we managed to pick up our packets. Alot of people who have done other disney races were complaining about how poorly the expo was set up this year but we were just  glad to be there and take it all in.  The swag for this race included a t-shirt and a mesh bag but we also brought pins because we are all into disney pin trading.

Disney's Fit for a princess expo

They had a wall with all the participants.. I found my name! 

Friday even we went to Epcot to the Pasta in the Park Party. There was a buffet and a live Dj and also characters to take pictures with. It was fun but I don't know if we would do it again. The best part of Pasta in the Park was the reserved seating section for Epcot's firework show. It was by far the best seats in the entire World Show Case.

Pasta Party

The entire trip we were conflicted between taking it easy or enjoying all that Disney has so we tried to find a balance between the two. Saturday morning we woke up early and headed off to Hollywood studios. I discovered that my new favorite ride at disney is the Toy story ride! SO MUCH FUN! AHH! At lunch time we came back to the resort, ate lunch and laid by the pool. The weather was absolutely perfect. For dinner we went to olive garden and then the boys went off to the dog races while the girls came back to the room to finish getting ready for the big event. We went to bed super early because our alarms were set for 2:15 AM!

Jman and I on the 3D toy story ride

My sister and mom first ones in line for the 3am bus. We thought it would be crowded. 

I actually got a good nights sleep which was something I wasn't expecting. I figured I would be tossing and turning all night but I was happy with my 5 hours of rest. We caught the 3am bus (which didn't actually leave until 3:20.. we were not happy about that!) and headed off to Epcot. Mom treated us to "Race Retreat" a tent in the prep area with private bathrooms, a private bag check, a stretching area and a breakfast buffet/coffee. We all decided this was definitely worth the money however we wish we could have stayed there longer. Since we were in the last corral we wanted to get a place closed to the front so we would be as far away from the "balloon ladies" as possible. If you are not familiar with disney races.. the balloon ladies are two women that keep the slowest pace possible (16 min mile). If you fall behind them then disney busses come and sweep you up.

At Race Retreat

The wait for the race to start was painfully long but eventually it was our turn and it was so exiting. The Fairy Godmother was there to wish us good luck and counted down to GO. Fireworks blasted off and so did we! I would say the first half of the race our pace was really good. We stuck to our run walk interval and made good time. Disney did a great job of entertaining us throughout the race. There was music and characters pretty much every mile although we didn't get to stop and take any pictures with the characters because the lines were so long (especially for the princes!) My favorite part of the race was between miles 4-6 aka running through the Magic Kingdom. Words can't describe how fun it was. After we left Magic Kingdom however, it all went down hill from there.

Fireworks at the start!

There were so many people there.. 

Keep in mind that our corral (H) started 55 minutes after the clock time.. so our time at mile 4 is actually 53 minutes.. about a 13 minute pace! WooHoo!

The Magic Kingdom sign! 

I was having a great time! 

The castle! 

Mom tripped on a road reflector which was pretty scary. She twisted her knee just slightly but we were very worried for her so we all slowed down the pace and decided to take more walk breaks. Miles 8-9 were the toughest in my opinion. The road was very small and it was hard to go around people who were slower than us. This was pretty frustrating. I am not sure why people don't have the etiquette to walk on the right side so people who are running or walking faster can pass on the left. At this point most of the people around us were walking most of the race which I was surprised about. After we got through the hill on mile 10, the rest of the race went pretty quickly. Running through Epcot was like a dream. At one point I looked over at mom (who was teary eyed) and I had to plead with her to not get emotional until after the race! Crossing the finish line was the best feeling ever and I am so glad I got to do it with my sister and mom right by my side.

We made it to 12! (again take 55 minutes off the clock time...about 3 hrs an 8 minutes) 

I GOT MY HARD EARNED METAL!! 

Bling Bling :)

After the race we linked up with the boys and sat in race retreat where we enjoyed a hot breakfast and our post race vitamin drink. When we got back to the resort we took ice baths, drank some beers and then headed out to the pool to relax. Later that night we went to Magic kingdom were we got to show off our new bling! One of the best decisions we made was to come back on Monday. It was nice to be able to enjoy disney for one more day before heading home.

A very cold ice bath!

Now I am contemplating signing up for Las Vegas Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I have heard that it is fun and there are lots of bands that play thoughout the entire race. We will see...wahahahaha

Until next time,

My favorite new car magnet! 

We're Going to DISNEY WORLD!

I am writing this post as I procrastinate packing. I have never really enjoyed packing and running around trying to get things ready for a trip. It's kind of stressful. The only thing worse than packing is unpacking.. I do have to admit after Jman and I came back from NC over christmas break it took me two weeks to put everything away.

Anyway, One more work day!! WOOHOO. Can't wait to be on our way to sunny skies, 80 degree weather, sitting by the pool, relaxing...oh yeah and that thing we have been training since august for...the DISNEY PRINCESS HALF MARATHON!! AHH!! IT will be so rewarding to cross the finish line. I am so excited!! I know I am probably not going to get any sleep these next couple of nights. I have just been picturing the race over and over in my head, watching team MNM cross the finish line together, having fun and cheering the other runners on. I am trying to not think about all the things that could go wrong and stay positive (come on energy bus don't fail me now!)

I really can't believe it was last July that the idea first popped into my head. It seemed like such a distant dream. Now it feels like reality. I really wish I had kept a journal of how I felt after each of the runs. It would be fun to go back and read my entries.

I remember after our 5 mile long run way back in the fall.. I felt so proud to have ran 5 miles.. a distance I had never gone before. It was fun to run during october when the weather was cool, the leaves were falling off the trees and people were putting out halloween decorations. This one time we were running on a random weekday night and a man came up behind us who was also running. He was trying to be polite and said "good evening" but he actually scared the living day lights out of us (but mostly my sister). It was hilarious! Then there was another time that mom almost stepped on a dead squirrel..that was not so hilarious. I also enjoyed running through the neighborhoods during christmas time when everyone had their yards lit up with decorations.
There were some not so great runs as well.. At one point we had to switch to a different neighborhood for our evening runs after I got scared someone was going to kidnap us. Now I run with mace and a whistle. Our 10 mile was especially rough for me as I was in a lot of pain but managed to get through it.

I am so very thankful that my mom and sister decided to do this adventure with me. I don't know if I would have made it this far without them and no matter what I am proud of us and what we have accomplished so far. Now all we can do is pray for our safety and health over this weekend.  

Next time I post I will hopefully have tons of pictures of the race and our vacation.

Wish me luck!!

Until next time,

P.S. Still waiting on the house.. ugh!

Home Stretch

Well this New Years Eve was quite unforgettable. Jman and I were invited to hang out with my crafty sister, her husband and their group of friends. We have hung out with this group of people many times before on camping trips and for wedding festivities so it was nice to be with good company on this holiday.

New Years Eve has always been my favorite holiday. For many, its a symbol of a fresh start, something to look forward to or a great date for setting new goals. I love it for many other reasons though. I love the counting down at 11:59, the champagne, the good food, the kiss at midnight, the party, the fact that everyone is celebrating a new year.. It's just so much fun. This year however was especially exciting because Jman and I got "THE CALL".

If you have ever gone through a short sale before than you know what call I am talking about. The call we have been waiting for 6 MONTHS to get. The call that finally told us we would be starting a new life as a married couple in our own home. The approval call. AHHH!! Thinking about that moment when we were at the party still makes me smile. I was freaking out- the kind of freaking out when you are so happy there are tears, where you feel like shouting at the top of your lungs and telling the whole world how happy you are (in my case it was drunk texting..haha). It was perfect timing and it gave us another reason to celebrate.

We thought now that it was approved that the process would be shorter... well another two weeks have gone by and we are still waiting on paper work... sighhhhh.. But at least we know we probably have the house... except for the inspections.. Pray that they go well for us!

Anyway, thats the house update. There is another reason why this post is called "home stretch". Disney Princess Half is almost one month away! At this point I no longer dream about completing this. I feel very confident that not only I will complete it but I know my mom and sister will too (Assuming and praying that we stay injury free). Every run we have, I feel stronger and stronger (and I know they do too!). This Saturday will be one of our last long training runs. 10 miles! I never thought I would be able to run more than 3. It has been an amazing journey with many ups and downs. I can't wait to write a post about how exciting and awesome the race was.

Until next time,

Running Reflections from a Non-runner

To catch you up, Mom, Crafty Sister and I started training for Disney Princess Half-Marathon back in August. In my title I refer to this post as "Reflections from a Non-runner" because I do not consider myself someone who likes to run or is good at running but together I would say we are a great team of three normal people who are just trying to get in shape and are using a disney event as a goal. We call ourselves "Team MNM" (for our last names) and we are having a blast (on most days)! Keep in mind this blog post is just my reflection of how our training has been going (my sister and mom might have completely different thoughts).

So far, our training schedule has consisted of 30 minute runs on Mondays and Wednesdays and long runs every other saturday (on the off saturday we do 3 miles). Mom also does a power walk on Thursdays. Although, we have had some small set backs since we started (mom has bad knees, we found out crafty sister is flat footed, and I had a small pulled muscle in my right foot), we have not suffered any big injuries and we are very very thankful for that! Disney requires us to have at least a 16 minute mile pace (or else we get picked up by the goofy mobile..OH NO!!) So far we are sticking to about a 14 minute pace (I know this might sound really slow but to a non runner this is awesome). Our goal is to finish the half marathon so every mile farther we go than the last week is really encouraging to us and its really fun to be able to say "I ran __ miles today" something many people can't say. 

Since none of us have participated in any sort of running event before we have had to build up our inventory worth of running things which has been fun. This past week mom brought a running belt and we tested it out on our long run. The week before we brought energy blocks, gu and gels to taste test. Before that it got cold and so we all went out and got cold weather running gear and before that we bought running shoes. 

This past Saturday Team MNM went out for our 8 mile long run. I was pretty nervous for this run because the past two weeks I have been trying to stay off of my right foot so I skipped out on a few monday/wednesday runs. It was really cold! We got out on our normal saturday trail at about 8am and it was in the upper 30s (yes that says 30s!) BRR! Have I mentioned how much I hate the cold... well I do! I discovered on this run however, that I would much rather run in the cold than in the hot humid weather. Eventually it gets warm (although this saturday it took me to about 3 miles before I felt warmed up). Man oh man the first three miles were painful. Everything in my body felt so stiff (especially my calfs). Around mile 4 (which happened to be the turn around point) I started to feel really great though. The sun was shining, the air was cool and crisp, pandora radio was playing great songs and my endorphins were kicking in. There is not a more natural high than the one I get on these long runs with my mom and sister. My brain goes crazy with all the different sensory information coming in. We run past amazing smells like fresh cut grass, houses burning wood in their chimneys and breakfast cooking and then bad smells like asphalt and dog poo. I mentioned the music... lately I have been listening to pandora's  "I gotta feeling" radio which plays anywhere from black eyed peas to lady gaga to blink 182. An AWESOME station!! It never fails to pick me up and keep me distracted from the pain in my legs. My newest project is to create a play list we can all listen to the day of the half marathon which will include a mixture of oldies, newbies and disney songs (if you have any suggestions please send them to me!!). There are lots of different sights along the way as well. We run on a trail with lots of woods and houses and shops and roads but its also fun to people watch as we go. We run past lots of different types of people:  people we know, other people like us that are training for events, dog people, old people, teenagers, mothers running with babies, walkers, bikers.. etc. Oh! and It has also been fun to see all the Christmas decorations on our night runs! 

Anyway, all of this has again made me feel very thankful for my heath and my supportive family. Without those things I could not be doing this. Although I consider myself to be a non-runner I have discovered its not so bad in good company. 

Until next time, 

Being Thankful.

I can't believe it is already Thanksgiving break!

First an update on the house buying process. Justin and I put our offer in on our Short sale back in June. It took the owners of the house a whole month to get back to us and to accept the offer. The next step was for the sellers agent to get all the paperwork sent into the bank so they could start the short sale process. So we have been waiting.. and waiting.. and waiting... Jman and I were getting really stir crazy about not hearing anything except "haven't heard anything new" for 3 months. We went and looked at some other houses that were on the market because we were really hoping to be into our new house before Christmas. But Finalllly! last week we heard something positive from the sellers agent. The bank has done the appraisal of the property! Hopefully this is a good sign that they will make a decision in the next few weeks. Although we probably will not be out of my parents house before Christmas now, we kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel.. (maybe).

So with all of this house stuff going on I would like to do my own version of 30 days of Thanks.. I have seen many people on facebook doing this and I think its really cute. Plus it helps people put the holiday season into perspective. One of my goals this year is to not get wrapped up into the craziness of gifts. So here it is.. 18 Things I am thankful for this year.

1. A place to live- Thank you to my parents for generously opening their home to Jman and I while we search for our house.
2. My Husband- It has been an amazing 8 months of marriage!
3. My Parents- I am grateful for everything they have taught me. I would not be the person I am today with out their love and support!
4. My Brothers and Sisters- Although we have had our ups and downs, I can't imagine life without them
5. My "in-laws"- I fell in love with Jman before I met his family but they definitely helped seal the deal! They are such an amazing family to be married into. I am very very thankful and lucky for my Husbands parents, sister and extended family.
6. My job- With unemployment as high as it is, I am so very thankful that I have a wonderful place to work.
7. My coworkers- Working at such a crazy school is so much easier and fun with awesome coworkers to lean on!
8. My car- I can't imagine not having one.
9. Food on the table- I am always thankful for the meals we have.
10. A warm shower- So many people don't get one. I am certainly thankful for the one I get to take every day!
11. This country- God Bless the USA.
12. The president- I don't agree with most of what he does but I am thankful to live in a country where we have a voice and opportunity to choose our leader
13. Power!- After living without power during hurricane sandy for a few days I am very thankful that on most days we have it!
14. My education- GO STATE! I am thankful for all of my teachers who helped me, challenged me and inspired me to be a more educated person.
15. My kitty- Animals have a way of making you feel loved even on your worst days
16. My health- I am so thankful to be healthy enough to be training for a half-marathon!
17. Our service men and women- Thank you for keeping America a safe place to live!
18. My friends- I am thankful for all of my friends who know me and still love me and stay by me through thick and thin!

yes I know I am supposed to do 30.. but I ran out of time and need to clean and pack!! We are headed to NC for Thanksgiving!! YAY.

Until next time,

Summer Swim Team

Just in case you were wondering what I have been doing all summer..

I got paid to sit by the pool and "play" with some awesome kids!

The following pictures are taken from Mr. Dave Scrivener! 

Who's next to swim?!

They are probably telling me some awesome story about what happened to them when they were swimming. 

High Five!

For those of you who have never experienced a summer swim team meet.. 

"Swimmers, Take your mark"

Our littlest girls lining up and getting ready to swim! 

The following photos are taken from Mr. Eric Planck. 

Team Meeting before the meet!

"GOOOOOOO!!"

No swim team has more fun than ILBC!

Warm ups.

Reminders and the team cheer before a home meet!

Go ILBC!

Our beautiful boat club! 

JUMP!

Coaches :)

They were probably asking me if we were winning..

Get your cap on!

It was definitely a summer to remember! Lots of great memories :)

A New Adventure

So if you have followed my blog for a while, or you know me personally then you know I love the thrill of setting a goal and accomplishing something I have never done before. Last year I decided to train for a Triathlon. It was one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life. At the Team in Training end of training party, a bunch of friends put a thought in my head.. "Steph! You should do a 1/2 marathon!!".. in which i answered along the lines of.. "yeah right, you guys know how much I hate running!" Everyone continued to talk about how much fun the Disney Marathons are. Less then a year later I found myself getting the itch. So the adventure begins!

I started doing research on the "Disney Princess Half Marathon". First of all, I have heard this is the best first half marathon to do because "Every Mile is Magic" according to Disney. Disney marathon participants rave about how entertaining it is. There are characters lined throughout the entire route that you can stop and take pictures with. There is music throughout the park and so much support for the runners. I started reading blogs and reviews from participants to gain an understanding of exactly what this race was all about.

The next part of the adventure involved finding a running mate. Many of the reviews of the race recommended doing it with a friend. A few team in training friends committed to the race but I still wanted more in a running mate. I wanted to find someone close to home, with the same running ability as myself, and someone I thought would actually go through with it. Naturally, I thought of my crafty sister. She is the perfect running mate but did not lack the same enthusiasm or motivation that I had (at first).. So Step One was bombard her a million times about how I needed a running mate. Step Two was making this awesome motivation poster:

8 Great Reasons to do the

Disney Princess Half Marathon

8. So Steph doesn’t get kidnapped

on the side of the road when training

during the winter months

7. You get a really cool Disney Medal

and a Pin to add to your collection

6. You get to eat your favorite/yummy carb filled

foods with no worries about getting fat

5. You will get to dress up like your

favorite princess

4. You will get in shape, lose weight,

feel sexier and look great!

3. Quality Time with steph

2. Another excuse to go to

Disney world

1. An awesome feeling of Accomplishment!!!!

Step Three was sending her blogs of other women who successfully did Disney Half Marathons. After all of this I decided to give up and just do it by myself (Well actually not really by myself because I have my TNT friends!! ) And in the end, I was never actually the person who motivated her to say yes.. Apparently one of the biggest motivators is telling someone "You can't!" Someone told her she couldn't so she decided to prove that she could!! YAY Crafty Sister is finally on board with the adventure!! Now to recruit more.. wahaha! Watch out! You could be my next victim. 

Anyway, my dad (always concerned for safety and wellness) is afraid we will get injured. So he brought some books for me to read on training for long distance events! We will start training end of August which will give us 6 months! Look out for more posts on this new adventure! 

P.S. (OUR OFFER WAS ACCEPTED ON THE HOUSE!! Now we are waiting on bank approval! More to come with details soon :) 

Isn't life beautiful! 

Until Next Time,