February 25th

Here I am, home and comfy in my pjs. I mean, I GOT UP to send Olivia to school and then crashed right back in bed. When I woke up I started unpacking (unpacking is my nemesis, I am perpetually in a state of unpacking until Mike finally cries uncle and finishes for me), did a little resale work, and basically channel surfed. I figured I'd throw on some clothes around 4:30 and pick up Clara, come home, and change right back into pjs.

Olivia got home at 2:50 and I fed her and starting talking to her about her day. And that's when I remembered.....DANCE CLASS!!! See, I live and die by my paper planner. I just never got onboard with this whole "virtual planner." I need to see dates and events laid out on paper. There's just something about it that a mini computer could never replace. But the one weakness in this chain? I have to actually look at my planner. And yeah, I didn't actually do that today.

In my defense, dance class is usually a Monday afternoon thing. The dance teacher had changed it for this week, and that hadn't registered in my foggy, vacation hung over brain. I immediately panicked, and realized there was no way (now that it was 3:08, we would make the 3:15 class). I told Olivia I would email her teacher and let her know what happened. And when I went into the email I saw the reminder that dance was Tuesday, but at FOUR pm. Woot woot!!! We had time to get ready, and I was actually half way presentable.

I am now officially making a petition that mom's get one day to reacclimate when we come home from traveling. Moms cram a lot of fun into "our" time, and you can't go from 60 to 0 overnight. Feel free to sign my petition at www.momsneedabreak.com

365 Days 50-54 Part 5

Sunday came way too early! I dragged my butt out of bed as my perky and amazing roommate ran around in her towel getting ready. Julie had agreed to meet us at 3 so when we heard a knock we knew it was her. Susie answered the door in her towel, which we think kinda scared Julie away, because she just said she'd come back and left.

The next time she knocked we were ready (bag unpacked and packed, second bottle of water drank). We headed down to the bus queues and joined the line. So the bus at 3:10 looks something like this. Packed full of princesses, front to back, with the aisle jammed with them too. We were standing in the back, and I tried not to fall over on the people around me when we made turns (it was dark people, even in Florida the sun doesn't shine at 3:10am). No pictures, in case you missed the part where I was hanging on for dear life!!

We made it to the entrance to the race area, checked our bags, and stood in line for the port o' potties. See, we had all been really hydrating this trip. Like extra, super hydrating. I have a bladder the size of a watermelon, a side effect of a physical defect I was born with (that part's true. well, it may not be as big as a watermelon, but it's big. Let's just say I scoff at the rest stops on long highway trips.) I get migraines when I'm dehydrated, and migraines when I don't sleep, and migraines with change in routine (you get the picture). Whatever, I did NOT want a migrane in Florida. So this time, I didn't scoff at the potties. I joined the line and waited my turn. The lines took forever. For.............ever. I was worried because they had said they close the corrals and I didn't want to get shut out of my corral. We finally got our turn and headed toward the race area. Which was another 10 or so minute walk. Really Disney? You think we need a little extra exercise today? As we walked Julie suggested hitting the first port o potties on the course, since they would be clean. I kind of laughed on the inside and was like, "race port o potties are for suckers," also on the inside, because I had bowed to nature and already used one stinky potty in a box, and didn't plan to use another.

 

Here we are pre race :)

When we made it to the corrals we separated. I was in the D corral and the people in that corral were serious! Like, "what's your goal time?" serious. This is a Disney run people! A Disney run is a chance to run, have fun, get your photo made with lots of characters, and see some behind the scenes Disney. The goal is fun, not a time limit.

Since we were a little later than the Friday morning run, we didn't have to wait long for the race to start. As we left our corral I hit the unpause on my music and started my Garmin. I was SET. But the music didn't play. I had about 30 seconds before the crowd of very serious runners were going to trample me, so I just ran without the music. I figured I'd fix it in a line waiting for a character. As we started, I saw the first port o potties, and I kind of internally laughed at them (oh how the mighty will fall!). About 1 minute past them I realized I needed to make use of them. Badly. I focused on breathing and running, and at the next potty I admitted defeat and stopped. Apparently I had sort of over hydrated, since I had to make 2 more of these pit stops on the course.

During the run there were all sorts of cool things to see, banners, people flying these really cool kites, and of course characters. I skipped the first few characters at the advice of a blog I had read. The course starts and ends at the same spot, so I was able to get those characters later, with shorter lines, and in the sunlight.

I picked my characters carefully. Here's some photos of me with them:

 

 

Me in front of the castle. Slightly confused as here the "official" photographers would NOT take a photo with a personal camera, even though they did at every other stop. Guess this is literally "the money pic." I'm trying to politely ignore the Disney photog while looking at a random lady I handed my phone to and begged to take a pic.

 

 

Tiana & the Alligator. Later Tiana was gone and Julie only got a photo with the gator

 

 

Prince Someone & Aurora

As you can see the noncostumed characters tried to keep a minimum body space between my sweaty self and their outfits

 

 

But the Genie is all up in my bizness

Holla Genie!

 

 
Mrs. Incredible

 

Here's one of the photos I skipped on the way out and got on the way back, in great light

Flynn Rider, Aladdin, mwah, Hercules, & Prince Eric

 

 

Creepy pirate 1 & 2

Sorry, not into pirate movies

 

 

Sophia!! Got this one for the girls. At this point I have forsaken all ideas of fashion and have rolled up my pants. Normally not a problem but was wearing some compression sleeves due to shin splints, so I looked redonkulous

 

I skipped a random purple bug, a barebershop quartet, Mary Poppins, Minnie & Mickey (those lines were OUTRAGEOUS), and a few more. At the end of the run I was given a spectacular medal, lots of bottles of water and Gatorade, and a box of snacks. I went to find a place to sit down with my snacks, and the water lady yelled at me. No, not kidding, she yelled at me. But it was a, "I don't want you to die in the Florida heat," yell more than an angry yell. She wanted me to stop trying to get my checked bag and drink something dang it!

 

 

Happy after finishing!

 

I sat on the ground and drank my water, and headed back to the resort. I had no idea what my time was because my brand new Garmin did not work (it said I ran .18 miles or something redonculous) but I figured it'd be a lot higher than my 2:16 qualifier I did in November with the photo stops and potty breaks. Later I found out it was only about 15 minutes more, so not too shabby.

I planned to go to the hotel, shower, and nap. I made it to the hotel, and, ummmm...napped. But I was on top of the covers so they didn't get too icky. When Susie came back I got up and showered and then, yep, napped. Not gonna lie, it felt pretty good. After my second nap we both got ready and headed out to Epcot with Julie. Our plan was to ride a few rides and eat our way around the worldshow case. We went in our race tees and medals. I have never been called princess so many times in one day. The Disney cast members and general guests kept telling us congrats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing says I just ran a half marathon like a slushie drink. I think this is the adult version of the Dole Whip

We had a great time! We did things again that I had never done, like Spaceship Earth and the ride where you go through the greenhouse. We started eating in France and met our group there. We spent an hour shopping in the Japan store, got some more food in Norway, rode Maelstrom, and went to the side of the lagoon to watch Illuminations. Again, never seen it so pretty special to do it with this great group of ladies.

Once Epcot closed we park hopped over to Magic Kingdom since they were open until 1am. And of course it was our last night all together, so why not keep the fun going as long as possible? First stop, Main Street, for some more nibbles. Then off to the jungle cruise, where we had the best, I mean the BEST skipper ever. I have never laughed so hard. This picture pretty much sums up the experience.

 

 

After Jungle Cruise we went off to Pirates, Big Thunder, Winnie the Pooh with no wait twice!!! (as in never got out of our honey pot and just kept going around the circle). There were probably a few more too but I can't remember them as I was running on pure sugar and adrenaline at this point. We stopped in at the big shop on Main Street and then headed out. I mean, it was 1 am, they pretty much had to kick us out, but we left.

 

 

 

At the end of the night we decided I would leave my roomie early (sniff!) and spend the night with the dynamic duo Heather and Suzanne. Suzanne loved me enough to pick me up AND drop me off at the airport, since I flew into the "not Disney" airport. We all headed back to the hotel where I packed my bags (I know, I know, enough with the packing!!) said a hard goodbye, and left with Suzanne, Heather, and her kiddos to head to Suzanne's place. Oh, and I might not have mentioned Suzanne's kids. My goodness! All I can say is that I hope my kids are like hers when they grow up. Polite, funny, spontaneous, they were the best kids ever. They may have had their good behavior on, but I think no. These are just some amazing kids.

Once we got to Suzanne's we blew up an air mattress and I went to sleep. HARD. I don't think I moved at all. My body sure felt sore in the morning. But that sleep was so needed! I got my things ready and we headed to the airport. Ugh. I hate goodbyes. Well, with a capital h so more like Hate. I felt like this trip couldn't be ending so soon. I didn't want to leave my friends. I wanted us all to go home, gather our families, and come back and live together in Florida in February. Not so much August, but February would be grand.

In the airport I did the normal airporty things, and headed home to cold, snowy, Indiana. I left part of my heart with my ladies, and I came home and picked up the pieces I left with my family. There aren't words to describe how amazing this trip was. Amazing, life altering, heart mending, wondrousness. I know, that if Holly could have planned a trip for us, it would have been this one. There is nothing that will replace her life, but I am blessed that I got to know so many fabulous women on a deep level due to her, and the connections she had to us all.

365 Days 50-54 Part 4

So Saturday was kind of chill. We knew we needed to be in bed earlier, so no partying for us! Susie, Julie and I headed to Magic Kingdom early to hit some rides and enjoy. We went on my very favorite, would ride 100 times, never gets old Pirates of the Caribbean. Did I mention I love that ride?

While we were in the area I got a Dole Whip. Now for those who are not familiar with the concoction that is the Dole Whip, let me explain. Every time I read a message board about traveling to Disney, people mentioned these amazing drinks, called the Dole Whip. All I knew is that they were pineapple, only served in Magic Kingdom and one other place (a resort somewhere), and were like a tiny taste of heaven on earth. I had never been able to enjoy one on previous trips, and it was a must do on this one. Well I got one, kinda. Sadly I didn't realize the intricacies involved in ordering a Dole Whip. See, the whip part is just the ice cream, but the real magic happens when you get it over crushed pineapple. I found this out as I was eating my good but not quite nirvana pineapple flavored ice cream. Eh, you live, you learn. Gives me something to aspire to.

 

 

What I got

 

 

What I'm getting next time!

 

(thanks for the photos disneyfoodblogs & eatpicks.com, since I didn't pause to photograph mine)

 

After finishing up in Adventure Land (I think it's called?) we headed over to the Haunted Mansion. While waiting in line there was a torrential, and I mean torrential, downpour. We were lucky enough to be under the awning so we didn't get wet at all. A Disney cast member kept asking us to squeeze forward so that the people standing in the rain could get out of it. He kinda looked creepy, so we decided he was creepy boyfriend number 3. (Douglas from Goofy's was #2, forgot to mention that one!). Here we are.

 

He's good at the creepy thing, I think he's had practice.

We went on a few other rides, including some I've never done like the people movers and the Carosel of Progress. I guess maybe those don't qualify as rides, not sure, but they were fun and we got to sit down!

We headed back early to our hotel to get some dinner and get ready for the morning. We ate in the resort's food court, pasta and chicken. The pasta was actually decent, but the chicken was so dry. I think they flew it in from the Sahara Desert or something. Yuck!

After our delicious dinner it was back to the room where we prepped (you can guess at this point that I packed and unpacked a bag) and we hit the sack at a more reasonable hour, with alarms set to 2:50am. Well that was when mine was set. I had this mental block which told me I could get ready in 10 minutes. HA!

365 Days 50-54 Part 3

So my roomie and I drug ourselves out (I mean leapt with glee, yes, glee) of bed and got ready. We'd laid everything out the night before but it still took me 10 minutes to pack. I am a packer. I have a problem with packing and repacking. I admit my illness.

We headed out to the buses and thought we'd missed our group, as none were in the queue. Turns out they were actually behind us and they came up before we loaded. Then on our way to Epcot-ish area to check bags, load into our corral, and try to be pumped before the sun was up. Actually, in all truth, we were pretty pumped. We had our group all together, we were walking for Holly, and we looked adorbs. Plus Disney keeps things fun with a DJ and reporter and lots of loud music.

 

Here we are pre run

 

 

The starting line

 

Once the 5k started, we walked through the course. Everyone had different abilities, and we all wanted to finish together, so no reason to rush. It was fun taking photos of characters, but I always felt like I was stopping in front of a runner, so lots of blurry photos. Here's a few that turned out.

 

 

 Me looking cheesy with my camera bag accessory ;)

 

 

 

 

The Genie & Jasmine

 

Before the finish line we all stopped and had a group photo taken. Then we linked arms and crossed the finish line chanting HOLLY, HOLLY. I might have had to wipe away some tears people. It was just such a great moment, remembering a friend and realizing without her none of us would be there that day.

 

 
After the race we ate the post race breakfast (let me advise you, not worth the extra money) we headed to Epcot (well through Epcot on our way to Hollywood Studios). Since we hadn't run we weren't stinky, and we were easy to spot with our Bali blue tees on. We rode a boat to to HS, which was pretty awesome as I never even knew that was possible.

 

At least the company was good!!

 

 

After the race we ate the post race breakfast (let me advise you, not worth the extra money) we headed to Epcot (well through Epcot on our way to Hollywood Studios). Since we hadn't run we weren't stinky, and we were easy to spot with our Bali blue tees on. We rode a boat to to HS, which was pretty awesome as I never even knew that was possible.

Had a blast at HS and headed back to the room to clean up and rest. Well, the first we accomplished but Susie and I are talkers, and we are both so interesting, and....well, there wasn't much rest.

 

Me and my roomie! Twinners

 

We had dinner ressies with the group at Raglan Road so we headed over a little early to shop the biggest Disney store in the universe. I also headed to Goofy's Candy Company where a man named Douglas? assured me that no one can "goofy up" candy like him, and there was a handbook but it wasn't followed in other places, and here's a place you can ask them to "goofy it up for you like Douglas," and....it took a long time to get out of there, and that's a chunk of my life I'm not getting back!
 

We headed to Raglan Road for dinner. It's an Irish restaurant and they had awesome musicians and Irish dancers while we ate. It's on the Disney dining plan and it blew away a lot of restaurants that are in Disney, we will be making a return trip next year for our family vacation.

 

The trouble maker's table ;)
 

What can I say, Friday night was just an all around excellent night!

Back at home I was missing the daddy/daughter dance at Olivia's school. Her girl scout troop was putting it on and Mike gamely stepped up to the challenge, helping to set up, bringing cookies, helping Olivia prepare, and being the perfect date. What a great memory for Olivia! Here's a photo of the two of them. Love!!