Disney Vacation Recap

Last Christmas, Lissie and Xavier gave their Lolos and Lola a family vacation to Disney World and Orlando. Last month, the vacation FINALLY happened and lots of unforgettable memories were made!

Both kids loved the plane ride there. Lissie enjoyed all of the snacks and fun new "busy activities" she found in her backpack. Xavier enjoyed being passed around to everyone and smiling at all the new faces.

We're going UP, UP, UP in an airplane!

Getting Comfy

Are we there yet?

We spent that first day at Downtown Disney (where Lissie happened upon a Princess Parade and got the BEST souvenir ever - a Disney Mr. Potato Head, which kept her and Xavier occupied for endless entertainment at the hotel), grocery shopping, and getting acquainted with our new digs for the long weekend. Lissie and Xavier were already having such a blast, with Lissie running from each room of our three-bedroom suite yelling "THIS IS THE BEST EVER, RIGHT HERE!!!!" and Xavier following close behind giggling endlessly. Little did they know that the real fun hadn't even begun yet!

She insisted on joining the parade but then had second thoughts.

Blowing kisses and waving to her people.

Giggle monster on the big bed

Getting ready for Disney

Blowing bubbles in the pool

The next day, we woke up early to have a buffet breakfast at the Magic Kingdom with the Pooh characters. Lissie, of course, was in heaven with the endless food AND seeing Winnie and Friends. Xavier was very curious about these guys and enjoyed devouring his meal, as well. We spent the good chunk of our day in FantasyLand since my shorties aren't big enough to ride most of the other rides, anyway. Lissie loved meeting Mickey and the Princesses, they both enjoyed riding Dumbo and the other rides, and they both conked out even before they got to the car by day's end. The rest of the day was spent lounging at the resort pool before dinner.

Taking "Where Dreams Come True" literally

Wiped out waiting for the train

SeaWorld was Day 3. I was very excited to see the new Antarctica exhibit and be up close and personal with the penguins. It was definitely my highlight of the day. Aside from the flightless birds, Xavier was not so impressed with SeaWorld, but Lissie had quite the blast - with getting soaked after making us sit in the Splash Zone at the orca whale show, being spoiled by Lolo Ernie with ice cream and sweets, and running around the splashpad and kiddie area where she enjoyed unlimited carousel and train rides since there were no lines. And, of course, we finished the day at the pool again before dinner.

Day 4 was when the kids enjoyed time with the grandparents - wandering around the resort, going to the bounce house, playing miniature golf, and enjoying the other pools in the area- while Justin and I snuck off to go to Hogsmeade and the Harry Potter exhibit at Universal. Justin is more of a Potter fan than me, but I had a great time at Hogswarts and getting immersed in this fantasy. We ended the day with dinner with one of Justin's pharmacy school friends.

And, as with all vacations, we had to come home.  Of course, as much as I planned for the flight to go smoothly with timing out Xavier's bottle and nap with takeoff, he decided to throw us for a loop and stay awake and upset for pretty much the entire hour and a half flight home. But, thankfully, we made it safe and sound.

We definitely had a wonderful trip, and the kids especially enjoyed spending time with their Lolos and Lola. We're already tentatively planning to go back when they are both old enough to ride on more rides - maybe when they are 7 and 8. It was definitely a fun vacation, or as Lissie kept saying, "BEST EVER, RIGHT HERE!"

Run, Run, Run Part Two

One of my biggest accomplishments of the year was running the Country Music Half Marathon in April.  After celebrating this achievement with my friend Stacy, we were still very much on a runner's high when we agreed to go for a second race in September.  Before we could have second thoughts, we had immediately signed up for The Women's Half Marathon.  If this race sounds familiar, it's probably because I did this race post-Lissie in 2011.  I had such found thoughts of that run, and I was excited to do it again.

Shortly after I signed up for the run, though, Xavier got sick.  Then summer came, and with it were jam-packed days, vacations, and lots of heat.  I probably could count the number of "good" runs I got in on my two hands alone.

The week of the run (which, as an aside, just happened to be my birthday week), I got hit with my own set of sicknesses - an obnoxious cough that made me nauseous, random nose bleeds thanks to allergies, and abdominal issues that succeeded in getting me an appointment for a colonoscopy (lovely, right?) later this month.  Not to mention that my dear, dear son decided to get sick again and trumped all of my illnesses by adding mysterious hives to the mix.

Stacy, too, was having a difficult time with her training.  That whole week leading up to the race, we were both grumbling about how we just wanted to get it over with, that our times would be abysmal, and that we would never EVER again try to do a half marathon.

Even at the pre-race Expo, where I usually get psyched about the race, I just wanted to get my bib and shirt and get out.  Partly because we were going to the hotel bar for a drink while we were there, but mostly because I really just wasn't feeling excitement about the race.

Fast-forward to race day.  I was still coughing and not in the best shape.  I had cough drops in my trusty SPIbelt, along with my sports beans and other essentials.   I wasn't going fast, but I was making okay time.  I kept thinking to myself, "if I can make it past this hill, I can start walking," but then I'd find another reason to just keep trudging along.  Then there was that dreaded Belmont Boulevard - an out-and-back hill of a road for about two miles.  Instead of getting discouraged seeing all of the faster runners, I kept saying, "if I get passed this part, then I can walk."  But, of course, as soon as I turned onto the next street, I couldn't walk because I ran into someone I knew and we jogged along together for a while.  And then I realized, wait a second, "I'm on track to finishing in 2:30 or less.  I can do this."  And I tried.  But then the last three miles came, and I admit I tried a little less.  I didn't walk, but boy was my "run" slow.  I picked it back up when I turned the corner to the finish line because I was keeping my eyes peeled for my family.  As soon as I saw my crazy kiddos and Justin, I ran over and grabbed Lissie, who proceeded to run with me to the finish.  She was overwhelmed by all of the post-race chaos, but enjoyed wearing her new "necklace" medal and, of course, the food tents - complete with a cookie cafe.  She also loved the post-race celebration when we went out to eat with friends at Taco Mamacita. Apparently she, like me, runs for the food.  And, I think she'll have a blast when she runs the Color Run with me next week!

So, I didn't get under 2:30 (I think my time was 2:33:50), but considering my bare-bones "training," it's still quite a feat, I think.    

And, at lunch,  Stacy and I both said that, while we were proud of our accomplishments, we were both "retiring" from running for the time being.

Yeah.  Umm.  Retirement didn't last long because somehow now we both signed up for Race #3, the Nashville 1/2 Marathon, in November.  After that I'll be done.  I promise.