Here Sits a Girl

Here sits a girl who:

• is signed up to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon next February 24, 2019
• has a room reservation all set on Disney property
• made her Disney dining reservations 180 days in advance
• and snagged some sweet reservations
• and reserved a table at Victoria and Albert's because - why not, I can cancel if I decide not to splurge that much (never done this before, so it felt right to at least try)
• needs to buy plane tickets for February
• is trying to complete a River Song (Doctor Who, not even remotely part of the two major focuses of this blog, but cut me some slack) costume for a convention that happens in two weeks
• needs to take her cat to the vet for a check-up on Saturday and is freaking out about it stressing out said cat
• will be getting up early tomorrow (fingers crossed) to do training run
• is moving in ten thousand different directions mentally and can't really take the time to figure out which direction she should buckle down and follow
• just wanted to write a blog post to say that she did because this space shouldn't die.

A New Month with New Jitters

I turned the Star Wars calendar in our kitchen to the new month of August, and I smiled when Rey showed up.  I thought, "How fitting.  There's our girl showing me that I can move forward and do anything."  Then I got to work, and I turned the Star Wars calendar in my cubicle to show the new month of August, and I smiled when Chewbacca's grin showed up on the page.  I thought, "There's a true friend if ever there was one."

Then I saw the sparkly Disney Princess Sticker that was marking Tuesday, August 7th on my calendar, and I thought, "Are you insane?  Are you actually going to sign up to run a half marathon at Disney?  It costs so much?  What if you can't make it?  What if you get swept?  You're not a real runner because you walk and run in intervals.  Remember yesterday when we looked at the proof of time submission and your 10K doesn't even qualify to get you in a higher corral?  You're slow.  You're overweight.  You're out of shape.  You're not a runner.  What makes you think you can do this?"

I realized at that moment that the only thing holding me back from what I can do is my own mind.  And what an evil little mind I have.  Look at that - up there!  All of those horrible things I said to myself in just a few seconds worth of thought-space.  And I suppose that's true for a lot of us.  A lot of us are harder on ourselves that we need to be.  We put ourselves down, and we corral ourselves into these safe little corners where we can hide so no one will ever see how "inadequate" we are.  We set our own limitations in our minds, but those limitations do not define who we truly are.  It's really our effort to break through those barriers that forces us to grow and become the people we are meant to be.

Next Tuesday, August 7th is registration day for the Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World.  I'm going to do my best to secure myself a spot.  I have a hotel room lined up on Disney property (had to call to make the reservation since it wasn't even available to reserve online that far in advance).  I've priced out plane tickets, and I'm ready to purchase those as soon as I know I have a spot in the race.  I'm trying to heal up from a pulled neck muscle before I get back into any real running/exercise again, but then it's time to gear up and start training.  I got nervous when I looked at training schedules.  TI checked out a couple of different schedules.  One stated that I should be comfortable running 3 miles a day 3 days a week.  Yeah...that doesn't usually happen with me.  lol  Maybe 1.5-2 miles 3 days a week?  I guess I'm not that far off, but it did make me start to second-guess this plan.  I ran a slow 5k in July, and a slow 10k in June.  Why am I doing this again?

To prove that I can.  To be able to say I did.  To be able to celebrate an accomplishment that I never once dreamed I'd be celebrating.  To be able to go on an adventure and say, "Yeah, I ran that race, and it was amazing."

Fingers crossed.  The single digit countdown to registration ticks on...

A Girl Against the Universe - a Running Story

So a few years ago I picked up something I never thought I would - running.

I was always the little chubby kid in gym class.  The one that got picked last for teams.  The one that couldn't finish running "the mile" test.  The one that liked literature, music, and art way more than physical activity.  Then, a few years back, I was trying to think of something I had never done before.  I wanted a new goal - something brand new and shiny to work on achieving.  Something I never thought I'd ever be able to accomplish.  So I set out with a Couch to 5k app and a goal to run my first 5K.

I did it.  And from there I ran a couple more 5Ks.  Then the Nerd Husband and I trained for the Inaugural Star Wars Dark Side 10K at Walt Disney World.  It was freaking amazing.

Then our world blew up.  The Nerd Husband's grandfather grew sicker until he was finally diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  He passed away quickly after a hellish fight.  Then my biological mother had a stroke while we were in Florida, and there I was - worrying for my family until I could get back home.  Then - most recently - we had an ice storm, and the Nerd Husband fell in our driveway and broke his left hip.  We lived with my parents for a month until he could come home and do the stairs (slowly and only once a day in the beginning).

Needless to say, we haven't been home much.  Our house has suffered for it.  We have suffered for it - physically and mentally.  It's been trying.  Running fell to the wayside.  Making it through to the next day was really the only goal.

During this last trial - the Nerd Husband's accident - I came up with my next plan.  In between sitting in the hospital with my husband and doing the drives back and forth from our house to gather things, take a shower or feed our kitty, it dawned on me that I wanted to show the universe it wouldn't break me.  It wouldn't throw all of this at me and see me back down without a fight.  I remember saying out loud, "No.  I refuse to feel like this, and I won't let you tear me down."  Plus, I was doing all of this to help someone else.  And I'd been helping other people for so long.  I needed to do something purely for me.

I vowed to figure out something I had never done before and make me feel badass, strong, and rebellious against the universe.  I thought about a tattoo or dyeing my hair another color.  But then my brain rested upon one thought...

I'll run a half marathon.

Not sure that was a normal train of thought.  But then again, I've never claimed to be normal.

I've always been interested in the runDisney half marathons.  I remember being there right after Princess weekend and seeing all of the people on the buses and in the parks with their medals.  It was really inspiring because there were people of all shapes, sizes, and walks of life.  It looked like a goal that anyone could obtain with training and tenacity.  I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever be one of those people, but I wanted to be one of those people.  Plus, how wonderful would it be to run through the place that holds so many wonderful family memories for me.  Family and friends and people I don't have with me anymore.  They're all still there, in that place, in those moments.

The details are fuzzy on how it all came about, and it was a while before I put my mind to a permanent decision on when this would all go down.  I recall asking my virtual running group for advice, signing up for a local 10K (for experience and a time to submit), writing out a training schedule, and then eventually marking my vacation time in my work calendar for "February 2019".

Princess Half Marathon 2019 had been decided.

Now I have a little Disney Princess dry erase board from the Dollar Tree sitting in my cubicle at work, counting down the days to registration.  I have nerves floating around in my gut because the registration process got changed this year, and they pushed the dates further away than originally planned.  I have a countdown on my phone, and I'm debating where the best place to stay is and how to make this all work.

Best of all, I have a goal, and I'm nervous as hell about it - but it's mine.  And that is so stinking exciting that I can't even begin to explain to you how exciting it is.  This is mine, and no one can take it from me.  I know that bad things can happen, and chances are they totally will.  Who even knows what will/could happen when I'm away next February?  But bad stuff is going to happen no matter where you are, who you're with, or what you try to do to prevent it.  You can't prevent life.  Life finds a way.  The best you can do is live your life for you.  Do the things you can do while you can do them.  Share your strength and love with others.  And remember to be kind to you.  Always.  In all things.

Now, if you'll excuse me, this princess has a half marathon training schedule to contemplate.

Illness, Schedules, and Good Enough Lists

Man, have I been down.

Last Wednesday I was running around, checking things off my list, got home, got ready to make dinner, went to go talk to the Nerd Husband, and then stood there in the living room and said, "I feel shivery.  Are you cold?"

Thus it began - the saga of the flu.

I foolishly thought perhaps I could slug through the beginnings of my feverish state by working on the costume and fighting it with some cold meds.  I finished off the Jyn Erso gloves which was a huge accomplishment, but after I dragged myself upstairs (almost literally), I realized just how little energy I had.  And my joints had started to ache.  I took my temperature (99 at that point), took another dose of medicine and went to bed.  I woke up in the middle of the night yelling at NH because I thought he was cutting me with his toes (yay, fever-brain).  I took my temp again at that point, and it hit 101.  The Tylenol in the cold meds wasn't cutting it, so I downed some ibuprofen and water, covered up my feverish self, and tried to sleep.

I stayed home from work on Thursday.  I kept the fever.  I also kept the fever for part of Friday, so I stayed home again.  There was no costuming.  There was no moving.  There was only the couch, my pillow, my blanket, my cat, my many fluids, what food I could eat, and Netflix.  Lots of Netflix.  Saturday and Sunday were more of the same, sadly enough, though this time quite feverless which was a welcomed relief.  Sunday night, I finally allowed myself just a little bit of work time on the costume as a way to relax.  It felt so good to feel kind of human again.

Monday was a rough work day for me - all the way around.  It felt like if it could go wrong, it did, and not just with work stuff.  It just felt like it was a day of bombardment, and I was so tired by the end of it.  But I started to perk up a bit more in the evening, and I allowed myself a bit more work time on the costume.  Getting things put together on that vest just made me feel happy.  I still didn't sleep well thanks to the cough I have, but such is the way of things.

This week will be a trial to get through, but I think it's possible to get through it.  There's a lot to do - personally, work-wise, and vacation-prep-wise, but I'm moving along as best I can.  There are some things that are just going to have to be written off, and that's okay.  But my brain still has a hard time writing them off.  It tends to think, "No, you can do this!"  I think the best way to combat that is to make myself a list.  Yay, lists!

The Jyn Erso "Good Enough" Versus "Ideal" Costume List

• Boots
• Good enough: as is
• Ideal: add boot covers and buckles, add weathering
• Pants
• Good enough: Kohl's slim-cut black pants, minor work required
• Need to replace one hook/eye
• Ideal: slim down thrift store pants, add pin tucks, twill tape, buckles, etc., and add weathering
• Belt
• Good enough: reuse Lara Croft belt
• Ideal: create an accurate Jyn belt, and add weathering
• Gun
• Good enough: empty holster
• Ideal: 3D print or foam replica, and add weathering
• Shirt
• Good enough: blue-gray 3/4 sleeve shirt from Kohl's
• Ideal: create accurate shirt from scratch, and add weathering
• Scarf
• Good enough: as is
• Ideal: add weathering
• Green jacket
• Good enough: as is (minus the Rogue One patch I sewed onto the sleeve for fun)
• Ideal: paint yellow stripes down the sides of the sleeves, and add weathering
• Brown vest
• Good enough: some work required
• Sew on remaining felt pieces (2) - Tuesday night
• Sew on storm flap to left side (1) - Tuesday night
• Sew on hook to right side (1) - Tuesday night
• Attach elastic waist - Tuesday or Wednesday night
• Sew/attach buckles to tubing (4) - buckles at top and bottom - Friday night
• Sew/attach tubing to both sides (2) - Friday night
• Ideal:
• Version 1: add weathering
• Version 2: make from scratch 
• Necklace
• Good enough: as is
• Ideal: honestly, even though mine isn't accurate, I like mine
• Pocket tool
• Good enough: flashlight from Meijer
• Ideal: 2 cylinders needed
• Vest ID Badge
• Good enough: no badge
• Ideal: create badge from craft foam and attach to vest

There's one other thing that I have to remember to make, and that's a new pair of bracers for Asajj Ventress.  Honestly, they won't take me long - maybe a half hour?  For some odd reason, I threw my old ones away - I have no idea why.  But I should be able to pull something together very easily with little worry.   I'd like to do those on Friday night, too.

Originally, Wednesday night was supposed to be my Mom's birthday celebration, but Mom and Dad are both down with the crud, as well.  Mom suggested we all get together when we're well, and that makes sense to me.  So now Wednesday might be packing night.  On Thursday, NH and I are going to swing by my sister and brother-in-law's place and drop off my nephew's birthday present.

Somewhere in the middle of everything, I'll rest.  I need that, too, because I'm still not great.  This cough makes my chest wheeze like Vader's breathing apparatus.

And you know, of course our flight leaves on Sunday.  I'm not cutting it close.  Nah.  It's all good.  Well, at least it's all good enough.

How a "Planner" Became a "Pantser"

There's an event that happens around the world in November called NaNoWriMo.  To quote their description on Google, "NaNoWriMo is an annual (November) novel writing project that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world."  I've participated in Nano (as I'm going to call it for short) a few times in the past, as well as some of their smaller Camp NaNoWriMo events that they hold in April and July.  I have only completed my goal of 50,000 words once and that was in November 2013 (which Facebook kindly reminded me today with my "WINNER" picture I took).  All of my other attempts at fallen pitifully short of my goal, but that's okay - and I'm okay with it.  The point is that I tried, and I did my best to enjoy my writing while I was writing it.

Now you might be saying, "Hey, Shada," (which is my nickname, if you've forgotten).  "What's this writing business?  This doesn't have to do with Star Wars or Disney.  Isn't that what you said this blog was about?"

And I would say to you, "Now, you hold on to your horses just a gosh dern minute there, whippersnapper."  (My Nano novel that I "won" with as a western of sorts; I'm sorry.)  "You give me some time here, and I'm gonna learn you at thing or two about a'plannin' and a'pantsin'."

That just...sounds weird.  I am so sorry.  Moving on.


The terms "planner" and "pantser" are things that I learned about in the Nano writing community.  There were some people who carefully spent the month of October (or earlier) planning out their novel piece by piece.  Writing up character sheets.  Gathering research and information.  They were the "planner" group.  Then you have the people who sat down on November 1st with a blank slate.  Maybe a rough idea of where they wanted to go.  No solid leads or characters.  These are the people who are writing by the "seat of their pants" - the "pantser" group.

There are parts of me that have always been a planner.  I loved my little schedule/planner in high school that they gave us for free every year.  I'd get my different color pens out and color coordinate everything so I knew what was homework, what was personal, what was extracurricular.  When our Star Wars Celebration group prepares to go to a convention, I like to have group discussions, make hand-outs, discuss plan of attack and what we'd like to see.  I like to know what will be there when I'm going to a certain place.  I don't need to know exactly where I'm going to be at 2:15pm, but I like to know the things that are available to me, what times they're open, and what my "must dos" are.  And I like to have some things very planned - flight times, pick-up times, dinner dates and times, etc.  Things like that need planning.  You can't just show up at the airport and go, "Hello, sir, put me on an airplane.  I want to go to Florida."  That doesn't work.  I haven't tried it, but I'm assuming it doesn't work.

While I have usually considered myself a planner in my lifetime, I also know that I have a bit of a pantser in me, as well.  This goes back to the idea of I don't know where exactly I'm going to be at 2:15pm.  I hate hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute schedules.  I hate to feel like I've tied myself into a work-day schedule when I'm really just trying to have a weekend off or a vacation day.  That drives me batty and makes me more stressed because what happens if I don't obey my schedule?  What happens if I fail?  See?  Not fun for me.  When it comes to Nano, I'm also a "pantser".  Characters and writing need to flow.  If I force myself into the research element of it without really having purpose or care behind it, then I'll just feel stressed and bored and I won't want to write anymore.  Not really a productive attitude when you have 50,000 words to write.  

These two paragraphs only describe me and my style of writing and vacations and life.  Not everyone is the same, and that's okay!  It makes life uber-interesting when we're not all carbon-copy cookie-cutouts of each other.  We are not the Emperor's Clone Army!  (Which, really, is a bad example because even the clones prove that they aren't carbon-copies of each other despite having the same genetic structure...but I digress.)

What I'm really trying to say here is that my planner lifestyle has had to make a huge shift into the pantser lifestyle just because life (and myself) made it that way.  I learned that I can't be rigid in my plans and still expect myself to roll with the punches.  If there's an issue with one way of doing things, I can't keep doing things that way and not change to something else so I can get a different outcome.  I encountered a lot of crap over the years that bucked up against my planning abilities and threw me totally out of whack, so I finally learned to just say, "Fine.  You win.  We're wingin' this one."  And I learned that that's okay.  You can be a planner and a pantser, and there's nothing wrong with either of them.  

For me, a bit of both suits me just fine, and that's the attitude I'm trying to take toward my planning of our next Walt Disney World trip in December.  We've been dealing with so much this year - from personal illness, to family illness, to sudden losses and death, to depression and anxiety, to just living the day-to-day.  I didn't plan any of that, and if I'd clung so desperately to a personal plan during all of this craziness, I think I'd be a lot more insane than I currently am.  I had to let it go - all of it.  I could do what I could do only in that moment I could do it, and that was okay.  

I'm keeping that in mind as I'm looking at all of this Christmassy stuff at Disney and reading blogs and gathering information.  Some of it makes me really nervous because it's the typical things we hear when we read about Disney.  All of the websites tell me to plan - I need a plan.  I need to know which park I'm going to go to on which days.  I need to make advances dining reservations.  I don't have any FastPasses.  I don't have a Dining Plan, but it says I should have a Dining Plan.  I can't eat that much.  Omg.  What if we don't make it to blah?  What if we can't walk it?  What if we're sick?  What if it rains? 

I hate all of that.  All of it.  I understand that having a Disney vacation means you have to plan, yes.  But I personally believe in not making myself physically ill while planning the gosh dern thing (there's that old Nano novel coming back around again).  So when I've been doing my reading and researching, what I've been attempting to do is just make a list.  Make a list in my head of things I'd like to see, where they are, when they're available.  I have quite the list thanks to lots of different websites, including Disney Tourist Blog.  I found their articles to be quite helpful, including the self-tour of all of the decorations at the Disney resorts.  This was a big thing on the Nerd Husband's and my list, so it was helpful to find a bit of a guide to get us where we wanted to be.

Also, to allow us a bit more freedom in our time schedule and exploration, we decided to rent ourselves a car for this trip.  We have a lot of things we'd like to go outside of the Disney parks, and it can sometimes be rather trying to resort hop using Disney transportation.  So we chalked up the extra bit of money (which isn't bad, really), and we're going to test this out to see how we like having our own vehicle while on property.  I'm kind of excited to get to drive down there again; it's been a while.

Sitting back and reading all of this again, it sounds a little rambly - but the point I'm trying to make is that maybe you can take a step back from the uber-planning.  Even if you just take one day and leave it completely open, maybe that would help.  Just a day to say, "Hey, where do you want to go?  Let's go play."  Because really, that's what it's about, right?  Playing and creating memories with your family and friends and loved ones.  At least that's what it's always been about for me, and I need to remember that.  That should always come first when I sit down and come up with a plan by the seat of my pants.

Operation Orchid Changes to Operation Night Howler

Ohhh, life!  Goodness, it's been a while, and I'm in desperate need of some "happy".  I figured now is as good a time as any to give a little Disney update.

Our next trip is coming up very soon with a visit in October for our first ever Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about this one.  First of all, I love Disney.  Second of all, I love costumes.  There is basically no opportunity to ever wear a costume to Disney except for runDisney events and this Halloween party, so I'm super excited to actually be able to come up with something.

My first jump was a big one - I had landed my heart on making a Rapunzel dress because I love Rapunzel and - I'll be honest - I wanted to feel like a pretty princess.  However, Operation Orchid has been placed on hold (despite the fact that I now have all of the necessary materials to make the dress - go figure).  Instead of getting thoroughly discouraged, I turned back my brain and started working on a newer and easier to pull together idea.  I needed something that I could easily thrift/eBay/craft/cobble together, and I wanted something Disney related. 

And thus Operation Night Howler went into effect, and I landed on the new, improved, and easier-to-manage idea of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps from Zootopia.

Because - let's face it - they're freaking adorable.  And I love that pink plaid shirt with the sunhat look.

See what I mean?  So, so cute!  Okay, done with the cuteness.  Let's talk details here.

I cobbled together an items list for each character, determined to check them off as I went.  I've done pretty well, and I've even tracked prices - which is something I don't typically do when putting together a costume, really.  I used a lot of saved searches on eBay - which is a God-send, and if you've never used it...use it.  It sends all of my finds directly to my email each day, and I sort through them from there.

Nick Wilde
Green, hawaiian-ish shirt - eBay find - used - $12.16
Navy blue and red striped tie - eBay find - new (will also use for work) - $15.00
Khaki pants - personally own - $0.00
Belt - personally own - $0.00
Ears & Tail - will hand craft
     Faux fur from Fabric.com and JoAnn Fabris - total fabric cost $18.74
     Polyfill, thread, and other materials - personally own - $0.00
Hat to attach ears to - Amazon - $6.98
Total Cost: $52.88

Judy Hopps
Pink, plaid shirt
     eBay find - didn't work out, too small - $7.48
     WalMart find - $15.00
Jeans - personally own - $0.00
Ears, Headband & Tail - will hand craft
     Faux fur, flannel, and headband from JoAnn Fabrics - total fabric cost $7.25
     Other fabric, Polyfill, thread, and other materials - personally own $0.00
Gray wig - Amazon - $15.99
White sun hat - personally own - $0.00
Total Cost: $45.72

Turns out what I write down the prices of things, I freak out a little.  Good times!  But honestly, if I sit back and analyze these numbers, I don't find them that bad.  These clothing items can share a "real life" purpose, as well - not just for a costume.  So the only things that won't get used on a regular basis are the fabric bits - the ears and tails.  I think I'm okay with that, and I think I'm pretty good with these prices.  Goodness knows what you'd pay when you go to a costume shop for something.  That can be scary expensive.

So my next job on this costuming adventure is to start crafting some tails and ears and things - a new costuming experience I have never undertaken.  Fun times lie ahead!

Bags Are Packed!

We completed our last scheduled run at the Community Center last night in preparation for the Star Wars Dark Side 10K at Walt Disney World this Saturday.  I figured it was fitting to choose locker #77 for my last run (Star Wars 1977...made sense to me).  We did an easy 2 miles of run/walk, no timer, but we kept up our regular 30/60 interval.  Aside from just feeling horribly tired in general, we both felt pretty good after this run.  Last night and the long run this past weekend have made both the Nerd Husband and me feel pretty good about this coming weekend. 

I think we can do this.

It's been fun perusing the Disboards, watching everyone get excited for the upcoming races.  People are posting pictures of their costumes - which always makes me happy to see what people come up with.  There are folks making dinner plans, discussing options on what to do regarding injuries, and people just generally fanboy and girl squeeing all over the place.  It reminds me of my old message board days on StarWars.com, and that makes me rather happy.  I need that right now, I think - just a bit of old fashioned happiness.

Our bag is packed and ready to go, aside from those "get ready" items that you kind of need to - you know - get ready.  Toothbrush, stuff like that.  That will get tossed in the suitcase early on Friday morning, and we'll head on out to the airport to start this year of Disney craziness off right.  I have a few things I still need to take care of - just have to work on getting my carry-on put together, and then I think I'm golden.  That will be my job this evening.

I had so many projects I wanted to complete for this trip.  My brain went into overdrive on creativity, but I had to nix those due to time and stress.  I didn't want to stress.  It wasn't worth it.  So I set those things off to the side for "later".  I'd like to come back to them, eventually.

For now, that's what I've got to share.  It's not much, but we're getting closer...

Updated Training Schedule

Annnnnnd we're back.  With another not-so-exciting update from the land of sickness and despair!

Wow - 'cause that wasn't a depressing intro.  ;)

Seriously, it's been not-so-great in the 10K training aspect of life right now.  The Nerd Husband's illness was a setback.  My cold was a setback.  My resulting bronchitis was a setback.  My hours of sleep to get over said cold and bronchitis were a setback.

Then came the weird ankle/toe pain of last week that lasted over the weekend and into today.  That, too, was (and still might be?) a setback.  The weekend was spent icing the thing to the point of Hoth numbness and rejoicing the fact that I found a tube of Bengay cream in the medicine cabinet.  The cat was quite appalled at my lethal peppermint smell; it was amusing.  However, the pain associated with this setback was (and still occasional is) not amusing.  I'm attributing the ankle/toe issue to a case of bad footwear - probably a pair of cheap boots that I wore to work last week.  So I'm now making it a priority to not wear boots to work before April 16th.  Nope.  Just the Dr. Scholl's old lady work shoes for me, buddy.  I also decided to order myself a new pair of tennis shoes for walking from my car to work each day.  My old ones are starting to wear down, and I really want to take care of my feet for this race.

Unfortunately, all of these setbacks mean that I had to revise the schedule.  Again.  I know that I need to ease back into this whole running thing, and the last "long run" I did was 4.25 miles.  The NH didn't make it to the end of that run; he managed 3.14 (ha!  PI!) miles before he had to sit out due to allergy/breathing issues.  That run also led directly into my bout of bronchitis, so we both really aren't doing so well.  So I'm trying to ease us back into running, gently increasing the mileage as well as working on our overall strength.  I think we just need to build our bodies back up to being awesome, and it's going to take a bit of work.  Knowing that, I decided to throw in some cross-training days and adjust the schedule from our original Galloway training.

The new schedule for this week looks a bit like this:

Table Header	Table Header
Monday, March 21, 2016	15 min run; 25 min cross-train
Tuesday, March 22, 2016	20 min run; 20 min cross-train
Wednesday, March 23, 2016	2 miles
Thursday, March 24, 2016	REST
Friday, March 25, 2016	45 min cross-train
Saturday, March 26, 2016	REST
Sunday, March 27, 2016	4.5 miles

It's definitely going to be a challenge to get back up and ready to do all of this.  Plus, we aren't used to going to the community center this often.  I'm keeping my thoughts positive, though.  Hopefully I can keep the NH's thoughts positive, as well. 

In other news, I finally found a pair of running shorts that fit my properly!  I went to JC Penney's this weekend, and they happened to have their shorts out on the racks.  I picked up a pair of Xersion quick-dri compression shorts on sale, and I also found a pair of Nike shorts that I think might work out well!  I'm a little nervous about the Nike ones when it comes to running, but they fit well for everyday fitness and just overall, so I picked them up.  I'll test both out and see what works best. 

Now that I have shorts, that allows me to figure out where to hem the running skirt for the costume.  I put on the compression shorts last night, and I marked about where I think the hemline should be on the skirt.  I need to find my original pattern piece, mark my new, rounded hemline, and then finallly hem the darned thing.  That will also allow me to get going on the tabbard.  So I think things are finally going to move along on that, as long as I find the energy to get up off my butt and get to it.

We also got our magic bands in the mail last Friday.  They're the newer model of Magic Band, and you can definitely tell a difference.  Much lighter, thinner, and less clunky then the first version.  Plus, mine is purple.  So, you know, it's already superior to the old ones.  ;)  However, we're still awaiting our Magical Express paperwork.  I called last week to confirm that we were set up for ME, but I never did ask if they had sent the documentation.  I figured I would give them until this week, and then I would call just to make sure it was on its way.

I can't believe this is coming up as quickly as it is.  It seems like we were waiting on April forever, and now I'm freaking out because I don't feel like we're trained enough, prepared enough, etc.  But it will get here, and we will be where we will be.

Hopefully, we'll be okay.

April Planning - FastPass+ Reservations

This 10K trip in April is starting to feel so real.   We were supposed to get out today and do another 30 minute run session, but we lazied it and stayed in due to the weather.  I know that we've been running inside at the community center, but it just felt like too much effort to leave the house today.  (Granted, I left later anyway to go to JoAnn Fabric's for the President's Day sale, but that's...different.  I did walk around the store for two hours, so I'm gonna count that as training...yeah...)

We found out we could make our FastPass+ reservation for our April trip today when I logged in and realized today was two months from our check-in date (holy cow)!  So we sat down and looked at our schedule for the April weekend and what we'd like to do.  The Nerd Husband and I have been cooking up plans for the 2016 year anyway considering we'll be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary in May.  So for our anniversary gifts to ourselves we figured we'd do a Year of Disney.  The plan is currently to purchase annual passes when we go to do the race in April, and then we'll book a series of mini-trips during the year, as well as our usual annual winter trip next year in 2017.

All of this annual pass talk aside, NH and I sat down tonight to look at our FastPass+ choices, and we picked out a few things for each day that we'll be there.  Force only knows how our feet will feel after the 10K on Saturday morning, but I have a feeling we'll be okay.  (Our last trip to Disney was a week long and we totaled somewhere over 48 miles of walking.)  We really hate to uber-plan our days because we never know what we're going to get tied up in.  When it comes to FastPass+ selections, we just follow a couple of basic rules that work for us:

1. Make your selections for earlier in the day - usually first thing in the morning of early afternoon (after lunch time).  This allows us to go back and get another FastPass+ selection later if we choose to.

2. FastPass the things that make sense.  We debated on the Wishes Fireworks FastPass this time around as well as the Indiana Jones Stunt Show.  And then realized we've never had a problem seeing either of these things in the past.

3. Pick what you want now, but don't be afraid to change them later.  We realize that our plans are completely fluid and that we might get caught up in the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT (something we've never had a chance to experience and we're both super excited about because we have a garden at home).  If we can't follow our FastPass+ schedule, we don't freak out.  We just change it.  Easy as pie thanks to the MyDisneyExperience app!

For us, we made the following choices for the FastPass+ reservations:

• The Seas with Nemo & Friends (might not need FastPass)
• Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival (might not need FastPass)
• Test Track
• Jungle Cruise
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Toy Story Midway Mania
• Star Tours (we have two FastPasses for this, even though the NH can't usually ride it due to motion issues)
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Festival of the Lion King
• Expedition Everest

We have only one Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) made for this trip - mostly because we're planning on sampling so many things at the EPCOT festival that we might just end up there every day!  However, since this trip falls on the birthday weekend for the NH, then I asked him where he wanted to go to dinner.  So one night will be a nice dinner for us both at Be Our Guest restaurant (one of our favorites).  Other than that, the sky is the limit when it comes to food!

I just looked at the clock because I knew it was time to wrap this all up, and it said it was 11:38pm.  And I got a little excited because...you know...1138.  Star Wars.  Yep.  Nerd.  Yay!

Memories and the Meaning of Play

My folks had always traveled (they raised four children before I came along and went all over the United States with them in a travel trailer they hauled around).  So we got a travel trailer.  We had a pick up truck.  And off we went.  

I've been told that all of this started before I started kindergarten - so probably around 4ish, I would imagine.  I have little to no memories during this time, which is unfortunate, but I'm sure they were lovely.  I've been told we went all over Disney World because it was affordable to just go and buy a ticket and the spend the day when you felt like it.  My folks always loved Epcot, so I'm sure we were there, as well.  

As for where we stayed - there were a variety of places.  I do remember that we stayed at Yogi Bear Jellystone Park RV Resort one year somewhere outside of Kissimmee.  While the original resort is no longer there, a quick internet search led me to realize the franchise is still in existence - which makes me happy, actually.  There was another RV Park at Route 4 and Route 27, right where they intersected.  It was across the street from the old Baseball City Stadium (which has an interesting history, and I totally remember it being there).  If you turned south on Frontage Road, you'd hit the Fort Summit KOA first.  We stayed here maybe once before turning to a cheaper (and better for us option) which was right next door.

This place, however, has no name in my memory.  I can draw you a layout of it.  I can mark where the main hall was, draw the interior of the store, the community center room, mark where the large hill started and ended down by the mulch-covered play ground.  I can even pinpoint where our trailer was parked in certain spots over the years.  I can remember singing with a duo of folksy singers/guitarists who provided entertainment at some point (and I still remember the words to "You're Bound to Look Like a Monkey When You Grow Old).  I remember hopping on the school bus and driving back to my "second home" the winter I was in 2nd grade.  I can draw for you where the Bob Evan was on the corner, where I tried to eat dinner with my folks but we had to leave because I was bleeding too much thanks to the Gettys on the coast.

All of these stories.  I could go into details on some of them later on (and probably will).  But the point is - this one place holds so many memories and yet has no name.  It's amazing what our brains hold onto and what we lose over the years.

Most of my memories were made on these road trips.  But there's a different type of trip that has its own set of memories.  I can pinpoint this one to 1989, and that's only because I remember what McDonald's Happy Meal toy I was playing with in the hotel bathtub.  Mac Tonight.  Maybe one of the weirdest marketing campaigns ever, but there it is.

I've been told what prompted this family trip was sort of unexpected and unusual.  My parents had decided they were going to take a trip by themselves to get away for a bit, and my aunt was going to watch over me while they were away.  They bought plane tickets (I still don't know why they chose this route, but they did), and they were all set to go.  But the night before they were scheduled to leave, they were hit with a pang of guilt (which cracks me up; I have no idea why).  They realized they would feel awful if they went to Florida without me, and so they decided to carry my little butt along.

They bought a plane ticket for me (the night before/day of a flight - can you believe it?!  Our modern brains cannot comprehend the 1980s. ;)  lol)  So my first plane flight!  How exciting is that?  It was also my Mom and Dad's first flight, too.  And my Dad's last - I think he discovered he hates to fly, but he's reluctant to admit it.  I didn't get to fly again until I was in college, but I don't think I ever really forgot the feeling of it.  Since then, I was fascinated with the Air Force Museum and airplanes, and the only super power I ever wanted was to be able to fly.

I remember arriving at the hotel when we got to Florida.  We stayed in the what-used-to-be Travelodge hotel in Lake Buena Vista.  I know the original building is still there, and it appears to be a Best Western now.  Walking into that lobby at the rip ol' age of 7ish, I thought I was walking into the ritziest place I'd ever laid eyes on.  There was a chandelier hanging in the center of the lobby (or whatever my definition of a chandelier was at the time).  They had these golden luggage carts that bell hops were pushing around.  Golden luggage carts, people!  We have arrived in Ritzville...7 year old Ritzville, but nonetheless.

I remember we could see Epcot from our room, which I thought was awesome.  And I had a whole big bed to myself.  I laid there one night, and my parents turned all the lights off in the room so we could watch the fireworks.  It was amazingly awesome and downright - should I say it? - magical.  Seriously.  I laid there hugging a stuffed animal, watching fireworks at Disney outside my hotel window.

That's what my 7-year-old brain took away from that trip.  No big, humongous, crazy adventures or waiting in lines or not getting to do what I wanted to do.  What mattered was my family and the fireworks and all these little things that just made my day brighter.

I think those trips defined how I "do" Disney World.  The attitude that my parents brought to the table regarding family and what that means shapes how I view this wondrous place all these years later.  It's why I can still watch "Wishes", feel like a five year old, remember holding my Dad's hand, and I cry.  A grown adult.  Each and every time.  There is something awesome in that kind of memory, in that kind of place.  It has a true power to captivate us and change us for the better if we let it.

With this view in mind, I want to be able to share my tips and my opinions regarding planning and getting there and what to do and where to go.  But I told all of this back story so you've got an idea of what you're going to read here.  I don't go big, and I don't go (usually) expensive.  I try to keep it simple, and I maximize my fun as much as possible.  

There are people who are superb planners, having everything laid out down to the very last detail.  I am not like that when it comes to Disney.  I have a plan, but I keep it loose - because that's where the real magic starts to happen, in my opinion.  If I plan it all out, I leave no room for the fun, the interesting, the amazing.  

So when I do share my experiences or my opinions, I'm going to reach out to those people who really just want to "play", to be a child at heart again for a little while, because that's the type of Disney person I am.  I met a lady on the Magical Express once who was going to Disney for the first time with her three children and her husband.  Upon finding out I'd been multiple times, she asked me, "What's are the things we definitely need to do?"

"Go play," I answered her with a smile.  "Go find the first thing you want to play on.  And if you can't play on it right then at the moment, go play on something else.  Just go play."

She looked at me like I was crazy, and I had to laugh a little at myself.  It wasn't your typical response.  No "you have to ride the haunted mansion" or "if you don't try a Dole Whip, you'll just die".  Just a simple request: play.

So let's just play, kids.  Because we don't get many opportunities in this life to just kick back, relax, and let the magic happen.