Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Cajun Cup 10K 2021

Happy Thanksgiving week! I hope you are having a wonderful week with your family as we kick off the holiday season!

I'm so thankful races are back. I was reminded how much I missed racing, the atmosphere, the spectators, and above all else the exhilaration that comes with crossing that finish line!

I knew I needed a 10K for a proof of time for princess (since mine was a year too old) but I wanted to find a good race - one I was familiar with and knew I could obtain my goal.

The Cajun Cup 10K is located in a town about an hour away. I've run it several times in the past so I decided on this one since it was familiar to me!


We left SUPER early that morning because Kim was also running the 1 miler which started about a half hour before the 10K.


My friend wasn't a steady runner prior to this, but I thinks he has been bitten by the running bug! :)


Proud of my friend!


It was in the 40's that morning which translates to SO COLD to us down here in the south. I wasn't quite sure what to wear - did I need my ear cover? gloves? a jacket?  


I finally decided on nothing extra besides what was already on me (long sleeve dry fit shirt and ankle length tights) and that was the best decision! 


This race led us through downtown Lafayette, through a residential neighborhood, then finally over to the Cajun Dome.


The first few miles literally flew by and it was the best feeling! My official goal for this race was to finish under an hour and somewhere in the eight minute per mile range. I knew I wouldn't be anywhere near my 10K PR, but that was ok with me.


I managed to find a group of people who were keeping a somewhat steady pace, so I followed them and it worked!


One thing I will say I'm annoyed about with this race - I clearly heard them say over the loud speaker that it didn't matter where you stood in the starting corral, your time would be calculated from the moment you crossed the start line. It took me a good 20 seconds to cross that start line and although my finish time was 54:44, their official clock time was 55:06 when I crossed the finish line, and that's my official time on the log. I feel like I remember this happening to me at this race before, so I stood closer to the starting line the following time I ran it. Well, I forgot all about that this go round. Oh well, lesson learned for next time!


I'm still proud of myself regardless! I achieved my goal plus some!


After the race, I asked a lady to take our picture and she literally took it crooked. I had to adjust the photo to make it straight. This photo will always make me laugh for that very reason!


Is this how all the cool kids are taking photos now-days? Guess I need to get with the program!


Despite the little time disparity, this race was absolutely perfect! You couldn't have asked for better weather, the sun was shining, the course was mostly flat, and the water supply was perfect. I will definitely be back to run this one again in the future!


Smoothie King was also out with free smoothies after the race! YUM!


Post race offerings in the south are always unique and delicious! You never know what you're going to encounter - for this race, it was jambalya and it was delicious! 


After the race, we went shopping for a little while, then stopped for a late brunch at Another Broken Egg. It was all so good! 


I absolutely love days where you can put away the worries of the week, spend time with a friend, and enjoy the gorgeous weather. A little retail therapy never hurt anything, either! It truly was a perfect day! 

Happy Thanksgiving!! On this holiday week, I'm thankful for so many things, you guys included! Have a wonderful holiday!

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

August 2021: EPCOT / Food & Wine Festival

Our entire trip for August was planned around our resort stays. Since this one was a split stay with one night at Bay Lake Tower and the remaining time at Old Key West, I knew we wanted to revolve days one and two around the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Also, I'd never eaten at The Wave and with its temporary location in the California Grill, I knew we had to go for it! 


It was very hard to say goodbye to our room, though! I would love to stay here again, for a longer period of time.


Walking to the California Grill was a super nice perk! Also, we were able to leave our bags in our room and return later for checkout since the timing was going to overlap. I love it when things work out that way!


It had been AGES since we'd dined at the California Grill but I didn't forget the views. They are gorgeous!


It was such a perfect day, too!


For breakfast, I ordered the sweet potato pancakes. I know these are a huge hit but I personally don't remember them being anything spectacular. They were good but I would still take the waffles at Topolino's any day!


Brayden had the Mickey Waffles with a fruit cup...


...and Jason ordered The Wave feast which we all got to snack on.


After leaving, we walked back over to our room to gather our luggage and check out. We had bell services transfer it all over to Old Key West while we hopped on the monorail to Epcot.


Again, the timing of the whole morning worked out perfectly since Epcot didn't open until 11 a.m.!


Our plans for Epcot included Future World first with a little Food and Wine for late lunch/early dinner.


Pro Tip: If you can travel with it, bring your kids previous trip toys which they will love! (We purchased this bubble wand at a Disney Store...rest in peace...a year ago and he still loves it! We bring batteries and bubble refills!)


One of Brayden's favorite parts of the Living Seas is the huge fish tank! Oh yes, and also the escalators...hah!


The line for Soarin was incredibly short, so we hopped over there, followed by a ride on Living with the Land to say hi to the cucumbers.


Yep, the cucumbers were all in good shape!


We also spied Mickey at the Garden Grill and he was waving to kiddos outside of the restaurant. I thought that was a nice touch!


Early afternoon, we walked over to World Showcase for a little Food & Wine fun!


Our first stop was the Noodles station for Pho, which neither of us had ever tried (even at home) and it was delicious!



By mid day, it was so hot!


We also had Jason's favorite, the pork sliders from Hawaii....


...followed by my favorite, the pot stickers from China!


The traditional Germany photo was not to be missed, either.


In Italy, I tried the Bomboloni which was a cream filled donut with raspberry sauce. I wasn't super impressed because the insides were still frozen. I don't think this treat was meant to be a "frozen" one, so I was kind of confused and it took away from some of the flavor. Oh well...on to the next one!


Jason ordered the Ravioli which we split. It was very tasty!!


Over in America, we took a quick water and shade break because it was HOT, y'all!


Brayden also somehow miraculously took a nap! We had the fans going on him and everything!


While passing America, I heard a familiar group of voices, so I had to stop to see! It was the Voices of Liberty! I love them so much, they are one of my favorite parts of Epcot.


After making our way over to France, we stopped for the Beignet filled with cheese. Normally, this would be right up my alley - bread and cheese, but it was so hot out and this dish was so warm, we just couldn't enjoy it. Instead, we decided to try and find some AC!


Mission accomplished! The old O Canada theater room was so nice and cool and I loved the look!! We didn't order anything inside, but it was nice to chill out (literally) for a few minutes.


With that, we finished up our scavenger hunt and headed back to our resort. We had fun doing this, although Brayden slept through half of it and I had to finish it for him! Hah!


I knew an ominous cloud was heading our way, so we got to the bus stop and made our way to our resort in a flash!


Our room was ready by this point, so we called for our bags and relaxed.


One of my favorite parts of Old Key West are the room sizes!


We also loved the little kitchenette area, as well as the fact that this room include da vacuum cleaner. I know this is crazy, but people with long hair will understand. On our February trip, I remember how dirty the floor of our room at Pop Century got after 5 nights. We might have had housekeeping one night through (I can't remember) but I couldn't stand the hair. Seeing a vacuum cleaner here made me so happy!


The balcony was perfect, too...and right on the golf course!


By this point, Brayden was fully awake and hungry. So, I ran through the rain to get him an order of chicken nuggets at the little quick service area.


By the time I got there, the rain really started to come down. I was incredibly thankful for my rain jacket!


After the rain subsided, we decided to spend our evening at Disney Springs. We split a pizza at Blaze...


...and I HAD to get back to Everglazed. Ive been dreaming about this place since our last trip!


SO GOOD!


...and with that, we called it a night! It was a long but fun day at Disney!


Up next: Hollywood Studios! Stay tuned for more!! :)

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