Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020!

Gosh, it's hard for me to believe that the year 2000 was literally 20 years ago. There's a tweet floating around out there that says something along the lines of 20 years ago being 1980 and YES, that's exactly how I feel! I graduated high school in 2000 - our 20 year reunion is this year! All I can say is HOW? Mind. Blown, literally.

Well, since we are saying goodbye to 2019 and we are already two days into the new year (I'm a slacker, sorry), I figured it was time for a recap of all the fun/interesting/crazy moments of the previous year.

Side note: I had every intention of putting up this blog post yesterday, but I spent the majority of my day taking down the Christmas decor. Oh yes, and eating black eyed peas with cabbage at my mom's house and you know what? I didn't hate it as much as I did as a kid! I'm not a bean or pea person at all, but this was a delicious one!

Ok, now on with the year...

I know I say this all the time, but I'm so very grateful (and it's true). There may have been a few rough patches in 2019, but it overall turned out to be a great year!

 

Health

Most recently, I am grateful for the status of clear lungs. I shared in one of my vlogidays videos this year about having a possible diagnosis of asthma. Thankfully, after a full PFT and Methacholine testing (along with blood work), it was determined that I do not have asthma! Yay! I have had issues with breathing for several years now, so we just have to figure out the culprit. (Getting my heart checked again is next.)

In the same category comes my hamstring. Y'all, this thing is a doozy. It feels fine one day then doesn't the next. I'm so nervous about overdoing it or tweaking it in the wrong way. I know for certain that dead lifts right now are absolutely out of the question as are running on inclines at Orangetheory. It's a funny feeling when you're halfway between an injury and an improvement. You notice every little stitch and movement. I spent several months this year with physical therapy and have had VAST improvements since July. Hopefully things will just keep looking up from here.

I'm also insanely grateful for a healthy child. Twenty nineteen brought so many new experiences, words, knowledge, and growth for Brayden. I also realized that I never posted a three and a half year update so I'll do that very soon. (I know, I'm a slacker!) Also, how is my child already three and a half?!

Travel

This year, we were so blessed to be able to take several trips and we loved each and every one of the experiences we shared!

In February, we visited Disney World with my parents and had our very first Vacation Club stay! We checked into Boulder Ridge and loved it! This trip also doubled as the Princess Half Marathon Weekend where I ran both the 10K and the Half and Jason completed the 10K. We all had a great time!

In June, we traveled to Alaska with Jason's family for a 7 night cruise out of Vancouver. This was Brayden's first cruise and I'm not kidding when I tell you that he's just as hooked as we are on cruising. For this trip, we decided to take different experiences than ones we'd taken on a previous cruise, so we went whale watching and dog sledding. By far, dog sledding was my favorite excursion of them all! Brayden loved it, too! At the end of our trip, we even had a chance to visit the Alaska Zoo which was super neat to see as the animals there aren't your typical "lower 48 zoo animals". Also, a lot of the animals they've come to take care of were either abandoned or in a hazardous situation and were rescued. I thought it was a very neat experience.

In August, my little family took a super quick 3 day trip to Walt Disney World. We already had AP's, extra DVC points, and we found super cheap flights! (Score!) We stayed at Old Key West and had a blast! I also ran the Beignet Dash and although I was in the middle of my hamstring injury, I still enjoyed the fun run!

Last but not least, in November we visited Walt Disney World again but this time with our friends. We ran the Wine & Dine Half Marathon/Two Course Challenge, rode the Skyliner a billion times per Brayden's request, took a cruise on the Disney Dream (a first for most in our party), and we took part in the first Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party of the year! It was a fabulous trip and one I didn't want to see come to an end.

Racing

This year was a interesting one as far as running goes - with several highs and several lows. After the Princess Half Marathon Weekend, I knew I wanted a better shot at higher corrals for Wine & Dine. So, I trained hard in the spring and somehow managed to PR in both the 5K and the 10K distances in the same weekend!

After all that hard work though, came an injury. Sad times. Thankfully as I mentioned before, things are now looking up!

Something good that came out of it, though? I managed to land in corral A for the Wine & Dine 10K and corral B for the Wine & Dine Half! Woohooo!

Getting Good

There's a new single by Lauren Alaina that really hits home for me every time I hear it and it brings me to tears. It's called "Getting Good" and if you haven't heard it, you need to go listen to it. Trust me on this one.

This song is an excellent reminder for me that even though things may not be just as I want them to be, my life is as it SHOULD be right now. I'm learning to live in the moment and enjoy it instead of worrying about what the future holds or even the inevitable.

This is one of the reasons that my blog has sadly fallen to the side a little this year. I love love love to blog and share with you guys, but I only have Brayden as a three year old once and I don't want to miss out on time with him. Although I love my job, working as a full time mom takes a lot of that time away from him. I also love spending time with my family, so I'm doing that as much as possible, too. Working as an oncology nurse has taught me a lot of things, but one of the most important is that time is precious and oh so short. Enjoy your loved ones as much as you can while you can.

So, my goals for this year are just a few and can be taken from the lyrics of this song:

• Learn to grow where I'm planted
• Soak up every moment 

Last but not least, although it's not a part of this song, I'm also looking forward to spiritual growth through the Fire Bible initiative that our church is participating in right now.

I hope that 2020 is a year of fresh starts, new adventures, health, and amazing opportunities for all of you!  Happy New Year!

 "Once I learn to soak up every moment, I'll realize my life's already good."

Magic Where You Are

New Year's Resolutions aren't something I've made, ever. I find that I don't stick to them, I forget about them as the year goes on, I get bored...you get the picture. However, I do like to make goals. Goals are relatively easy for me to stick with and I love when a goal is accomplished. 

With this new year of 2019, I've been toying with an idea in my mind and it's all about magic. 

For the Disney fan, magical moments are huge at the Disney Parks and Cruise Line. They happen all over the place and they happen quite often. Why, Disney itself is pure and simple magic. 

Instagram is full of accounts of those who spend time at the Disney parks and fill their Instagram feed with Disney magic. I absolutely love looking at them and seeing pictures and stories from the happiest place on earth! 

However, the thought hit me one day...what if that same magic...that butterflies in your stomach, make you smile, fill your heart with love type of magic can happen to us wherever we are? For those who live away from the parks, finding that Disney type of magic can be easier than you think! 

Have you ever truly taken the time to watch a sunrise or a sunset? How about giggling right along with the sound of a child's laugh? Or reaching a fitness goal you've been working on for a long time? What about a Disney movie? (Take Mary Poppins for example - I left the theater feeling the Disney magic for days!) 

Last week, I was pulling weeds (glamorous, I know), and as the sun started to set, I began to notice the sound of crickets. Now, you might be thinking that the sound of crickets doesn't sound very magical to you, but when I leaned back on my heels and closed my eyes, I envisioned the Wilderness Lodge. That sound brought me right back to a place that's 13 hours from my home - my favorite resort on property and it made me smile. 

Enter #MagicWhereYouAre

This year, I am making it my goal to slow down and take time to capture those magic moments that happen to me wherever I am and I would love for you to join in the fun with me! On Instagram all year long, whenever I find a moment that reminds me of that special magic, that Disney feel type magic, I'm going to capture it in photo, hashtag it with with #MagicWhereYouAre and if you do the same, I'll be able to follow in the fun along with you! This is all about discovering those magical moments whether at home or at the parks - wherever you are! 

I hope you'll join in the fun with me! I can't wait to see what magical moments await in 2019!

2019 Race Calendar

Twenty nineteen is here and that means a whole new year of opportunities! I'm super excited for all this year has to offer and can't wait to "dive in" so to speak.

After looking over my race calendar for this year, I've found several races that will work and I'm super excited to run them all. (These are definitely subject to change at any given time...cause you know, toddler...and you never know...)

Anyway, here's a synopsis of my 2019 race calendar!

February 2019

Rock n Roll New Orleans

This is a tradition for us and the 10th year of this race! We will only spend one night in New Orleans but are looking forward to lots of fun in store!

Princess Half Marathon and Fairy Tale Challenge

Princess is just around the corner! I cannot wait to return to Walt Disney World with my parents and Brayden as an (older) toddler! I know there's going to be so much magic in store!

March 2019

Athlete's Corner St. Patrick's Day 3 Miler

This is a local race I've run many times in the past and is part of the "trifecta" of local races - for running all three, you receive a triple crown medal!

May 2019 

Contraband Days 5 Miler

Yet another one local one I've run for many years - this is the second race in the triple crown series. It's always really HOT and I ran last year on dead legs from the Relay for Life the previous night.

July 2019

4th of July 4 Miler

Wanna talk about hot? This race is the hottest of all of them for sure but I always seem to enjoy it! :) This race is the 3rd in the triple crown series!

November 2019

Wine and Dine Half Marathon (Two Course Challenge, maybe?)

So I have this thing and I know it's silly, but it's how I've done Wine & Dine over the years. Back in 2010, I ran the inaugural race, then in 2014, I ran the 5 year anniversary Wine & Dine. Since 2019 is the 10th year anniversary year, we have to go back, so that's what we're doing! We are also planning on combining this trip with a 4 night Disney Cruise (like we did for the inaugural year)! This time we are planned to sail on the Disney Dream and it will be Brayden's first Disney Cruise! So exciting!!

As the year continues, I know races will be added to this list, especially local 5K's.

Have you made a race calendar for 2019 yet? Will I see you at any of the races listed?

Favorite Race Memories from 2018

Happy happy 2019! I hope you all enjoyed your New Year's Eve/Day celebrations and kicked off the new year on a good note!

Last week I shared a little about the medals earned during my 2018 races, but I didn't share about my favorite race moments and memories! There were several high points to races for me this year, so I thought it would be fun to share them with you today!

Hands down, the highlight of my year was the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World in January of 2018. Running all four races throughout the parks for a total of 48.6 miles was nothing short of magical. Sure, the early mornings x 4 were gruesome, but crossing the finish line of the marathon made up for it all!

Stopping for character photos and seeing familiar faces throughout the race course added to the fun! Being around so many runners who were attempting to accomplish the same "crazy" goal made it all the more exciting. I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling a little FOMO for this upcoming Marathon Weekend in just a few short days.

Another highlight of the year for me was when I placed at the Warrior 5K held by the high school where I graduated. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I managed to keep the lead in all of the women and I crossed the finish line in first place! Yes, it was a smaller-ish 5K but I still won a pair of shoes from our local running store for placing! The fact that the race was put on by my old high school made it fun for me, too!

In May, I ran the Contraband Days 5 Miler after having planned and helped execute our local Relay for Life event the evening before. I didn't get to sleep until after 1 a.m. the morning of race day and after having been on my feet ALL day the day before, I was running this one on dead legs. Needless to say, this wasn't my greatest race but it's definitely one I can laugh at because I'm still wondering what in the world I was thinking by registering for it!

The 4 Miler on the 4th of July was another fun one this year. I'd just started Orangetheory about 6 weeks prior to the race and the consisted cross-training proved itself as a plus. Although I had to stop for a minute to get my heart under control mid-race (because it did that crazy PSVT thing), I still landed a 30 second PR! I couldn't believe how great I felt during this race (minus the heart part)!

In the fall, I ran my very first trail run at the Spooky Trail 10 Miler. To be honest this wasn't a fun one for me but it was definitely memorable. I was sick and running this race probably had a hand in turning said sickness into full blown bronchitis. Also, running trails alone in the woods is not a fun thing for me as I'm seriously the biggest chicken in the world. Needless to say, I stuck like glue to the runner in front of me. I probably won't be running this one again anytime soon, at least not alone.

Last but not least, I ran two Rock 'n' Roll events this year with Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans and Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio. Both were great runs and great ways to see both New Orleans and San Antonio. The bands at every mile were fun and I loved how each race included a unique glimpse of the culture of the area - New Orleans included a second line/jazz band and San Antonio had several mariachi bands along the way!

2018 was a great year, running wise and I'm excited to see what 2019 has in store!

What was your favorite running/race memory from 2018?