Top 5 Favorite Christmas Moments of 2018

Happy Friday and happy New Year's Eve weekend! This will be my last post about Christmas of 2018 (I promise), but this was seriously our best Christmas with Brayden to date and so many fun memories were made! This was the first year that he understood about the true reason we celebrate Christmas. This was also the fist year he really got into ripping the paper off of his presents!

It was hard, but I managed to narrow everything down to a "top 5" favorite moments of the weekend and although I already blogged about our Christmas twice already, I just had to do so one last time!

#1 Spending Time With Family

This is almost always a given, but I really truly enjoyed spending time with all of our family over the holiday weekend! We were able to visit with my brother and his wife in Texas as well as Jason's family and extended family here back at home. It truly was a great time! 

#2 Christmas Eve Orangetheory

This might sound kind of silly, but I had the opportunity to work out at Orangetheory on Christmas Eve with my sister-in-law and although the workout was TOUGH, I enjoyed the challenge and working up a sweat on Christmas Eve! This workout was different in a way that made it challenging but fun. Everyone pulled cards from a tin throughout the class and the card told you what workout to complete. Some cards were harder than others (coal) and some were a little less challenging (present).  I pulled so many coal cards it wasn't funny. Mine even included the treadmill with a run at a pretty decent pace with a 12% incline. (I might have been holding on for dear life!) My sister-in-law ended up pulling a 2,000 m row card and she completed 55 burpees by the time it was all said and done. Needless to say, it was a great workout and I enjoyed the change!

#3 Brayden's First Gingerbread House 

Although this was Brayden's third Christmas, we still had a few "firsts" for him, including his first gingerbread house! This gingerbread house was themed towards The Grinch (of course) which made it even more fun! He mostly helped his Aunt put the decorations on the house and I was amazed at how long this task captivated his attention. In all, I'd say this was a successful first for him! 

#4 Cookie Contest

Speaking of gingerbread, our family did a really fun Gingerbread decorating contest where we asked our Facebook friends to help us vote! In the end, Kayla's "Mrs. Santa Claus" (top right) ended up with the most likes for the win! This was a really fun activity to do with all of our family together!

#5 "Grinch Cakes"

On Saturday, we took Brayden to Ihop for breakfast and the look on his face when this plate of "Grinch cakes" was set in front of him was hilarious! They were a HUGE hit and he loved them! This was such a fun morning for all of us! 

Memories like these are what make the Christmas season so much fun! As the years continue on, I can't wait to see what they have to bring! 

If you'd like to see more from our Christmas weekend, check out the video below!

I hope this Christmas season brought lots of fun memories for you, too! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Favorite Disney Moments

Recently on my favorite podcast (The Disney Exchange), they discussed their favorite memories from each of the Disney parks. It's been a while since I wrote anything Disney related, so I thought I'd take their lead and do so today! It was hard to pick a favorite from each park with so many memories we've made throughout the years, but I narrowed it down to four! 

So, here we go!

Animal Kingdom

Our honeymoon was seriously one of the best Disney trips ever! (It's hard to believe that was 10 years ago already!)

Everywhere we went, we were congratulated because we wore our Disney bride and groom hats. On our way to see the Lion King, a cast member pulled us to the side and told us that she was taking us through a secret entrance. It was almost show time and the front row for the elephant section was still empty. Can you guess where she sat us? Yep, the front row! We were SO excited, we couldn't hardly believe it!! 

As an added bonus, the "leader" of the elephant section chose me to be the one who showed the audience how to make an elephant noise. Well, Jason still makes fun of me to this day because instead of a trumpet sound, it came out more like a "woooooooooo". We still crack up about it to this day!

Hollywood Studios

This magical memory doesn't come from inside of the park, rather the outside. If you've read the story of my journey, then you know where my running obsession began. This photo was taken in 2010 while running the Walt Disney World full marathon. The year before, a friend of mine and I stood right outside this very spot to cheer on our friends who were running the marathon that year. This happened to be mile 24 and I was amazed at the fact that runners were SMILING. Well, I decided I could do that too, so I began training. Needless to say, every time I see this spot outside of Hollywood Studios, I smile! 

Magic Kingdom

Taking it back to runDisney, my Magic Kingdom moment happens every time I run down Main Street USA. This is seriously one of the most amazing feelings in the world. Spectators are out there to cheer runners on, runners are excited, the castle is lit up at the end of the street, and I mean...it's Main Street, need I say more?

EPCOT

My hands down absolute favorite and most magical memory EVER comes from Epcot. Remember that honeymoon I mentioned earlier? Well, our bride and groom ears gained a little attention as we were preparing to see the Voices of Liberty in the American Pavilion.

The sweet cast member (who happens to have a navy blue CM tag and I can't remember his name) took us next door to the restaurant and got us two Mickey rice crispy treats. After that, he gave us a magical moments certificate and had us "call" Mickey and Minnie on the phone line to hear them wish us a happy life together.

He still wasn't done.

After the phone call, he put us in the front, middle section of the circle inside the rotunda. We were like "OMG is this really happening to us"? Honestly, we thought we were just being given a front row seat to hear the Voices of Liberty....no....

After the Voices of Liberty greeted everyone with a song, their "ringleader" then mentioned US by name and dedicated and sang "When You Wish Upon A Star" to US! We seriously spent the rest of the afternoon in shock and couldn't believe that just happened to us! We've been able to thank the "ringleader" on subsequent trips and she's so incredibly sweet. Seriously to this day, that memory is one of my favorite Disney moments ever.

Walt Disney World

Last but not least, I have to mention our most recent trip in February with my parents and Brayden. Sharing the magic with Brayden for the first time while doing so with the ones who planted the love of Disney inside of my heart (my parents) was an incredible experience all around!

Do you have a favorite or magical Disney moment? Share it in the comments below!

Listening On My Run...

As a runner, I love having something to listen to during my training runs and races. I used to listen to music that I'd uploaded to my phone or music that streamed through Pandora. Sometimes I even preferred silence - just the sound of nature around me.

Last year, I was introduced to the wonderful world of podcasts and boy did my running preferences  change! Podcasts exist on any and every topic you can imagine and the possibilities are endless! Want to learn another language...podcasts exist. Interested in learning more about natural childbirth? Yep...there's a podcast for that. Sports? Yep. Disney? You bet!

My favorite time to listen to podcasts is while I'm out for a run or on a walk with Brayden. Sometimes if the podcast is a good one, I want to keep going (now THAT is motivation)! I love the fact that each show is always something new so you aren't listening to the same thing over and over again...definitely a helpful distraction on a tough run!

Being the Disney fan I am, I'm sure you can tell which topic I most often like to listen to? You got it!

Since I've found several podcasts that I enjoy listening to, I thought I would share them with you all today.

First and foremost, my favorite podcast to date is The Disney Exchange. I'm sure you've seen my instagram/tweets about the show, but I seriously enjoy listening to them! The three hosts are hilarious and are a great mix - they really flow well together! New episodes are released every Sunday and I always look forward to my Monday morning run because I know a new episode is waiting for me! They were also kind enough to have me on an episode back in November where we discussed all things runDisney. If you missed it, check it out here!

Up next is the Fit Mouse Podcast. Becca and Marci are the hosts and they discuss a variety of health related topics followed by a bit of Disney news in each podcast. These ladies are fun to listen to and I love their personalities. One of my favorite episodes took place last year where they discussed the Princess Half Marathon and gave a bit of an inspirational message. Check them out if you are looking for a fun podcast to listen to while out for a run!

Last but not least is the Be Our Guest podcast. These guys record three shows a week so there's always something to listen to! They also have a facebook running group called the Be Our Guest Lizards and it's fun to interact there as well (although I admit, I do more reading than I do interacting)!

A couple of additional podcasts I enjoy are Dixie Landings Radio and the The WDW Radio Show.

That's all for my favorites! Are you a podcast listener and if so, do you have a favorite show? Please share in the comments! I'm always looking for new podcasts to add to the mix!

My Top 5 Favorite “Life” Moments

As a runner, I typically use time on the road for thinking. My thoughts have a tendency to drift all over the place, but running really gives me a chance to sort through my thoughts and emotions.

Yesterday, I ran a few unplanned miles (this week is going to be busy so I wanted to knock them out while I could) and my thoughts took me to a different place. I spent most of the mileage looking back over my life, sorting through my  favorite life moments and I thought it would be fun to share a “top 5” with you today!

Here’s what I came up with!

My Top 5 Favorite Life Moments

1. Wedding Day

I planned this day for an entire year (minus two days) to the tee. I knew every in and out of my wedding and how I wanted it all to come together. This day was incredibly magical and our wedding day was one of the best days of my life!

2. 1st Marathon – WDW

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – the 2011 Walt Disney World Marathon (my first Full) was hands down the second best day of my life (second to my wedding day, of course).  I had SO MUCH FUN running this race and I definitely cherish all of the memories made out on that course. There will never be another first Marathon for me and I’m so glad I got to spend it with these guys!!

 

3. 2013 VMA’s and Joey at Disneyland

Since we’re on the runDisney topic, it’s fitting to discuss this next one here – 2013’s Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. The week began with us leaving for vacation (that’s always a great start to a week, yes?) and the 2013 VMA’s. Justin Timberlake was being honored with the Vanguard Award and rumor had it that NSYNC might make an appearance. Boy did they ever…and after spending my birthday in San Diego (it also fell on that week), we traveled to Anaheim for the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. I ran into Joey Fatone in Downtown Disney (OMG), then ran into him again several times on the course! I still talk about this week with excitement in my voice. It was seriously one of the most exciting weeks of my life! (Hard to believe it was exactly a year ago this week! Time flies!)

 

4. Graduating College

This one’s a doozy. After working my tail off through college, I graduated from Nursing school! Receiving my diploma (and later passing the very tough NCLEX test to become an RN) was an incredible feeling – especially after putting so much work and effort towards my goal. I am so happy I chose my career path and can’t wait to see where the future leads!

 

5. Hitting my first Home Run in High School softball

Growing up, baseball/softball was my life. I played softball from about 7th grade through age 20, then city league after that. I hit my very first home run my senior year in high school. It was an amazing feeling to hit home plate, knowing I gave it my all! Those were very special days in my life and I will cherish the memories forever!

I had fun travelling down memory lane, thanks for coming along with me! If you had to name one of the best days of your life, what would you say?

New Running Favorites

Three (new) favorite things I’ve added to my running lineup since Princess Half Marathon Weekend include:

• Sparkle Skirts
• Flip Belt
• Crown Shwings

For starters, the following companies did not provide compensation or ask for this review. I purchased all of these items on my own and I loved them so much, I decided to share my discoveries with you!

#1 – Sparkle Skirts

I originally purchased this yellow Sparkle Skirt as a piece to my Snow White costume for the Princess Half. I’ll be honest with you, the price tag on this skirt scared me away at first and I did NOT expect to fall in love with it as much as I did! 

Apart from the beautiful bling, this skirt has pockets…and I mean POCKETS!

Pockets for a phone, pockets for a camera, pockets for GU, Kleenex, Tylenol…these pockets will hold just about anything – and they are big, too!

Apart from the zipper pocket at the waist, this skirt also has two large pockets on the sides of the shorts.

Another bonus – when I heard people say they never had a problem with the shorts riding up, I didn’t believe them at first. I quickly discovered they were not lying! These shorts do NOT ride up at all!! Amazing!

Sparkle Skirts also make a beautiful addition to any race costumes! :0)

#2 – Flip Belt

I’d heard of Flip Belt prior to the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Expo I attended this year, but had never seen them in person nor had a chance to try them on. Unfortunately, our area experienced a huge freeze the week before the race, so trucks were unable to deliver the Expo shipment in time.

So - when I saw the super friendly Flip Belt team at the Princess Half Expo, I knew I had to snag my opportunity!

Flip Belts come in a wide variety of colors and include several sizing options. I found their sizing guide to be true to its word.

For starters, let me say that I am not a fan of any belts that clip around my waist or hips. They all give me major muffin top and bounce like crazy.

I love this Flip Belt because it includes four pockets and even fits my iPhone 5 (complete with Otter Box)!

I wore this Flip Belt for the Enchanted 10K and absolutely loved it – no muffin top and definitely NO bouncing!

You can see a clip of me wearing this Flip Belt at the beginning of my Royal Family 5K video.

#3 – Team Sparkle Shwings

This one might sound kind of silly, but I saw these babies at the Princess Expo and knew I had to have them!

Created by the lovely ladies of Sparkle Athletic, they slip over your laces and stay put – you don’t even realize they are there! Also available in fairy wings and red/white polka dot bows, they are the perfect snazzy addition to any running shoe!

I still have these on my shoes and I am not sure when (if ever) I’ll take them off!

There you have it – my newest running accessory favorites!

What are you loving lately? Do you tend to stick to the tried and true or do you like to be adventurous with new running gear?