Megan in Wonderland

This Blog Is Moving!

2012-02-04T09:24:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I've made to move over to Wordpress. If you are subscribed through MeganInWonderland.com then you should automatically be forwarded to the Wordpress site. If you are subscribed to my Blogger account, then make sure to subscribe to MeganInWonderland.com or MegansDisney.wordpress.com.

All of my posts have moved over there too. I hope you enjoy the changes that I make. Please continue reading and don't forget to comment and share with your friends if you like what you see!

Animal Kingdom Updates

2012-02-02T08:39:00.001-05:00

Oasis trail still under refurbishment

Tree of Life

Safari driver

Crocs on safari

Wild Africa Trek

Monkeys at Monkey Point

Big sister and little brother out on the safari

White Rhino

Have you ever eaten at this cart? It's on the trail between Asia and Africa.

Cultural Representives

A free souvenir from Disney

Angklung - Indonesian Restaurant

Kali River Rapids is closed for refurbishment

Expedition Everest

Florida wildlife

Tip Board

Black Swan - She's 25 years old!

Magic, Memories and You with Valentine's Day Tag

2012-02-02T07:48:00.001-05:00

Last night the Valentines Day tag debuted for the Magic, Memories and You at the Magic Kingdom. Sorry that the video was extra shaky. I was trying to balance everything that I was left holding, but it gets steady early on. Let me know what you think!

Wildlife Wednesday - What are You Lookin' At?

2012-02-01T18:34:00.000-05:00

Opossum - Sea World

Kodak Picture Spot Project - Part 1

2012-01-30T13:27:00.000-05:00

If you've ever visited the Disney parks, you have probably stumbled upon the Kodak Picture Spots. I've seen them around the parks my whole life. A few years ago I thought it would be fun to go around and take pictures in the picture spots. Not only taking pictures in the pictures spots, but getting friends to pose the way the people in the pictures posed. Yup. This is my kind of fun.

I've started working on this project and thought I would take my time gathering up pictures. With Kodak recently filing for bankruptcy, I felt the need to speed up the project before the picture spots are removed. Here are some of the picture spots that you can find in Epcot:

Canada

France

Morocco

As you can see, in order for me to recreate the exact picture in the photo spot, I need the person taking the pictures to understand the concept. I hope these will get better as this project progresses.

If you're going to be in the parks and want to have some fun taking some of these pictures with me, leave a comment and let me know when you'll be here so we can plan to meet up. I'll be in the parks this week on my days off meeting up with friends who will be participating so let me know if you're around this week.

Also, if you have taken any of these pictures yourself, go ahead and share them on my Facebook page. If you're willing to share, I'll even include your picture in a future post.

*Special thanks to Shelley, Chris and Laurie for participating in this weeks pictures.

Week in Review

2012-01-30T11:55:00.001-05:00

Now that work has slowed down a bit for me, I was able to get myself into the parks and find more time to write about what's going on in the area. Here's what's going on in case you missed it!

The affection section has some new additions in the Animal Kingdom Updates.

I got to brag about my new high score and test out Posterous to get you some updates from my phone.

One of the many fun things that I saw at Gatorland in Wildlife Wednesday.

I shared how I welcomed in the new year with the excitement that only Disney can provide at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Even though I missed out on meeting Ridley Pearson, I was able to get my copy of Kingdom Keepers autographed when he visited the Writer's Stop.

I gave you a teaser of the exciting blog posts that are coming featuring life outside the theme parks.

Please take time to catch up on anything that you missed. If you like what you're reading, please be sure to share with your friends and post about this on Twitter and Facebook.

Exploring the Rest of Central Florida

2012-01-28T18:48:00.000-05:00

I know that so far, I've focused on Disney and Universal in this blog, but there is so much more to do in central Florida. I've been busy exploring many of the lesser known attractions and local parks in the past few months. I am absolutely in love with this area. I've got tons of pictures and stories of the following attractions in the coming weeks:

Showcase of Citrus in Clermont
Wekiwa Springs in Apopka
Gatorland in Orlando
Boggy Creek Airboat Tours in Kissimmee
Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando

Those are just a few of the places I've been to and that I'm planning on writing about. I've also got tons more Disney and Universal information to share with you too. I'm so excited with everything I've been able to experience that I can barely contain myself. I hope that you enjoy hearing about everything else there is to do here too!

Author of the Kingdom Keepers series visits Walt Disney World

2012-01-26T22:04:00.001-05:00

Today Ridley Pearson visited visited Disney's Hollywood Studios for a book signing. I wasn't able to head over to meet him myself. Thankfully a friend brought my copy of Kingdom Keepers IV - Power Play so that he could sign it. Rumors have it that the fifth book in the series will be out this spring so I am hopeful that he'll return and I can meet him myself. In the meantime, here's my autographed copy of his book!

Happy New Years from Disney Hollywood Studios

2012-01-25T08:22:00.000-05:00

I was able to spend my first New Years Eve in Disney Hollywood Studios. I had friends attending all three of the parks but I decided to try to avoid the crowds at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot by going to the Studios. Also, Mulch, Sweat and Shears would be performing several times throughout the night so I definitely wanted to see them as many times as I could.

I didn't get to the park until after 5 and I was surprised to see that there were still a few rows of parking open. We made our way over to the Comedy Warehouse, but we just missed the beginning of the 5:45 show. Thankfully, they were having three more shows that night that weren't in the times guide. Since it was almost time for the lighting of the Osbourne lights, we went over to the Streets of America and caught the last few minutes of Mulch's holiday show before making our way down the street to watch the lighting.

The radio broadcast during the lighting tells the story of the lights and how they ended up at Disney World. A lucky child got to flip the switch and suddenly the street is filled with lights and music! I may have teared up. I can't help it! We stayed there for one song and then headed back to the Comedy Warehouse to get in line for the next show.

Comedy Warehouse was entertaining in a Disney friendly kind of way. I wish they would make this a permanent attraction. Or maybe even just add it to the weekend line up. After the show, we ran into some of my friends and hopped on the Great Movie Ride with a short wait. We had a new gangster who was one of the best gangsters I've seen in a while. He even hit on Sigourney Weaver (How you doin'?).

We grabbed a quick dinner at Sunset Ranch Market and then set out to find us some new years hats and noisemakers. We found them near Lights, Motors, Action! and then I hopped in the short line to get pictures with Lightning McQueen and Mater to send to my nephew.

After sending the picture, we headed over to the stage in front of the hat where a friend had staked out a spot right near the stage. The crowds were starting to build, but there was a path held open right in front of the stage for people to get across the park. It was great to see some new songs from Mulch and the DJ that they had performing in between Mulch's sets did a great job keeping the crowd pumped up throughout the night. When the DJ was on stage I just turned around and watched everyone dancing.

In Mulch's last break of the night we made out way back from the stage so that we could have a better view of the fireworks. We ended up in a log jam just before all the buildings on Hollywood, but it turned out to be the perfect spot for the fireworks since they were going off all around us.

The fireworks were awesome and lasted as long as Wishes or Illuminations. I wish that fireworks were a regular event in the Studios, but I'll take them whenever I can get them. Check out my video of the show!

How did you celebrate your New Years Eve? Have you ever been in a park to kick off the New Year?

Wildlife Wednesday - That's the Spot!

2012-01-25T00:39:00.000-05:00

Gatorland

My new high score

2012-01-24T13:21:00.001-05:00

Just sharing a personal best that I achieved a few weeks ago (and trying out my new posterous app)

Animal Kingdom Updates

2012-01-24T11:01:00.000-05:00

Here's some of my latest pictures from Animal Kingdom. Yesterday was a hot day in the park. Not quite "Animal Kingdom Hot" but it was definitely a day to keep hydrated!

Patagonian Cavy

Guests are being diverted to another path in the Oasis

Refurbishment on a path in the Oasis

Low crowds in front of Expedition Everest

Dinosaur

Mrs. Huxtable

Festival of the Lion King

Expedition Everest

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Their head stays in place when the branch (arm) moves

Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch

New members of the Affection Section family! (The Three Little Pigs)

Puerto Rican Boa

Week in Review

2012-01-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

In case you missed this weeks posts, here is a quick review of what I posted:

Mor Thiam Final Performance at Animal Kingdom

Mor Thiam will be leaving the Animal Kingdom this month.

Sunrise Over World Showcase Lagoon

Wordless weekend from the Family Fiesta 5K

Animal Kingdom (outdated) Holiday Update

I finally got my last holiday update out for Animal Kingdom.

Nap Time at Animal Kingdom

Wildlife Wednesday gives us another cute picture!

Wildlife Wednesday - Nap Time!

2012-01-18T22:16:00.000-05:00

Animal Kingdom (outdated) Holiday Update

2012-01-15T17:26:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! With the craziness of the last two weeks of December followed by Marathon Weekend, I didn't get to post my last holiday update from Animal Kingdom. I finally made the time to see Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade so those pictures will be included in this post. Without further ado...

Crowds in Africa

Long fastpass line for the Safari

Naughty and Nice lists on Santa Goofy's truck

Special dance party behind Yak and Yeti

Mor Thiam Final Performance at Animal Kingdom

2012-01-15T16:34:00.000-05:00

(source)

Mor Thiam's final performance at Animal Kingdom will be January 28, 2012. He is a Senegalese drummer who regularly performs in Animal Kingdom and he is also the father of R&B star Akon. (source) I always love watching the drummers in African and I will be sure to head over there to watch a few more of his performances and share some videos with you. I wish him luck in his future endeavors.

Wordless Weekend

2012-01-15T16:17:00.000-05:00

Sunrise over World Showcase lagoon

Wordless Weekend

2011-12-18T22:35:00.000-05:00

Wildlife Wednesday

2011-12-15T12:08:00.000-05:00

Wildlife Wednesday

2011-11-30T10:34:00.000-05:00

Things are a little batty around here!

Wordless Weekend

2011-11-19T16:22:00.000-05:00

Character Christmas Trees at Animal Kingdom

2011-11-17T11:13:00.000-05:00

Last year I saw that the Character Greeting Trails were decorated with Christmas Trees designed for each individual character. I was excited this week to see them up again and discover more that I didn't see last year. Here's a look at the trees:

Chip and Dale

Pluto

Minnie Mouse

Mickey Mouse

Stitch

Lilo

Goofy

Donald Duck

A Bug's Life

Finding Nemo

The Lion King

Gi-Tar Dan at Animal Kingdom

2011-11-16T18:57:00.000-05:00

Wildlife Wednesday

2011-11-16T18:55:00.000-05:00

Animal Kingdom Updates

2011-11-15T15:05:00.000-05:00

I found myself back at Animal Kingdom yesterday. I love it as always. I was excited to see more holiday decorations up too! I actually went through the standby line on Expedition Everest and rode Dinosaur, happened upon a soft opening of Primeval Whirl and took a ride on Kilimanjaro Safari. I was also excited to meet Gi-Tar Dan for the first time in Camp Minnie Mickey and he even wrote a song for me and my friend! I'll post the video in another post.

Hikers who didn't survive the Yeti.

Primeval Whirl

Wordless Weekend

2011-11-12T16:41:00.000-05:00

Animal Kingdom Holiday Updates

2011-11-10T17:02:00.000-05:00

After visiting Animal Kingdom on Monday and noticing that there were no holiday decorations up, I was excited to see a tweet from one of my friends that the decorations were going up. I rushed over there this morning to see what was set up. Here's pics of what I found. I'll head back next week to get more pictures after all the decorations are up and to get some pictures of Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade too.

Lilo and Stitch in their holiday clothes

Wildlife Wednesday

2011-11-09T01:11:00.000-05:00

Animal Kingdom Updates

2011-11-08T10:12:00.000-05:00

I decided a few weeks ago that I would begin a regular segment that featured just the Animal Kingdom. It is truly one of my favorite parks. I think it is full of so many hidden gems. I plan on visiting the park frequently and sharing many of those gems with you in the future.

Here are some of the things I came across yesterday...

No Christmas tree up yet.

Festival of the Lion King

Dragon Falls

No winter decorations out.

Dancing in Harambe

Hippopotamus on land

Monkeys out at Monkey Point. I've never seen them before.

Baby elephant

The lion and lioness watching their prey

Lioness - I've seen this look on my own cat's face.

Jammin' Jungle Parade

Ankole Cattle getting close to the safari vehicle

The lion ready to call it a day

When I was a young warthog!

Escaping the Yeti!

Quote of the Week

2011-11-06T23:45:00.000-05:00

I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination.

-Walt Disney

Wordless Weekend

2011-11-05T18:56:00.000-04:00

Food and Wine Festival Review - Argentina

2011-10-30T13:46:00.000-04:00

I'm going to give you reviews of as many of the food options available as I can fit into the next few days. So far there has only been one thing the I truly didn't like and thankfully it will be covered in this post. I don't have pictures of everything I tried, or they may actually be pictures from last year's festival if it is the same item, but I'll let you know if that is the case.

Starting off...

Argentina

Here's the menu:

Beef Empanada

We'll get the stinker out of the way. Here I tried the Beef Empanada. I really didn't like that one at all. Scratch that. I actually threw this one out. It had potential and I've developed a taste for empanadas, but I guess I am used to the flavor of the ones that they serve at Whole Foods here in Orlando. Something about the flavor just seemed off. A little bit too bitter or something.

Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimicurri Sauce and Boniata Puree

Argentina made up for it by providing one of my festival favorites though. I absolutely loved the Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimicurri Sauce and Boniata Puree. The beef was flavorful and was only enhanced by the freshness of the chimicurri sauce. The boniata puree was delicious. I was listening to one of the chefs describe it and he said that the boniata was mixed with Yukon Gold potatoes. Very good!

I will actually be sad when the festival is over since I'll need to pick up ingredients for chimicurri and boniata so I can make this dish for myself.

Have you had the opportunity to try these for yourself? Tell me what you thought!

Quote of the Week

2011-10-15T12:38:00.000-04:00

"Why be a governor or a senator when you can be the king of Disneyland."

-Walt Disney

Food and Wine Festival Booths

2011-10-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

This might have to be my favorite time of year at Epcot. One of my favorite things about Epcot is the World Showcase and your ability to taste (pun intended) different cultures. During the soft openings of the booths on Thursday I went around and got pictures of the different booths and the menus.

I just wanted to share with you the pictures of the booths today. As I sample the different menu items, I'll share the individual countries menu. I do hope to try everything this year, but if I fail at trying everything, I still hope to try at least one thing from each country.

I Love when Cast Members make a photo special!

The theming of this makes me feel like I'm at Old Key West Resort.

China is one of the countries with two serving windows.

The country of Che-ese

The kiosk is also serving as the counter service for the Japan pavilion right now.

I love the thatched roof on the Ireland booth!

Opa!

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

2011-09-30T00:06:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to attend Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party a few weeks ago at the Magic Kingdom. This was my second year to be able to attend and I was really looking forward to it. For those of you who haven't heard about it, this is a "hard-ticket" event, meaning that your regular park ticket will not admit you and you need to purchase separate admission to enjoy the party.

The Magic Kingdom closes to the public at 7pm and then all the fun begins. You have a special wrist band that gains you access to the trick or treating, the parade and the other special attractions. We made our way back to Space Mountain for a quick ride with virtually no wait and by the time we were out it was time for trick or treats!

Each Trick or Treat location is marked with these balloons.

I was pretty happy with the candy selection. There were several brand names in the mix. And the lines moved fast too!

I dressed up this year too. It was a last minute decision to wear a costume and I was able to pull together some items that I already had in my house. Thankfully I had a "mini-dot" skirt from Running Skirts and a new pair of shoes. It all came together very nicely. What do you think?

We made sure to stop by the Haunted Mansion too. One of my favorite parts of the party is the ghost that interacts with the guests in the queue there. She is hilarious! Last year she spent a lot of time flirting with some of the guys in our group. This year we didn't get to see her until after we exited the mansion, but she was definitely up to her old antics.

The two things you don't want to miss during the party are Hallowishes and the Boo to You Parade. I enjoy every fireworks show in Walt Disney World, but Hallowishes is by-far my favorite show. The music is completely different, including "Scary-oke." The best part is the perimeter fireworks that you can only see during the party nights (including Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party).

Once the fireworks were over, we made our way to stake out our spot for the parade. The parade was full of some surprises this year too! But before the parade started, we were serenaded by the Cadaver Dans!

The Boo to You Parade is led off by the Headless Horseman "galloping" down the parade route. Followed with the most catching music that you will here in a parade.

Captain Barbossa was a surprise to me. I'm not sure if he was in the parade last year.

Angelica was an addition this year!

Dr. Facilier was present in the parade!

After the parade I made my way over to see the Villains Mix and Mingle. I was distracted by Tarzan and Jane (ok, it was really just Tarzan that was distracting me) in Adventureland, but still made it out of their queue with enough time to get to the Villains.

The featured Villain in the show was Dr. Facilier. The dancing and lighting was amazing. I wish my camera had been able to get some good pictures of the performance, but I wasn't that lucky. After the performance, the Villains all come down so that you could get pictures with them. I made an effort to get pictures of the ones I hadn't seen before.

Frollo

My last stop before leaving for the night was to visit some princesses. This wasn't just any Princess meet and greet. They had their Princes with them. Quite honestly, I didn't care about meeting any of the princes except for Flynn Rider. He and Rapunzel didn't disappoint either. They were great! Rapunzel was absolutely gorgeous. We discussed my costume and I told her how I hoped to get the same skirt in purple and she squealed with delight because, of course, that's her favorite color! The other princes weren't as exciting for me and I politely went up to them and got my pictures and made my way out of the room.

By the time I was out of the princess room, it was after midnight and the park was closing. I blew the castle a kiss and made my way home.

Would I go to the party again? I only ask because one of the podcasts that I listen to actually said that they didn't think that the party was worth the money anymore. I know that I would go again, but I would not pay full price. Definitely take advantage of the discounts that there are out there. If the prices continue to rise, I may have to reconsider my statement though. In the meantime, put this on your must do this!

Wildlife Wednesday

2011-09-28T12:11:00.000-04:00

Ultimate Epcot Touring Plan - Part 3-ish

2011-09-22T23:17:00.000-04:00

Todd has posted the second half of our Ultimate Epcot day. I'll try to post a summary of my version of the day within the next few days.

You can check out his report here.

Wildlife Wednesday

2011-09-21T00:37:00.000-04:00

Kilamanjaro Safari

Quote of the Week

2011-09-20T13:28:00.000-04:00

Since the beginning of mankin, the fable-tellers have not only given us entertainment but a kind of wisdom, humor, and understanding that, like all true art, remains imperishable through the ages.

- Walt Disney

Ultimate Epcot Touring Plan - Part 2-ish

2011-09-15T10:12:00.000-04:00

Since Todd is blogging about our adventure over at Touring Plans, stop over there to read about the first half of our adventure!

No Beverly at that dispenser. :(

Ultimate Epcot Touring Plan - Part 1

2011-09-12T11:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I made an attempt at the Ultimate Epcot Touring Plan with my friend Todd. I'll come back with a full review of the day once we get out pictures organized and data submitted to Touring Plans. Until then, I'll just leave you with this picture:

Okay, I know that I'm not in that picture, but at least it is Pluto from the opening show. Pretty neat picture if you ask me!

Wordless Weekend

2011-09-10T20:25:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Week

2011-09-10T10:27:00.000-04:00

"Actually, if you could see close in my eyes, the American flag is waving in both of them and up my spine is glowing this red, white, and blue stripe."

-Walt Disney

New Babies at the Animal Kingdom

2011-09-09T15:34:00.000-04:00

There were some new members born to the Animal Kingdom family recently!

A few weeks ago, a new elephant was born into the family. He was named Jabali. He is the sixth baby elephant to be born at the Animal Kingdom. There are pictures of him out on the savanna as recently as this week. I rode Kilamanjaro Safari twice yesterday in the hope of seeing him, but no luck. I did see one of the older baby elephants though. Check out the adorable picture of him with his mama on the Disney Parks Blog.

I did have better luck over in Asia. I almost always stop to check out the apes and this time I was surprised to see a new born clinging to mama's belly. I'm not even sure that this has been announced on the Parks blog yet so it was a very pleasant surprise.

We hung out there for a while sipping our frozen chai and trying to snap a good picture of the baby. It wasn't easy because the mom kept her back to us unless she was climbing to a different feeding location. The cast members that are nearby to answer questions said that it was a very good sign that the mom was hiding the baby from us. The is a definite sign that she has accepted the baby and will raise it. Here are some of the pictures I took:

Here we can see a hand gripping mama's hair.

Here we have the whole arm. So tiny!

And here we get a little peek at the face. Aww!

Wildlife Wednesday

2011-09-07T10:03:00.000-04:00

Fall Has Arrived in the Magic Kingdom

2011-09-05T16:36:00.000-04:00

I know that other bloggers have already shared their pictures of some of the Halloween decorations that are already in place at the Magic Kingdom, but I wanted to share some of my own. I made my way over to the Magic Kingdom last Friday night to see the Magic, Memories, and You and Wishes! I got these pictures before the sun went down:

And something that I don't think I've ever seen in the evening at the Magic Kingdom. A few of the Main Street vehicles were still out. I thought that they were only out in the mornings. Hmmm... Does this have something to do with a closed Toontown? I'll keep my eyes out for them and let you know if I see them in the evening again.

Happy Anniversary La Cava del Tequila!

2011-08-31T13:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday one of the most popular new additions to Epcot celebrated it's 2nd anniversary. Happy anniversary La Cava del Tequila! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get out of the house to join in the celebrations. According to their Twitter account there was cake, chips and salsa, and tequila shots! Darn. I wish I didn't miss it!

La Cava (the tequila cave) over 100 different tequilas for you to try. (I think I've only tried 4.) There are also many different Margaritas on the menu. I've had the Magic Blue and the classic. The Magic Blue was really good and if I was staying on property or having a drink early in the day I would definitely have it again. It is a little bit strong for me when I need to drive myself home. I've heard good things about the Cucumber and the Avacado margaritas and I plan on trying them in the near future. I'll be sure to let you know what I think!

A few weeks ago, I took a break from my unpacking and headed over to Epcot to hang out with friends in the Mexico pavilion. One of my favorite places in the World Showcase is La Cava del Tequila. I'm not a big drinker of tequila. We had a bad breakup in college. Only recently have I started drinking tequila again. I enjoy it, but mostly in the margarita's that are served there.

When we were planning our night, we were all communicating on Twitter and making sure that the Cava account was included in the tweets. A message went out from the account that we were to ask for the Ambassador of Tequila when we got there for a special treat!

When we got there we told our server and found out that our treat was a round of shots. Score!

How awesome is it that we were able to get free drinks? That plus the free chips and salsa that you get with a purchase if you are a follower on Twitter made for a fun night! (Sorry, no picture of the chips and salsa, but the salsa is yummy!)

I also ordered the table some guacamole and chips to share. I love the guacamole there and that night it didn't disappoint.

I haven't tried much else from the menu at La Cava, but I've got all the time in the world now so I will be trying out more things each time I visit.

Have you visited La Cava del Tequila? Do you have any fun pictures that you would like me to share? If you send me some pictures I will happily post them on the blog.

OMG!!! Off Property?!?!?!?!

2011-08-17T10:37:00.000-04:00

Since I am now a local in the Orlando area, I'm going to take some opportunities to share some of the fun things that I find off Disney property. The other day I found myself near a frozen yogurt place called Menchie's that my friends had told me about. I decided to stop in and try things out.

Menchie's is a self service frozen yogurt operation. It is set up kinda like a salad bar. There are several different flavors from which you can choose. After you chose your yogurt flavor, you then have the opportunity to add as many or as few toppings as you like.

This time I selected Butter Brickle and Apple Pie. I then added chopped walnuts, honey granola, graham cracker crumbs, toffee crunch, caramel and whipped cream. Wow! Listing all of those sounds like a lot of toppings, but I promise you that everything was perfectly balanced.

Here's the end result:

There were healthier choices too. I went in there with the intent of adding fruit to my cup, but none of the choices were calling to me this time. I do plan on going back (hopefully tonight) and this time I plan to make a very fruity cup.

Juno Mission

2011-08-12T10:18:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm sorry that I haven't posted on here, but I've had some pretty big, life-changing events. I'll be sharing more about that in the next few weeks, but I wanted to show you the view from my balcony last Friday.

What's that? You can't see it? Well, let me zoom in a little bit.

I was one of the lucky few that were selected for the Juno Tweetup by NASA, but unfortunately, the aforementioned life-changing events prevented me from attending. I was thankfully able to view the launch of the rocket from my balcony. Not too shabby, eh?

This blog is hitting the road...

2011-07-16T23:55:00.001-04:00

More details to follow next week...

Wordless Weekend

2011-06-26T09:28:00.000-04:00

Cars 2 Countdown - TODAY!!!

2011-06-24T08:07:00.000-04:00

Are you going? I have two free tickets that I got when I purchased Cars and The Incredibles on DVD/BluRay combo packs so I will definitely be heading to see it. I'm so excited about this and I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Cars 2 Countdown - 1 day

2011-06-23T12:54:00.000-04:00

Cars 2 Countdown - 2 days

2011-06-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

Cars 2 Countdown - 3 days

2011-06-21T11:55:00.000-04:00

Cars 2 Countdown - 4 days

2011-06-20T12:52:00.000-04:00

Cars 2 Countdown - 5 days

2011-06-19T13:26:00.000-04:00

Wildlife Wednesday

2011-06-08T22:48:00.000-04:00

Movie Monday - Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides

2011-06-06T20:02:00.000-04:00

So who has seen this? If you haven't seen it yet, why not? I was out there not once, but twice opening weekend to see the latest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Of course, I loved it!

This movie was filled with action and all of the Jack-isms that we love. The interactions between Jack and the returning characters of Gibbs and Barbossa get us up to date with what has happened since the last time we saw these characters and we quickly find ourselves in the action with the new characters of Angelica and Blackbeard.

Jack (there should be a Captain in there) and Angelica are former lovers. And Angelica is the daughter of the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Of course, with the ending of Pirates 3, we know that Jack is searching for the Fountain of Youth (duh, isn't it historically located in St. Augustine?) and so is just about everyone else.

This installment did not include Elizabeth and Will. While their story wrapped up nicely at the end of the last Pirates movie, I have to say that I missed them a bit, but really, how exciting could it be if they were searching for the Fountain of Youth while raising a kid? I did find that this was missing something without them or at least without another character to fill their place. Don't get me wrong, as much as I liked Penelope Cruz as Angelica, I didn't feel that her character had enough of a storyline to round out the film.

I think that amount of Captain Jack in the story was just right, but there seemed to be something missing. One of the subplots that I did enjoy and wish that the screenwriters had developed more was the relationship between the missionary, Philip, and the mermaid. I do look forward to the possibility that something can be developed in future films.

So how does this rank among the other Pirates films? I'm not sure if any other film will ever top The Curse of the Black Pearl, but I rank this one a high second, easily beating the other two films. It definitely has rewatchability. I even think this had even more laugh out loud parts the second time around. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the Pirates franchise. You won't be disappointed.

Wordless Weekend

2011-05-29T00:42:00.000-04:00

Movie Monday

2011-05-23T22:48:00.000-04:00

I have several new movies that I can review. I've been very busy with work though, so I haven't had time to do any real writing. In fact the only reason that I got a post up on my running blog yesterday was because I wrote it on my phone while we were stuck in traffic on the way home from the market.

Here's a video I shot in March:

Wordless Weekend

2011-04-23T10:13:00.000-04:00

Wordless Weekend

2011-04-17T21:26:00.000-04:00

No new Movie Monday today!

2011-04-11T11:59:00.000-04:00

I did watch some movies this weekend, but surprisingly no Disney movies. I started watching My Future Boyfriend on ABC Family last night. It seemed to be the same silly type of ABC Family movie that they usually have. I plan on watching the whole thing eventually but I decided to watch some more Glee instead. I'm now through Episode 8. I'll be back next week, maybe even with a review of Tron: Legacy.

Wordless Weekend - WDW Marathon

2011-04-09T16:23:00.000-04:00

DisneyAnimation Channel - Tangled: Police Pursuit

2011-04-08T16:13:00.000-04:00

DisneyAnimation's Channel - Tangled: "Smolder" by Flynn

2011-04-06T22:45:00.000-04:00

D23's Great Geek Giveaway

2011-04-06T09:02:00.000-04:00

Jeffrey Epstein, the Disney Geek, is hosting the D23's Great Geek Giveaway!!!

I've finally worked it into my schedule to start watching his Vidcast and I'm so glad I did this week. The giveaway is open to all D23 members. You just need to tell Disney, in 300 words or less, what is you geekiest Disney moment.

I haven't the slightest idea what I'm going to write about, but I need to get working!

Visit the D23 website here for Giveaway details!

Here's the list of prizes that will be given away:

TRON: Legacy limited edition Daft Punk
glow-in the-dark movie poster
Radio Disney portable speakers and MP3 case
TRON: Legacy: Zero Gravity RC Vehicle
Impulse Projection Ultimate Sam Flynn
New Era TRON: Legacy Foil Slick 59FIFTY cap
Eeyore Pook-a-Looz plush
Disney Undiscovered calendar
D23 Launch Day Pin
EPCOT Future World logo reproduction patches
D23 First Anniversary pin
Disney Vacation Club/D23 aluminum water bottle
Cars Land mini posters
Star Tours II poster
Up All Night pin
Disney Movie Rewards mug
Disney Store Mickey plush
Walt Disney Company notebook
TRON: Legacy mousepad
D23's Great Disney Scavenger Hunt water bottle
Limited Edition Destination D: Disneyland '55 pin set
SHAG Print for Walt Disney World Resort
40th Anniversary
Double 5T shirt
Vinyl Nerds Vinylmation (5 Styles)

Movie Monday - Tangled Review

2011-04-05T00:08:00.000-04:00

I finally got to see Tangled. In fact, I've seen it several times since I picked up my copy at the store last week. I really wish that I had seen it when it came out in the theaters though.

I LOVE IT!

This was Disney's 50th animated feature. Originally, the film was going to be called Rapunzel but Disney changed it to Tangled before the film was released. Supposedly this change was to attract boys to what was perceived to be a "princess" film. I'm not sure if the name change really succeeded, but this is definitely a movie that I would sit down and watch with my nephew or godson.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a movie critic and don't know how to even begin to write a movie review, so I'll just share with you the things that I ~~liked~~ loved about this movie.

The music. Alan Menken has once again written memorable and catchy music. I love all of the songs in this film and I dare to say that Mother Knows Best is the best villain song ever. Yes, even better than Poor Unfortunate Souls. I find myself humming songs from this film throughout the day.
Mandy Moore does an amazing job as Rapunzel. I'm not too familiar with her music outside of a few films that I've seen her in, but she sings beautifully and with makes me want to start singing along with her.
Flynn Rider. Love. Him. He might be my favorite male character in a Disney film. Ever.
Maximus and Pascal. These two are hilarious. Especially when they both have their turns wanting to get Flynn. I love when Pascal tells Rapunzel to sock it to Flynn and when Maximus slips in the sucker punch on Flynn after Rapunzel walks away.
Mother Gothel. Wow! She is a villain with her own agenda, but still has managed to raise Rapunzel as her own daughter. I love the series of backhanded compliments that she deals Rapunzel early in the film.

I have yet to watch this movie on BluRay so I don't know what special features there are on that disc. I was amazed at the vividness of the pictures in this film. At the point when they are trapped in the cave, I couldn't believe how much Rapunzel looked like the dolls that we have in the store. I believe that was the goal of the animators for this film, but I was still amazed.

I would definitely recommend this film to people of all ages. I can't wait until I can share it with my friends who haven't seen it yet.

Wordless Weekend

2011-04-03T23:43:00.000-04:00

Movie Monday - Tangled comes out tomorrow!

2011-03-28T08:25:00.000-04:00

So I'm giving away what I'll be writing about next week! Tangled comes out tomorrow and I am so excited! I've been waiting for this movie for months. I unfortunately didn't get to see it when it came out in the theaters but I preordered it at the Disney Store and will be picking it up early tomorrow so that I can watch it as soon as I get home from work! I'll be writing my review and posting it next Monday.

Wordless Weekend

2011-03-26T14:57:00.000-04:00

Ultimate Animal Kingdom Touring Plan - The Main Event

2011-03-24T21:25:00.000-04:00

So I know I started writing about this in November, but life gets in the way sometimes. I didn't want to leave it out there though, especially now that Touring Plans has an official Ultimate Animal Kingdom Touring Plan.

I did the Ultimate plan with my friend Tim. We arrived at Animal Kingdom (AK) about 30 minutes before the gates opened and were the first in line to get into the park. We took advantage of the times guide to do a little bit of extra planning. I had the email I had received from Henry with the plan that he had followed during the first attempt.

A few minutes before the park was scheduled to open, we were let in. We waited impatiently for the opening ceremony and talked to the cast member about our plans. After the opening show we made our way at a brisk pace back to Kilamangaro Safari. Can those cast members walk fast! There was a point in time where I needed to jog a little bit to keep up with them. We were the first people on the safari and after a quick two week tour (does everyone else have problems with the tour being cut short), we made our way out and quickly went over to Expedition Everest to get our fast passes before heading to Dinosaur.

After Dinosaur we hit up all the rides in Dinoland... something I have never done before (and probably not again unless I was trying for another Ultimate plan). And we each played a Dinoland game (a basketball game that was just one shot) before heading over to Finding Nemo the Musical. That was a nice break for us since it was cool and air conditioned in there.

Following Nemo we listened to the calypso band, and stopped by the bone yard and dig site before heading to It's Tough to Be a Bug. We got lucky and caught the last few minutes of the Village Beatniks before heading to Camp Minnie Mickey to snap this picture and run into Festival of the Lion King.

Tim and I have both done half marathons before and with all this running around, we thought it would be awesome if there were tables set up for us to just grab cups of water and snacks while we were running through the parks. I say this now because after Lion King, we had to make our way all the way back to Everest to use our fastpasses. Phew! We grabbed fastpasses for Kali River Rapids then caught the next showing of Flights of Wonder and rushed our way through the Maharaja Jungle Trek before seeing Tam Tam Congo, the Village Beatnicks again and the Dinoland Jesters.

Are you out of breath yet? I am just from typing this.

We got soaked on Kali before taking the train out to the Conservations Station. That can be a relaxing place to visit, but not when you are trying to beat the clock! After returning to Africa we visited the Pangani Forest Trail and then made one final stop at the Tree of Life Garden before we had to wait for the Jammin' Jungle Parade.

It was then that I realized that we had missed Devine. I knew where I needed to be looking for her, but I didn't know that her schedule was actually posted. Apparently during my one bathroom break of the day, she was out in her usual place. Oh well!

We did stay to watch the whole parade before making our way out with the last stop being the Oasis for one last picture.

I was thoroughly exhausted from the day but proud of what I accomplished. You won't find me on the Touring Plans site for this though. The plan wasn't officially released until last fall and there were some modifications to it after my attempt. My attempt combined with the attempt that my friends made contributed to the final plan that is now published on the site. I will definitely try to complete this again the the future though!

This will be my first in a Touring Thursdays series. I can't wait to share with you my next installment!

Follow Friday - DVC News

2011-03-18T12:55:00.000-04:00

For those of you who also follow my running blog, you know that I am trying something different to help me post consistently over there and keep me focused on writing. I'm trying the same thing over here, so welcome to my first Follow Friday! I will be featuring some of the Disney related blogs that I follow and inviting you to share your thoughts on the blog or find something new to start reading.

I'm really excited to share this first blog because yesterday's post includes some very exciting rumors.

This is an excellent resource for all things DVC. This includes pictures of construction at Aulani, polls of readers opinions on different DVC issues, and DVC news a rumors.

I selected them as my first Follow Friday because the post that came out yesterday has me very excited on some of the potential developments for a new DVC resort. Apparently, Disney recently submitted an application with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for the construction and other improvements on land adjacent to Grand Floridian.

The post goes on the analyze the potential uses for the area with a focus on the possibility that this could be a new DVC resort. I loved reading the readers comments on this too. I'm not usually a big reader of comments on other blogs unless I am friends with the writer, but in this case, many of the comments went on to futher analyze the pictures of the plans that were posted in the blog.

While we won't know for a while what this new building might be it is fun to dream that it could be a new DVC resort. Of course, we all know how well kept a secret the DVC units were at Bay Lake Tower. Of course, if this could be a new DVC resort, the only thing I have to say is sign me up!

Be sure to stop over and check out the posts at DVC News. Swing back here and let me know what you think about the site and also let me know what you think about me having this new series in the blog.

Wordless Weekend 1

2011-03-14T00:21:00.000-04:00

I'm starting this over on my running blog so I figure I'll give it a shot here!

WDW Marathon: A Race Report Part 2

2011-02-10T00:39:00.000-05:00

For a shorter version of my race report with pictures, please visit my post over at The Disney Driven Life.

There is a long stretch of road after leaving the backstage area. It can be really boring for some people since there aren’t any spectators for about a half mile. There were plenty of TNT coaches along this part though. They were cheering on all of us.

Once we got near the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian, the crowds grew again. There were characters on the golf course in their Argyle sweaters. And not too much further was the the half way mark!!!

Around the time I was reaching the halfway point, a coach from the Maryland TNT chapter hopped out on the course with me to check how I was doing. I was feeling okay, but I was starting to get really hungry. Nothing I was carrying on me would be enough to satisfy me either. What I was really craving was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but that would have to wait til the finish line. The coach told me that food wasn’t too far ahead and she wished me luck before sending me on my way.

Just around mile 14 was the food I was promised. They were handing out whole bananas. I was worried that it wouldn’t settle well with my stomach, but as soon as I took my first bite I knew I would be okay. I ate about ⅔ of the banana and tossed the rest.

During the long trek from the Magic Kingdom to the Animal Kingdom, Disney provided lots of entertainment. There were a lot of characters, the tacky tourists, and “Vladimir” from the Hollywood Studios. He even recognized me from our meeting in the parks earlier in the weeks! When I say the trek between these two parks was long, I mean it really felt like it was taking forever. It was really only about two miles from when you leave the monorail resort area. There are no spectators on this portion of the course though, so you start to feel pretty lonely out there.

I was very thankful when the Cast Members welcomed me to Animal Kingdom. I had just passed mile 16 when we officially entered the backstage area. We entered Animal Kingdom at the back of the park between Africa and Asia and turned towards Expedition Everest. Then we headed through Dinoland and out of the park behind the Dino Institute. We weren’t in the park for too long, but knowing how warm the park can get, I was thankful that we were our of there quickly. I loved that I was doing this part of the course during the day. I had just done it during the Wine & Dine half and it was a lot more fun this time around.

As soon as we left Animal Kingdom, we reached another water stop and this time they gave us some soaked sponges. That was very refreshing to be able to wipe off my face and neck. It was starting to get warm enough so I took off my running jacket and tied it around my waist. I love wearing this jacket because it doesn’t slip around when I tie around my waist unlike some other jackets I could wear.

The course turned to go passed the gates of Animal Kingdom where there were tons of cheering spectators again, including some friends who had Twizzlers. I grabbed one to snack on. Thankfully nothing seemed to be disagreeing with my stomach during this race. In the parking lot at Animal Kingdom, there was a high school band and cheerleaders and there were some grave diggers out there. Digging a grave of course.

Before long we were on Osceola Parkway and on our way to the Studios. I think this part of the course was even more boring than the part between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. For about 2 miles, you head east. There were some performers along the course, included some people on a trampoline and a few DJs.

Just after mile 20, the course jumps over to the westbound side of the road and you start the long out-and-back portion of the course. My coach, Elizabeth, joined me here and told me she was with me until the end. At this point in time, I looked at the clock and at how much time I had left and how many more miles I had to complete and for the first time during the race, I felt confident that I could finish! I knew I could comfortably complete 6 mile in the more than 90 minutes I had left. With that in mind, the out-and-back portion of the course was a piece of cake.

For a brief few minutes, I was back on World Drive before heading onto another exit ramp for the turn into Hollywood Studios. There was a nice surprise in the backstage area of the Studios. Chocolate!!! I grabbed one from a volunteer and when I saw that it was a Krackle bar, I professed my undying love and devotion to the volunteer.

Compared to the Wind & Dine half, the course in the Studios was nice and easy. You head through the costuming tunnel from the Backlot Tour, and then turn out onto the Streets of America. After heading down the New York Streets, you go in front of the ABC Commissary and passed the Hat. A quick jaunt down Hollywood Boulevard and suddenly I was outside of the park and heading towards the Boardwalk Resort.

I love this portion of the course. Even when I am not staying at an Epcot area resort, I always find myself in this area. There were lots of fans along this portion of the course. Probably the most memorable moment here was seeing a woman in a wheelchair who was holding a sign that “I don’t know you stranger, but I am PROUD of you.”

You enter Epcot near the International Gateway. Once I made it into the UK, one of my other coaches, Aram, joined us and he said he was sticking with me too! He had already finished, but he came back into the park and waited for me. His wife and my roommate were waiting for me just before the finish line.

This was the moment I had been dreaming about. The World Showcase. Whenever I would get bored on a treadmill, or frustrated during a run, I would visualize this moment. People cheering me on while I was in my last mile of the marathon. It was just like I thought it would be. Well, except I had wasn’t running. I had given up on running when I knew that I was going to make it. I wasn’t trying to get a great time during this race. I was just trying to finish. And at this point I was soaking in every moment. Aram even offered to get me a beer for the finish line (and don’t think I didn’t consider the offer)!

When I passed Mexico and made the turn towards Spaceship Earth I started to get teary again. I couldn’t believe I was almost finished! I saw Todd, Cheryl, John and Shalon one more time and Todd snapped a few more pictures of me. And then I saw my Mom! She had made the trip just so she could see me do the race. It was so exciting to see her there. She was waiting in almost the exact same place when she saw me during my first half marathon almost 2 years earlier. she was cheering and even though I couldn’t see, I’m pretty sure she was crying. (I get that from her!) Aram went with her to help her find me near the finish line and Elizabeth and I headed backstage for the last .2 miles.

The Gospel choir was there singing and the crowds were loud. It was great! Elizabeth told me to go ahead and run to the finish. I somehow summoned the energy for my legs and managed to run across the finish line. I headed towards the medals and even though one of the volunteers tried to give me my medal, I knew that Chris L. (NDU#8) was waiting to give me my medal. I found him and he put the medal around my neck before giving me a huge hug. We both started crying of course! Once he let me go, I turned around to find Mel there to give me a hug too! I cried some more and she made me promise not to ever leave her to do something crazy like a marathon again. I agreed! She made sure to let me know that her husband and the baby had come to see me too. It felt so great to have so many friends there to support me during the race.

After the race, I couldn’t stop moving and made my way to get my snack bag and my checked bag. I made my way over to the TNT tent to check in and waited for everyone to make their way to me. I was certainly done moving!

To this day, I can’t believe that I finished the race. I have my 26.2 pin from TNT and my Mickey medal! What really hit home was when I went into my Twitter profile and changed it from “wannabe marathoner” to “marathoner.” I haven’t completely ruled out another marathon, but to say that I have completed one makes me incredibly happy!

WDW Marathon: A Race Report Part 1

2011-02-08T16:22:00.000-05:00

Today and tomorrow I will be sharing the "unabridged" version of my race report. For a shorter version with pictures, please visit my post over at The Disney Driven Life.

The alarm went off way too early on the morning of January 9, 2011. Luckily, I had gone to bed early the night before and had managed to wake up a few minutes before the alarm went off. Though, it was still a struggle to get out of bed.

Once I managed to get myself out of bed, I quickly freshened up and put on all my clothes and gear that I had laid out the night before. I made sure that I had my iPhone, water, and snacks. I pulled on the extra sweatshirt that my mother had picked up for me the day before. I asked her to pick up the ugliest sweatshirt she could find so that I wouldn’t be tempted to keep it.

When I was ready, I quietly left my room since my roommate was still asleep and I met up with my teammates before heading to El Centro. The coaches had declared a 2:45 am meet up time. We didn’t actually leave our rooms until then, but we weren’t worried because the buses didn’t start running until 3 am. Of course, El Centro was packed with runners. Coronado Springs was a popular resort for the runners, but I imagine that the lobby of every resort looked as busy as this one.

Once all of my teammate arrived, we gathered for a team picture, some encouraging words from our coordinators, and then we headed out to the buses to get to Epcot.

The holding area was packed, but we managed to find our usual waiting place and hung out there for about 20 minutes. Shortly before it was time to head to the corrals I dropped my bag off at bag check. Unlike last year there was no line for the “A” group for bag check. It was nice to get through the area quickly before we had to make the long, slow trudge with the masses. The corrals and the start line are easily a 20 minute walk from the holding area. And of course once you’re in your corral you have a good 20-30 minute wait before the race starts and anywhere from 5-45 minutes before you actually cross the start line.

During the pre-race festivities, I got a little bit nervous. Okay, a lot bit nervous. And emotional. I started tearing up. I always do during the national anthem, but this time, in addition to hearing the national anthem, I started thinking about how far I had come. All the training and the years of dreaming had led me to that moment. I glanced over at one of my teammates and she was tearing up too! We both laughed at ourselves.
I checked my phone one more time and saw that I had a text from my friend Mel cheering me on. She was working with in the medical tent at the finish line so I planned on seeing her later. I responded with “OMG OMG OMG!” Then just after the fireworks went off for my corral Mel gave me a call and gave me some encouraging words. Before I knew it, I had crossed the start line and I was on my way! And I had to go to the bathroom. Ugh!

I tried to maintain my run/walk intervals during the first few miles, but I really had to go. I didn’t want to wait in line at any of the porta-potties that I was passing, and I definitely want to run over to the side of the road. Being a part veteran, I thankfully knew where the restrooms were once I got into Epcot. Of course the ones across from Spaceship Earth had a line out the door and the ones at the Odyssey were too far off course, but the ones in Norway were perfect. Once I took care of business I was back on the course feeling like a new woman and making my way out of Epcot. The course brought us under Test Track and back out onto Epcot Center drive, but this time on the other side of the road.

We then made our way up World Drive, past the Speedway and through the Magic Kingdom parking lot. The crowds cheering us on at the Ticket and Transportation Center were amazing! It was still pretty early in the morning but they were all there and full of energy. The two staff members from my Team in Training office who traveled with us were there waiting for me. When they saw me they started shouting my name and cheering loudly for me. I was never more happy to see them! I started to tear up for a second, but I cheered them on for waiting for me and made my way towards the Contemporary.

The road by the Contemporary was nice and familiar to me. I was mentally prepared for the hill at the water bridge and it didn’t bother me this time! Before I knew it I was entering the Magic Kingdom and turning up Main Street.

I saw the WDW Radio signs and was about to run up to say hi to Lou, when some of the runners from the WDW Radio team ran passed me and went straight to him. Oh well, I guess I wasn’t going to be seeing him during this race. I started to move on when I suddenly heard her someone shouting my name. I looked over and there was JL and Todd right there on Main Street! Todd managed to get this picture of me. I was still smiling at mile 10 ½. I can’t even say that I have been smiling at that mile for every half marathon I’ve done. There have been half marathons that I felt like crying by this point in time. I was feeling remarkably good and I was certain that, if nothing else, I would be able to reach the half way point.

I love the course through the Magic Kingdom. I love going up Main Street and seeing the castle before the park is even open to the public. I love how all the Cast Members are cheering you on while you run up Main Street and when you make the turn into Tomorrowland, they are the only other people you see on the course. Despite the early hour, they are there with a smile on their face. Of course, after the few minutes in Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, you suddenly find yourself being greeted by trumpeters as you make your way through the castle to look down Main Street one last time. It’s then time to weave your way through Liberty Square and Frontierland before you head back stage and make your way out of the Magic Kingdom area.

To be continued...

Check out my first post over at the Disney Driven Life!

2011-02-01T13:05:00.003-05:00

You can read it here!

And the winner is...

2011-01-03T09:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in the announcement! I got called into work on Saturday and Sunday! I just did the drawing and with no further ado, the winner of a 4-night DVC resort stay is...

Alyssa!!!!!

Congratulations Alyssa! I'll be contacting you with the details about booking your stay.

Last chance to enter! Donate today!

2010-12-31T12:48:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it is the last day of 2010! I also can't believe that I have a marathon in 9 days. Holy crap! Nine days!

Really,

Nine Days!!!!

And I still have $500 to go in my fundraising.

Today is your last chance to donate and be entered in a chance to win a 4-night stay in a Disney Vacation Club resort. Please take a few minutes at the end of the year to make a tax deductible donation on my Team in Training page.

The details of what you can win are on my Team in Training page and also in my running blog here.

I'll be back here tomorrow to announce the winner. If I can figure out how to use my new video camera, I may even record the drawing live and post it here.

Thank you for all of your support this year and I look forward to many new Disney adventures with you in 2011!

Donate for a chance to win a 4-night stay at a Walt Disney World Disney Vacation Club Resort

2010-11-30T23:36:00.000-05:00

I'm sure everyone know that I am running my first marathon at Walt Disney World in January with Team in Training. I've been fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This year I've been struggling more with the fundraising aspect of the program. The other week when I was at the LLS office for an event I came to the realization that I have another awesome prize that I can give away! So here it is...

For every $25 donation I receive between December 1 and December 31, the donor will receive one entry for a chance to win a 4-night stay at a Disney Vacation Club resort. Please see the rules below for more details. To make a donation please go to my TNT home page. When you make the donation, leave a comment that you want to be entered for a chance to win the stay. The drawing will be held on January 1 and the winner will be announced on this blog, my running blog, my TNT page and my Facebook page.

The make a donation go here: My TNT page

Here are the rules:

1) Each $25 donation is good for one (1) entry for a chance to win a 4-night stay at a Walt Disney World Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resort (Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, Disney's Beach Club Villas, Disney's Bay Lake Tower, Disney's Boardwalk Villas, Disney's Old Key West Resort, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, or Disney's Villas at the Wilderness Lodge).
2) There is no limit to the number of donations that can be made.
3) The winner will receive 4 nights in a DVC studio room (maximum occupancy of 4 people)

4) Stay is good for 4 consecutive nights Sunday through Thursday.
5) Resort choice is limited to available resorts at time of booking with DVC Member Services.
6) Travel must be booked by June 1, 2011.

7) Travel must be completed by November 30, 2011.
8) Reservation DOES NOT include Park Admission.
9) Reservation DOES NOT include airfare.
10) Winner is responsible for any charges made to the room by the winner or the winner's guest during the stay.

Ultimate Animal Kingdom Touring Plan - A Preview

2010-11-02T20:55:00.000-04:00

When I was in WDW for the Princess Half Marathon in March I had the opportunity to attend the Tent Fest event held by the guys over at the WDW Today podcast. I also the opportunity to meet Len Testa (of Unofficial Guide fame) and Henry Work (the web developer for touringplans.com). I had already been following Len and Henry on Twitter and I had the opportunity to meet many of the other listeners of the show.

At the first night of Tent Fest I think I just about doubled the people I was following on Twitter. I ran into the group throughout the weekend, including seeing everyone at the Odyssey Event. I could go through the whole list of people I met, but I'm sure many of them will be appearing in future posts (I have become good friends with all of them and don't want to sound like I'm dropping names in the Disney online community).

After finishing the Princess Half, I hopped on twitter to check in with everyone and see what was happening before I headed over to Len's Cava de Tequilla meet. It was then that I saw that a group of people from Tent Fest, including Henry were in the midst of attempting the first ever Ultimate Animal Kingdom Touring Plan. You can read about it in Kidanikatie's blog post on the Touring Plans website!

Post-tequilla meet!

I saw them all at Len's meet and after hearing a bit about their day (which was complete minus the Jammin' Jungle Parade), I came up with a plan!

I was going to attempt the Ultimate Animal Kingdom Touring Plan.

And I was going to finish it!

A new tradition!

2010-10-08T21:27:00.000-04:00

I woke up early on Monday morning and got my bags and my Owner's Locker. I planned on checking into my flight and checking my bags with Magical Express nice and early. There was rope drop to make it to!

Yup, I planned on making it to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop that morning. I hadn't really spent a lot of time there during my trip and Monday was looking to be a lot warmer than the rest of the weekend.

I didn't have any trouble getting my luggage taken care of and I was quickly on my way to the park. I made it there as the show was going on and I was caught behind a bunch of people.

It looks like I actually got through bag check and maybe even got to scan my ticket but then I hit a wall of people. It was neat to see the show, but I wish I had seen it from the beginning. That's something to shoot for on another day!

I do wish I was part of the family that got to be in the show!

I got to Town Square and decided to take a ride on a Main Street Vehicle. That was a nice treat for the day.

Once I got to the hub I realized that I was there nice and early. Early enough to go on a ride that I hadn't ever been on. Ever.

Dumbo!!!

It wasn't too long a wait. I think it went for maybe 3 rounds before it was my turn.

And it was what I expected. I guess. It did take me 33 years for my first ride on it. I probably won't go out of my way to go on it again unless I am trying an Ultimate Touring Plan or I am with children.

After Dumbo, I made my way to It's a Small World. I wanted to test out my camera on the ride (without a flash of course). Here's one thing I would ask of all parents when boarding a boat ride. Please look at the groups around you. If every family is having their child board first, then every adult will be on the same side of the boat. The boat will then be leaning to one side (significantly sometimes) during the whole ride. Yup. I sat on the side that all the kids were sitting on, but it wasn't enough to counter balance 6 adults.

After Small World, I headed to the Haunted Mansion with almost no wait. Then Toontown was opening. I thought it would be great to go see Tinkerbell and her friends since I hadn't met them yet.

The wait for Tinkerbell was only about 15 minutes. They use Pixie Dust to shrink you down to pixie size and then you go into meet everyone. Of course, they were all excited to see me and when they saw my medal, they were ever more excited and wanted to hear all about my race. They asked me if I was ran really fast or if I was given Pixie Dust so that I could fly to the finish and win. I told them I wasn't fast at that the medal was a reward for finish. Tink ask me if it was a "slow and steady wins the race." I had to laugh at that and tell her that was my approach.

Tink was full of energy and practically bouncing off the walls. She came over to me when I was with Fawn and started talking my ear off. We went to her are to take picture and then she walked me over to Terrance.

She had to tell Terrance about my medal and how far I had to run. I think he was really impressed.

He, of course, posed for a picture with me too.

After I headed back into Toontown and decided to hop onto Goofy's Barnstormer. It was a day of firsts so, why not? It wasn't a bad ride and the theming of queue is lots of fun with loads to look at.

I figured I had time for one more ride so I headed over to the Jungle Cruise. I had never had a chance to ride it in the daytime. I had a good skipper. I also had an almost full memory card so I didn't get to take very many pictures.

I then started making my way out of the park when I saw that Princess Tiana was about to come out for a meet and greet. Of course I had to get in line! I got to meet her and Prince Navine!

After meeting the Princess and her Prince, I caught a few minutes of the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! parade/show and then headed back to my resort to get some lunch and take the sad Magical Express ride back to the airport.

Overall, this was a really good trip. I've never been so cold in Florida before in my life. Even when I went over Christmas during my senior year of high school, it wasn't this cold. It was a great experience for me though and I'll be back there with Team in Training this January so I can do the full!

A Dessert Party

2010-09-10T23:51:00.000-04:00

So when I left off, I was just about to leave Animal Kingdom.

I headed back to the resort and gathered my close to do a quick load of laundry. Since I was putting stuff into an Owner's Locker, I wanted to make sure that everything was clean. The laundry wasn't far from the room. It wasn't exactly cheap, but it's been a while since I've had to pay for a washer and dryer so it might be within the norm. I took some time relaxing in the lounge and then got everything folded and packed up.

After finishing up, I made my way over to Epcot for a dessert party with some fellow runners from the Disboards. Our plan was to have the party in France. A few days before we had decided to move the dessert portion inside because of the cold temperatures. It was held in the Wonders of Life pavilion. We had some yummy chocolate dessert, including fondue, brownies and biscotti. I tried to take some pictures of the pavilion. They didn't come out that good, but here you go!

About 15 minutes before Illuminations was going to start we were escorted to our private viewing area. We had a great view of the fireworks and I recorded the whole thing. I don't have the knowledge to edit a 15 minute video so that I can put it on here. It came out really good though.

After Illuminations ended, some of us walked back towards the Epcot resorts. I thought I'd be able to head over to the Studios by the Friendship Boats, but they weren't heading back there. The Captain said that there were buses heading over to the park. I didn't feel like heading to the front of the resort and waiting for the bus so I decided to walk over to the Studios. The walk was much longer than I thought, but it wasn't that bad. Just cold.

When I got to the park, the Victory Party was in full swing. I had missed the TNT meal, but there was plenty of stuff to do. They had a DJ at the hat with a dance party going on. I did the Cupid Shuffle and then headed over to ride Toy Story Mania. The fast pass queue was closed. I was excited though because that meant I would be able to *hopefully* be able to see Mr. Potato Head!

And he was out! I got a few pictures of him and some video too!

The video wouldn't upload so here is a picture:

I didn't take a picture of my score so I'll need to go my the assumption that I was somewhere around 150k. That seems to be where I get stuck on my own. After that I though I would head over to do one of the other rides, but came across another dance party in front of the hat. You'll never believe what happened there...

Animal Kingdom

2010-08-08T21:13:00.000-04:00

I made my way back towards Africa and Asia and saw this lovely lady:

I made my way towards Asia and took a few minutes to observe the primates (sorry, I can't remember what they are actually called). And I tested out the zoom on my camera again:

I enjoyed the view of Everest:

And then made my way over for a ride on Everest and was shocked to see this:

Yup, that's right, a wait time of only 10 minutes for stand-by. So, of course, I went through that line for the first time ever. I took lots of pictures, but I'll only share a few with you.

And it would have only been 10 minutes if I wasn't taking my time getting pictures. I even managed to snap a good picture of the train coming down the last drop.

I meandered over to Dinoland and stopped to listen to the calypso band along the way.

Stopped in Dinoland for some Mickey-fish

And sat down to eat some of the crackers. While I was sitting there checking facebook and twitter, I wasn't really paying attention to the ground around me. The next thing I knew, I looked up and saw these guys waiting not so patiently for me to drop some of the crackers.

After I was refreshed a bit from the crackers, I went on Dinosaur and then made my way over to get lunch.

I had heard good things about this and it did not disappoint. After lunch I made my way out and back to the resort. I had to get everything washed and packed before I headed over to Epcot for the WISH dessert party.

Up next, an Epcot dessert party!

Where is my favorite Tumble Monkey?

2010-07-05T23:58:00.000-04:00

So I made it to Animal Kingdom and started playing with my camera to see what kind of pictures it could take:

I grabbed a schedule and saw that the Festival of the Lion King was starting soon so I made my way over to Camp Minnie Mickey. The crowds were really low on this particular day:

I got a seat in the Lion section. That was a new section for me! ROAR!

I love the Tumble Monkeys. I must admit that I've had a bit of a crush on one of them. Unfortunately, he wasn't part of this show. I was disappointed because I had excellent zoom on my new camera.

Not my favorite Tumble Monkey...

I then gave my video camera feature a try. I got a few seconds of video from the show:

After the show, I needed to find Donald so that I could have my picture taken with him and my medal. It was a fairly easy task since I was right near the Character Greeting Trails. Donald loved my medal and made a big deal about it.

Again, the Christmas decorations were still up, so I had some fun taking pictures of them:

While I was watching the show, I got a message from Tim saying that he wasn't going to be able to make it to hang out later, so I made my way further into the park...

Making my way to Epcot

2010-07-02T21:29:00.000-04:00

So I hopped off the Friendship Boat at the Dolphin and headed towards the Yacht and Beach Club area so I could walk along the race course to cheer on the runners. I would walk along the course for a little bit, stop and cheer on some runners, then turn around keep moving.

I made my up to the bridge that leads to Sea Breeze Point and hung out there cheering on the runners and looking for my teammates. I was there for maybe 10 minutes when I saw my teammate Lanie. I didn't have my camera out in time, but I knew that she needed to run backstage before she would enter Epcot and that I had the shorter line through the International Gateway.

I ran to the entrance and up to where the runners were going by. I got there maybe a minute before she did and I wasn't ready again! I followed her along the course until a cast member yelled at me for running onto the bridge into France. The World Showcase wasn't open to the public yet!

I rushed back along the course and after crossing the course into Canada, I hurried towards the Christmas tree so that I could wait for Lanie there and get a picture of her.

I spotted this, um, gal:

Then I saw Lanie!!

When I saw her the next day, she said how surprised she was to see me all over the course. I just knew the shortcuts that she couldn't take!

I then made my way back to the backstage entrance in England and waited for friends and more teammates.

One of my coaches and her husband

I finally saw my friend Tim and walked with him to France, all along the way offering him pretzels, offering to run ahead and get him a beer in Germany. He declined but said he would call me later to hang out. Since I was in France, I headed back to the bakery and got myself some goodies.

I also got myself some yummy champagne to sip on while I ate my goodies. I sat down on one of the benches and had many of the runners beg me for the champagne. Nope, no sharing. I earned this, but they weren't done yet.

After I finished, I went back to the bridge to wait for the rest of my teammates. I saw my roommate and our coach. Our coach marveled at how much energy I had and how nicely I was walking around after my race. She told me that my teammate Laurie was a few minutes behind her. Laurie was the last person I wanted to see, I waited for her and when I saw her, I hopped on the course and made my way around the
World Showcase with her. I held my poster that I had been using to cheer on the TNT runners in front of me where the bib would be. There are actually picture of me running the marathon (with Laurie)!

I snapped a picture of her out in World Showcase:

And then one more of her and her sister heading into Future World:

Once we got over the bridge and to the fountains I separated from them before getting myself kicked off the course. I was able to wander around and get some photopass pictures then I remembered that it was Sunday, and the best park to be in on most Sundays is Animal Kingdom. And I hadn't been there yet on this trip. Hmmm...

So that is where I headed!

Marathon Day!!! Sunday, January 10, 2010

2010-06-30T23:19:00.000-04:00

My original plan was to get up with my roommate and go with the team to the start line, then run from the start line over to the Magic Kingdom or over to the Ticket and Transportation Center and the Polynesian. I was so exhausted from the late dinner and walking around the parks after my race that I decided to sleep in a little bit and meet everyone at one of the parks later in the race.

I think I ended up getting up around 8. That's pretty darn late for a Disney day for me! I took my time getting ready then made my way over to get some coffee to warm up and wake up some more. I even took my time getting over to get the coffee and I meandered around the resort and found the Dig Site pool. Unfortunately, it was still way too cold to take advantage of it.

Eventually I made it over to get my coffee...

Looking at the time I figured it was best to make my way over to the Studios since everyone would be almost at, or through, Animal Kingdom by then.

I saw this as soon as I got there:

I made my way over to the friendship boats and caught the one that was waiting for me. I sat down inside, but quickly realized that I would be able to get better pictures if I stand at the back of the boat.

Here's some shots that I got:

When the boat got to the Swan/Dolphin dock, I decided to get off there and walk the rest of the way!

To be continued...

Dinner in Epcot!

2010-06-06T20:07:00.000-04:00

So I made my way over to Epcot and stopped at Spaceship Earth for a look at the past and my future!

Since I was on the ride by myself, I was given a new partner in my future!

I then made my way to Japan for my dinner!

I order hot tea and I think I ordered tempura for an appetizer. Then I had the beef and fish entree. I'll just post some of the highlights from dinner:

Yup, by the time my beef was done, the shrimp was almost gone!

In the time I was sitting there, my feet were starting to swell, so I loosen up my shoes, but I was able to tie them before I needed to leave. After dinner, I decided it was time to head back to the room and get to bed. I snapped one more picture of the tree.

And I happened to catch this bit of water art on my way out too!

To be continued...

So what did I do after the race?

2010-06-06T19:39:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try to finish the rest of my trip in 2-3 posts.

After finishing the race I got a quick massage, checked into the TNT tent and got in line for the buses. I was thankful that I saw a teammate and I was able to hop in line with her instead of waiting in the LONG line for the buses.

After I got back to my room I hopped in the shower and I took what is possibly the longest shower of my life. Just when I was about ready to get out of the shower, I started shivering all over again. So I stayed in the shower a bit longer until I was warmer.

I got dressed quickly and made my way back to the parks. I headed over to the Magic Kingdom to Lou Mongello's meet. It was moved inside because of the weather. I hung out there with Tim and his son while Lou walked around showing the people at the meet to the people in the Box. When the meet was over I hung around to meet Lou:

I texted my friend Mike to see where he was and since he was heading to Space Mountain, I headed in that direction. The wait was long so I grabbed a fast pass and went over to the Carousel of Progress and then went for a spin with Buzz Lightyear. I snapped a few more pictures and then headed into Space Mountain.

I was able to ride Space Mountain plus two more rides in the same time that it took Mike to go through the stand-by line for Space Mountain. Just sayin...

I wanted to get pictures of the places I had passed during the race so I followed the course that I had taken a few hours earlier:

Past the Speedway towards Fantasyland.

Whoa! I see the castle ahead!

Um, I guess I can't go that way now...

So, I went this way...

And got this picture:

And look! The lights were still up!

I decided to make one more stop on my favorite Magic Kingdom ride.

And just one more bit of proof of how cold it was. There was no line at Aloha Isle!

I headed out of the park and decided to try to get dinner reservations. Sanaa and Boma had no spaces avaiable for a single diner, so I tried Epcot restaurants. Of course, Biergarden had places available, but I didn't think my stomach could handle it, but Teppan Edo had a spot open so I headed there!

Continued in next post!

Finishing in record time?

2010-04-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

So, I finally make it out of the Magic Kingdom. Somewhere within the next mile I see the same TnT coach. I was trying to speed up since that mile through the park had really slowed me down. I was thinking about having my Clif Shot but I thought that they would be distributing them soon so I tried to hold off.

I kept moving forward and maintaining my walk/run pattern. I was expecting to see my coach around mile 7, but she wasn't there.

She wasn't there at mile 8 either. I knew I would be seeing her eventually though. I did get to the food. Unfortunately, the only flavors left were vanilla and raspberry. Yuck. I really only like mocha. At least I had a mocha with me so I finally gave in and ate that. Somewhere in this mile I saw one of my teammates. I encouraged her to keep moving and went on my way.

Finally, just before mile 9 I saw all of the coaches. They were waiting there for all of us. My coach got out on the road with me. That's her arm in the picture pointing out the time (and probably saying "Only 4 more miles!"). She still had on her poncho and had a towel wrapped around her legs like a skirt. She helped me stay focused on maintaining my intervals. I was certainly hurting by now.

I missed the picture of the 10 mile marker, but soon I was seeing a fellow WISHer, Thunder Matt!

I managed to get a good picture of him this time!

We made our way up the entrance ramp, on the right side (see my Princess Half report coming soon for that issue). About half way up, my coach decided to finally drop her towel. I didn't blame her. She had been up and down the course several times and standing in the rain, I'm sure that towel was pretty heavy.

I snapped a picture of the people behind me who hadn't gotten to the ramp.

We made it to mile 11 and I then told my coach my goal of beating my time from the Philly Distance Run. Once I told her about that, she had me pick up the pace.

I finally saw Spaceship Earth!

We got to mile 12 and then made our way into Epcot. My coach had me run through the last water stop. I was thirsty, but I had water on me to drink at the end. We ran from the water stop all the way to the Christmas tree at the lagoon. Once we got around the tree, I was able to walk. I ran a little more in the downhill sections as we were leaving the park.

When we got the the mile 13 marker, my coach told me to run again. We took off. I ran as fast as I could to reach that finish line. I managed to finish the race in 3:22:52. 50 seconds off of my time for the PDR. I guess that wasn't to bad considering the horrible conditions that we were running in. And, I got my picture in front of the castle finally!

We take a break from this trip report...

2010-04-01T13:16:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to share some of the Disney-related blogs that I follow, including some that I've appeared in recently...

One of my favorites is The Disney Driven Life. I guess you could say I'm a founding member of this page. I met J.L., the original Neurotic Disney Mom (or NDM#1), on the Disboards when I was reading her trip report. I became a Neurotic Disney Auntie (NDA#1 to be exact) before she even created her website/blog. Stay tuned to this blog and I have requested that she create an NDP challenge for me.

I am also a huge fan of Jonathan Dichter's blog Voice of Mouse Tunes. He is one of the main reasons I started running. I am a huge fan of his podcast (All About the Mouse) and I am also an All About the Mouseketeer. He writes regularly about his trials and tribulations while training to run in Disney races and lead a healthier life for his lovely baby daughter, Elizabeth.

Another blog associated with a podcast is Running to Disney. Gordon is a 40-something guy who has discovered a love for running, Disney and his family. He usually takes you along with him on his runs. His blog includes show notes and updates on his training, weight-loss, and recipes.

A blog that I recently started following after meeting the writer on my last trip is The DVC Life. Katie is a great resource for all things DVC. She has some very useful posts on DVC whether it be about points, resorts, or the newest incentives being offered.

The last blog I will refer you to today is the one on the Touring Plans website. The Touring Plans Blog features a variety of writers. The current post actually includes a picture of me since I was with Kristen and friends Drinking Around the World the day after the Princess Half Marathon this March.

I will update in the future about other Disney blogs that I read, but I really wanted to share these ones with you today!

Heading through the Magic Kingdom!

2010-03-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

So I left my coach around the 5K mark just after going to the gates to the Magic Kingdom. I wasn't alone for too long though when I saw another coach from the Lehigh Valley chapter around mile 4 and he went with me into the Magic Kingdom. But first I saw the place I was really looking forward to visiting:

Bay Lake Tower!

I couldn't wait until the day that I could stay there. I couldn't spend too much time dreaming about it though because soon I saw my next mile marker.

I was doing okay with my time but I wanted to keep moving and get myself to the castle. It was somewhere around here that I decided to get ride of my poncho. I was really enjoying the race despite the rain and freezing temps and I felt like I was pretty warm after the first 5 miles.

We made it past the Contemporary and then headed backstage and onto Main Street. Surprisingly, it was the first time I had entered the Magic Kingdom during the trip. I tried to take some pictures along the way but my fingers were cold and I didn't want to slow down until I got to the castle. I kept snapping pictures along the way and these are some of the best ones:

I made it through Tomorrowland and into Fantasyland and I heard the trumpeters as I made my way behind the castle. Before I knew, this was the sight in front of me:

I snapped that picture and then quickly made my way down the ramps to get the picture I had been dreaming about for the last year. I did get my picture with the full castle behind me. There was a short wait. I think they should have had two photographers there so that people didn't have to wait too long.

I then promptly started heading out of the Magic Kingdom since I have another goal to make. I wanted to beat my time from the Philadelphia Distance Run. I didn't stop, but kept snapping pictures on my way out:

I grabbed some water and then it was back out to the roads!

WDW Marathon weekend with Team in Training! Day 3 Part 1, January 9, 2010

2010-02-19T22:10:00.000-05:00

My alarm went off at 2:15. We were required to meet at 2:45 so that we could be on the first buses over to the race. If I were traveling on my own, I probably would have slept until 3 am and tried to get on a bus around 3:30 or 3:45. I got some pictures while we we waiting for the bus:

I really wish this picture came out better. I didn't tell the person taking it how to use the focus on the camera. Whoops!

Once we got on the bus it was a quick ride over to Epcot. The buses stopped somewhere out in the parking lots and we had a pretty far walk just to get to the holding area. The music was blaring and we were all struggling to get warm or at least not get colder. I shared a towel with one of my teammates and we leaned up against each other. I was hoping I would fall asleep and get a bit more rest, but that didn't happen.

We made our way over to the starting lines after what seemed like forever trying to get through the bag check. I was in Corral G. I think if I had registered on my own I would have been in a higher corral as I saw many people online with similar finish times and lower bib numbers.

Once we got to the corrals, we waited,

And waited

and waited

and

OOOooh fireworks!

And then we got a little bit closer...

And finally, about 25 minutes later, we found the start line

I took pictures along the way, but I wasn't stopping for anything so none of them came out clear. I stayed with my coach for the first 5k.

I saw this before my coach left:

And then I was on my own...