Strong start, poor finish

I have been anticipating this long run for a while now. Was supposed to get it done this past weekend, but with Christmas festivities it didn't happen. Tripp said he would wait to go start his tile side job so I could get in 8 miles this morning.

Around midnight I woke up with stomach cramps and wasn't sure I was going to be able to go on my run in the morning. But after a trip to the bathroom (sorry, TMI!) I felt much better and went back to bed. Then Emily came in our room at 3:30am with a stuffy nose a sore throat. When the alarm went off at 7am I felt like I could've easily talked myself out of the run. But I didn't. I decided not to take the dog (she was still sleeping anyway!). I choked down my half cup of Chobani (shame on me for not properly fueling myself) and headed out.

I was freezing for the first couple of miles, even in long pants and long sleeve shirt. I was wishing I had something for my ears, they felt frostbitten! But I was feeling strong and plugging along at about a 10:15 pace. I was hardly looking at my Garmin.

But when I did look at it and it said 3.22 miles, I was a little disappointed and had to get back in the mental zone! I pushed for the next mile (it helped having Toby Mac singing "Turn on the Ignition" to me!). I allowed myself to walk for about a minute then continued on until my gravel path ended. Then I stopped to get the gravel out of my shoes and continued on.

I was still feeling strong at mile 5 but getting hungry (again, shame on me!) and it didn't help that I was running right by an Einstein Brothers Bagel shop and a Starbuck's!

A little into mile 6 my hunger got the better or me and I had to stop and walk again. Kept pushing through for the next mile and around 7 and a quarter miles I was back in my neighborhood. I was getting more and more tired and more and more hungry and my stomach cramps from the middle of the night felt like they were returning. I passed by our old neighbors' new house and decided I would stop by and ask if they could drive me home. With my tail between my legs I rang the doorbell (it was about 9am) but no one was home. Near tears, I continued on my way, half walking half jogging.

I got to the school by our house and instead of snaking my way through the neighborhood to get home, I cut through the school yard. As I got to the fence across from our driveway, my stomach was not doing well. I hopped the fence and was so thankful to be home. 7.78 miles completed.

Here is what my miles looked like:

10:11

10:19

10:15

10:05

10:35

9:47

10:59

11:58

Disneyland (& California/Adventure)!!

My dad and step-mom gave us the most amazing Christmas present this year -- a trip to Disneyland! They set us up at The Grand Californian Hotel with a 4 day park hopper and a lunch date with princesses! They went above and beyond and when they told us about it after Thanksgiving, I was overcome with emotion.

We spent the next 3 weeks praying that we would all be healthy before the trip! I was most worried about my little thumb-sucker catching something but on December 14th when we headed to Anaheim, we were all healthy! Praise the Lord! We had our passes and hotel from Thursday the 15th to Sunday the 18th. But we wanted to make the most of Thursday so we left Wednesday afternoon.

We had a rough start to this trip. We actually left on time (which is a miracle if you know me at all). But I was irritated with myself when we hit the freeway and I realized I had forgotten the neck pillows I had bought the kids. Then, out in the middle of no where on the Arizona side of I-10, we had a little altercation with the law...

Highway patrol caught Tripp going 86mph in a 75mph (really he had the cruise control set at 90mph!). When the highway patrol officer came to the window, Emily burst into tears and said, "I don't want Daddy to get a ticket!" I chuckled and said to the officer, "I promise I didn't make her say that." He just nodded at me, he didn't think it was cute. So he goes back to run Tripp's license and registration then came back to the van and asked Tripp to "step out of the vehicle". This was too much for Emily to take. She was freaking out and crying, "I don't want Daddy to go to jail!" I stifled my giggles and calmed her down. Tripp came back to the van (with a ticket, grrr) and we were on our way. But we couldn't be phased, because... we were going to Disneyland!!

We rolled into town around 10pm and stayed the night at a Motel 6. I do NOT recommend staying here - while it was clean (sort of, I just ignored the hair on the floor in the bathroom), the walls were paper thin. A family next door to us came back around 1am and they were SO LOUD! We could literally hear every word they said. No matter, we couldn't be phased because... we were going to Disneyland!!

Day 1:

We dropped our luggage off at the Grand Californian and headed to the park. Here we are at the hotel entrance right outside of Downtown Disney.

And here we go!!

Had to take the famous picture at the entrance!

And of course the other famous spot for a Kodak moment, near the statue of Walt and Mickey! Tripp was getting irritated with my incessant need to take a family photo everywhere!

We went to Frontierland first. Our very first ride was Pirates of the Caribbean. We walked right up with not a soul in front of us! Emily was a little frightened which made me concerned that she wouldn't really be a fan of the rides. But when it was done, she loved it and wanted to do it again! Next we did Splash Mountain (the log ride) and thankfully didn't get too soaked. Casey sat in the front and probably got the wettest. He quickly learned that was not the seat to be in! The next time we rode it he sat in the back. We couldn't leave Frontierland without hitting Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! We all loved this ride, Emily especially! She could've ridden it all day long! The only ride at Disney that Emily couldn't ride because she wasn't tall enough was Indiana Jones. So Tripp took the boys to ride that and she and I headed to Fantasyland. I had to snap her picture outside the famous castle!

While we waited for the boys, we rode the carousel

Next we rode Dumbo, but the ride was NOT worth the 20 minute wait in line...

Love this pic, outside of the Snow White ride (which we never did! We kept saying we would come back to it...)

We headed over to Tomorrowland and hit the Matterhorn on the way. Everyone loved the Matterhorn! Emily was quickly becoming a fan of "fast" rides! But I think the family favorite ride was Space Mountain. We rode that ride the most and it was also the last ride we rode before leaving the park on Sunday. Here are the kids trying on hats in the store near Space Mountain.

Our first day was a long one and we pushed it hard! We waited for the 5:30 parade, Tripp even camped out on the sidewalk for almost an hour saving us a seat. Then it started raining. Since it was sunny when we left the hotel we didn't think about bringing our ponchos. Sure wish we would've! Finally at around 5:15pm they canceled the parade because of the rain. We called it a day at the park and grabbed a late dinner at Mimi's Cafe.

There was a late show at Disney called "Fantasmic" that Tripp thought the boys would like and also the nightly fireworks (which didn't happen due to the rain). But Emily and I were pooped and done for the day. So the boys headed out and the girls went to bed. But first, a bath!

Day 2:

For breakfast we went to the Grand Californian's Story Tellers Cafe for a character breakfast. First we were greeted by the gorilla from Tarzan. This was Emily's first meeting with a big character and I wasn't sure how she would react. Some kids are terrified of these costumes, I know I was when I was really little. But she loved them! It's like her cartoons coming to life! The boys are old enough that they know there is really a person inside so it wasn't as magical for them, but they enjoyed it none the less!

We spent our second at California Adventure. This was the day of the Princess lunch which is at Ariel's Grotto at California Adventure. Emily wore her Ariel dress that she got for Christmas from Aunt Cathy. We got to get in early because of our vacation package and the first thing we did there was Ariel's Undersea Adventure. Think she was a little excited??

Then we headed over to Soarin' Over California, which was an AMAZING ride! You go into this big theater with a bowl shaped screen. You get strapped into seats that are lifted up off the ground and pull you right in front of the screen so everyone has a front row seat. It takes you through different scenery of California and literally feels like you are flying!

There were a lot more rides at California Adventure that Emily was not tall enough to ride. The big roller coaster, California Screamin', was one of them. Tripp took the boys to ride that while Emily and I did a Toy Story ride.

Still in line... this line took forever!

Along the boardwalk at California Adventure they had this photo op spot where it looks like you are in a toy package

Later in the day, I conquered my fear of scary roller coasters and rode Screamin' with my boys! I took this pic of the one they take of you on the ride

Before we had lunch with the princesses we rode this giant ferris wheel. Though I'd conquered my fear of scary roller coasters, this ride was all together different. It made me (Ryan too!) want to melt to the floor! The cage we were in was not stationary either. It rolled back and forth. I kept my eyes closed most of it!

Waiting for lunch

And the moment Emily had been dreaming of... meeting Princess Ariel!

While we were eating, other princesses came by to greet us. Here is Cinderella

The boys were not impressed by the princesses but they like the food!

I think Snow White looked the most like the cartoon Snow White

Emily has discovered what she wants to be when she grows up!

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)

Belle (Beauty & the Beast)

Me and my princess

We went back for Ariel's autograph

After lunch we headed to the other side of California Adventure and went on Tower of Terror. This was another fear I had to conquer. I do not like these kinds of rides that drop you like this. Tower of Terror is a Twilight Zone themed ride and the premise of it all is an elevator that was struck by lightning. The kids were super excited to ride this ride. Surprisingly enough, Emily was tall enough for it! People in line kept asking, "is she really going to ride this?" Tripp, Ryan and Emily LOVED this ride! It was Ryan's favorite! Casey and I were not fans of it. It made me say bad words...

It was super windy this day so a couple of the rides were closed and we were afraid that they would cancel the famous World of Color show. But thankfully the wind died down at night and we were able to see the show. It's hard to take good pictures at night with my point and shoot camera but here are a couple

Day 3:

We headed back to Disneyland for our third day. We used our early entrance pass for "Magical Morning" and got in an hour before the park opened. I wanted another family photo with Walt and Mickey since one of them from the first day turned out blurry. Again, I was trying my husband's patience! He wanted to do rides before it got too crowded!

It was great to get in early with no lines! And being a Saturday, we knew we were in for a day of waiting in lines. We rode the Matterhorn again and then headed to Small World. We got right on! Later in the day, this line was at least an hour long!

Tripp and I loved watching the kids watch and experience everything. Emily waves to everything :-)

Toontown opens an hour after the park does but our early access got us in before everyone else.

This was so much fun! So many characters, the kids were in heaven!

Pluto took a liking to Emily and being a "character favorite" earned us the title of Honorary Family at the Toontown Town Hall meeting!

Pluto signing Emily's autograph book. He said, "you're my favorite!"

Dale (from Chip and Dale) was horsing around with us and trying to get in our family picture with Pluto. He liked me because I knew he was Dale and not Chip :-) You can tell them apart because of their noses - Dale has a reddish nose, Chip's is brown like a chocolate chip!

Here we are as the honorary family at the Town Hall meeting

Minnie's house!

Goofy!

Minnie!

Donald! Using Emily's head as a table

Mickey's car!

The mini roller coaster in Toontown. It's blurry but you can see Tripp, Emily, Ryan and Casey in the back

A firefighter family can't leave Toontown without a family picture in front of Toontown's Fire Department!

Since the parade was canceled the first time we tried to see it, we caught the 2:30 one this time. There were SO MANY people though! With everyone watching the parade it would've been a great time to catch a few rides. Mental note for next time!

This is the wicked step-mother from Cinderella. I loved her costume!

Loved this little group of musicians outside Disney's fire dept.

After the parade we took a mid-day break with some Jamba Juice back at the hotel (how cool is that bunk bed with a trundle? All 3 kids had their own bed!)

We had dinner and Emily had a bath then we headed back out for the 10pm fireworks show. Emily fell asleep before they even started. SO thankful that we had this stroller! Thanks to my sweet friend Pam for letting us borrow it! It was raining again, and we thought they might cancel the fireworks again, but they didn't! Got to use our trusty ponchos, wish I'd gotten pics of us in them!

I tried to take pics of the fireworks, but it just didn't work. After the show, the boys really wanted to ride the train that goes around the park. Tripp took Emily back to the hotel and put her to bed, while the boys and I rode the train. I took this pic of the Tower of Terror, you could see it from the train platform

Casey should've gone back to the hotel with Tripp and Emily, he was exhausted! He was sitting on this bench while we waited for the train, between 2 strangers and was doing the head-bob thing. I thought he would end up asleep on one of their shoulders!

We got on the train and he went right back to sleep!

Ryan was a trooper, stayed awake the whole time! After the train ride, we decided to try to ride the Indiana Jones ride, since I hadn't done it and really wanted to! But the line, at 10pm, mind you, was an hour long! So we headed back to the hotel for bed. We knew we would be back bright and early the next morning for our last day! On the way back to the hotel, we ran into some friends from Vancouver! Nick and Kristi Rogers. What are the odds? They had driven about 17 hours and had just arrived. We chatted for a few minutes and planned to meet up tomorrow.

Day 4:

We used our Magical Morning early entrance pass again and arrived at the park around 7am. I'd been wanting a pic out front of the Disneyland Fire Dept. for the past 3 days! Tripp finally appeased me and here we are (again, trying his patience!)

We had been told that we couldn't leave without going on Star Tours. I didn't know what to expect and wasn't all that excited to go on it, but it really was a very cool ride! Kind of like Soarin' Over California, but in 3D! It was one of my favorites!

Since we didn't get on Indiana the previous night, the boys and I rode it this morning. While we did that, Tripp took Emily on Pirates of the Caribbean. We finished the ride and I texted Tripp to see where he was. He said that they were stuck on Pirates near the part where the "take a wench for a bride" is. The ride had broken and they were waiting for it to be fixed. They ended up being stuck there for about 40 minutes! Finally some employees and firefighters pushed the boats together and helped people climb through the boats until they got to an area where there is a secret door. They were escorted through all this back area and then given 3 vouchers to use as fast passes on any ride at Disney or California. The boys and I finally met back up with them and decided to do Big Thunder Mt. Railroad.

We had to check out of the hotel by 11am so we headed back to get packed up, planning on hitting a few more rides before heading home.

A panoramic view from our hotel room

After we checked out, we went back to California Adventure and rode some rides that had been shut down because of the wind when we were there before. Ryan and Emily really wanted to ride Tower of Terror again. It was getting close to us needing to get going so Tripp told Ryan that if the wait at Tower of Terror was 20 minutes or less that they could ride it. When we got to the ride the wait time said, exactly 20 minutes! So they headed in and as soon as they got through the gates the wait time switched to to 25 minutes! I texted Tripp and told him to tell Ryan he is a lucky duck! I would've ridden Tower of Terror again if Casey was willing, but he wasn't so he and I watched the Monsters, Inc. show instead.

We headed back to Disneyland, met up with the Rogers (wish I had a picture of that!) and then did our very last ride. It was, as I mentioned earlier, our family favorite ride: Space Mountain! Thankful for the fast pass vouchers given to Tripp and Emily from their Pirates of the Caribbean experience! That allowed us to bypass a really long line! We decided to all make a funny face when it took our picture! We'd ridden it so many times that we all knew right where it takes it!

This gift was the most amazing experience we've had as a family! So many memories were made, we'll never forget it! There are no words for the gratitude we feel towards Dad and Karen for this unbelievable gift!! We love you guys!

THANK YOU !!