Glass Slipper Challenge Prep

Running-Race-BibsThe Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend kicks off in just 75 days.  This fall, my son, Joseph, has been my faithful training buddy – I’m seriously indebted to him!  Long run after long run, Joe’s been there for me all the way.  Every time I asked him to train for and run a race with me, he said yes.  We ran 5K’s a 10K and a half marathon – his first, on November 15th.  All to help me get ready for a special weekend in February – one that he will not be attending.  That alone has made me feel especially loved!  I’ve invited him to join me in 2017 and, of course, he said yes.

Today for the Friday Five, I thought I’d list my five favorite training necessities for…

Glass Slipper Challenge Prep

The Glass Slipper Challenge invites runners to complete both the Enchanted 10K and the Princess Half Marathon.  It comes with an extra medal – and a great sense of accomplishment.  You can read about my 2015 experience here (10K) and here (Half Marathon).

Here are my five most important training necessities:Running-Through-History

A Strong Support System – Joseph keeps me company and encourages me on long runs while Raymond gets us to our favorite route.  Every weekend, at least once (sometimes twice), we drive 45 minutes to the Vicksburg National Military Park to run while Raymond rides his bicycle.  We have no hills where we live (unless you count overpasses), but the park is extremely runner and cyclist-friendly while offering a variety of options for racking up hilly mileage.Running-Nike-Fans

The Right Shoes – I’m a Nike fan.  Over the years I’ve tried some other brands to consistently disappointing results.  I’ve had my gait analyzed to determine the best brand for me and…Nike!  I buy a whole size up and add my favorite Lynco orthotics.  No matter what brand of shoe you like the best, it’s super important that you have good footwear for training and racing.  Be sure to buy a new pair every 300-500 miles.  I keep a training log that helps me keep track of mileage – otherwise, I’d keep the same pair of shoes forever.Running-Age-Group-Award-Winners

Excellent Socks – The older I get, the more this matters.  I have more trouble with my feet than I do with any other running ailment.  I’m picky about my socks!  Hands down (LOL), my feet are much happier when I’m wearing my Balega Socks – I swear by these babies for all long runs and races.  I found them five years ago (Raymond bought me my first pair) and have been a huge fan ever since.Running-Age-Group-Awards-5K

A Training Plan – There are excellent plans for every race distance available free on the internet – find and follow one that’s right for you based on your level of running experience.  Having the proper base mileage is as important as building your weekly mileage gradually to avoid injury.  Pick a plan and stick with it!Running-Dirty-South-Half-Marathon

Happy Listening – There’s no way I could log all the necessary training miles without my favorite tunes and podcasts.  I typically start with a podcast episode or two then switch to music for the last third of my long runs.  I’m not sure how or why that works best for me, but it’s now part of my routine and I have to do it that way.  Sometimes Joseph and I ditch our ear buds and just listen to my iPhone out loud together.  which reminds me – get a good armband phone holder.

Your turn!  I’d love to hear about your must-have training items.  Also, if you’ve got any costume suggestions for me (I’m not into sparkly tutus or princess-y themes), I’d appreciate the help!

 

New Disney Ornaments!

Christmas-Disney-Ornaments-WrappedMaybe it’s been mentioned a time or two, but my favorite Disney collectibles have always been Christmas ornaments.  As souvenirs, I think they’re perfect, so I always make time to carefully select one or two (okay, sometimes more) on every Disney vacation.  This year presented two great opportunities – Walt Disney World in February and cruising on the Disney Magic in Norway in June.

New Disney Ornaments!

When we get home from a Disney trip, I have a tradition of sorts – I put my new ornaments in a drawer with our Disney pin collection so I’ll know right where to find them when it’s time to decorate our Christmas tree.  While the tree hasn’t yet gone up, I pulled my 2015 ornament stash out this evening to inspect our newest treasures and here’s what I found…Christmas-Ornament-Disney-2015

Clearly I didn’t have much time to shop in February!  I selected only three new additions to the collection from Disney’s Days of Christmas in Disney Springs.  The first was to commemorate the year – I love how Mickey’s wearing his sorcerer hat and holding up his Mickey ice cream bar.  I’m sure it was that Mickey bar that sold me on that ornament!  Christmas-Oswald-OrnamentThe second ornament was my favorite of the three – Oswald holding a wreath.  We’re big Oswald fans at our house.  Look at his little face…Isn’t he adorable?  Christmas-Hitchhiking-Ghosts-OrnamentFinally, to go with the Haunted Mansion singing bust ornament set I bought in 2014, I added the Hitchhiking Ghosts.  They’re awesome!

There are ornaments available for purchase aboard Disney cruise ships.  I know this because I’ve bought some in the past.  This cruise, though, I opted for souvenirs from Norway.  Bergen, Norway, to be precise.  When we took our walking tour of the city, our guide mentioned there was a Christmas store conveniently located between the end of the tour and our ship.  Easy, convenient, and irresistible!Christmas-shop-Bergen-Norway

Megan and I each decided Norwegian flag ornaments would be perfect mementos.  Christmas-Ornament-Norwegian-FlagI also found a tiny glass frog prince I couldn’t pass up.  Christmas-Frog-Prince-Ornament-from-NorwayFinally, we purchased a non-ornament.  We bought this funny little figurine.  Partial to pigs, this little pair was impossible to leave behind -so, while not Disney, they came home with us anyway.Christmas-Pig-Norway

Now, assembling the 9-foot tree, fluffing all the branches, making sure the lights are all on, and adding the many layers of decorations is going to be quite the project (as usual)!  I’m motivated, though, to get going, so our newest ornaments can find their place as part of our Disney Christmas collection.

Do you collect Disney Christmas ornaments?  Which are your favorites?  Please share pictures over on the Facebook page.

 

Christmas With a Hint of Disney

I’m getting a late start with Christmas decorating this year.  I’m not complaining, just stating a fact.  Raymond and I spent our first Thanksgiving without our offspring in Franklin, Tennessee with my family.  I missed the kids, sure, but I made the most of the completely amazing shopping opportunities to be found in this fantastically historic town south of Nashville.  While I was buying Christmas presents, I had two other things on my mind – Disney (it’s always on my mind) and holiday decorating.Christmas-Framed-Picture-Project

At my house, not everything has to be officially Disney to be Disney-esque to me.  Sometimes I like just a sprinkle of pixie dust, the mere hint of Disney will do.  While I was shopping for the people on my Christmas list, I came upon a couple of treasures – I was just checking out when I spied these amazing tiny greeting cards, but the line was so long, I couldn’t give up my place to look closer at what caught my eye.  After checking out I realized the potential of these little gems, but had to leave without them due to time constraints.  I couldn’t stop thinking about them and ended up making time to go back to get them the next day.Christmas-Frog-Prince

Greeting cards, they were, but subtle, adorable, and very well-done – not your run of the mill cards.  Two of them had that Disney-ish charm.  They were prints of a frog prince and a fork.  The first reminding me of Tiana and her Prince Naveen in The Princess and the Frog.  The second reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast’s Be Our Guest song – “No one’s gloomy or complaining while the flatware’s entertaining!” I had big plans for these small pictures!Christmas-Flatware-Picture-Project

Today at lunchtime, I struck out for my favorite craft store – boy oh, boy, was that place crowded!  I headed straight for the framing section to pick up some mats to make the little cards look more like pieces of art.  Then I made my way to the picture frames where, JOY! Everything was half-off.  After spending more time in line than I did shopping, I was out the door.Christmas-Framed-Picture-Project-Mat

As soon as supper was over, I put together my little works of art and officially have my first Christmas decorations of the year on display!  Cute, no?Christmas-Frog-Prince-Framed Christmas-Flatware-Framed-Picture

The cards by TokyoMilk can be found online here.

Have you started decorating?  What kinds of things remind you of Disney?