Tag: #disneysmm

Operation runDisney Marathon Weekend Surprise is Under Way

January 5, 2016

The flurry and scurrying around to pack and sneak my kids’ summer clothes, flip flops, swimming goggles and bathing suits took place last week while they were home from school.  Thankfully I was able to seclude myself in my room to do this while they were playing with their new Christmas toys. But the last two days to prepare for the actual departure was in full swing.

We are going to Disney for my WDW marathon weekend where I am running the Dopey Challenge and my mother is running her first Disney 5K and close friends of ours are running their first runDisney 10K!

On Sunday, as we were leaving the movie theater from seeing Star Wars the Force Awakens (AWESOME MOVIE), I saw a Facebook post that the Osborne Lights were being extended from January 3 to January 6th. Once I heard that I knew I HAD to do something to get the kids and my parents to Hollywood Studios that night to see the lights.  So we had to distract the kids so I could call Southwest and find out what options we had to move my husband and kids from their Thursday flight to my Wednesday flight.  Good news and bad news.  They could move to Wednesday for only $38 each; but I had to give up my 12:30 direct flight and we are all now flying down at 8:00 a.m. with a stop and change plans in BWI.  BLECH!  I HATE early flights!  Also since I will be getting up early 4 days in a row for the races, that was the last thing I wanted to do.  BUT it is for the sake of the JOY that I hope to see on my childrens’ and parents’ faces when they go through the Osborne Lights to see something like no other.

When I ran the Wine and Dine Half Half marathon one of the highlights of the race is that we can run through the Osborne Lights.  Diana and I spent and extra long time there because we knew it was going to be the last time we could see it.  But, she was on her trip with her family so she decided that the next night they were going to see the lights for sure.  When I flew home I was sad.  I wanted to find a way to fly our whole family down either for Thanksgiving or for a few days after Thanksgiving JUST so they could experience those lights.  Well, my wish is now going to come true!

The kids don’t know yet that we are going to Disney.  As usual, we like to pull it off as a surprise to them.  The notes have been sent to school and given to the bus driver.  Homework has been sent home and now we just have to get their butts into bed real soon because we will have to wake them up at 4:00 a.m. to begin the surprise vacation.  I know my daughter is on to me.  She reads my texts on my phone at times and saw some communication going on between my dad and I.  So I had to squash those questions and I think we may be able to pull this off.  It’s going to be different, waking them from their sleep to announce the news.  So stay tuned!

 

Dumbo Double Dare Donald Duck New Balance Sneakers!

August 30, 2015

 

source New Balance

source New Balance

I’m excited that Donald Duck is the character for the newest release of the NB runDisney special sneakers being released during Dumbo Double Dare Disneyland Half marathon weekend. Donald is my son’s favorite character and I know that they carry children sizes for these sneakers.

This model is the New Balance Boracay Fresh Foam, similar to the Tinkerbell model that was just released in may.  The sneakers will be sold for $140 at the runDisney Health and Fitness Expo.

Source New Balance

Source New Balance Love the hat tail like Donald’s hat coming off the back of the sneaker!

Source New Balance

Source New Balance

Source New Balance

Source New Balance

 

How do you get your hands on a pair of these?

You can wait in line at the New Balance booth at the expo, or to help minimize the wait you can sign up for the virtual queue at NBvirtualqueue.com using your bib number starting Thursday, September 3rd, at 6:00 AM PST.  The queue is also available on Friday and Saturday beginning at 6:00 AM PST.

The NBvirtualqueue.com will also provide you up to date information on inventory availability and updates throughout the weekend.

Check out all the latest releases of the special runDisney New Balance sneakers while you are at the expo as well!

Source New Balance

Source New Balance

 

 

When Did The Disney Magic Begin For You?

May 16, 2015

Something that I heard when I was attending the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was a question of “When did it begin for you?”  That question has been on my mind since I heard it.  I have been vacationing here in Walt Disney World for a little over a week and have been enjoying every minute here with my family.  We have done many of our favorite things, and have also tried some new things that we haven’t done yet.

So when did it begin for me?  When I was young, my best friend who lived next door went to Florida on vacation.  Her grandmother lived in Florida so when they went to visit her they went to Disney World.  I never understood what Disney World was, but it always sounded so interesting and magical and special.  She would go to this amazing place and come home with cute souvenirs.  I most envied her Mickey Mouse dangle earrings.  She did give them to me when we got older and I have to see if I still have them somewhere.

Then when I was 14 my parents said they were going to take us to Disney World!  They have friends in Lakeland, Florida so we were going to rent a car and drive to Florida and visit them, go to Daytona Beach, Universal and Disney World.  It is a fuzzy memory for me; but I’ll never forget the looong drive, the South Of The Border signs that seemed to appear for days, the sunburns, shopping for new clothes and brand new sneakers just prior to going away, and piling into the back seat of a car for the longest car ride of my life.

But it was worth it.  From what I can recall, I remember driving to the parking lot of Magic Kingdom and seeing the gates welcoming us to the Magic Kingdom park.  That now is still one of my favorite things to take a picture of during my marathon and half marathon races because it stems back to that time when I saw it for the first time as a kid. I also remember seeing the castle, walking down Main Street, the Barber Shop Quartet, the horse and carriage, the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Skyway Ride (gondolas in the back of the park), the lines in the roped off ques that zigged and zagged forever, the cinnamon rolls on Main Street and the smell coming from the bakery, and the building for Space Mountain stands out strong in my memory.  I also remember fondly the Electric Light Parade at night and standing on Main Street seeing these amazing floats going by all lit up and the music playing loudly throughout the park.  It was something I had never seen anywhere else before.

Fantasyland-Skyway

skyway

20kmk2_s

As I write this post and think hard of the memories, they are coming bac to me in bits and pieces.  Is that when it began for me?  Or is it when I started to come to the parks with my husband before we were married.  He and I began coming to the parks together in August of 1998.  We had a blast coming here together for the first time.  Then we made it a yearly tradition, and sometimes we came twice during a year for a long weekend getaway.  Each time we came we learned more and more about Disney and people would often ask us why we kept going to Disney.  They didn’t understand that each time you go there is always something different you can do or something new to see, or a restaurant to eat at that you haven’t gone to before, shopping to be had and much, much more!  The same holds true when you come here with your children. First, when they are younger, you do the children’s rides with them, they as they grow bigger you can do more of the thrill rides with them, you can take them to more restaurants and the water parks.  You can stay out later with them!

Then of course, my husband and I met with a wedding planner in 2001 and he secretly booked our wedding date after we left our meeting with them.  So then the magic continued as we had our wedding at the wedding chapel 13 years ago today, and our reception in Epcot at the French pavilion outside for the Illuminations show.  So when did it begin for me?  It may have been that time when I was 14 and saw the Magic Kingdom for my first time and got a taste of it.  Only to have more and more exposure each time we came.  I couldn’t get enough of it and I still can’t!  We have to leave this amazing vacation tomorrow and we will always be looking forward to the next return trip back.

When did it begin for you?

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