The Best Signs from the Disney Princess Half Marathon

I have to say I love all of the people that come out to cheer us runners on at the Princess Half Marathon. There were so many great ones, I unfortunately did not get photos of them, but here's what they said, in no particular order:

"Just Keep Swimming" Complete with a photo of Dory from Finding Nemo

"Left Slipper, Right Slipper!" With decorate Flip Flops

"I May Be a Complete Stranger, But I'm Proud of You!" -definite favorite!

"Run like you stole something!"

Those are the only ones I can remember, and they were awesome. Thank you to all of the total and complete strangers that came out and cheered for us as we ran. You all are awesome!

Princess Half Marathon 2012

Today was the Princess Half Marathon at Disney World! I was so glad my sister and cousin were here to participate in it with me.


Cathy and I pretty much did the race together, Debbie actually finished just around an hour ahead of us. Cathy and I definitely had a lot of laughs, like when I almost became a thong when this woman stopped and bent over in front of me. Or when the guy dressed up as Tinker Bell was harassing his (I'm assuming girlfriend) running partner who was dressed like Peter Pan. Or the woman who was going to find out who she could complain to because Jack Sparrow was not at mile 10. Or the fact that they were playing "What a Man" by Salt N Peppa by all the princes. Or the fact that when we ran by the men from Richard Petty Driving Experience the woman behind us yelled "Dammmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnn!"Or the fact that they had an entire accordion ensemble playing Beer Barrel Polka. It was awesome.

Cathy finished in 3:23:13 and somehow (even though I was right next to her) I finished in 3:23:15. She says she threw her chest forward, therefore beating me by 2 seconds. I'm just glad I beat my time from last year, which was 3:29:59.

I'll have more photo's from Cathy's visit later in the week, but I wanted to share some moments from our day. Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

The Rules of Inheritance

I was able to read The Rules of Inheritance, a memoir by Claire Bidwell Smith, as a part of BlogHer's Book Club. Bidwell Smith's parents are both diagnosed with cancer at the age of 14, and the book follows her as she struggles through the different stages of grief.

At first it took me a while to enjoy the fact that the book was not written in chronological order, rather it is broken into sections that seem to mirror each other at different stages of her life. For example, at one moment she is writing to you about when she was 18 and the next she is talking about her middle twenties. I cannot think of another way that this book could have been written, I feel that it had to in this manner to totally convey the message. You had to understand what it was like for her at each age and stage of her life. It was also obvious that you could see how each decision would influence the next stage of her life.

I often had to remind myself that this was a work of nonfiction and that all of these events actually happened. The book is very honest and at moments, totally and completely raw. When you're reading it you can almost see yourself sitting with Claire and listening to her tell you these stories.

I most related to Bidwell Smith when she was discussing the toxic relationship she was in during her early 20's. Often when reading about this relationship I found myself nodding and thinking "Oh I've been there" or "Yup, that's what it felt like".

In my opinion, this is a must read. Even if you haven't dealt with the kind of grief she has, you will find something to relate to in her story. If anything, this book will teach you to cherish the moments you have with the ones you love, and to appreciate the times you could just call them for whatever silly question you had.

Be sure to head over to BlogHer to see more of the discussions on The Rules of Inheritance, and join in the discussions!

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

It's the Final Countdown

(are you singing that song in your head now?)

One week from today my sister, cousin, and I will be finished with our half marathon. Hollar! I wrote a whole post about us, you can refresh your memory about it over here.

I'm not going to lie, I'm more excited about the race being over than running it. Nerves are already setting in for sure. Plus, I mean, there are things I didn't really train for, like:

Out running zombies....

*Scott and my sister are obsessed with Walking Dead, so apparently I need to learn to outrun zombies*

And alligators....

And chasing down Captain Jack Sparrow....



Apparently though all of these require running in a zig zag pattern, who knew?

Can't wait to cross the finish ladies!

Thanksgiving Thursday

For those of you that don't know what Thanksgiving Thursday is, it is the one time during the week where you stop and basically count your blessings. Even if you've had one of those weeks, I promise you can find at least one thing to be thankful for, no matter how big or small.

This week I am thankful for:

• Scott and his thoughtful Valentine's Day presents. I would share what he gave me, but it won't transfer to html as nicely as I would like it to. I kind of like that though because then it's just for me (no offense).

• Aaron's extra hugs and kisses this week, I definitely needed them.
  

• Jill and the time we have, just the two of us, first thing in the morning. I hope when she's older she remembers these mornings together.

• My MOM making it through her second knee replacement!
  

• KT Tape, you are a lifesaver for my ankle!

• It almost being race time! Can't wait to cross the finish with my cousin and sister!

What are you thankful for this week?

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I love homemade pizza and had an idea to make one of our favorites, BBQ chicken. This was so incredibly easy and insanely delicious.


Here's what you need:

• Pizza dough (I used Publix's Italian Pizza Dough, found in the bakery)
• BBQ sauce
• Diced Chicken (I used the grilled chicken that you would use for a salad, it was Oscar Mayer)
• Cheese (I used Triple Cheddar from Kraft, soooo good)

What to do:

• Roll out your dough and spread it to fit your pizza pan/stone
• The amount of BBQ sauce is really up to you, that's why I didn't put an amount. I made a swirl with the sauce, spread it out, and then decided whether or not I wanted more. It's totally up to you.
• Sprinkle on the diced chicken
• Sprinkle on the cheese. Again, the amount of cheese is up to you. If you love cheese, like I do, you'll probably use the whole package.
• Bake according to your doughs instructions
• Slice and enjoy!

This pizza was even better the next day. I think this is a new staple in our house!

Way back When-esday

I have to admit, I did love going through all of the old photos of the kiddos last week, so I'm playing Way back When-esday again this week. (Did you just hear Lorren squeal with excitement?).


Dateline: February 2010
Age: 21 months

Ahhhh this photo is so cute! The kids used to love sitting and rocking in the glider in their room (so much so that it had to be removed before they went through the window). I love everything about this photo. I love that they are sitting together, that Aaron is "reading" the story, that Jill is acting it out, and that Aaron has on his sneakers (he was obsessed with them at this age and had to wear them all the time).

Play along with Cheryl at Twinfatuation!