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Friday, May 30, 2014

Fitness Friday–5/30

TGIF!

FitnessFriday

Here’s how my week looked:

Saturday – 3 mile run around Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
Sunday – EPCOT day (lots of walking)
Monday –  Bridge and Boot Camp workout with the running group
Tuesday – Unexpected rest day (Niece’s1st b-day party right after work)
Wednesday – Rest Day (special event at church night I had to help set up for)
Thursday – Softball with Jason (now my arm HURTS…I’m getting old!)
Friday – Running after work

Saturday, I’m thinking I will try for 10 miles – it may turn into 8 though, we’ll see!

Leigha Turns One

On Monday night, we celebrated a 1st birthday with our niece, Leigha. she lives in Kansas so we don’t get to see her often. She sure is a cutie!

Softball

Last night, I picked this guy up for the first time in years. Jason and I threw the ball around for a while – he tossed grounders, fly balls, made me run for some, made me dive for a few…it was so much fun! I forgot how much I missed it. Talk about a workout, too! I was drenched by the time the sun disappeared! We’re definitely going to do that again sometime soon!

Silhouette Cameo

This arrived yesterday, my new toy! I’m so excited to figure out how to use it…hopefully this will help my scrapbooking by encouraging me to get caught up! Anyone have one? Are you a fan?

What’s on tap for your weekend? Hope you’re enjoying the beginnings of summer!!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Dining Options at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

Over the past few days, I’ve given a couple of recaps of our time spent at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort in Vero Beach, Florida.
Although we only stayed one night (I think two would have been perfect), we were able to see a good bit of the resort and dine at a few of their table side and quick service locations.
Here’s a recap – keep reading, the last one’s my favorite!

Shutters Character Breakfast at Vero Beach (4)

Our first dining stop was in the Green Cabin Room (now renamed the Wind & Waves Bar). This restaurant is located on the second floor and has a balcony that overlooks the ocean. Indoor and outdoor seating are both available – we chose outdoor.

Green Cabin Room at Vero Beach

On their site, Disney lists The Green Cabin Room (Wind & Waves Bar) as a Lounge. Even though the menu was small, we were all able to find food options to suit our needs.

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I can honestly say that this was the perfect start to our vacation – the sound of the waves and the ocean lapping at the shore…heaven.

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We enjoyed a late lunch with our friends!

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As a late lunch, Jason and I decided to split a burger and onion rings. It was all really good, especially the onion rings!

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Our next destination was to relax by the ocean and at the pool. Bleachers Bar & Grill (now renamed the Wind & Waves Market) serves a wide variety of options, but when I saw Pineapple Dole Whip on the menu, I was done!

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Bless you, Disney. Thank you for brining this popular treat to the Vacation Club at Vero Beach!

Bleachers Poolside at Vero Beach

…and it was in a waffle cone at that!

For dinner that evening, we chose to eat at Shutters (now renamed the Wind & Waves Grill).

Shutters Diner at Vero Beach

Shutters (Wind & Waves Grill) is a nautical themed restaurant that serves – you guessed it, seafood (and a few other options as well).

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The kitchen is open – it was fun watching the chef’s prepare the food!

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We began with cornbread and Mickey butter. :)

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I had the catch of the day topped with fresh lump crabmeat…

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Jason chose the “surf and turf”…shrimp and steak.

After dinner, we moseyed on over to the Campfire, where s’mores were being served.

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The Campfire/sing along begins at 8:30 p.m. and s’mores continue on until 9:30 p.m.

This is an “all you can eat”/free offering, so don’t miss it!

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We were told that the record for most s’mores consumed in one night was 28!! We definitely didn’t come close or even attempt to beat that one!

Smores Campfire at Vero Beach

When you arrive, the Cast Members hand you a marshmallow roasting device and two marshmallows. After roasting, you return to the cast member who then gives you two pieces of graham cracker and two squares of chocolate – instant s’more!

For breakfast the following morning, we dined at Shutters (yes, again)…but this time was something special! Goofy’s Beachfront Breakfast with Donald and Goofy is a must-do at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort!

Please note: since the time of publishing this post, Goofy's Beachfront Breakfast has moved locations to "Seagrape" which is located next door to the Wind & Waves Grill. 

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When I initially began my research on this dining experience, I couldn’t find much information on the web. In my head, I compared it to a character dining experience at the parks and assumed the price would reflect the same.

Imagine my surprise when we arrived and saw the menu – this dining experience is all-you-care-to-eat family style, plus characters, and is priced at $16.99 per adult and $10.99 per child. You cannot beat that anywhere!

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I was just a little too excited about the plates…what can I say, I’m a kid at heart!

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For starters, we began with cinnamon rolls/assorted pastries and fruit.

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Goofy stopped by our table first…

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…followed shortly thereafter by Donald.

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We also each received an autograph page when we arrived at the restaurant for the characters to sign.

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Breakfast soon arrived with a  platter full of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and of course…Mickey Waffles!!

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Guys, this restaurant and dining experience was one of my favorites. The restaurant was not busy and neither were the characters. We had quite a few hilarious interactions with Donald who also involved the Chef…it was a riot!

Shutters Character Breakfast at Vero Beach

As we were leaving, we waved goodbye to Goofy who had taken over the podium in front of the restaurant!

Here’s my final thoughts about dining at Disney’s Vero Beach:

The first thing I noticed about the resort is how laid back everyone seemed. No one was in a rush for anything, and that included food as well. I’m definitely not complaining, it was just something we had to get used to. With our fast paced lives and at the parks, everything is fast fast fast….sit, eat fast, get out quick so you can enjoy more of the parks. At Vero Beach, it took a little while before we received our drinks…then same for ordering…and same for receiving our food. This resort seriously forces you to relax. Aft first I thought, “Goodness, this is slow”…but then I realized I had NOTHING else to do! Why rush if you aren’t in a hurry? This laid-back theme/feel carried on through all of our dining experiences…and we loved it!

There’s my final recap on Disney’s Vero Beach! I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of Disney’s little piece of heaven on the East Coast! If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them! My email address can be found at the top sidebar, or leave them in a comment below. Have a wonderful day!

What’s your favorite Disney dining experience? Tell me what made you enjoy the experience so much.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Running at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

Over the weekend, my husband a few friends of ours visited Vero Beach, Florida and spent a night at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.

As per my usual Saturday morning routine, I woke up early and went for a run around the resort. I love running in new places and seeing new things…I’ve found that running through and around a resort is a great way to see all a resort has to offer!

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Our first stop was a the front desk to ask if the resort offered a jogging path/track.

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We were given this map by the front desk attendant and were told that there’s no “official” jogging path (hello, New Balance!), but we could take a tunnel to cross the street (more on that in a sec) and run around the lake. She also explained that’ there’s a seven mile loop down a dirt rode (hence the box with an arrow in the above diagram). We were looking to run 3-4 miles, so we decided to run around the resort instead of taking the 7 mile loop.

Running at Disney's Vero Beach Resort

One of my favorite Vero Beach landmarks. :)

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My running buddy for the morning…

We began our run around the resort, then decided to cross the street and run around the lake.

As a safety measure, Vero Beach Resort offers a way to cross the busy street in front of the resort without actually crossing the street itself – it’s a tunnel that goes beneath the road!

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The tunnel is filled with Peter Pan characters and plays the Peter Pan soundtrack on a continuous loop. Adorable.

I might have run through the tunnel with my arms stretched out singing “You can fly…you can fly…you can flyyyyy…” Yeah, I did.

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Why would you want to cross the road? Well, there’s a beautiful lake across the street as well as a nature trail, gaming courts (basketball, volleyball, etc), and lots of fun things to see!

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We followed several paths around the lake and discovered an activities hut and a nature trail!

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Our run around the resort turned into a part trail run!

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After running around the lake, we crossed back through the tunnel and ran around the resort a bit more…

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The grounds of this resort are just gorgeous…and shaded which was perfect for a warm and humid morning in May!

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I even captured this sweet bunny as part of the Summer Run Hunt from Fairytales and Fitness!

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In the back corner of the resort is an additional access to the beach. It’s also located next to a restroom and water fountains which was perfectly placed for us!

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Last but not least, we finished our run on the sidewalk that ran in front of the resort. In order to reach our mileage, we ran all the way down the sidewalk until it ended. As we returned to the resort, we finished our run right at 3 miles.

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I loved running around Disney’s Vero Beach Resort – it was a great way to explore the resort and see things I wouldn’t have seen otherwise!

If you’re interested in working out or running on a treadmill, the resort also offers 24 hour access to the Anchors A-weigh (cute, huh?) Fitness Center.

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Do you like to run or workout on vacation? Do you prefer the resort gym or running outside?

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

Happy Tuesday, y’all! I hope everyone enjoyed their long Memorial Day Weekend!

We returned home last night from a fun filled weekend split between Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, a day visit to St. Augustine, and a little time at EPCOT! Thanks so much for all of your great advice on things to do in Vero & St. Augustine! We looked into several of your suggestions and really enjoyed them!

I brought along my camera (of course), so first thing’s first – here’s a glimpse of Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

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Although this is a Disney Vacation Club Resort, we are not DVC owners and were able to stay here at a set price per night.

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The Peter Pan theme carried on throughout a few parts of this resort. It was adorable!

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The lobby was beautiful!

Disney's Vero Beach Resort

This resort was built 19 years ago – the “retro” Mickey (visible at check in) made me smile!

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Disney’s Vero Beach Resort has a parking garage located below the resort for guest parking.

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Upon check-in, guests receive a packet full of information about the resort, a times guide with activities for the week, and a map of the surrounding area.

We booked a Deluxe Studio with 2 Queen beds and a kitchenette.

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A duck and an elephant in a canoe? We thought it was cute…

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The shower curtain included a few favorites from Finding Nemo such as Crush, Squirt, Nemo, and Dory!

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Loved the view from our 4th floor room!

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In the lobby, there’s also a gift shop (it IS Disney after all)!

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The entrance to the Spa

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We loved the subtle hidden mickey in the lobby rug!

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After lunch, the boys left to go fishing and the girls made our way down to the beach.

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It’s crazy to me that until this point, I’d never visited a beach on the East Coast…even after all my trips to Florida!

After walking along the beach, we made our way to the pool area.

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At the pool, a board was on display with a list of activities for the day. Along with these activities, Vero also has a few “extra’s” – there’s tennis/basketball courts across the street, an archery area, a nature trail, mini-golf, you could even rent bikes and ride them around the resort if you desired to do so!

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This slide was so much fun!

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The Hot Tub was super relaxing, too!

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Mini Golf anyone?

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Beautiful flowers were located throughout the resort.

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Disney’s Vero Beach Resort is unlike any other Disney resort I’ve visited. The laid back feel of the resort forces you to sit back and truly relax. No one’s in a hurry, no one’s rushing around trying to get to a theme park – it truly is a Disney experience unlike any other. That’s the other thing, I knew I was a Disney resort, but I didn’t feel as if it were overpoweringly Disney. They also have everything you could possibly need (well, almost) on property, including several dining options (more on that later).  Even though it was a holiday weekend, I didn’t feel as if the resort was over crowded or that there were too many people around. It was a complete change of pace from any other Disney experience, and I loved it!

If you are looking for a nice relaxing weekend getaway, I think you would love Vero. We didn’t get to visit the town itself, but I heard it’s charming as well. I feel as if we only skimmed the surface of all this resort has to offer since we stayed only one night.

I truly enjoyed my visit to Disney’s Vero Beach Resort and plan on visiting again in the future! Hilton Head is another resort I would love to visit for a weekend…oh yes, and Aulani but now I’m getting ahead of myself…

Stay tuned for recaps of running & dining at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort!

Have you ever spent a weekend at the beach where you were forced to relax?