Sunrises and Paintings

Hello, last day of September! Where’s the Fall weather? I need it, pronto!

Cool temps would have been nice for Saturday’s run but oh well…it was a good run despite the humidity!

After meeting up with my running group on Saturday morning, I began a solo 8 mile run (sounds funny, doesn’t it? We don’t all actually run together…). My friend Heather was on vacation, so I ran this one alone and let me tell you – I had ZERO motivation to get out of bed on Saturday morning! It’s so much easier when I know someone is waiting on me! Despite my reluctance, I was so glad I made it – the sunrise on the lake was incredible…one of the prettiest I’ve seen!

I could have taken pictures all day, but I finally pulled myself away and continued on my run.

My knee began to bother me somewhere around mile 5, so I slowed my pace down and carried on. I really really need to work on consistent foam rolling this week because I have a 12 mile training run for Wine & Dine on Saturday! I finished all 8 miles without pushing it…thankfully the knee cooperated, too!

Afterwards, I stopped at Panera for my favorite Hazelnut coffee – it was super delicious as always!

On Saturday night, my friend Kim and I headed over to Painting with a Twist for a little girls night fun! She’s never been, I’ve been twice (here and here).

For this class, we were directed to a room I’d never seen – the “party room”. It was much smaller of a room and a smaller group of people than last time, so I felt more comfortable with it all.

Each canvas included an outline of a fleur-de-lis and a palette of colors.

Like my apron? Nah nah nah nah nah nah…BAT MAN!

Concentration!

The Fleur-de-lis part of this picture wasn’t hard at all - neither was the background. I actually enjoyed shading everything in.

Then, we got to the Paisley part……oh the paisley. (face palm)

My poor palette was a mess by the time I finished!

Tah Dah! This did NOT look ANYTHING like the professionals “paisley” but hey…I guess that’s why they are professionals and I’m not! Actually, this reminds me of ancient Egyptian art. Whoops. I had the thought of taking it back and completely shading the fleur-de-lis in, but I’m going to think on it a bit more. 

All done!! It was fun to experience this class with my friend, we enjoyed it overall. Would I go again? I think so…but my painting collection is growing and I’m running out of space to hang them! :)

Have you been to a class similar to this one? What were your thoughts if so?

Wine & Dine Half Marathon Costume Inspiration

I LOVE this movie. For real, y’all…it’s one of my all-time favorite Disney movies! It was released in the summer of 2002 and I remember going to see it at the movie theater with a college friend. We both travelled to Hawaii for our senior trip two summers prior and loved anything and everything that had to do with Hawaii.

This movie has adorable characters, heart wrenching lines, and funny quotes. (I may or may not quote some of them…and annoy my husband while I’m at it…)

This one always gets me…

And this one…

It also has ELVIS, and Elvis music…and Stitch dressed like Elvis... Hello.

Growing up, I was surrounded by Elvis. He’s my dad’s favorite…so any inclusion of Elvis or Elvis songs in a movie makes me smile, cause it reminds me of my dad. :) Hawaii+Elvis=Favorite.

I was incredibly excited when I saw Lilo and Stitch out on the Princess Half Marathon course. I told Lilo that she was my favorite and in turn, I received lots of blown kisses as I continued on my way.

I’ve debated over my Wine & Dine Half Marathon costume for months. At first, I wasn’t going to wear anything special but I didn’t really like that idea at all. Lilo was an idea in my mind that I tossed around for a while but hadn’t settled on – I really couldn’t make up my mind. The decision officially came when I saw a facebook post from a friend of mine who ran as Lilo at the Disneyland Half Marathon last year – she was thinking about dressing as Stitch for Wine & Dine. I quickly text her and we both agreed to go for it…and we decided to meet and take pictures before the race too, of course!

I’m taking inspiration for my costume from the above “parks” Lilo and going from there. I am in LOVE with this tutu, but don’t really want to wear a tutu for this race. Isn’t this adorable, though?!

However, I AM taking inspiration from this tutu and we’ll see what non-tutu costume I come up with. (For the record, I have nothing against tutu’s – I’ve run in them before, I just don’t want to wear one for this race.)

The crazy part is, I only have a few weeks…what?! Where has the time gone? 40 days to be exact.

I already have the lei and I’m going to make a flower for my hair out of the red flowers from the colorful lei – now for the rest!

I. Can’t. Wait!

Do you work better under pressure or would you rather have a ton of time to execute your ideas? Are you wearing a costume for your next runDisney event?

Fitness Friday–9/26

Happy Friday! It’s almost October…and Fall weather has started rolling in! Eeekkk!

Currently training for:
Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon
Louisiana Half Marathon
Rock ‘n’ Roll NOLA Half Marathon
Glass Slipper Challenge

Saturday – 2 mile run in Dallas (Travelling)
Sunday – Rest Day 
Monday –  Cross Training with Weights – I was SO sore the following few days!
Tuesday –  4 mile run
Wednesday – Rest Day 
Thursday – Crossing Training with Weights 
Friday – 3 or 4 miles after work

This past weekend, I felt bad about missing my long run. The conference times weren’t conducive to a six + mile run so I missed it altogether. I did get out and run two quick miles around the outdoor track at the hotel, though! This weekend I’m going to get back on target and run 8 to 10 miles – I have 12 miles next weekend in preparation for Wine & Dine!! Yay!

Speaking of Wine & Dine, how funny is this shirt? I found it this week and decided to wear it for old times sake! This shirt was a gift from my husband in 2009 when I was training for my first Half Marathon at Disney World (the WDW Half in January of 2010). I loved the shirt so much, I continued to wear it while training for the Inaugural Wine & Dine Half that October (it was still 2010 so it worked)! It seemed fitting to wear, since this year is the 5 year anniversary! :)

I tried something new this week – a cross training plan found on Pinterest. Adding weights to the workout sounded like a good idea at the time…I’m pretty much an idiot. I could barely walk at work on Wednesday and I looked as if I had just run a marathon! Can we say hello squats and lunges? I see a lot of them in my near future. I kind of fell off that bandwagon from my normal routine, too. Whoops.

What motivates you to “get back on the bandwagon” after you’ve fallen off track? Do you have a favorite shirt or outfit you wear when training?

Seasons–Wordless Wednesday

Welcome to another Wordless Wednesday and this time, it’s mostly wordless (see, I’m learning)! Today’s Wordless Wednesday (Disney style) is hosted by Deb at Focused on the Magic!

Today’s theme is: Seasons

Here we go!

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

Want to participate in an upcoming Wordless Wednesday? Click on the button below for more details!

What’s your favorite Disney season?

2014 Relay for Life National Summit

This past weekend, Relay for Life Leadership from all over the nation came together in Dallas, Texas for a time of training and networking, with a little fun thrown in between!

What is Relay for Life, you might ask? Well, it’s not a race…nor a 5K…it’s an overnight event that was created to fight cancer. The idea behind Relay for Life began with the concept, “cancer never sleeps”. During a cancer journey, patients can’t escape the side effects and symptoms that their cancer brings to them – so for one night each year, teams all over the world gather together to relay. During each event, relayers celebrate survivors, remember those who have been lost to this disease, and fight back for future generations. Most Relay for Life events are held at a track and each team takes turns walking the track – the “relay” side is that each team should have one person walking the track throughout the entire event. Our hope is that we can finish the fight and end this terrible disease.

Ok…back to the conference! :)

The 2015 Summit was held at the Hilton Anatole in downtown Dallas.

This was a gorgeous hotel and I loved the lobby, complete with infinity pools!

The lobby was very pretty at night, too!

We arrived at Summit a little later than expected, so we headed straight for the conference and checked into our room a few hours later.

Throughout the Summit, we heard from inspiring speakers, survivors, and Relay for Life Hall of Famers – many tears were shed over the course of the weekend! Dr. Gordy Klatt, the founder of Relay for Life passed away in August from complications related to gastric cancer. We spent several moments over the weekend remembering his life and honoring the legacy he left behind.

On Friday and Saturday, we also broke into workshops where we shared and discussed ideas among each other. Networking was one of my favorite parts of Summit – I loved gaining fresh and new ideas from other top teams in the nation!

On Friday night, we participated in the Live broadcast of the Relay for Life 2015 Kick-off party – floor director and all!

After the broadcast, the party began! (An 80’s party, that is!)

Before long, Pac-Man Ghosts were running all over the room! No, really…those ghosts were the ACS Mid-South Division representatives! :) Aren’t we cute?

I loved the big hair, bright colors, and glow sticks…I even saw a Conga line break out!

On Saturday morning, I woke up early and made my way to the outdoor track for a quick 2 mile run.

I’ve never seen a “real” outdoor track at a hotel, and I loved it!

I also repped my ACS DetermiNation shirt during my run! :)

We celebrated Relay for Life’s 30th Birthday all weekend!

I had a fantastic time and enjoyed spending the weekend with good friends! I also really enjoyed Summit and hope to bring new ideas and ways to enhance our current Relay for Life event!

My name is Karen, I’m an Oncology Nurse, I’ve been relaying since 2007, and I’m proud to say that Relay is 30 years strong! Happy birthday, Relay for Life!

What’s the most exciting/favorite place you’ve ever visited for a conference?

September Pop Sugar Must Have Box

As a Popsugar Select Fitness Blogger, I’m occasionally given the opportunity to review their Must Have Boxes (which are mailed out on a monthly basis to subscribers).  Lucky for me, I was chosen as a receiver of Popsugar’s September Must Have Box and I’m super excited to share my thoughts with you!



Let’s dig in, shall we?



The first item out of the box were these Nicole Miller Stereo Earbuds.



As a runner, these earbuds were an exciting part of this box! I also love how they come with three ear-cap sizes!



Nicole Miller earbuds are a suggested retail of $20.



The second item included in the September Must Have Box was a tasty Almond Brownie from Urban Remedy. I indulged on this almond brownie last night on my way home and I really liked it! Urban Remedy uses 100% organic, quality ingredients in their products. Also included was a $10 gift card off a $50 or more purchase. 

This Urban Remedy brownie has a suggested retail of $6.



Perfect for a windy Fall day, the Superfine Purse Size Hair Spray from Oribe was a great addition to the September Box!  I used it over the weekend while out of town and I really liked the hold! As noted in the title, it’s a perfect purse-sized container and traveled well with me over the weekend!

The Oribe Hair Spray has a suggested retail of $21.50.



One of my favorites from this box was the Letter C Design Gold Foil Arrow Pencils. Don’t these remind you of the Hunger Games? (Check out the gold arrows at the top near the eraser! Adorable, yes?)

These pencils and other designs are valued at $5.



The Rifle Paper Co. included these Garance Dore Assorted Girls Notecards Set in September’s Box, too! The inside of these cards are blank, perfect for a sweet handwritten note to a bff!
These cards hold a suggested retail of $18.



The final item and my favorite from September’s Pop Sugar Must Have Box is this gorgeous Tilo Modal Graduation Scarf in Raisin. This scarf is SO soft and the colors are gorgeous – I can’t wait for a chilly day so I can wear this beautiful scarf around town! These scarves are hand-dyed and sold at Saks, Fred Segal, and Ron Herman.

Valued at $125, this was a great addition to a fabulous box! 

As a surprise addition, TWO Special Extras were included in this box!

Hello Ghirardelli, my favorite!



These Mini-Ghirardelli squares are perfect for snacking on the go or for a weekend party at home! I loved the flavor as well!
Last but not least, Nike included a $20 gift card towards the purchase of a Nike Pro Bra.



I was in desperate need of new white sports bra, so I followed the directions online for measuring and I received 1/2 off the price of the bra (it was $20 and this gift card was for $20 so there you go)!
The Nike Pro Bra collection features over 25 different sizes to give you the desired support for a perfect fit!

There you have it, my review of the September Pop Sugar Must Have Box!

Disclaimer: POPSUGAR provided me with a complimentary POPSUGAR Must Have box. The opinions I have shared about the box are my own and POPSUGAR did not tell me what to say or how to say it.