With all of the craziness and stress going on in the world right now, let's pause and take a few minutes to enjoy a little Disney escape, shall we?
For starters, several resorts throughout Walt Disney property offer a fun run of some sort during the week. Saratoga Springs just so happens to offer their "Derby Dash" on Thursday mornings at 8 a.m. The cost is $15 and the distance is approximately 1.44 miles. The offerings with these runs are also different for each event, so check them out if you're interested. I've participated in one other resort fun run besides this one, and it was the Beignet Dash at Port Orleans French Quarter.
During our recent Princess Half Marathon vacation, we stayed at Saratoga Springs. This was our first time to stay at this resort and to be honest, I completely forgot that they offered a fun run during the week. Also, I heard through the grapevine that these fun runs were not operational during runDisney weekends, so I never even thought twice about it. Note to self: The Derby Dash does take place on "runDisney weekends" and I don't think a Thursday is considered a "weekend" for them.
The evening before the fun run, we received a voicemail to the phone in our room, "reminding" us of the Derby Dash the following day. Although I wasn't mentally prepared to run it, I had everything I needed (this was a runDisney trip, after all) and I'm never one to pass up an opportunity like this, so I set my alarm and planned on running it the following day! I figured since I was already physically there and I had no idea if I'd have this opportunity again, I might as well run it!
The race began at the Community Hall which was super easy to find. It was quite a bit of a hike from our room (about a 12 minute walk), but I made sure to leave in plenty of time.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and in order to register, you must see a cast member inside of the Community Hall. You can pay with your magic band if it's connected to a credit card which makes things super easy.
Saratoga Springs has the perfect layout for this race because the grounds of this resort are HUGE.We didn't even see the entire resort during our 1.4 mile run which is crazy to me!
At exactly 8 a.m., and with a quick "Call to Post" (a super cute touch), we were off!
This course was adequately marked and I never felt like I could have gotten lost. It was a fabulous way to see the layout of the resort, too!
My favorite part of this course was the running portion that took us by Disney Springs. It was so quiet and peaceful in the morning, too.
Almost done!
After crossing the finish line, each runner received a medal. There was also a table with water bottles, wash cloths, granola bars, bananas, and oranges.
I was so happy I decided to participate in this race! It was a very good way to see the resort, a nice shakeout run before the upcoming Fairy Tale Challenge, and I got "unexpected bling" out of the whole deal!
If you're on the fence about running this, I think you should. This race was a nice way to get a little "touch" of runDisney, especially if you happen to be there on a non-runDisney trip. It was also a great way to kick start the day!
Have you ever run a resort fun run at Walt Disney World? If so, which one and what did you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Hello, happy Monday, and welcome to the Coronavirus diaries day 1! Kidding...
But seriously, who has spent the past week looking for "out of the box" fun things to do with your kiddos while you're home together for this extended period of time? Well, if you're a Disney fan who loves the beignets over at Port Orleans French Quarter at Walt Disney World (or Cafe du Monde in New Orleans), and you own an air fryer, look no further!
As a full disclaimer, although this recipe was good and we all enjoyed these beignets, they don't taste *exactly like the ones you'd find in New Orleans or at the French Quarter resort, but they are a fun, at home substitution!
During this experiment, I tested out two recipes - one that did not include active dry yeast and one that did include active dry yeast. In the end, although the one that included the yeast took longer to prep, it was definitely the better of the two recipes. The one without yeast was incredibly sticky and too cake-like. So, moral of the story - if you're making these beignets and want a decent tasting recipe, go with the yeast!
After prepping the dough (including rising time) Brayden and I set to work on cutting out Mickey shapes!
We used an air fryer for this experiment because I've never actually deep fried anything (like, ever) and was kind of scared of burning the house down!
I will say, although I love the option of using an air fryer, these beignets weren't as light and fluffy as they would have been had we deep fried them. Don't get me wrong, they were very good, but not Cafe du Monde perfect.
Look how precious they turned out, though!
Jason and I enjoyed this little touch of our two favorite places (Disney and New Orleans) with a cup of coffee for breakfast! Brayden loved them too, and he even asked for a second serving!
Mickey Shaped Beigents (with an Air Fryer)
Adapted from: The Blue Jean Chef
Ingredients:
Yeast mixture:
3/4 cup of warm water
1/8 tsp of sugar
1/2 envelope of active dry yeast (about 1 tsp)
Dough mixture:
1/4 cup of sugar
4 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter - room temperature
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1/3 cup of almond milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
Directions:
Combine lukewarm water, 1/8 tsp of sugar, and yeast in a bowl to let proof for five minutes. Make sure your yeast mixture makes a froth at the top before using it. If not, check the expiration date on the packaging and start again.
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, butter, and sugar and combine.
Add the egg, milk, and yeast mixture to the bowl and stir until mixture forms into a sticky ball.
Knead the yeast for a few minutes (about 5 minutes or so).
Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap to let it rise for at least 2 hours. You may refrigerate overnight if needed, but make sure dough is at room temperature before proceeding.
Once the dough has risen, roll the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch with a rolling pin or cup. Use a Mickey cookie cutter (or any shape you like) to cut out dough.
Brush the beignet shapes on both sides with melted butter.
Air fry in batches at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes.
Once the fryer is finished, transfer beignets to a bowl and cover with powdered sugar.
Serve and enjoy!
If you prefer to deep fry these, you can! Make sure to use vegetable oil and have it at a heat of 370 degrees F. Fry until golden brown on both sides, transfer to a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle (our pour) over with powdered sugar and serve!
A faster option to making these beignets is to purchase the Cafe du Monde mix itself. Since we are in the middle of this craziness and I was trying to limit my social interactions as much as possible, I opted for making my own at home vs making a trip to the grocery store.
If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments below! I hope you enjoy as much as we did! :)
Hi there! Long time, no blog. I promise I have a good reason, stay tuned to find out!
Jason's hospital journey began on the day we were leaving Walt Disney World. It was a Tuesday and he woke up with a pins and needles feeling in his fingertips and toes. Jason thought he slept funny or something random, so he didn't mention it to me. (We realize now how big of a mistake that could have been, but in this situation it was ok.) After arriving home that day, we unpacked and attempted to return to the groove of things. It was that evening when Jason told me about his symptoms. I was concerned (of course) but didn't want to panic so I told him if it worsened, I would take him to the ER. Honestly, the fact that it was his bilateral hands and feet threw me for a loop. I'm an oncology nurse so that didn't ring "tumor" in my head and I just didn't know what to think. (Let's be honest here - because oncology is my specialty, every time one of my family members or myself have a symptom, the first thing going through in my mind is oncology symptoms!)
The next day was Wednesday and Jason said everything felt exactly the same. We were both so confused about what was going on and again, I told him if it worsened we would head to the ER.
Enter Thursday morning, the day everything changed. Jason woke up and was incredibly wobbly on his feet. I was still home, thankfully and hadn't yet left for work. He also said that the "pins and needles" feeling had increased to the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet. True to my word, we headed to the ER at the hospital where I work.
We spent a total of 11 hours in the ER between Jason being poked, scanned, and examined. He had blood work, CT scans, a lumbar puncture, and MRI's and after the ER provider spoke with the neurologist on call, they decided to admit Jason to the hospital for two nights at minimum. Their fear was that he might have a rapidly progressing syndrome called Guillain Barre. It's rare, they don't really know why it happens to some people and not to others, and it can cause respiratory paralysis. In short form, they basically told Jason that if GB is what he had, he was likely exposed to a virus somewhere and his body turned on itself and started attacking his peripheral nerves. Thankfully, his version of GB was caught super early and never progressed beyond his hands and feet.
Over the course of his hospital stay, he was blasted with crazy does of IV steroids. The neurologist on call did a full exam and told Jason he would be fine "in time". Because we were dealing with nerves, who knew how long "in time" would be. On Saturday of that same week, after two nights in the hospital, Jason was discharged home, still feeling the exact same way he was when he arrived and the providers were pretty much shaking their heads because all of his testing returned normal. His physical symptoms in his hands and feet were there as well as a lack of reflexes (super weird) and difficulty walking up and down stairs (think spaghetti legs here).
We also didn't feel the need to just sit in the hospital when there wasn't anything anyone else could do. Instead, I began researching additional provider options. You see, the neurologist Jason saw in the hospital was very good, but it's near impossible to get an appointment at his office due to the crazy amount of patients he sees. I knew our next course of action needed to be an out of town neurologist, so I began to dig.
I believe that some things happen for a reason and I do believe our paths cross with others at certain times for a reason, too. So, as we were leaving the hospital on a Saturday, I randomly happened to bump into my physical therapist who was just returning to her car from a run. She shouldn't have been around work that day and neither should I but there we were. When I explained what was going on with Jason, she asked if I'd looked into the Neuromedical Center in Baton Rouge. At the time I had not, so that's where I began my focus. Around here, people tend to point to Houston for any and every medical problem and that's great for some things - but I just didn't have a peace about Houston. As a nurse, I know that following your gut feeling is important and Baton Rouge was where my gut feeling was leading me. Along this journey, I also had two additional confirmations about the Neuromedical Center in Baton Rouge, so I knew I had made the right call.
Once home from the hospital, I specifically asked on facebook for prayer for a quick appointment and you wouldn't believe how shocked I was when I called on Monday morning and was offered an appointment for Wednesday afternoon of the SAME week. During our appointment, I was discussing Jason's case with the neurologist and he asked why we traveled so far to see him. (It's literally 2 hour trip there.) When I explained about our situation with the home neurologist, the Baton Rouge one said "we're not much better here!" I told him I had literally called two days ago to make the appointment and his response was, "well, sometimes things just open up!" WOW.
By the way, the Neuromedical Center is HUGE. It's literally like the same size of the hospital I work in and they see neurology alone! Wow!
After a lengthy discussion and evaluation from the Baton Rouge neurologist, Jason was diagnosed with something called AIDP (acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy) which is essentially Guillain Barre. Currently scheduled are appointments for a nerve conduction study as well as physical therapy with the PT who recommended the Neruomedical Center in the first place! He was also told that this will be a "wait and see" game, so that's what we are doing. Waiting, seeing, and praying! Since all of this, the tingling/pins and needles feeling has changed and now Jason feels a tightness or pressure type feeling in both hands and both feet. Also, normal functioning and sensation has returned to three of his fingers, but he still has a bit of a ways to go. Nerve endings can be slow to regenerate and that’s the place we are in right now.
Throughout all of this, our family, friends, and church family have been phenomenal. Jason had so many visitors while in the hospital, people offering to bring us food, flowers, even a deck of cards! Our church sent a bouquet of flowers that were purple and yellow for the LSU Tigers and after they were delivered, our children's pastor and his daughter (also our friends) arrived with a yellow LSU tiger balloon animal (complete with lumbar puncture wound on his back)! Funny thing is, they had no idea that what type of bouquet had just been delivered!
Even though we have walked through some deep waters with all of this, I have literally felt God's had on it all. We are believing for a full 100% recovery so life can return to normal around here.
What a way to return home from vacation, huh? Jason says we probably shouldn't vacation to Disney anymore...and I just think he's crazy! (He's joking, of course!)
If you guys could keep us in your prayers when you think about it, that would be wonderful! We appreciate all of the prayer that has gone up on Jason's behalf so far and we definitely feel the love. God bless!
