5th Place.... I'll Take It!

Last weekend Joe and I participated in the Scavenger Dash, a scavenger hunt that gives you a set of clues and takes you around town. The race started at noon and I had worked the night before. I was beyond tired. Joe had signed us up for the race awhile back, so I knew I had to do it. I am happy that I did!

We arrived at a local bar to go over the rules and get our first clue. People were dressed up in costumes and having a good time. We didn't dress up because I didn't find out that we should dress up until last minute. So we decided to wear our winning Syracuse shirts. I figured that the shirt must be good luck! The best costume was a Sharknado homemade costume. There were over 100 teams.

After we received instruction on the rules, the first clue was given. Everyone ran outside and scattered. Since Joe and I are not from the area, we did a ton of googling and eventually found the first location. Upon arrival we were given a sheet with 12 clues. We sat on the side of the street and solved as many of the clues as we could. We also planned our route. We were able to solve most clues without any help, but we did use our phone a friend to solve the clue that used morse code. There was everything from binary to mixed up letters.

The clues took us to a yoga studio in town were we had to do our best yoga poses. We went with plank for Joe and downward facing dog for me. An art exhibit of giant butterflies, that I had to feed. We had to find 2 strangers and do the Heisman Trophy pose. Find a park, then I had to guide Joe through a "battlefield of mines" while he was blindfolded. Make a crime scene outline out of anything we could find, we chose sticks. Find a giant bench in a park, I think it was another art exhibit (we didn't have much time to read). Find a special flower in a local neighborhood garden. Find a statue of a snowman and mock him. Find a statue of a family of four. 

We finished the race in just under 2 hours and we were the 5th team to finish! The 4th team that finished didn't really finish all of the clues, but we will stick with 5th place for now. Even though I was extremely tired, it was a fun experience. It tested our ability to work as a team and communicate. There were plenty of times that I yelled advised Joe to do things a different way and for the most part he listened. :) Maybe with some more sleep and better team work we can do better next time, but I'll take the 5th place! 

Have you ever done a scavenger hunt race before?

How do you think you would do on a team with your significant other?

  

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Weekend Update

Its been awhile since I have posted a weekend update, so why not post it... a day late. I have been having such a great time the past few weekends, so here is a quick highlight of what has been going on. 

Thursday:

This past weekend started off on a bad note, I was all set to go to my horse back riding lesson (can't wait to update you on this) and my lesson got canceled because of hail.... in May! really Colorado. I was all dressed and ready to go and my trainer called me to tell me that it was snowing at the stables. 

Friday:

On Friday I picked up an overtime shift at work, we are super busy and very short staffed. I have been working over 50 hrs a week. After my overtime shift Joe and I headed out to Grand Junction and went camping. We had so much fun and enjoyed every minute of it. Joe has been wanting to get out and enjoy the outdoors here in Colorado, but it has been really cold the last few months. But this past Friday it was beautiful...like shorts and a t-shirt beautiful. We had a long 5 hour drive through the mountains, but the views were stunning.  

View from our Camp Site

We arrived at our camp site  kind of late and set up our tent just before the sun set. We stayed at a really nice camp site right on the Colorado River. I started a fire and Joe surprised me with everything I needed for s'mores! We hung out by the fire and just relaxed. Later that night we snuggled in our tent and watched Brave on my iPad. It was the perfect night! 

Saturday:

We unfortunately had to wake up around 8am to pack up all of our stuff and go to a 5K. Joe and I ran in the Insane Inflatable 5K ! This 5K was filled with 11 inflatable obstacles everything from a huge jumper, a maze, and giant slides. We had a blast and I even came in as the first for women in my heat!! Joe kept my motivated and stayed by my side and we finished the race tougher. He came in 3rd and I was 4th over all in our heat! Even though it was a fun run I will take the WIN! 

After the race we headed back to Denver to get our annual pass to Elitch Gardens and even got to ride a few rides. Although Elitch is nothing compared to Dineyland, I hope it will be something nice to do when we can't think of anything to do and at $69 for the entire year it is well worth it! 

Even though the weekend started out not that great we were able to fit in a ton of fun things and I enjoyed my make-up and worry free weekend! Next week we are headed to NY to visit with Joe's parents and I also get to go to my good friend Brittany's Bachelorette party!

Do you like to camp?
What was the best race you have ever ran?

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High Five for Friday!

This week has been so much fun! My dad came to visit and I made sure he got a good taste of what Colorado is all about. 

1. The first day I took him to Garden of the Gods and we did a little bit of rick climbing and hiking. My dad and I share a passion for adventure, so we went off the normal path and found a bunch of really neat red rocks. So naturally I decided it was a good idea to climb them. :)

2. My dad and I made the drive up Pikes Peak and the weather couldn't have been any more perfect. We also went at a great time to see the leaves change colors. It is officially fall here in Colorado! 

3. We also made a trip to the Cave of Winds! It was so much fun. I have been there before with Joe and I knew it was on the list of things that I needed to take my dad to. Unfortunately, the candle your was not available. But, the exploration tour was just as good. 

4. A few coworkers of mine had suggested that we go and see the Denver zoo and it was such a great zoo! The animals were so active and they had every type of animal that you can think of. I will be taking Joe to the Denver zoo when he comes home for sure!

5. I just might have the best boyfriend ever. He knows exactly when to send me flowers and when to surprise me. It's always so nice to come home to fresh flowers. 

I  am so sad that my dad is leaving but the good news is that Joe will be home in a month!! 

I hope you have an amazing weekend! 

Disneyland 1/2 Marathon Recap

My legs are finally free from soreness and I am officially back to my normal everyday life. This past Labor Day weekend I ran the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon with my mom and my sister back in California. Overall this race was fun, but not as fun as the RunDisney events that I have ran in the past in Florida.

The weekend started with a trip to Disneyland to pick up our bibs and goodie bags on Saturday. The Fitness Expo was well done and had a lot of great vendors. I think I bought everything my little runners heart desired. A new running watch, a few Sweaty Bands, some really cute running tanks, and some cliff gels for the run. This year the race shirts were orange and huge. I ordered a small, thinking that it would fit ok, but turns out they were a mens small. The shirt is so big, I didn't even bother to bring it back to Colorado with me. After the expo we "carbed up" with spaghetti and meat balls with lots of bread. After a yummy dinner we went back to our hotel room to try to get to bed early.

The morning of the race quickly arrived. We set our alarms for 3:45am, we had to be in our corals by 5.   It was dark when we arrived and not cold at all. We were place in coral E and didn't start the race until 30 minutes after the first coral started. It was a long wait. There were people everywhere, I believe

I was really excited to get going and wanted to break my PR. I tried to find the race totals, but was not able to find anything published. I saw numbers ranging from 23 to 23,000. So let's just say there were a lot of people. Once, we finally got to start the race I spent the first mile weaving in and out of people. This was my first mistake, I should have just slowed my pace down until I was able to break free from the crowds.  My sister and I were running a 8:30 per mile pace for the first 5 miles, but we spent a lot of energy weaving in and out of people. The first 4 miles were spent running through the park. The entertainment was limited, but nothing compares to running behind the scenes and through 2 of my favorite parks.

By mile 6, I could feel the heat. It didn't help that by that point I was running on the streets on Anahime with little to no music or entertainment. In the Florida races I was entertained every mile and music could be heard through out the entire race. But, mile 9 made up for the lack of entertainment. At mile 9 we entered Angel Stadium and it was AMAZING. Hundreds of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were cheering me on as I enter the stadium crossed home plate and exited the stadium. I was on the jumbotron and the "fans" were going wild! It was by far my favorite part of the race. The remainder of the race was spent running back to the parks.

At the end of the race I did not break my PR. I could blame it on the huge crowds, narrow track, or the heat, but I won't. I wasn't prepared for the run. I need to re-focus on my training and get back to a schedule and prepare for the Disney World Marathon. My move to Colorado has allowed me to slack, but there really shouldn't be an excuse.

This race was a good one, just not my best one. I was able to run with both my mom and my sister, spend time with my family, and run through the park that I grew up in. It is always so much fun to be at Disneyland. Being at Disneyland takes me back to all of the memories that I have shared with my family through out the years.

Do you work out with your mom?
What is your favorite run?

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#NOtivation - What I love about RunDisney

My Disneyland 1/2 Marathon is this weekend! I can't believe how it just snuck up on me. Since the move I have not really had much time to train. But I don't think it will be an issue because it is a RunDisney race. This will be the second 1/2 that I have ran with the RunDisney program. I would like to share with you why I choose RunDisney.

• I LOVE Disney - If you are a regular reader of mine you know that I love everything Disney. It is no secret. How can you not enjoy a 13.1 mile run with all things Disney around you.

• The race is FUN - From the moment you check into the race at 4:30am to the very end of the race you are entertained. There is great music to get you pumped, live shows as you are running the race, characters to take pictures with along the 13.1 miles (great way to catch your breath), ChEARSquads to keep you motivated, and a ton of other amazing things. 

• It is a whole weekend event - The fun really starts on Friday with a Disney Health and Wellness Expo. This is a great event to see the latest and greatest in the running world and just to check out another creative event hosted by the most creative company in the world. There is never a dull moment. 

• There is a race for everyone - Every race weekend there is a race for every skill level and type. For the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon weekend, there is the 1/2 Marathon, a 10K, a 5K and a Kids run. They make their race weekends very Family Friendly. 
• ChEARSquad - This is a program that is for your family and friends who are their to cheer you on. It gives them seating, t-shirts, and other goodies. It is great way to get young kids involved that are not able to run the race. 

I will be sure to post some pictures next week and update you all on how I did! 

Today, I am curing  #NOtivation and linking up with Mal from Mal Smiles and Hallie from LIfe: Oceanside!

Do you know of any Race Programs I should try?

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Disneyland Secrets - Guided Tours

As an annual passport holder and Disney fan it is always so much fun to share about the secrets that I have discovered. One of the BIGGEST secrets that I have found happened on my last trip to Disneyland and I am going to share it with you. My last trip to Disneyland was just that, my last trip. I am now living in Colorado so, Disneyland isn't just an hour away. In order to make it a memorable trip, my sister and I decided we would look into a tour. I have always been under the impression that tours are well over $100, I know for a fact that a private tour is $350 an hour ( and I just found out that you must book the tour for a minimum of 6 hours). 

Well, here is the secret: They have a guided tour for just $25! The tour is called Welcome to Disneyland and this is what is included:

• 2 hour long tour
• 2 tour guides
• up to 20 people in the group, but my group only had 7 on a busy Saturday
• A Disneyland Tour lanyard
• Disneyland Tour  trading pin 
• Fast Passes to 4 attractions 
• VIP seating to a show
• No wait for 2 attractions
• Tour Guides will make lunch reservations for you and help you plan your day! 

You get all of the above for just $25! If you have AAA it is around $22 and if you have a premium annual passport it is $20! It is so well worth it. They also have 3 other tours at the following price points : $49, $59, and $109. The pin alone is worth around $10.  The tours are located just to the left of Town Hall, right when you walk into Disneyland park. 

I was a little bit hesitant to take the Welcome to Disneyland tour, since I have been there many times. But, I got some much new knowledge out of the tour. The tour guides treat you like VIP from the beginning. You meet the group 15-30 minutes before the tour starts (there is only one tour a day at 10:30am) in order to plan your day. You are met by a tour guide that offers you cold bottles of water, the lanyard, and they plan your day. They offer to make you reservations at a restaurant on property ( lunch is not included, but its nice to just walk into the restaurant without a wait) Then you meet  up with the rest of your group and go on your way. 

Our Tour Guides, they are so friendly and knowledgable

The tour begins in California Adventure then takes you back to Disneyland. 

I have been to Disneyland more times then I can count and this is by far the best Disneyland Secret and money well spent at the park! 

Do you love Disney?

Have you ever been on a tour that was worth the money?

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Life is better in the sky!

I was always that weird kid who knew exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up...kind of. At a very young age my eye has always been up in the sky. I think it was a combination of air shows and taking family vacations, that required me to go on a flight, that confirmed my passion for aviation.

At 16, I convinced my mom to let me learn to fly! I was also given the opportunity to job shadow a few people in the Navy that worked on the S-3 Viking. That year of exposure to aviation couldn't have come at a better time. It was right before I was going to go to college (my mom has ALWAYS told me that I was going to go to college. It was never an option and I am so thankful to her for that!) I quickly realized that being a pilot is fun, but I don't think I would have loved doing it as a career. After discussing this with my flight instructor he quickly suggested that I look into the college that he had just graduated from, it was THE university to go to for aviation. I went to that school and graduated with a degree in Aviation Business. I graduated from college at scary time for any college student. It was right when the economy tanked, but I am very blessed that I have been able to find jobs in my industry. 

Although I am not a pilot for my career, I have been lucky enough to have a ton of friends who are both student pilots and professional pilots. Every year I try to go on a few flights in small, single engine planes. It always reminds me why I LOVE what a do and why I am passionate about aviation. 

This past week, my sister set up a sunset flight with one our friend Josh. It was amazing, if you like to fly you really should do it at least once in your life. Sunset is the best time for a flight. Here are a few photos from our flight. 

Thank you Stevee and Josh for one last flight in LA! 

Have always known what you want to be?

Have you ever been flying in a small plane?