Three Things Thursday: Do you have plans Saturday?

1. Straight Talk Wireless is encouraging consumers to go to their local Walmart to show their support for Make-A-Wish by taking part in a brief demonstration of a Straight Talk Wireless Android smart phone.  For every shopper who participates, Straight Talk will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish, with the ultimate goal of $1,000,000.

Demonstrations will be taking place every Saturday for the next three weeks at over 3,000 participating Walmarts under the banner "One Minute One Million."
You can check out the official website here: OneMinuteOneMillion.com.

Make-a-Wish is a phenomenal organization, and I couldn't be more grateful to them for what they did for Gabby - you can check out Gabby's Wish Trip this summer here, here, here, here, and here.

So, if you're at WalMart this weekend, please consider stopping by for a demo - it's just a few minutes out of your day, but those minutes can help make SUCH a difference for a critically ill child.

You can do that, right?

This kid thanks you.

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2. BFF Becka is hosting a virtual race and has GINORMOUS prizes to giveaway! She's fundraising for American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and will be running Tinker Bell Half for Team AFSP. Giveaway items include Team Sparkle (MY FAVORITE), ProCompression (my favorite compression socks, in the BEST colors), and Aspaeris #MagicPants (another favorite!). You can check out her virtual race here, and make your donations HERE.

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3. I ran Tuesday, and it wasn't THE WORST EVER. I also did weights (!? WHO AM I!?) Monday and Wednesday, just like my PFTW dictated.

I barely even recognize myself.

I have 3x800 on tap for tonight, and I am kind of apprehensive. The paces I was given, 4 weeks ago would have been cake, but I really doubt I can hit them today. We'll see.

And then, I almost died from afraid: Knott's Scary Farm

As you might recall, last Halloween I attended Knott's Berry Farm's Snoopy's Camp Spooky event, with the whole family - it was tons of fun, I am a total sucker for fall and holiday themed things.

This year, I was invited to check out Knott's SCARY FARM. Knott's Scary Farm is the original Halloween theme park event - it was the first of its kind, and is still the world's largest Halloween theme park event. This year is the 40th anniversary of the event, and advertised 13 themed mazes and ride through attractions, 9 live shows, and 4 scare zones featuring hundreds of free roaming monsters.

So, listen. Back years and years ago, before I had kids, before The H was The H, we went to Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando. And I was TERRIFIED the entire time. All I remember of the night was going through some maze and being 100% positive I was going to die.

I thought, for SURE now that I was a grown up and knew monsters weren't real (unless they're zombies, then all bets are off), it would be an awesome date night for The H and me. And I don't remember the last time we had a date night.

We met up in the Knott's Hotel for a pre-scare Boo-fet. Hilarious.

If you're coming to the area, and unsure about lodging for OC, Knott's Hotel is a great choice - you can walk to Knott's, it's a pretty centralized location, and tons of restaurants and other stuff to do close by. It's also just a few minutes down the street from Dland, if you're into that sort of thing (like me).

This was a chocolate thing, with licorice legs and a custard inside. Yum.

When in doubt, eat all the dessert?

creepy!
 

I swear there was actual (delicious) food there too.

At dinner, I found out I was one of a few lucky participants selected to tour Trapped, Knott's Scary Farm's first reservation-only interactive maze. Great!

After we ate, we ran over to the park to make the most of our kid-free time (PS, no kids allowed - 13 and up suggested!).

These creepers meet you right inside the gates....
Awesome. Creepy, sure, but not so much with the terrifying, right?

We headed towards Ghost Town....
And this is when I almost lost my mind. Dude. There are people there, everywhere, all dressed up all freakish, and jumping out at you, and being scary.

The H thought it was hysterical. It was not, it was terrifying. Obviously, he's broken.

Since this is an event that is intended to be terrifying... I shouldn't have been surprised. But Knott's did an amazing job with everything - the themeing, the lighting - lights, right at your face all over the place, but still keeping the place all dark and shadowy, so when isht jumps out at you, you're all discombobulated and terrified - it works.

zombies? people? can't tell!

We made our way over to...
And while I wish I could tell you how terrifying it was, I completely chickened out. It's true. The H wasn't on the list, only me, and there was no way, no WAY, I was going in there alone. I HEARD THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE EMERGENCY FREAK OUT EXITS. #teamchicken

From what I've heard, it was a deliciously terrifying experience, and highly recommended. I know, I'm super lame.

In soft, cuddly news, the Halloween themed merchandise that was out for sale was adorable!


We tried the Virus Z maze, with a Carrie based finale - and I LOST MY MIND, and took off running through one of the rooms. I KNOW. My Zombie Survival outlook is pretty grim.

We walked through Camp Spooky on the way out of the park, awhile later, and it was possibly just as terrifying as walking through Ghost Town. And then I admitted defeat.

************************************************************************************** The details: Knott's Scary Farm runs select nights through Halloween, Sept. 27-30, Oct. 4-7, 11-14, 18-21, 25-28, 30-31, 2012, from 7pm through 1am (2am Friday and Saturday). Separate ticket is required, and can be purchased online or at the gate.

Plan for the week!

I know, it's been awhile since I've had "A Plan".

But Sunday, I did this....

And I didn't die, and my leg didn't spontaneously combust!

A call from my shifty doctor late Friday told me there's no stress fracture.

In it's entirety, the call said there's no stress fracture, just shin splints, and swelling, and that the only solution is to.... stop running. Again. That seems to be this chick's favorite phrase.

I am waiting for a referral to a sports med doctor, to get a for real handle on the Jerk Shin, that doesn't involve "Just don't run".

Later this week, after I collect some pictures and get around to it, I think I'll post my self-diagnosed "weird running that breaks my legs", and what I think is the cause of Jerk Shin.
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So, to recap, last week....

Monday: TV
Tuesday: I think I was sick this day?
Wednesday: And definitely this one.
Thursday: Not much.
Friday: Still nothing.
Saturday: Knott's Scary Farm, recap to come, but preview: I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE.
Sunday: 3 slow, sweaty miles (i know, I know, twss). If you've ever wondered what it was like to run a few miles after a few weeks of doing absolutely nothing, I will tell you: It feels hard, and fun, and glorious when you're done, and today, my legs feel like they definitely ran more than 3 miles. WTF legs, that's not funny.


This week!

Monday: Cross training stuff <- Yeah. I'm cross training. FOR REAL this time. Maybe.
Tuesday: 4 miles easy
Wednesday: CTS
Thursday: 6 miles, some speed stuff
Friday: CTS
Saturday: 12 miles

I don't have a ton of time before CIM, so while I probably won't be in PR shape in the next 9 weeks, I do have to be in "Don't Die" shape.

I also have a 5k coming up in... less than 2 weeks. I intended for this to be a PR effort, and SOME PEOPLE still think I should try. I don't know. Seems painful.
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Gabby and I "decorated" our entrance this weekend....

Super spooky.

And then this was happening. I'm not sure what it is. I think we called #2 a rug, and Gabby wanted to test that theory?

Sorry, #2. Didn't mean to get you stepped on.

If it ain't fixed, don't break it

1. Today is exactly 2 weeks since I ran last. I've been extra unpleasant, and generally cranky, but also realllllly grateful I didn't run through #heatpocalypse (it just took me three tries to figure out the correct spelling of grateful, wtf).

One might think I'd take this non-running opportunity to, you know, cross train. I've done some cycling (an hour's worth), and some ellipticalling (all of 10 minutes before I wanted to kick myself in the throat), and weights (one 30 minute arm/back/chest program).

That's 1 hour and 40 minutes in two weeks. LAME.

I had an MRI on Jerk Shin Tuesday evening, and I'm waiting for the results. I shouldn't complain, my company pays for my health care in full, nothing out of pocket, but holy bejesus slowest process ever.

Oh well.

2. Last weekend, it was a billion degrees. SoCal generally has pretty mild summers - we are hot for a few days, REALLY hot for a few days, but the rest of the summer is pretty glorious. Except this summer, where it's been ridiculous for a long, long time.

The H and #1 had plans to attend Comikazee in downtown LA (about 60 minutes NE of us, and HOTTER than OC). I was kind of a little concerned about this drive - neither of our cars have working AC, which isn't normally a huge deal, but that drive sure would suck for them.

BUT THEN! We found the OC Metrolink train - $10, all weekend, right into downtown (and Pasadena! And Hollywood!). There's a station a few miles from our house, and it's air conditioned. Awesome. So we dropped them off at the station, and I spent the rest of the day with the other kids avoiding #heatpocalypse.

FYI, you can spend up to at least 4 hours at Souplantation (or Sweet Tomatoes, for you non-west coasters) without getting any shady looks.

Gabby made friends.

Rose also attended Comikazee, and did the zombie obstacle course I was really bummed to miss.

The H brought me a present, though, so I guess we're good.

You can pick up your own copy of "That's Not Your Mommy Anymore: a zombie tale" on Amazon (not an affiliate link, I'm not that fancy). Totally worth it. Gabby and I read it, and i was pleased to hear that I must not be a zombie, since I'm not green.

Yeah, we added that shit to her kindergarten reading log. That might be awkward at parent teacher conferences.

3. Kind of zombie related.... The H and I are going out for actual, real life grown up fun Saturday night, for the launch of Knott's Scary Farm!

This year is Scary Farm's 40th anniversary, and it sounds... well, terrifying. I haven't been to anything like this since Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando BEFORE I HAD CHILDREN. That was in the last century, I'm not even joking.

Halloween Haunt runs weekend nights from 9/21-10/31. And looks extra, extra scary.

4. My job is driving me batty. I'm kind of for real sort of looking, but mostly just for specific organizations and companies that I really want to work for. The thing is, I have it pretty cushy at this company, so I think until something I really, really want to go for pops up, I'm just going to tough it out. There just aren't a ton of great jobs out there that interest me, and I'm not desperate, just bored.

But if anyone knows of something that lets me wear compression and running clothes, and does good, like curing cancer, and is in SoCal (that's important), I'm game.

5. I don't really love getting up at 6am, but I do love getting out of work by 4pm. And these fall sunrises sure don't hurt.

6. We're planning a camping trip to Sequoia National Park in a few weeks. Anyone been there? I hear it's beautiful, but everything I read says there are bears everywhere.

 

Am I going to be eaten by bears?

Gab's Wish Trip, EPCOT Day, Akershus Review

I'm recapping, very slowly, Gabby's Make a Wish trip from July. Previous recaps here, here, and here.

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One of the things we were most looking forward to for Gabby's trip was seeing our families. We moved to SoCal in 2009, and Gabby hadn't seen my dad or her cousins since we left Florida. To kind of try to make things fair and balance time with our families, we planned on my in-laws being around Friday/Saturday, and my family Monday/Tuesday.

We had 8:15 breakfast reservations at Akershus in Norway. I maaaaaay have been a little overzealous, and we were the first people in the park. Literally.





Ever wondered what a really empty park looks like?







Akershus is probably my favorite Disney World restaurant experience - I love the interaction with the princesses, the food is delicious, it's just fantastic.

When your party is called in, you're greeted first by Belle in her yellow dress (always the yellow dress here - you can see her sometimes throughout EPCOT in her blue/white dress), signing autographs, and taking pictures. The photographer doesn't take PhotoPass, they'll come around later with the photo package for you (included in the price of the meal).

After you're seated, a Norwegian server comes by for drink orders, explains the buffet for you (cold items - meats, cheeses, fruit, yogurt, danishes), and then brings the hot foods - eggs, some potato cheese delicious casserole from heaven, bacon, sausage, etc.

While you're eating, the princesses make their rounds - they circulate through the room, spending a few minutes at each table for autographs, pictures, etc.








 

It's kind of pricey for breakfast - around $40+ for adults (ages 9+), $25 for kids - but if your kids are really into princesses, it's a fun choice.

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After breakfast, we headed back out towards the front of the park to meet up with my sister and her kids.



While we were waiting for my parents (and brother and other sister), we rode Spaceship Earth for the first time (IT'S MY FAVORITE!), then killed time visiting some characters (with the Magic Pass, we didn't have to wait for character ops, either - MAGIC).





After a kind of teary super exciting family reunion, we hit up (in order) Innoventions East, Mission Space, Universe of Energy, Soarin', The Land, the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Journey into Imagination.








We ate a small lunch in the Land, somewhere in that madness, but I think most of us saved our eating for World Showcase.

World Showcase is my favorite place in Disney World, hands down. We took our time, wandering the World, eating all types of things, taking a million pictures, and... kind of just enjoying everything - the park, each other, all of it.

Here's a fun fact. This kid hates kisses. Even Snow White kisses.

Krissy at Shiawase Life used to be a Cast Member, and worked some amazing magic for us - reserved viewing of Illuminations! I'm a sucker for Disney shows (shocking), and this was one of the highlights of our trip for me.




Thanks again, Krissy :D.

Overall, we had an amazing time at EPCOT. It's hard to go wrong, in my eyes, since it's my favorite and all. But the characters really spent a great deal of time with Gabby, they all were fantastic. There was one run in with a rude parent who took issue with us "cutting" in line, but absolutely everyone else was kind and gracious.

Since this is already pretty OMGALLTHEPICTURESEVER.... here are some more. A photopass was included with our Give Kids the World stay, and we took full advantage. If you have kids, you know someone almost always ends up being not in pictures... usually me. Because I hate being in pictures. Photopass takes that excuse away, so I sucked it up and took #allthepictures.