Wordless Wednesday.... Trip Recap Edition

In case you missed it, and were interested, the rest of the Trip Rcap can be found...
Accommodations
The Adventures
The Kids
The Place

aka, Part Cinco: Things I Did Instead of Running...

Trip Recap - The Accommodations....

So, like I said in Part 1, I grew up in a tiny town, Safety Harbor. It's small, but it's home to the World Famous Safety Harbor Resort and Spa (as it was called the several times it was a prize destination on Wheel of Fortune - true story). I snagged it at an unbelievable price on Priceline, and it's walking distance to my parent's house - win.

It was super nice, especially for the price I paid. Weird things, thought, like chipped paint all over my room door, faucets with hot/cold water reversed... odd. Whatever. $60/night, it was awesome.

(from their website - the rest are mine)

View from my room... I had a bay view... hard to see, but there's water there, really.

Trip Recap - The Adventures....

We are professional fliers. Well, not really, both 1 & 2 were awesome all the way - and it is a LONG way from OC to FL.

Phoenix, land of The Boring Runner...

My breakfast = Click Vanilla Latte, hot tea, fruit thing that I found in my purse (yum!), and a pop tart (double yum!). Yes, I travel with my handheld. Don't you?

I swear this never, ever happens at home. Ever.

When planning, I asked both kids what they wanted to do.

First on both lists?

Duh.

I apologize to anyone in the store that day. #2 and The Niece were uncontrollable. And.... I didn't stop them.

Free cookies? Nice try.... You've already been through the line once, punk.

Then, we invaded the pool at the fancy spa I was staying at..

It's pretty much on the surface of the sun.

Which I'm not a fan of. Nor are my forehead wrinkles. (Seriously. WTF?) (Fruit Fly, I still love my necklace!)

Sorry, old folks, for disrupting your pool sitting.

I'm not even sure... Looks rough.

After we emptied the pool (literally, everyone else vacated), we headed back to my room, which opened into a field of grass. I sent kids out to play... Chaos ensued...

Apparently, giant open field = mud pit in Florida speak.

Who knew.

Trip Recap - The Kids

My kids were pretty stoked to see their cousins, my sister's kids. We thought they'd be at my parent's house the entire time the girls were there, but turns out that's not really how it's worked out.

But, it was so, so great to see my niece and nephew - they are cute and fun and not mine.

Random bird. Duh.

This was taken a few years ago before we moved...
....and now....

Trip Recap - The Place

I don't make any secret about how much I don't care for Florida - The State. I grew up there, and it's hot, and muggy, and there are creepy animals. It's weird.

I complain, but it's sometimes pretty.

I grew up in a small-ish town, here...

Also, It's... quirky...

I do miss thunderstorms. Florida didn't really play nice with the rain while I was there, until the day I left. The hour I left. And had to drive across a giant bridge in this...

Thanks, Florida. Always keeping it awesome.

Photo Friday!

Who else is running the Disneyland half?? Interested in a bloggy pre-race dinner meet? Email me! hmgiraffy@gmail.com.

*************

I'm back from FL, and it's lovely, and only *slightly* humid in SoCal.

I skipped every.single.workout. All of them. It was just so humid. And hot. I did do a lot of walking. But I also did a lot of eating of things. I'm thinking I'll throw in 4 miles speed work tonight (?), and push my long run to Sunday. Maybe. I'm still pretty tired. I got home around 1:30, and up for work at 6:30. Bleh.

Anyway. Pictures of the quickest vacation ever to come, but for now....

Happy Friday!

Three Things Thursday

1. It's a BILLION degrees in Florida. I have been walking all over town, but cannot bring myself to run through to swamp air. Just can't. I had my niece and nephew yesterday, with my kids, and brought them all back to my hotel to swim yesterday, and conned some of them into running with me - we'd jog to the end of the block, then wait for everyone. It was fun. It was HOT.

2. I'm leaving tonight and my kids are staying. When we made these plans to have the girls spend a few weeks with my parents, my niece and nephew were living with them (with their mom - my sister). Apparently, that's no longer the case, for a few reasons, but mainly because my sister sucks. The girls are pretty bummed they won't get to see their cousins as much as they wanted to, but they'll have some doting grandparents to themselves for two weeks. Quite a departure from how they'll spend the following three weeks.... With my IL's in Miami and dozens of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents...

3. Last night, #1 said she was nervous about staying by herself. And #2 slept ON me the whole night. I knew their big mouths were just an act... They DO love me! Ha!

We are off to acquire some Publix donuts for breakfast. Have a great Thursday!

Dear Florida

You are hot.
You are humid.
You are buggy.
You make me (and my kids) sneeze.
You have alligators, swimming about freely.
You have giant wasps.
You have expensive produce.

I do enjoy how laid back things always are - everything in SoCal takes preparation.

I've skipped my one scheduled run so far, but I'm pretty sure I've walked the equivalent amount.

Summer is not really my thing. I'll take the "dry" heat.

TTT

Workout yesterday: Suck Less Program - 185 push ups, 324 sit ups, 179 tricep dips, plank intervals (4 min total). I've been cycling through the sets pretty fast - push ups, sit ups, tricep dips, followed by plank. It's exhausting. It gets it done quick, though.

1. I am addicted to Click. Seriously. I have it for dessert sometimes. It's a little bit crazy how much I love this stuff.

You can check their website HERE. That's not a referral link or anything. I just love it.

2. Seriously. Who chooses this!?

3. Last night, #2 says to me, "I want to make an ENTRANCE. I need a smoke machine. And a shovel."

Um....