princessluna14
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 27, 2013
I've been thinking about it all night and trying not to be bummed... so to make me feel good about the half medal, I'm going to imagine that it was inspired by Triton's trident!
A Pink Pixie Princess - Complete!
- Thread starter Ariel484
- Start date
ZellyB
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
The medals are really pretty. I'm with you on loving that glass slipper one and I love their 5K medals. I had a bit of a hiatus from running too. Just holidays, vacation and then a nasty cold. Finally got out yesterday for a run and it felt good to get back at it. I hope you can get out there as well.
Our Galloway running group (which isn't officially going right now but several of us still meet up for runs on Saturdays) has an option for us to try out a yoga session designed for runners on Saturday afternoons. It's only like $5 a session to try it out, so I think Chris and I will give it a shot. I'm so inflexible I'm not sure how it will go, but I'm excited to give it a shot.
Our Galloway running group (which isn't officially going right now but several of us still meet up for runs on Saturdays) has an option for us to try out a yoga session designed for runners on Saturday afternoons. It's only like $5 a session to try it out, so I think Chris and I will give it a shot. I'm so inflexible I'm not sure how it will go, but I'm excited to give it a shot.
IrishMel21
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2014
I feel the exact same way about the color for the half medal - I think I was expecting a bluish/teal color along with the green & purple. However I'll be so excited to wear it as I will have earned that baby!
princessluna14
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 27, 2013
I would have flipped out (in a good way) if it was teal/turquoise!!
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
I think they made the half medal yellow to stand out from the others (which are purple/green). Think of it that way!
The green stone does!
Have fun and good luck!!
Thanks for much for coming out of lurkdom and for reading my reports! I really appreciate the well wishes. How exciting that you are going Dopey!! You will rock it!
2014 was Cinderella and 2015 was Frozen, so it does seem like they are rotating through the princesses!
I still say it stands out from the others, as the half is the marquee event of the weekend. It's special!
I FEEL YOUR PAIN! I am going to ramble on about that at some point today.
Right now I'm aiming to get back to training on Monday. Fingers crossed!$5 is a bargain for a good yoga class! I buy a package for my classes so that they are discounted a little bit, and even with the discount they are $10-$11 per class. Which I think is worth it, but stil pricey. Let me know what you guys think! I'm trying to get Mr. A to try one with me (he has zero flexibility and, like me, back problems, so I think it would help a lot) but he won't go.
They should give lots of modifications for different skill levels, but the most important thing is to honor your body and not push yourself too much!I have found with the medals, they always look better in person! Especially when they're around your neck at the finish line!
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
California - Highs and Lows
I was all set to do a full-blown trip report for our California trip...but it started and ended on not-so-great notes. So I'll just recap the highs and lows and toss in some pictures...
Highs
Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge in person
Visiting the Walt Disney Family Museum...truly a highlight of the trip for both of us - Mr. A enjoyed it more than expected.
Our hotel in San Francisco - The Argonaut. Such a cute hotel! I highly recommend it.
Visiting Henry Cowell State Park to see California Redwoods en route to Disneyland from San Francisco. Truly amazing to see in person!
Disneyland - obviously! This was my second visit and Mr. A's first. I loved seeing the parks decked out for Christmas + the 60th. Mr. A really enjoyed Radiator Springs Racers (we managed to ride it 4 times!) and Big Thunder.
Staying on property. Nice big room at Paradise Pier, but the big reason it was key to stay on property - Early Extra Magic Hour. It took us a couple of days to figure out that to really get a decent amount done, we had to be in the parks at 7AM.
Cove Bar. Ate here twice...great view and a nice respite from the crowds.
Napa Rose. A delicious meal on our last night and the standout dinner of the week.
Visiting INKnBURN headquarters
SQUEEEE! I got to meet one of the staff members (super pleasant to talk to) and picked up my mystery singlets (will post about those later). Some day I'd love to get back to take a tour and see how the clothes are made. Mr. A said this was among the happiest he'd seen me during the trip.
My back. Feeling better...still not perfect, but better.
Work. Yes, work - while we were gone I got an email that I got a promotion at work! With a significant raise...woohoo!
And more responsibility obviously...but STILL! I am pleased.
Lows
San Francisco weather. I know, complaining about the weather is annoying...but it really, really affected this leg of our trip. We thought we'd be okay, being from Northeast Ohio, but the combination of constant rain, wind and low-ish temperatures every day was pretty discouraging. Mr. A came away from this leg of the trip with a cold. He ended up missing park time Christmas morning (but thankfully felt better later that day).
Disneyland crowds. Discouraging (that word again - but it's really the best way to describe it). Disneyland Park approached unbearable by 11AM and was overwhelming in the evenings. California Adventure was much better. We'd been to WDW over Christmas in 2013/2014 and found it much more doable, because of FP+ I guess? Yep, I said it. And I think with 2 parks compared to 4, there were just less places for people to go at Disneyland.
Disneyland Table Service. We were unimpressed by Wine Country Trattoria (boring entrees) and Carthay Circle (great atmosphere, loved our server, and good entree but WAY overpriced for the portion size) - both meals I'd been excited for. Blue Bayou was pretty good, if a little slow service-wise.
Napa Rose "Best Hot Chocolate" (not pictured above). This was way over-hyped...it cost $15. For a cup of hot chocolate with a few small pastries. Which I knew ahead of time, but people were talking about this stuff like it was the second coming, so we tried it. SERIOUSLY??? The stuff in the parks is pretty good for $3.50. I was mad at myself for trying the Napa Rose stuff. Sigh...
My back. Like I said, feeling better...but it was up and down over the course of the trip.
Getting sick. We both got sick on separate occasions (more on that in a minute)...never fun on vacation
Our hotel in Coronado...see below
We made our trip too long...see below
Continued in Next Post
I was all set to do a full-blown trip report for our California trip...but it started and ended on not-so-great notes. So I'll just recap the highs and lows and toss in some pictures...
Highs
Seeing the Golden Gate Bridge in person
Visiting the Walt Disney Family Museum...truly a highlight of the trip for both of us - Mr. A enjoyed it more than expected.
Our hotel in San Francisco - The Argonaut. Such a cute hotel! I highly recommend it.
Visiting Henry Cowell State Park to see California Redwoods en route to Disneyland from San Francisco. Truly amazing to see in person!
Disneyland - obviously! This was my second visit and Mr. A's first. I loved seeing the parks decked out for Christmas + the 60th. Mr. A really enjoyed Radiator Springs Racers (we managed to ride it 4 times!) and Big Thunder.
Staying on property. Nice big room at Paradise Pier, but the big reason it was key to stay on property - Early Extra Magic Hour. It took us a couple of days to figure out that to really get a decent amount done, we had to be in the parks at 7AM.
Cove Bar. Ate here twice...great view and a nice respite from the crowds.
Napa Rose. A delicious meal on our last night and the standout dinner of the week.
Visiting INKnBURN headquarters
SQUEEEE! I got to meet one of the staff members (super pleasant to talk to) and picked up my mystery singlets (will post about those later). Some day I'd love to get back to take a tour and see how the clothes are made. Mr. A said this was among the happiest he'd seen me during the trip.
My back. Feeling better...still not perfect, but better.
Work. Yes, work - while we were gone I got an email that I got a promotion at work! With a significant raise...woohoo!
And more responsibility obviously...but STILL! I am pleased.Lows
San Francisco weather. I know, complaining about the weather is annoying...but it really, really affected this leg of our trip. We thought we'd be okay, being from Northeast Ohio, but the combination of constant rain, wind and low-ish temperatures every day was pretty discouraging. Mr. A came away from this leg of the trip with a cold. He ended up missing park time Christmas morning (but thankfully felt better later that day).
Disneyland crowds. Discouraging (that word again - but it's really the best way to describe it). Disneyland Park approached unbearable by 11AM and was overwhelming in the evenings. California Adventure was much better. We'd been to WDW over Christmas in 2013/2014 and found it much more doable, because of FP+ I guess? Yep, I said it. And I think with 2 parks compared to 4, there were just less places for people to go at Disneyland.
Disneyland Table Service. We were unimpressed by Wine Country Trattoria (boring entrees) and Carthay Circle (great atmosphere, loved our server, and good entree but WAY overpriced for the portion size) - both meals I'd been excited for. Blue Bayou was pretty good, if a little slow service-wise.
Napa Rose "Best Hot Chocolate" (not pictured above). This was way over-hyped...it cost $15. For a cup of hot chocolate with a few small pastries. Which I knew ahead of time, but people were talking about this stuff like it was the second coming, so we tried it. SERIOUSLY??? The stuff in the parks is pretty good for $3.50. I was mad at myself for trying the Napa Rose stuff. Sigh...
My back. Like I said, feeling better...but it was up and down over the course of the trip.
Getting sick. We both got sick on separate occasions (more on that in a minute)...never fun on vacation
Our hotel in Coronado...see below
We made our trip too long...see below
Continued in Next Post
Last edited:
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
Arriving in Coronado and going home...the @$&* hits the fan
I apologize in advance because this post is long...SO LONG. I wanted to edit it down, but it's been such a frustrating week+ and it feels sort of cathartic in a way to write this out, so here it is. If you want to skip, feel free. TL;DR version: being sick sucks!
On December 29th, we had breakfast at Steakhouse 55 (good) before checking out of Paradise Pier. We headed south to Costa Mesa (INKnBURN headquarters!) in our rental car. I'd woken up with a sore throat, which I temporarily forgot about during our InB visit. Mr. A was recovered from his Christmas Day cold by this time. Once we were done at InB, we continued on toward Coronado. It's about a 2-hour drive from Disneyland.
We arrived at our hotel (which shall not be named) and I was feeling rough - both cold-wise and back-wise. Mr. A dropped me off to check in while he went to return the rental car. The woman at the check-in desk mentioned "the light show" (Christmas lights) would be going on right outside our room nightly from 4-9 PM and wanted to make sure we were okay with that. She made it not seem like a big deal...I said sure, and she gave me the room keys.
I found our room and was feeling worse and worse. Eventually Mr. A came up and I decided that a walk and hot chocolate would be good for my sore throat (note: their hot chocolate was $6 each. Still over-priced but not Napa Rose pricing...). We walked around the unexpectedly crowded beach area, which had a sort of party atmosphere (oh man, that makes us sound so old!) - not what we'd expected. This was supposed to be the relaxing leg of our trip.
By now I needed to lay down for a bit before dinner - my throat was killing me (it hurt to swallow), and now my ears were in incredible pain. So we went back to the room...and "the light show" started outside in the courtyard. Crazy loud techno music, so loud the windows were rattling. I never looked outside to see what was going on, just laid on our bed with my hands over my ears. From what I gather, there were images projected onto some big Christmas tree-shaped thing - think Celebrate the Magic! but with awful music and not-as-good projection. For someone with ear pain, this was less-than-ideal...and where could I go? This was our room.
The show stopped...and then started up again. Once every 30 minutes, for 5-10 minutes, from 4-9:30PM (not 9PM like I'd originally been told). It was miserable and I found myself silently counting the hours until this "vacation" would end and we could go home.
Eventually Mr. A told me he had an idea he'd been playing with - that we would go home the next day (December 30), not January 1 as originally planned. I cried - mainly because I felt so bad (he'd been so excited for this leg of the trip, and in particular to stay at this hotel - but he was clearly disappointed that it wasn't going to be as relaxing as he'd thought) but also because I felt relieved. We both missed the dog a LOT (hence my saying that this trip was too long - we've since agreed that when we travel we're keeping it to a week or less) and this hotel was just not the relaxing retreat we'd thought it would be (no mention of this "light show," which Mr. A described as "unacceptable," when we booked). And now that I was sick I just wanted to be home. Our flight home had originally been booked on points, so we lost those (I tried to call to get someone to help me with that but struck out) - but we were able to find a new flight the next day. It was a little pricey but we were past the point of caring.
That night was awful. Mr. A walked half a mile to get me NyQuil, but it wasn't enough. I got no sleep - I couldn't comfortably sleep in a way that wouldn't irritate my ears and/or throat. Which means he likely got no sleep...because he was stuck there with me.
To their credit, the hotel refunded us the two nights we canceled from our reservation. The travel home actually wasn't that bad - I managed to sleep for most of the flying and was SO happy to be home 14-15 hours later. But again, another night of no sleep.
We got the dog the next day - YAY!!
- and I considered making a doctor's appointment. But after two nights of no sleep and traveling across the country, I was exhausted. Leaving the house seemed like a Herculean task. In hindsight this was stupid because I clearly wasn't getting any better, but I was just so, so tired.
The next day (after night 3 of no sleep) my ear pain was gone but I had a different, worse problem - coughing. Really, really hard, almost constant, coughing...and that aggravated my not-yet completely healed back. To the point where I was in crazy pain again. And then my LEGS started to hurt - I must have been standing/lifting/crouching weirdly to compensate for the back pain, because my left leg hurt from my hamstring down to my calf. And every time I coughed (frequently), my back hurt worse and worse. Because it was a holiday, I didn't even try to make an appointment. Happy freaking new year!
Saturday was more of the same. And still, for some reason, I still didn't make an appointment. By Sunday I finally cried "uncle" and we went to Urgent Care - I think Mr. A was ready to force me to go by then. Diagnosis? A virus...aka a really, really bad cold. I walked out with a cough suppressant and a recommendation for Sudafed Pain + Pressure. The Sudafed is GOLD but I can't take it at night since it's a stimulant, and the cough suppressant did nothing...night 5 of no sleep.
Monday came along - the day I was originally due to go back to work. And I woke up with yet ANOTHER problem. My left eye wouldn't open. It was (ew) stuck shut..and once I actually got it open - PINK EYE!!!
Are you kidding me? So now I had a really bad back, a really bad cold, and PINK EYE. ARRRRRG
But I had two other things - a great husband and really good insurance. He took a sick day form work to stay home and take care of me, and got me a doctor's appointment for that afternoon where the diagnosis of "really bad cold" didn't change...but I got some antibiotics and a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia since this had been going on for so long (x-ray came back normal). I also got a prescription for (really pricey) eye drops and a pain killer/cough suppressant syrup to take at night...
...and voila. I finally slept.
The syrup wasn't perfect but I figured out a certain angle with like 5-6 pillows where I could sort of lay down and not cough. I didn't sleep the whole night through (my sleeping schedule is completely messed up from being in California, not sleeping at night, etc.), but it was way better than the past few days.
I'd already decided I was staying home on Tuesday to make sure I fully kicked this thing (um...these things) and woke up feeling better than I had in a week. Sleep is a beautiful thing - and my back felt almost 100% better! I was still coughing a lot but for whatever reason it wasn't bothering my back anymore. My eye was better, but still pretty gross...baby steps. I felt like I could definitely go back to work the next day (today...Wednesday).
However.
Mr. A was struggling. He'd been such an awesome caretaker to me all week, and was back at school - and he felt horrible. Headache, sore throat, feeling hot and cold. He came home at 3, went straight to bed and got sick. I took his temperature - 103 degrees!
So it's a good thing I was feeling so much better, because now we were off to the ER (by the time we got there his fever was down to 100 degrees - I'd given him a dose of DayQuil so I guess that helped). Diagnosis - some sort of virus. Sound familiar? Same as me, except it manifested itself a little differently. 
Oops.
So that's how our vacation ended...some vacation!
Needless to say, Mr. A is at home today. I am also home but am working remotely...I want to be here in case he needs me and I'm pretty sure no one in my department wants to be exposed to the Ariel484 virus that seems to be lurking in the air.
Overall I am feeling okay...my back is about 95% there but I'm still coughing a decent amount. My eye is still a tiny bit gross but looks way better than it did on Monday - I think if someone didn't know I had pink eye, they wouldn't know anything was wrong just looking at me. Once the sicknesses completely go away I'm planning on getting a massage (I actually had one scheduled for Monday but canceled it in light of the eye gunk and my not really getting any better)...my body just feels out of whack.
My last day of antibiotics is Sunday, so I'm hoping to get back to training on Monday. I may try a yoga class before then depending on how I'm feeling and whether the coughing is under control. This past week has been really hard - being sick and not seeing improvement for so many days (seriously, dumb not to go to the doctor sooner) plus the worsening of my back really was incredibly frustrating, and made me wonder if I'd need to defer Princess Weekend. But I think I have enough time to get myself together for it. I'm disappointed that my training won't be where I want it to be, but also grateful that I (think I) can still make it work. And now I feel guilty that Mr. A caught what I have.
Whew...for better or for worse, I think this thread is all caught up!
And speaking of training...I will talk about that next!
Continued in Next Post
I apologize in advance because this post is long...SO LONG. I wanted to edit it down, but it's been such a frustrating week+ and it feels sort of cathartic in a way to write this out, so here it is. If you want to skip, feel free.
TL;DR version: being sick sucks!On December 29th, we had breakfast at Steakhouse 55 (good) before checking out of Paradise Pier. We headed south to Costa Mesa (INKnBURN headquarters!
) in our rental car. I'd woken up with a sore throat, which I temporarily forgot about during our InB visit. Mr. A was recovered from his Christmas Day cold by this time. Once we were done at InB, we continued on toward Coronado. It's about a 2-hour drive from Disneyland.We arrived at our hotel (which shall not be named) and I was feeling rough - both cold-wise and back-wise. Mr. A dropped me off to check in while he went to return the rental car. The woman at the check-in desk mentioned "the light show" (Christmas lights) would be going on right outside our room nightly from 4-9 PM and wanted to make sure we were okay with that. She made it not seem like a big deal...I said sure, and she gave me the room keys.
I found our room and was feeling worse and worse. Eventually Mr. A came up and I decided that a walk and hot chocolate would be good for my sore throat (note: their hot chocolate was $6 each. Still over-priced but not Napa Rose pricing...). We walked around the unexpectedly crowded beach area, which had a sort of party atmosphere (oh man, that makes us sound so old!) - not what we'd expected. This was supposed to be the relaxing leg of our trip.
By now I needed to lay down for a bit before dinner - my throat was killing me (it hurt to swallow), and now my ears were in incredible pain. So we went back to the room...and "the light show" started outside in the courtyard. Crazy loud techno music, so loud the windows were rattling. I never looked outside to see what was going on, just laid on our bed with my hands over my ears. From what I gather, there were images projected onto some big Christmas tree-shaped thing - think Celebrate the Magic! but with awful music and not-as-good projection. For someone with ear pain, this was less-than-ideal...and where could I go? This was our room.
The show stopped...and then started up again. Once every 30 minutes, for 5-10 minutes, from 4-9:30PM (not 9PM like I'd originally been told). It was miserable and I found myself silently counting the hours until this "vacation" would end and we could go home.
Eventually Mr. A told me he had an idea he'd been playing with - that we would go home the next day (December 30), not January 1 as originally planned. I cried - mainly because I felt so bad (he'd been so excited for this leg of the trip, and in particular to stay at this hotel - but he was clearly disappointed that it wasn't going to be as relaxing as he'd thought) but also because I felt relieved. We both missed the dog a LOT (hence my saying that this trip was too long - we've since agreed that when we travel we're keeping it to a week or less) and this hotel was just not the relaxing retreat we'd thought it would be (no mention of this "light show," which Mr. A described as "unacceptable," when we booked). And now that I was sick I just wanted to be home. Our flight home had originally been booked on points, so we lost those (I tried to call to get someone to help me with that but struck out) - but we were able to find a new flight the next day. It was a little pricey but we were past the point of caring.
That night was awful. Mr. A walked half a mile to get me NyQuil, but it wasn't enough. I got no sleep - I couldn't comfortably sleep in a way that wouldn't irritate my ears and/or throat. Which means he likely got no sleep...because he was stuck there with me.
To their credit, the hotel refunded us the two nights we canceled from our reservation. The travel home actually wasn't that bad - I managed to sleep for most of the flying and was SO happy to be home 14-15 hours later. But again, another night of no sleep.
We got the dog the next day - YAY!!
- and I considered making a doctor's appointment. But after two nights of no sleep and traveling across the country, I was exhausted. Leaving the house seemed like a Herculean task. In hindsight this was stupid because I clearly wasn't getting any better, but I was just so, so tired.The next day (after night 3 of no sleep) my ear pain was gone but I had a different, worse problem - coughing. Really, really hard, almost constant, coughing...and that aggravated my not-yet completely healed back. To the point where I was in crazy pain again. And then my LEGS started to hurt - I must have been standing/lifting/crouching weirdly to compensate for the back pain, because my left leg hurt from my hamstring down to my calf. And every time I coughed (frequently), my back hurt worse and worse. Because it was a holiday, I didn't even try to make an appointment. Happy freaking new year!
Saturday was more of the same. And still, for some reason, I still didn't make an appointment. By Sunday I finally cried "uncle" and we went to Urgent Care - I think Mr. A was ready to force me to go by then. Diagnosis? A virus...aka a really, really bad cold. I walked out with a cough suppressant and a recommendation for Sudafed Pain + Pressure. The Sudafed is GOLD but I can't take it at night since it's a stimulant, and the cough suppressant did nothing...night 5 of no sleep.
Monday came along - the day I was originally due to go back to work. And I woke up with yet ANOTHER problem. My left eye wouldn't open. It was (ew) stuck shut..and once I actually got it open - PINK EYE!!!
Are you kidding me? So now I had a really bad back, a really bad cold, and PINK EYE. ARRRRRGBut I had two other things - a great husband and really good insurance. He took a sick day form work to stay home and take care of me, and got me a doctor's appointment for that afternoon where the diagnosis of "really bad cold" didn't change...but I got some antibiotics and a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia since this had been going on for so long (x-ray came back normal). I also got a prescription for (really pricey) eye drops and a pain killer/cough suppressant syrup to take at night...
...and voila. I finally slept.
The syrup wasn't perfect but I figured out a certain angle with like 5-6 pillows where I could sort of lay down and not cough. I didn't sleep the whole night through (my sleeping schedule is completely messed up from being in California, not sleeping at night, etc.), but it was way better than the past few days.I'd already decided I was staying home on Tuesday to make sure I fully kicked this thing (um...these things) and woke up feeling better than I had in a week. Sleep is a beautiful thing - and my back felt almost 100% better! I was still coughing a lot but for whatever reason it wasn't bothering my back anymore. My eye was better, but still pretty gross...baby steps. I felt like I could definitely go back to work the next day (today...Wednesday).
However.
Mr. A was struggling. He'd been such an awesome caretaker to me all week, and was back at school - and he felt horrible. Headache, sore throat, feeling hot and cold. He came home at 3, went straight to bed and got sick. I took his temperature - 103 degrees!
So it's a good thing I was feeling so much better, because now we were off to the ER (by the time we got there his fever was down to 100 degrees - I'd given him a dose of DayQuil so I guess that helped). Diagnosis - some sort of virus. Sound familiar? Same as me, except it manifested itself a little differently. Oops.So that's how our vacation ended...some vacation!
Needless to say, Mr. A is at home today. I am also home but am working remotely...I want to be here in case he needs me and I'm pretty sure no one in my department wants to be exposed to the Ariel484 virus that seems to be lurking in the air.
Overall I am feeling okay...my back is about 95% there but I'm still coughing a decent amount. My eye is still a tiny bit gross but looks way better than it did on Monday - I think if someone didn't know I had pink eye, they wouldn't know anything was wrong just looking at me. Once the sicknesses completely go away I'm planning on getting a massage (I actually had one scheduled for Monday but canceled it in light of the eye gunk and my not really getting any better)...my body just feels out of whack.
My last day of antibiotics is Sunday, so I'm hoping to get back to training on Monday. I may try a yoga class before then depending on how I'm feeling and whether the coughing is under control. This past week has been really hard - being sick and not seeing improvement for so many days (seriously, dumb not to go to the doctor sooner) plus the worsening of my back really was incredibly frustrating, and made me wonder if I'd need to defer Princess Weekend. But I think I have enough time to get myself together for it. I'm disappointed that my training won't be where I want it to be, but also grateful that I (think I) can still make it work. And now I feel guilty that Mr. A caught what I have.
Whew...for better or for worse, I think this thread is all caught up!
And speaking of training...I will talk about that next!
Continued in Next Post
Last edited:
ZellyB
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
So, first the good...
I'm so glad you had a nice time at DL even if the crowds made it rough. The shot of you with Mickey admiring your ears is perfect. The ears (both sets) with your InB shirts are a great match too. I'm so jealous you went to their headquarters. What fun!!! The food from Napa Rose looks yummy, but, yeah, $15 for hot chocolate sounds crazy. Sorry it wasn't all you were hoping for.
The bad...
That stay on Coronado sounds just awful. I'm so sorry it wasn't what you expected. We stayed on Coronado about 10 or 11 years ago and had a really nice and relaxing stay at a hotel there (don't know if it was the same one you stayed at), so it's a shame you had such a bad experience. I'm glad you were able to get home early even if it did come at a price.
What a rough go you had with your illness. Sounds similar to what I had. I coughed and coughed and coughed and also got my back irritated from it all. I'm finally starting to feel normal again, but it drug on a long time. Here's hoping you guys are both feeling better soon and you can get back to normal operations!
I'm so glad you had a nice time at DL even if the crowds made it rough. The shot of you with Mickey admiring your ears is perfect. The ears (both sets) with your InB shirts are a great match too. I'm so jealous you went to their headquarters. What fun!!! The food from Napa Rose looks yummy, but, yeah, $15 for hot chocolate sounds crazy. Sorry it wasn't all you were hoping for.
The bad...
That stay on Coronado sounds just awful. I'm so sorry it wasn't what you expected. We stayed on Coronado about 10 or 11 years ago and had a really nice and relaxing stay at a hotel there (don't know if it was the same one you stayed at), so it's a shame you had such a bad experience. I'm glad you were able to get home early even if it did come at a price.
What a rough go you had with your illness. Sounds similar to what I had. I coughed and coughed and coughed and also got my back irritated from it all. I'm finally starting to feel normal again, but it drug on a long time. Here's hoping you guys are both feeling better soon and you can get back to normal operations!
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
Mickey loved the Starbucks ears. It was adorable.
The Napa Rose food was very yummy!! Great choice for our last day. As for the hot chocolate...I read some thread about it here in the Disneyland section and The way people were freaking out, I decided I HAD to try it. Not sure what I was expecting but I'm sure the look on my face was hilarious when I realized it was really just hot chocolate.
eh, I may as well just say what hotel - it was the Hotel Del Coronado. Will has been talking about staying there for years and was so excited to finally get there. I was so upset for him that it went the way it did.
What I have sounds exactly like what you had! Ugh...I'm glad you are feeling better!
Will slept a TON from last night to today (like 15 hours
) but seems way better than yesterday, so that's a relief. Fever is gone too. 
Dis5150
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2015
Ugh I'm so sorry for the terrible end to your vacation. I also have had the cold with horrible cough that won't die so it must be an epidemic! and having had pink eye 3 times in my life I can only say I'm so sorry again!
I'm glad at least part of your trip was fun! Last time I was in Disneyland was their 50th anniversary. We went at the beginning of December so we enjoyed the holiday stuff with way less crowds. We loved the Nightmare Before Christmas theming of the Haunted Mansion! Do they still do that? And you always have the best character pictures! I always look freakishly awkward and never know what to say to them, lol!
Your pup is so adorable - I can understand how you must have missed him! I went out to California in 2013 for work for 6 months and I missed my pup soo much! Maybe more than DH since I could at least talk to him and skype every night. (My pup "Spock" couldn't figure out how to Skype lol.)
I know you will get back to training and do great at Princess! You have so many races under your belt, you will be back to your routine in no time!
Glad you and Mr. A are feeling better!
and having had pink eye 3 times in my life I can only say I'm so sorry again! I'm glad at least part of your trip was fun! Last time I was in Disneyland was their 50th anniversary. We went at the beginning of December so we enjoyed the holiday stuff with way less crowds. We loved the Nightmare Before Christmas theming of the Haunted Mansion! Do they still do that? And you always have the best character pictures! I always look freakishly awkward and never know what to say to them, lol!
Your pup is so adorable - I can understand how you must have missed him! I went out to California in 2013 for work for 6 months and I missed my pup soo much! Maybe more than DH since I could at least talk to him and skype every night. (My pup "Spock" couldn't figure out how to Skype lol.)
I know you will get back to training and do great at Princess! You have so many races under your belt, you will be back to your routine in no time!
Glad you and Mr. A are feeling better!
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
Thank you! Okay, so between vacation and being sick, I have been pretty cut off from society as a whole and had no idea this was going around. I hope you feel better soon!!Ugh I'm so sorry for the terrible end to your vacation. I also have had the cold with horrible cough that won't die so it must be an epidemic!
I think I got lucky with the pink eye - I caught it very quickly, so it never itched or really bothered me very much, beyond being stuck shut that first morning. It's almost gone now - I don't think anyone would notice anything was wrong, I just notice because I'm looking for it - so that's a relief!
The perils of being married to a teacher...we'll never get to go in early December!
Yes, they did still have Haunted Mansion Holiday - I loved that! I was so surprised at how thorough the themeing was! We got to ride that 2-3 times.I didn't get many character pictures this time around...so sad!
Thank you for the nice compliment...I can assure you I only post the pictures where I think I look good though! Thank you!! He was so happy to come home, and he's been so sweet with both of us being sick...for the first few days when I was at my worst he was hanging out with me, and now he's moved on to Mr. A.
"Look at how cute I am! You never want to leave me again, right?!"
I cannot imagine leaving the dog for 6 months - that must have been so hard for you!
I would have made my husband hold up Archie to Skype, too! Thank you! I just hate that I am not going to be as trained as I was hoping for this one. I feel like the same thing happened for Disneyland...at least I have a little more time for this race than I did for that one.
But you're right, knowing I have done it before is so helpful. Makes me feel a lot better! Thanks!! He's still at home today but he's improved a LOT from Tuesday - whew! I hope you feel better soon, too!Glad you and Mr. A are feeling better!
steph0808
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2012
I am sorry that your trip ended on such a low note! I have gotten the flu on two separate vacations (2013 Disney marathon - pretty much wiped out my training and lucky I completed the race) and then in April of 2015. Nothing like puking your guts out on an airplane and in a hotel room. Fun!
I am glad you are feeling better, and I hope Mr. A recovers quickly. We were all sick over Christmas as well, and I know several other families spread across the US that also got sick, so it seems that some virus hit at exactly the wrong time during the holiday season!
I hope that your back is back to normal soon and you can get back to training. Those medals look great!
I am glad you are feeling better, and I hope Mr. A recovers quickly. We were all sick over Christmas as well, and I know several other families spread across the US that also got sick, so it seems that some virus hit at exactly the wrong time during the holiday season!
I hope that your back is back to normal soon and you can get back to training. Those medals look great!
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
Thanks Steph! Ugh, that sounds like a nightmare - I do remember you talking about that for the 2013 marathon. My travel day was a piece of cake compared to yours!
Yep, Mr. A seems to be much better. When we were at the ER they said what he had, had been hitting people quickly and would likely be gone in a little over 24 hours. That seems to be what is happening with him. I'm just so glad I wasn't signed up for any races this weekend! It would have been miserable.
I think they do too! I am surprised at the number of complaints...I guess I am coming from a place of being really grateful to be able to run the races at all, with the sickness and all...
And my brother was recently told his running career is over forever, so yeah...grateful that I even get try to get those medals when others cannot.Have you had baby #2 yet??!
ZellyB
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear this.
I still remember when I read one of your trip reports for the first time and it was the one you ran with your brother.
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
A Fresh Start
"I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now."
Alright, I'm through feeling sorry for myself over how awful I've felt over the past couple of weeks between back pain and sickness. It's a new year, and it's time for a fresh start.
"Keep moving forward!"
First: two race schedule changes! I thought about these a lot over the holidays and I think I'm happier with the first half of 2016 now.
1. I signed up for a local 10-mile race - one of my favorite local races. I've done this race 6 years in a row and normally use it for proof-of-time for Disney races. I didn't do well at this race last year (since it was in the middle of my running slump) so I'd definitely like to better my time. And it was only $35 to register! I originally wasn't going to do it this year because it conflicted with marathon training, but then I decided...
2. I'm dropping down from my local marathon and doing the half instead. With my back acting up significantly twice this year (July and December), it's too much pressure to think about getting ready for a marathon 4 months from now. I need to know my back is strong and healthy before committing to a marathon training plan (side note: my next planned marathon is WDW in 2018 as part of Dopey - you know, like everyone else on earth - so I have time). I had to pay a transfer fee + the difference in registration from when I registered vs. the current price...so it cost about $40 total to change, but I think it's the right call.
The scheduling lines up pretty well. It's 12 weeks from Princess Half weekend to this local half (with Tink weekend still being the week before) so that gives me time to get in a good, solid 12-week training cycle. And the 10-mile race lines up well with training for this half too. I'm happy with these changes!
And secondly...let's talk Glass Slipper Challenge training!
I leave for Princess Half Marathon weekend in 40 days. And I haven't attempted a run since December 17. ACK!
Obviously trying a different training plan didn't work for me, so I'm going back to what I know DOES work for me:
1. Hal Higdon training plans
2. Lifting 3 times each week
3. Yoga
So...basically exactly what I said I was doing at the beginning of this thread. Sigh.
I'm sort of using Hal Higdon's Novice 2 training plan as my base - the plan I originally wanted to use for Glass Slipper training. Unfortunately it's a 12-week plan and I have 6 weeks (including race week). I can't pick the plan up in week 7 because that's a 9-mile long run, and there's no way I can do that right now.
Basically I am starting with a 3-day run week with a 4-mile long run (10 miles total for the week) and building up to a 4-day run week with a 12-mile long run (24 miles total for the week). It's a little more rushed than I'd like, and I'm going to take things week-by-week...if somewhere along the way I think it's too much I'll re-evaluate and top out at a 10-mile long run. Not ideal, but I know it'll get me there. And I am going to try to be pretty careful - for my first run I plan on doing run/walk intervals of 1:00/1:00. If that feels good I'll do 1:15/1:00, then 1:30/1:00, etc., adding on 15 seconds to the run intervals until I get up to 4/1 or 5/1 intervals.
I'm going back to my 3-day lifting plan (after I follow that for 8 weeks I'll go back to my trainer...not yet though since I have zero muscle right now). And yoga one day per week.
Beyond getting ready for Princess weekend, I just want to feel...good again. I'm so over my stupid back hurting and feeling terrible - time to take better care of myself! So, you know...like I said above...pretty much exactly what I was saying at the beginning of this journal.
Sigh.
Anyway...here we go! I want those Little Mermaid medals!!
CURRENT TRAINING
Week 1 (1/11 - 1/17): 10 miles planned
Monday: lifting
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 3-mile run
Friday: lifting + yoga
Saturday: 4-mile run
Sunday: rest
UPCOMING TRAINING
Week 2 (1/18 - 1/24): 13 miles planned
Monday: lifting + 1-mile run
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 3-mile run
Friday: lifting + yoga
Saturday: 6-mile run
Sunday: rest
Week 3 (1/25 - 1/31): 17 miles planned
Monday: lifting + 2-mile run
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 4-mile run
Friday: lifting + yoga
Saturday: 8-mile run
Sunday: rest
Week 4 (2/1 - 2/7): 21 miles planned
Monday: lifting + 3-mile run
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 5-mile run
Friday: lifting + yoga
Saturday: 10-mile run
Sunday: rest
Week 5 (2/8 - 2/14): 24 miles planned
Monday: lifting
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 3-mile run
Friday: lifting + 6-mile run
Saturday: 12-mile run
Sunday: rest
Week 6 (2/15 - 2/21): 24.4 miles planned
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 2-mile run
Wednesday: rest/travel
Thursday: rest
Friday: Princess 5K!
Saturday: Princess 10K!
Sunday: Princess Half Marathon!
COMPLETED TRAINING
Continued in Next Post
"I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now."
Alright, I'm through feeling sorry for myself over how awful I've felt over the past couple of weeks between back pain and sickness. It's a new year, and it's time for a fresh start.
"Keep moving forward!"First: two race schedule changes! I thought about these a lot over the holidays and I think I'm happier with the first half of 2016 now.
1. I signed up for a local 10-mile race - one of my favorite local races. I've done this race 6 years in a row and normally use it for proof-of-time for Disney races. I didn't do well at this race last year (since it was in the middle of my running slump) so I'd definitely like to better my time. And it was only $35 to register! I originally wasn't going to do it this year because it conflicted with marathon training, but then I decided...
2. I'm dropping down from my local marathon and doing the half instead. With my back acting up significantly twice this year (July and December), it's too much pressure to think about getting ready for a marathon 4 months from now. I need to know my back is strong and healthy before committing to a marathon training plan (side note: my next planned marathon is WDW in 2018 as part of Dopey - you know, like everyone else on earth - so I have time
). I had to pay a transfer fee + the difference in registration from when I registered vs. the current price...so it cost about $40 total to change, but I think it's the right call.The scheduling lines up pretty well. It's 12 weeks from Princess Half weekend to this local half (with Tink weekend still being the week before) so that gives me time to get in a good, solid 12-week training cycle. And the 10-mile race lines up well with training for this half too. I'm happy with these changes!
And secondly...let's talk Glass Slipper Challenge training!
I leave for Princess Half Marathon weekend in 40 days. And I haven't attempted a run since December 17.
ACK!Obviously trying a different training plan didn't work for me, so I'm going back to what I know DOES work for me:
1. Hal Higdon training plans
2. Lifting 3 times each week
3. Yoga
So...basically exactly what I said I was doing at the beginning of this thread.
Sigh.I'm sort of using Hal Higdon's Novice 2 training plan as my base - the plan I originally wanted to use for Glass Slipper training. Unfortunately it's a 12-week plan and I have 6 weeks (including race week). I can't pick the plan up in week 7 because that's a 9-mile long run, and there's no way I can do that right now.
Basically I am starting with a 3-day run week with a 4-mile long run (10 miles total for the week) and building up to a 4-day run week with a 12-mile long run (24 miles total for the week). It's a little more rushed than I'd like, and I'm going to take things week-by-week...if somewhere along the way I think it's too much I'll re-evaluate and top out at a 10-mile long run. Not ideal, but I know it'll get me there. And I am going to try to be pretty careful - for my first run I plan on doing run/walk intervals of 1:00/1:00. If that feels good I'll do 1:15/1:00, then 1:30/1:00, etc., adding on 15 seconds to the run intervals until I get up to 4/1 or 5/1 intervals.
I'm going back to my 3-day lifting plan (after I follow that for 8 weeks I'll go back to my trainer...not yet though since I have zero muscle right now
). And yoga one day per week.Beyond getting ready for Princess weekend, I just want to feel...good again.
I'm so over my stupid back hurting and feeling terrible - time to take better care of myself! So, you know...like I said above...pretty much exactly what I was saying at the beginning of this journal. Sigh.Anyway...here we go! I want those Little Mermaid medals!!
CURRENT TRAINING
Week 1 (1/11 - 1/17): 10 miles planned
Monday: lifting
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 3-mile run
Friday: lifting + yoga
Saturday: 4-mile run
Sunday: rest
UPCOMING TRAINING
Week 2 (1/18 - 1/24): 13 miles planned
Monday: lifting + 1-mile run
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 3-mile run
Friday: lifting + yoga
Saturday: 6-mile run
Sunday: rest
Week 3 (1/25 - 1/31): 17 miles planned
Monday: lifting + 2-mile run
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 4-mile run
Friday: lifting + yoga
Saturday: 8-mile run
Sunday: rest
Week 4 (2/1 - 2/7): 21 miles planned
Monday: lifting + 3-mile run
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 5-mile run
Friday: lifting + yoga
Saturday: 10-mile run
Sunday: rest
Week 5 (2/8 - 2/14): 24 miles planned
Monday: lifting
Tuesday: 3-mile run
Wednesday: lifting
Thursday: 3-mile run
Friday: lifting + 6-mile run
Saturday: 12-mile run
Sunday: rest
Week 6 (2/15 - 2/21): 24.4 miles planned
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 2-mile run
Wednesday: rest/travel
Thursday: rest
Friday: Princess 5K!
Saturday: Princess 10K!
Sunday: Princess Half Marathon!
COMPLETED TRAINING
Continued in Next Post
Last edited:
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
I know!Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear this.
He's been in two car accidents over the past 2 years (the more recent one happening at the end of October) and both times he's broken the same leg in the same spot. His doctor said no more high-impact activities, so that means running is out. And he'll need a knee replacement early in life at some point. It's really a shame...he's only 29! So yeah, that has made me think a lot about how lucky I am to even be able to run...Maybe he'll become, like, a really awesome swimmer. And maybe Disney will introduce swimming events (swimDisney?).
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
Princess Half Marathon Weekend - Princess 10K...The Outfit!
Time for outfit #2, which combines pieces from my very favorite running apparel companies: INKnBURN, SparkleSkirts and SweatyBands. It is NOT a Disney-inspired outfit.
First, the top: one of my favorite running shirts, the INKnBURN Fish Tank:
Get it? Fish tank? Because it’s a Little Mermaid-themed weekend? Eh? Probably would work better if the fish were under da sea and not in a tank though ("they sad cuz they in da bowl...") ...and too bad most of the art will be covered by a race bib (maybe I can experiment with attaching a race bib to my skirt? Or buy a bib belt at the expo?)! But whatever, it makes me happy. Such a fun shirt! This was INKnBURN's April Fools product for 2015 (the website described it as an actual fish tank - as in, an aquarium, not a shirt - no picture of the shirt on the website at all...but it was obvious it was a tank based on the price. 2014's product was an R2D2 tech shirt - which, by the way, is a super rare shirt. I've seen them go for $100-$200 on eBay! ). So I ordered this top sight unseen...it was sort of fun to receive in the mail and be surprised!
And speaking of R2D2...looking who's hanging out in the back of the tank! So it sort of has a Disney tie-in...
I'm really hoping it's warm enough to go sleeveless for this race. If not, I'll wear a long-sleeved top under this one.
With the Fish Tank, a SparkleSkirt...though I'm not sure which one yet. I have lots of solid-color SparkleSkirts and am not sure what color would go best with the fish tank. Opinions?
Here are my options, starting with the top left and going L-R and then down...EnchantedGreen, ShockingRed (Mr. Ariel484's pick), MagicalTeal and PowerfulPurple...
...and then StorybookYellowToo, SaluteBlue, BlackSilk and BlueRoyale.
Now that I'm looking at these pictures...I don't think MagicalTeal really works all that well and I'm pretty "meh" on BlackSilk and SaluteBlue, so I think I can take those out of the running. But the rest of them seem like they'd work. I think I like BlueRoyale the best, but that seems like a safe pick and not as interesting as, say, the yellow skirt (which matches the fish fins), the purple and green skirts (which match the aquarium leaves) or the red skirt (which matches the aquarium rocks and volcano). Decisions, decisions...
My other unknown with this outfit is the SweatyBand to pair with it. I have a mint green one that looks like mermaid scales...so it fits with the weekend's theme, but it completely doesn't match the outfit at all. Other than that I'm thinking I'll either grab a new solid-colored one at the expo (to match whatever SparkleSkirt I choose for the outfit) or just go with my solid black band that I already own. I need another SweatyBand like I need a hole in my head, so I'm leaning toward just using something I already have.
Skirt thoughts please?!
Continued in Next Post
Time for outfit #2, which combines pieces from my very favorite running apparel companies: INKnBURN, SparkleSkirts and SweatyBands.
It is NOT a Disney-inspired outfit.First, the top: one of my favorite running shirts, the INKnBURN Fish Tank:
Get it? Fish tank? Because it’s a Little Mermaid-themed weekend? Eh? Probably would work better if the fish were under da sea and not in a tank though ("they sad cuz they in da bowl...")
...and too bad most of the art will be covered by a race bib (maybe I can experiment with attaching a race bib to my skirt? Or buy a bib belt at the expo?)! But whatever, it makes me happy. Such a fun shirt! This was INKnBURN's April Fools product for 2015 (the website described it as an actual fish tank - as in, an aquarium, not a shirt - no picture of the shirt on the website at all...but it was obvious it was a tank based on the price. 2014's product was an R2D2 tech shirt - which, by the way, is a super rare shirt. I've seen them go for $100-$200 on eBay! ). So I ordered this top sight unseen...it was sort of fun to receive in the mail and be surprised!And speaking of R2D2...looking who's hanging out in the back of the tank! So it sort of has a Disney tie-in...
I'm really hoping it's warm enough to go sleeveless for this race. If not, I'll wear a long-sleeved top under this one.
With the Fish Tank, a SparkleSkirt...though I'm not sure which one yet. I have lots of solid-color SparkleSkirts and am not sure what color would go best with the fish tank. Opinions?
Here are my options, starting with the top left and going L-R and then down...EnchantedGreen, ShockingRed (Mr. Ariel484's pick), MagicalTeal and PowerfulPurple...
...and then StorybookYellowToo, SaluteBlue, BlackSilk and BlueRoyale.
Now that I'm looking at these pictures...I don't think MagicalTeal really works all that well and I'm pretty "meh" on BlackSilk and SaluteBlue, so I think I can take those out of the running. But the rest of them seem like they'd work. I think I like BlueRoyale the best, but that seems like a safe pick and not as interesting as, say, the yellow skirt (which matches the fish fins), the purple and green skirts (which match the aquarium leaves) or the red skirt (which matches the aquarium rocks and volcano). Decisions, decisions...
My other unknown with this outfit is the SweatyBand to pair with it. I have a mint green one that looks like mermaid scales...so it fits with the weekend's theme, but it completely doesn't match the outfit at all. Other than that I'm thinking I'll either grab a new solid-colored one at the expo (to match whatever SparkleSkirt I choose for the outfit) or just go with my solid black band that I already own. I need another SweatyBand like I need a hole in my head, so I'm leaning toward just using something I already have.
Skirt thoughts please?!
Continued in Next Post
Last edited:
steph0808
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2012
I actually liked the teal the best! haha. If that isn't an option, I'd go yellow or blueroyale. I like the red, but I like the contrast between the red bottom of the shirt and a different color skirt.
Also, that tank top is awesome!
No baby yet - not due until May 18th. Another girl.
Also, that tank top is awesome!
No baby yet - not due until May 18th. Another girl.
Ariel484
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
Okay, so far...
MagicalTeal: 1 vote
ShockingRed: 1 vote
I'm leaning more toward the yellow or the royal blue...still not sure!
Isn't it?! I love it!
Yay!! That is so exciting. Hope your husband likes being in a house full of girls!No baby yet - not due until May 18th. Another girl.
IrishMel21
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2014
I'm sorry both you & Mr. A caught the virus that was going around. It's amazing how it seems every year around Christmas that little bugger seems to get to as many people as possible. I had a horrible head cold for the 3 days leading up to Christmas and then two days after I was better, except for the lovely continuing cough.
I'm also sorry the vacation wasn't exactly what you had both hoped for ... here's hoping the next vacation goes off swimmingly!
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