Lucky '13 (OCT/MNSSHP/F&W/TOT10M/OMG/LOL/BBQ PTR) Updated 09/25

[glaserjm]

It's that time already--Brian ordered our MNSSHP tickets today!

I might have mentioned that this will be our FOURTH Halloween party. Somehow, we've managed to go annually since 2010.

In 2010 we went with Tom and Tabby. I wanted us to wear coordinating costumes but I never came up with a theme, so I made everyone matching t-shirts instead. I made them, like, six hours before we left for the airport.

In 2011 I was HUGELY PREGNANT, so Brian and I went as Juno MacGuff and Paulie Bleeker.

In 2012, we did a Doctor Who theme. Brian was The Doctor, I was his companion Amy Pond, Luke was the Impossible Astronaut, and Tom wore a crack in the universe t-shirt.

This year, I've really only had one idea for costumes, so that's probably what we're going with.

I'll let you figure out who is going to be who.

When we met Ralph and Vanellope in December, they gave out trading cards instead of autographs. I have the trading card in my purse so I can refer to it in case I come across anything that would work for the costumes. Actually, I have half the trading card in my purse because Luke ate the other half.

I think Wreck it Ralph is a great idea! I love that movie and actually you could probably do the costumes pretty cheaply! We love MNSSHP, and can't wait to get back to it in 2014!

 

[Li Li]

I've been meaning to reply and I keep forgetting. Love the PTR so far!

And, so excited to see a Hersheypark review. As you may see from my profile, I live in Hershey, so of course, I am completely biased. I live in town and worked in the park for three summers during high school, which was a blast! Excellent company to work for!

It is always interesting to see what "outsiders" think of Hersheypark. I'm glad you liked it! I don't blame your husband for having sticker shock at the Hotel Hershey price; I would too! Yikes! Sometimes I think they made a decision to really cater to the NY/NJ families with tons of moola to burn. I base that in part on all the NY/NJ license plates I see during the tourist season!

 

[Alysa]

Oooo - Luke is such a cutie!
Love your report! Vegetarian Whovian - what's not to love! Plus you have my dream job. And my son has your Doctor Pooh t-shirt.
Looking forward to reading more!

 

[holleypie]

We would have taken a Disney trip this fall anyway, but we chose this particular week so I can run the Tower of Terror 10 Miler. I've been a runner, with varying degrees of commitment, since 2006 when I started running with my friend from work. Since then I've run over a dozen races including three half-marathons and one full marathon.

This is me getting ready to cross the finish line at the San Antonio Marathon in 2008 after over six hours, with a sprained foot. Fun times!

Earlier this year I trained for a 10K so I would have a time to submit for corral placement. The 10K was over a month ago. When I'm not actively training for a race, my runs are not as regular as I'd like them to be. I signed up for a secret race in November (I'm not talking about it because I don't want to jinx myself) and that training schedule doesn't start until July. But when I learned that the official TOT training plan started at the beginning of June, I figured it was time to get my butt back in gear and start sticking to a schedule again.

My basic proposed schedule looks like this:

Monday: Yoga
Tuesday: 3 Miles
Wednesday: Yoga/Strength Training
Thursday: 2 Miles
Friday: 4 Miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 2 Miles

Obviously the mileage will increase when real training starts! I picked Fridays for my long runs so that I won't have to worry about it during the weekend. But if something comes up and I can't do it then, I'll still have Saturday or Sunday to make it up. Tuesdays will be tempo runs, time trials, or track workouts. Thursdays and Sundays are easy-ish runs. I prefer running three days a week rather than four, so I'm going to allow myself to skip one of the easy runs if I feel like it.

In addition to me running the 10 Miler...Luke is going to be doing the kids' 100m dash. I am so excited! At first I thought I should wait until he's old enough to actually care, but the kids' races were reasonably priced and you get a t-shirt, personalized bib, finisher medallion, and refreshments. Plus, the pictures will be ADORABLE. Considering the speed with which Luke can escape from me at Target, I'm pretty sure he has a good shot at winning.

 

[holleypie]

Gonna be very interesting to see your costumes.

I hope they're awesome and not thrown together at the last minute!

I love the Wreck It Ralph idea! This turned into one of my favorite Disney movies. My daughter loved it too, we are really hoping to meet them in September it's pretty cute when when she walks around saying "I'm gonna wreck it!"

We've seen it a few times because for awhile every time we invited people over to our house to hang out, we ended up having pizza and watching Wreck It Ralph! I'm hoping they're still meeting and greeting in October. We met them in December (before we even saw the movie) but it would be nice to see them again now that I know who they are.

I think Wreck it Ralph is a great idea! I love that movie and actually you could probably do the costumes pretty cheaply! We love MNSSHP, and can't wait to get back to it in 2014!

Yeah, I figured we could get most of the components at a thrift store. I was hoping Disney would sell an actual Fix It Felix costume but I haven't seen anything yet.

I've been meaning to reply and I keep forgetting. Love the PTR so far!

And, so excited to see a Hersheypark review. As you may see from my profile, I live in Hershey, so of course, I am completely biased. I live in town and worked in the park for three summers during high school, which was a blast! Excellent company to work for!

It is always interesting to see what "outsiders" think of Hersheypark. I'm glad you liked it! I don't blame your husband for having sticker shock at the Hotel Hershey price; I would too! Yikes! Sometimes I think they made a decision to really cater to the NY/NJ families with tons of moola to burn. I base that in part on all the NY/NJ license plates I see during the tourist season!

It was weird to see how close people actually live to Hersheypark! I couldn't believe I was sitting on a ride and staring at someone's front porch. I wonder if that's good or bad for property values? Heh.

Oooo - Luke is such a cutie!
Love your report! Vegetarian Whovian - what's not to love! Plus you have my dream job. And my son has your Doctor Pooh t-shirt.
Looking forward to reading more!

Thanks! That Doctor Pooh shirt is one of the greatest things I own. I had to stop wearing it so often because I don't want to wear it out already.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nice training schedule. Looks like you're getting in for a regular routine in this lead-up period.

 

[SAT887]

I have to agree, entering Luke in the dash is worth it for the pictures alone. So do you have a phrase that will have him just take off? I tell my kids "Im gonna get you" and man they can run!!

That's very exciting you are running the 10 miler, I have a friend who is running it as well - good luck!! (I will probably tell you good luck at least a dozen more times)

 

[holleypie]

Nice training schedule. Looks like you're getting in for a regular routine in this lead-up period.

It's so nice to look at the training schedule now and see all those short easy runs. I'm sure I will be dreading Fridays in a few weeks!

I have to agree, entering Luke in the dash is worth it for the pictures alone. So do you have a phrase that will have him just take off? I tell my kids "Im gonna get you" and man they can run!!

That's very exciting you are running the 10 miler, I have a friend who is running it as well - good luck!! (I will probably tell you good luck at least a dozen more times)

Thanks! I'm really excited. Luke and I don't have a phrase! That's a good idea. We should probably start practicing. I wonder if people will give me funny looks if I dress him in his sweats, grab a stopwatch, and take him to the high school track to run laps?

 

[holleypie]

Summer's here and we're now less than 14 weeks out. We leave for Orlando about five days after fall starts, so we just have to get through the summer. That will not be difficult. Summer is my favorite.

Last Sunday we celebrated Brian's second Father's Day.

Their stickers say "World's Greatest Dad" and "World's Luckiest Son."

Brian's presents were, inadvertently, Star Wars themed. Luke and I got him Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown, and he picked out an A-Wing and a TIE Interceptor from the game X-Wing.

We spent the morning running errands before I went to work.

Luke HATES shopping. To appease him, we let him push the cart. This tactic backfired on Friday when we let him push his stroller in Barnes and Noble. He crashed it into a shelf then bounced off and fell down with the stroller landing on top of him. Oops.

Luke and Daddy also spent some quality time reading books. We just signed Luke up for the Summer Reading Club at the library this week. He can't quite read yet, but he LOVES to bring us books and climb into our laps. It is absolutely adorable and warms writer Mommy's heart.

After I got off work we went to a cookout at my parents' house so I got to see my own daddy and (almost) all of my siblings. Luke had fun running around the yard playing with his uncle and aunties.

As far as actual trip-planning, not too much has happened except for me buying t-shirts at Target. I bought a Hakuna Matata tank top, so if I find something for Luke we can have a Lion King theme for our Animal Kingdom day, and since Luke and Brian already have Darth Vader shirts I got one too so we can have a Star Wars theme at DHS. The sad part is, I actually feel productive when I do these things.

 

[Alysa]

Awwww = what a nice day! Love the star wars pressies!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Those star wars figurines are great! Happy Father's Day.

 

[glaserjm]

The training schedule looks good! I am planning on doing the ToT 10 Miler in 2014, so obviously I don't have to start training yet but I did a 5k this weekend and I think it's time to start increasing my overall distance as I think my body has gotten used to doing about 3 miles a couple times a week.

How many miles does your training ultimately take you to? Last time I trained for a 1/2 marathon my training program only took me up to 10 miles...not sure if training for a 10 mile race will be the same...

 

[holleypie]

Awwww = what a nice day! Love the star wars pressies!

Thanks! It was a nice day. Well, for me. I'm assuming Brian had a nice time too.

Those star wars figurines are great! Happy Father's Day.

I wasn't even quite sure what they were, but he enjoyed them, so I guess that's the important part. Heh.

The training schedule looks good! I am planning on doing the ToT 10 Miler in 2014, so obviously I don't have to start training yet but I did a 5k this weekend and I think it's time to start increasing my overall distance as I think my body has gotten used to doing about 3 miles a couple times a week.

How many miles does your training ultimately take you to? Last time I trained for a 1/2 marathon my training program only took me up to 10 miles...not sure if training for a 10 mile race will be the same...

Congrats on your 5K! Are you planning any other races between now and then? I think 10K and 13.1 are my favorite distances.

The training plan I'm following is for a longer race in November and I'm sneaking the TOT in there. I think my longest long run before the 10 Miler is about 16 miles. If I wasn't doing the longer race and was just training for the 10 Miler, I think my last long run would probably be 12 or 13 miles with one or two taper weeks at the end. The official Galloway training plan has you doing FOUR long runs that are over 10 miles, topping out at 16 miles with a one week taper before the race. To me, it looks more like a training plan for a half marathon, but it sounds like a lot of people use it. I wouldn't run that many miles to train for a 10 mile race, but it's possible I'm just lazy.

 

[ThatBrunette]

It looks like our trips will overlap! Husband is in charge of booking the tickets so, I am not sure if we are leaving out of Baltimore or Dulles (VA).

I love the idea of a family theme for costumes. I am trying to convince DH and DS (9) to do a group costume. Please, post pictures.

Yes, Giant stores are different in PA and MD. I think our stores are offering discounts to Kings Dominion. I haven't been to Hershey's since the early 80s. It was great to see your pictures.

Your family...the pictures...the adorableness!

 

[holleypie]

It looks like our trips will overlap! Husband is in charge of booking the tickets so, I am not sure if we are leaving out of Baltimore or Dulles (VA).

I love the idea of a family theme for costumes. I am trying to convince DH and DS (9) to do a group costume. Please, post pictures.

Yes, Giant stores are different in PA and MD. I think our stores are offering discounts to Kings Dominion. I haven't been to Hershey's since the early 80s. It was great to see your pictures.

Your family...the pictures...the adorableness!

Aw, thanks! We're having some trouble now with the costumes because apparently it's a bit difficult to find inexpensive overalls for a grown man...

 

[holleypie]

Oh my, where have I been??? I abandoned the PTR for over a month, and now the trip is only nine weeks away. Nine!

We've gotten a few things for the trip squared away. Mostly buying more t-shirts. I've officially taken the time off work and found someone to cover my shifts while we're gone. This is the first time in MANY YEARS that I'm not getting a paid vacation, so that's going to be a little sad.

So what have we been up to this summer? Let's see...

We celebrated the Fourth of July with a parade, fair, and cookout. My brother and I also tried to run the annual 6K that morning but after showing up at 7am and finding an empty parking lot, we realized the race had been cancelled. No fireworks that night, because I was too tired.

We've eaten lots of snowballs. One time, the snowball lady was sweet enough to give Luke his very own first "snowball" (okay, it was just a cup of shaved iced, but he was thrilled). Brian's been expanding his milkshake repertoire, so we've enjoyed quite a few of those too.

We've gone to the playground.

And had play dates with the cousins.

My parents and younger siblings went on a two-week road trip for the first half of July. While they were gone, my 21-year-old sister bought a pool for their yard. When they got back, my mom decided it was too deep and they drained it. So, we got to swim for two weeks.

Brian and I went to the drive-in. I've NEVER stayed awake for all three movies, but this time I did! I watched more movies that night than the rest of the year combined. We both thought Despicable Me 2 and This is the End were very funny, and RIPD was just okay.


Okay, let's move on to something Disney related. Let's talk about...pin trading.

I'm reluctant to show our collections because they've gotten embarrassingly large. But here you go.

This is Brian's board. He collects Mickey in costumes, villains, and pins from every resort where we've stayed. I also see a few Haunted Mansion, Orange Bird, and other assorted pins.

This is Luke's board. We found all the letters of his name, and I started collecting Donald Duck for him.

And these two are mine. I mostly collect food, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey heads, and I've been trying to spell out my name. That five set of key pins used to belong to Brian, but he gave it to me because he's the best husband ever, so now I have a nice key collection going too.

We also have ALL OF THESE that are just for trading. So what are we going to be trading for this fall?

-Letters. I think Brian said he wanted to find them all (and there's a few different sets? Agh.) Brian only needs one more letter to spell his first name.

-The rest of the cupcake pins. I still need Mickey, Minnie, Tinker Bell, and Marie.

-Brian needs to find the rest of the Three Caballeros.

-I found these two Duffy pins in the bag of pins we bought for trading, so now I need the rest. The theme is Duffy wearing different characters' hats.

-Speaking of Duffy, I also think I will finally buy the seven-pin set of Duffy in the different country outfits since you can't buy the actual outfits for the Duffy bears anymore. Grrr.

Well, that's all for now. Is anyone still out there? What have you been up to? Are you as eager as I am to see the complete F&W menus??? Should be soon!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Cool pins!


Yes....I am waiting to see what the menus are for F&W. Life's been hectic for me; but mostly all of my plans are locked in now.

 

[holleypie]

Cool pins!


Yes....I am waiting to see what the menus are for F&W. Life's been hectic for me; but mostly all of my plans are locked in now.

Last year I think the menus were out on July 31st so I'm hoping for this week. I might be a bit too obsessed...

 

[glaserjm]

That's a great pin collection! Hopefully you can add some more letters to your name in just a few weeks!

I believe some of F&W has been released already, but not all of the kiosks are finalized yet. They do have the signature events out if you're interested in any of those.

Looks like you guys have had a fun summer! Only a few more weeks to go!

 

[holleypie]

I dragged myself out of bed early this morning and went to the track for some speed work. I put Fat Bottomed Girls on my iPod and started a one-mile time trial. Sadly I can't run a mile in four minutes, so the song ended halfway through and I PRAYED that a good song would come on next. And...the next song was Michael Jackson's "We Are Here to Change the World" from Captain EO.

Yessssss.

It was a very Disney way to start the day.

The good times continued when, a few hours later, I saw that the complete Food and Wine menus have been posted! Aaaaaah!

If you've read my PTRs/TRs before, you might remember that I am both a vegetarian and obnoxiously picky, and I also won't be drinking much alcohol since we'll have Luke with us. THAT NARROWS IT DOWN. Brian is a bit more carnivorous, so I'll include his picks along with mine.

Terra:
(Holly)
-Trick’n Chick’n Curry with Basmati Rice featuring Gardein™ Chick’n Breast

-Chili Colorado with House-made Chips and Cashew Cheese featuring Gardein™ Beefless Tips.

These are the same from last year and I loved both of them. I wasn't crazy about the dessert, so I'll skip it this time.


Australia
(Brian)
-Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomatoes Lemon Myrtle and Rapini
-Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies
-Pavlova (Crispy Meringue Shell with Fresh Driscoll’s® Berries and Vanilla Custard)

Mexico
(Brian, but I'd steal a bite of the rice pudding)
-Taco de Ribeye with Salsa de Chipotle
-Rice Pudding

China
(Brian)
-Mongolian Beef in a Steamed Bun
-Silky Spun Ice with Toppings (three flavors: Coconut, Strawberry, Chocolate)
-Kung Fu Punch with Vodka

Africa
(Holly)
-Spinach and Paneer Cheese Pocket - I'm not a fan of cooked spinach, but I might give it a try.

Germany
(Brian)
-Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll
-Apple Strudel with Werther’s Original Karamel and Vanilla Sauce

Poland
(Holly)
-Zapiekanki (Toasted Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Cheese Bread with House-made Ketchup) - This actually sounds disgusting, but I'm intrigued anyway.
-Frozen Szarlotka (Apple Pie) featuring Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka.

(I'm going to interrupt myself now to complain that Italy STILL won't give me some meat-free pasta. Lame.)

Japan
(Holly)
-Youki Tofu topped with Miso Sauce, Edamame and Served with Grilled Vegetables - I don't eat tofu, but if this looks good I might try it.

Belgium
(Both. Finally, some overlap!)
-Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream
-Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote featuring Driscoll’s® Berries and Whipped Cream

France
(Brian)
-Boeuf Bourguignon (Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet with Mashed Potatoes)
-Crème Brûlée au Chocolat au Lait (Chocolate Milk Crème Brûlée topped with Caramelized Sugar)

France burned me last year with an awful Eiffel Sour that was straight up $9 cranberry juice. They're dead to me.

Ireland
(both)
-Warm Chocolate Pudding with Bailey’s® Custard

WHAT BLASPHEMY IS THIS? NO LAVA CAKE, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I am devastated over this loss. I'll try the replacement chocolate pudding, but I WILL NOT LIKE IT. Okay, maybe I will like it. Hopefully I will. I foresee an at-home lava cake experiment in our future.

Canada
(Brian)
-“Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce

Greece
(Holly)
-Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey
-Spanakopita - Maybe

Refreshment Port
(both)
-Dole® Pineapple Fritters

Desserts & Champagne
(Both)
-Chocolate Orange Cupcake
-Hazelnut Chocolate Cheesecake (actually, this wasn't on Brian's list but I want to try it, so we'll probably get the dessert sampler)
-Morello Cherry Pistachio Mousse
-Frozen S’mores

Scotland
(Holly)
-Vegetarian Haggis with Neeps and Tatties-Griddled Vegetable Cake with Rutabaga and Mashed Potatoes
-Scottish Banoffee Tart with Bananas, Scottish Whisky Toffee, Walkers Shortbread Crumbles and Sweet Cream

Since I keep complaining about the lack of vegetarian options, you might think I'd be ecstatic about this vegetarian haggis. But no, I think it's ridiculously stupid. What were they THINKING? Most people who would have wanted to try haggis will be disappointed with a vegetarian version, and why would vegetarians want to eat a dish that mimics sheep's organs? I just don't get it. But actually, I will get it. If only because I think it'd be fun to order "tatties."

I didn't see the brown elephant cocktail (made with Amarula and Coca Cola) that was previously announced, but I'd already decided it would be safer and cheaper to try that particular combination at home. Overall, I am still really devastated about the lava cake, but I am excited to try some new things. Maybe our theme for dinner one night should be "Dishes We Cannot Get at F&W Festival This Year" and I'll make myself a brown elephant, some lava cake for dessert, and I'll whip up some sheep's pluck for Brian.