It must have felt great to get into bed that night!
Thank you so much! You are great for my egoSo I finally got caught up on the ending to your journey... can I just say that you are such an inspiration!
I just started running myself (last month) with the goal to run a Disney Half. Your comment about now wanting to run when it was cold and snowy outside... that's how I feel today. But you have inspired me to get off the computer and get outside this morning. So that is where I am heading right now! I am always amazed at how generous people are on these boards for taking the time to share their stories. It must take a lot of work to write and post your pictures. THANK YOU! Looking forward to the next one!
The thing I always try to remember if I don't feel like going out for a run is that I have never regretted a run after I did it, but there are many times when I have regretted not going for a run when I had the chance. And I don't share my trips for completely selfless reasons. I love to relive it and talk about it and the DIS is a place that people actually listenWe've been really lucky over the past couple of years because we've been able to get down to WDW so often. That makes it much easier to be relaxed about things. Plus with DVC I know I will always be back. I love that!Your night sounds great! I'm actually a little envious b/c I plan things out so much that sometimes I forget to just slow down and enjoy the little things and go with the flow more. The hair wraps are fun, my dd's friend got one on our first trip, but my dd wouldn't have it...she didn't want anyone to touch her hair!Her friend loved it though and it lasted a long time.
Love the punWhat a nice way to "wrap up" the evening. Sorry, could help myself. I'm a dork.
Lacey got her hair wrapped many moons ago and I asked the same questions you did. I guess it's the Mom in us.
Moms do always ask all the questions don't we?I hope that Michael calms down in a few years. My older 2 kids were always pretty mild mannered so Michael has been an adjustment for us. I still haven't quite figured out the best way to handle him, but we keep on trying.Aidan and Micheal are so alike it's crazy! Temperamental is a great way to put it! He has definitely calmed down over the past 6 years (he's 12 now) but boy was he "spirited" at Micheal's age!
Can you imagine how long the cornrows would take though? I think those are Sharpies. They are sponsers of Disney. It does seem kind of crazy, but that is what they provide!
I love how even when you weren't holding them, you can still see them through the ponchos. At least for 7$ a piece they didn't hide them. 
But I will say there is never a dull moment when she is around. I imagine he is the same way and we gotta love them for it. 
...but I'm all caught up now!!
I have to tell you, I teared up while reading your post. You are such an inspiration!!
I heard the footsteps, the heavy breathing, the smile when you passed each mile marker while breathing heavily. Totally awesome. It was like a Nike commercial but in real life 
Those PP pics with the ponchos did turn out cute. I guess the $35 was worth itI love the PP pics of you guys with your ponchos and medals on! You look like real Disney troopers.
Michael sounds a lot like my Bella...temperamental doesn't even begin to cover it. She can turn tears on and off like a faucet. Oh the drama!
Wendy's hair wrap is so cute! And that is hilarious about all those questions. Thanks because now I know how it works if we ever decide to stop for one and I don't have to ask a million.
It's nice to know I'm not the only one with a tempermental kid. Like I mentioned earlier I worry about him sometimes because life seems so tough for him compared to my other kids. I just hope he figures out how to be happy and control that temper of his. Bella would probably love a hair wrap. It didn't take long and if I recall it was around $25. Fun memory.The Disney races are pretty pricey, but the marathon was a relative bargain last year. I think the registration fee was $120. Which is more than most races. This past year it also included a pass to a park for the Monday after the race. We had APs so I didn't use it, but if you were just going for the day that would be great. Last year the half was the same price as the full which frankly I think is a bit of a rip off. Plus they didn't get the free admission. I guess Disney knows they can get people to pay the price for the half. It is a much more popular race.
Thanks, Angie. Don't feel bad about falling behind. I understand that my trip report is not top prioritySorry I fell so far behind...
A big Congratulations Marathoner!!!
The food at the Biergarten looks so yummy!! Great pictures of everyone showing off their medals!!
The Sorcerer Mickey drawings turned out so cute!! Love that Peter Pan print!
Great family shot with Buzz and Woody!! Aww...too bad it rained but it looks like you made the best of it.
We did get lots of great pictures this trip. That is why I love my photopass!You are giving me way too much credit! I definitely wouldn't make a Nike commercial! I probably sound way more like a little kid than you imagained. (Telemarketers always ask for my mother.) Plus you notice how slow I am. I wasn't always exerting myself as much as I could have so I'm sure the breathing wasn't as heavy as you imagined. The footsteps were probably accurate thoughHey Jenny! I have been falling behind on your updates but I'm back in the game! I went back about 10 pages or so and started at the beginning of your race. What can I say that hasn't been said?!?!? That was so inspirational
YOU ARE A MARATHONER!
It was awesome starting your race in the beginning and being able to go all the way through it on one sitting. The whole time I could hear your voice (at least my impression of it) telling what you saw and what you felt but in my head you id it while you were running
Your whole family is amazing. They should always be proud of those medals and I know you are so proud of each and every one of them. I'll be on the lookout for the next update
Anyway thanks for the congrats. We all appreciate it.It's always a nice night at Epcot, right! I'm not quite sure what DH is going to do with that pin, but he is an outdoorsy guy (remember the mountain climbing) and does environmental law so that pin was right up his alley.
Neither Wendy nor I could find a long sleeve tee that we liked, but here is what we bought the boys.
I take that back, the first night we arrived in October 2009 at DTD it was cold and it just felt wrong to be cold in Florida! 
They came out so nice, especially the cute one of your kiddos. I don't I've ever seen giraffes lying down? Pretty cool!
If you're used to summer trips it is kind of strange to be cold at the parks. I prefer summer trips to Jan. trips. The weather is much more predictable. All you have to pack is shorts and t-shirts! However, I wouldn't want to run in a marathon in FL in the summerWendy got some GREAT shots! It's hard to get good shots on Safari with all that bouncing around and she did really well! Cute shirts, I can't imagine being cold at the parks!
Good luck at your race! Please come back and report how it went!
Duffy is definitely a marketing success for Disney. At least if my boys are any indicationMore updates, yay! You're so good about that!
Sounds like a very nice, laid back Epcot evening you had! We too did the France movie for the first time this past trip and loved it! Wasn't it beautiful? Although I did see a man catching a nap during it.
Ah, Duffy. Two of my DD's (the 7 and 9 year old) were sooo enamored by him! We did the kidcot in Norway and they colored him with the sharpies too. I'd meant to get those Duffy pins as well before we left but completely forgot. And of course we ended up with an actual Duffy on our last Epcot day!
Your AK photopass pics are adorable!
Love the boys' shirts you bought! Bummer that you and Wendy couldn't find anything though.
Wendy did a great job with those safari pics.
Looks like a great start to your AK day.
I love that picture of my kids at AK too. In fact I have it blown up to 8x10 and it's in my living room.Wendy did do a good job with the camera. I like handing over the camera because then I can just relax and enjoy the ride.I'm happy that even though you didn't make it to the safari right after rop drop, the line wasn't long at all. Wow, Wendy is a great little photographer. She took some really good pictures.
I was in Disney! I wasn't going to waste my time in bed! Honestly I was only sore for the day after the marathon. By this day all the sorenss was gone. Hard to believe, but true.Wow, Wendy got some great safari shots!
I still can't believe that you're managing to do all this walking around! I think if I had just run a marathon, I'd probably have to stay in bed for the next week!
Better late than never! I'm going to check out your trip report. I love hearing about other people's races, especially firsts at any distance. Keep pestering me about the Wine & Dine. Maybe you'll convince me. (Though I'd have to find some cheap airfare which isn't looking likely these days.)I probably should be using my time for other things like doing laundry and cleaning house! I already have the whole thing written so it honestly doesn't take too long to upload the pictures and post it. I like writing it as soon as I get back so I can remember the details. Another update is coming right up!
) I didnt think it was busy enough to worry about it, but I sent him off to acquire fast passes for Expedition Everest while the kids and I headed for the train. Here are the boys waiting for the train.
He had fast passes in hand. (Hed gotten five of them even though none of the Darling Children will ride Everest. Like I said though, he has this thing.) The reason hed taken so long: there was no line so he had to go for a ride. That tells you how low the crowds were. The kids showed him a few Mickeys and we headed back to the station. This was a really fun trip to Rafikis. Over time I have discovered all of these little details are what is best about Animal Kingdom. This park is full of details and moments that can only be appreciated if you take the time to smell the roses. (And we all know how good I am at rose smelling. Exhibit A: the Marathon.) Wed just missed the train and I was worried about missing the show. Would we make it in time?
