Wine and Dine Weekend

This past weekend, my boyfriend (Ray), roommate (Austin), and I headed down to Orlando for the Wine and Dine weekend!

Here's a recap of before and after the race, and I'll get to the race next!

We arrived Friday night and checked in.  We were staying at Port Orleans Riverside, and it was GORGEOUS! I'm absolutely in love with this resort, and hopefully we can stay here again sometime.  It was a little pricier than the value resorts we normally stay in, but I loved every second of being there.  It was a great atmosphere, and all the Disney details were perfect!

This is actually Saturday morning, shhhhh

After getting settled into the room, we headed off to the Polynesian.  We have a #runnerslove meet-up, where I got to see Meg, Lauren, and Kristy again (so exciting!) and a few other bloggers I hadn't met before.  I so wish I got to spend more time with all of these lovely ladies, but there was so much to do!



After that, we headed up to Kona Cafe for dinner.  Here you can see my #runnerslove headband, and my lovely pineapple.  It's the Lapu Lapu, and I've been wanting to try one since Princess weekend.  They're expensive, but this time I decided I was having it!  We also had lots of great sushi and food.  I was absolutely stuffed by the end of it, but I think it was a good day/night before the race dinner.  Nothing fried or heavy.




Saturday morning we woke up early to get to the expo before it opened.  We went to the food court at POR for breakfast.  I had a ham and cheese croissant, chocolate milk, and got a pain au chocolat for later!  We were able to get in to the expo early, which was super exciting.  There was no line at all to get my bib.  The official Disney merchandise was cleared out of the Field House by that time, it was just bib pick up and a photo opportunity.

We headed over to the Josten center, and truly got into expo mode.  I headed straight for the official merchandise, before too many people got to it!  The maroon jacket I really wanted was only left in XL's, which was kind of sad.  I did end up getting a grey I Did It shirt, a purple hoodie, and a magnet for my car.  Ray was sweet and bought me a purple tech shirt as well.

Austin was able to get a few things for his girlfriend, who was back at home, so that was sweet of him!

I also got 3 SweatyBands, 2 SparkleSkirts (one for my costume that night), one of Jeff Galloway's books (now signed by him), an orange hat for my costume, and probably a couple of other things I can't remember now.  Everything is in various states of being unpacked, so no pictures for now!





After the expo, we dropped everything back off at the hotel, then hopped on the boat to Downtown Disney.  I think this was a really calm and relaxing way to get there, even if it took a little longer!

We went to Raglan Road for lunch.  We got parmesan garlic truffle fries as an appetizer, which is one of my favorite Disney foods.  I had a grilled chicken breast sandwich (I don't remember what else was on it), and ended up bringing half of it back to the room as my pre-race food.

After lunch, we did a little bit of shopping.  I got a couple of presents for friends at home, and a Disney Vera Bradley backpack and matching wallet.  So, I'm no longer using my matching wristlet in my Disney Dooney purse, but my OCD will just have to live with that, since now I get an actual wallet with card slots, etc.

We hopped back on the boat and went to the resort to rest for a bit.  I was going to try to nap, but that didn't end up happening.  I hydrated as much as I could, rested, and tried to stay calm!  That didn't go very well, but I tried my very best.

I ate the other half of my sandwich around 4:30, I think, which ended up working well for me.

Around 6:30 I started getting ready, and was on a bus around 7:15.

The rest of the race will come in another post, but for now we're going to time travel to Sunday morning!

We woke up way earlier than I wanted to, but we had to check out and get back over to the Polynesian.  Side note, the Polynesian has now become the Pomeranian in our apartment, thanks to a forgetful roommate!  I had made reservations at O'hana, because I'd heard so many good things about it!  Let me tell you - nothing disappointed!! I'm absolutely in love with this place, and I got to have Mickey waffles for the first time ever!  Everything was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious!! And I loved seeing the characters.

We stopped at the Florida mall on the way home so I could stop at Lush, and that sadly ended our wonderful weekend!






Have you been to O'hana? Were you at Wine and Dine?
Lauren

2014 Thoughts Again - By the Measurements

So, while I really do like my list of goals for 2014, I'd also like a list that's completely obtainable and measurable, so I know when I hit a goal.  Thoughts and lifestyle changes are completely wonderful, but I also like the sense of accomplishment that comes from hitting a concrete goal.  So without further ado, here is the list.

1. Make straight A's in school, or at least no more than one B per semester (just in case it's one of those classes or teachers).

2.  Run a half marathon in 3 hours or less.

3.  Run a 5k in 35 minutes or less.

4.  Get to a weight of 130 pounds and maintain it.

5.  Add at least $500 to my savings account.

6.  Eat out no more than once a week, when not on vacation.

7.  Run a mile in 10 minutes or less.

8.  Volunteer for at least 30 hours.

9.  Run in at least 14 races.

10.  Volunteer for at least one race.

Do you prefer concrete goals or thoughts more?

Lauren

Thoughts on 2013

I'm just going to jump right into this, and list out a few thoughts.

1. I'm not honest with myself.  This is in regards to weight loss and running.  I don't do either diligently enough, and then wonder why it's not working.  Going forward into 2014, I'll eat cleaner, stop having so many snacks that I don't count, and truly truly try to run 3 times a week.

2.  I don't have enough me time.  I love living with my boyfriend and roommate but I just feel like I don't have enough time alone sometimes.  I do have my yoga, which is definitely me time, but sometimes I just want to be able to sit at the apartment by myself, and I feel like that doesn't happen enough.  I'll try to work in some alone time going forward.

3.  I don't keep in touch with people enough.  This goes for family and friends.  I feel like I have a very small social circle, and I'd like to expand that.  Even if it's just keeping in touch with people from New Hampshire, etc. and not actually hanging out with someone, I'd like to be more social.

4.  I'm not very smart with my money.  I won't go into details, because I'm sure everyone has gone through this.  Going forward I'd like to keep honest track of what I'm spending on, and spend it more wisely, therefore putting more in my savings.

5.  I'm not organized enough.  This is in regards to school, the apartment, all sorts of things.  I'd love to get a super in depth planner to keep track of everything (like Erin Condren ones -hint hint-) and put aside extra time for cleaning every couple days so things don't pile up.

I have tons of smaller thoughts as well, but these are my major ones.

What changes are you trying to make in the new year?
Lauren