Main Street Wanderings

So, one of the perks of being a Walt Disney World Annual Passholder is apparently being invited to see new amazing lands before they open to the general public! I received an email back in April sometime telling me that I could sign up for a two hour time slot during the two weeks before Pandora was supposed to open. Of course I jumped right on it and signed us up. Boy am I glad I did! First, Disney was very smart in letting only a few reservations in at a time. Upon entering, we were given a map and a Field Guide that included info on the Nav'i language, culture, as well as Pandora plant and animal life. The first sights and sounds were so amazing that we literally stopped to slow down to take it all in. There are two rides in Pandora, and we did not have to wait at all for either one. First up was Flights of Passage, which can best be described as something that feels like more than a rollercoaster without actually being one. It simulates flying on the b...

I've been meaning to write about this wild and crazy adventure ever since we got back from Walt Disney World exactly one week ago tonight, but I've been busy and super tired. A runDisney "RUNCATION" takes it right out of you. Especially when the goal is to run all three races in three days time while you're on vacation in one of the busiest, most hectic, most amazingly awesome places on earth! We weren't able to leave for this trip until super early Thursday morning, around 7am, but the runDisney expo started at 10am. So we were a bit stressed out about being a few hours late and perhaps missing some amazing piece of totally awesome race merchandise. In races past, we learned that in order to beat the Ebayers at their game (getting there early to the expo and just buying up all the perceived collectible items and then reselling them to runners on Ebay for a huge profit) we had to get there on the first day, and early. But of course we aren't the only sma...

Being 42 is hard when you're a wannabe runner. It was roughly 3 years ago when I decided that if I left everything the way it was, I wouldn't live to the ripe old age of 84 (my predetermined ideal age to die). So the something I decided to change was this: get off the damn couch (in my case the bed because that's where I love to cozy up and play games on my phone, stalk facebook, etc.) and get some real, life extending exercise. So I did what any person who was woefully out of shape and 40 pounds overweight would do, I signed up for my very first half marathon. As I set about trying to "train" for this personal goal that represented choosing life over death for me, I really had no clue what I was doing. I am pretty sure my longest distance in training was a paltry 5 miles...for a race that was 13.1 miles. This was nothing short of stupidity! Because I am actually a smart person, I could have really done the research and work to prepare better but, woe is me, I did...

Okay guys, this post is about one of the best things you get to experience when you're at a Disney Park, food! These snacks I'm about to show you are a staple of millions of people's Disney experiences each year. All of that walking around the parks - and we are talking a lot of steps here - means you're going to get hungry. If you're on the Disney Dining plan as part of your vacation package, you get a couple snacks per day anyway. Here are some must have Disney snacks to get you through those high calorie days in the parks. Popcorn in a souvenir bucket! You certainly don't have to spring for the bucket, but the popcorn is fresh and hot all the time! A churro! These things are around every corner at Disneyland and California Adventure! A very popular west coast snack, my buddy Jennifer had to try one. I took 3 bites myself, but I had to call it done after that due to my gluten sensitivity. The best way I can describe this is like Cinnamon Toast Crunch ...

While in Disneyland a couple of weeks ago, I was simply amazed at the low-key way characters were out and about taking pictures with guests. In this instance we have the Evil Queen who was literally just hanging out in Fantasyland. She only had a line of about 4-5 families, so we joined in. I'd say she's one of the harder characters to get a picture with at Walt Disney World so we knew we had to jump in line. She was very much in character too here, as she instructed us not to smile and to cross our arms. We finally did spot her cast member handler off to the side, but when the Evil Queen wanted to alert the line she would only be there for 5 more minutes, she did that herself. There were no rope lines and no frenzy whatsoever. Just another way that I found Disneyland Resort to be much more laid back than Walt Disney World. Again, here's a last minute totally unplanned pic with the famous mouse couple Mickey and Minnie! They were hanging out just outside the theater w...