So... today was supposed to be an eight mile run. I can't say I was super duper excited for it because I was feeling a little lazy this morning, but I was drinking my water and planning out my day and was about to strap on the Garmin and head out when the phone rang. It was Disney Deployment (the smart people that decide who needs to be working where on any given day) calling to ask me why I wasn't at work, because I had a shift that started at 11:30. At the Jungle Cruise. In Orlando.
Um...
I'm not sure I've explained the whole seasonal Cast Member thing at Disney before, so bear with me - I am considered a seasonal Cast Member, which means that I work seasonally (obviously) and am not required to maintain full time or even part time hours. Originally, the deal was that one could maintain their seasonal status by working 40 hours a year. Good deal, right? Well, apparently people were taking advantage of it, so Disney raised the stakes this year - now we are required to work 150 hours a year, and submit availability every two months for the next 6 month period. Considering I barely know what I'm doing two days from now, this was a little bit of a shock to me... so much of a shock, apparently, that when we had to submit availability in October, I panicked and submitted something randomly in the month of December, knowing that I could call Deployment and change it if my plans changed. Then I forgot about it. And they scheduled me for two shifts in Orlando while I'm sitting at home in my sweatpants in Colorado.
Needless to say, it was a stressful morning of trying to get the whole thing straightened out. I'm not the type of person who calls in to work, or is late to work, or messes up schedules at work. I'm kind of a goody two shoes when it comes that. So to be forced to call in for a shift, leaving my managers and co-workers hanging, and deal with all the aftermath took a toll on me. There were tears.
There was anger.
There was frustration.
And you know what there wasn't?
An eight mile run.
But I got out there and did a couple miles, which I strongly believe is better than nothing. I am officially cutting myself some slack on this one, especially because I've been beating myself up about seriously screwing up with Disney all day. I still can't believe I made that mistake, but I suppose it happens - we have all scheduled something or agreed to something that we forgot about and had it come back to haunt us. So I made two scheduling errors today - one with Disney, one with running, and I'm letting go of both of them. Tomorrow is a new day. And tomorrow, I'm doing the Jingle Bell Run with my mom, going to sing my little heart out at Cinderella rehearsal, and having dinner with an old friend. Tomorrow will be a good day.
I wrote this on Sunday, but have been having computer issues ever since, so... forgive the tardiness. But I'm back home now and free from Florida's humidity for a little over a week (yes, I'm going back that soon... more on that later). Which means I actually have hair.
I also have crazy eyes, but that is neither here nor there.
Sunday's run:
Easy run around Disney's Boardwalk (first run since the half!!)
3.37 miles/45:00
I have officially become the kind of person that I used to make fun of... the weirdo that makes fitness a priority. Not only did I pack all of my workout gear and running stuff on this trip, but I actually used it. I set my alarm nice and early this morning because I had planned on doing three easy loops around the Boardwalk. Today is exactly two weeks after the half marathon, and I've actually been craving a run, so I knew it was a good time. I felt so good on the third loop that I decided to do a fourth. Seriously. Me from three years ago thinks me today is a complete tool.
But let's put this into perspective, shall we? Let me show you some of the things that I have eaten on this trip so that you can understand why I desperately needed to go for a run.
And yes, that is greasy, delightful bacon that you see on the side.
This and the next two pictures are from a glorious thing event that my dad happened to get us tickets to... a white truffle lunch. This is a creamy and INCREDIBLE risotto that I almost died over. On top are shavings of white truffle, which tastes a little like garlic and is delightful. Did I mention that white truffles are absurdly expensive (read: about $2000 a pound) and I'll probably never taste one again? You better believe I licked that plate clean.
Steak. White truffle. Sauce undoubtedly made from crack.
What you don't see here is the glass of brachetto (i.e. glorious sparkling light red wine that I die for) that I kept having them fill up. But you do see a slice of chocolate polento cake. Italians, you slay me... you make that, we make grits. Marry me. Please.
Please note that this pornographic display of food does not include the following: four (yes, you read that correctly) sandwiches from Earl of Sandwich, a freshly baked cream cheese pretzel, a massive chocolate chip cookie from Goofy's Candy Company, and the cheeseburger and hot fudge sundae I had for lunch yesterday. Oh, and did I mention the French Regional Lunch? It's no big deal... just a very fancy event for the Food and Wine Festival where gorgeous French waiters bring you a six course meal, complete with a wine for each course. And they don't pour you one glass and let you go. Please. They keep topping you up until you no longer fit in your chair. I have a serious love/hate thing going on with the Food and Wine Festival.
But I made it through the run without dying, and I'm very proud of getting a run in while on vacation. Now I just have to try to do that again next time. And maybe try exercising at home, too... um...
First of all, I am thrilled to report that even though I ran 13.1 miles for the first time ever yesterday (and yes, I am going to be bragging about that for at least two more weeks, so get ready), I am not feeling too bad! Right after the race yesterday, I started having cold-like symptoms: sneezing, a bad cough, chills, etc. I was worried that maybe I had pushed myself too hard and was too far down, but I think I just needed some good rest! And compression tights work wonders... but more on that later :)
The whole Rock 'n Roll weekend started off on Saturday morning when I dragged my Pops to the expo. I was originally planning on going Friday by myself, but I'm so glad I waited because it was really fun to have my dad there with me. I could not believe the expo! I'm used to pretty low-key 5Ks where you can pick up your race packet and t-shirt half an hour before the race starts, so this was a mind-blowing experience for me. It was huge and there was so much going on! Not to mention loads of stuff to buy, and obviously with my shopping addiction, I spent a pretty penny :)
The first thing that I did when I got there was find my race number on the big boards outside (there were so many people registered!) so that I could confirm my registration and pick up my race packet.
My dad loves to take pictures from behind me. This is the first one that didn't make me rethink liposuction.
I found myself! Turns out there was another runner with my first and last name doing the half as well. I'm glad we didn't get confused since my expected finish time put me 5 corrals behind her.
Once I'd found my number, it was time to venture into the expo! Well, actually it was time to take some goofy pictures and then venture into the expo...
I think my dad snapped this one right before I was going to do my signature thumbs-up-with-obnoxious-face pose. So glad he got this gem instead.
Much better.
RED CARPET! I did kind of feel like a rock star...
After I strolled down the red carpet like I owned it, I picked up my race packet and t-shirt. Then I drifted into the actual expo and honestly... I was completely shocked. This was so not a 5K. I walked through all the Rock 'n Roll merchandise for at least 15 minutes before I even realized that there was more stuff beyond that. And then of course I bought most of the merchandise... a fashion show will be conducted for your enjoyment later this week. And by that I mean that I will force David to take pictures of me modeling all of my new gear for you.
There was a massive Brooks area that was SO COOL that I could barely stand it. I wish I'd taken more pictures of stuff, but I was too busy walking around with my jaw down by my knees. If I have one regret about this whole experience, it's that I didn't have my camera duct taped to my hand - I missed some great Kodak moments. But I was soaking it all in! Regardless, the Brooks area was probably my favorite part of the expo. It was all carnival themed which was super cute, and they were giving tons of stuff away. I won a headband and a free t-shirt (both of which will be part of the fashion show, don't you worry) and then went into this little interactive trailer that had really odd running shoe related things. They were hilarious! There was a massive Brooks shoe, for example, and you could pick up a little headphone thing (English is my first language, I swear) and listen to a bit of a story about it... I can't remember it exactly, but they were saying that the rumor was that the shoe was made for Big Foot, but the CEO of Brooks denies that and claims it was made for an one-legged Eastern European circus performer. Weird, right? Oh well. I was laughing, even if no one else was. I also saw this in the Brooks carnival, which made me laugh out loud because I might as well live here.
Eventually, I was carnival-ed out, and went around the corner to discover that I hadn't even really hit the expo yet. I was still in random merchandise area. The expo was even bigger than I'd thought! There were tons of booths and I stopped at a lot of them, but the whole area was pretty packed and I was turning into hungry grumpy Jessica, which is not the best version of me. I checked out some Sweaty Bands, which was entertaining with my dad because he was a little taken aback by the price. Lucky boys not having to worry about sports bras and hair accessories! I also checked out some other booths, including the Hot Chocolate 15K which I am sorry isn't happening this December here! But I'm hoping to still be able to do it next year... any race that involves Ghirardelli is a winner in my book. I did get slightly distracted by another booth...
But can you blame me?!!!
I am still a little sad that none of the Disney races fit into my schedule for a little while... I would even run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon if I could and I hate Tinker Bell. Unfortunately, I'll be too busy starring in Cinderella here in freezing Colorado to jet off to Florida or California to run some races. I really am not complaining about that. Races will also happen in 2013, but me getting to sing "A Lovely Night" constantly for my adoring fans has a time limit! But I digress. The runDisney booth was super cute, and they had tons of medals on display - the Rock 'n Roll medals are pretty awesome, but of course Disney puts them to shame. I was especially jealous of the latest medal from the Disneyland Half, especially because if I'd gotten my butt in gear sooner, I could have run that baby!
AHHHH! So awesome. I guess I just have to stay in half marathon shape so I can run it next year :)
I hit a few more booths before I left, and even tried some Shot Roks, despite having just read an article that said absolutely do not try any new foods before the race. Oops! I actually did regret that, because I thought the Shot Roks were disgusting. I tried the peanut butter flavor and it tasted like peanut butter death. Mostly, they were just super chalky and kind of bland. Not a fan. Love Shot Bloks, though!
Obviously I made my dad snap a picture before I left - because the sign was thanking and telling me that I was going to ROCK IT!
Coming soon... Rock 'n Roll Denver Half Marathon Recap Part Two: The Race!
I know it's not Triple Tangent Twednesday or 15 Thing Friday, but a list seemed easier to write than actual paragraphs. Paragraphs feel like work. And we all know how I feel about work.
1. I have now tracked and stayed within my daily points target for three whole days! Despite this not sounding super impressive, it's a big deal for me lately, so I'm thrilled. I even went to Wendy's today for lunch (a combination of poor planning, intense craving, and the desire to chew my own arm off I was so hungry) but instead of just ordering blindly, I looked stuff up on my phone with the WW app and made reasonable choices. And when I got hungry later, I made an apple peanut butter sandwich! Healthy!
Three days down, four to go. My Tervis tumbler is so close I can hardly stand it.
2. I am going crazy deciding what to wear for the half marathon. And by "going crazy" I absolutely mean "driving everyone else crazy because I won't shut up about it." No kidding, as I type this, I have six tabs open on my browser devoted to things I may or may not want to buy to wear for the half marathon. Most of them far more expensive than I should even be considering. Where is a sugar daddy when you need one?!
3. What are not being considered at all, and instead just being purchased despite the painful price tag, are these bad boys. I forced myself to do my two Turbo Fire workouts today and the whole time, my hips and knees were pissy. I've looked at compression tights before and always deemed them too expensive, but then I read this on the CW-X website: "The patented CW-X Support Web™ provides targeted support to the knee, IT band and hip flexor areas for greater stability and improved performance." Support for the knees and hip flexors? Um... yes? I don't care if you cost as much as I make in a week... which is more a testament to my terrible wages than your price, really. If you can make my legs hate me just a little bit less, you are worth every cent. I was torn between getting the CW-X and the Zensah capris, mostly because I think Zensah is kind of circulating the blog world and everything keeps getting rave reviews. But the CW-X has more rave reviews, and I can get them for a little bit cheaper on Road Runner. Every little bit counts for those of us poor people with expensive tastes.
4. Oh wait, that's it. That's all my brain has left. So... um... here's me flirting with Dale.
So, I was planning on returning to blogging yesterday for 15 Thing Friday after being absent for several days (read: skipping workouts and eating my way through Disneyland and having a slight breakdown after a guy took a picture of David and I where I looked at least 4 months pregnant). Then Friday happened. It was a mixture of great moments, like having a nice breakfast with David and his friend August who is wonderful, and horrible moments, like my failed workout of the day. And when I went to actually write my 15 Thing post, this is what happened:
1. I just had probably the biggest running fail of my 2011 running career... and it sucked. I went to the gym with David to do a nice, easy treadmill run, and made it through about 12 minutes before I just quit. My left knee was killing me and I had horrible shin splints in both legs. I'm now sitting under a fleece blanket with bags of ice on my knee and praying to the running gods that I will be able to make it through this half marathon with both legs still attached.
2.
And then I stared at the window for about 20 minutes before I couldn't face it anymore. Because I'm pretty sure if I'd finished it, the other 14 things were just going to be different reasons for why I suck.
Luckily, I have a really wonderful boyfriend who let me have a long cry on his shoulder and then watched me shove half a BBQ chicken sandwich and a creamsicle in my face and still loved me. I am a lucky girl.
Incidentally, this is right before I left for my 11 mile run last Sunday. Otherwise known as the last run I did, unless you count the 10 minutes on the treadmill yesterday. Gosh, I can't imagine why I don't get faster and faster every week!
Right now I'm in another airport (Bob Hope in Burbank which is a VAST IMPROVEMENT over LAX) about to fly to San Jose to meet my family. Tomorrow is (fingers crossed) my second to last long run before the half. Which means tomorrow I should have something productive to post. For now... you get pirate Jessica. With a semi-hook. Enjoy.
As usual, I am the best blogger ever and post my witty repartee several times a day.
Sunday's run:
Half Marathon Training Week Twelve, Day Three
11.05 miles/2:20:40
Technically speaking, according to the training program, Sunday's run should have been a nine miler, but I decided to make it ten miles instead for two reasons. The first was that I was feeling a little unnecessarily and moronically cocky after my great nine mile run last week and thought it wouldn't be a problem at all to tack an extra mile on this week. The second was that I was still feeling a little unsure about this whole idea: "Don't worry about making the final jump from 10 miles in practice to 13.1 miles in the race. Inspiration will carry you to the finish line, particularly if you taper the final week." For some reason, an extra one or two miles doesn't seem so tough, but an extra three? I had my doubts. So I decided to make Sunday's run ten miles, next Sunday's run eleven miles, and then taper on the last weekend before the half.
So why does it say 11.05 miles up there?
Somehow, despite mapping out my course in advance as well as having an iPhone with GPS and Google Maps just waiting for me, I got lost. In actuality, I did only run 10 miles... but I ended up having to walk an extra mile to get back to David's apartment. I would love to tell you that it felt just fine after having run that far, but there were a lot of four letter words involved and none of them were said quietly.
I really don't know how to feel about this run. It was all over the place. There were times that I felt really awesome and like I could conquer everything, and then at one point I actually had to stop running, lean against a wall, and sob into my hands. The route that I mapped out with David's help was really flat, which was greatly appreciated, but not what I expected. I forget that David really lives in a city, and that I really hate cities. I'm used to running around my tiny little town in Colorado. This was an intimidating run.
But I'm proud of myself for getting through it and I'm incredibly glad it's over. I think that I might just call it a day and make this my longest training run. I can do 9 miles next week and maybe 7 miles the week after as a taper, and then just go for it with the half. My dad (who, by the by, did nonsense like ultramarathons) said that if I lived through the 11 miles, then I will be able to finish the half no problem. So now at least I have someone to blame if my legs fall off. Love you, Daddy.
Today was supposed to be a Turbo Fire and slow easy run day and it turned into a mostly sitting around and doing nothing day. I don't know why, but exercise seemed completely unbearable today. Not my typical "I'm lazy and sweating is bothersome" kind of excuse, but really... I felt like crying when I even thought about trying Turbo Fire. Which kind of sucks because the next two days will be spent in Disneyland (that's definitely not the part that sucks) so while I'll be walking a lot, I'll also be eating everything in sight and making time for running or punching and kicking the air around me will probably not be a big priority. So I might not actually exercise again until Friday. I'm trying not to beat myself up about it because, hey... a few years ago, it would have been amazing if I'd intentionally exercised two days in one week.
But I am still beating myself up about it. If anyone has a cure for self loathing, please send it to me.
1. I missed 15 Thing Friday because Friday was a complete mess. So these 15 things are rebels and not associated with Friday. They're over Friday. But really, who isn't?
I probably just lost 5 readers because of this video. I'm sorry if your ears are bleeding.
2. I couldn't think of a second thing right away because my brain cells are completely shot, so I did what anyone would do experiencing writer's block with the internet handy: I got on Facebook. I just lost ten minutes of my life to Facebook. Facebook is evil.
3. After several weeks of swearing I'd get one, I finally bought a Camelbak today. Correction: I bought two Camelbaks today. One thing you may not know about me is that I am incredibly indecisive. If I'm making a big purchase (that isn't a ridiculous impulse buy that I will cry about later), I usually spend a week just reading all the reviews I can on the item(s) in question. I stalk Amazon for reviews. If something has a single one star review, I will agonize over that one star review. This is stupid, but true. Anyway, I couldn't decide between the Annadel and the Charm. So I bought both of them. Ready to be shocked? I still can't decide. The Annadel is a little heavier and doesn't have a clip for the bite valve, but the shoulder straps are much softer, it has more room for stuff I may want to stash, and it has a chest strap, which could go be good or bad, I'm not sure. And it's pink, which is a plus. The Charm is lighter, smaller, and does have a clip for the bite valve, but it isn't as soft, it doesn't have a chest strap, and it seems to bounce a whole lot more when I awkwardly run through my living room with it on. And it has daisies, and I love daisies. Damnit. I will be forced to decide in the morning, so we'll see.
4. I weighed in this morning because it's the 10th and I have to weigh in by the 10th of every month or feel the wrath of the Weight Watchers gods. Somehow, miraculously, I was within my range. This means that in 9 days, I lost 5 pounds, because that's how high my weight was when I got back from Florida. All I can say is HALLELUJAH.
5. My teeth started to ache randomly today, and haven't really stopped. I've started imagining my teeth falling out one by one and all the dental hygienists who have told me to floss standing there and laughing at me. I put "floss" on my to do list. Stupid mouth.
6. I run nine miles tomorrow morning and every time I think about it, I kind of want to cry. I am hoping the Camelbak helps, because I can't handle another run like last week. The half marathon is now 29 days away, and I have to be honest... I'm ready for it to be over. I had hoped to run the Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas in December, but I'm going to see. I might be a one half marathon girl.
7. I go back to California and visit David in 5 days. And after a glorious week with him, I go visit my sister! I am ready to pee my pants I'm so excited. Jessica, you've just run 9 miles, what are you going to do next? GO TO DISNEYLAND!
8. Did I mention I run nine miles tomorrow morning? And did I also mention that my right knee is throbbing and my stomach is giving me serious trouble? This will be an adventure.
9. The number of miles I will run tomorrow. I know I am a broken record, but I am terrified.
10. I had a single fruit today. And I mean that - I had a single kiwi. I did have a whole lot of grilled peppers at lunch, but I'm not sure they count because they were on top of a hot dog. Fruit and vegetable consumption fail.
11. I did not buy an Almond Snickers for tomorrow morning because I want to experiment some more with finding good pre-run fuel for me. Okay, I lied. I forgot to buy an Almond Snickers and I'm panicking. Maybe a banana and some peanut butter would do the trick.
12. The more I think about it, the less I want to floss my teeth, even if I am scared that they will all fall out. I really hate flossing. Maybe if I had this neato invention, I would be dreading it less.
13. Now I desperately want cupcakes. If only this girl could come live in my house and bake me stuff. If you are not familiar with How Sweet It Is... GO. Read. Obsess over how amazing everything she makes looks. I dare you to come back here and tell me you're not drooling.
14. I bought the book Intuitive Eating from Amazon and started reading it yesterday. So far I'm pretty much in love. I think Weight Watchers is amazing, and I'm still so grateful for what that program has helped me accomplish, and I am honored to be able to share it with others and see them reach their goals. Weight Watchers is a fabulous weight loss program. But what I have learned is that weight maintenance is so much harder than weight loss - the transition from being in "weight loss mode" to being in "normal mode" is insanely difficult, and I'm afraid I never really got to "normal mode." I think this book is going to help me do it, and I'm so excited to embark on that journey.
15. Okay, this one's depressing and really ill-fitting in a mostly amusing post... but I am done with death. No more deaths close to me are allowed for the year 2011. I started this blog well into 2011, so most of you (read: everyone but David) don't know how the last year has gone. I lost my grandfather last November - he was the only grandparent I had a real relationship with, and he was suffering badly for several months, so it was incredibly tough to take. Plus, I was in Florida, and still feel guilty that I wasn't here for him. Then I lost my dog in January. She was my baby, and I loved her so very much... and I missed seeing her again by two days. She needed to be put down only two days before I made it home from Florida. Do you see a trend in guilt rising here? Last week, my grandfather's widow (not my grandmother, who unfortunately passed away before I was born) was admitted to the hospital and needed surgery on Wednesday. She was recovering well on Thursday, took a bad turn on Friday, and passed away early this morning. She was in her 90s and in increasingly bad health, but it was still a surprise given how well she was doing the day of and the day after surgery. This is the main reason that 15 Thing Friday didn't happen - I couldn't focus. I still can't really focus. She and I were not incredibly close, but I'm starting to learn something about death... each death that affects you brings back the feelings of all the other ones, especially if they are recent. So while I am sad at her passing, I am also overwhelmed by the fact that it has brought back all the sadness and guilt I feel from the passing of my grandfather and my dog. If I'm a terrible blogger for a while, it's because I'm overwhelmed right now. Forgive me.
In just under two hours, I rode Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan's Flight, and Big Thunder Mountain, watched Mickey's Philharmagic, and took a ride on the steam train. Oh, and I had Dole Whip for breakfast. My five year old self is crying out of pure joy right now.
Now it's time to get back to the hotel so I can finish packing (read: shoving way too much stuff into one tiny, unsuspecting suitcase) and get back home. Where there is no Dole Whip or Mickey Mouse, but there is less humidity and moments where you can trick yourself into thinking you're cold. Win.
Not forever. Please. I'd cry like a little baby. Just until my next trip out here... Which will be when it is less ungodly hot.
I apologize for the lack of updates... In my hotel, it costs $10 to have 24 hours of Internet access, and considering that I have been spending 90% of my time not in my hotel room, it seemed like a waste of money. And it wasn't until today, the last day of my trip, that I remembered that I have an app for this! That's just sad.
I'm off to the Magic Kingdom this morning to say goodbye properly. By riding Winnie the Pooh as many times as I can and eating something ridiculous.
This is my second attempt at a 15 Thing Friday... the first attempt was started while I was sitting in one of the Weight Watchers centers bored out of my mind while doing open hours. Obviously "doing open hours" means, in my mind, blogging and visiting Facebook and watching ridiculous videos on YouTube. Totally appropriate, right? Please no one from work find my blog.
But while the first attempt (which got to #5 before I couldn't think of anything else) was brought to you by Weight Watchers Open Hours, this second attempt is brought to you by Disney World. Because that is where I will be tomorrow night! Huzzah huzzah!
So, these are the first 15 things that came to my tired brain that I want to do/see/ride/devour when I get there. Enjoy.
1. The purpose of the trip (aside from PURE UNADULTERATED JOY) is to get some seasonal shifts done this week because I am apparently suicidal and want to spend the last week of August in Orlando. I never said I was very smart. And I've decided not to do my long run on Sunday in hot, humid Florida (smart) so I'll be doing it tomorrow morning before a flight (dumb). So, the first thing I will have to do when I get there is to refuel properly by eating my weight in cream cheese pretzels. I will be a happy girl. I won't fit in my jeans, but I will be happy.
2. Wishes. In case you have not been to Walt Disney World, Wishes is the fireworks show that happens in the Magic Kingdom each night during the regular season (the show changes for Halloween and Christmas parties). Wishes is amazing. I still cry like a baby during parts of it, regardless of the fact that I've seen it countless times. So this will need to happen like, immediately. Duh.
3. Dole Whip. Much like cream cheese pretzels, this is one of those things that has to be in my hand within the first 24 hours of my being in Disney World. Dole Whip is pineapple soft serve. It only sounds kind of exciting when you first think about it, but trust me, it's amazing. It's so amazing that when David informed me that a place called House of Dolewhip opened up in West Hollywood and was offering a Groupon, I screamed. I may have also cried. See, Dole Whip used to be only available in Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the Dole factory in Hawaii. So in the battle to get Jessica to move to LA, David just got a serious benefit on his side. I love me some Dole Whip.
It is also available as a float with pineapple juice. Died and gone to heaven, kids.
4. Spaceship Earth. Otherwise known by some as "the big ball in Epcot." I sometimes get laughed at when I admit this, but Spaceship Earth may be my favorite Disney ride ever. The reason I get laughed at is because Spaceship Earth is described as "a slow moving journey through the history of human communication." Yup. Other people are screaming their heads off happily on Space Mountain, while I sit calmly, pushing my glasses up my nose and learning about how we all learned to understand one another and share our knowledge. I am super fun at parties.
5. The Japanese Pavilion in Epcot. I love all of Epcot so darn much, but the Japanese Pavilion is one of my favorites. It's gorgeous, the people are incredibly nice, and there is Hello Kitty stuff everywhere. I mean... I don't see a single problem here...
6. Rock 'n Roller Coaster. My favorite roller coaster in all of Disney, and possibly my favorite roller coaster ever. Most likely I'll be a creeper and go to Hollywood Studios alone, and then just go into the single rider line 10 times first thing in the morning. Because I'm super cool and parents definitely don't look at me funny. Hey, I'm just waiting until I get to hear "Dude Looks Like a Lady" and then I'll be happy and leave you alone. Mmmmmk?
7. Illuminations. It's always hard for me to decide which fireworks show I love more... Wishes in the Magic Kingdom or Illuminations in Epcot. Wishes definitely gets at the Disney side of me, but Illuminations is just a spectacular show. It goes on every night in Epcot at 9 pm, and if I could be in Epcot every night at 9 pm watching it, I'm pretty sure life would be perfect.
8. Earl of Sandwich. You didn't think I'd forgotten about the eating, did you? Earl of Sandwich is THE BEST. If only an Earl of Sandwich opened up in West Hollywood right next to House of Dolewhip, then David knows that I would be on the next flight to LA having sold all of my stuff to support by sandwich and soft serve habit. Truth. The only problem with Earl of Sandwich (besides the fact that it's constantly busy because it is amazing) is that I love too many of their sandwiches. So I can't just go once. I have to go once for the Cannonballs, once for the Hawaiian BBQ without pineapple, and once for The Full Montagu. And don't even get me started on what happens when the holiday sandwich comes out...
9. The Jungle Cruise. Yeeeeeeah... I guess I should include this since I'll be working there, right? What can I say about Jungle... well, maybe someday I'll post a horrible video of me actually doing a cruise, and then you'll know all there is to know.
10. Disney's Days of Christmas. Because I'm one of those stereotypical people that starts yearning for Christmas and the holiday season in July. And as if I didn't already have enough Disney Christmas decorations (ahem), I should probably pick up some more. After all, I only have 4 more months!!!!
11. Mickey's PhilharMagic. The best 3D show I have ever seen (sorry, Muppets 3D, you know I love you) and starring one of my favorites, Mr. Donald Duck. And yes, I am a little lame for still having favorites at 24, and yet, I am perfectly okay with it. I love all of Fantasyland, but this is one of my "must do" attractions.
12. The castle at night. This kind of goes hand in hand with Wishes, but I'm getting tired and starting to forget all of my favorite places to stalk in Disney World... not a good sign. I just love the castle at night. I love the castle all the time. My favorite is castle with holiday lights, but much like Christmas, I still have a few more months of waiting for that one to go up.
13. The Polynesian Resort. On top of the fact that it's the best Disney hotel ever and I so wish I was staying there this trip (sorry, All Star Sports, but you are a sad substitute) it is also home to SELF SERVE DOLE WHIP. Which is kind of incredible. And I intend on abusing it heavily.
14. Churro. It's actually been quite a while since I've had a churro, but I have been craving one lately and I think it is a sign. Maybe one day I'll just live off of churros and cream cheese pretzels. It will be a study in carbohydrate overload. It will be a glorious addition to science (forgive me, I am exhausted).
