Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween...

...From the Peter Pan Cast!

Oh, wait! That's my family at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party earlier this month. 

We look so incredibly like the cast that I almost didn't recognize us.

Last Friday, I hosted the Annual Halloween Musicale. Ty and I also threw a party the following night.  We aren't really party people, if you know what I mean. The last party we threw was a small gathering (mostly family) for my college graduation - in December. We really want to use our home to be hospitable, so we decided to throw a Halloween bash!

It was hosted by Wendy and...

...The Ghost Host (duh!)

He was such a sport at MNSSHP, but he said he didn't want to "wear a dress" at his own party. We recycled the hat from his John costume, and came up with this!

One of my favorite parts about Halloween is the themed food.

I had so much fun creating treats for our parties! Yes, the punch is teeming with sour gummy worms. 

But not every edible spooky has to be sweet!

Exhibit A: Bats!

Exhibit B: Spiders!

Here's some of the gang in the photo booth! Ty and I are sitting on a bale of hay. :)

(Of course we didn't think to take pictures before a handful of wonderful folks left. Rats!)

 I need to send this to Kelly; she'll get a kick out of it.

 Sone is acclimating to American culture just fine.

And for today? I'm going to work as a nerdy music teacher.

Oh, wait.

Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do!

I do that every day. 

At least I'll be handing out candy on this special day!

Brooks Run Happ(il)y

Brooks is an athletic company known for running shoes and apparel. Their slogan is simple: run happy. (Really it should be happily since it's describing a verb, right language gurus?)

But for what it's worth, I believe their slogan. We have a Brook, and she truly runs happ(il)y. In fact, I can think of nothing that excites her more (except for maybe Wubba and peanut butter) than the joy of going for a walk or run.

Dog ownership has taught me a great deal thus far, and I believe there's another lesson to be learned here. I want to view every run as a most exciting event (even the speed workouts that I hate!). I want my ears to perk up and my eyes to get big when I hear mention of running. It's all about a change of attitude.

While we're en route, Brooklyn never backs down. That girl would run six-minute miles, if I could keep up - I'm sure of it! As it is, I can't do that, and it wouldn't be good for her bone and muscle development just yet either. Regardless, she has the time of her life!

Example:
Today on our run, she found a water bottle in the street. Without slowing, she grabbed the bottle and continued on proudly for the final 1/4 mile. It was all one big game to her, and she delighted in every step.

Happy to be outside after too many hours in the crate. She's smiling, no? :)

Sometimes I practice training with her while we're out and about, because the distraction levels are so much higher. It's good to exercise her intellect, too!

I need to stay focused, too! When I get to mile 20 in that marathon, it's going to be a mental fight to the finish.

Practicing wait commands

Like all good athletes, Brooklyn knows the importance of hydration. Upon entering the house, she immediately slops down a bowl of water. Actually, she slops about half of it on my kitchen floor and then waits for a refill.

Post run, waiting to go inside!

It's no secret that I love being a Weim owner. This is one more reason why! She gets me moving and keeps me active and focused. Thanks, Brooklyn! Can't wait until you're big enough to help me on my long runs. I know you'd do it happily!

Blue Skies & Family Ties

Skies so blue you can't be blue.

Or sit inside all day.

This day called for a picnic.

So we answered.

After lunch, Brooklyn went for a hunt...

...while on a four-foot lead in a suburban park. Impressive, I know.

But it's easy to look out over the water and sit in the grass and feel like you're miles from anyone else and everything else.

Just with the ones you love.

(Weim lips!)

 Ty had the great idea to a nap.

Until the gun dog came in for her kill.

(Kill = tons of kisses)

Intelligent solution.

Perfection.

Lovely simplicity. Thankful for time to sit and be with my family.

Halloween Musicale and...Ballerina Dog!

I'm recovering from my third (yes, third) bout of illness in eight weeks. I am literally tired from spending entire days in bed and canceling work. I'm over the fevers and congestion and vomiting. Yuk! May I please just get back to life? As you can see, I make a poor patient. I'm demanding and downright dangerous when I have too much time on my hands. (Thank you for loving me, family!)

Thankfully I am on the mend, because tonight I hosted the much-anticipated 5th Annual Halloween Musicale! In case you don't know, the Halloween Musicale is a most brilliant combination of piano recital and Halloween party; my teacher from high school and I put this on together each year. It's a favorite with our students. Yes, the students play in costume. And then we eat spooky snacks and play ghoulish games. I bet you want to take piano lessons now, huh?

Notice that furry student on the far right with Wendy?

Why, that's BALLERINA DOG!

Favorite!

(Don't judge. You'd take glamour shots of her, too, if you had the chance!)

Ballerina Dog was a great hostess and greeted each costumed guest. (Which was truly helpful, since I have not recovered my voice!) I am thankful we had the time to socialize her so much as a young pup, because there's very little that frightens her (vacuum is on the bad list still). She stayed with me most of the evening and tolerated her tutu gracefully. May I just say I love my dog? Or was that already obvious?

Happy Halloween week! Have fun and stay safe!

Run (at) Disney

Tyler and I just returned from a Magical weekend at Disney with his family! (More on our adventures later!) For now, I'd like to show you what we did on Sunday morning. Our half marathon is just three weeks away, so we couldn't give up a long weekend run, even if we were staying at a resort. But where to go?

This blurry picture is the lighthouse on Disney's Boardwalk. It was still dark when we arrived. That is my favorite time of day. There were a few other runners out, as well, but it was refreshingly isolated.

What's not to enjoy about that view?

Yacht Club resort! We had dinner there the previous night. Love the nautical feel!

After a few laps around the lake, we decided to run to Paris. Yes, that linear image in the distance is the Eiffel Tower.

(Now it's hiding behind the clouds.)

Did you know there is a second entrance to Epcot, back in the World Showcase? It spits you right out onto the Boardwalk, where you can take a boat to several resorts. 

What is this, you ask? This is the coldest water fountain in all of Disney. We hit this up twice on our run.

After our short visit to the Epcot exit bathrooms, we packed up and headed toward Hollywood Studios. It's also accessible from the Boardwalk, if you're willing to walk (or run) a little.

Yes, that's Tower of Terror looming in the distance. Tell me this isn't cool!

Right up front! The park was still about an hour and a half from opening time, but there were groups waiting anyway.

Over by the Swan and Dolphin, they set up lovely canopies just for us to run through.

Okay, they were actually for the Food and Wine festival, I think. I may have run through them anyway.

And over to Fantasia Mini Golf! Still want to go here!

We did a couple out and backs and a few more trip around the lake. I was geeking out the whole time (You'd think I'd never been to Disney.)

"Ahh! It's Tower of Terror. I'll run ahead and get a picture. Just keep going. I'll catch up if I need to." That may have happened multiple times. Just for Tower of Terror.

When else can you RunDisney without 25,000 other people? I'd sign up for all the races if they were as personalized as yesterday's run. Happiest run on earth!

I was so proud of Ty for running his farthest yet! He's going to be ready to go in three weeks!

Post run!

Family breakfast! Best post-run activity!

My gluten-free pancakes were handmade by the chef, as was every other meal I've eaten this weekend. Definitely been spoiled by The Mouse, as evidenced by the fact that I was loathe to make my own food this morning.

Our great Run (at) Disney experience may just have made up for my Princess Half. I'll RunDisney if you put me up in a resort, give me my own (free) course, and promise to have an allergy-free hot breakfast waiting at the finish line. Or is that too much to ask?

Then & Now

Before we were married, Ty took me on this fantastic date to The Great Pumpkin Patch. We picked out pumpkins and then painted them at his parents' house. (You can read about that here.) I love Peanuts, and this has always been one of my favorite date-night memories!

Three years, lots of dates, one wedding, one Brooklyn dog, and about twenty inches of hair later (seriously!), we returned to the same spot!

This makes me thankful. Life is beautiful!

Race Recap: Ty's First Race (and Brooklyn's!)

On Wednesday, one of my students told me about this local race. Ty and I decided to sign up yesterday. It's been a good while since my last 5K race, and Ty was really wanting a race experience before our November half. Of course, Brooklyn came along to cheer us on. You'd better believe she'd have rather been running than sitting on the sidelines. (But a special thanks to my mom and dad for looking after her!) It was overall a great experience! Good for us, and good for Brooklyn to socialize with lots of people...

...and cows.

Yes, she met the CFA cow.

That blur? That's me.

Family, post race!

(No Brooklyn was not relieving herself; she was completely obsessed with a water bottle and decided to sit down and chew it at the wrong moment. We won't be framing that one.)

So how'd we do? Well, I freaked a little bit when I couldn't find my results on the time sheets. I talked to an administrator, and they found my bib number in the computer system. Apparently, they lost my registration form, so they had no name or information attached to my number. So glad I noticed so they could set it right.

The race itself was lovely. Beautiful morning, great neighborhoods, pleasant course. My big beef was that the miles were not marked. There was no way of telling our time or distance while racing. (This is why I need a GPS watch!) It was small and enjoyable, though, and I'll take that any day over crowded and miserable (read: fairy wings).

The best part was that Ty and I ran together! We encouraged each other, and kept each other going. I stink at hills (Florida girl problems!), and at the teeniest incline my muscles began throwing a temper tantrum. Instantly, I felt a little prodding on my back, reminding me to keep pace. We set landmarks near the end for sprinting, and crossed the finish line within two seconds of each other. 

Ty finished 4th in his age division (Men, 20-29) at 23:46. Awesome for a first race!

I set a new PR for a 5K race at 23:44 and finished 3rd for my division (Women, 20-29). 

I'm sure Brooklyn would have smoked us both, if she'd have been allowed on the course.