February Is My Favorite

I know this month is short a few days, but February has gone by exceptionally fast this year!

We returned home from all the audition craziness and hit the road running!

I celebrated Valentine's Day with my Papa at his memory care facility. Being far away made me remember how important family truly is.

Ty's cousin, Meghan, came to visit, and we enjoyed canoeing and ice cream with the fam!
Brooklyn even went on her first canoe trip, but there is no photo evidence.

(Would you have taken your phone in a canoe with a crazy Weimaraner? Didn't think so.)

The very next day, our Japanese exchange student arrived!

Meet Moe!

(Pronounced Mo-eh)

Brooklyn is already quite attached.

Okay, so the main reason February is my favorite is because it's my birthday month. And the way I was raised was to celebrate all month long. (As I've aged, the celebrations have shortened to about a week. Growing up stinks sometimes, doesn't it?)

Birthday mail from Laos!

Check out how much Brooklyn has grown since my last birthday!

Did you know just how many free things you can get on your birthday? It's amazing, really. I ran out of time trying to do them all!

The morning began with a free breakfast (with my fab parents!) and continued with a free car wash, free smoothie, and a free sub! Ty was the lucky beneficiary of my free sub from Firehouse.

Then it was onto the happiest place on earth on my happy day!

(And yes, for free! My favorite cast member is awesome!)

EARS!

Please notice Ty's button.

It doesn't get any better than this, folks!

Ty's very first time on Small World!

We both maxed out the points on Buzz Lightyear!
In all honesty, the ride broke down in the middle, so we had a little extra time. :)

The main event for the day was dinner at Be Our Guest. I love this restaurant at lunch time, but I had never been for dinner due to the fact that reservations are so limited.

I was slightly disappointed with our seats, but I blame myself for not specifying.

Overall I loved the food and atmosphere. This is definitely one of my favorite places to eat at Disney.

Per Disney protocol, the chef came to our table and listed out my numerous gluten-free options. He even brought me GF dinner rolls to enjoy before the meal! I highly recommend the potato soup.

When your reservation is called, you are handed a Lumiere to help guide you to your seats.

Tale as old as time...

One of the features of this restaurant during dinner hours is that the Master of the House is present.
He is dramatically announced and shown through the dinning rooms to his study where he later greets guests.

We met him post-dinner!

Moe's homestay group just happened to be at Magic Kingdom on my birthday, so we planned to meet up with her after dinner and stay at the park late.

We may or may not have had some sweet fast-passes from our favorite cast member...

In line for Big Thunder 

Space time!

So fun to share in Moe's Disney visit!

It seems I always have soaring expectations for my birthday and then wind up disappointed.

Not so this year!

I could not have imagined a more wonderful day.

We we arrived home, Moe gave me this:

My new favorite morning mug!

Several families from our church are also hosting, so we have tried to organize events together with our students. Of course we had to introduce them to Tijuana Flats!

In the midst of the celebrations and get-togethers, there has also been some sweet time of rest.

We've needed it! Big decisions are ahead, but for now it's soaking in the sun and pestering our families as much as possible!

 

Farewell, February! You are one fine month!

20 Miles Tired

Would you run 20 miles for this view?

We thought it was worth it!

We were tired. Exhausted. Hungry. Low on energy.

We were also excited. Energized. Encouraged.

Twenty-six point two is just around the corner, and we completed our first-ever 20-miler!

Also a first, I carried water with me and re-filled at every water fountain. Mollie brought Shot Blocks, and we each had three and spread them out over our 3+ hour run. I'm beginning to understand why distance runners wear utility belts. Energy gummies will definitely be coming with me on race day. They are far superior to any gel I've ever had. While not considered a gluten-free food, Shot Blocks do not contain gluten. Many companies are afraid of listing an item as gluten free when they can't guarantee there's no cross-contamination.  There are many varieties of energy gummies, so I will probably find one marketed as gluten free.

Source:fromicecreamtomarathon.com 

So how am I feeling today? Sore. I'm definitely waddling a little bit, but I'm up and out of bed with no issues. :) A good walk might be in order, but you can count on the fact that I'm not running today (and maybe not tomorrow).

Some good time sitting at the piano bench is definitely in order.

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?

The Only Way to "Do" Disney - Part III (Jessie Turns Food Blogger & The Dining Plan)

Warning: Readers are not advised to read this on an empty stomach.

I mentioned we were gifted a dining plan for our anniversary. It was prepaid and connected to our room key (card). Whenever we wanted to use a meal from our plan, we just swiped the card and entered a pin. It's like a debit card that doesn't drain your checking account. Win, win! I can see why the dining plan is a top choice for families. It makes budgeting your trip much easier. Besides, there are tons of blog pages with tips on maximizing your dining plan, i.e. where to get the most food for each credit. I may or may not have spent the night prior to our trip scanning post after post.

So what was covered in our dining plan? We each received a one-credit table service (think sit-down), a quick-service meal (think stand-in-line-and-wait-for-food), and a snack (think concession). Some of the super fancy restaurants require TWO table service credits, and honestly I'm quite surprised O'Hana is only one.

Now is a good time to mention that you should not be scared away by dining plans if you have food allergies. Disney is simply THE BEST about accommodating your allergy, whatever it may be. This is true of Downtown Disney, as well. Did you know that BabyCakesNYC is tucked away inside Pollo Campero in Downtown Disney? It is a good thing it is so far, because I would otherwise be purchasing gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, refined-sugar-free cinnamon sugar doughnuts for breakfast five times a week.

But I digress.

We ate breakfast before we got to the parks on Saturday. I ate at home (eggs don't sound half as exciting now that I'm thinking of doughnuts), and Ty grabbed a bagel sammie from Dunkin'. He likes to eat breakfast out every now and then. I figured our anniversary was a good excuse. (Why didn't I think of that?)

But really. I digress.

I mentioned we ate Dole Whip at Magic Kingdom. This was off the dining plan, because we hadn't checked into our resort yet. Personally, I think they should attach the plan to your park ticket/annual pass and not the resort key.

Our dinner reservation wasn't until 9:25 PM. Looking back, I'm wondering what in the world we ate all day. I was packin'...snacks, that is. We ate homemade trail mix, Kind bars, and apples. No wonder I'm so sick of nuts this week. No wonder Ty left our resort early that evening to track down some appetizers. Our main goal was to "get to dinner." You don't want to go to O'Hana on an empty stomach. And you also need to make your reservations far in advance (at least six weeks).

O'Hana is located on the second floor of the Polynesian Resort. It is somewhat themed around Lilo and Stitch, but only the cute parts and none of the annoying Stitch parts. A lady walks around with a ukulele and teaches a couple songs to anyone who is interested. And there is a surplus of leis. Did you know "Aloha" means love?

  

Honestly, I was a little concerned about what I was going to eat. I knew I wouldn't go hungry, but there was no way to find out a menu beforehand. O'hana is a table-service buffet. It is a five-course meal that keeps coming, whether you're ready for the next course or not! It is impossible to keep up. 

While Ty was parking (note: leave with extra time to find parking so as to avoid the $15 valet fee!), I found our seats and notified the waitress of my food allergy. In a matter of minutes, the chef was at my table informing me of my personal gluten-free menu for the evening. The salad, steak, and shrimp that normally come with the meal are all gluten free. She told me she'd bring me separate bread (!), sauces, chicken wings, and pork and rice stir-fry. Oh, and she'd bring me something special for dessert. She said that last part with a glimmer in her eyes. I think she was not-so-secretly thrilled about cooking up a special dinner for me.

GF bread! Against my better judgement, I ate both rolls. Bread is something I do not buy, so this was a special treat! And a good excuse to eat that yummy butter.

This was only about half of our food - for two people! We barely dented our salad bowl, and I took a generous amount. Those chicken wings and sweet and sour sauce were the best I've ever had! See the steak on my plate? Servers walk around with huge skewers asking if you'd like more of the steak, pork, or shrimp. Each piece must be at least two ounces! And they just keep coming with it! My special sauces are in the black containers. Ty wasn't a fan of his peanut sauce (he never likes that), but he loved his wheat-containing (gasp!) sweet and sour sauce.

After the rolls, salad, wings, and steak, my main dish arrived...

Delicious veggies, pork, and rice. I think the rice was made with coconut milk - scrumptious!

Unfortunately, I didn't get to eat much this is. I went a little crazy with the chicken wings, and I didn't want to totally ruin my appetite for dessert. Yes, I have my priorities straight.

While we were being continuously force-fed, we watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks out our window! They start at 10PM, so that's the main reason we made our reservation so late. I recommend asking about the fireworks schedule whenever you make a dinner reservation. Supposedly you can see fireworks from California Grill, too, but it's closed for renovations right now.

Fireworks never look good in pictures. Sorry.

And then dessert came. Ty said his was delicious - some sort of cake with ice cream and sauce. I don't know; I was a bit distracted by mine...

Behold.

GF, CHOCOLATE, AND ICE CREAM? Did this chef call my mom to find out my favorite things??!

Perfectly gooey inside. You'd better believe I ate this whole thing.

Post-dinner with full-bellies!

Needless to say, whatever hunger we had lingering through the afternoon was chased away by a very full dinner. The meal total was $85. Since they just bring you food and you don't order each dish, there is a set price for each person dining. We paid with our dining plan and tipped her with our cash. (There is an option to add your credit/debit card to the dining plan for instances such as this, but we opted out.)  This is definitely a good use of a one-credit table service. Truly, I can't believe it's not two credits for as much food as you get. Ty and I joked about packing up all our leftovers and eating off them for a week at home.

The next morning, I made us breakfast in the resort. If you plan to do this, be sure to ask if you have a mini fridge in your room. I had V8 smoothie juice chilling all night. Oh, and these iced coffee drinks that I packed. 

Ty opted for hot coffee in the room.

Breakfast! V8 berry smoothie, a Kind bar, and a homemade chocolate chip grain-free muffin! Delicious and satisfying. Somehow I woke up with an appetite even after our evening feast.

I suppose now would be a good time to mention that we stayed at Coronado Springs Resort. It is a mid-level, moderately priced resort. This is where I picked up my race packet for the Princess Half. They have convention centers there, as well, so it's perfect for large events or business meetings. It's also a family-friendly resort, complete with three swimming pools. Unfortunately, the afternoon thunderstorm kept me away from the pools. :( Honestly, we didn't spend much time at our resort, as we were in the parks the majority of our days. We liked our room well enough, but it was set far back in the resort and made transporting luggage (in the rain) a challenging endeavor. It was fully functional and clean and comfortable, but it wasn't lavish. We stayed two nights at the Animal Kingdom Resort last year for our honeymoon, and I think that gave us a taste for the best. We have no big complaints with Coronado whatsoever, but it just wasn't Animal Kingdom. Spoiled Americans.

One of the perks of staying at Coronado is these reusable mugs! We were each given one and told we had free refills of coffee, tea, or fountain drinks during our stay at Coronado. So of course we grabbed more coffee on our way out. And took these cute cups home. Free souvenirs! Truly a rarity.

Here's a preview of our quick-service lunch at Epcot. Can you guess which country it's from? I'll review this meal in Part IV, which is all about day two! Stay tuned!