After a much needed 2-week break from the blog, I’m back! It’s been a busy few weeks recently in our household. Between my duel role at the church and Rachel’s crazy work schedule that took her to Washington, D.C. for a week, it’s been a little chaotic.

Back together after a week a part!

I have found myself working quite a few longer days than normal and on days off as well. Sometimes life just stays busy and you have to go with it.

Fortunately, this week should slow down quite a bit with Thanksgiving and extra days off. I am planning on catching up with several blogs posts over the course of the week. Some things to look forward to over the next week or so…

• My recap of the Atlanta 10 miler race on October 23.

Atlanta 10 Miler Finisher Pic

• I was the special guest worship leader at the Dunwoody UMC High School Fall Retreat this past weekend.

The Senior Class at Dunwoody UMC. It was a great retreat!

• Allen’s Thanksgiving List!
• And finally…my recap of the Thanksgiving Half Marathon in Atlanta on November 24.

(Rachel is taking over the blog again today with Part 3 of “The Great Debate: WDW vs. Disneyland”)

It’s part three, y’all: when I will finally (hopefully) pick a “winner” between the U.S.-based Disney theme parks. Who will come out on top? Will I lose my nerve and not pick one?! You’ll have to read and find out!

In this post, I’ll focus on my “home” park: Walt Disney World. The park I grew up going to, and the one I’ve visited the most of any theme park, ever. So…feelings.

Magic Kingdom

Starting big with the O.G. park at Walt Disney World. Somehow this park, to me, has managed to evolve and grow over its 45 years and yet stay exactly the same. My earliest memory of Magic Kingdom is riding 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a classic that’s long gone at this point (next time you’re riding Voyage of the Little Mermaid, think about how there used to be a zillion gallons of water there). I can remember the glass-bottom boat and the fake sea creatures – and how they felt totally real to me. (We’ll skip over the part of me that was totally freaked by the idea of a floor made of glass. Underwater.)

This is Halloween…

Be Our Guest!

And that’s just the thing about Magic Kingdom: you feel like the fantasy is real. You don’t have to be in Fantasyland to experience it, either. Take Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland, for example. When you’re listening to “Big Rock Candy Mountain” while riding a train through what’s meant to resemble an old mining town, you really do feel like you’re transported to a simpler time (put those phones away, kids!).

In Adventureland, you can truly feel like you’re on a pirate ship – these days, complete with sea spray! And I might be alone in this, but I truly love the corny jokes on the Jungle Cruise. Depending on your worldview, they’re delivered with either complete sarcasm or an utter lack of sarcasm (I choose to believe the latter).

In Tomorrowland, you can board a spaceship and take flight in a confined space! Or try to defeat the evil Emperor Zurg with Buzz Lightyear! Or – my absolute favorite – sit in a revolving theater and learn about progress! Yes, the Carousel of Progress seems kind of lame now, but Walt Disney himself imagined the ride and presented it at the World’s Fair in 1964. That’s utterly fascinating history, and I unabashedly love it. Also, what better way to get out of the Florida heat than riding the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover?

I haven’t even touched Fantasyland (save my childhood memory), but suffice to say it’s replete with magical experiences. And then there’s Liberty Square… Reader, I absolutely love Liberty Square. It only boasts one actual ride (and one show, for a total of two fun attractions!), but I seriously love it. I could sit and listen to “Stars and Stripes Forever” for an absurd amount of time. I know. I don’t get it, either.

Cinderella’s Castle! Beautiful in the daytime…

…and nighttime.

The Other Parks

I’ll be honest. I’m not as attached to the other parks – EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom – as I am to Magic Kingdom. When Allen and I visit, we always, always, always visit Magic Kingdom. We frequently visit EPCOT. But we sometimes visit Hollywood Studios, and rarely visit Animal Kingdom.

These parks all have their merits, of course. EPCOT, as diverse as it is thematically jumbled, is very cool and has tremendous potential to be a truly awesome futuristic and educational park. I think EPCOT has lost its way a bit as of late, but I do really love Soarin’, so there’s that (see: last week’s Disneyland Resort post). The Food and Wine Festival in the fall and Flower and Garden Festival in the spring are always super fun and yummy, and we try to hit both festivals each year (sadly, no Food and Wine for us this year).

Flower and Garden Festival

Food and Wine Festival

The park I remember most as a kid is Hollywood (formerly MGM) Studios. I vividly remember riding The Great Movie Ride, playing in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area, watching the Beauty and the Beast and Indiana Jones shows, and going on the Backlot Tour (so much water and fire!). Sadly, some of those attractions are no longer around. With all of the new lands planned, Studios is going to look completely different in the next few years. But for better or worse? Time will tell!

See you never, Giant Hat!

The true tentpole attraction of Studios.

Animal Kingdom is probably the park I have the least attachment to, although I still enjoy spending time there. It also feels a little disjointed in the way that EPCOT has felt lately, but again, it has its merits. (I feel like I should say more, but honestly, I have spent very little time in this park except to ride Expedition Everest.)

It was cold that day in Florida!

The Verdict

I said several weeks ago (in my part one post) that I was going to select a winner between Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. The truth is, I really have attachments to both that can’t easily be compared (sort of like apples and oranges). The bottom line is, I obviously love both parks, and will continue to visit both as long as I can.

However, I promised you a winner, so here we go:

Objective winner, based on initial points and also awesomeness: Disneyland Resort

Subjective winner, based on nostalgia and transportive feeling: Walt Disney World (specifically, Magic Kingdom)

There you have it, folks! (I’m just glad I was able to sort of pick a winner! Decisions are hard, you guys!)

I think some of my favorite films of each year come out in November and December. In some ways it’s become a stronger time for movies than even the summer blockbusters, sequels and reboots.

Below are the movies I’m most looking forward to for the next 2 months.

NOVEMBER

• Doctor Strange At this point, I’ve seen every other Marvel film in the past decade and they haven’t let me down so far. Plus, I absolutely love Benedict Cumberbatch, so I’m definitely seeing this one.
• Arrival The military is exploring a mysterious spacecraft after it lands on Earth…this film looks really interesting. Throw in Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker…looks like a winner!
• Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them If you know me, you know I love Harry Potter. A lot. I have seen the movies countless number of times. I’ve read the books probably half a dozen times as well. We’ve been to Harry Potter World in Orlando more times than I can count. So when they do a movie in the same universe 5 years after the last film, I will be there opening night. In fact, Rachel and I already have our tickets/seats. To say I’m excited would be an understatement.

• Moana Disney. Animated. Classics. Rachel and I love Disney animated classic movies almost as much as we love going to Disney. Yeah…I think we’ll see this.

DECEMBER

• Office Christmas Party This movie looks hilarious. I don’t know a ton about it, but I love a good comedy. I’m down.
• La La Land Ryan Gosling. Emma Stone. Hearing amazing reviews already from critics as well. Enough said.

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story The Star Wars saga continues and all I can say is take my money please and thank you.
• Collateral Beauty There are a few actors that I pretty much watch anything they are in. Will Smith is one of those actors. Plus, with a cast that features Kate Hudson, Keira Knightley, Edward Norton and Helen Mirren, you know it’s going to be a good film.
• Passengers Maybe the hottest two actors in Hollywood right now with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence. Throw in a super intriguing plot line…I’ve been excited about this one for a while now.

• Sing I don’t know why, but this movie looks super fun to me. Not sure we will see this in the theaters, but it’s definitely a rental at some point.

There you have it…some of the movies I’m looking forward to over the next 2 months. What movies are you excited about seeing?

(Rachel is taking over the blog again today with Part Two of “The Great Debate: WDW vs. Disneyland”)

A few weeks ago I decided to write a post comparing the two US-based Disney parks. (This time next year I’ll be able to include Disneyland Paris!) I tackled categories such as weather, transportation, location, and more. I decided that the crux of the debate is the parks themselves, or rather, the attractions that compose each park. I started out planning to compare both coasts’ parks in one post, but I got a little carried away…so this will also be split into two posts.

Without further ado, below are my thoughts and opinions about Disneyland Resort’s attractions.

Disneyland

The first Disney park, Disneyland, opened in 1955. It was exceedingly unique in its design, composition, and attractions. Never before had something been built based on not only one man’s idea, but also preconceived characters (this is not researched, so I could be way off here…but this is my perception of how it came about). The idea that a guest could have an experience based on something they’d seen in a movie or cartoon was novel. Of course, Walt Disney had other progressive ideas in mind, being an inventive and innovative man.

One of the great things about Disneyland is the concept that so much has been preserved – if not the actual structures, at least the mindset. The park itself is small, especially compared to its sister park, Magic Kingdom. But there are so many experiences packed into the smaller square footage. Take Fantasyland, for example. There are so many “classic” rides – Peter Pan’s Flight, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, King Arthur Carrousel, Matterhorn Bobsleds, “it’s a small world” (just Google “it’s a small world holiday”; you’re welcome) and more. All of these rides provide a feeling that you’re in some undefined year in the past.

Shine bright like a diamond

“it’s a small world” Holiday!

Then you have classics in other lands: Jungle Cruise in Adventureland (thanks for not including real animals after all, Walt!), Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland, Pirates of the Caribbean in New Orleans Square, Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. All also located in Disney World, but somehow have such a different (not to mention smoother, longer, what have you) vibe in California. And the Haunted Mansion, another classic – is it any wonder New Orleans Square is my favorite land? – even gets a holiday makeover in the form of a The Nightmare Before Christmas overlay every fall and winter. So unique and fun!

Jingle Cruise

Counting down the days till…

California Adventure

Across the way, about the length of a football field, we have California Adventure. Not quite a classic yet, as it was opened in 2001, but something completely unique and special in its own way. It was initially conceived as a park celebrating California and its many different regions, and still includes much of that same flavor, but it has morphed into even more in the years since opening.

Cars Land, the newest land in the park, with its gleaming Ornament Valley backdrop and exquisitely lit-up Radiator Springs, is extraordinary (and the hubby’s favorite Disney land, period). Radiator Springs Racers, with a similar ride track to Epcot’s Test Track without the sense you might get whiplash, might be the best ride in the park. It’s really something special.

Paradise Pier evokes the feeling of a 1920s boardwalk, and sensory wise, is similar to Walt Disney World’s fun Boardwalk Resort. California Screamin’ is one of the best thrill rides Disney has to offer. But it’s more than just the thrills that make this land exciting – it’s the entire perspective of the park one gets from this area. I could literally spend hours just in the area, taking in all of the awesome scenery.

California Adventure is also the birthplace of Soarin’, which is one of the best rides Disney has ever conceived (in this author’s opinion). I’m still getting used to the new “Around the World” version (compared to the excellent original “Over California” version), but it’s still a fabulous ride.

I would also be remiss if I at least did not mention “a bug’s land,” which, yes, is technically the kids’ area, and not one we typically spend a lot of time in. However, it’s one of the best themed lands Disney has to offer. Between it and the ever-immersive Cars Land, California is rife with making guests feel like they’ve literally been transported to another place.

Let me say this about Disneyland and California Adventure: Attraction wise, especially if we’re talking about the number of attractions, it’s hard to compare. I’ve heard that Disneyland (not including California Adventure) has more rides than all of the Disney World parks combined, and it definitely feels that way. Maybe it’s due to the smaller space, but it feels like, inch for inch, Disneyland and California Adventure evoke more feelings of immersion than the Disney World parks.

But who will ultimately come out on top? You’ll have to read Part 3 to find out!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Friday Favorites edition on the blog, so without further ado….

• PNC Atlanta 10 Miler Sunday morning, I’m running the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler, which starts at Atlantic Station and goes through West Midtown and Buckhead. This race is the second part of the Triple Peach series that I am running, which includes the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th and the Thanksgiving Half in November. Looks like the weather is going to be quite chilly for the start of the race. Honestly, I am ready for cooler weather after mid- to upper 80’s this week.

• Bon Iver: 22, A Million Bon Iver is one of my favorite musical artists. His first 2 albums are so good. It’s been over 5 years since he’s had a new album come out. But a few weeks ago, he released his 3rd album: 22, A Million. I am loving it so far. It’s definitely got a little different vibe to it, but after several times listening through, I can honestly say it’s fantastic! Standout tracks for me so far are 715 – CRΣΣKS, 22 (OVER S∞∞N) and my personal favorite, 8 (circle).

• 10 Year Anniversary Trip In January 2017, Rachel and I will be celebrating 10 years of marital bliss. It still feels like yesterday Rachel was walking down the aisle with her dad towards me and now we are hitting a decade. We are in the process of planning a huge 16 day trip next August/September to celebrate. The plan is to start in Paris, France with 3 days in the city and another 2 at Disneyland Paris (because, of course, we would!). Then we will fly to Barcelona, Spain for a couple of days, before boarding a Disney Mediterranean Cruise for 7 days that will take us to Rome, Nice, Cannes, Florence, Naples and more! We have already booked the cruise and are very excited!

• Westworld We’ve been watching the new HBO show Westworld over the past few weeks. I think I’ve mentioned this before…but HBO is responsible for some of my favorite TV shows of all time, so I have high hopes for Westworld. It’s super interesting and different from anything else on TV, which is why I think I’m enjoying it so much. Looking forward to seeing where they will go in the first season.

Check out part 1 of my Chicago Marathon weekend here!

Race day (Sunday) came early. And while I definitely got some sleep, I never seem to get a good amount before a big race. I always fear I’m going to sleep through my alarm. I was up by 5:30am and ready to go by 6:15am that morning. I had about a 20-minute walk over to the Grant Park area where the starting line was. By the time I was leaving, Rachel was already up as well. She was meeting up with Devin so they could cheer us (Justin and me) on during the race.

The weather that morning was about 55 degrees, which is just about perfect temperature for a race start. By the time I got over to Grant Park and the starting corrals, I was actually a little chilly. Fortunately, I brought a old long-sleeve shirt to throw off when I got going.

I was in the second wave, which meant I was in one of the last corrals. Unfortunately, I messed up when submitting my time and I ended up further back than I probably should have been. But honestly, I knew my pace was going to be much slower than usual, so I wasn’t too worried about being back in the slower corrals. I was actually seeded about where I would finish.

While waiting for the start, I made some new friends in the corrals. Runners are usually very friendly and willing to talk. I think we all just needed to stay distracted while waiting to start.

Finally, just a little before 8:30am, our corral was off and running. My number one goal for the race was to finish injury free. With this summer in Atlanta being so hot and humid, my pace has slowed significantly. So even with almost perfect running conditions in Chicago, I knew I couldn’t bust out at the beginning. I would need to keep some energy in the reserve tank for the last 6-8 miles.

I began my journey at a nice and easy pace through downtown Chicago. I loved the energy of the city and the crowds. Easily one of the best parts of this race was the crowd support. So many people cheering you on as you make your way through the 26.2 gauntlet.

As I got up to mile 5, I knew Rachel and Devin would be somewhere around there. I found them and stopped for a minute to say hello. It was so good to see them. By that point, my left knee had decided it wanted to act up a little bit. Nothing major, just a small nagging pain. I knew it wasn’t anything major, but it was still very annoying.

Just a little after mile 9, I came back across Rachel and Devin again. Rachel got a couple of pictures of me running up to them. After a brief hello, I said goodbye and continued on my way. I knew I wouldn’t see Rachel again until mile 23, so at this point, it was me and the road!

One of the interesting things about running for such a long time and distance, is the mind games you play with yourself. For me, I use multiple ways to keep myself motivated. Whether it’s listening to a certain song on repeat or breaking up the distance into certain segments, my mind is my biggest strength and weakness.

One of the things I decided to do as I was running this time was jump on my phone (i.e., social media) a few different times. I posted on Twitter several times during the race and on Instagram right at the 13.1 (halfway) mark. Seeing people respond to me with words of encouragement really helped keep me going. It’s not something I would normally do, but since my pace was slower and I knew I wasn’t going for any kind of PR (personal record), it was a different kind of strategy and really seemed to work.

As I got towards mile 20, I wasn’t noticing the pain in my left knee as much anymore. However, my right calf started tightening up. I stopped 1-2 times along the way to stretch it out over the last 6 miles and that seemed to help.

As I got up to mile 23, I was ready to see Rachel for a minute or two. By this point, Devin had left to go meet up with Justin, who started in wave one and finished much earlier than me. It was so good to see Rachel and reset myself for the last 3 miles.

Honestly, by this point, my body was exhausted, but my brain was still very strong. That’s why I always say, the mental game is just as important as the physical game during a long distance run.

As I came towards the end, a flood of emotions begin to take over. What a journey the past 4-5 months have been. Between the early long runs and the loss of my grandmother just a week before, I found myself very choked up. As I crossed the finish line, I said a quick prayer and blew a kiss up to my grandmother, who I dedicated the race to. I was so happy to get the finisher medal. It was easily one of the best moments of my life.

As I made my way through the finisher’s area and picked up water, Gatorade and food, all I wanted to do was see Rachel and give her a big hug. Once we finally met up (finding each other through the craziness of all the people was not fun), we grabbed several pictures in the Grant Park area, including one in front of The Bean!

Finally, we made the trek back to the hotel so I could get a shower and lie down for several hours. Later that evening, we met up with Justin and Devin for a celebratory dinner and to share war (race) stories. I knew I wanted a steak and friends…and I definitely got myself a steak. It was a great dinner celebrating with our new friends, who we are so grateful to know. I told Rachel later that I really wish we lived closer to them. They are some great people!

We called it an early night as I was flat-out exhausted. The next morning, we packed up, grabbed some breakfast and made our way to Chicago Midway Airport for our flight back to Atlanta.

Couple of things I want to highlight about the Chicago Marathon…

• Best crowd support of any race I’ve ever run. That includes the Disney races and the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, which are also great races for crowd support.
• The course was very flat and fast. I was pleasantly surprised at how flat the course really was.
• The water/Gatorade/aid stations were terrific. There were plenty of stations and water/Gatorade even for those of us in the later corrals. That’s always a win.
• The scenery (course) is excellent. You run through 29 different neighborhoods from the North Side all the way down to the South Side of Chicago. There is so much to see.
• There is a definite difference in running one of the World Marathon Majors versus running a Disney race. People were way more serious and there were fewer run/walkers. Not that there is anything wrong with run/walkers…it was just a noticeable difference.

So now that Chicago has officially been conquered…the NYC Marathon is next on the bucket list!

Last Friday we made our way up to Chicago for the weekend so I could run the Chicago Marathon. If you’ve been following the blog, you already know this. You also would know the journey that training for a marathon entails. When I got the email back in April that I had gotten in, I immediately went into planning mode. I would need to maintain a certain mileage base over the next few months until July, when I would begin to increase my mileage, including my long weekend runs, in order to get up to 20 miles a few weeks before the race. 

I have blogged about several of my long training runs throughout the past few months. I remember back in late July/early August when I ran my first 15 miler…I was very unsure how I would be able to run much farther. That’s the struggle and the beauty of marathon training. It’s mind over matter just as much as it’s training your body to go further. I am grateful for the journey, even though it is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Crossing that finish line last Sunday was one of the greatest thrills of my life. I think every marathon that I’ve run has felt that way. 

Back to the actual weekend…as I mentioned before, we flew out on Friday afternoon to Chicago Midway Airport. It was a very quick and easy flight, which is always nice. We took the CTA train to downtown Chicago and checked into our hotel.

That evening, we met up with Naama, who is one of Rachel’s closest friends. Naama and her husband Jon are moving to South Africa from North Carolina in November! She just happened to be in Chicago visiting friends, so we were able to see her again. It was so great to have a little time with her before she leaves the country!

After spending about an hour with Naama (and her friend Kate), we made our way over to Giordano’s for pizza! While it’s super touristy, we both love their pizza! We walked down the Magnificent Mile for a little while after dinner before making our way back to the hotel for the night.

On Saturday, we met up with some of our new running friends, Justin and Devin, who used to live in Chicago and know the city very well. Justin has run the Chicago Marathon before (this was his 5th year running!), so we were grateful to have them to show us around the expo and parts of the city.

The expo was a 15-minute Uber ride from our hotel. And it was filled with tons of people, booths and merchandise. We spent a good 2 hours walking around, picking up our race number and shirt, along with a few other goodies as well!

After the expo, Justin and Devin took us over to The Pasta Bowl for lunch near where they used to live in Lincoln Park. The food was ridiculously good! I ate way too much pasta, but I was running 26.2 miles in the morning so I knew I needed the carbs.

After lunch, we walked around the area before stopping off at their old apartment and going up to the rooftop to look around. The view was amazing. Nothing like seeing Chicago from the top of a roof!

Finally, we made our way back over to downtown and our hotels for the rest of the afternoon/evening. We knew we needed to get off our feet and rest up for the next day. Rachel and I watched some college football before walking across the street to grab a few sandwiches for a light dinner. We brought the food back to the hotel so we could eat, rest and watch some more football before heading to bed fairly early as it was going to be an early morning.

 

Running the Chicago Marathon this past weekend was an amazing experience. I am still trying to process everything that I felt during the 26.2 mile journey. From the amazing crowd support (including Rachel!!) and beautiful weather to crossing the finish line as I celebrated the memory of my grandmother, who passed away just 8 days before, this was a race filled with a multitude of emotions.

After months and months of training, Rachel and I are heading out today for Chicago, where I will be running the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. It’s been a long and quite draining process, but it’s finally here.

The itinerary for the weekend is pretty chill for us. We should get into Chicago today around late afternoon before possibly meeting up with one of Rachel’s closest friends who is also in town.

Saturday we will hit up the expo before exploring Chicago for a good portion of the rest of the day. We have some great running friends that we’ve made over the past year (Justin and Devin) that we are hoping to spend some time with as well. I definitely want to be back in the room fairly early to rest up and, of course, watch some college football.

For Sunday (Race Day), I’m in the second wave so my start time is a little later, which is fine with me. I’ll be off between 8-8:30 (central time) and on my way. Rachel is going to try to catch me a few times on the race course while I’m running. I think she is hoping to meet up with Devin since Justin is also running. After the race, I’m sure I will be completely wiped out…but after resting for a few hours, the plan is to grab a celebratory dinner somewhere in the city!