The past few weeks have been busy, but so very good. I figured I would take a couple of blog posts to talk about all that has been going on with The Whittakers!

Rachel’s 31st birthday was Saturday May 21, so you know we had to celebrate in our favorite place (Walt Disney World) for the weekend.

We stayed at the Port Orleans resort. And because it was Rachel’s birthday, we got upgraded to the Royal Guest Room. Rachel was in heaven! Plus they had beignets so you know we had to grab some! I have asked her to do a special blog post about the resort and room, so stay tuned for that post coming soon! 

We hit up Universal Studios (Harry Potter World) on Friday for several hours before checking into the resort.

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Later that evening, we took the Port Orleans boat transportation over to Disney Springs for dinner and shopping. They had just opened a new section (Town Center), which was amazing. We ate dinner at one of the new restaurants and walked around for several hours.

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Saturday morning, we had Be Our Guest breakfast reservations at the Magic Kingdom, which was a nice way to start Rachel’s birthday. One of the awesome parts of this reservation was that we were able to get into the park a full hour before it opened to the public. We scored some amazing pictures on Main Street and in front of the castle with hardly anyone there.

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Once we got to Be Our Guest, we split a delicious meal and took in all the amazing sights of the restaurant.

After breakfast, we were able to literally get on 14 different rides in the span of 3 hours. Nothing like getting to the park before the crowds arrive!

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Later that afternoon, we met up with our friends Ellis and Colleen, along with Nick and Ciara, and headed over at Epcot for a few more hours of park fun. Then we all headed over to  Giordano’s Pizza to meet up with Chris, Meredith and their adorable baby girl Caroline to celebrate Rachel’s birthday officially!

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We had a great time eating dinner and celebrating with some great friends who mean so much to us. At dinner I even realized that I had officiated all 3 of these couples’ weddings over the past few years. How cool is that?!

Finally, we all headed over to Port Orleans to walk around the resort and hang out a little more. We ended up sitting around the pool bar area and catching up for another hour or so. It was a great evening for sure!

Sunday morning, we checked out and grabbed breakfast and a few more pictures around the resort.

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Then we made our way back to Atlanta and the real world. All in all, a great weekend celebrating my beautiful wife’s birthday!

Disclaimer: I received the XX2i Optics Hawaii1 Sunglasses to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Several weeks ago, I blogged about becoming a BibRave Pro Ambassador. One of the exciting parts of being a BibRave Pro is the opportunity to work with different brands, from wireless headphones and compression gear, to free race entries, sunglasses, and running shoes, in order to test out new products.

 

My first chance to test out a new product came at the beginning of this month with the XX2i Hawaii 1 sunglasses. And friends, I really like these sunglasses! They are some of the best sunglasses I have ever used for running purposes. Here is my experience so far.

The first thing I noticed once I took the sunglasses out of their hard, protective, zippered case was how light they are. Additionally, they come with a microfiber storage bag/cleaning cloth, which is always nice to have with a good pair of sunglasses.

When I put them on, I knew I was going to be very pleased running in them. They felt great on my face. Plus, I love the look of them!

I took them out for a 4 mile test run the following morning, and definitely knew these were the sunglasses for me. I started without a hat on to see how they would feel without anything on my head. The glasses cover your eyes completely and come with grey, polarized lenses. This is super important to me in a pair of running sunglasses, since my eyes are extra sensitive to the sun from having Lasik eye surgery about 10 years ago. The XX21 sunglasses worked beautifully to protect my eyes during my run.

The next time I ran, I wore a hat with the sunglasses and loved how comfortably they fit on my face.

I have since run in these sunglasses probably 8-10 times, and each time has been a very positive experience. I have even worn them out around town and on vacation last weekend to Walt Disney World!

My only real issue has been with the nose pads, which feel like they dig into the bridge of my nose if I wear them for a long time. But fortunately, the nose pads are adjustable. And after adjusting them a little, I’ve had no other issues in that regard.

My favorite parts of the Hawaii 1 sunglasses:

• Very lightweight
• No frame across the bottom (which I personally love for avoiding fogging issues)
• Polarized 8K optics
• Carbon Fiber
• Adjustable nose piece and adjustable temple arms
• Plus…these really are a great-looking pair of sunglasses!

In addition to all of these awesome things, XX2i Optics offers a 365-day return policy and a lifetime replacement warranty – you just pay the shipping/handling fee.

How do you get a pair for yourself? Check out xx2i.com and use code XX2iRocks for 50% savings!!! Plus, they are co-hosting our #bibchat on Twitter on May 31 at 9pm (Eastern).

Make sure to follow XX2i on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The next several days are going to be super busy, so I’m not sure I will be able to blog any more this week. Here’s what’s on tap.

• Tuesday: I have several meetings and appointments today. Plus, I leave tonight for a church consulting job that I have tomorrow over at Lake Oconee, which is about 90 minutes away from Atlanta.
• Wednesday: Consulting with a Youth Ministry staff all day by helping them with processes, vision and structure.
• Thursday: Three different meetings, including a lunch meeting, before heading down to Florida later that afternoon.
• Friday-Sunday: We are celebrating Rachel’s birthday at Disney.

I’ll be back blogging next week with pictures of our weekend in Orlando celebrating Rachel’s 31st birthday!

Welcome to another addition of Friday Favorites with your host, Allen!

• Orange Mud HydraQuiver Since I started running half marathons and beyond, I have been carrying water/fuel with me for longer runs. I’ve tried several different kinds of belts and packs, but still haven’t found the perfect solution. I had heard great things about the Orange Mud company and had a 20% off coupon code, so I figured it was time to give them a try. With the Chicago Marathon coming in October, I will be training longer during the summer months, so hydration will be key. I got the pack last week and took it out for a 9 mile run last weekend. After a few miles of getting adjusted to it, I can honestly say, I really liked it. I plan on doing a longer blog post in the future after I get some more time with the pack.

• Myles Athletic Shorts My friend Adam told me about these shorts a few weeks ago. Adam and I have very similar taste in clothing, so we always share new brands we like. I’ve been looking for a great pair of shorts that I could dress up and dress down. These shorts fit amazingly well. Looking forward to wearing them over the summer months.

• XX2i Sunglasses One of the perks of being a BibRave Pro is being able to test out new products and blogging about my experience with them. I am one of the testers for the XX2i Hawaii Sunglasses. My pair came in yesterday and I have to say, they look and feel great on my face. I will be devoting a full blog post in the next few weeks, after I’ve gotten several weeks with them. However, I do have a 50% off coupon code that I can share if anyone wants to pick up a pair! XX2irocks – gets you 50% off!!

• Craft Classic Half Marathon Another amazing perk of being a BibRave Pro is the opportunity to run races on behalf of BibRave. I am now registered to run the Craft Classic Atlanta Half Marathon on September 10. I will be sharing more of my training/details of the race closer to the date. I do have a code for the race if anyone wants to join me! BibRave (not case sensitive) is good for $10 off the Half or $5 off the 5K.

How is it already May 6?! It feels like this year has flown by! We have a pretty busy month ahead of us, but a lot to look forward to. Here are a few things on tap for the month of May.

• My dad will be in town this weekend visiting my younger brother Will for his birthday. We will spend tomorrow evening with them. I’m very much looking forward to seeing my brother’s family and my dad! Feels like it’s been ages since we’ve seen them.
• Movies, Movies, Movies! May brings about the “unofficial” start of the summer movie season. We are seeing Captain America: Civil War on Sunday afternoon and plan on catching at least a few more blockbusters this month.

• Next weekend, we will be celebrating Rachel’s birthday (early) with her side of the family. Not sure what we are doing quite yet, but Rachel mentioned grilling out, which is always good with me! There is also a good chance we will be seeing our friends the Popes next weekend as well. It’s been way too long since we’ve seen them, so I’m excited to catch up with some of our favorite friends.
• The 3rd weekend, I am taking Rachel down to Disney (yes, again) for her actual birthday. We are staying at the Port Orleans resort and we are very excited. Several of our friends, who live down there, are planning on coming over on Saturday (her actual birthday) to celebrate with us. It should be a great weekend!

• Finally, for Memorial Day weekend, we are heading to Standing Rock, Dover, Tennessee for Rachel’s family reunion (on her mom’s side). It’s been 10 years since Rachel has been to this reunion, so we knew it was time to go back. We are hoping to stop off in Nashville on the way up there for a night to see several friends who live up there. Should be a great weekend with family and friends.

All in all, it’s going to be a busy month! What’s on your agenda for May?

I am so excited to announce that I have been selected to be a BibRave Pro Ambassador for 2016!

So what is BibRave? Here is the description taken directly from their website…

• BibRave is a running community that connects runners to the best races!
• It’s the place to research races you’re considering signing up for, and a place to leave feedback on races you’ve completed.
• BibRave is also a way for races and running brands to connect with socially savvy runners – through our popular weekly Twitter chat, #BibChat, and our large ambassador network – BibRave Pros.

If you love running and racing and you’re unfamiliar with BibRave, you must check out BibRave.com.

So what exactly is a BibRave Pro?

BibRave Pros are “socially-savvy individuals who LOVE to race!”  A BibRave Pro is someone who is an official ambassador for BibRave, which basically means you have a passion for running and blogging about your adventures (as I do).

As a BibRave Pro, I’ll also get the opportunity to work with different brands, from wireless headphones and compression gear to free race entries, sunglasses and running shoes, in order to test out new products. I’ll be sharing with you my reviews throughout the year and I’ll be sure to pass along any discount codes if you want to try them out. Plus, you can’t beat FREE running gear!

I’m looking forward to joining the other BibRave Pro Ambassadors for 2016!

 

Allen wrote a few posts about his experience at the Star Wars Half Marathon – The Dark Side, and touched on our awesome stay at the Wilderness Lodge. But I wanted to expound on his perspective and share mine – basically, how we had an amazing time and want to stay there again immediately.

Even though we only planned to stay one night at the resort, we made plans to ensure we’d have plenty of time to explore and take advantage of the resort’s offerings. We made our way over on Saturday morning, with the intention of taking the boat over to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours (one of the resort’s many perks!). It was so cool to approach MK from a different angle.

It was a gray, humid day, and also Dapper Day! We enjoyed seeing everyone all dressed up. Unfortunately, coupled with the race weekend, the park was extra crowded. That was fine with us – we headed back to the Wilderness Lodge to spend some time there.

When we got back to the resort, we were able to get into our room. We had only stayed in Disney resorts with an outside entrance (more of a motel, if you will), so this was a nice change of pace. The only downside was, the resort was doing some significant construction, so our view wasn’t spectacular, but the room was very nice and had some cute details.

Luckily, we had some time before our dinner reservation at Whispering Canyon Café, so we were able to hang out in the resort’s stunning lobby. It actually reminded me of the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park. It felt very authentic, like we weren’t even on Disney property (I mean, okay, there’s a Mickey/Goofy/Donald totem pole, but you get the idea).

My favorite part of the resort was the absolute abundance of wildflowers on the property. They were gorgeous, and I couldn’t stop taking pictures of them. Again – it was all very authentically outdoorsy.

Our dinner that night was unbelievable. The special drink was something called Moonshine Lemonade – and it was delicious. We (along with our friends, Chris and Meredith) ordered the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Skillet, and certainly ate all we cared to enjoy of chicken, ribs, sausage, mashed potatoes, salad (well, Meredith and me), brisket, and pulled pork. And did I mention they have bottomless milkshakes? Sign me up!

While Allen went off to bed (he had such an early morning the next day!), Meredith, Chris, and baby Caroline and I took the boat over to MK – this time at night! It was, once again, beautiful.

I’ll take this moment to say that while Allen’s race morning transportation was not ideal, mine was great – I walked over to catch the bus at 6:30, and it arrived around 6:36. We popped right over to the ESPN Wide World of Sports, and I was able to cheer on Allen at around 12.5 miles. It was very easy!

Luckily, we had a few more hours to take advantage of the resort. Cue taking the boat over to MK once again, and my taking a million more wildflower photos – pure perfection.

We headed home that afternoon, totally jazzed about our stay and the prospect of staying at the Wilderness Lodge sometime in the future. I highly recommend the property and everything it has to offer. I wish we could’ve stayed longer!

Next up on the resort docket: Port Orleans – Riverside!

Almost 2 months ago, I blogged about some of the things on my “bucket list,” including running the world marathon majors. One of those marathons is the Chicago Marathon, which is held in October.

A few weeks ago, I put my name in the lottery for the Chicago race and I found out last week that I got in! I am super pumped to run this marathon on October 9th!

Over the past few days, I’ve been working on finding us a hotel and plane flight. I think we will spend a long weekend up in Chicago. I know Rachel is excited to come support me and hang out in one of our favorite cities!

And while I’m very much looking forward to running this race, I’m not thrilled about training for a full marathon during the summer months of Atlanta. But I know it will be worth it when I cross that finish line in a little less than 6 months!