Shelby goes to Hollywood (Studios)

It's no secret that my family is a little Disney crazy. So, imagine our torture when my sister and BIL chose to wait FOREVER to take her to Disney for the first time.

It wasn't until after then that we were allowed to take her ourselves. You can see how thrilled we all were.....

She is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Homegirl has watched some episodes so many times that she can tell you what's about to happen, "Pete about to come!!!"..... She also loves Pete. We decided to take her to Hollywood Studios and to the Disney Junior Live show. Her mind was BLOWN.....

She wasn't a fan of the parts of the show where Mickey and the Gang weren't on the stage. Sorry, Jake, Sophia, and Handy Manny.

For dinner, we went to Hollywood and Vine where they were having a Minnie's Summer Party for the character dinner. She was in Heaven!!! No fear of the characters, all excitement. Usually, the characters will come around twice with these meals (so the kids really do get some time with them). When they all came the second time around, they would all kneel down so she could run to them. You could tell that they were as smitten with her as she was with them.....

Goofy took her for a walk around the entire restaurant. My mom got video of them walking around waving at everyone, like they were holding their own parade. Goofy didn't do that with anyone else, that evening......

We were only there about five hours, but we had a blast!! The whole way home, she talked about her "abbenture" to visit Mickey's house! 

Meeting My Yoda

Living where I do, I have an advantage in that a LOT of people come here to visit. I've been able to meet several Bloggy Friends this way. Usually, they are coming to Disney and as a Passholder, it's really easy to meet up for a meal or quick cup of coffee. I love it.

One particular meet-up has been YEARS in the works. Gina is one of my favorites and always has been. She's the most caring and non-judgemental person. I honestly don't remember how we became friends, but ever since, she's been someone I can text or call about anything. I call her "My Yoda."

Quite literally, for about six weeks straight this past Fall, I would call her every Sunday after church. I'd be crying, yelling, confused.... She would patiently listen, advise, pray, and just support.

Like I said, I've waited for years to meet her. I remember when Harry Potter opened up at Universal, she started talking about coming down. They've made tentative plans over and over, but it just wasn't the right time.

However, in March, the time had FINALLY come. The original plan was for me to meet with them after work at Magic Kingdom. What actually happened worked out so much better.

I'd come off a super long weekend, working. I was exhausted, but so excited to meet her. They'd been at the park all day and were ready to call it a night. With some quick texting, we decided that they would walk to the Contemporary and I would pick them up to take them back to their hotel.

I've said for years that I couldn't wait to hug her neck.....

We ended up eating dinner, enjoying a couple of drinks, and just talking. It was great. It's always a tiny worry when you meet someone in person for the first time that they won't live up. This teeny-tiny worry barely registered with Gina and then completely evaporated in about .025 seconds. She's fabulous.

And, her sweet, sweet family. OMG. They are precious. As we were getting ready to pray over our meal, Gina told her sons, "Jess loves Jesus, too." Her husband's genuine joy and "Oh, how wonderful!" at hearing that was so sweet. Sometimes, we get a bit jaded.... our Faith becomes routine. To be reminded by that small gesture that finding another brother or sister in Christ is something to be happy about was a moment I won't soon forget.

The evening ended all too soon, but with promises that it won't be our last face-to-face. As supremely tired as I was (so, so tired), I was filled to the brim with happiness. Finally met My Yoda!

Running the Dark Side

Last weekend (April 15 - 17) was the Inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon - The Dark Side at Disney World. Besides the fact that I (once again) wasn't physically ready for it, I was excited to see what kind of characters this race brought out.

I wasn't disappointed.

My mom decided to sign up Lydia for the 5k, along with her normal Kids Races. Since that race was Friday, they spent Thursday night over at Disney to be ready for the 4:30am wake-up call. They basically walked the whole way, but they had fun. And, really, who expects a 7 year old to run 3 miles? Not us. They got some SUPER cute pictures along the way.

Apparently, toward the end, my mom told Lydia that she needed to run at least a little bit of it. At which point, Lydia bartered running for being able to use my mom's phone to record and take pictures. THAT was entertainment in itself.

They finished in about an hour. Again, pretty decent for walking. Lydia was so proud of herself and her new medal that she took this unprompted selfie..... which I think is the most adorable thing in the world......

That evening, I drove over and met up with them at Magic Kingdom. They'd been there for several hours (after resting up at the hotel) and were having a blast, though my mom's poor ankle was killing her. We hung out for a bit and decided to head back to the hotel to grab dinner.

Before we left, Lydia cashed in on my mom's promise to get her a balloon. It's funny.... we're at Disney so often that we rarely get souvenirs. Usually, it's a stuffed character to add to the collection - all the kids in our life actually do sleep with them and will carry them around to love on. About once a year, she will BEG for a balloon. This time she desperately wanted a "BB-A" balloon, despite the amount of times we tried to convince her that it's BB-8. Regardless, she got the balloon and was happy.

The next morning was the Kids Races. For the first time, Irelynn and Carter were participating. Seriously, the Kid Races are the cutest thing ever. Mom got them all little outfits and prizes.

Irelynn was convinced that she needed to "WIN THE RACE." We told her it was all about having fun and doing her best, but Little Miss Perfectionist was determined. She did, in fact, cross the finish line before anyone in her heat.

Carter just ran to have fun. He really didn't know what was going on, but he was having a blast.

After the races, I picked up my packet. The one thing I was disappointed in was the lack of shirts to swap out. We sign up for these races 6+ months in advance. And, for some reason, the sizing always ends up different. These shirts seemed a little tight, so while there were plenty of smalls to be found, you couldn't size up.

The rest of the day was spent resting and relaxing. Most of the halfs start at 5:30am, so that's what I assumed. However, I learned (thanks to a text from my friend Brianne) that this one was at 5am. That doesn't sound like a lot, but at 2:45am it feels like a lot. We had to be on the buses by 3:30am. Craziness.

When I woke up at the dreaded 2:45, my first thought was, "I really don't feel like doing this, today." I almost just rolled over and went back to sleep. However, it was the very first one, it was expensive, and I don't like the concept of not trying.

The bus took about 45 minutes to get there, so I got a nap in, which was wonderful and helped pep me up a little. I met up with Brianne, who made friends with this guy named Evan on her bus, and they got me a bit excited, too. We stood in line to take a picture with this guy........

By the time we were done (it was a long line), they were about to start the race and we needed to get to our corrals. I will say that they really made it special. Stormtroopers came out to deliver our mission....

We were still walking out when the first few corrals stepped off. The fireworks display was REALLY cool. Brianne and I were in different corrals, so we bid each other good luck and split up.

Again, the feel of this was different than other races. It really was fun. The played clips of the movies in between corrals. They played Star Wars music along with the fireworks. It was just neat.

My corral stepped off at about 5:40am. This was a totally different route than other races, so it was neat to have the change-up. There were a lot of hills. And, once you got on the Osceola Parkway (to and from Animal Kingdom), it was a long stretch of boring road. But, overall I liked it. The only thing I wasn't fond of was finishing at ESPN. It was just too cramped and congested. Plus, the entire way to ESPN and then through it you were facing the sun, which was rough.

I got a PR....... for the worst time I've ever done. It was bad. I wasn't prepared. I'm not in shape. And, I just wasn't in the mood to go anywhere on foot for 13+ miles. However, I did finish, so there's that. From what I understand, A LOT of people got swept, so at least I wasn't alone in being unprepared.

The rest of the day was spent showering, changing, packing, and then walking around Magic Kingdom. We ate at the new restaurant, Skipper's Jungle Canteen (or something like that). I *really* enjoyed it and would recommend it.

It's only been a week since the race and I'm already working harder to prepare for Wine and Dine in November. Not only do I want to do better in these races, I need to lose weight, get stronger, be healthier. Hopefully, this time next year, I'll be WAY better off and can take the Dark Side with no problem.

Show Us Your Life.... A Reintroduction Of Sorts

I haven't posted in SO long. I read several blogs, but have just been horrible about posting. I think it's because it's become so much easier to document life on other forms of social media?

Anyway, in trying to add something new to the ole blog, I thought I would link-up to Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" series. I remember doing this years ago when I first started blogging. Maybe this will get me back in the blogging spirit. Or, maybe it will just be a nice way to update myself.

If you've never read before.... Hi, I'm Jess :)

I'm a native Floridian.... Central Floridian to be exact. I really, truly love Florida and am proud to call it home.

I'm a fan of all things Disney and can often be found roaming the parks like my own personal playground. Over the past few years, I've gotten involved in the RunDisney races and have completed five half-marathons, two ten-milers, and one semi-half (the Wine & Dine Half got shortened due to weather). I'm not particularly good at running (I'd like to get better and really need to try), but I do enjoy participating in the races!

While I am single, most of my family lives here, so I have lots of love around me. And, while I'm not a mommy, I have several adorable children around me to love on and spoil :) I'm also the proud Auntie Kecka to the BEST NIECE IN THE WORLD. Seriously, she absolutely kills me.

I work in this crazy field called Radio and I love it. I'm a Promotions Director.... which is a fun, stressful, and varied job. I started as an intern over 10 1/2 years ago and recently celebrated 7 years in my current position. I don't know if it is what I will be doing forever, but it suits me, for now. Also, for all of the headache and stress, there are some pretty cool perks....

When I'm not working, spending time with family/friends, or enjoying Disney, I'm focused on my new love.... Junior League. For real. I joined last year because several of my friends convinced me and I am loving it more than I ever thought possible. I'm more involved than my original convincing friends are, at this point. The committee I'm on is AWESOME and I've made some great friends.

That's all for now!! Thanks for stopping by and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with Kelly's link-up enough to at least get back into the blogging groove!!

Disney Half Marathon..... A Lesson in Humility and Persistance

This past weekend was Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. Back in April (I think), I signed up for the half marathon which was Saturday (Jan 10th).

Once again, I didn't train properly. In fact, I barely trained at all.

I'm in a serious mental/physical funk. I'm trying to "flip the switch" but I am just not in the zone. Looking to this weekend, I was super nervous. I knew that I wasn't prepared, that I wouldn't do well, and that I may very well get picked up by the Sag Wag. I also thought really hard about whether or not I should even participate.

However, in case you didn't know, Disney races aren't cheap. I knew I at least needed to try. I went in knowing there would be pain and that my time would be horrendous. My main goal was to just get out there and do it. Just TRY to finish.

When 3:30am rolled around on Saturday, I rolled out of bed, got dressed, and headed for the bus. By the time we got there and I made it to my corral, the wheelchair group (very first group) was stepping off. While I was standing there (Corral K), I noticed two things....... it was COLD (42 degrees, according to my phone) and my toenails were bothering me. Oh, crap. I forgot to trim my toenails.

Rookie error, there. Had I been running even a little prior to this, I would have noticed that my toenails were getting too long and would have trimmed them.

So, I stood there waiting............

Finally, around 6:15am, my corral stepped off........

The first mile was fine. One of my toenails was digging into another toe and I really had to pee, but otherwise, I was ok. Breathing was good, stride was good, pace was good. I was good.

Then, I saw Porta Potties. Done.

By the time I stood in line and went, LAHP and her hubby B had caught up to me. They were a corral behind me. The fact that we even found each other was a miracle, but the fact that this is the third race that we've been able to randomly meet up without phones is a true miracle.

I stuck with them for the next five miles. It was a different experience for me. Usually, I run by myself, with music. So, it was different (but a good different) to have people to pace with and chat with.

And, take selfies with..........

We ran through Magic Kingdom, which was fun. Here's the view coming out of the castle......

Once we hit Mile 6, I hit a serious wall. My feet were KILLING me and my right quad was completely frozen up. They were jogging and I told them to go ahead without me.

From that point, I basically just walked the rest of the way. Every so often, I would try to jog, but would barely make it a minute before my feet would be screaming at me to stop. To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised it took 6 miles to get to that point.

I got into a state of just power walking as much as I could. For the next couple of miles, I sort of people watched. I didn't even put my headphones back in. It was a new way of going about it, that is for sure.

Around Mile 9.5, my legs were done. In fact, my whole body was just over it. I put my headphones back in and just zoned out. I honestly think I was in a trance.

Just move one foot in front of the other........ Do not stop moving until you either fall down, get swept, or cross the finish line.

Eventually, I did finish. My time was AWFUL. Just horrible. But, I finished. And, chip time-wise, there were people who finished behind me.

FINALLY, the Finish Line.

 

As poorly as I did, I was still proud of myself for completing the entire race.

As soon as I was done, we had to head over to Wide World of Sports for Lydia's races. Homegirl did great! She really did step it up! I was miserable. My muscles were in so much pain, I was freezing, and my feet were on fire.

Right after Lydia was done, I met up with my friend Holly and her husband for lunch at Downtown Disney. At this point, I was just walking so to keep moving. We had a nice visit and then I caught the bus back to the hotel.

When I got back (around 3pm), I was finally able to take off my shoes to survey the damage. Two of my toes were bleeding and three of them had blisters the size of the actual toe. My big toes are bruised under the nail from bumping up against my shoes. Gross and painful.

I basically bathed in BioFreeze and chilled the rest of the day/night. Mom and Lydia went to Magic Kingdom and had a blast. They were even able to score dinner in Be Our Guest WITHOUT reservations. I was so jealous. I would have loved to have gone, but I don't think my body would have stood for it. My mom was kind enough to pick up a candy apple for me and bring back her leftovers.

Yesterday, we packed up, ate breakfast, and headed home. Poor Lydia was super disappointed that we didn't go to one of the parks, but I could barely move. I did take her to a movie.

As we were leaving Disney property, we drove past the Marathon route. The people I saw had just passed Mile 20 (and it was 11:15am). I was so emotional for them. Just the journey they were currently undergoing. I do not know that I will ever do a full marathon, but I have such mad respect for those who do it.

Today, I'm slightly better. The worst of the blisters burst last night, so it is much better. My right calf muscle is still pretty locked up. I'm trying to gently stretch it and walk as much as I can. Random muscles are sore. I have a massage scheduled tomorrow, so hopefully that will fix me up.

A few takeaways from my 2nd Half Marathon..........

• For the love of all that is holy, TRAIN. Stop your madness and get out there to train!!!!!! I have the Princess coming up in six weeks. Obviously, there will not be any major improvements in my running in six weeks, but I can at least improve a few things. My leg muscles tone up pretty quickly, so that would help. 
• Your body is far more capable than you give credit. I really listened to my body. It was mainly cursing me. But, I pushed it further than I thought possible without jeopardizing my overall health/safety. In the back of my mind, I knew I needed to play it safe if I had any hope of doing the Princess. At the state I am in now, I think I will be able to do an easy round on the elliptical by tomorrow.
• Don't diss the walkers.......... I heard a LOT of grumbling on the course about walkers. More than I have with any other race. Maybe it was because it is Marathon weekend, so people were a little more serious about their running? I don't know, but it was frustrating. We are all on our own journey here. Making someone feel bad because they are walking is just rude.
• On the other side of the coin......... Be respectful and aware. There were a lot of walking AND running groups that were taking up the entire lane. When I was with L and B, I tried to make sure that I was either ahead or behind them, so were weren't walking/running three wide.
• For the most part, everyone is awesome. There is so much encouragement from everyone.... participants, spectators, volunteers, and even random park visitors who wish they'd picked a different day to try to enter EPCOT.

Overall, I am proud of myself. I know where I failed and where I succeeded. I learned and, hopefully, I will be motivated to do better. The main thing is that I did it. I tried. There are a lot of people out there that wouldn't.

Tower of Terror 10-Miler 2014

So last weekend (October 3-5) was the Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend at Disney. If you will recall, last year's was my first big race ever. Before I talk about my race, I have to brag on some others.

So, my mom had so much fun watching Megan and I last year that she got amped up and decided to participate. She and my stepdad signed up for the 5K during Princess Weekend. Then, she signed them up for it this weekend AND signed Lydia up for the kids' races. Mom and Jeff really can't run it, because of some former injuries, so they walk. They just like to participate.

This was Lydia's first race and she *can* run. The first race was her age group. Depending on the age group, the kids run either 100, 200, 300, or 400 meters. Lydia ran 200. The 100 group was hysterical to watch. They are all aged 1-3. Some of them LOVED it and others weren't having it at all.

The winner went to Baby Aladdin who got about twenty feet from the Finish Line and refused to go any further. His parents refused to pick him up to walk him across the finish (a lot of parents were carrying their kids, lol). Even the media people got into it.

 Eventually, Baby A won. The RunDisney people needed them off the track to let the next racers (age 4-6) start. Parent - 0, Kid - 1. I took a ton of pictures during the 15 minute sage (there were several heats), but managed to get an internet friendly one (ie, no faces of the kid).......

Lydia rocked her 200-meter dash and even convinced Jeff to join her. Next up was a timed 1-Mile race. For that one, she wanted me to run with her. I was wearing flip-flops, so that wasn't happening. I walked near the path for the first half, so that she could see me. At that point, she was comfortable running the rest of the way with the group. Disney security is really tight, especially for the kid races. They don't let anyone leave the race area without a tag that matches the child's bib, so I told her that I would meet her at the Finish Line.

In her words, the race was "HORRIBLE. It was a long and awful race!" But, she liked her medal, lol.

After their races were over (I was getting Lydia ready while Mom and Jeff were doing their race, so no pics of them), I headed back to the hotel to nap and rest up for mine later that night.

Here's where I get real.......... I have *REALLY* let myself go. Like, I weigh more than I have in 5 years. Not a fact I'm proud of, but it's the truth. Not only have I gained 20 lbs since last year's race, but I plain didn't train. I mean, I'd run a few miles a couple times a week, but that doesn't prepare you for something like this. So, I was nervous. I knew I'd finish, but I figured it would take me about 20-30 minutes longer than last year.

On top of that, Megan is preggers and due with the-best-niece-in-the-world on Oct 19th. Homegirl wasn't about to attempt 10 miles at 38 weeks pregnant. My other race buddies also weren't doing this one for various reasons. So, I was solo. SCARY.

We always run by ourselves, but we usually hang in the corrals and start together. You get in your corrals at 9:15/9:30. The race starts at 10pm and my corral started at 10:20pm. So, I was basically chilling by myself for an hour. Heidi came up to hang with me until corral time and to see me finish, but it was still a bit intimidating to just stand there in a crowd of 9500 people and not know a soul.

But, I did it. I tried and I completed it.

As I was trudging along and miserable, I would just try to pep myself up. Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous. Last year was hot and humid. This year, it was the first cool night we've had. 50's and little-to-no humidity. So, I tried to tell myself that at least I was getting to enjoy the weather. Also, when I was in the last three miles and could only jog about 1-2 minutes at a time before having to walk, I really had to give myself a chat.......... 

"Jess. You are trying. You've completed 7-8-9 miles and you are still trying to jog. THAT is an accomplishment."

It was not easy. In fact, it was REALLY hard. I wanted to quit. There were times when I told myself that I just didn't care what my time was, anymore. There were times when I felt really bad that Heidi was waiting for me and I was taking so long (turns out, she was having a blast with the other spectators). But, I kept going.

Eventually, I did finish! And, I was completely right...... 21 minutes behind my time from last year.

Heidi was super proud and supportive. I was really thankful to have someone at the end.

Ironically, I wasn't nearly as sore as I was last year. I mean, I was sore. But, it didn't last as long or as bad as last year.

As it stands, I have TWO half-marathons scheduled at the beginning of the year. One at the beginning of January and another in mid-February. Yep, I'm insane.

How am I going to keep myself from going down that nasty 'Wingin It' rabbit hole? Well, it does help that these races are close enough to have something to work for, but far enough that I can train reasonably. I'm doing a HIIT Running app three days a week (started Week 1, Day 1 today) and then one longer run (starting at 4 miles and working my way up). Plus, I'm throwing in T25 for strength, speed, and agility.

I *know* I can do this. With the exception of my longer runs, I shouldn't be working out more than 1 1/2 hours a day. Back in my glory days, I was working out double that some days.

I'm also trying not to stress about my weight, right now. Of course, I need to work on my diet (those french fries and sweets have snuck their way back into my habits) and I definitely want to lose weight, but I'm trying not to focus as much on that. Right now, my main concern needs to be getting fitter.... faster.... stronger... more endurance. I feel like if I'm mildly conscience of my eating during this time, some of the weight should come off. Once the holidays and these races are over, I can really focus on the weight.

That's the plan. To keep myself accountable, I'll be posting my workouts and progress toward my goals at least every two weeks.

Here goes................

Birthday Fun........

My birthday weekend a few weeks ago and was a pretty great birthday weekend. In an attempt to just remember the small, sweet moments, I'll take you through the weekend......

Friday night, I went over to Winter Park to visit with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin. My cousin Natacia was moving back into school for her Sophomore year. It's been great having her just a couple hours away...... she tends to be pretty busy, but whenever Aunt Teresa visits, I do, too. So, I've seen them quite a bit over the past year, which has been wonderful!!

We ate a super yummy Italian dinner and then walked around a bit, just chatting. While we visiting, I got a text from my sister asking if I'd like to join them at their 3D/4D ultrasound the next day. Ummmm, YES!

I eventually said my goodbyes and made my way home. Megan, Bryan, and I had a race in the morning.... which Bry and I completed. We were both HORRIBLE, but we did it. Megan has been having Braxton Hicks, so she decided to sit this race out.

Around noon, we all headed to the Ultrasound. My little niece was NOT cooperating. She had her hands over her face, her knees curled under her chin, and her little ankles crossed. After some prodding from my mom, I got up and started talking directly to her belly (I do this every time I see my sister and the babe will start moving around).

So, I started crooning, "Shelby... Auntie Kecka's here! Shelby, come out and play!"

I. Am. Not. Lying. She moved her hands and squinted one eye open. Everyone started freaking out. I kept talking to her and we finally were able to get one clear shot of her face. Like, none of this was specifically for ME, but it was still a pretty awesome gift :)

Sunday morning, Billie Jo and I headed to Disney for part of the day. We both wanted to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, so we got to the park right as it was opening. We grabbed a Starbucks and got in line. It was only about a 45 minute wait, which was perfect for sipping and chatting. The ride was very cute!

Disney and Starbucks... A match made in Heaven :)

We walked around, rode some rides, and basically enjoyed an easy day at Disney. At 2pm, we had reservations at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop. It's at the Beach Club Resort. Neither of us had ever been, but it was really good and just so charming!!!

We split the chicken sandwich and, after much deliberation, shared "Mickey's Sink."

It was every bit as good as it looked. We couldn't finish it. Our next mission is to get a larger group there to split their "Everything and the Kitchen Sink."

We headed back home, so that I could celebrate with my birthday buddy. Since our birthday was on a Monday and getting everyone together would be difficult, the WHOLE family got together for dinner and to celebrate Anthony and I.

My cousin Heidi made my MOST FAVORITE meal..... Pumpkin Sage Sausage pasta. Soooo good.

Ninny hadn't seen Megan or her preggo belly for a while, so she decided to give Shelby some love...

After dinner, we had ice cream cake and opened presents. It was a fun gathering.

Jess and Anthony.... The August 25ths....

Monday was my actual birthday. When I got into the office, my sweet friend/coworker M had put a birthday sign on my office door and left a card. One fun thing about going to work on your birthday is that everyone pretty much makes a big deal of you, lol. I'm not sure that I got a whole lot of work done, but it was a fun day!

I came into my office after chatting with a couple friends for a bit. There was a card on my desk that wasn't there before and my phone was blowing up. I had three missed calls, a voicemail, and several text messages. Upon checking my voicemail, I discovered that TG had called to wish me a Happy Birthday! His message was fairly hysterical. I called him back and we talked for a while.

As I was talking to him, I thought to myself, "I hope I hear from FD today." (note lots of progress in one area, not so much in the other, lol). A couple minutes later, still chatting with TG, I picked up the card and opened it. It was from FD :)

He'd stopped by to drop off a card and wish me a happy day. Cue happiness.

After I talked with TG, I called FD and chatted with him. He told me he was sorry he didn't see me, but he was in a rush to get back to work. Regardless, it was a very sweet gesture.

My mom and M took me out to lunch. Delicious!

Amongst the FB messages, texts, and emails, the birthday email from my rep at St Jude was one of the best. She did the obligatory "Your St. Jude Family Loves You" and then added, "and, so does Ryan...."

 

 LOVED it, lol!!

After work, my immediate family went to Bonefish for dinner. Billie Jo and Scott also came along, which made for a lovely evening.

My drink of choice.... It was so yummy and pretty.....

My Momma and I

Billie Jo and I

My sister Megan and I

Thanks to my wonderful friends, the party didn't quite end there! I got several birthday lunches and dinners throughout the rest of the week. (In unrelated news, I did a 3-Day Cleanse a week later)

Some people say that birthdays are less and less of a big deal as we get older. Bullocks, I say! If you pay attention to the little details, it makes for a pretty wonderful day!

Disney World Past.........

 If you have been reading for, well, the slightest length of time, then you know I'm a Central Floridian.... born and bred. I'm also a Central Floridian who has a great love of the House of Mouse

A while ago, this article showed up on Buzzfeed and was quickly shared by all my fellow Disney-loving FB friends. Normally, I would just link to a fun article, but this was too great to just link. Just to be clear.... I did NOT write this. Jessica Probus wrote it and did a really great job.

Also, to be clear..... I'm adding my own thoughts in orange. In no way am I claiming that my thoughts are a part of the original post, are the opinion of Jessica Probus, or the opinion of Buzzfeed.

 

29 Things You’ll Never See At Disney World Again

It might be a whole new world, but we kinda miss the old one. posted on March 18, 2014, at 11:19 a.m.

Jessica Probus  

BuzzFeed Staff

Chris Ritter / BuzzFeed

1. PUSH the Talking Trash Can

en.wikipedia.org

After their contract ran out with the Orlando-based robotics company that made this animatronic trash can, this beloved 19-year-old character will no longer roam Tomorrow-land. The good news is that you’ll never have to walk more than 30 steps to throw your trash away.

True, PUSH isn't around, but there are still some copycat type of trash cans at various places in Disney World. Also true that there are trash cans everywhere.

 

2. Individual Ride Tickets

When WDW opened in 1971, each ride required a separate ticket, which was not included in the price of admission ($3.75 at the time, which, adjusted for inflation, would be $21.66 today). Each ride was categorized as a letter from A–E depending on the level of excitement. The Carousel was A, Space Mountain was E. Disney’s more thrill-based rides are still referred to by those in the know as “E-Ticket” rides. The ticket prices ranged from 10–90 cents (50 cents–$5 today).

That means for the price of buying one adult ticket in 2014 ($99) you could get admission and 15 tickets to ride Space Mountain. Or 154 rides on Cinderella’s Carousel.

Or, you are a Floridian with an annual pass so you get your money's worth throughout the year. Personally, I'm fine with not having tickets.

3. A Sea of Yellow Mickey Ponchos

Werner Weiss / Via yesterland.com

When it rained at WDW (which happens every day in Florida), the crowds would be covered in those overpriced plastic bags known as ponchos. The bright yellow ones with the giant Mickey on the back are a thing of the past — the company switched to clear ponchos in 2003.

I'd forgotten about the yellow ponchos until this article, lol. What was funnier was when you were at Sea World or Busch Gardens and a yellow poncho would come out. (Just so you know, we mentally mock people who wear the wrong characters to the wrong parks)

4. “The Making of Me,” a Live-Action Video About Sex and Birth

img2.wikia.nocookie.net

In this 15-minute video shown in the Wonders of Life pavilion at EPCOT, host Martin Short pulls a Marty McFly, going back in time to witness his own conception using actual footage from his birth. The pavilion has been closed since 2007, but you can still watch the whole thing on YouTube here.

LOL.... I went to that ride once. Hysterical.

5. Rhea Pearlman as a Time-Traveling Robot

intercot.com

waltdatedworld.bravepages.com

The Timekeeper was a 1992 movie starring Robin Williams (as the first Audio Animatronic) and a robot named 9-Eye ( Pearlman). The film was shown in a 360-degree Circle Vision theater and took the audience on a journey through time, during which a curious Jules Verne is accidentally brought into the future from the 1900 World’s Fair. Wacky hijinks ensue. See snippets of the original film here. Located in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom, it has since been replaced by the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.

I do not miss this, at all.

6. Powdered Pink Soap in the Bathrooms

waltdatedworld.bravepages.com

ebay.com

Until 2001, all bathrooms at Walt Disney World used powdered pink Borax soap instead of liquid hand soap, which was easier to clean up off the floor. The light pink soap had to be removed after the 9/11-era Anthrax scare.

I don't miss this, either. My hands always felt grimy and unclean after using it.

7. An Aerial Gondola Lift Between Lands

bigfloridacountry.com

The WDW “Skyway” took guests between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland on a Swiss-designed aerial ropeway. The attraction was closed in 1999 but the towers weren’t removed from the park until 10 years later in 2009 during the renovation of Fantasyland. Rumor has it that the ride was closed for safety reasons after a park employee suffered a fatal fall during maintenance, but the company maintains they had plans to close before the unfortunate incident and the Skyways at Disneyland and Tokyo Disney had already been closed in 1994 and 1998 respectively.

I used to LOVE the Skyway. I'm pretty sure I'd be scared to death to ride in one now, though.

8. The Legitimately Scary Alien Encounter Ride

en.wikipedia.org

Located in Tomorrowland, this “ExtraTERRORestrial” encounter had everything: Tyra Banks as the pre-show alien host, Tim Curry as a robot, binaural sound effects, total darkness, lasers, animatronic predators, simulated alien tongues, and an exploding monster. One of the few attractions specifically not suited for children under 12, it was replaced with the much tamer but similarly styled Stitch’s Great Escape in 2006.

I always refused to go on this......

9. A Semi-Submerged Submarine Ride

en.wikipedia.org

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a pioneering passenger ride at Magic Kingdom that used underwater animatronics, forced perspective, and bubble machines to make guests believe they were “diving” under the ocean. The “Nautilis” boats had guests sitting below water level looking through portholes at real and mythical aquatic life, including eels, turtles, mermaids, and the lost city of Atlantis. Despite being popular, the ride was closed in 1994 due to high maintenance costs and low capacity.

I only went on this once. The line was always hours long (much like Peter Pan is now), so we just never bothered.

10. This Terrifying Witch

en.wikipedia.org

After “crashing” through a wall in Snow White’s Scary Adventure at Magic Kingdom, guests were faced with this scary animatronic witch. The ride was known during its 41-year existence as a rite of passage for Disney’s youngest guests who were routinely frightened to the point of tears by this cackling hag. It was replaced in 2012 with the Princess Fairytale Hall.

The witch never bothered me and I was a scaredy cat.

11. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

Allen Huffman / Via yesterland.com

This stylized cartoon-like ride was based on the Disney version of The Wind in the Willows. The well-loved ride closed in 1998 and was replaced by The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Fun fact: In front of the Haunted Mansion ride there’s a stone in the pet cemetery dedicated to none other than Mr. Toad. The actual grave marker is not easily legible from guest areas but according to park lore, it reads:

DEAR MR. TOAD
IT’S SAD BUT TRUE
NOT NEARLY AS MARKETABLE
AS WINNIE THE POOH

I used to love this ride, but I have to admit that I prefer Winnie the Pooh.
 

12. Mickey and Minnie’s (Separate) Country Houses

disneyparks.wikia.com

en.wikipedia.org

Although it’s never been cleared up whether Mickey and Minnie mouse are officially married, until 2012 they maintained separate but equally cartoonish country houses at Magic Kingdom in the since-closed Mickey’s ToonTown Fair area.

First off, I don't think they're married. While cute, I don't really miss these.

13. A 200-Foot Mickey Hand Over Spaceship Earth

Werner Weiss / Via yesterland.com

The icon tower at EPCOT was originally built as part of the Millennium Celebration. Weighing 500,000 pounds and standing over 257 feet high, it was the tallest structure at the Walt Disney World Resort until it was taken down in 2007.

This was fun.

14. The Spirit of Saudia Arabia, Eritrea, Israel and Easter Island

saudiembassy.net

saudiembassy.net

During the 15-month Millennium Celebration, the Millennium Village pavilion at EPCOT had interactive exhibits from more than 30 countries that weren’t in the permanent World Showcase. The exhibits included fashion, history, and cuisine presented in displays and presentations from international representatives. The pavilion is now an event space used during the Food & Wine festival.

I'm sure I visited this, but I have no recollection.

15. An Island Filled with Lemurs, Galapagos Tortoises and Exotic Birds

waltdatedworld.bravepages.com

Discovery Island, located in Bay Lake near the Magic Kingdom resorts, was a zoological park accessible to guests by boat. When it closed in 1999, the animals were moved to sanctuaries at Animal Kingdom. There was a plan at one point to join with the creators of the video game Myst to turn the island into an interactive themed experience, but the idea never went past concept.

I never went to this, but I vaguely remember it. I know people try to sneak on the island (too funny, imo), but I don't see the need for the island as an attraction with Animal Kingdom being around.

16. The World’s Last Dusky Seaside Sparrow

en.wikipedia.org

Located on Discovery Island, Avian Way was home to many species of birds, including the largest community of breeding Scarlet Ibises in the U.S. It was also home to the last known Dusky Seaside Sparrow in the world, known as “Orange Band,” who died in 1987. The species was officially declared extinct in 1990.

Interesting.

 

17. A Waterslide Using Real Lake Water

commons.wikimedia.org

Opened in 1978, River Country was a rustic “watering hole”-themed water park that used filtered water from nearby Bay Lake. In 2001 when brain-eating amoebas were found in several Florida lakes, the park was permanently closed. It has since been abandoned.

I'm sure they'll do something with this, eventually. Florida is hot enough that they can always use another water park.

 

18. Minnie Moo

yesterland.com

Minnie Moo was a Holstein cow from Minnesota with a distinct Mickey-shaped spot. She was brought to Magic Kingdom, where she lived at Grandma’s Duck Barn until she died in 2000.

Yeah........ Minnie Moo once licked my mouth.

 

19. Human Body Probes

yesterland.com

Body Wars was a simulator ride in the Wonders of Life pavilion where guests were “miniaturized” by a futuristic science company to be able to enter the human body for the purpose of treatment and diagnostics. Similar to Star Tours, this ride was one of the earlier and more jerky simulators at the park. The attraction was closed in 2007.

Hahahaha.... We went to EPCOT as a field trip in the 6th grade and going on this was one of our assignments. 

 

20. A Giant Pink Candy-Covered Castle

disney.wikia.com

For the 25th anniversary of Magic Kingdom in 1996, Cinderella’s Castle was transformed into a giant birthday cake. It took over 400 gallons of pink paint to transform the 18-story structure, which included 20-foot candles, 5-foot gummy bears, 5-foot gumdrops, 6-foot Life Savers, 3-foot lollipops, and 2-foot gum balls. The icing was inflatable, and it covered more than 1,000 feet until 1998, when the castle was restored to normal.

This was super fun. I had a couple of shirts with the birthday castle on it and may still have a keychain. As fun as this was, I do prefer the castle in its original glory.

 

21. A Castle Covered in Toilet Paper

reddit.com

On Nov. 16, 2004, Cinderella’s Castle was covered in toilet paper and graffiti for the grand opening of Stitch’s Great Escape.

I'm sure this was a treat to clean up.

 

22. Dancing Anthropomorphic Produce

disneyparks.disney.go.com

Food Rocks, located in EPCOT’s The Land, was a “mock rock concert that delivered nutritional messages to guests and was hosted by Füd Wrapper, inspired by the rapper Ton Loc.” It has since been replaced by the popular Soarin’ ride.

Soarin' is better. Trust me on this.

 

23. Double-decker Bus Service

Steve Tanner / yesterland.com

Werner Weiss / yesterland.com

At EPCOT, these buses served as transportation between the World Showcase and Future world. They stopped carrying guests in the mid-1990s, but the special decorated red bus on the right still takes characters around for a mini-parade.

I do wish this service would come back. That stinking lake is really big.

 

24. A Tamer Mission to Space

Chris Bales / Via yesterland.com

Before it was Alien Encounter, the Magic Kingdom space was occupied by Mission to Mars. This ride was the primitive version of the current Mission: SPACE, just without all the NASA-generated centrifuge simulators…or the deaths.

I think I went on this once..... I've never been on Mission: SPACE.

 

25. A Parade with 600,000 Miniature Lights

en.wikipedia.org

The SpectroMagic parade at Magic Kingdom, featuring elaborate, brightly lit floats of Disney characters and scenes, ran until 2010. The wildly popular score by composers John Debney and Steve Skorija featured Disney music arranged into a 14-minute suite, which can be purchased on compact disc here.

I mean, I loved SpectroMagic and the score. However, I like the Electric Parade just as much. Buzzfeed is reaching on this one, imo.

 

26. Keel Boats Named Gullywhumper and Bertha Mae

Werner Weiss / Via yesterland.com

These boats, featured in Disney’s Davey Crockett shows, were a B-ticket ride that took guests on a trip around Tom Sawyer Island. After one of the boats capsized in 1997, the attraction was closed, and one boat was sold for $15,000 on eBay. The other boat was installed on Tom Sawyer Island as a prop.

I don't even remember this. We always took the rafts.

 

27. Scale Replica Facades of the Golden Girls and Empty Nest House

blogger.com

The shows were produced by Touchstone Pictures, a subsidiary of Disney, and many of the houses were used for external shots during some or all of the show seasons. They were also a big stop on the Backlot Tour, before being demolished in 2003 and replaced with the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show.

I REALLY miss this one. I personally can't stand the stunt show. Over the years, they would add some and it was just neat to see.

 

28. A Cartoon-Themed Lingerie Shop

Photograph © Copyright 2008 Matthew C. Gallagher / Via etckt.com

Jessica’s of Hollywood was a lingerie store at Disney’s Pleasure Island named for Jessica Rabbit of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The store closed in 1992, but the neon sign with the swinging leg was used on the Planet Hollywood sign until 1996.

LOL.... As I was 9 when the store closed, I don't remember it being a lingerie shop. I do remember the sign, though.

 

29. Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake Filming the All New Mickey Mouse Club

disney.wikia.com

The 1990s reboot of the once popular Mickey Mouse Club was filmed at Walt Disney Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Mousketeers included Britney Spears, Chrsitina Aguilera, Keri Russell, Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, and JC Chasez. The show was canceled because merchandise wasn’t selling and the producers felt the cast wasn’t talented enough to carry the show.

I *ADORED* MMC. In fact, my mom was going to let me audition when I was old enough, but they cancelled the show. Just think...... I could have grown up next to Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake. Two of my most favorite males ever.

 

Bye forever.