A Dopey Adventure

Planning a trip to Walt Disney World can be overwhelming.  From the sheer size of the resort, the number of hotels, a touring plan for the parks, plus dining and fastpass reservations, it can make your head spin!  So, what do you need to do before you travel to the most magical place on Earth? Make a Hotel or Package Reservation:  In recent years, the hotels on Walt Disney World property have been almost full all year.  Due to discounting and travelers looking to go at different times, there is no true "slow" season in Walt Disney World.  Sure, some times of year are better than others, but no matter when you go, you need to make a reservation.  If you're staying on-site, then you have two options: a vacation package or room only reservation.  Vacation packages bundle all the aspects of a Walt Disney World vacation (room, tickets, dining, extras, etc.) into one convenient reservation.  Most people who travel to Walt Disney World for vacation will pick a package. When yo

It's hard to believe it's almost been two weeks since I finished the NJ Half Marathon. It was great to participate in this event again.  Four years ago, the NJ Marathon was my very first ever marathon.  I had a great experience running that race and I was excited to run down the shore again.  I had never run the half marathon course, so I was thrilled to see what these 13.1 miles would have in store for me.  The first stop on Saturday morning was the race expo which was held at the Monmouth Racetrack. There were tons of banners welcoming runners to the expo I really appreciated the expo having such clear instructions! This great sandcastle was just inside the entrance to the racetrack Leading the way into the expo The race expo itself was well organized, though a little underwhelming.  When I did the marathon four years ago, it seemed like there were many more vendors.  I distinctly remember buying sweatybands  here that year.  However, there were almost no ve

There is a great deal of variety in my running playlist.  It runs the gamut from Metallica to broadway cast recordings.  So, it should come as no surprise that there's a fair amount of Disney music on this playlist.  Having participated in so many runDisney events, I know the right Disney song can get you through those moments where the race is a little rough.  Here are my favorites: 5) Touch The Sky by Julie Fowlis (BRAVE) - While not the most popular movie in the Disney princess arsenal, Brave did give us this great running song.  You may recognize it from the Happily Ever After fireworks in Magic Kingdom.  This song has a good beat for running and an encouraging message in the lyrics. 4) How Far I'll Go by Auli'i Cravalho (MOANA) - While still missing in the world of Disney Parks, Moana's popularity hasn't diminished over time.  This song (and its' reprise) are great to run to.  In fact, this was on my playlist for the marathon portion of the Dopey Challeng