The Magical Land of Florida

I get so behind on blogging if only I could do it work then I'd be a blogging fool. =) Well with our lovely tax return money my sweet husband suggested a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I am a BIG Harry Potter fan and always talk about going there so that's what we decided to do. We found a vacation package that included a three day park pass to Universal Studios and their neighbor park Island of Adventure, Breakfast at the Three Broomsticks, and our hotel was thrown in there as well.

Then we found our flights there and back courtesy of Southwest and JetBlue and it all added up to just under the amount of our tax return awesome. So we headed out for Florida right after our marathon on that Monday June 13 and were scheduled to be back home that Friday the 17th ( more on that later).

Day One: Traveling to Florida. We started out early with a 7 am flight which went off with no problems. We stopped in Chicago and stayed in the plane for about 20 minutes since it was taking us the rest of the way. That was kind of fun to have full reign of the plane with not that many people there. Then we made it to Florida about 3:30 Florida time, had a fun time navigating our way through the airport. ( It was HUGE) Then got a taxi to our hotel. We chilled the rest of the day, went to the pool and planned out our week.

( top pic: chilling in the plane, bottom the view of chicago from the plane.)

Highlights: Me tipping over my water on the plane two minutes after getting it. Supposedly I get really clumsy up in the air. It was a funny moment. Justin getting a job offer! Paying the Cab a reasonable amount. Pool Time.

Bummers: Forgetting our boarding passes but that was easily fixed. A not so great dinner. =( No internet in our hotel.

Day Two: Universal Studios, Hard Rock Cafe, and Blue Man Group.

We went to Universal Studios and just went on whatever ride was closest and walking around. There was a HUGE scary looking roller coaster called the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket. It was a head banger that's for sure. Not my favorite ride. We went on almost every ride and saw lots of the shows. Some of our favorites were: The Men in Black ride, The Simpson's, and The Mummy. Some of the rides that need either a revamp or to possibly be shut down were: Jaws, ( way to long of a wait for what you got) and E.T. E.T did have a fun part where you are "flying" with E.T over the town and it's all small, so that was cool.

We had fun and after a while we had done everything and went looking for other stuff to do. We got a caricature drawn, had dippin' dots and looked through the Lucy Tribute. That was neat, Lucille Ball is quite the accomplished lady. I really liked looking at the old costumes and jewerly that they used.

Then we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. I admit that I felt a little bit out of place since I am not that into rock and roll. But it was a fun and exciting place to eat dinner. They had music videos going, and the servers were dressed up like fun rock icons. They had lots of fun memorabilia from famous people. It is the largest Hard Rock so they had the most stuff. Funny story: We got a special glass since it's their 40th anniversary this year and when we got our bill our server told us to go downstairs and they would give us a new one in a cool box and all that jazz. So.....we thought we were supposed to go down to pay. Uhm....that was not the case. So we went downstairs asking if this is where we pay and the lady just looks at us and tells us that our server would take care of our bill. At this point we felt like crap because it looked like we had just Dined and Dashed. We saw our server head down and talk to someone but then we couldn't find her. We then went back to our table and it was already all cleared off. We eventually found our server and paid. Needless to say she got a fairly generous tip. It was pretty boss because I got a $25 gift card for Hard Rock from my credit card points so we only had to pay half of our bill. Sweet. So we hurried out of there pretty embarrassed.

Then Blue Man Group! They are crazy. They are the guys who have blue heads, and hands and then are dressed in black. They make music out of random objects and have brightly colored paint bouncing everywhere. It was the most entertaining show. They didn't say anything but it was awesome. We weren't allowed to take pictures or else I would have especially since Justin was asked to participate! Justin had been to a Blue Man group concert in Vegas and was familiar with it. They had other audience members participate and Justin's part wasn't till the end. They pulled him from his seat up on stage and dressed him in a white jumpsuit. They then took him back stage and dumped a bunch of blue paint on him. They put a helmet on him then strung him up by his feet. They pulled him back then let him fly right onto a big piece of white canvas. They did it twice to get a funny ink blot type of picture. Then while onstage the blue men were looking at this big thing of Jello on top of a box. They had done something with Jello at the beginning as well. Then they tore the Jello off and Justin's head came popping out of the box. It was a crazy magic trick. He then got a touch of paint on his cheek by one of the blue men and they then took their bows. Justin was over the moon. He was so excited. I really wanted to film it but it they wouldn't allow it. Then we took a Cab home and crashed it was a fun filled day.

Highlights: not having to wait more then 20 minutes for a ride. dippin' dots. Blue man group! Almost dining and dashing. Justin not getting sick on any of the rides.

Bummers: The massive headache I got from the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket. Almost dining and dashing. Breaking my favorite pair of sunglasses.

26.2

So a little while ago on June 11, Justin, me and my sister Suzanna, ran the Utah Valley Marathon. Found here http://www.utahvalleymarathon.com/. It was an experience all right.

I have ran a marathon before and the hardest thing was feeling ready for it. I felt really ready this time for some reason. Even though I couldn't train as well as I wanted to. But I still felt confident and that we were going to do ok. So here goes.

We had to head to Provo the day before to get our bags and bibs and all that fun stuff. We got a sweet little bag boasting 26.2 and a sticker for the marathon among all the ads for other races and whatever new gadget that will help you run faster. Then we bummed around Provo for a while, waiting to head to our place to sleep for a little bit. We were so thankful for a very kind friend of my sister-in-law's to let us sleep at their house for a bit. We had to get up and be ready by the buses by 3:30 am. Yep. That is awful early. I am often up at that time, but not getting ready to run, so it was different. Once we got up there, it was pretty cold and so we quickly made friends with some people around a fire pit. There were some goofy people. Perhaps the best one was a French guy who came bouncing in and chatting with everyone. Best quote, "AH I got to get my french froggy legs warmed up." hehe. He also was harrassing Suzanna a little bit which was fun to watch.

Then the race started at 6:00 am. It was a very uneventful start, not everyone was lined up and then people just started. Random. But away we went and it got started. The race was really nice in the canyon and had aid stations every two miles, which was amazing! We were doing really well and kicking it, taking the Goo stuff every other aid station. It helped me a lot this time around, I don't think I took full advantage of them last time. So, we were doing really well then around mile 18-19 I started having a weird breathing problem like I couldn't get a deep breath so that slowed me down a little bit. The hardest part was coming out of the canyon around mile 21 and these big long stretches of road and no end in sight. I had a mini breakdown and didn't want to run anymore. I just wanted to sit, but I knew that if I sat I wouldn't make it back up again. Eventually walking hurt more then running so we kept running. It was hard until we saw the finish! We were all psyched about it and then we saw my mom on the side and that was great.

The finish line was in our sights and we started to run faster and get all excited. I was SO happy to see the finish and had the energy to keep it going. In my other marathon, I could barely make it across the finish. We pumped it out and finished strong as they announced our names, so that was fun. Our official time is 5:09:37. It is almost 20 minutes faster than my previous one, but about an hour slower than Justin's. He was a great help and kept me going running even when I didn't want to. I loved training with him and sharing that experience with him. He's my favorite.

Anyways, I was so glad when I finished. That I felt like this little dude. "I feel happy with myself" Just believe in yourself and you can do it.

Sushi party!

Over Memorial day weekend we had a fun time with a sushi party that Justin's sister and boyfriend threw for the family. They are somewhat of sushi connoisseurs, studying the fine art of sushi in Japan. Just kidding they went there to study architecture cause they are cool like that. Since they love it they wanted to share with us and the rest of Justin's family.

Now something to understand is that growing up in my house the only seafood we ever ate was tuna from a can or salmon cooked to perfect. In Justin's house it's a different story they would have shrimp, raw and cooked, crab, oysters and many other fishes of the sea. Justin's mom loves seafood.

I was determined to keep an open mind and to try whatever they asked me to. I started out easy with an inside out roll, in which the rice is on the outside instead of the inside. It started out with rice, avacado, some veggies and cream cheese. I am a sucker for anything with cream cheese. Then they added one with some raw salmon to it. I tried it. I liked it. It looked a little something like this.


Now ours didn't look quite this good but you get the idea.

Next on the list was a tuna roll. I am kicking myself for not remembering the offical name. But basically it had a slice of raw tuna, not the kind from a can, it looked like chicken/salmon mixed. It was a special red tuna. Anyways...they put a little slice of tuna on a pile of rice, you dip it in soy sauce or wasabi sauce and pop it in. It was actually really good. I was expecting a fishy taste in my mouth but I was pleasantly surprised to not have it.

Yum!

We had lots of other yummy veggies there and Justin's mom made Somen. It was something that Justin's dad used to make all the time from his mission to Japan. It has basically Ramen noodles that are straight, thinner and not seasoned. Then you add the noodles that have been chilled to a sauce that is kind of like soy sauce. Then you add scrambled egg bits, ham, cucumbers, peppers, mushrooms, whatever other veggie you like. Dip and eat. It was was pretty good. I like the cucumbers in the sauce it reminded me of when my mom would put the cucumbers in vinegar, yum.

( okay okay I promise I am almost done.) Then there were the tempered items. Tempered means battered and fried in the wok. Sign me up for that. They started with tempered shrimp and I actually liked it that way. Perhaps the Messengers are starting to get to me. Then Justin's mom was tempering everything else...broccoli, mushrooms, and onions. I kept thinking of the Gilmore Girls episode where they deep fry a turkey and everything else."Deep fried shoe!" Good times good times. It was a lot of fun trying out the different sushi and having fun all together.

Hair.

A man came to our door two days ago and asked if we wanted to buy cable through Comcast. Alaina noted that he had gold jewelry nearly everywhere possible, but I didn't waste too much time describing our non-interest in cable television.

"That's okay, I'm not the badgering type," said gold man. Then, looking at me, and remarking to Alaina, "He's going to die with a full head of hair."

Almost-creepy factor aside, the guy probably isn't too far off.

Related like, Alaina picked a day to get her own hair cut from the lengthy locks to this shorter version:

And finally, in more recent news:

Florida is coming up and thanks to rewards points we have a gift card for the Hard Rock Cafe. ( It is actually for 25 instead of 5.) We are getting excited and finding some fun things to do. We are looking forward to sun and hopefully no rain. =)

Learning: Alaina's Version

1. Juice is a must at every meal. Jam is a close second

2. Getting to know just how much time it takes for facial hair to go from scratchy to soft.

3. The home button along with the page up/page down. Totally changed my facebooking experience.

4. Tron is actually kind of cool, at least the lightriders are.

5. Having a bed buddy is nice when they warm up your side, but not so much when they grind their teeth or make it too warm.

6. The beauty of a well known inside joke .

7. I can totally win at tickling.

8. A hug and a kiss are good, but lots of hugs and kisses are better

9. Whoever is the driver gets to decide the route.

10. Make everyday a day of love and kindess.

It's been a great 9 months of marriage so far and we are both excited to see what the next 9 months teaches us.

Learning

Things I've learned from Alaina:

1. Pringles can be purchased, if they are $1.00 or less.

2. Keep the water bottles filled and refilled.

3. I am a fan of delicious flavor.

4. Clothes should make it to drawers or hangers.

5. I am quite oblivious.

6. How to start peeling an orange with your teeth. (ps. Yuck)

7. I shouldn't wear high-top socks with shorts and sneakers.

8. Getting out of the house for a fresh air walk will do wonders for my attitude.

9. Someone else in this world actually gets those "I don't know how to respond to that." moments.

10. Love is, every day, a decision to love, always.

11. There are few moments I love more than when we meet at home.

:) List to expand.

Justin's Running Slump

I ditched the stopwatch this afternoon for a personal 10k. My shins have been hurting since I bought my new shoes, and I was halfway unsure about keeping them or finding a new pair. But new shoes always look cool! I just couldn't do it. :)

So recently I tried running my own stride again. I had switched to smaller steps since running with Alaina, because otherwise I was ending up pushing us too far out of pace. But today's small jog was a good reminder of the feel-good of running.

When I was training for my last marathon, I was also going through school, a long-distance relationship, and a new house of roommates. Each had its separate demands and I found so much pleasure in heading out in the early morning for an 'easy' 10-miler. I loved the circuit I ran around Salt Lake. Then I'd head up to afternoon class, work at the newspaper after, and then an occasional text/call to my sweetheart (she followed the Rules, I later found out). :)

But I always ran alone. I always pushed myself up the hill, fighting side-aches and mild dehydration. I always tried to run what made me feel good. And lately, my runs have been dominated with hurt muscles, but no feel-good seratonin.

So I ditched the stopwatch today.

And I smelled a pink-laden tree that ran sweet from 20 feet away; I saw a bird drop from the treetop and glide over the signpost; I heared a motorbike head north on 2200 West; I tasted the salt of my breath; I felt wind, full-force in my face; I felt good.

I don't think stopwatches are for me. :)