Disneyland

I went to Disneyland last week! I haven't been in many years. I think I've ran through the park more times than I've actually spent the day. Okay, maybe that statement isn't all true but it has been quite some time since I've been here.

It was my niece's first trip to Disneyland. It was a treat to get to share this special day with her. She LOVED it and was so thrilled to meet her favorite characters...Mickey and Minnie! I would love to show you a photo of her being thrilled to meet her favorite characters but when she finally met them she was so mesmerized by their presence that she could not stop staring at them so the photos are mostly of the back of her head.

Mickey!

We spent some time riding some of the rides near the King Arthur Carrousel. I've been to Disneyland many times but have never rode on these rides (Mister Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White's Scary Adventure, etc.). There was something nostalgic about the rides themselves even though I've never rode on them before.

An oldie but a goodie...the revamped Pirates of the Caribbeans ride. I really liked the new additions. They were really life-like.

I even spent some time in Toon Town which I've also never done before. I can't drive there either. ;0)

A bug's view.

I played this game for the first time and as you can see, I'm not very good. Luckily, no one sat next to me to emphasis my lack of skills.

This was also my first time at California Adventures.

Of course I went to Cars Land. The ride was really fun.

And I ate all the things! No, not really. I was trying hard not to. I noticed that Disneyland now offers lots of healthy snack options like whole and cut fruit, trail snacks and other goodies that make it easier to not eat all the unhealthy things. It was a really fun day!

That Time I DNS

I wasn't sure how to write up this post but here goes.

It finally happened...my first DNS. I didn't see it coming. I had every intention of completing this race the day before but on race morning I woke up feeling extremely tired. I did my normal pre-race routine. I got up, brushed my teeth, washed my face, stretched a bit but my motivation level to get dress and go to the starting line was zero. I've only had this feeling once but I still ended up going to that race. It wasn't pretty but I still went. Anyhow, I'm a little bit disappointed in myself that I didn't just suck it up and go. I wasn't sick or anything. I just felt fatigued. I keep telling myself that I did just ran a marathon last weekend but that did very little in providing any sort of comfort to myself at all. The only comfort I can extract out of this experience is that I listened to my body and did what I felt was right for my recovery and performance at my future races.

Aside from the DNS thing, I otherwise had an amazing weekend hanging out with my family down in San Diego. The most fun being playing with my niece at the San Diego Zoo!

It's Your Birthday!

Today is Sister S's birthday!!!

We celebrated her birthday a couple of weekends ago because I was in Sacramento running the California International Marathon this past weekend when we would've celebrated her birthday.

Happy Birthday Little Sis! (the clapping one below is not my little sis, she just came for the cake!)

First Birthday

My niece turned one this past weekend! Seems like it was only yesterday...

Right photo credit to Sister K

Her special day was filled with flowers, balloons, lots of yummy food, presents, family & friends, Hello Kitty and even a pink cake! My sister did such an amazing job decorating the HK themed party. It was perfect! Happy Birthday E! I love you so much!

Dog Days of Summer

We've been experiencing some hot days, especially in the SGV. Days so hot that all you feel like doing is seek out the nearest Paleteria. 

Peleteria is the Spanish word for Popsicle shop. These popsicles have real big chunks of fruit in them. They come in both plain and creamy. The selection is wide, varied, exotic and colorful. A refreshing treat on a hot day. La Reyna De Michoacan means the Queen of Michoacan (a state in Mexico). I see the name Michoacan often associated with Paleterias so I am assuming that paletas are popular in that region. I really should look more into that and perhaps I will soon.

Is there a better way to spend a hot summer day?

Okay, maybe you're not in the mood for a popsicle but how about a frozen chocolate covered banana covered with crushed pecans...

...or a Chamango! If you've not tried a Chamango...well you must. I can only describe it as an icy, salty and fruity delight. This particular shop also sold ice cream, elotes (corn with spices), tortas, bionicos, fresh fruit juices, candies and a whole lot of other stuff. A little bit of something for everyone.

There are many places to get paletas in LA and OC. On this particular day we went to a shop in El Monte very close to my old high school. Strangely, I never came here when I was in school but now you can't keep me away.

Paleteria Y Neveria
3560-P Santa Anita Ave
El Monte, CA 91731
626-444-0073

We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some paper-crafting for an upcoming event! More on that later.

Hyundai Hope On Wheels 5K - Race Recap

Date: September 1, 2012
Location: University of California, Irvine
Start: 7:30am 8:00am (delayed)
Finish: 21:23 (course was 0.25 short - Garmin distance 2.88)

This 5K was another one of those races that I had not planned to run but Heather alerted me to a discount code plus it was in the area. It was a small race but the nice breakfast and post race grub almost made me forget that the race started 30 minutes late. For the most part it was organized. It was a little bit difficult to find the race site since they had set up inside UCI. You would probably never know that a race was going on unless you were looking for it. We ran around the UCI campus. When I crossed the finish line I looked up at the clock and saw 21:21 but when I looked at my Garmin I noticed that the course was short by a quarter of a mile. Bummer. It was still fun and I got to see these lovely ladies! Heather and Becka ran the Disneyland Half Marathon this morning. I hope they had lots of fun! But then again how could they not.

After the race, I quickly packed up to head South for the weekend with my family to enjoy some beach time. I'm still there enjoying the sunshine!

2012 OC Fair 5K - Race Recap

Date: August 5, 2012

Location: OC Fairgrounds - Costa Mesa, CA
Start: 7:30am
Finish: 23:49

I signed up for this 5K at the last minute earlier this week when a couple of people from my spin class informed me that they had signed up. Then on Friday night I saw a tweet about the The Boring Runner's Sweat Your Thorns Off 5K virtual race...I had forgotten to sign up until I saw that tweet. I thought it was a lucky coincidence that everything sort of fell in place for this race. Not only do I get to run this race with some spin peeps but  perhaps maybe even win a nice prize from The Boring Runner.

I haven't ran a 5K since last October at Chapman. I'm not a very fast runner so shorter distance races are tough for me but I had a lot of fun.

I arrived at the fairgrounds around 6:30am and on my way to use the restroom, I heard someone call my name from the line of cars coming into the parking lot. It was Pam. We ran into each other again near the registration table and Pam taught me some warm-up moves which were great because my legs felt relaxed the whole time I was running. Pam is amazing! She finished second female!

Photo credit to Pam

Me and a couple of gals from spin class.

The course was pretty flat and weaved in and around the fairgrounds. I liked it a lot. Plus, you get a pretty medal at the end and a free ticket to the OC Fair. You know I'll be back there soon for my turkey leg and other fair goodies. I might even do this one again next year.

After the race, we all went to brunch to celebrate M's birthday. There was a balloon artist, Paul, there and he made a Mickey Mouse and a Hello Kitty bracelet for my niece. I swear they were both for her. Paul works for Balloon Monsoon and he is an amazing balloon artist. Seems like he can make just about anything out of balloons.

Brunch was amazing! I died from the deliciousness.

Little E eating a strawberry for the first time all by herself. She only made a tiny mess. I got away with only one stain on my jeans. She had a nice time at brunch. Me too!

Help Me Pick Out A Swimming Cap?!

Hello hello! I haven't blogged in about a week so it warranted two 'hellos'. I haven't blogged because all I did last week was go to work, recover from the race and celebrated National Running Day (June 6th) by going for a run and having dinner at Souplantation with some amazing local runners. And when I say 'amazing' it is because of the incredible amount of salads these ladies can put down. Overall, it was a good day.

Some time last week I saw Heather tweet about doing her last long run on Saturday, so I got the bright idea to go out there and keep her company for parts of it. I had a company picnic last Friday afternoon. Later that evening I had a bad stomach ache. I may have over done it at the picnic buffet line. I told Heather that I wasn't feeling well and wasn't sure if I would make it out the next morning. But the next morning I was feeling better. I got up later than I was suppose to but I was feeling better. So I laced up and went out looking for Heather. I had started about an hour later than her so I took lots of shortcut in hopes of catching up. But due to starting too late, maybe going the wrong route or running at a sluggishly slow pace, I never found Heather. But due to the June gloom, it was a nice overcast day for running.

After my run I went to the farmers market to pick up some produce for the week.

And it is officially cherry season. Get'em while the gettin's good!

And look Peonies! I love June! Overcast skies, Cherries, Peonies...

After shopping at the farmers market, I went to Salad Republic to get a Greek yogurt snack. It was amazing! This place boasts an impressively healthy and delicious menu. I joked on Twitter that I was going to be the duchess of this place on Yelp soon but I was only half kidding around. I think I am just going to give my 30-day notice and move right on in.

I hung out at the mall on Sunday with my family. It's been a really long time since I've been to a large mall. My niece dragged me to the Baby Gap to help her pick out a swimming cap because well you know...it's swimming season and she has to look her best. She wasn't sure about this one but I thought it looked adorable on her!

Halfy Birthday

My niece's 6-month birthday was last weekend. I know, I am a week late and a dollar short but I finally got around to posting about it. I know this is Ragnar week so I should really be posting about that but isn't she cute? We threw her a small half birthday celebration. With lots of purple and pink! I cannot believe that she is already six months old. She has grown and changed so much. She loves to bounce up and down and when she is really happy she makes these little happy screaming noises.

Partial photo credit to Sister K

And what kind of party would it be without food! On the menu was Italian sandwiches, mixed green salad w/ buffalo moz, strawberries, cookies and cupcakes! Sister K was the mastermind behind this little celebration. She even did all the menu planning. All delicious by the way. Youngest Sister K helped prep the food. I just came along for the ride. :D

In celebration of the baby's half birthday, we also busted out the Beaba Baby Food Maker that Sister S got from Sister K at the baby shower to make some apple sauce. The baby is already on rice cereal but this was her first taste of apple sauce. She was not a fan but I think she will grow to like it. It tasted really fresh and creamy. I was really surprised at how creamy the apples came out. The Baeba is a neat little gadget for making preservative-free baby food. It steams and purees fruit, veggies and meat into really creamy baby food. Sorry, I was sleeping on the job again and forgot to take a photo of the actual apple sauce.

It was a warm day that day so the baby waited until late afternoon and then donned her wide-brimmed floral hat and little pink shorts and headed out to the garden to watch her papa weed the flowerbed. Look, she found her toes...a big 6-month achievement!

Much Ado About Nothing

I've been really lagging on my blog posts lately. Hopefully, that will change soon as I slowly get my blogging mojo back. I have a couple of fun races coming up in April that will provide me with some materials to blab about. Also, my running injury is healing up nicely and even though I feel like a slug coming back from the ashes, I am happy to be able to run again.

This weekend I went out for a long run of 11.5 miles. I had meant to do 12 but underestimated the distance of my route. I've never been very good with directions and this is what ends up happening sometimes. It was a beautiful day for a run!

I am going to be running this race this coming weekend. It's on a Saturday. Weird because races are usually on Sundays. When I say "weird" I really mean "it sucks" because I am going to have to drive up to LA on Friday to pick up my bib. Plus, get this, the start time is 6am! -_-  Weird!!

In other none running related news...I got flowers this week!

I started thinking about packing for the 2012 SoCal Ragnar. I decided that I need more time to mentally prepare for the daunting task of packing. I'm really excited and wish that everything could just pack itself!

I helped Sister K move out of her apartment this past weekend. She is officially done with college! Woohoo! We had lunch at a cute little ramen place that I will talk about in a future post.

And finally, I haven't posted any photos of my niece lately but she will be 6 months old this coming weekend. She is just a doll! I've been so grateful that I have gotten so many opportunities to spend time with her. She makes my heart melt!