Did I seriously just run 10 miles??? A Tower of Terror 10-miler Trip Report!

The cast: Me (Jess) and @LuvsTheMouse (Diane/mom) Avid Disney travellers always having a good time together!

From our last trip

The When: September 26-September 30th

The Where: Port Orleans Riverside

WARNING: We took a lot of pictures, but I know everyone likes looking at pictures so there will be a lot of them here that me and my mom took! I used manual mode the whole trip until…well you’ll have to see what happens why I had to stop using manual mode…..

And here we goooo!.....

September 26th

We were up bright and early at 430 am for our 7 am flight!! We figured we had plenty of time to get to the airport and have breakfast before we had to leave..well boy we were wrong! We got there right after 530 and didn’t get out of the security line until 625! And as soon as we got to our gate they were getting ready to board our flight!!!! We will definitely need some Southwest coffee on this flight!

A beautiful sunrise from the airport

Waiting to board!

Ready for takeoff!

Clouds and a beautiful sky

So might I say Southwest has some of the best coffee I have ever had..it could give Dunkin a run for their money. And they have THE CUTEST coffee cup EVER

Some stowaways!

To pass the time during the flight I started listening to my iPad and coloring in this gem my mom gave me for Christmas last year!

Seriously, coloring was the best way to pass the time, and very relaxing I suggest it!!!

After arriving 10 minutes early and getting our luggage it was off to DME!!!

Isn’t this Mickey on the floor just adorable??? There were many leading the way for us!

Port Orleans Riverside here we come!

What a glorious sight! (When you’re arriving at least!)

On our way!

Had to get a picture of the nasty lovebug on the window haha

It’s close!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I love that you met so many WDWMagic peeps! I'm jealous! I've only ever "met" one person, albeit a completely awesome person, but still...only ONE!

But first we needed some coffee

POR just made another huge leap on my awesome scale. These coffee makers are fabulous!

Foggy lens!

Yes, but the foggy lens *makes* this picture. Gorgeous!

While I went into the queue Mom got this great shot

That's TJ! I've met him! His hat is different from most of the other CMs at ToT because he's one of like 2 (or some other tiny number) of CMs who are still there from the opening crew. TJ is da bomb!

Loving all your pics! Fabulous!

Okay...continuing now....

 

[tiaragirl]

Aw, what a shame about your camera, girl BUT I saw the tweet of your new one, so that makes me happy!

Carrie, that room is spectacular! I wish I was in it right now!

All the TOT 10 Miler merch reminds me to tell you the story of my tweet about the run on Sunday - I was volunteering for the Legs for Literacy run yesterday (future teacher supporting literacy, woo) and we were at one of the hydration stations handing out water and Gatorade. And cheering. So much cheering. So I was yelling away, letting people grab water off my open palm, when I guy ran towards me with a Tower of Terror 10 Miler shirt on and I LOST it. I was like TOWER OF TERROR 10 MILER, HAVE A MAGICAL DAY! And he looked at me like "Girl, you know what you're talking about, and if I was not running a half marathon I'd stop and we'd bond". It was awesome.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Awwww...I'm sorry about your Dooney. I'm oh-so glad Disney did right by you with your bag. You know Dooney also does full service on their bags, too, right? Like if you find a defect they will fix it for free. If your bag has a problem from wear or needs a bath they do spa treatments on the bags for a charge. That's one reason I justify the cost on the Dooneys or Harvey's bags over spending on others like Coach. Coach won't service their bags. Dooney & Harvey's does!

I have this same tshirt...and I assure you it looks soooo much cuter on YOU! Target rocks! I seem to find the cutest Disney shirts there. I got an adorable Dumbo on just last month.

Love your excitement at the Expo. Someday I'll do a runDisney event and see the expo, too. I need to get back into my "business shoes" and stick with it for a change. I always fall off after vacations when I skip running. Not good! Ugh!

Oh my goodness! I was almost in tears with you about your camera! That's so heartbreaking!!!! Bless your heart! Did you have it looked at when you got home to assess the damage? I'm glad you got a new camera on the way, tho. Maybe now that you've met your quota on unfortunate camera accidents you'll be in the clear from now on. Right?

Love the princess room details! I'm with you, the pics of the princesses around the resort are an awesome detail! Now I need to split a stay between the Alligator Bayou room and a Princess Room!

How was running around the resorts? I always mean to run while on trips...I always bring my shoes, clothes, bluetooth ear buds, etc. but then I throw running out the window. BAD habit! Ugh!

Okay. I'll be waiting for the next installment! WooHoooooo!!!

 

[enchanted_belle]

Just to point out... when it was pouring on YOU in EPCOT, I was getting on my DME as well as trying to make it to MNSSHP because we got poured on! lol.

 

[mamamouse]

Aw, what a shame about your camera, girl BUT I saw the tweet of your new one, so that makes me happy!

Carrie, that room is spectacular! I wish I was in it right now!

All the TOT 10 Miler merch reminds me to tell you the story of my tweet about the run on Sunday - I was volunteering for the Legs for Literacy run yesterday (future teacher supporting literacy, woo) and we were at one of the hydration stations handing out water and Gatorade. And cheering. So much cheering. So I was yelling away, letting people grab water off my open palm, when I guy ran towards me with a Tower of Terror 10 Miler shirt on and I LOST it. I was like TOWER OF TERROR 10 MILER, HAVE A MAGICAL DAY! And he looked at me like "Girl, you know what you're talking about, and if I was not running a half marathon I'd stop and we'd bond". It was awesome.

Awe kenz I wish we were all there ,I had fun yeah but I so wish you coulda been there too Now hop over to my tr chica!!! lol

 

[Gucci65]

I totally feel your pain about the camera. I was walking into HS on my daughters very last day as a CP and this little foreign kid runs right into me and we both go down. His parents pick him up and hustle him off, no apology, no nothing - I'm still trying to get up - I'm bleeding and the lens has come off the camera to my complete horror. It was my job to get pictures of Lindsay and her fellow cast members on her last day. Oh and did I mention that it was my daughters camera??? Some nice people and a security CM helped me pick up all my stuff and gave me some bandaids. Then I took myself to the bakery by the crossroads and had a complete breakdown - God bless the CM's who worked there - they are trying to get me something to eat/drink/ice for my knee - I felt like I had failed miserably.

In the end I was able to take the pictures by holding the lens manually on the camera. AND......I had purchased insurance on this very expensive camera so I was able to get it fixed when she came back home.

PS - Loving your trip report so far :0)

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

Awww. I miss you too! We definitely need to plan some time together soon. Be it at the World or somewhere else. The cruise is just too far away.

I'll come back and comment on the rest later. On my phone right now.

Tell your mom I said hi!

Yes we do! Okay hurry back and comment!!!!! And @LuvsTheMouse Jessica says hi!

I'm late but I made it! I'm stopping at y'all leaving for the MK because I'm afraid I'll forget what I want to say. LOL!

I stinkin' love that you brought your coloring book! I. Love. To. Color. Seriously!!!! When we moved over the summer I had to pick & choose what all came to the apartment with me and what went into storage. I have my shoebox of coloring books & crayons in the bottom of my closet for emergency use. LOL! I have a Tom & Jerry coloring book I've been coloring in since my step-mom bought it for me when I was 13 years old...in 1987! Every picture I colored I signed and dated. It's really cool! And I have Disney coloring books and a Cabbage Patch one, too. Sometimes it's awesome to be a grown-up because I can buy myself the "cool" crayon sets now. Most people laugh at me. I'm sorta weird about my crayons. I have my box that has my name on it then I have a 2nd box marked "guest". The beautiful part is I don't have to convince anyone that my slightly worn tips really do necessitate a new set...I just go buy new ones for myself. LOL! So, yeah, I was dying when I saw your coloring book!!!

POR...I love your room!!! When you said you got Alligator Bayou I was like, "Yeah!!!!", because those are the refurbed rooms I like bestest. If I stayed at POR that would be the place for me. The redo was so good. I love the theming. My only fear at POR is the distance to all the common areas and bus depots. Is it bad? Thank you so much for all the detail pics of the room, too! Man, those were great! I love seeing all that stuff because it's what I'd be zipping around the room pointing at and ooh'ing over. Heehee!

Okay. I'll go pick up where I left off now.

LOL time to start taking notes!!!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who colors!!!!! I love it! I still have my huge box of 96 some odd crayons from 8th grade that still have some tips on them! I'll never give those away I love those!!! On the trip I decided to bring colored pencils just so it was easier to color with in the small book. And it did its job!!! Maybe when we go on the cruise we can color together! haha. And crayons you can get super cheap especially when school is starting up!

I know! We were hoping for the Alligator Bayou room as well! (or an upgrade to a royal room that would have worked too LOL) It was just themed so beautifully i couldn't stop taking pictures of it. The distance honestly wasn't that bad. I think it was a 5-7 minute walk to the main building and the main bus depot. Our building seemed like it was in the middle of everything so nothing was more than 5-7 minutes away like I said. We got a little lost a few times walking around in the beginning but once you get used to the place its nothing! We always used the main depot to pick up the bus. Only twice did it go to all the other stops first and that was early morning bus.

I love that you met so many WDWMagic peeps! I'm jealous! I've only ever "met" one person, albeit a completely awesome person, but still...only ONE!

POR just made another huge leap on my awesome scale. These coffee makers are fabulous!

Yes, but the foggy lens *makes* this picture. Gorgeous!

That's TJ! I've met him! His hat is different from most of the other CMs at ToT because he's one of like 2 (or some other tiny number) of CMs who are still there from the opening crew. TJ is da bomb!

Loving all your pics! Fabulous!

Okay...continuing now....

Well that will definitely change when we go on the cruise!!!!! You'll be meeting tons of WDWMagic Peeps!!!

Coffee makers are wonderful because you can bring it down to breakfast to have!!! No souvenier cups needed!

And thank you! I thought that as well, thats my favorite part of the picture.

So that's TJ! I've heard of him but didn't even think. That's really cool! I'll have to get my picture next time if I see him!

And thank you thank you!!!

Aw, what a shame about your camera, girl BUT I saw the tweet of your new one, so that makes me happy!

Carrie, that room is spectacular! I wish I was in it right now!

All the TOT 10 Miler merch reminds me to tell you the story of my tweet about the run on Sunday - I was volunteering for the Legs for Literacy run yesterday (future teacher supporting literacy, woo) and we were at one of the hydration stations handing out water and Gatorade. And cheering. So much cheering. So I was yelling away, letting people grab water off my open palm, when I guy ran towards me with a Tower of Terror 10 Miler shirt on and I LOST it. I was like TOWER OF TERROR 10 MILER, HAVE A MAGICAL DAY! And he looked at me like "Girl, you know what you're talking about, and if I was not running a half marathon I'd stop and we'd bond". It was awesome.

Yes new one! Haven't had time to play with it alot since I've got it but definitely putting time aside next week to finally play around and go out take pictures of the nice fall weather!

So that's what happened! I was wondering what you were talking about! Thats pretty cool that someone was running that race that ran the 10-miler! You probably gave him the boost he needed!!!

I wish you were there!!!! You seriously need to come on this cruise! I don't care what your school or anyone else says!

Just to point out... when it was pouring on YOU in EPCOT, I was getting on my DME as well as trying to make it to MNSSHP because we got poured on! lol.

haha yes I remember you texting me about that!

I totally feel your pain about the camera. I was walking into HS on my daughters very last day as a CP and this little foreign kid runs right into me and we both go down. His parents pick him up and hustle him off, no apology, no nothing - I'm still trying to get up - I'm bleeding and the lens has come off the camera to my complete horror. It was my job to get pictures of Lindsay and her fellow cast members on her last day. Oh and did I mention that it was my daughters camera??? Some nice people and a security CM helped me pick up all my stuff and gave me some bandaids. Then I took myself to the bakery by the crossroads and had a complete breakdown - God bless the CM's who worked there - they are trying to get me something to eat/drink/ice for my knee - I felt like I had failed miserably.

In the end I was able to take the pictures by holding the lens manually on the camera. AND......I had purchased insurance on this very expensive camera so I was able to get it fixed when she came back home.

PS - Loving your trip report so far :0)

Oh no! I'm glad you got the picture to work the rest of the time! It was the worst feeling in the world to know it was broken and couldn't do anything about it. I took it apart all the way down to the lens and it turned out it wouldn't have been worth it to get it fixed if it even could have been fixed. but it was pretty cool to see the intricateness that goes into building a camera (I'm an engineer so it was exciting to take it apart) but I would never want to be the one to design what goes in a camera thats for sure!

And thank you!!!! Going to try to post more now!

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

September 29th-RACE DAY

It seemed like we just fell asleep when the alarm went off promptly at 4:30 am!!!!! We wanted to make sure we were on the first bus leaving Riverside at 5 am so we got ready and off we went to the Happy Haunted Trail Run 5K! (Mum’s first race!!!)

We caught the first bus a little after 5 am and before we knew it we were at WWOS in the dark!

Ready to go!

When we arrived there were a few people around and a DJ was already waking everyone up with his music. He was a fantastic DJ always kept the crowd going. And there were already great costumes coming in!

Right away we saw Scarecrow Mickey and jumped in line!

My mom began texting @Tiggerish to see where she was because she was also running the 5K! We finally found Siobhan and her husband! It was so great to meet them!!!!! We hung out at the sidelines as spectators while they went to their respective corrals.

Yay for meeting more fine WDWMagic folks!

They had these two guys acting as redneck announcers and they were just hilarious. The sayings coming out of their mouths were just unreal. And this was Disney? At some points, they seemed to forget there were kids around I think.

It was starting to get light out which meant time for the race to start!!!!

There goes mum!

She took quite a few beautiful sunrise pictures on her trail.

First up was The Big Bad Wolf!!!

Then Brer Bear! I guess Brer Rabbit was out, but according to my mom he went off chasing someone who went the wrong way into the woods. (Mom correct me if I told that story wrong)

She must have skipped Mile 1 and went right to Mile 2!!!

Where she met the Haunted Mansion Gravediggers!!!

Pirate ship in the wood area that would be so awful during the 10 miler…

Uh oh!!! Someone didn’t make it!!!!

Almost there!

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

Here comes Siobhan!

Feelin good???

MADE IT!!!

It took Mom about 1 hour to finish. Shave about 10 minutes off for waiting for characters and she did about 50 WAY TO GO MOM!!!

Siobhan and Mom with their fancy new medals

We said our goodbyes and headed back to the resort for some much needed breakfast. I wasn’t quite sure what to eat on raceday and in the end I chose an omelette with pepper cheese and tomatoes. That has a healthy balance of everything right???? Mom ended up with a bagel this morning.

So after talking about what we wanted to do, we were going to lounge around the pool and rest, but instead the crazy people that we are decided to make a quick trip to DTD to see if they had a shirt I had seen earlier at MGM studios but they didn’t have my size. And who could pass up a nice relaxing boat ride??? One of my favorite things about the Port Orleans resorts.

The balloon was back!!! I am so excited because I really want to try this out at night!!!

Our first stop: Trend-D and low and behold they had the shirt I wanted!!!!! I didn’t take a picture of it…silly me because now I can’t I don’t have any camera!!! But it is a shirt that has my beloved Ariel and Prince Eric on it!!!! I have never seen a shirt with both of them on it, let alone Prince Eric so I just had to get it and they had my size!

Also saw this cute shirt in DTD.

We made one more stop over at D-Street to see if they had the Vinyls I was looking for but NO ONE had Park 9…I wanted that Tower of Terror bellhop chaser!!!! But I guess it just isn’t in the cards….

And back to the resort we went!

I had brought my iPad so we sat in the foodcourt for a while and just hung out and had some lunch. We shared a humungo Tuna Sandwich.

We hung around a bit after and checked in for our flight home the next day L. And I tried out my iPad camera for the first time. It was pretty decent. But I really don’t get how people carry that around the parks all day and use that for pictures, it’s just obnoxious because it’s big and square.

We headed back to the room to rest up before it was time to meet the Team at Picabu’s!

Unfortunately I didn’t take a nap, but its okay I was ready to go!!!!

Just after four we decided to head out to take the boat over to DTD then take a bus to the Dolphin…well would you know it took us an hour and a half to get there? Crazy.

Now for those of you who don’t know, I became part of a team in the beginning of the year called Team Studios Central. I crossed the idea over to Matt Hochberg who runs StudiosCentral.com. I am so glad that this group came together, because without them throughout this whole entire training process, they have been great motivators and supporters. I can’t imagine what I would do without them. And I have made great lifelong friends in the process. Thank you so much to all of them! Including Matt!

There wasn’t many of us who made it to the meet, just because of traffic and what not but it was great to meet everyone who was there! And I FINALLY got to talk to Matt for more than 30 seconds. (if you remember from my trip report last September we had went to a touring plans meet where I briefly saw him, introduced myself, told him I loved the site, and took a quick picture and had to run off).

Around 745 we walked over to Hollywood Studios from the Dolphin, it was actually a nice walk just chatting and walking at a leisurely pace over to the race start area. Where there was a ton of people already!

You could sign the guest book!

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

I was really disappointed they didn’t have any characters out, I guess I expected it to be like the 5K in the morning where Mickey was out, but I guess there was just too many people in this race to do that.

FULL MOON! How fitting J

Some bellhops

Love my girls @enchanted_belle @Fasionista007 @derelicte19!!! (Oh and Matt too I guess LOL)

Now we’re talking!!! Here’s the team!!! (Minus a few)

I forget what song Chris was dancing to, but I remember it being hilarious and having to get a picture

At 915 it was time to get into our corrals! I was in Corral B with my teammate Aaron where this guy was in front of us…

The walk to get up to the start line seemed soooooo long!!!!! But good warm-up I guess. I could see it!!!

The emotions up to this point were nervousness and excitement. I couldn’t believe I was running in my first big race, in Disney!!! All the training I did starting in January was finally going to pay off!

Corral B was finally up to the start

At 10:05pm with a fireworks and Twilight Zone theme send-off we were off!

We ran out under the DHS entrance and up the rampway towards Osceola Parkway. I ran the whole way using Jeff Galloway’s run/walk strategy at a 1 min walk/2 min run. Typically I run 3 minutes, walk 1 at home but it was wicked humid and hot out so I turned it down to 2 which turned out perfect.

Mile 1 was here before I knew it!

At about 1.3 miles you could see people passing on the other side. The DJ was saying you’ve gone 3.7 miles! I got all confused but excited for a minute until he said not you guys on this side you’re only at 1.3. Nice and encouraging. Thanks.

Nothing exciting happened between Mile 1 and 2…

All of a sudden I saw a light up ahead…could it be?? I was about to run under the Animal Kingdom gate! It felt so great to be at Animal Kingdom (haven’t been in that park since January 2011 even though we’ve been to WDW 3 times since then!) so felt like I was sort of back.

They had a few of the puppet things out from Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade

I rounded the parking lot to run the other long boring side of Osceola Parkway. But I wouldn’t be bored for long because Scar and the hyenas were out!!!! I was definitely standing in line for this one because Scar is one of my favorites and I have never had my picture taken with him!

Didn’t wait too long, just 10 minutes. But it was a nice break and I talked to these two really awesome people in front of me. I wish I remembered their names but one was from California and she was dressed as a bellhop and I forget what the guy was dressed as, but they were both really nice.

After the much needed break Mile 3 was already here!

 

[PartOfYourWorld]

Dr. Facilier was hanging out around Mile 4 but I had already gotten my picture with him at MNSSHP last year so I didn’t bother stopping.

Only 6 more to go!

Along the way I missed mile marker 5 because I think it was on the opposite side I was and didn’t want to cut through all the runners.

We finally headed towards WWOS into the oh so lovely woods….NOT. This was the WORST part of the race. The path was waaay too narrow and someone even got mad at me for not moving out of their way…really I couldn’t move anywhere so it didn’t matter. I was stuck too. Didn’t stop to take any pictures in the woods, but you saw what was there in Mum’s 5K pictures. It was the same thing at night.

Finally out of the woods we were in the WWOS complex. Our first area was around the track where…the moment I’ve been waiting for…the HAUNTED MANSION GRAVEDIGGERS WERE OUT! And there was no line! SCORE!

After heading off the track we headed into the baseball stadium where there were tons of people in the bleachers cheering us on!!!!! It was so great! They even showed us on the big screen running out of the service elevator!

Outside the track mile 6 had arrived! I couldn’t believe I had already run halfway…were Disney races really this easy???

I ran by stitch…it looked like he had a lei on which I thought was kind of weird. Would have been much cooler if he was dressed as a bellhop like he was on the T-shirts.

Anyways, we finally headed out of WWOS, where the Big Bad Wolf was greeting guests!

He was unfortunately the last character I saw on the race course…what a bummer. Mile marker 7 was also right around this area, but again I was on the opposite side and didn’t want to cross over.

But before I knew it Mile 8 was right behind it!

After Mile 8 the course headed back down the original ramp we ran up in the beginning and back under the Disney Hollywood Studios sign…the end was near I could smell it!!!!

And right before the Lights, Motors, Action set was Mile 9!

The coolest thing about running through the set was seeing myself up on the big screen! I had to stop and take a picture!

The course took us down the Streets of America and down Commissary Lane. The best part of running through Hollywood Studios was running by the Hat and seeing all those people cheer us on. I seriously got really teary-eyed I couldn’t believe it was coming to an end.

I ran past Toy Story Midway Mania and through the Backlot. As we got closer and closer to the Tower everyone kept saying it’s right around the corner! But it really wasn’t lol. It felt like it took forever to run that last half a mile. But finally I SAW IT! THE FINISH! I couldn’t believe it! I was so in the moment that I didn’t even take a picture of the finish line. I was just so excited that I had completed my first runDisney and 10 mile race EVER. I crossed that line with a huge smile across my face and a tear in my eye. 9 months of training had been totally worth it for that one moment.

My finishing time was 2:19:39. A 13:58 min/mile pace. Definitely my worst, but I was happy with it. I finished about halfway through the entire field of about 10,000 people. I think that’s pretty darn good if I may say so myself!

Enjoying being under my tower..

The first thing I received after getting my medal and crossing the line was a congratulations text from my fiancée. He was tracking my running since I had signed him up for texts on how I did during the race. That really made me smile He was also the first person I talked to post-race since I gave him a quick call. I love him <3

After the loooooooong walk back to Sunset Blvd which could have easily been a mile itself…I started looking for Mom. I ended up finding Matt from Studios Central! It was great to spot someone I knew. And before I knew it Mom was here as well!

Post-Race

I was feeling pretty good for a bit, until I really stopped walking…also I think I drank too much Powerade after the race instead of water. Everything just came over me all of a sudden and in that moment I wanted nothing to ever do with running again. I felt like this for the majority of the night.
I headed off to change and discovered that I had gotten bitten by something through my pant leg…well off to the med tent it was! She confirmed it was some sort of a bite and gave me Tylenol and ice to put over it. (It’s gone now, but it was HUMUNGO right after the race and it hurt too)

We met up with the rest of the team who were already sitting around Sweet Spells which was where we were to meet at 130 am. Aaron who was a great captain, gave us all Team Studios medals. What a great guy. I just can’t stop saying nice things about him. So thanks Aaron!!!

Post 10-miler team picture!

After some debate, I had suggested we NEEDED to go for a ride on the Tower of Terror. My night would not be complete without it.

We made our way down Sunset, where we lost a few of our crowd on the way since they didn’t want to ride, but that’s okay we’ll go next time! I was upset because the wait was posted at 40 minutes. No one was really up for waiting when all of a sudden it turned into 20!!! WOOHOO! It still took some convincing but I managed!

The wait honestly wasn’t long at all, and you know what it was totally worth it. Because when the picture comes out like this…

You know it was a GOOD NIGHT! We were in the middle rows. Matt in the blue, Aaron, Chris, Chris’ wife and me. It was the best ride I’ve had on the Tower of Terror. It dropped at least 7 times and we got so much air!!! It was just soooo much fun. Great way to cap off a trip!

We all parted ways and made our way out of the park. I wish I could have enjoyed the party more, but we were just way too tired. We headed back to the resort and hit the sack. It was 3:30 am, in which I had been up for 23 hours. Definitely some well deserved sleep!!! Unfortunately, we would be leaving the next day…..

Up next is the last day and my full race/trip review so please stay tuned!!! I will most likely post the end here on Monday night!

 

[jesemeca]

We decided to cut through the two International Gateway stores. Good thing because when we reached the second one this is what it looked like outside!!!

It was pouring so hard at some points you couldn’t even see!!! While we waited it out I purchased a Retro EPCOT Center shirt and took some pics of all the duffy merch and decorations.

While you were hiding in the store, I was running through the rain in Magic Kingdom, then to the Monorail, then from the Monorail to bag check, then from back check to the entrance, then through Epcot all the way to World Showcase. Just to make my way over to you. I hope you feel the love! LOL.

While calming down Jessica texted me saying she was on her way. I told her what happened and she was on her way. Jessica and her dad came to join us, and I was still a mess. (Sorry you guys had to see me that way!) Her dad tried to get the lens to go back in, but wouldn’t budge…oh well.
No need to apologize. I would have been way upset and crying if it happened to me. I just hope that I helped cheer you some. And I still had a blast hanging out with you and your mom!

The four of us wandered towards the America Pavilion because we wanted to see Night Ranger!

Now here’s a funny story: there was a lady that was sitting in front of us with her husband that seemed pretty much in the bag already…(mind you this was the second show)…and she had a little difficulty remembering how to do the “rock symbol” that one typically does at a rock concert.

At the beginning of the show it was the peace sign….then it was the hang ten sign…and finally by the end of the show she got the rock symbol right. Her fly was also down the whole entire time…you had to be there, she was more entertainment then Night Ranger actually was! I wish I would have snuck a picture of her for you all to see It was a pretty funny sight!

Okay, that lady was hilarious! We had more fun watching her then Night Ranger. I wish one of us would have gotten a picture of her. That was priceless. (I'm glad you at least knew Sister Christian. That was the only reason I wanted to see them.)

Me and @jesemeca!

After the show we walked the rest of World Showcase where I really needed a nice Grey Limon Slush from France...

Hey, look it's me! That Grey Limon Slush was pretty good. May need to get one on my birthday trip.

We parted ways with Jessica and her dad because we wanted to head back before the crowds did, especially because we had to be up early for Mom to run the 5K in the morning. (Jessica I miss you!)

Let's not think about this part of the night, it was the sad part. LOL. (I miss you too!) Do you ever find it odd to write/type/say your own name, when you are talking about someone else? LOL. There is another Jessica at my job and it's really weird to say her name sometimes. LOL. Okay, I think it's time for bed. I just LOL'd way too many times.

 

[Ariel484]

Congrats to you and your mom on finishing your first Disney races! I'm so glad you had a great race!

 

[mamamouse]

awe look at momma bear way to go both of you!!!! SERiously you took more pics of my room than I did teehee!!! The girls miss you too,and we all can't wait to see you again!!

 

[tiaragirl]

I wish you were there!!!! You seriously need to come on this cruise! I don't care what your school or anyone else says!

SO there's a pretty strong possibility that I'll be in China doing my internship - it's going to be hard to get to Orlando from Beijing for a 4 day cruise

 

[Kristia]

Congrats on finishing your first Disney race! Are you hooked now? Marathon next maybe? Good job!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I haven't been able to read it all, but I saw that you tagged me so I had to come check it out!!

SO awesome meeting you and your mom!! You two are AWESOME!! I can't wait til the cruise next year when we can all spend more time together And yes, the guy at Space mountain was hot!! haha.. I never saw him again though

I still haven't started my report yet. Well, I've started writing it, but nothing has been posted yet. I want to get it all done first!! Miss you!!!!! xoxo

 

[Tiggerish]

Hey, Jess!!! Great report (and not just because I'm in it, LOL). You really met a lot of people! Quick notes, because I'm goofing off at work:

Chip & Dale as stowaways -- so freakin' cute!!

I love your COLORING BOOK! I love to color, too, and hey, nice job on those pages

POFQ lobby is gorgeous! I've never been to that resort. And the room was cool, too, especially being on the corner. As Kelly previously noted, the foggy lens made that picture of the mill great--so atmospheric!

That Dooney bag is great, I saw that one too and was tempted...but resisted.

I met @jesemeca too on Oct 1 at Epcot--such fun (hi to your dad, Jess!), we're all going to have such fun on the girls' cruise.

I'm so glad that the picture of the three of us came out! My sweetie has a ton of good qualities, but skill with a camera is not one of them. I thought he was going to be weirded out meeting "my internet friends", but he was so good about it, and he liked y'all so much, he's actually mentioned maybe joining in here (under the condition that the screen name "Captain Nemo" would have to be available)
Holy god, I look like Violet from Willie Wonka in that post-race picture!! Eeek!

Your description of the 10-miler race was gripping, felt like I was with you the whole time (and I may be feeling a little bit inspired to take on a longer distance, too!). Remember to take into consideration all the times you stopped for pictures--I think your time was great! Proud of you!!!

 

[enchanted_belle]

I'm still soooo mad about the whole missing tower with you thing, but at least I went through the line with you?



AND HEY LOOK I SAW ME IN THERE! YAYYYY

 

[tink65]

Jess, Just got all caught up on your TR. Congratulations to both you and your Mom for your race accomplishments! I know what you mean about crying.....I've done the same thing too! It looks like you guys had a great time! Your updates and pictures have been awesome.....I really hate that about your camera.....that just really stinks! Thanks so much for all the updates!