"Your Dream Stinks... I Was Talking to Her."

You would expect that someone who idolizes Walt Disney, has Disney songs on her Ipod, kinda sorta has a Disney blog, and quotes Disney movies on the regular would have a dream list a mile long. The truth is... I'm annoyingly pragmatic. A dream may, in fact, be a wish your heart makes. But a steady job puts food on the table. I've never really been a dreamer regardless of how many cheery, inspirational quotes I post to social media that would suggest otherwise. If you asked me right now what my biggest dream is, I would stumble around and eventually mumble something highly unlikely such as my standard "I want to win the lottery and open my own animal sanctuary" (which might not be so bad if I ever actually BOUGHT a lottery ticket) or something that doesn't really involve me at all, such as the Buffalo Bills winning the Super Bowl.

You know what else I'm not? Athletic. Not even close. As a spectator, I'm a sports fanatic. But personally I'm about as graceful as Bambi on his new legs, trying to maneuver around on the ice. So what would prompt me to think that doing a 5K (for the first time ever) with a ton of people on a hot summer night would be fun? The official diagnosis? FOMO. Fear Of Missing Out. My friends were doing it, and I wanted to hang out with them.

It wouldn't be a fun blog post if everything went as planned! It wasn't the greatest time. Feelings were hurt. And I made the ridiculous decision that I would run the entire thing the next year and be really fast and then I would do a race at Disney! I downloaded Couch-to-5K. I bought magazines! I bought running shoes! And what I learned was that I'm a really lousy runner. My body hated it, so I gave up. Well, not entirely. I just did a LOT of walking. And I got better at it.

And I continued to get better at it. One winter I signed up for a 5K and walked the entire thing. I was thrilled that not only did I NOT come in last place, but I finished in under an hour. And then I kept signing up for more races. And every once in a while, on the treadmill, I would increase my pace and run. For like a minute. And then I would wonder if I was going to die. But I didn't. So I would throw in a couple more minutes. And then I would be SURE that I was going to die. And I didn't! I would start throwing in a little bit of running when I was outside. I would get really excited and post my times on Facebook and then the craziest thing happened.

One day, about a year and a half ago, my best friend from high school messaged me. She said we should sign up for a runDisney event together. We hadn't seen each other in over twenty years, but we are both huge Star Wars fans and she had been running and even doing triathlons. (I know, I'm tired just thinking about it too!) What could be a better way to finally see each other after all that time? And... here's the crazy thing. We actually DID sign up for it! I mean, come on. How often do we say to each other, "hey, we should do this?" and then get all happy about it... and then never actually DO it?!

So yeah. What actually started out as a silly thought after getting my feelings hurt (partly because people are mean, but also partly because I'm a baby) actually came to fruition! We went to Walt Disney World! We did the Dark Side 5K together! We actually RAN part of it. And I smiled. And I had a blast. We had so much fun getting out of Epcot as quickly as we could. We high-fived cast members. My friend spoke in German to the CMs at the Germany pavilion. We got our picture taken with Ewoks! And I cannot wait to do it again. My body still hates running. But I am getting better, just much slower than most people. But it's okay. Because I actually DO have a dream. I want to be a runner. Or at least, someone who doesn't just sit around doing nothing. And I'm kind of there.

So I guess now I need a new dream. Or do I? I mean, the Bills still haven't won the Super Bowl. But every year, I KNOW that THIS is the year!

(Disney Photopass photo)

I'm Not a Doctor...

... but I play one on the intranet.

When I signed up for the Holly Jolly 5K, my registration fee entitled me to a three-month subscription to three different magazines. I'm a huge magazine junkie, so I jumped on it... knowing that I would need to cancel said subscriptions in three months to avoid being charged for the actual subscription.

I was excited to be able to choose People as one of my options. Last week's issue focused on people who had lost a significant amount of weight through natural methods (in other words, no surgery). I love reading these stories and I was thrilled to see that one of the individuals features on the cover was Sharee Hansen from Funeral for My Fat. I pop onto tumblr every now and then and I love her site, although I prefer following her through her Facebook page. I just find tumblr to be off-putting for some reason. Anyway, her story is incredibly motivating. If you have any interest in a healthy lifestyle I encourage you to check her out.

The entire issue was excellent. Until I came across the article about celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito. He's lost some weight recently and has a new diet book out. This is the blurb that accompanied a picture of the book. Like I said in my post title... I am NOT a doctor. Nor am I an expert on anything health related (with the possible exception of side effects of MS medication :p) But this disturbs me so badly. 850 calories a day? Your body burns more than that just by being alive. If you ask me (which I realize nobody did), this is an eating disorder waiting to happen. It's only for a month, but I have a really hard time accepting that this is healthy and an even harder time knowing that people are making money off this "plan".

Okay, rant over. Time for some HAPPY news! Which I desperately needed, as it's been a rough couple weeks for me and for SO many people I know. My favorite Disney-related blog, Disney in Your Day, teamed up with an Etsy shop called Enchanted Bridal for a giveaway/contest. The shop owner was looking for some new design ideas and I'm sooo excited to tell you that I got an email earlier that I won second place in the contest! I'm going to be receiving my idea as a rhinestone design to put on a tshirt!!! Check out Becky's blog to see what design I suggested. It shouldn't really come as a shock. Hehe.

In 42 days, I will be strolling through Epcot! I cannot wait.

The Nerdy Girl 5K

Since January, I've been faithfully either going to the gym or going for walks around my neighborhood. At the gym, I alternate between the treadmill and the stationery bike. I've always enjoyed walking, but running and I do NOT get along. Even in high school when we were supposed to run a mile for the President's Fitness Test (or whatever is was), I always walked. A couple years ago, I tried very had to take up running. I read all about the Couch-to-5K program and for three solid months I tried my hardest to get past the first level. It never happened. So, walking it is. I've been steadily lowering my average pace per mile (thank you, Nike chip thingy) and I'm excited to do the Color Run (ahem, Walk) with some friends in August. (You can buy those fabulous little 0.0 stickers here)

For the past three years, I've walked in the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge through my company. This year, I wasn't able to participate and it turns out that I'm actually kind of grateful, because it rained all day. Walking 3.1 miles in the rain would be bad enough. But then you have to factor in finding a place to park (which usually winds up being in a different zip code), walking to the picnic area to meet up with your friends, waiting for the race to start.... by the time the walkers actually start the race, you've already been waiting around for at least an hour. In the rain? No thanks. (Yes, I'm made of sugar. Yes, I WILL melt.)

But I was still disappointed, so I decided that I was still going to walk a 5K. I just wasn't going to pay an entrance fee or get a tshirt or a number. What I was going to get was the ability to open my front door and start my walk! So I logged on to mapmywalk.com and plotted a very easy 5K course that I could complete without ever having to get into my car.

Do you remember the episode of Big Bang Theory where Leonard was telling Penny about how he and Sheldon became roomies? After Leonard passed Sheldon's version of the Kobayashi Maru, Sheldon presented Leonard with a welcome packet that included, among other things, an apartment flag. That is something I would totally do... the welcome packet, the flag, the multiple choice tests. Well, if I ever decided to have a roommate. Which I would never do. That is actually something that surprises me about my beloved Mr. Cooper. [Just an aside... I have a Sheldon bobblehead that sits on my computer monitor. As I'm typing, Sheldon is nodding his head as if he remembers that episode. *grin*]

I did bring that up for a reason... after I mapped out my route, I decided that simply mapping it and walking it wasn't enough. I HAD to name it! So I dubbed my 5K the "Nerdy Girl 5K". Doesn't that make it so much more entertaining? Like it's a real thing?

And guess what? I came in first place!! Ahhh, the beauty of making up your own stuff. (Yes, I also came in dead last. But where's the fun in focusing on that?!)

I'm quite proud of myself. Sheldon would be proud, too. Okay, maybe not; he hates the outdoors. Obi Wan would be proud. The Force is strong in this one.

Someone should make me a tshirt.