Wine & Dine Expo Shopping List

I'm still eagerly awaiting a sneak peek of the merchandise for the Wine & Dine Expo, but I've already started compiling a list of other fun stuff I'm lusting after.

I hope they have a lot of items with this design (from the official race guide) on it. I'd love a magnet or tumbler with it.

I have my eye on this Snow White hoodie from Raw Threads. I have a couple of Raw Threads skirts that I love (super soft and comfy) and I've only heard great things about their tops and hoodies. Since their inventory at the expo can be limited, I decided to pre-order this. They offer free expo pick up!

I'll probably pick up another Sweaty Band. They have some pretty ones like this gold one.

Do you have an items you look for at expos?

The Last Bit of Dallas Fun

With less than a week still in Dallas, I'm packing in as much fun as I can. 

Giant Jenga! They have this at a lot of different bars.

Hanging out at one of our favorites- The Truck Yard. Different food trucks park on one side and there's tons of outdoor seating and a bar inside. Very relaxed atmosphere. 

Getting pedicures with friends! All of our significant others work for the same company and we all moved to Dallas recently for that company. It's nice to know other ladies who can truly relate to and understand the crazy journey I've been on. I am really going to miss them. :(

And of course, we had one last night to two stepping. A lot of my Californian friends get a good giggle out of hearing that we go two stepping, but I really love it! Plus my husband has become quite the dancer!

Have you been to Texas?

DIY Baby Shower Gifts

A few weeks ago, I attended a close friend's baby shower. The happy couple is expecting a baby girl and I created some special handmade gifts for them. 

My friend likes anything nautical themed, so I made a nautical navy and pink quilt. My favorite part of it is the fabric with the seals. It's called "French Seals"- they're wearing striped shirts and berets. 

I also made burp cloths. These were super easy- I used chenille fabric backed with a fun cotton fabric. I cut rectangles, sewed the right sides together, flipped them so the right sides were out, and then top stitched the edges. I love the little hearts and stripes fabric.

The last item I made is a blanket. This one has a patchwork quilt top and is backed with soft minky fabric. There's no batting, so the blanket can be used year-round.

Do you enjoy making DIY gifts?

Forget Moving! I'm Going to Disney World!

I finally have some updates! We are moving back to CA- and very soon! My husband got transferred to a new team and with that came an "accelerated schedule" to get out to CA. All in all, from the day we found out, we will be moving in 2 weeks. 

Lucky for us, this move is covered by my husband's work. A moving company is coming to handle everything. At first I was really anxious about moving, probably because my move to Texas was such a train wreck. 

But... it turns out my husband will be handling the move while I am enjoying Disney World and running this:

YAY! It still makes me nervous, but there's nothing I can do, so I'm channeling Elsa and letting it go. *cough* bad joke *cough* I couldn't resist. ;)

I'll meet my husband in CA for a couple days and then it's off to Disneyland for this:

It's going to be one heck of a crazy month, but I am really looking forward to being home in CA and enjoying Thanksgiving with family. 

My Newest Business Venture... Disney Hair Bows!

Earlier this week I mentioned I had found a new business venture- and today I'm happy to share with all of you! 

Disney Hair Bows

I started by making a couple for my upcoming Disney trip, but it quickly turned into an addiction. These character inspired bows are great for costumes (including runDisney costumes), park trips, gifts, etc. 

I started selling them in my Etsy shop and so far they're doing pretty well. I had someone order 31 bows! 

Here's the link to my Etsy shop.

** Until the end of October, I'm running a special: 3 bows for the price of 2! **

Can you recognize the character each bow is designed after?

Hint: some are cast member outfits or rides.

I'll leave you with a few of my favorites:

I asked a friend and fellow runner-blogger to do a product test/review. Stay tuned until after Wine & Dine. :) 

What do you think? Do you have a favorite?

Are you a Half Fanatic?

November is right around the corner bringing lots of fun stuff! Fall is officially here and I can't wait for Thanksgiving. But before all the turkey eating commences, I've got two half marathons to run! First up is Wine & Dine on Nov 8th, then the Avengers Half on Nov 16th. Completing both of these qualifies me to be a Half Fanatic! 

There are different levels of being a Half Fanatic, starting with Neptune: 2 half marathons within a 16 day time frame or 3 half marathons within a 90 day time frame. You can see the rest of the levels here. 

They offer different merchandise and I could always use another Sweaty Band! :) 

Have you looked into becoming a Half Fanatic? Is it something you're interested in?

Moving, Running, and Work. Oh my!

The blog has been quiet for way too long now and there's so much to share! If you're reading this, thank you for staying with me!

Moving...

Still no solid news on moving, but I have the feeling we will be here through at least Thanksgiving. We're debating whether to fly home or not- airfare is just so expensive, especially Thanksgiving weekend. Regardless, I'm excited. Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year! 

My hope is that we will have concrete moving plans before Christmas. I hate this feeling of one foot out the door. Pictures are still not hung up. I haven't decorated for Halloween/Fall. I can't imagine not decorating for Christmas! 

Running!

With the Wine & Dine half marathon a little less than 3 weeks away, I've finally gotten back on a decent training plan. It's certainly not on pace with the marathon training plan I had in place, but it'll get me through next month and the 2 halves I have scheduled. 

Now that the weather has finally cooled off a bit, running has been a lot easier. I never thought I would think mid-80s was great running weather. Oh Texas, how you're changed me! :) I've been running ~5 times a week, between 2-3 miles each time with one long run. Last week my long run was 6 miles, this week I'm going for 9, and next will be 12. I know it's a fast ramp up in mileage, especially so close to the race, but I think it's the kick I need to get me back on track.

I finally worked out my air travel for both Wine & Dine and Avengers. If you recall, I had no idea what to do/book with our new moving adventures. 

But that's why I love Southwest! Flights are cheap and best of all- no change fees! I was able to move my flights around easily and now I'm all set!

I still need to put some finishing touches on my race costumes and I'm starting to think about what to pack. This will be my first trip to WDW and I really don't know what to wear. How's the weather?

Work?

I saved the best for last, of course! I recently embarked on a new business venture or sorts and it's actually taken off a lot better than I expected! It was a little overwhelming at first, but I'm learning to juggle things. I don't know about you, but the less time I have, the more things I seem to get done. I've been really good about running, I've actually been making decent dinners, and I feel like I'm working more hours than my 9-5 job.

I'm certainly not raking in the dough and if you calculated my hourly rate, it would probably be less than minimum wage. But I'm enjoying it! I feel like I finally have something real to do instead of just putzing around pretending to clean the house. ;) 

Stay tuned- I'll have a nice post this week about this new adventure.

For my WDW friends- what kind of clothes should I pack? What kind of temps can I expect?

Wine & Dine Corrals, Waivers & Info

Corral assignments for the 2014 Wine & Dine Half Marathon have been released! You can also print your waivers which will have your bib number. 

Use this link to access your waiver.

Where we'll be running! And eating at the finish!

Check out the official event guide as well.

I'm loving the cover. I really hope it's the design on the shirts!

I hope they do a sneak peak at the merchandise- I can't wait for the expo!

Who will be at Wine & Dine? Anyone else in corral E with me?

A Case of the Sads...

I apologize for my lack of blogging for the past week or so. I came down with a case of the Sads. Not quite seasonal affectedness disorder, but just being sad and disappointed.

About a week ago, life was going great. Things here in Texas were wrapping up and I fully expected us to be back in CA by mid-October. I had even found work- my old branch was hiring a teller position, which was perfect! That is until we found out we aren't moving back until "sometime in November." 

I was really disappointed at first, mostly about work. My old boss couldn't hold the position for me for over a month, nor would I expect her to. I'm really dreading the job-search game and it doesn't help that we don't have a solid move date. So even if I found something, I'd have no idea when I could start. 

But the part that is the most irritating? Travel plans. I have two race trips in November- Wine & Dine in FL and Avengers in CA. And I have no idea where I will be flying from. I need to figure out travel plans!!! As an OCD planner, it's making me twitchy. 

Anyway, that's what has been going on recently with me.