What? You signed up for ANOTHER Half-Marathon?

I did it! I just signed up for my second half-marathon!

I’ve been pretty sure that I wanted to do the Inaugural Celebration Half-Marathon but I’d been putting off signing up for it. Signing up for it makes it real, I guess!

(And it’s a good thing I signed up for it today too – it sold out the very next day!)

Of course, now I only have 3 months to train…

Oh, and OUCH! My moles still hurt.  And I decided to wait, regarding that biopsy.  We’ll see what happens in April 2014.

Mammogram 2: Electric Boobaloo and Dermatologist

Okay, so two weeks ago, I had my very first mammogram. I got a call back to come in for a 2^nd mammogram and an ultrasound.  Today was the day.

Well, here I am again...

I checked in and was called back pretty quick this time. The nurse remembered me from last time. She said that she thought that I got a ‘false report’ because I wore deodorant. 

Srsly - remove your damn deodorant!

I told her that I did NOT wear deodorant last time and she kind of just went, “hmmp.” Like “Shit, maybe you do have cancer then…..” 

I changed again, and gave myself a thorough wipe down with the baby wipes – even though I again did NOT wear deodorant, as instructed – and we went back to the mammogram room.  

This mammogram report brought to you by Huggies

More squeezing ensued.  The tech put a few Markers (little stickers) on my moles (there is one under my arm/on my boob that is big and gross) so that if it showed up, they would know what it was. 

After the bookends of doom, I was sent to an interior waiting room, where there were three other ugly-hospital-gown-clad women just sitting around like none of them have their boobs hanging down to their knees and that this was all normal.

Next up, I was taken to the ultrasound room. Any woman who has ever been pregnant knows what to expect when you get an ultrasound. I was kind of propped up at a 45-degree angle, with one arm behind my head (hey, baby!). She glopped some lube on me (it was kept in a lube-warmer!) and started rubbing all over. She stopped a LOT – I have a lot of cysts, and some of them are big.  She takes measurements of them and keeps going.

I got to stare at this for about an hour

On to the next breast, lube, repeat… Hmmm, she says.

Hmm?  Say what?? What HMMMMM?

She says that she’ll want the doctor to come in for this one, but we’ll keep going….

We finish (we, like I did anything…) cataloging all the weird cysts in my boobs, then the doctor comes in and here we go again, more skiing over my boob.  She pokes and shoves and swirls and squishes until she can get the best view she can and she tells me that she is 99% sure it is a Fibroadenoma.  Most likely benign. Very small.

Then she asks – do you want a biopsy or do you want to wait?

Oh god – the word Biopsy has actually come up in this conversation. My first mammogram, and the word BIOPSY has been uttered….

Doctor reiterated that she is 99% sure that it is nothing, and if it were her, she wouldn’t even biopsy it. She would keep an eye on it and come back in 6 months. 

I was speechless at this point, I could not think of anything to say, logical or otherwise (no snark to be found…)

Seeing that I was having a hard time with this, she said that I should go home and think about, then give her a call tomorrow. I sighed internally, knowing that I’d have time to digest all of this before moving forward.  She left, as well as the tech, and I was given warm damp towels to clean up with.  They certainly do goo the crap out of you!

It's hard to see ALL the goo, but rest assured, my boobs usually aren't green

Once dressed, it was time to head upstairs for my first visit with my dermatologist. Back at my annual gyno visit, the doctor hooked me up with a referral for a dermatologist, thinking that they would be able to remove some of my gnarlier moles.

Surprisingly comfy chairs for a waiting room

I was running late, due to the surprise at the mammogram office, but I was called back pretty quickly. Again, stripped down to bra and panties, and put on the super sexy hospital gown.

So flattering

A resident and a student came in soon and gave me a quick once-over. I pointed out a few (four) that I wanted to remove, as well as a few other issues (I have a weird bump on my décolletage and a weird red ‘mole’ thing on my thigh – both are perfectly normal, says the doctor). I showed them the mole under my arm, and they both went "Huh? What is that?" - That's when I realized I forgot to take off the marking sticker from downstairs!

Very quickly, they were drawing on me, around the four moles that I wanted to get rid of. 

Left Side - above waistline

Neck, Right Side

Back, small of back, Left Side, near waistline

Armpit, Left Side near bra line

They brought in lidocaine and scalpels, and a cauterizing thingy (eww), and within 5 minutes, they were gone! I’ve had these moles all my life (so to speak), and I was kind of sad to see them go, but I am so much better off without them!

Once I was bandaged up, I was told to come back in one year for a follow up (and more removals, if I wanted), and see ya later!

I can’t wait to gross out Hubby when he has to help change bandages!

(Backwards selfie in a mirror - hipster level 1000!)

Back

Armpit Action Shot!

 

Celebrating Celebration at Disney!

Full of sugar and cake, where were we headed next?  Disney, of course!!! We started at the Magic Kingdom, so I could get my fix of “Halloween at Disney.” 

Let The Memories Begin

Where do they sell these? I want one!

We stopped by Town Hall Theater so that the Kiddo could see the new Talking Mickey. She wasn’t all that impressed. I thought it was cool….

He did a card trick with The Kiddo first

I know that we rode at least one ride between this and lunch but I didn’t take any photos, and I cannot for the life of me remember, so let’s just head to lunch – I’m hungry again, anyway!

Lunch was Columbia Harbor House. Hubby wasn’t as hungry as I was, so he kind of just went along for the ride. 

I love sitting upstairs, it’s so much quieter and less hectic than the ground floor.  We can usually always find a good spot (which for us is a big table with room to spread out, either with chairs or the benches). This time, we got one of the benches that is tucked away in an alcove above the ordering stations.

Hello, all you people who don't know I'm up here!

I’ve learned over the past few trips that 1) Disney meals are huge, 2) I normally cannot eat all of my meal and 3) if you order just the entrée (without fries or anything), you can save $2 per meal.  The family just has to get used to the fact that I will steal 10 fries from each of them!  I got an “entrée-only” order of fish ($5.99) and the Kiddo got the shrimp meal ($9.99).  This comes out to two “Fish & Shrimp” meals for $7.99 each. Since they don’t sell this meal on the menu, it’s a bigger plus for each of us. I LOVE the shrimp here – they are big and plump, and if they cook the fish right, they are light and crispy (sometimes they are soggy, though, and greasy). And always, with my Disney meals, I got a LARGE ice water. Make sure you ask for LARGE, or you will get a small cup!

To let our meal settle, we like to hit up Haunted Mansion.  Today, the line was pretty long, and we pissed off a lot of people who don’t understand that there IS NO SINGLE-FILE LINE!  They are all standing there, and we’re coming up the side by the water, filling up “all available dead space” and we’re getting nasty look after nasty look. I love it! 

It's artsy cuz it's tilted

I always try to take photos in the Haunted Mansion and I never really get lucky. I don’t know why I try, but every once in a while I get lucky…

I'm obsessed with getting a clear photo of this light fixture!

After we escaped the Mansion, we headed to Fantasyland to check out the new Princess Fairytale Hall.  I wanted to get in the line that had Rapunzel and her friend, but the line said it was 60 minutes, and Cinderella’s line was only 30, so we headed to that side.

Regal, but crowded

Inside is gorgeous! Very regal, but very crowded and loud.  All the large portraits of the princess were nice to look at, but the best thing to look at was at the FRONT of the hall, right before you went in to see the princesses – a super-sparkly glass slipper. 

Mulan

Jasmine

Aurora

Tiana

Snow White

Rapunzel

This photo does NOT do the sparkle justice!

Once inside, the room is very regal, with heavy drapes and dark woods. Cinderella was very charming and chatty.

There is a set of books between the Cinderella area and the Sleeping Beauty area which pays a nice homage to Snow White (whose ride used to occupy this space).

Cinderella was kind of wandering around after she greeted us

Clear shot of the book

Sleeping Beauty was also very charming, but she’s never been one of my favorites (Hubby loves her though).

 

Srsly? Those dimples!

After seeing the Princesses, it was time to head out of the park, and make our way to Epcot. Dinner is at Via Napoli!

I love the wood-burning pizza ovens.

And I love even more what comes OUT of those ovens!

Half pepperoni, half Italian spicy sausage (yummy!)

I was pretty tired by now, but the family wanted to ride Test Track, so I found a quiet (well, not so quiet) nook by the exit of the ride – where you view your ride photos – to wait for them.

Certainly not Tushy-Cushy, but I could put my feet up!

Turns out, they walked right past me! I had to stalk them throughout the building to catch them!  I didn’t yell out, because I wanted to see how far they would go before they got the look of “where is she?” They went all the way outside!

It was almost 7 at this point, and I still had to drive home, so we called it a night, piled into the car and headed for home.  

Celebration 10k Race Report

Rather than staying overnight at  an el-cheapo hotel, I decided that we should just drive down for the day.  I think we left the house around 4 – I was hoping to get to the parking lot no later than 6. 

We got to the Celebration Fire House (and parking lot) around 6:15.  It was already VERY busy at the packet pickup, and it took about 20 minutes to actually get my stuff.

The line for packet pickup - and a Princess Posse Sparkle Skirt!

I hustled back to the car so that I could take my swag photos and gear up before heading to the start line. 

Unisex Navy Blue Tech Tee - not bad

A sticker, a Give Kids the World pin and yummy chocolate

While I was taking photos, a local hot air balloon company started launching balloons – at one point, there were at least a dozen in the air.

There are at least 10 more in the sky behind where I was standing

Hubby took my photo, and then we headed towards the start line, which was about ½ mile from the parking lot. 

My ears were cold, so I pulled my Bondi down

It was a beautiful morning, with perfect weather.

Standing in the grass near the starting line

I ran into other Posse girls Sarah and Maryanne, so we took a quick photo before we were off and racing!

Random Dude, me, Sarah and Maryanne

I’ve never been to Celebration before, and I was amazed at how pretty it was. Extremely “Stepford,” but beautiful nonetheless. 

  

Mile 1 came and went (no photo for some reason), and I was in the back. That actually worked in my favor, though, as we came to this bridge. We had to stay on the sidewalk, so if there had been other runners, it would have been very tight. 

At the end of the sidewalk after you crossed the bridge, there was one of those “Speed Limit by Radar” signs. I thought it was funny. No, I wasn’t going 25mph.

Continuing on, we passed the Celebration Golf Course, which was also pristine and beautiful!

That tower in the distance is where I parked the car

I passed Mile 2 and then began heading into neighborhoods.

Even their drainage canals are pretty....

They had some local cheerleaders out for support.

He's in the sky...He's our sun guy... Ra Ra Ra!

At Mile 2.8, the 10k group separated from the 5k group, and Shelly Williams (fellow SparkleSister) was out with a sign for the local Moms Run This Town (MRTT) girls.

Sparkle Sister Shelley Williams - 10k goes Left; 5k went straight to the finish line

I missed the Mile 3 sign, but I passed it and continued down the LONGEST sidewalk I think I’ve ever been on. It kept on going (for niles and niles and niles…..) There was a road on the right and more golf course on the left.

How do they grow 'em so straight?

At Mile 4, I passed the DVC building, which was really cool to see. It’s an awesome Art Deco style.  I also began to see people coming back from the turn-around, like Betty, Curly Blonde Girl, Red Shirt Sister and Maryanne. (I’m sure these other people have names, but damn if I can remember them now! I guess I should look them up at some point.)

Betty - my very first Run Buddy!

Curly Blonde Princess Posse Princess!

Tall SparkleSister; Maryanne in the back

After the golf course disappeared, I started seeing more neighborhoods, and then some construction. Hell, even the construction workers here are nice! No whistling or catcalling us chicks at all. Kind of made me sad…

It's artsy cuz it's tilted...

I’m realizing at this point two things:  1) I’m last and 2) I really wish I brought my inhaler (I was wheezing bad).

I trudged on to the turn-around spot and headed back the super-long sidewalk to the finish line, doing my intervals when I could, passing Mile 5.

You can't see her, she's hiding behind a tree, but there IS someone behind me!

 After I passed Mile 5, I also passed another runner! Yippee!!! I’m not last!!  I gave her a “you’re awesome!” as I passed her and kept on trucking.

FINALLY, I get back to the end of the long sidewalk of doom (missing the Mile 6 sign), and there are more cheerleaders. I told them that there is another woman behind me, about a mile back, and that when she comes in to cheer like hell for her.

Hubby and the Kiddo are near the finish line, and the Kiddo decides to run in with me. (Can I be honest here?  This is MY moment, back up and let me enjoy it!)

Go away! This is my moment!

Anyway, finish!  I missed my PR by just over a minute, but I’m so okay with that! 

So pretty!

My medal is gorgeous, and I got my hug from Hubby, then a bunch of us SparkleSisters took a group photo before I headed over to the Fire House for the Rotary Pancake Breakfast.  

Sarah, Neon Luv SparkleSister, Maryanne, Tall Red Shirt SparkleSister, Swirly Blue Sparkle Sister, Shelley, Me, Betty, Curly Blonde Posse Princess

It was very crowded, and Hubby was grousing that he was hungry and wanted to go eat something. I wanted to junk punch him and tell him to shut up – I wanted to enjoy my post-race party. He still doesn’t understand that there is more to a race then the race. He thinks that when you cross the finish line, you leave. WRONG! He’s got a lot to learn, and he better, because soon he may get punched.

Anyway, we walked around and saw that there was juice and milk, so I grabbed some OJ and got a cool photo with a tiny alligator from Gatorland. 

He felt like a cold, squishy purse. No, seriously, that's exactly what he felt like!

Finally, though, it was time to change and head to Disney.  I went into what is the fanciest Porta-Pottie I’ve ever seen and changed clothes.  Runner Etiquette to remember for the future – don’t do this!  There was a line when I got out and I felt bad…

"Real" flushing toilet, clean toilet paper

Working sink with running water, fancy basket of paper towels, a Febreeze, hand soap and a little flower (and a big mirror)

As we walked back to the car, we started talking about what we wanted to do for breakfast, and our first idea was Slurpees and Gas Station Nachos from the nearby 7-Eleven, but as we exited Celebration, I saw a Publix and I desperately wanted a doughnut.  So we all went in (used their restrooms) and checked out the bakery and deli area.

This Publix is so much nicer than mine at home. They had a make-your-own salad bar and a hot bar, with things like Asian noodles and whatnot.

Is this a good price for a salad bar? No idea!

They were filling this while we wandered around. You can see there are 12 items for sale. 

Over in the bakery bread case, they had pretzel bread! I should’ve gotten one to see if it was any good, compared to LeCellier.

Good price for a pretzel roll!

 After wandering and wandering and wandering, we settled on 2 slices of chocolate ganache cake for them and a jumbo filled cupcake for me. Also, we grabbed fountain drinks, then headed back to eat our yummies in the car.

Publix Chocolate Ganache Cake (bar) - Cake, Mousse, Ganache, repeat

Publix Jumbo Filled Vanilla Cupcake - Yellow Cake w/Buttercream Frosting (inside and out)

Our next stop? Disney, of course!  Who comes to Central FL and doesn’t go to Disney!  We hopped on 192 and headed out. While sitting at a red light, we saw this…. So, okay. Fuckin’ Bubbles!

Freakin' bubbles!