I Am A Princess

My parents might die when they see that title considering I've always been anti-princess.  I'm more of a pirates kind of girl, but while that won't be changing anytime soon... my feelings towards the princesses might be softening.

I recently ran across a video of Disney's new definition of a princess... check it out:

Growing up, I always thought of princesses as the damsel in distress that needed the prince to come save her.  Yes they do all have some redeeming qualities, but I never really saw them standing up too much for themselves.  I mean Belle did, yes, but they were still somewhat at the mercy of everyone else and didn't really have too many ideas for the future.

Recently the princesses have been changing.  Tiana wanted to be a chef and run her own restaurant.  She was head strong and helped save her prince.  Then there was Rapunzel who, while still needed help from her prince, helped him as well.  In my opinion she is right there with Belle, but maybe a little higher considering she did do a lot more fighting and sacrificed a lot more than some magical tears.  Finally, Merida who doesn't even have a prince and gets herself in trouble and out of it.  I like the change in attitude and I've talked to quite a few others; my age, older, and some parents who share my same feelings.  It definitely seems to be a welcome change.

So yes, we are all princesses.  We are all strong and can forge our own paths, but we can always use the help of a prince who stands beside us.  We all have dreams we wish upon a start to come true.  We are all our own knights in shining armor.

Donald's Causing Trouble Again...

The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is celebrating it's 20th anniversary in 2013.  We've already seen the updated race course, which you can get a refresher here.  They had the new medal design ready for its big reveal, but it's been stolen.  Here's the news release from runDisney's facebook page:

So as you can see, Donald's yet again causing quite a bit of trouble.  Of course runDisney has asked it's facebook fans to help find donald in all the different places he's trying to run off to.  Here's a picture from one of my favorite place's he's been spotted at so far:

If you want to see the medal soon, check out runDisney's facebook page and follow the instructions on how you can help them catch Donald and get the plans back.

Of course next year they should probably tell Donald that they've designed his medal before he gets into more trouble.  Or maybe Goofy will play with the medal plans next year?

Last Preparations

One more day till I fly to California!  Three more until the Disneyland half marathon!  I am so pumped right now that I'm not worried about what's going to happen after the race (shin splints, ankle injuries, knee injuries, etc...).  I just want to get there and have fun running!

That's one of the great things about the Disney races is that the Disney spirit is still throughout the race.  Yes, running 13.2 miles is not an easy feat by any means, but to have characters, bands, other groups, and crowds cheering you on makes it a lot more fun.  Plus there are the little things...

If you register early enough you get your name printed on your bib.  I was about halfway through and this school group was out cheering on someone used my name.  It confused me for a second until I realized my name was on my bib and they had just read it.  It was still awesome to have complete strangers cheering for you and using your name!

It's memories like that, that I'm excited to make more of this year!

In preparation for the race I haven't been too strict on my running, but I have been stretching a lot.  My current best friends in the running world.... my stick, mat, and rope.

My stick especially.  The rope is great to help on those hamstring stretches and what not, but the stick can just get so deep into the muscle that it can roll out all of the lactic acid.  One thing to be careful about is that you do have put effort into rolling, it can't just be like rolling it over your skin lightly.  But that little bit of effort goes a long way when it comes to rolling.  Then the mat just makes it nicer when I'm sitting on concrete or makes it so I don't let my soak into the carpet.

I'm relaxed, I'm stretched, I'm loose, and I'm checked into my fight.  Time to 13.2 miles!

oOoOoOo

In other news, I have decided to start a new blog.  I get to do a diversity calendar for work and I've been finding a lot of really fun holidays throughout the month.  So, in order recognize these days, I've created Everday Holiday, a blog celebrating all the daily holidays throughout the months.  Check it out, follow it, and enjoy all the cool holidays!