nay

I'm determined to play this at least once. First attempt, I closed the window by mistake, and got disconnected on my second and third attempts. I'm now in line again, with just over six hours to go!

Just got back from the WDW marathon weekend last night. Due to lack of training, my finish times were pretty awful (33 minutes 5k, 2:43 for the half, 5:40 for the full). But as always, I still had a blast. And a good chunk of time was devoted to taking photos throughout the races too, which I'll try to have up shortly. I was really sore after the half, and even after I iced my legs a lot, I was still sore going into the full, so I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. I was grateful for the cooler temperatures, though. Congrats to all of the participants, especially Maureen!

I haven't really been online since last Wednesday, but I just got all caught up and can totally see the addiction to this! I'm in line now with a little under 7 hours to go. I haven't seen anyone win anything yet, but I'll check in a few times throughout the day and hope that I stay connected.

So sorry to hear that, Benny. With the tons of snow that got dumped here a few days ago, running hasn't been going too well. I got one good 6 mile run in the morning of the storm. Not really sure how much more I'll get to do before the WDW marathon weekend. I have so much going on over this next month, that I honestly wouldn't mind skipping it at this point, but I have plans with my friend to go, so I really can't bail. I'm glad it's a relaxed race, though. I don't plan on breaking any records, so I'm just hoping to get through it without injury.

Very cool! It does look like a lot of work, but seems to be worth it. I really enjoyed my visit to F8 earlier this year too!

Dell Inspiron laptop Nightmare Before Christmas DVD Disney Vinylmation yeti DJ Lance vinyl figure Toy Story Mania TV plug and play game Kohl's gift card Old Navy gift card Carrabba's gift card Lots of random candy And half of the lease on my new Honda Civic

This isn't exactly new in 2010, but it was new to me in 2010 - Disneyland Paris. I visited this park for the first time, and being a huge Disney nerd, I was disappointed. It just didn't have the same Disney magic that I've experienced at the US parks. It does have some pretty sweet rides, such as Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates, not to mention a gorgeous castle. The hotel that we stayed at on Disney property, Sequoia Lodge, also paled in comparison to any other Disney resort that I've stayed at. I certainly wouldn't rush back to visit there any time soon.

I know that some of these were on the "biggest disappointments" list, but... 1. Wizarding World of Harry Potter at IOA. I'm not a die-hard Potter fan, but I enjoy the books and movies. I absolutely love the theming in this section of the park. Sure, the stores are tiny and crowded, and the Dueling Dragons queue lost some of its awesomeness. But having been there a few times now, I've gotten over that. The Forbidden Journey ride is among my favorite dark rides now. Other than the queue and the name change, Dragon Challenge is still a kick ass coaster. And I always thought that Flying Unicorn was a fun kiddie coaster, and remains that way as Flight of the Hippogriff. And then there's butterbeer - yum!! 2. World of Color. When I first heard about this show, I wasn't terribly excited. Even after seeing the live webcast of the premiere, I didn't think it was all that great, and it appeared to be just a bigger version of Fantasmic, with some of the Bellagio fountains thrown in there. However, seeing it in person completely changed my mind, and I thought it was quite an impressive show. 3. SFGadv having Houdini opening during the regular season. It is a unique dark ride that isn't at many US parks. I haven't been keeping track of what next season looks like yet, but I hope it stays open!

Lots of pictures from a great year, especially thanks to TPR! The WDW marathon weekend was the start of 2010 for me. It was unseasonably cold, but as always, an awesome way to start the year! I had the chance to check out the Richard Petty driving experience at WDW, too. I attended my first West Coast Bash this year, where our team won the scavenger hunt at SFMM. Team 38!! Also at WCB, on the Knott's day, Andrew and I were reminded of how horribly painful Ghostrider is. At Bay Area Bash, we had great animal encounters at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. A credit whore side trip at Bay Area Bash was at the Oakland Zoo. Team Poncho, before getting drenched at the Tony Hawk Water Challenge at BAB. One of my favorite flat rides, Survivor at California's Great America. Jabbaru, Jabbaru! My 200th coaster, Flight Deck, at California's Great America. Unfortunately, shortly after that, I rode a spin-and-puke ride, and puked... so I sat outside watching Flight Deck go around a lot! My favorite WDW resort, the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Colin and I took on the Expedition Everest Challenge at DAK. I went to the Star Wars weekends at DHS, which was very hot and crowded, but I got to meet these guys. A shot from the queue in the Forbidden Journey ride at the WWOHP - a great addition to IOA! Butterbeer and pumpkin juice, yum!! Melissa, Christine and I got to visit Disneyland Paris prior to the TPR Europe trip. DLP's kick ass Big Thunder Mountain. On the Europe trip at Movieland Studios, Divv and I got completely drenched on U-571. Euro Mir at Europa Park! Some adventurous kids at Europa Park. Cameron, Larry and I enjoying some beer at the German fair. Tyler and Robby's 21st birthday at Busch Gardens. Running the Disneyland half marathon through the parks. Amy, Joey and I after finishing the Disneyland half marathon. World of Color! My first visit to Legoland in CA. Epcot Food and Wine Festival. I couldn't visit WDW during the holidays this year, but I got to see the Osborne Family lights up in October for the Wine and Dine half marathon! Our MNSSHP group with the Disney villains. Boo to you! Chris, Allison and I took part in the Indiana Jones stunt show at DHS. Hanging out with Jack at HHN. Poor Texas! Halloween at ElecTRONica in DCA. I absolutely love Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland. And I'll start all over again in a few weeks for the WDW marathon!

I haven't run at all in nearly 2 weeks, between family stuff and getting a cold where I can't even do a slow jog without coughing. I'm not sure how this is going to effect me for the WDW marathon weekend, but if I don't start up again soon, it's not gonna be good. Plus it's been ridiculously cold here, and I normally love running in the cold, but I just can't do it. And I don't know if I'm alone on this, but I hope the FL temperatures remain on the cooler side for us!

I saw the new musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark last week. It had a ton of technical problems, but when the effects actually worked, it was visually stunning. However, the score and book are extremely weak, and I don't know how much of that can be fixed to turn it into a decent show. I don't know when or if I'd get to see it again, but I'd be curious to see what the final product looks like.

Congrats, that's awesome!! Looks like a nice race - definitely one I'd like to do one of these days.

I was SO exhausted at Efteling, and was beginning to feel sick from that European death flu I caught, too. I wish I could remember more from that day! Was River Quest the ride where a random box or something fell from the sky and hit Lou? That was the craziest rapids ride ever!

Good luck this weekend! Hope the knee feels better by then. I actually wore a knee brace during the marathon, since it was feeling a little funny the week or so before, and I ended up switching it to the other knee halfway through. I feel a lot better today and plan on running the 5k tomorrow. I would probably do Philly again eventually. Not next year, but in the future. It was a nice, mostly flat course. The out and back part towards the end of the race was a little frustrating, though.

That day at the German fair was the best, and I almost forgot that we spent extra time in the morning at Europa Park (and Euro Mir!!). WTF is that awful looking bruise on my leg on the Circus Parade ride?? I always end up with weird injuries on TPR trips and I never know where they come from!

Thanks! The Philly marathon was a decent race. The weather was cool, which is perfect running weather for me. I felt that I ran a really great first half, but starting to hurt quite a bit during the last half. After the first half, I was hoping to finish with a time around 4:30, but ended up at 4:57. Not my best, but I'll take it. The crowd support was great, especially the frat boys in University City and the cookies, brownies and beer around mile 19! I'm still pretty sore, but might do a Turkey Trot 5k on Thursday. Is the Space Coast marathon this weekend? Hope you're rested and ready to go for that!

Between this and Joey's PTR, I'm loving reliving the memories from the Europe trip! Movieland Studios was such a crazy park! Months later, I think my clothes have finally dried off from U-571. But I'm still traumatized.

Thanks! I'm starting to get really nervous! I don't know if I trained enough, and 26.2 miles always sounds so overwhelming. This will actually only be my sixth full marathon ever! Looks like the weather will be nice, and a little chilly, but I'll take that any day over hot and humid.

Movieland Studios was such a crazy park, and I loved it! Hey, NY tap water is actually amazing! In Europe, I was happy to find any water that wasn't carbonated.

Epcot Disney's Hollywood Studios Magic Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Blizzard Beach Disney Quest Islands of Adventure Universal Studios Orlando Disneyland Disney's California Adventure Six Flags Magic Mountain Knott's Berry Farm Six Flags Great Adventure Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Oakland Zoo California's Great America Disneyland Paris Walt Disney Studios Paris Gardaland Movieland Studios Mirabilandia Europa Park Wurzburg Fair Phantasialand Efteling Knoebels Six Flags Great America Victorian Gardens Kings Dominion Busch Gardens Williamsburg Legoland California Luna Park Universal Studios Hollywood

Oh wow, I love NPH! That's too funny, and it sounds kinda like he's doing his Regis Philbin impression. This must be brand new - they still had the old voice last week.

You should be fine during the marathon. Just stay hydrated and eat well but nothing too crazy during the week before. The excitement from the race will get you through those final miles. I have the Philly marathon in 2 weeks and I feel like I'm severely under-trained for it. I did a 20 mile run not too long ago, and I was in a lot of pain after that. I'm going to try and get one more semi-longish run on Saturday. Cheering my friends on in the NYC marathon on Sunday should hopefully keep me motivated, too. I did run a 5k this past weekend and ran a PR, so I'm pretty happy about that!

That was such a fun night! It was great seeing you guys again!

Spent Halloween on the west coast and hit Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland and HHN at Universal Hollywood for the first time. Really enjoyed both, though I do prefer MNSSHP in WDW. But I'm obsessed with Haunted Mansion Holiday and Ghost Galaxy. I found the scareactors to be more aggressive at HHN in Hollywood than Orlando, and their Bill and Ted show was also WAY better. I love HHN Orlando, but I was surprisingly impressed with Hollywood! Jack Skellington at Mickey's Halloween Party. HHN at Universal Hollywood.

Love it! And thank you for not pushing us in the fountain.