This is where I will be: http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/princess-half-marathon/

I just registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon –  a 13.1 mile run through Disney World! I’m really excited for it – it’s a big undertaking, and I don’t know how well I am going to do, but I think that at the very least, I can finish walking in the alloted time :]

I’m very excited! So far my training consists of meeting my friend Kathleen every morning and going for a 3 mile walk/run around campus – when it gets too cold to run in the morning we’ll move our runs inside to treadmills, but for now it’s pretty awesome to get up and run with the sunset.

So far I’m just registered for the race, but after christmas I will book my flights and hotel – and the best part is that Jess is going to come with me!

I’m probably going to have to make a tutu to run in….and get some minnie ears too. :]

But I’m back. For realsies this time :]

I promise to update more with actual posts with actual contents – but to tide you over, here is an update on what I have been doing in the last almost 3 months (!!) since moving to New York and becoming an adult.

Things that are awesome – tonight is our fifth and final night in a hotel! By this time tomorrow I will be in my apartment in New York – so exciting! Today our adventures included breakfast with Drew and Mel, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and driving to Gettysburg. We’re both really enjoying this part of the trip – time to slow down and be tourists!

Highlights of Day 5:

• A reunion with the Morgans!! Love both of them, and it was very exciting to see Drew and Mel, and to chat and see their lovely home and campus. Always great to reunite with friends.
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – So. Much. Fun.  It was really neat seeing the artifacts – Freddie Mercury’s clothes, Jimi Hendrix’s sketches of the UO football team, Dean Martin’s tuxedo jacket and the Hall of Fame inductees signatures were among my favorites. Plus, you have to love hearing songs you love just playing in the hallways!
• Outside of one of the sections, there was a lady standing with headphones and dancing at one of the listening stations – dad and I elbowed each other and started laughing really hard. We ended up hovering next to her, and jumped at the headphones when she left to hear what had motivated her awkward mom dance moves – Otis Redding.
• There was a theatre that we went into that was playing concert footage from different Hall of Fame concerts, and I could have easily spent hours in that room. Hands down my favorite moment of our visit happened in this room – the theatre was full of families and visitors, and Aretha Franklin was singing as we came in. However, Metallica came on next, and when they were joined onstage by Ozzy, who promptly encouraged the audience to “go fucking wild” there was a bit of a mass exodus of families. Some of the parents looked horrified at Ozzy and Metallica’s word choices, and as the band began to play “Enter Sandman” even more people left, including more families and the older audience members. Dad and I stood in the back of the room cracking up – I mean really. It’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That’s Rock and Roll for you!
• Our state count is up to 10: Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania!

Pictures from Day 5:

On deck for today: Gettysburg, and then Stony Brook!!

Today we drove through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio – bringing our state count up to 9! It was our most intense driving day, but we survived, and had a few adventures along the way.

Highlights of day 4:

• Cracker Barrel! We stopped at Cracker Barrel in Davenport, Iowa, and after a few excited text messages to friends, we loved it! (On a side note – Jill, we looked all through the gift shop for wax lips, but couldn’t find any. But don’t you worry – we are on a mission now.)
• Illinois doesn’t have a “Welcome” sign, making it our least favorite state.
• Today we listened to David Sedaris, the Rock of Ages soundtrack, my “a capella” playlist,  and a CD of dads.
• Word to the wise: when you leave the rest stop – make sure your door is closed all the way. Nothing scarier than trying to drive your dad’s truck down the indiana highway while also trying to close the door.
• Ohio has the best rest stops we’ve seen on our trip. Seriously – these rest stops are like mini-malls. So fancy.
• My cell phone has officially been switched to East Coast time.
• It’s funny getting in and out of the truck now at each stop. Each of our bags is perfectly packed in the backseat, and all of our stops are routine at this point. I know what bags to grab, and what bags to put away. Everything has it’s own little spot. Makes it easy to find things while you are on the road!
• Bringing the book atlas remains one of the best decisions we have made in planning this trip.
• So far, my favorite states are Iowa and Wyoming.

Photos from day 4:

On deck for tomorrow: Breakfast with the Morgans, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Driving through southern PA, and Gettysburg!

Highlights of Day 3:

• Iowa replaced Idaho for the best rest areas.
• We finished  ”Assassination Vacation” on audiobook (it was great – thanks for the Suggestion, dawn!) and we also listened to the Rock of Ages soundtrack.
• Our state count is up to 6: Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa
• Iowa’s state sign is on a bridge, so there was no pulling over. :[ but we still got a picture.
• At one point, I started playing with my camera, and accidently deleted a bunch of pictures. :[ We stopped at a rest area in Nebraska that was an Oregon Trail landmark, and you could still stand in depressions left by the pioneers and their wagons. It was really neat, and I deleted the photos on accident. bummer.

I think that the lack of highlights is reflected in the photos I took: less pictures from this day!

We started out the morning in Burley, Idaho, and ended our night in Sidney, Nebraska – quite the day of driving!

Day 2 Highlights:

• My goal is to drive a leg in each state, but we forgot about Idaho. So, when we got to the “Welcome to Utah” sign, dad pulled over, backed up, and I took over, driving the last 50 feet of Idaho. It still counts.
• I’ve become a bit of a Rest Stop connoisseur, and Idaho has the best stops so far. Worst: Probably Utah.
• I’m much more of a leadfoot than dad, which may be our only source of conflict on this trip. :]
• Today we listed to the first half of “Assassination Vacation” on audiobook, four hours of NPR’s Car Talks, an hour of SNL sketches, and Marty Robbins’ Greatest Hits – twice.
• When we got to Wyoming, there was a paved pullout and a path to the Welcome sign. Dad announced “Oh, we’re doing this. This is happening.” and promptly pulled over for photo ops. We saw a prarie dog at the sign – we assume he was our welcoming committee?
• Little America! All through Wyoming there are signs on the side of the road to Little America, a fancy, family-friendly truck stop with 50 cent soft-serve Ice Cream cones. We stopped, called mom, and then I bought us ice cream cones, paying with quarters. because that is what adults do.
• We felt really good at the end of the night, so while we had originally intended on staying in Cheyenne, Wyoming, we decided to power through and go another 100 miles to Sidney, Nebraska.
• Today’s state count: 4. Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Nebraska.
• According to our GPS, we still have another 400+ miles until our next turn.

Pictures from Day 2:

We drove 600ish miles today (I don’t remember the exact number!) going from Oregon City, OR to Burley, ID. (side note: who knew that so many hotels in Idaho would be full tonight?! Certainly not us!)

Today’s highlights included listening to 3 stand-up comedy CDs in the car and the iPod on shuffle. We stopped in Hermiston for brunch with J and Jess and Spencer, and it was fantastic. J made mini-quiche, and I single-handedly made a significant dent in the bowl full of grapes. We also drove to Boise (driving past the Rocky Mountain Fireworks and Fur store – quite the debate over whether we needed to stop there) and had dinner with Alicia and Jef  - fantastic way to end our first day – at a great restaurant in downtown Boise with great friends!

Now we’re in a hotel in Burley, ID with very slow wireless (hence the lack of photos in this post!). We drove 30 miles past our goal, so we get to leave a little bit later tomorrow and sleep in a little hopefully!

On deck for tomorrow: 10 hours of driving through Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. If you have any suggestions for ways to stay entertained (or places to stop!) let me know!

also, dad would like you all to know that my iPod boasts a very eclectic mix of tunes – and when we set it on shuffle and let it go, we end up listening to christmas carols, the glee soundtrack, punk music and old-school hip-hop within the same hour. Dad would also like to point out that it is very likely that I will get a speeding ticket during one of my driving legs of this trip.

goodnight.

West Coast to the East Coast

Day 1: Oregon City, OR to Twin Falls, ID. Planned stops in Hermiston for brunch with Jess and J, and dinner in Boise with the Petersens!

Day 2: Twin Falls, ID to Cheyenne, WY.

Day 3: Cheyenne, WY to Des Moines, IA. Planned stops in Sydney, NE for the Cabela’s world headquarters. :]

Day 4: Des Moines, IA to Cleveland, OH.

Day 4: Cleveland, OH to Gettysburg, PA. Planned stops in Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and hopefully brunch with the Morgans!) and lots of stops to hang out with the Amish. And to wave to Millersville. (hey Jill!)

Day 5: Gettysburg, PA to Stony Brook, NY. Planned stops in Gettysburg……and STONY BROOK!

i’ll keep you updated as to whether we actually stick to the plan. :]

It’s almost go time!

Dad and I are leaving first thing tomorrow morning on our grand drive out to New York! It’s all very exciting, and a bit nerve wracking. I have a copy of the training schedule, so I know a little better what will happen when I get there. It’s still a bit unreal that it’s finally time to go – July 24th always seemed like so far away, and now it’s tomorrow!

Tomorrow I am moving across the country. Tomorrow I’m leaving behind my Oregon residency and grad student status and trading it in for New York residency and professional status.

but first, there are 3000 miles to cross.

I spy...an autzen stadium shopping bag, "Pride and Prejudice" and a wii fit board...