No Use Crying Over A Cancelled Disney Trip

It's been nearly a month since my last post, and I feel terrible about that. Let's just say things have been a bit hectic for this girl. It amazes me how much things can change in the matter of one month, and honestly, I can't complain. But my oh my, where do I start?

The last time I posted about regaining my freedom after my board exam. I still haven't found out whether I've passed or not, but I will know in less than a month (hopefully it will be an early Christmas present)! I also mentioned that I had slipped in my half training plan from the studying, and that it was going to hurt me during the Jazz Half. Mom and I did go to New Orleans and we finished the half, but the Jazz Half deserves its own recap, which I PROMISE I will get to (I have a few recaps I need to catch up on, yikes)! I will also eventually post about my trip to New Orleans.

My birthday was in August, as I'm sure you may know from my Disneyland Half Health & Fitness Expo Recap, and my parents were still asking me what I wanted for my birthday. They came up one weekend to help me around the house, and I had mentioned I wanted to look into getting a new front door because my is pretty drafty, and in these cold Upstate NY winters you can definitely feel it! (You also know you're growing up when you ask for that for your birthday!) However, when all was said and done, a new front door was going to cost more than I wanted to spend at this point. So my parents sent me money for my birthday, and I actually bought a new bike. Unfortunately, I can't use it until spring, because sure enough, it's snowing here now.

(Birthday goodies!)

While I was in New Orleans, my friend had text me to tell they had been offered a job promotion, but unfortunately it interfered with our travel plans for the Avengers Half Marathon at Disneyland that was about 2 weeks away, and they were now unable to go. I was a little bummed at first, but after I thought about it, I had REALLY hated running the Disneyland Half in August, so I brushed it off. I called and cancelled our hotel reservation and my flights. I lost money on the trip, but no big deal, in the long run I'd actually be saving money on food, and other stuff that I probably didn't need. I got that squared away, no use crying over a cancelled Disneyland Trip.

So, what does one do when their mini vacation gets cancelled? They plan a trip to their happy place! That's right, I kept the time I had off and decided to drive down to State College to see my friends and take in a Penn State game. I knew I wouldn't have any other opportunities to do that this fall as I have a lot coming up over the next few weeks. So I got a hold of my friend, Danielle, and just like that, I had a new "mini vacation" planned. I spent from Friday afternoon until yesterday in State College with my friends catching up.

Friday night Danielle and I took it easy. We ordered our favorite D.P. Dough, we each had a bottle of wine (I nearly finished mine, oops), and we watched Friday Bride Day on TLC. Kora, Josh's pit bull puppy made herself comfortable on my lap most of the night. She is the laziest puppy I've ever met, but so adorable!

We got up early Saturday and headed to a special tailgate at the Pegulla Ice Arena for Veterans. There was a huge assortment of food and desserts. We hung out there for a few hours and stayed warm before heading over to Beaver Stadium for the game.

(We felt like VIPs!)

(This was actually my first time in the arena, hard to believe, eh?)

We headed over to the game with Danielle's sister and her friend. Danielle had the goal of making it to one game this season before kick off because she had yet to do that. Just as we were walking into the stadium in our section Coach Franklin was walking down the tunnel with the team. It felt good to back in Beaver Stadium with 107,000 of my best friends.

(Right on the 50. Not one bad seat in the Beav)

(Let's Go State! Trying to stay warm)

We decided to leave after the 3rd quarter. It was freezing, Penn State was winning, and they just continued to fight on to a victory. We are also bowl eligible! We went back to Dani's house to rest up and thaw before getting ready to head out for the evening. We decided to go to Inferno for drinks, and my friend Jordan met up with us! He saw through the Facebook grapevine that I was in town.

(A little dark, but still good!)

Sunday was a veg day. I met up with Dani and her family to see Big Hero 6 (GREAT movie by the way, highly recommend it), and after, Dani and I went to Barnes and Noble to have coffee with her mom and gram. Sunday night I started feeling like I was getting a cold and even made the comment that I thought I was getting sick.

Monday I woke up feeling okay, and I met up with my friend Kristen for Breakfast at the Waffle Shop to catch up with her. After breakfast I went downtown to do a little Christmas shopping before heading back to NY. I also splurged on a few items for myself...

(Love.)

I started feeling worse as the day went on, and sure enough, I woke up at 4:30 this morning, and I couldn't breathe and I felt like I had a marble in my throat.

Once I got home from New Orleans I went a little crazy spending time with my friends and family. I had plans with my friends every single night up until last night, and I've been up until close to midnight nearly every night for the past 3 weeks. I should have known better than to do that. Now I need my own Baymax to make me feel better (Big Hero 6 reference). I'll definitely be veggin' most of this week to recoup. I'm also on call this weekend, so I'll have plenty of time to relax. I'll need some movie ideas for the weekend.

QOTD: Who ran the Inaugural Avengers Half? What's your favorite movie to watch when you're not feeling well?

Blue and White Weekend & Paterno Family Beaver Stadium Run Recap: Part 2

I last left off talking about being out Saturday night with my friends. Since we didn't get to bed until after 4 am, my alarm went off after what seemed like only 5 minutes. Danielle and I got around for the race dreadfully slow, however, we still had time to stop at Sheetz for coffee (yes, toasted marshmallow latte)!

We made it to Beaver Stadium a little before 10 am to pick up our bibs and t-shirts. On our way into Medlar Field we ran into some friends and stopped briefly to talk. We made our way into Medlar Field, and packet pick-up was arranged by last name. I walked up to the table (which was much less congested than the previous year) and gave the woman my last name. "Smith, there's probably 100 of us." She asked my first name, and then scrolled through the list. She looks up, "I'm sorry, you're not on the list." I told her that was weird, and that I could even pull up the e-mail on my phone that confirmed I had registered. She told me that when they printed the lists, they were told that some people did not make it on the list. My immediate thought was, well, why did they not print new lists then? Either way, it was not a hassle to get a new bib, there was a woman there specifically for that reason, and luckily I was not the only one getting a new bib at that time. Danielle and I walked over to the table where shirts were distributed, and then made our way back to my car.

Unfortunately, registration closed at 10:15, but the race was not set to start until 11 am. We had about an hour to kill, which worked for me so I could finish my coffee and hopefully not have it upset my stomach. It was a beautiful day, and the sun was pretty direct again. I had Danielle take this picture of me outside the stadium.

(Sun and blue skies for the Beaver Stadium run!)

We made our way up to the start and ran into some other friends we knew, and chatted for a minute. Finally it was 11, and we were getting ready to run. The race started and it took Danielle and I a good 2 minutes to get to the actual starting line, but we didn't mind. There were so many people out in support of the race, and even Franco Harris (Former running back for the Steelers) was announcing at the starting line. He also stated he was going to be at the finish line giving a high-five to every person that crossed the finish line! How awesome!

Danielle and I started our run, and I had my watch set so we could do intervals. It worked out nice because we were able to enjoy the rest of campus at a steady enjoyable pace, and take note of the other changes that had been made since we had graduated. One thing that annoyed us both was that there was only one water stop along the entire route! This year we didn't stop at any of our favorite places to take pictures. We made our loop around campus and once again we were by the creamery. I glanced and my watch and saw that we had a decent time even though we were still about a half a mile from the finish. I also noticed that my hands were swollen again.

We turned into the stadium (my favorite part!), running through the tunnel onto the field in Beaver Stadium! Literally, as soon as you hit that point you feel a rush of adrenaline, and just kick it in gear to get to the 50 yard line where the finish was located. I was so excited to finish, that I totally missed Franco Harris, I was on the other side of the finish chute! Hahaha!

We hung around on the field for a while talking with friends, and then Danielle and I went to Quaker Steak for a post race lunch with another one of her friends. My mom text me to ask how the race went, and asked how my hands were. The swelling was starting to go down. After lunch, we went back to Danielle's, I showered and had to hit the road to get back home... and like that, my weekend in Happy Valley was over.

I drove back to my parents to pick up my dog because she stayed with them over the weekend. I was telling my mom about what a great time I had, and she said to me, " It will always be a happy place for you. No matter how old you are, there will always be something fun for you to do there for as long as you live." That's definitely the truth, the times I have in State College go by in the blink of an eye. I keep my fingers crossed that a job will open up in my field in the area so I can move back. Mom and I continued to talk about the race, and both she and my dad said they don't want me running until I see my cardiologist (which I called to make an appointment, and they can't get me in until the end of May). I'll update you on all of that in my next post. Luckily, the only run I'm registered for before I see my cardiologist is the Color Run, so I'll just run it very slowly (or walk it).

QOTD: Is there a favorite race you run? Or a particular part about a certain race that gets your adrenaline pumping?

Blue and White Weekend Recap: Part 1

"From open heart surgery to half marathons, with a dash of life mixed in." Here is where the dash of life mixed in comes into play. As you know (if you've been following my blog or Instagram for that matter), I was in State College, PA over the weekend. It is my happy place, and I'd move back in a heart beat, no questions asked. Any way, It was Penn State's spring football weekend, also known as Blue and White weekend. I went down to visit with friends, and also to run the Paterno Family Beaver Stadium 5K (which I'll recap in my next post). I had such a great time, but since I packed so much into less than 48 hours, I am now sick. I think I'm getting a cold, but if you asked me if it was worth it - Absolutely.

I arrived in State College on Friday night, and my friend Danielle and I decided to lay low, so we ordered D.P. Dough and decided to enjoy a few glasses of wine. Well, let me just tell you what party animals we are! I didn't even finish an entire glass of wine before passing out at 10:30. Hahaha!

The next morning we were in no rush to get around because for the first time ever, we were not planning to tailgate. Another first, I was going to be attending the Blue and White game for the first time. Is it weird that I never attended one as a student? Nevertheless, I was excited to go. Now that Coach Franklin has taken over, I have been very interested in seeing what he has in store for the upcoming football season. Just from the articles I've read (and instagram selfies I've seen), he seems like a very personable individual.

Danielle and I decided to make a Sheetz run for coffees before getting around. I love Sheetz, and wish we had them in NYS - I know some people think it's weird to order food from a gas station, but they have EVERYTHING, it's made to order, and it's so good. I always order a Toasted Marshmallow Latte, they're delicious. Dani's sister made chocolate chip pancakes which were also amazing (or else I would have ordered a breakfast sandwich on a pretzel roll at Sheetz).

Danielle and I got around and we decided to park downtown and walk up to the stadium, by this time the sun was out and it was HOT. I didn't realize how warm it actually was going to be, but I wasn't complaining, just a few weeks earlier I was shoveling my driveway. It was so great to walk College Ave again with so many people in town for the weekend! Danielle and ventured up through campus, talking about all the changes since we were students. We made it to the Bryce Jordan Center and saw this cute ATT picture spot, so of course we could not resist!

We made our way across the street to a tent sale right outside the stadium. There I found a REALLY cute Nike Dri-FIT windbreaker for running (I swear it was sitting on a sale rack waiting for me to buy it, haha). I also bought a Nike Penn State Hockey sweatshirt. I couldn't resist, they were both on sale! We stopped in the suite entrance to see Dani's sister briefly, then made our way into the stadium to find a seat. We decided to sit on the 50 yard line (who wouldn't?), and of course had to take a selfie.

(I had a long sleeve PSU shirt on, but it was too warm)

The game was set for a 1:30 kick off with a few changes to the rules from past years. Since I had never been to one of the Blue and White games, it didn't make much difference to me as this was a new experience. The stadium was filling up though, so right before kick off I decided to take a panoramic shot with my phone. It actually turned out quite nice.

(Please ignore the scoreboards, they're being remodeled. Can't wait to see them when they're done!)

I read the next day that there were roughly 72,000 in attendance, which is great! Before we knew it the first quarter was over and they were getting ready to start the second when coach Franklin wanted to make an announcement to the fans. He was pleased with the turnout, and also stated that he wants 107,000 strong at each home game this year. He expressed how excited he was to be in Happy Valley, and then he started a "We Are..." chant which was amazing (Even his "Thank You...")! The entire crowd just roared and it totally made the game. He's going to fit in perfectly. Danielle and I decided to leave at the half and head back downtown, at this point Blue was up 17-0.

We went into a few stores downtown, I wanted to look around, but I could not handle the crowds inside. We decided to head back to Danielle's to get ready to go out for the evening. We were planning on going to the Shandygaff (better known as the Gaff), since I had not been there in over a year, and it is my favorite bar in State College. Knowing it was Blue and White weekend, we knew the crowds were going to be ridiculous, so we decided to head to the bar around 8:30. The line wasn't outrageous yet, and we were able to get in, get a drink, and get a table by the wall. We ran into Dani's cousin and friends, and a friend of Dani's met us out as well, and I have to say, I had the best time! We danced and sang the night away and ended up being out until about 3-3:30, and of course we had to get up and run a 5K in the morning (believe me, I do not advise that).

I will post part 2 of my weekend/race recap tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

QOTD: Is there something you just have to have when you visit somewhere? (Like I have to have Sheetz) Or is there something you have to do every time you visit a certain place?