What would you think if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me. Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, and I'll try not to sing out of key. Oh I get by with a little help from my friends, Mmm I get high with a little help from my friends, Mmm I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends...

To say I had fun on vacation would be the understatement of the decade. I had an absolute blast spending an entire week (and a day!) with 3 of my favorite people on the planet.


A year ago when Peej asked me if I would like to come along with him to the GCN conference I said 'sure, what the heck, why not?!' I wasn't quite sure what I was getting myself into agreeing to join him for this event, but I have made many a decision not thinking things through completely. To say I'm glad I went only scratches the surface, and I was really thankful to share that experience with new friends, and old.



 The first night there, Joel and I went to dinner with my bestie from Ohio- The one, the only Andi (a frequent appearer on my blog). We went to dinner in Downtown Disney, had a heartwarming and hilarious moment in the bathroom and a crappy dinner at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant that took nearly 3 hours, which may have included me complaining to the manager only to be given a pat on the back and a "see ya again real soon" on our way out the door. Hollar. However, we did have nice conversation and we snapped a few pics because when you get Andi and I together- that is just what we do.

That night I had some quiet time in the room reflecting on my life and totally relishing in the fact that my soul felt completely renewed after being away from work for a full 24 hours. The renewal to follow after being away from work for over a week has been life changing and clearly much needed. I even began to forget I had a job!

4 am Friday morning I was beginning to show my first signs of being sick- which included a slight cough- in the darkness of the night I hear Peej making fun of me for said cough (think Zoolander and "I've got the black lung, pop") and I called him a name and we both broke out into a fit of laughter and couldn't fall back asleep. We ended up talking for a few hours and then getting up for the day. We took in all of the goodies that attending conference had to offer... I went to a few really interesting workshops which were highly applicable to my life and provided tremendous insight into what it is exactly that makes me tick. It was early to bed Friday night because Saturday morning we had to get up with the 50,000 other crazies who were either participating in the Disney Marathon or supporting their loved ones. To say this experience was one of the craziest of my life is accurate... and I'm still catching up on sleep from having to do this 2 days in a row. 

Saturday morning Joel and I put our best faces forward and went out to support our friend. We survived a near-death trampling experience, near hypothermia and starvation and lived to tell about it... not only to tell about it, but to do it all again the next day...but for double the time. Because friends, not only did Peej run the half marathon on Saturday, he ran the full marathon on Sunday. Pure insanity. 

One of us is not really excited to be there....

Please note, there are no other spectators in this area...

This area that spectators did not belong was 2.5 miles off the beaten path...

Joel and I had to walk through thousands of people to get to where we  needed to watch the race

We are smiling because we do not know what horrors lie ahead...

Epcot at 4am

HAWT

End of the half marathon! He looks so good... I hate him a little bit. 

Way to go Peej!

Jas came to town Saturday night! I had fun bonding with the boys, but I was really excited when Jas got there.  I picked him up from the airport and exchanged our minivan (that thing was sweet...it had a back up camera- loved it!). We then went out for a romantic dinner at Friendly's... it was amazing- or not. After dinner we picked up the boys from the hotel and went home and went to bed, just to be able to wake up and do it all over again... because yes friends, PJ is insane and signed up to run the 'Goofy Marathon' which was a 1/2 on Sat. and a full on Sun.- 39.3 miles. And we, his loving friends had to put up with the insanity of yet another day on the Disney grounds at 4am. I'm not sure who is crazier...

So, Day 2 of Marathoning began just as Day 1 did. We woke up, sort of, and headed over. At least this time we didn't make the same mistake of going all the way over to the corral 2.5 miles away from where we needed to be. We were able to get in position and see Peej and Arthur run past the 4 mile mark, we then hopped on the monorail and headed over to the Magic Kingdom to see them pass the 10 mile mark. It then took us nearly 2 hours to get from the Contemporary hotel where we stopped for breakfast back to Epcot to see Peej and Arthur finish. We barely made it, but we did. And we were so proud. It was really special to see our friend make such an accomplishment. I still think he's crazy.... but what else is new?! 

So, Sunday after the marathon I was exhausted. I laid down and took a 4 hour nap. By this time I was starting to feel under the weather- all kinds of congestion and coughing and just general grossness. The boys were very supportive and took really good care of me. Did I mention I was with 3 of my favorite people in the world? 

Monday we lounged, played games and sat out by the pool. It was nice to just do nothing. We all recuperated and relaxed. Peej decided to go get a massage, so Joel, Jas and I stayed back at the condo and hung out. We were watching the Bachelor and I got a text from Peej saying he'd lost the keys to the van at Walmart. How does one lose car keys at Walmart?!? We called him and asked if he retraced all of his steps, he of course said he had...and then we decided we would go up and help him look. We called a cab and the cab picked us up and took us over to Walmart... we got there and go straight to work looking high and low for these keys... no luck. We ended up calling a locksmith who came out and cut a brand new key and programmed a key fob... all for the thrifty price of nearly $300. But, in the meantime, while waiting for the locksmith Joel got us a picnic dinner from the McDonalds inside Walmart to enjoy on the sidewalk out front of the store. One of the most hilarious and pathetic moments of my life...and one I will not soon forget... 

Tuesday we got up early after our whole debacle from the night before and went to Universal Studios. It was totally worth getting up early because I got into Harry Potter world super early and did not have to wait in line. We went straight to the front of the line and rode the main ride- it was fun, Peej and I both got nauseous but it was still really cool. We paid extra for VIP passes to let us skip to the front of the line and we went on every single ride we wanted to go on in both parks. Clearly, early January is the time to go to Florida- I've never seen the parks so empty. After the horrors of Disney World for the marathon this was a welcome change. 

Joel got selected for his acting debut in the 'Disaster' ride, he was fantatsic. Just as I expected. I was sick and coughing up a lung all day long, but the Icee's kept me going. We had a great day and capped it off with a delicious meal at Bubba Gump's.. just as I requested- did I mention the boys were good to me?! :) 

Wednesday we lounged around, that was probably the day I was the sickest. I didn't move off the couch...we watched TV and did face masks (so fun!). Mainly, we did a lot of talking. It was nice to be with my friends and just talk about any old thing. Being together was the highlight of the trip. We're all big gamers so gaming was also an essential piece of the trip. 

 

On our last day, Thursday, we relaxed again, spent a day by the pool and then went out to dinner in Downtown Disney. It was a really nice way to spend our last night together. We reflected on the week and our favorite moments. Shared some laughs, and enjoyed some amazing mojitos at Bongo (delish Cuban restaurant). 

Overall, I'd say it was a fantastic week. Gave me the R&R I've so desperately needed. Gave me some quality time with great friends.  I laughed more than I have in months. Taught me a lot about myself, love and patience. And I can't wait to do it all again!