Bounty Hunter's Blend: A Dark Side Roast

It's St. Jude Heroes fundraiser time again.  This could quite possibly be one of my favorites.  I hit up my friend Chris at On a Roll Design for her creative genius and I am so excited by what she came up with  for me. 

I had the idea to attempt a T-shirt fundraiser through Booster and Custom Ink.  When I decided to move forward there was only one person I would trust to come up with the image for me and that was Chris. 

My request was as convoluted as it was simple.  Combining some of my loves into one image that I hoped other people would love as well.  She managed to combine Star Wars, my family's love of a certain Mandalorian bounty hunter and coffee and as always hit it out of the park for me. 

Introducing the design for my first ever t-shirt fundraiser.  It is active as of today and will close in four weeks on March 26th, with an estimated product delivery to you on April 11th.  Which would be plenty of time for any of my Dark Side Challengers to receive in time for race weekend. 

I currently have two options up and running the first is for an awesome charcoal grey Hanes tagless T.  It's so comfy and the design really pops against the grey.  Information and ordering options can be found here

I also have set up a Ladies Hanes X-Temp Tank in black.  This would be perfect for race weekend, for working out, or anytime you feel like showing off your caffeinated Dark Side.  Currently, the option to purchase is here, but will be combined to the above link within the next day or so.

All proceeds will go my St. Jude Heroes fundraiser for the year.  As always thank you for your support and thank you for helping provide the families of St. Jude the best gift to fight the Dark Side of Childhood Cancer.  Hope. 

Worry Less, Run More

Well, I do believe this is my first running related post in my new home.  There are several reasons, but mostly because there hasn't been a whole lot of running going on in my world. Unless you count running errands, running  little people places. Truthfully,  my treadmill had been taken over by my cat who was less than thrilled to see me back.

I could say I've been busy, which is true.  But also it's been an excuse.  I could have run.  I could have put more effort into training for Dark Side and Light Side.  But I didn't.  

I let people, things, situations and what I perceived to be other people's opinions of me take up space in my head.  Being an anxious person by nature the smallest thing can set me off and spiral down a rabbit hole.  When that happens, I tend to isolate myself and stay close to those who love me in spite of myself and my flaws.

Running took a backseat to other activities. But here's the thing, I started running to get out of my head and clear out the negative. Running has always, always, always been my happy space. I lost sight of that for awhile. 

I got the reminder that I needed in January at the Light Side 10k.  I was under trained  but I was happy.  I ran the 10k by myself and I was happy. Giddy even and I even managed to get a Disney 10k PR. 

During that time there were no worries in my head.  Just me, my playlist, Star Wars and 6.1 miles in the Happiest Place on Earth.  It was not my best time but it was the BEST TIME.

Since then I have been working my way back into consistency.  I'm rediscovering the benefits that running plays in my life.  

With that being said 2017 is the year that I am declaring that I am going  to 
Worry less and run more. Lofty goals for me for sure but I can tell you I see a difference already.

So friends help hold my feet to the fire on this one if you see me slacking. 

 

Pop for St. Jude Heroes

So it's been awhile since I have done an actual giveaway for my St. Jude Heroes fundraiser.

I've sat on this one for awhile because I've fighting my inner fangirl over keeping this one to myself.

Back in October when we went to Wizard World in Tulsa we did the Sebastian Stan meet & greet and photo opp. I bought the POP Civil War Winter Soldier with the intention of using it for a fundraiser.  

Little known fact even though I am thoroughly and unapologetically #TeamIronman I do love me some Bucky.

Anyway, I digress...here are the details for every 5.00 donation to my fundraiser between today and January 2, 2017 you will get one entry towards bringing this signed POP figure to your collection.

As you know this is my fourth  #stjudeheroes race for the children and families of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  Did you know that not only do families not have a bill while they are there, but that St. Jude also covers food, lodging and travel costs? So truly there is nothing the family needs to worry about outside of caring for their child. 

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are able to do such amazing things with your help.  Every donation goes to help them provide research, quality care and hope. 

Won't you consider donating?

http://heroes.stjude.org/suzanneran

Adventures in Roadtripping

There is no place like home.  But we do love a good vacation and equally a good road trip.

 The time we get to spend with each other away from schedules and activities makes it worth it to us.  Even the drudgery of the car is not quite so bad.  Says the lady who is comfortably ensconced in the passenger seat.  The driver might have a different tale to tell.

Holiday travel is just around the corner and as we gear up for our next road trip I thought this would be a great time to discuss our road trip tips.

Know before you go.

Whether it's a three hour trip or eighteen.  Know your route.  Compare several different driving options and pick one that makes sense for what you are wanting to accomplish. Don't just leave it to your GPS to determine your route for you.  

Know how far you want to drive in one day in longer trips.  Once you determine that find a hotel in that city and book in advance.  Trust me there is nothing quite as frustrating as being ready to stop and finding no room at the inn.  

Let me entertain you...

My role is to serve as entertainment director, referee, time-keeper, co-pilot and game show host. I switch movies, stop squabbles over chargers.  I enforce reading time, screen time and journal time.  I am responsible for keeping the driver awake. 

Have  plenty of entertainment options.  While we don't necessarily limit screen time while on the road. It is what it is. I do make sure that Mighty and Mini balance it out.  I do require reading, journaling or coloring between movies and screen time.  

We also livened it up with a Marvel Trivia box. After every stop and between every movie we would break out the trivia.This might have been my favorite part of drive. 

The Munchies

I would love to say that we do awesome creative 100% healthy snacks.  But I can't.  We do pack pre-packaged apple and grapes, and also had some strawberries and bananas on hand but that's about the extent of our healthy. We also have chips, fruit snacks, beef jerky and Turkey pepperoni. 

We subscribe to the it's not done until it's overdone theory when it comes to munchies. But it's rare to hear "I'm hungry!".  The variety helps stave off the temptations of the magical, mystery road travel centers.

Roll with it 

The toughest thing for this control freak is to roll with the unexpected.   Traffic (hello Atlanta!), weather,  and construction may slow you down but at the end it works out. 

Just enjoy whatever comes your way, planned  or not.  The road trip is not about perfection. It is all about the adventure, as  well as the family moments both good and bad along the way.

Does your family like to road trip?  what are some of your favorite aspects of being on  the road?

Turkey Day Birthday Bash

Fall is a crazy time for us.  It's not only the back to school to and the activities it's also Birthdaypalooza.

Our extended family birthdays start in September, two in October.  Then the fun begins. In we have  my birthday, 12 days later Mighty's birthday, then Thanksgiving and the week.after Thanksgiving it's Miss E's day.  Then Christmas it's a wild two months of celebrations. 

This year after a super stressful  September we decided to do something different for Thanksgiving since we have an extended break for the holiday. Enter a fortuitously timed email from Universal Resorts giving us a great deal and it just so happened to be valid during the time we were looking at.  Well, it was an offer we couldn't refuse.

So we are packing up  and hitting the road for a crazy whirlwind celebration of the birthday trifecta  and Thanksgiving.

We will be staying at my personal favorite Universal Orlando Resort, The Hard Rock Hotel.  I see lots of unwinding and time to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for this year.   

New Universal Orlando Preferred  Annual Passes  have been secured so not only are we set for the fall, we are good to go for our summer trip. I'm looking forward to celebrate Thanksgiving with our Springfield family, The Simpsons and being able to #hulkout since it wasn't open this summer. As well as some up close and personal time with our favorite Raptor.

I cannot wait for our celebration  to begin.

Are you traveling for the holidays?  

Our Favorite Things: Universal Orlando Edition.

Now that we are back in the throes of school and activities.  I'm getting a little nostalgic for our summer vacation.

We had a blast and for sure many memories were made.  We found ourselves spending more time at Universal Orlando than we have in years past. It was an amazing part of our trip  and we ended up tacking on an unplanned day at the end of our trip for more fun. Why do we love Universal Studios?  Here are my nerdy little family's top things to do and see at Universal Orlando. 

 I tasked everyone to come up with some of their favorite Universal Moments.  It could be rides, treats (holla Miss E), character experiences.  Or whatever. Here are their thoughts.

It should come as no surprise that Marvel Super Hero Island ranks at the top of the list for all of us. 

Hockey Nerd: He is a man of few words.  Especially if he thinks I'm going to use them here. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Because Spidey! Obviously.

Miss E: All things Butterbeer .  Including the Annual Mommy and Mini Florean Fortescue breakfast date.

Minion Mayhem because minions and the fart gun that smells miraculously like bananas.  

The Simpsons ride - because of big Maggie and "because there is science"

Mighty: Jurassic Park because it feels like he is stepping into the movies.  The River Adventure ride and the Raptor encounter are his favorites.

Skull Island: Reign of Kong - We were lucky enough to catch a soft opening for this before we left this summer.  Believe me when I tell you that he has not stopped talking about it.  The combination of special effects and surprises put this one over the top for him. 

Me: The Hulk roller coaster.  I was always a little nervous when it came to roller coasters. I would ride them, but I was never a huge fan. Especially if they went upside down.   The big guy changed that for me.  It's fast and fun and I love it.  Not to mention some of the views from the ride are amazing especially when "the sun's getting real low".

 I'm quite a bit bummed that we missed him this summer due to renovations.But from what I've seen now that The Hulk has come smashing back to life it's going to be amazing. I cannot wait to #hulkout.

The characters at Marvel Super Hero Island.  The diversity of the characters is pretty cool.  I love that the X-Men are well represented. I've had some of my favorite moments with Wolverine and Cyclops.

Dr. Doom is always a treat.  And where else are you going to find the Green Goblin roaming the streets free, waiting to jump out at an unsuspecting  web head.

We also have a soft spot for the Simpson's and all of Springfield.  And oh Duff Beer (for the over 21 set).  Perfect on a hot summer day.  Eating a meal in Moe's Tavern is a surreal bit of fun and has become our favorite stop for a quick bite to eat.

There truly is something for everyone and every age. Both parks are well worth a visit.  We are constantly finding new things to love.

Have  you been? What are some of your favorite things about Universal Orlando?

Taking On the Dark Side

I did it again.  I signed up for another race as a St. Jude Hero.  Every year I say I'm not going to sign up.  Every year I do.

This time I am taking on The Dark Side Challenge and like the Infinity Gauntlet Challenge this is right up my my nerdy alley. I tend to favor the bad guys.  So how fitting is it for me to combine both my love of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital while getting to be bad at the same time.

So why do I run for St. Jude?

Why do I continually  force myself out of my comfort zone?  Especially when I can just pay the runDisney race fees and call it good?  

Because I can help, even if my efforts are a just a tiny drop in the bucket, I know I've helped.  

The awkward uncomfortable stretching of myself that happens every when year I ask people to donate  is nothing compared  to what the children and the families of St. Jude face daily, even hourly. I can make myself uncomfortable  for however long it takes to make a difference for the families of St. Jude.

I run for St. Jude because I believe that they are fighting for cures.  They are fighting the ultimate dark side, childhood cancer.

I run for St. Jude because no family should ever have to worry about the cost of care for their child. No one should worry about bills or insurance. They just need to focus on their child.  

St. Jude provides Hope.  Hope for a cure. Who doesn't want to help provide hope?

I am asking you to consider donating to my St. Jude fundraiser this year.  Together let's help St. Jude defeat the Dark Side.

If you are interested  in supporting me this year my personal fundraising  link here.   Or heroes.stjude.org/suzanneran.

Thank you.