Family Holiday 2016: All Good Things Must End

I have gone completely out of order and it is nearly February, but I am determined to finish our holiday trip to Florida by chronicling all of the final events.  The morning of our return flight we headed over to the Grand Floridian where we experienced the magic of the Supercalifragalistic Breakfast.  Yes, that is Mary Poppins and yes, the breakfast was amazing!

Poor little Evie was so sick this morning, but she put on her happy face to chat up England's favorite nanny and have a waffle.  

The girls also got to meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger who are Grandma Lynn's favorites.  Where else but Disney can you have a scrumptious, gluttonous breakfast and hang out with your favorite characters?

As breakfast came to a close the crew from Alice in Wonderland stopped by.  Lily was a tad uncertain about the Mad Hatter, but thought it hilarious when Tigger photo bombed their picture.

Alice was a lovely version of the character and the girls enjoyed taking their pictures with the woodland princess.  

It was a fantastic morning and a perfect way to cap off our trip.  Since we didn't have to be at the airport for several more hours, we went back to Disney Springs and set up camp in the movie theatre.  The girls have been asking to see the movie "Sing" so Grandma and I took them while the boys went to see the Star Wars movie.  Sweet little Evie fell asleep part way through the film which was actually quite perfect because she was able to nap in a dark place.  She woke up a little more herself.

Lily.....the amazing, unstoppable Lily.  This child went NON STOP for 10 days.  She got up early, stayed up late, played hard, then played harder, ate all her meals, played more, swam till 9:30 at night, stayed up late partying with Grandma and NEVER napped.  We all were just trying to hang with her.

We got done with the movie and sat down at a noisy Starbucks to pass the time before our flight.  It was as if she knew the trip was over.....and she finally crashed.....HARD.

She slept in the Starbucks for an hour, walked to the car and slept the 30 minutes to the airport.  She barely made it to the airplane and fell asleep immediately after takeoff.  Evie partied with me for 3 of the 4 hours, but Lily slept....and slept.......and slept.  We had finally found her end point.  This pic below says it all.  5 minutes after this picture she was fast asleep again.

Our trip was amazing, incredible and such a fun family adventure.  The girls are looking forward to heading back to Florida this summer.  All good things must end, but the Longmire Family Holiday 2016 was one for the record books!

Journey to IRONMAN: For Dawn

2 months.  Its been exactly 2 months since IRONMAN and YES, I am still talking about it.  I have spent these 2 months selfishly reveling in every part of my success.  I am an IRONMAN.  I am a part of the club.  I am a rookie no longer. It feels so good.

In all of the post IRONMAN blogs I have done many people have been thanked, but I have intentionally left my thank yous quiet for one really BIG person, Dawn.

My coach, my mentor, my friend.  I waited these 2 months to write this blog for two really big reasons. 1. I have much to say and needed to sort it all out. and 2. She deserved her own space.  As part of my success, but separated from the huge collection of thanks I gave.

So Dawn, this is your moment.

Thank you isn't verbose enough to even touch last year.  Words frankly will never be enough. While I am going to make an attempt to put into words my gratitude it really will simply fall short.  My only hope is that all last year, every day, every week of completed workouts and consistently trusting your judgment and coaching expressed gratitude. I hope that I was a swimming, biking and running thank you.

I will never forget January, 1, 2016, the day I really met you.  It was a 3 hour bike ride and I remember leaving on that bike ride praying I would be able to keep up with the powerhouse known as "Dawn Brooks."  I remember when you told me out on the Bush HWY that I was a "strong cyclist." What a compliment.  Maybe I could actually do this IRONMAN thing I had just signed up to do. Maybe......but I needed help, and you saw the need even before I did.  That day started our coaching relationship, that day changed my life forever.

You see, IRONMAN was kind of a bucket list, just finish kind of a race for me.  I hoped I would love it but knew it was going to be HARD.  I never EVER dreamed that I would find my athletic calling.  Never did I dream I would be as strong as I am.  Never did I dream I would be sitting here saying to you:

Because of you I believe I can go to Kona.  Because of you, I believe I can qualify for Boston.

You have helped me open doors and understand abilities I denied myself claiming the "impossible."  Because of you I know I AM Possible.  I know I am able.  I KNOW.

Because of you.

That's a big mark to leave on a life..

Thank you for seeing in me what I couldn't see in myself.  Thank you for asking more than what I thought I could give.  Thank you for not accepting mediocrity and for demanding I TRI harder.  Thank you for teaching me that "just finishing" does not mean you can't finish in the top percentage of your age group.  Thank you for teaching me that greatness does not come overnight, but it will come. Through a relentless belief that you can, consistent training, proper planning and trusting the process.  There is no limit.  You just have to decide how hard you want to work.  Thank you for teaching me to look bigger, dream bigger, sleep more, give more, go slower, race faster and find that place deep within that knows without doubt, I AM.  Thank you for teaching.  Thank you Coach......for coaching.  I am forever in your debt.

I am beyond happy to share my success with you because you, dear friend, earned it too.  Thank you for your unwavering commitment to bettering me and bettering yourself as a coach.

Which also brings me to RACELAB.  RACELAB coaching does indeed help you "get there faster,"  The entire RACELAB way creates excellence, camaraderie and an unwavering focus on the pursuit of greatness.





I am grateful, Dawn, that you introduced me to RACELAB and invited me into a coaching environment that helped me indeed get there faster.  I am excited and proud to be a part of the RACELAB family and look forward to improving myself.  It is through you, and AZ TRI CLUB and the people of RACELAB that I have found my place.



Thank you Dawn, for everything.  You and I have a lot of work ahead of us, and yet I for one am so peacefully excited knowing that whats ahead is SO VERY POSSIBLE.

Family Holiday 2016: Animal Kingdom

For our last full day of vacation, we soaked up the sun and animals at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park.  I LOVE the Animal Kingdom and knew that my girls would love it too.  We got there bright and early so that we could see the gorgeous parrots make their rounds over the entering guests.  It really is a sight to behold when you have 8 gorgeous, colorful birds swooping down over you close enough to touch.  What a sight.

This day was also my favorite because we found a Starbucks.....with no line.......in the park.  AMAZING!!!! We grabbed a quick breakfast and a good dose of coffee.  It started the morning off just right AND in the process of breakfast, Lily lost her 3rd tooth!  Lucky day!

Our first stop of the day was the Kilimanjaro Safaris.  This remains one of the highlights of every Animal Kingdom visit I take.  There are animals everywhere and sometimes you can even get a giraffe to come right next to the truck.  With so much to see, the girls bounced from lap to lap and side to side.  It was so much fun to see all of the African animals.

Following our Safari, Bob and I had a mini date up (and down) Expedition Everest while Grandma and Grandpa explored some of the animal exhibits with the girls.

Lily and Evie met some Jungle Book favs........

....and experienced social grooming.

For lunch, we all got to go to the world of the Rainforest cafe.  It is such an immersive place and a great dining experience.  It fit right into our day and girls enjoyed it immensely.

Our last big adventure of the afternoon was 2 fold.  1, to ride the Kali River Rapids and 2, to see the Festival of the Lion King.  We all got in line for the River Rapids and suspected that we were all going to get wet. 

We ended up in a 12 person boat with just the 6 of us and instead of spreading out over the boat we all sat on one side (I blame the Disney "guide").  SO............we successfully all got soaked.  Poor Evie and I got completely drenched when a near tidal wave managed to pour over us.  We all had a blast and found ourselves laughing at the notion that we "might not get that wet."

Miss Evie spent the 10 minutes following the ride yelling, "I'm SOOOOOAKED" to anyone who would listen.  I could not stop smiling.

After our shower, we all put our jackets on and snuggled together for the air-conditioned stage of the Lion King Festival.  This show too remains a personal favorite.  It's so wild and mesmerizing and grand and beautiful.  I especially love to watch the dancers dressed as parrots.  They literally get to fly over the audience.  I would so do that.  

We left the Animal Kingdom before the evening came and headed to our digs for the night, the Aimal Kingdom Lodge.  This was such a treat.  The Lodge is incredible in every sense of the word.  You are surrounded by animal preserves and giraffes walk right outside the rooms.  Everything about it was incredible and I found myself wanting to soak it all in rather than have my camera in front of my face.  It was breathtaking and an experience I will not soon forget, plus, we had bunk beds in our room!

Family Holiday 2016: Epcot and Hollywood Studios

Oh dear.....I got behind.  It's half way through January and I still haven't finished our Holiday Trip!  

After our lovely time on the beach at Grandma and Grandpa's house, we made our way back to Orlando and the wondrous world of Disney.  We made camp at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort and quickly gathered our stuff to head to Epcot.  

Grandma Lynn was a brilliant planner when it came to Epcot because we only had 1/2 a day there which was perfect for the 2 little girls.  It was New Year's Eve so the crowds were heavy, but we managed to really enjoy ourselves over in the aquarium world of Finding Nemo.  

The girls played in the shark and ran around taking in all of the sea life.  We even got to watch a dolphin show in which a dolphin was trained to "Smile!" on que.  Bob caught the moment perfectly and Lily LOVED the show.  She and Evie are very into the famed dolphins Winter and Hope so this was such a treat.

We had Turtle talk with Crush and watched one of the Disney Divers do her thing in the tank.  

We were treated to a real wonderful experience with Dinner at the Coral Reef.  Imagine, a quiet dining experience under the sea.  So much fun.  The absolute highlight of the day however, was the evening show of Illuminations!  It was an incredible water and firework spectacular and the girls loved it.  Lily is unsure of loud noise, but Grandma brought her noise canceling headphones and Lily was in heaven.  She still talks about that special show!

We had somewhat of an early night that night because I wasn't feeling well and Evie had fallen asleep during the fireworks (impressive, I know!)  Bob was in the throes of respiratory flu and I knew I was falling victim.  We got home, got some drugs and went to bed.

We were back at it bright and early for Hollywood Studios.  After a good dose of advil and Bob's flu meds we were all off to the races and excited for what we would discover.  I will say, this day was my favorite.  The park didn't get busy until into the afternoon and the girls were so engaged with all of the shows, characters and rides.

While me, Grandpa and Bob hit up the big attractions like the Tower of Terror, Grandma started the day off with cotton candy which was the PERFECT fuel for Jedi Training camp.  Lily was such a great sport and jumped into Star Wars with all the force she could muster.  Grandma had bought her these colorful hair clips and she wanted all the rainbow in her hair for her Jedi debut.

Lily confidently walked on stage with ease and wielded her lightsaber well.  At the end of her training session she had to face the ultimate test, DARTH VADER!  She stood before and did her part to defeat the darkness!

.....and they were victorious in their quest!

We had the best time at the Frozen Ever After Sing a long show and the girls were delighted when once again Elsa made real snow in Florida.  The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent meeting and greeting some of the girls favorite Disney Junior characters......

Like Sofia the First......

And Doc McStuffins

They Even met a special happy snowman......

And Jake the Pirate......

We ended the day at the ever popular FANTASMIC show over the water.  It was such a great way to end our evening.  We got back to the hotel and found our pillows for a quick sleep before taking on our last day in the parks.

A walk on the wild side in Disney's Animal Kingdom.