Hey, when can we do this again?

Big news! Tina and Julia finally made it back to the parks together...as in, at the same time!! Ok, so maybe it's not that newsworthy, but we were excited about it.

What brought us to the parks you ask? The Disneyland Half Marathon weekend, of course. It seems like all we do lately is talk about RunDisney, but between the two of us we have you covered course to course and step by step as one of us participated in each race morning. This means that we had a string of very early mornings hitting the pavement and the parks hard. This always proves a fun challenge.

Julia went all in for the Dumbo Double Dare and successfully completed the 10K and the half marathon on back to back mornings. Tina also doubled up and created her own challenge, that we believe should also entitle athletes to a special medal, and raced in the 5K and the 10K. What is fun about the Disneyland Half Marathon races is that you never know what characters you will encounter on the courses. Rather than drawing from a specific movie or universe, any and all characters can be used - which is great.

First up was the 5K. The theme for the 5K was none other than the Country Bear Jamboree. This theme alone was a deciding factor for Tina to sign up for this race. As always, the race started with the playing of our National Anthem; however, this time we were treated to a live band - a Country Bear Band and it was amazing!

All three races started and ended at the same location, right outside of Disneyland Hotel. Our first mile was located in California Adventure and then we went underground to meet up with Disneyland before heading down the home stretch through Downtown Disney. Some of the photo ops for the 5K included Big Al and Liver Lips but sadly no Trixie.

 

A pleasant change for the 5k was that all medals are actually metal and not the usual rubber medallions. Look for these new metal medals with the Super Heroes 5k and Star Wars 5k as well.  Of course, with the new medals, Disney decided to no longer print the Event Guide; however, you could receive an electronic version of the Guide and then a printed version of the course maps.

On to the 10K, which we both enjoyed...mostly. The course was great with a lot of time in the parks and behind the scenes (it was kind of fun to run by the piles of dirt that will soon enough become Star Wars Land). An eclectic smattering of character photo ops tempted us as we passed. We do not usually elect to stop for pictures during the races, but with the addition of Photopass photographers to the course these decisions have become a little harder to make.  

The theme this race was Dynamic Duos and Aladdin and Genie were the mascots. Both characters were represented along the course with photos ops along with Aladdin’s sidekick Abu and favorite princess Jasmine. This theme also inspired us to Disneybound as a Dynamic Trio (we were a group of three this time) in the park.

Finally, the half marathon. Julia will be the first to admit that she was not well trained for this event, however, she laced up her shoes and put on her bib and ran (while Tina finally had a chance to “sleep in”). She ran 13.1 miles in perfect weather and a cheerful atmosphere. There was a diverse group of performers placed along the route. In addition to marching bands and cheerleaders (which are a familiar sight for racers) there was also a Folklorico group and a Polynesian group dancing, singing, and high fiving racers with such energy that it was infectious.

These added touches help to make the miles outside of the parks entertaining and are a nice distraction from the running. As mentioned in a previous blog post, each half marathon course has its own special feature. Going in, we heard that there was going to be a spot where vintage and classic car owners lined up to cheer on the runners, but there must have been at least a mile and a half of cars lined up on the streets of Anaheim that provided a much needed energy boost on the last half of the run.

This boost was shortly followed by a run through Angels stadium (and even though we are Bay Area baseball fans we can appreciate how cool it is to run through an MLB stadium). Inside the ballpark, Julia was pleased to high-five the cheering Girl Scouts who came out and served as spectators for the runners. All of these different parts put together made for an enjoyable half marathon...the medals at the end also helped.

Once we were showered, dressed, and somewhat revived, we headed back to the parks to take advantage of the last couple days of Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration. While we never did win the Diamond Sweepstakes, we completely enjoyed the spectacle that was the 60th anniversary of the Happiest Place on Earth. So much so that we made the fatal error of sitting..in one spot...on the hard cement...for hours...waiting for the second to last performance of the Paint the Night parade. Luckily we had the cutest family sitting next to us help past the time…oh, and of course, Pokemon Go.

The stiff muscles and sore backs were all worth it to see this spectacle of lights make its way down Main Street, USA for the last time in the foreseeable future. As the catchy parade song ponders, when can we do this again? We say, see you in November friends...will you be assembling?

Hey, Where's my Shorts?!

Earlier this year, Run Disney announced a new race series into the family, the Virtual Running Shorts.  These races are a bit different than the races currently held by Run Disney in that they are not held in any Disney Park.

 

DBFF Tina decided to take the plunge and signed up for all three races.  All three you ask?  Yep, all three.  The distance of each race is 5k (or 3.1 miles) and the series consisted of three legs for a total of 9.3 miles.  You could have either signed up for one race or all three, receiving a medal (themed to a certain famous mouse) for each leg.  If you signed up for all three races, you also received a coveted fourth medal.  Tina went for the series to receive all four medals.  Each individual race cost a total of $39.00 and if you signed up the series it was $142.00 (which comes to $47 per race…. Hmmm, guess you do pay for that fourth medal after all).

All 4 Medals.  A side-by-side comparison with an in park race medal.  Same size!

Each leg had its own theme and a time frame in which to complete:

• The first leg, Yellow Shoes, was to be completed between May 15 and June 1, 2016.
• The second leg, Red Pants, was to be completed between June 5 and June 18, 2016.
• The third leg, White Glove, was to be completed between June 19 and June 30, 2016. 

  
  

  The total package!



As mentioned above, these races are virtual.  This means you can do them anywhere, you choose your course as long as it’s 3.1 miles.  These events are not timed in any real sense and there’s no first or last place.  In fact, there’s no event surrounding each race, unless you choose to make it an event by racing with family or friends.  

Many comments were posted on the Run Disney Facebook page regarding the pros and cons of this series, so let’s go over our pros and cons.

Pros:

• Much cheaper than doing a race in the park.  The upcoming Disneyland 5k was $80.00 so each race is saving you $41.00.
• You can do this race anywhere (also a con which I’ll get to)! Your favorite non-Disney park, your treadmill – anywhere, as long you walk or run (no biking allowed!).
• Disney races in the park are expensive, factoring in travel and hotel stays and you’re forking out a good chunk of change.  If you have more than one person in the family racing, that’s an additional $80 for the 5k.
• You do not have to wake up at 4:30 am!  Most Disneyland races start at 5:30 – that’s early folks!

Cons:

• You’re not in a Disney park!   What do you hear every time you go to a Disney Park?   No running.  Well, here you can run to your heart’s content (or until you run out of breath!). Running down Main Street is a pretty cool thing to do, without getting scolded for doing so.
• Motivation:  We like the energy surrounding an actual running event.   The races in the Parks are jam packed with energy – from the starting line to the finish line.  You won’t have the enthusiasm of race announcer, Rudy Novotny, and his countdown to start off your run with “Runners Ready!” Unfortunately, I just read on his Facebook page that he will no longer be the announcer at Disneyland Races.  Little bummed about that.
• Accountability: no proof of time is required for receiving your medals. This ties in with motivation, in which there really is none to complete each leg of the series.

 

In my opinion, I think they’re good.  They’re not for everybody and that’s OK.  But I like how families who cannot make it to the parks due to location and/or expenses now can bring a Disney Race home.  For me, unless they change the medals, I’m not sure I would consider participating in this one again.  Speaking of races, our next race is the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend in September.  Between the two of us each race will be covered – Tina will be doing the 5k and 10k (what she likes to refer to as the Tina Challenge) and Julia will be covering the 10k and half marathon with the Dumbo Double Dare.

Well, that’s it for now.  Until next time…ready, set, GO!

Hey, nice wings!

Julia has been in a committed relationship for the last four years. With who you ask? RunDisney, of course! Actually, both of us were inspired by the Mousetalgia podcast (when two of the hosts took up the hobby of running, with a Disney twist) to see what these running events had to offer. Neither of us were runners before, but ever since the Carsland Rally 5K way back in September 2012, the DBFF’s have frequented most of the Disneyland race weekends - the most recent Tinker Bell half marathon being no exception.

Held over Mother’s Day weekend, I was able to participate in the 2016 Pixie Dust Challenge. If you are new to RunDisney, a challenge means that an individual runner registers for both the 10K and the half marathon to be completed on back-to-back mornings (early mornings we might add). There is no monetary discount for signing up for both, but the participant gets a third medal and shirt for the effort (a little extra swag for good measure).

Each race weekend brings in a diverse crowd of athletes, but Tink is very female centered with lots of glitter and glamour to go around. The first step of each race weekend is a visit to the Health and Fitness Expo. If crowds are not your thing, you should consider going later in the day when the rush has subsided. If you fret that some of the special race merchandise will sell out there is the option to buy bundles of merchandise when you register for the race so you will be guaranteed what you want with no wait to get into the official merchandise area (which is a win win situation).

The Health and Fitness expo is a fun aspect of each race weekend. There are lots of booths and samples to keep anyone busy, but one of our favorite features are the photo ops! For this race weekend, in particular, there were four official photo opportunities.

RunDisney always has a green screen photo location that matches the theme of the weekend.

Disneyland got in on the action with a Tinker Bell Half Marathon decorated Autopia car to celebrate both the race and the reopening of the attraction in the park.

The race sponsor Pandora (jewelry, not radio) also had some magnificent wings for attendees to pose in front of. Unfortunately, the line for this was always too long to fit in with my day - obviously a huge hit. There was also a booth promoting the new Alice Through the Looking Glass movie making it look like people were themselves entering Wonderland.

With all this fun already in the bag, it was time to lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement. The 10K was a great warm-up to the half marathon. I only had a few complaints. Tinker Bell was not out for runners to take pictures with. Not sure if the weather played a part in this or not (it rained heavily preceding the start time). Also, there was an unfortunate placement of port-a-potties and water station in the same vicinity that caused a huge bottleneck and brought many runners to a sudden halt.

The half marathon also had a strange bathroom location, which, fortunately, was not on the course. Leading to the corrals it was a game of chicken between those passing through to the corrals and those eagerly waiting a vacant port-a-pot while also deftly avoiding fast opening doors. I’m happy to report the race itself went far more smoothly.

Experiencing three of the four half marathon courses at Disneyland (and yes, they are different for each race weekend), the Tink course is the one that I personally find the most boring. That is until I hit mile eight. For about a half mile leading up to this point there was a deafening roar of indistinguishable noise that hit runners in a wave of adrenaline when we found the source. The Red Hat Society was out in force to cheer and encourage each and every runner who passed. These ladies clearly know how to party! They lifted up my spirits so high I coasted to mile nine easily - which is also when I remembered I had four miles still to go and that high quickly ended.

Each time I participate in a race, I focus more on my time rather than waiting in long lines for the photo opportunities. There is nothing wrong with stopping for pictures, but these lines can get very long and cause significant damage to one’s official race time. I’m always a little bummed that I end up with no pictures of me actually participating in the event. It’s usually either bleary eyed pre-race or sweaty post-race pictures I have to commemorate the occasion. Not this time around!

With the inclusion of free (and unlimited) Photopass downloads as an Annual Passholder perk, the new partnership between RunDisney and Photopass was a welcome one. Now the DBFFs will be able to share all our race day sparkle with professional pictures. Just remember, always smile for the camera. :)

We heart RunDisney and are looking forward to September.

Hey, have you been in line the whole time?

It has taken a couple of weeks, but the DBFF’s have finally recovered from the 2015 D23 Expo. Even for pros like us, it is impossible not to be exhausted (physically, emotionally, financially) at the end of this massive event. This being the biggest Expo yet, our feet and backs sure did ache. First, we want to say that on the whole we had a great time at Disney’s official fan convention. We saw and met celebrities (unfortunately we did not bump into Johnny Depp on the show floor as predicted in our last post), collected many fun giveaways, and spent time with good friends. With that being said, we do believe it was a smart decision for D23 to make this a bi-annual event.

This time around, we decided to focus more on the show floor, emporiums, and giveaways. In past Expos we were more concerned with attending as many panel presentations as possible and, as a result, hunted on eBay for the best swag from the various booths. The panels offer guests a chance to listen to Disney Legends and learn more about Disney history. We are lucky and have gotten this opportunity on a monthly basis by having the Walt Disney Family Museum right in our backyard. The panels we did attend were star studded. It was amazing to see Johnny Depp in full character as everyone’s favorite (and guy-liner pioneering) pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Harrison Ford nearly brought down the house with his appearance.

 The consistent gem of the entire D23 Expo is the Walt Disney Animation Studios booth. Throughout each day, there are giveaways and autograph sessions with the creative minds of both Pixar and Disney Animation studios. We were not in the right place at the right time to score an official Pixar ball, so we may just have to make our own, but we came away with some beautiful autographed lithographs. This booth knows how to handle lines and crowds. On only one occasion in three days were we unable to make it through a line. Not only do they have amazing giveaways, but they also have instructional presentations and talks - who wouldn’t want to learn how to draw Bing Bong and Rainbow Unicorn from the artist that brought them to life? We also had fun with the green screen photo ops, courtesy of Disney Movies Anywhere.



Jedi Master Tina is

Did you see Julia on the App?

Speaking of photo ops, there were an abundance of them. Green screen, animated, and real-life props were readily available, with a short wait, to make for some truly awesome photos. Julia’s Muppets picture was even featured on the D23 Expo app (they did ask permission before using it). The DBFFShenanigans hashtag was in full force during the Expo as we hopped from one booth to the next. Another surprise hit for us was the Trading Card Quest. Neither of us came away with a complete set, but we did brave the long lines whenever a notification appeared in the app and we ended up with the more elusive cards from the weekend - yes, we got Hattie!  What we liked about this feature was also what we didn’t like, it brought people in contact that otherwise wouldn’t have interacted at all. In most cases, it was a good thing (thanks to a very generous trader in the WDAS line), but there were times when we met some rather intense individuals who were not treating it as a fun game, but rather an obsession - which was a turn off. 

Because of this game, it was important to have notifications turned on in the Expo app so when they flashed a new release you would know immediately. Which brings us to our next topic, the app. It’s great to have an app to help navigate the Expo, but it’s still a work in progress as it was not especially user friendly. Notifications were hard to find and clear, the map was unusable, and it was hard to keep track of the schedule the way it was presented. Hopefully it will get better in the future. Another feature of the Expo we hope improves in the future is the line situation. We offer you this tip: beware of lines that form when there is no tape on the ground, they will be a mess and result in a headache that could negatively affect your day. We don’t know what the answer is, but there absolutely must be some kind of improvements they could make so lines will move faster and be more organized.

Note to Self:  Buy stock in tape before the Expo

There were several shopping opportunities along with the panels and autographs.  The most popular stores were Mickey’s of Glendale (normally exclusive for imagineers), The Disney Store and the Dream Store.  Lines for Mickey’s of Glendale and The Disney Store started the night before and were already very long by the time the show floor opened.  The Dream Store (where you can purchase your exclusive D23 merchandise) had more manageable lines and Tina waited no more than 30 minutes.  Even though the other shopping opportunity Tina was interested in was Mickey’s of Glendale, she was not interested waiting in 3 hour lines (at least her budget was happy about this).  Neither one of us was interested in visiting The Disney Store and standing in the rumored 5 hour line.  Each of these stores distributed exclusive and limited items, which may be the reason for the long lines.  Now you could have obtained a StorePass for these three stores, but they went fast.  These passes were all distributed before the official opening of the Expo - meaning if you weren't there right at the front of the line you were out of luck. Other shopping opportunities were located in the Emporium.  This is where private vendors could sell their Disney (and non-Disney) items.  Think eBay without having to wait on the shipping.

Perhaps the fifth time will be the charm, fingers crossed! Even if it’s not we will be there in all our #DBFFShenanigans glory.

Hey...are you 23?

Who remembers those mysterious ads? Julia remembers them clearly because she was 23 at the time of the launch of Disney's first official fan club, no need to do the math and ask how old she is now. Have you been counting down the days to the 2015 D23 Expo since the end of the 2013 D23 Expo? We are a week away people, and this is no time to panic...or maybe it's the perfect time to panic. If you're anything like us, you've had a checklist growing since the trip home from Anaheim two years ago and we've got a few tips to share.

While the complete schedule won't be finalized until we have the event guide in our hands (and even then it's subject to change), that doesn't mean you can't start planning months (or years) before. Take into consideration what you're going to wear. Are you going for some hardcore cosplay or the more subtle DisneyBound?  Are you dressing up for just one day or all three days?  Putting together your outfit could take some time, so start that process ASAP. You will need your remaining sanity for the upcoming grind of a busy Expo schedule.

One thing we learned from past expos is that you collect a lot of ephemera - free, purchased or otherwise, you are coming home with more than you went with. We quickly realized that a poster tube would be helpful - to keep all those items crease free.  Another good item to have on your person at all times is an autograph book. While most autograph sessions have rules about what can be signed, we both have an emergency autograph kit, you just never know who you'll run into on the show floor. It probably won't be Johnny Depp, but a girl can dream.

Haul from the 2013 D23 Expo.

Maybe the autographs are not a draw for you and you are most excited about the various presentations that will be offered. We must caution you to not be blindly drawn to the big arena events, these can hijack your day and make it hard to do anything else. We are huge fans of John Lasseter, but the man just will not stick to the script and keep a presentation on time! Use the StagePass service that was introduced at the last Expo. Same idea as a FastPass in the parks, cuts down on wait times. On the same note, if you miss out on a StagePass don't hesitate to get in the standby line if it's a presentation you had your heart set on, there's still a good chance you will get in.

We also highly recommend bringing your own snacks and entertainment. It has been our experience that the food options at the convention center are limited and if it's a sold out day can even become non-existent. Having food in your bag can be a lifesaver as it is easy to go from hungry to hangry in no time flat at events like this. Our favorite snack is a bean and cheese burrito from Rubio's. They keep well, are easy to eat, and best of all, they're delicious. We know the official rules say no outside food, but we've never had a problem.

After a long but inspiring day, be sure to grab a beverage at a local podcast meetup (Mousetalgia is meeting Saturday at 8pm), make a new Disney friend, and get ready to repeat. You can never have too much energy stored up for Disney's D23 Expo.

The DBFF's at the 2013 Mousetalgia pre-expo meet

Hey...do you have any more glitter?

This blog post is brought to you by: Pinterest. Ok, not really, but some of our crafts ideas are!  

We’re in between Disneyland trips right now so what better way to spend that “down” time? By working on crafts, Disney crafts, of course. Now each of us is guilty of “pinning” several craft ideas on Pinterest and then completely forgetting about them. However, today is the day we actually tried a few (of the hundreds) we've pinned, there’s only so many hours in the day!

Now before you head to any Disney Park, ears are a must. Well, at least for some of us they are. These ears will take a little practice to get Mickey’s full approval, but we hope you’ll enjoy them for now. This project took a little bit of searching to find just the right tutorial, but this one is very easy to follow. Foam board is used for the ear frame and we suggest cutting this with a hot knife (also handy for cutting craft pumpkins). You can find this in the wood area of your local craft store. We also put all that scrap fabric squirreled away in the back of the closet to good use. We decided to create custom ears to show love for our favorite local sports teams.

Not into ears?  How about a hair bow? Between the two of us, we have our fair share of Disney inspired hair bows - both store bought and handmade. The ones we've personally created are among our favorites and decided it was time to put our creativity to the test again.

There are several different tutorials on the Internet. Do your homework, read a few articles and watch a couple of videos to get the feel of what's involved. Here’s a good beginner video on how to make bows. It’s not hard so don’t be intimidated - it’s only ribbon and glue! Julia made a beautiful Sleeping Beauty bow and Tina concentrated on Daisy Duck and Sofia the First bows (in preparation for the upcoming D23 Expo). We also threw in a bow inspired by Disneyland’s 60th anniversary, for good measure.

You will have plenty of ribbon to make more than one bow, so if you're not satisfied the first time, try again. As you can see with the Daisy and Sofia bows, the same solid purple ribbon was used. Before you know it, your ribbon supply will be so abundant, you won’t always have to go out and buy more ribbon.  Oh, who are we kidding, of course you’re going to buy more ribbon.  There’s a lot of cute stuff out there!

The first step we always start with is picking a character model. From there, look for identifiable features that will make your bow instantly recognizable. Once you've got an idea, it can help to get it down on paper. Whatever your drawing skills may be, working out the design beforehand makes the bow making much easier.

Here are your basic supplies for making a hair bow:

• Ribbon (various widths are nice to have and add dimension to the overall design)
• Hair clips (we lined ours with ribbon for a nice finished look.  Some tutorials use a piece of shelf liner to help hold the barrette in your hair - the stuff that doesn’t allow your dishes to slide. We mainly use the French barrette clips and alligator clips with teeth so they stay in place)
• Glue gun (careful, it’s hot!)
• Needle and thread (careful, it's sharp!)
• Embellishments (to add a finishing touch, such as the rhinestone used in the 60th Anniversary barrette)
• Lighter (why you ask? To seal the end of the ribbon and avoid unsightly fraying. A quick, and we mean quick, swipe over the flame will do the trick and not scorch the ribbon)

So now that you’re a pro at making bows and you have more than any normal head can handle at one time, how are you going to display your creations? Why, make a bow frame, of course!  Except for the frame, we already had everything on hand which, once again, allowed us to keep the cost down. This also taught us an important lesson, keep all your craft supplies - you never know when you will need something until you need it!

Here’s what we used:

• Frame (Large enough to fit your needs. We used a collage frame that was 16"x20")
• Paint & varnish
• Ribbon
• Staple gun

Once we gathered our materials, we applied a couple of coats of paint onto the frame and then finished it off with the varnish. Once that was all dried, we used a staple gun to secure the ribbon to the back of the frame.

**Pro Tip: Stretch your ribbon as tight as you can as it will loosen up over time; and don’t cut it until after you have stapled it to the frame. Trust me, this will save you a lot of frustration. Also, overlap the ends of the ribbon before stapling as it adds a bit of stability to the ribbon and it won’t fray.**

Still have your paint out? Well then let’s use it on our next craft - character clay pots. These were just too cute to pass up when scrolling through Pinterest. Best of all, this craft only cost 78 cents per pot. Hmmm, there seems to be a theme here, inexpensive Disney crafts!

 

Now we didn’t tape anything off or create a guide, we basically dove right in. On most of the pots, we sealed them first, except for one. Whether it was a necessary initial step we can't say for sure, but we did it anyway. On the unsealed pot, we used non-flat paint and it took several coats for full coverage. Please note, these pots are going to be used indoors, so we didn’t use outdoor acrylic paint, but that's another option depending on your needs.

We suggest buying flat paint because the gloss and satin paints required multiple coats causing some frustration. If you want that high-gloss finish, the varnish will take care of that at the end. Also, use a quality paintbrush. The ones we had accumulated over the years were cheap, real cheap, and we ended up having the bristles from the brush come off and stick to the project, not the best look.

Here’s what you’ll need for this project:

• Clay pots (find at a home improvement store)
• Paint & brushes (you can find paint anywhere from 50 cents (not to be confused with the rapper) to $1.50)
• Sealer (optional)
• Varnish (pick your finish, we used high gloss)
  

  
  

And now for the grand finale!  As Annual Passholders to the Happiest Place on Earth, we always have a trip planned, so what better way to look forward to that day than with a countdown? Again, there are several countdown ideas out there, so look around and find the one that suits your needs and fits your style.

The best part of crafting is starting off with an idea and it evolving into something else entirely. Julia started hers off one way and her final product came out great and much different than the inspiration! Tina had some Disney scrapbook materials laying around collecting dust and finally put them to good use. We chose a picture frame to our liking and made sure that it had a glass panel - this is needed for writing the actual days on the countdown. By using a dry erase marker on the glass, you just wipe it off and update your countdown! We look forward to updating ours on a daily basis, as in first thing in the morning...that's normal, right?

This project doesn't take too many supplies and can be completely customized, but you will need these things:

• Frame
• Scrapbook supplies
• Dry erase marker

**Pro Tip:  Most craft stores have an App that you can download on your phone that will have coupons - like 40% off coupons. Download them before you leave to make it easier on yourself (also, log in to the app before you leave). Some you have to create a free account before getting the coupons.  By doing this at home, you won’t hold up the line once you get to the store. Or, you could be retro cool and cut coupons! Either way, be prepared.**

Well, that's all we created this time around. When you get the crafting fever it just takes over sometimes. Because, let’s face it, any craft can become a Disney craft with a little pixie dust...or glitter. We have more craft days scheduled soon, and we have something a little more sinister in the works for next time.

Hurry baaaack!