Spreading the Magic

Hey, I hope you all had a great week!  I had a nice one myself.  I really enjoyed reading all of the comments on my giveaway.  I encourage you to go through the comments and read them if you haven’t done so already.  There were quite a few touching stories shared.  I was excited to see 32 total entries :)  This morning I put you all in an excel sheet and then used a number generator to select a random number.  The number chosen was #2!!! 

So the Disney tickets go to…

Ali!!!  Congrats girl :) 

Email me at vdsamantha@gmail.com with your address so I can get them in the mail.

I really enjoyed doing this give away and will continue to do so as long as God blesses me with the resources.  I love the feeling of giving.  Not every giveaway will be Disney tickets but I’ll come up with other fun ideas too!  So follow my blog and keep checking back!

Congratulations again Ali.  Thank you for reading and commenting!  My first half is Dec 1 and my first Disney race is the half in Jan.  Hopefully I’ll run into you at some point :)

Disney Ticket Giveaway!!

Hey friends! Yesterday’s run went as well as expected.  My knees are doing better but I could feel them tightening up around mile 2.  I stopped each time they hurt and stretched my IT band.  That seemed to help.  I’m going to start gradually increasing my miles again but I’ll be taking a lot of stretch breaks and my new foam roller will be my new best friend hahah ok now to the part you all care about...

Some of my favorite Disney memories

I’ve decided to do another contest and this time I’m giving away 2 Disney tickets!  I’m blessed to have a job that provides me with several tickets each year and last year several went to waste.  In effort to keep that from happening again I’ve decided to spread the magic to my blog readers :)  My friends and family love Disney but they can only come so much.  So the rules are the same as they were for the Starbucks give away, all you have to do is comment for a chance to win :)  I know my comment section doesn’t always work on my blog so if it won’t go through you can comment on the facebook or twitter link you got this from.   But please do that as a last resort because it’ll make it more difficult for me to collect the names of all who have commented and I don’t want to leave anyone out by mistake!  Let’s keep it positive and tell me your favorite Disney memory, why you want to go, or just something you’re thankful for right now (doesn’t have to be Disney related). 

The tickets can be used at Disney World, Disneyland, CA, Hong Kong Disney, Disneyland Paris…so my international readers can comment too!

Keep in mind the new Fantasyland in Disney World opens up Dec 6 so these would be perfect tickets for a chance to see that.  And all of my runDisney friends you can use them for post race :D  I can’t wait to hang out with all of you…I’ve got to try my first Dole Whip hahaha

Other reasons to visit Disney: 

Food and Wine Festival (my favorite)

Christmas Decorations

The Osbornes light show

Spring and Garden Festival

Mickey Supreme Bars

Happy people everywhere

Fine Print Details:  They expire 6/13/13 so they must be used before then!  Please only enter the contest if you’re certain you’ll be able to use them by that date.  Also,  please do NOT sale them for any reason.  If you can’t use them, give them back to me :)  Mickey Mouse gives them to me for free so I’m not selling them and I don’t want you to either.    Also, be sure to say hi to Minnie Mouse during your visit…she wants to give you a hug :)

Halloween in Disney World!

Contest goes until Friday 9/21/12 and winner will be announced Saturday 9/22/12 so come back and check my blog then.  The winner will have 24 hrs to claim the tickets before they are forfeited to the next person.

I hope you all have a magical week!

ºoº .•:*¨¨*:•.Samantha.•:*¨¨*:•. ºoº

Seasons of Life

I’m struggling with comparisons.  Not comparing apples to oranges or triangles to squares but with comparing myself to others.  Lately, I’ve noticed rather than being thankful for where I am in life and where God is leading me, I’ve been catching myself focusing on what others have and questioning why I don’t have these things.  Everyday on my newsfeed a new story pops up informing me of someone buying a house, getting engaged, having a baby, or starting a new career.  I’m happy for the person for about 10 minutes until I selfishly start to think, “If they have that; why don’t I?  What’s wrong with me, am I not good enough?”  Sometimes I feel trapped by school…wanting to do something else/move on with my life yet I know I’m here studying for another 2 years and then an externship year.  It’s like I’m wishing my life away.  I know it’s wrong yet I catch myself doing it way too often. 

Today, I had a nice reminder from someone that this is just a season of life and it will pass.  However, I shouldn’t waste my time wishing it away and being envious over what others have.  Chances are they’re wanting what I have.  Instead of wishing I were somewhere else doing something new, I should focus on seeking the purpose of this season of life.  For me, this season means being a good steward of my time…I’m juggling so much these days, all the while dreaming of fitting in all these other things my friends have.   Today, I reminded myself for the one-millionth time that my priorities right now are seeking biblical community, being a strong student, and working hard in clinic and at my jobs.  I’m working hard at these things now so I can have the appropriate time and resources for my future family. 

I don’t need a house right now… this apartment suits me just fine.  I don’t need a new career…I’m working diligently towards one that I am very passionate about.  I’m going to try and embrace this season of life..I don’t want to miss anything God may have in store for me.

I wanted to share this with you all because I have a feeling that I'm not the only one who wishes for something different.  I want to encourage you to find comfort in knowing that every season has it's purpose even if you can't see it now.  And like every fall turns to winter and winter to spring...this season in your life will also change.  So embrace it while you have it :)

Knee Pain Stinks

So I did it, I finally broke down and bought a new pair of running shoes.  My last pair were ok for short runs but not anything over 3 miles.  The past few months of running have taught me that when I run my feet overpronate (turn inwards) especially my right foot.  After running just 3 miles I’d get big blisters on the inside of my foot.  I thought after a while my feet would adjust and they’d go away…nope.  Anyways, I could deal with the blisters but I can’t deal with this newly developed knee pain.  Whenever I run I feel intense pain on the lateral sides of my knees.  This has made it very difficult to complete my long runs and even walking afterwards is hard.

These shoes feel so much better on my feet and I have special inserts in them to keep my feet from pronating.   The guy who fitted me made me run for him...awkward…but he was just making sure that the shoes were going to work for me, which I appreciate.   I’ve decided I’m going to take a few weeks off while I break in my new shoes.  It’s frustrating because I really want to run but my legs won’t let me :(  I’m a little nervous about taking time off however my knees need a rest.  I’ve also recently lost my armband that holds my phone so I’m taking that as another sign I shouldn’t be running right now hahaha.

I hope 2 weeks is enough because I’m really looking forward to the Color Me Rad 5K on Sept 29. I’ve been doing well at keeping to my goal of at least one race a month up until the half marathons.  Worse comes to worse, I’ll just walk it :)  I have another 5K in October that’s raising money for a medical trip and still looking for a race inNovember but I’ll find something I’m sure.  I was going to do a half in Nov but with my tiny setback I’ve decided to get some more training time in and do the half here in Gainesville on Dec 1.  It’s cheaper too, so that’s another positive :)  I’m hoping that race will give me the qualifying time I want for the Disney races in Jan and Feb… I want to be able and stop to take pictures of the Characters during the race and I’m terrified of being picked up by the “sweeper” that picks up all of the slow people hahah  A qualifying time can give me the little head start that I need. 

So in short, I’m facing a minor setback but I have faith I’ll be good as new soon :)  This is only a hurdle and God can move mountains.

Lord I'm gonna show the world Your love.  I'll run, I'll run.  I'm gonna run this race to hear You say well done

Running has been one of the more challenging things I’ve decided to dedicate my time to but it’s worth it.