Disneyland Marvel runDisney - Day 3. Race Day!

It was a 4:00 AM wake up and then about a mile walk to the start corral. When the race began at 5:15, it was still dark. There were a lot of Avengers touches throughout the course. This was on the side of the hill in Radiator Springs.

Here we are running through Cars Land.

This is backstage at Disneyland.

Finish Line!

I didn't get photos of all the mile markers. But they were all very festive.

After my long run, I treated myself to the best gingerbread I have ever tasted, at the Starbucks on Main Street.

And a shortbread, frosted cookie. Well I was going to complete 13.1 miles by the end of the day. A half marathon, so why not two cookies?

I just needed a little rest, so I plopped down on Main Street for a minute to rest my feet.

One perk of staying at the Disneyland Hotel is having the Monorail right there to pick you up and drop you off inside Disneyland.

I asked the captain and she said that I could ride in the front! To see it's a small world all lit up as we rode into the park was magical.

Poinsettias in front of the Disneyland Hotel

This Mickey statue is there to greet Guests of the Disneyland Hotel.

And here is Minnie! This was a short vacation, only two days in the parks and a fun run, but it was a much needed vacation. I love Disneyland and being there makes me happy. No matter what is happening in my life, if I am sad or sick, this is the place I can smile and cry happy tears. And being in Disneyland at Christmas is the best thing ever.

Disneyland Marvel runDisney - Day 2

I was happy to have an Elsa costume to wear to Disneyland. Usually the princess of a Disney movie is the star, but this time it's the queen. Hundreds of girls walked around dressed as Elsa and very few dressed as Anna. They are both great characters, but Elsa has so many layers that she is very real and relatable.

Carpet in the Disneyland Hotel

This is small world holiday. The facade is covered in millions of lights and it is a sight to see. I was lucky enough to be there when it was lit up and the gasp from the crowd was a great thing to witness. I can't think of any other sight in the whole world that puts me more at peace and happiness than it's a small world at Christmas.

Counting down to the new year!

There are so many touching things in the ride, and all of the lights and the sounds of the kids singing Deck the Halls mixed with It's A Small World brings tears to my eyes.

Buy all the Elsa things!

More Frozen goodies! It was a long day and I had to be awake at 4:oo the next morning to run in the three mile race. Off to bed!

Disneyland Marvel runDisney - Day 1

This was my first time staying at the Disneyland Hotel. I had stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel and the Grand Californian so I wanted to stay at the last on property hotel on my list. I stayed in the Frontier Tower. This is the waterfall and pond that is just outside of the tower.

As it was check-in day and I didn't have a pass to either park, I decided to take some time to wander around Downtown Disney. It was decorated for Christmas and I was so excited. Christmas is my favorite time of year. This tree was the centerpiece for Olaf's Ice Rink, where people could ice skate outdoors.

I had a vegetarian burrito for lunch at Tortilla Joe's. Their burritos are delicious, and seating is outside and you can watch the people walk by. This is at the walk-up, counter service. I believe there is also an attached seating restaurant with a full menu. But when I am in Downtown Disney, my mind is on shopping and I don't want to spend my time waiting for a table and waiting for service. So the fast food style is perfect for me.

I am happy that so many people have Frozen Fever. They took the Disney 365 store and turned it into Anna and Elsa's Boutique. Inside they have so many different Frozen items like shirts, costumes, ears, jewelery, ornaments, dolls, toys, and other clothing items. This Olaf is in the store and I just had to pose with him.

I could spend hours in the World of Disney. It is gigantic, about the size of a department store and just about anything you can think of, they sell. I could spend a whole hour in the toy section alone! If you want it, they probably have it. I do a lot of shopping here. I was able to pick up a few jigsaw puzzles and some small figure sets.

There are a lot of fun stores in Downtown Disney. One of them is the Lego store. They have just about every set that is currently available. They also have stations where people can sit and build things. I just like to sit on the bricks and admire the colors.

If I had an available wall, and a million Lego bricks, I would copy this look and put one in my house. I love storage and organization and I really like sorting by color. That's why I like candy stores a lot, too.

After all of that walking it was time to eat dinner. I went to the Rainforest Cafe. I had a delicious strawberry spirit. It was yummy!

I think I might have had just enough to drink because I put this frog on my head. I enjoy the atmosphere of the Rainforest Cafe. My dinner was big and I had a long day of driving and walking. I had to be awake and energized the next day so it was time for me to go to my room and sleep.