What a great day for a run!

Yesterday, Brett and I took part in Briggs & Al's Run & Walk for Children's Hospital. I was amazed at the turnout on such a cold day in Milwaukee!

Approximately 15,000 people came out to participate in the 8K run and 3- or 5-mile walks through downtown. Children's Champions, former and current hospital patients, cheered on runners across the course. I had chills and was choking back tears as some of the Champions braved the cold and held up signs thanking the participants.

Marquette University's Pep Band, Men's Basketball team and cheerleaders were all on-hand to greet runners. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee cheerleaders and Victor E. Panther met participants near the 4-mile mark.

I can't say enough how proud I am of the people who came out. We saw license plates from all across the country. Thank you for supporting the great work that Children's Hospital of Wisconsin does!

Check out my guest blog on DisneyFoodBlog.com

AJ over at DisneyFoodBlog.com asked if I could write a quick review of Tokyo Dining. Check it out over at the site!

In case you haven't checked the site out before, it's a great resource for everything food at WDW. Because we all know that food is the biggest attraction there!

Haven't had much to say...

So sorry I haven't posted lately. I was just clicking through and noticed I actually have comments from people who follow me. Thanks so much for reading! I never thought my life was actually that interesting, but what do I know?

Well, I'm going to be guest blogging over at DisneyFoodBlog.com next week. I'm stoked for that. I'll be writing about Tokyo Dining at Epcot's World Showcase.

I promise I'll try and be better at updating this for the rest of the year. There's quite a bit going on...my 10-year reunion in a few weeks, the diet plan and, of course, keeping you updated on Disney news.

Funny thing - Brett wants me to start a side job. Planning other people's Disney vacations. I feel strange about taking people's money for something that I just love to do. But I can offer a complete service from start to finish from planning day-to-day itineraries, offering restaurant hints, and offering tips for scrapbooking to creating video montages (thanks to the new iMac).

What do you think? Is he right?

Scary thoughts

I've been undergoing tests the past few weeks. I wish I could say it was for something happy like I'm about to have a baby. But no. These aren't happy tests. They're actually kinda scary.

I almost collapsed at the gym two weeks ago. I thought I was having a really strong asthma attack. My arms were tingling. My head was fuzzy. My eyes were blurry. I couldn't even sit up. I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I went to the doctor a few days later. She started taking my oxygen levels. My blood pressure. My pulse. Something just wasn't right.

She came back saying that I have slight anemia. Nothing new. I've been taking iron pills to help my iron levels for about six months now. I've always had a blood clotting problem.

But, she was worried that this incident just wasn't another asthma attack. My inhaler hasn't been helping. I've been fatigued for the past few weeks. No energy. Sleeping most of my free time. I'm out of breath just walking a short distance. I can't carry groceries. I can't stand up from my bed without getting dizzy. It's been a complete 180 from the person who just finished a 5k run in March.

As I sat waiting in the doctor's office by myself, it was like sitting in some movie. "I'm worried it could be a blood clot..."

The words just trailed off...echoing in the back of my head.

I'm screaming inside, "What?!?"

"You need some more tests. I'd like you to get a stress test, get a chest x-ray and get some blood drawn," my doctor said.

The worry that goes through your head is unimaginable for a diagnosis such as a blood clot. "What could happen to me?" "I just got married..." "How did this happen?" "What about my family and friends?" "How can I stop it?"

Now, I have to go back for more tests. The scary, worrisome thoughts are coming back even stronger. I was up at 3 a.m. in a cold sweat, crying in fear that something will happen to me in my sleep. "What happens if I have a clot and it moves?"

I know nothing has been officially diagnosed. But this is such a terrifying experience for me. Why do I not have any energy? Why am I having so much difficulty just breathing? When can I go back to exercising?

I have to undergo a test on Friday called a ventilation/perfusion scan. I have to breathe in some low doses of radiation and also get injected with radiation. Then the radiologists will check to see if my blood vessels are moving blood and if my lungs are moving air. If they see the radiation pooling in areas, they can tell if I have a pulmonary embolism, or clot. Read more about the procedure.

I can't wait for the next few weeks to be over. I want the these scary thoughts to go away. I just want to be OK.

Help the kids at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

This year's Briggs & Al's Run & Walk for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is Saturday, Oct. 10, in Milwaukee. Take part in one of the largest combined run/walk events in the United States. Your donation goes directly to the patients at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. You can take part in a 3- or 5-mile walk, or 8k run along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Donate now or learn more at www.alsrun.com!

Forming team for Sarah's Stride 2009

Hi everyone,

This year's Sarah's Stride to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Milwaukee is taking place on Saturday, May 16, in Hart Park in Wauwatosa. If you're interested in joining the team, please contact me via e-mail or Facebook before April 15. Registration is $20 for individuals and an additional $75 for teams. Fees are due on May 4.

When you sign-up, you receive a long-sleeve wicking T-shirt, drawstring backpack and goodies, finisher medal and refreshments. Distances are a 5k (3.1 mile) run or 2-mile walk.

Learn more at www.rmhcmilwaukee.com or www.badgerlandstriders.org. Please consider helping this great cause! You don't have to be a professional runner! Trust me, I'm far from it!

Dining Review: Liberty Tree Tavern

We had ressies at 8:40 for Liberty Tree Tavern. We were all suddenly really hungry after waiting in line for Splash Mountain for almost an hour.

Brett and I had done this one for our honeymoon but John really wanted to try it again. The restaurant was not nearly as full as it had been previously for the character meals.

The food hasn't changed much in a year. It's still the same traditional family-style meal. Starters include a garden salad with raspberry vinaigrette, hot rolls and butter. Then, turkey with gravy, stuffing, ham and a mustard sauce, roast beef, mashed potatoes and Stouffer's mac & cheese. Then, apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

It was a filling meal but no sparks were flying. We were stuffed by the end and needed to find a bench before heading off to Extra Magic Hours.

A huge family from Australia was next to us. At least 12-14 people. It was loud! We could obviously tell they hadn't had root bear before because they were all passing around one glass and saying how much is wasn't like sasparilla and how it tasted like medicine. If medicine tastes like that in Australia, I need to move there.

Our server did a great job of refilling items for us. He was almost too quick with getting drink refills.It's a good meal for picky eaters. But the drawback is the price. They haven't changed the price since getting rid of character dining. It just isn't worth the price minus the extras now. I'd go back in the future, but only if they reduced the price or brought back the characters.

Dining Review: Tokyo Dining

We originally were supposed to eat at Narcoosee's on Saturday night after the 5k. But we were tired and didn't want to spend as much money with the current state of the economy. So we decided to insert an alternative table service in its place on our last day. Well, we managed to fit two table service meals in its place and probably came about even if we had gone with our original plan.

One of the restaurants we decided to try was Tokyo Dining for sushi. We've recently been on a huge sushi kick and enjoy finding new places that have exciting, experimental choices.

None of us had ever actually been to the Japan pavilion at World Showcase, so there were a lot of firsts. There are beautiful ponds and gardens in the pavilion. The large ceremonial temple still has scaffolding and a huge tarp around it due to renovations. The Cast Members in the entire area were the nicest I have encountered.

Tokyo Dining is located on the second floor above the Mitsokoshi shopping area. It shares the space with Teppan Edo. There were definitely more people trying the teppanyaki-style dining experience where the teppan chefs prepare your food in an entertaining way for you.The CMs at the entry all wore traditional kimonos. They bowed as they greeted you (your servers did as well).

A large picture window overlooks the lagoon (it must be great for Illuminations.) A center dining area has tables and gives a front row seat of the sushi chefs and a large plasma screen that plays calming images of flora and fauna.

Our waitress was so sweet! She bent over backwards for any needs. First, she brings a warm wash cloth and instructs you its to refresh your hands. The menu isn't extensive as some places but there are a few new sushi items that we haven't seen elsewhere.

We each end up trying something different. I tried the Bento box (a mix of tuna sashimi, seaweed salad, steamed rice, teriyaki beef and tempura veggies). It was fabulous. The fish had a great flavor. The seaweed salad was a nice surprise. It was very refreshing. The tempura batter was one of the lightest I have ever tried. It actually stuck to the veggies well and had a great crunch.

Brett had a Spicy Philadelphia Roll, yellowtail sashimi and salmon roll. John had tempura shrimp, squid sashimi, and yellowtail. Everything was amazing. The Spicy Philly roll was something we haven't seen anywhere else. I normally don't like cream cheese in my sushi, but the smoothness of the cream cheese provided a great cooling effect to the spicyness of the rest of the roll.

Tokyo Dining also provided us with a special anniversary dessert slice of chocolate ginger cake. It was really good! I love ginger so much and never thought it would be such a great compliment to chocolate. It wasn't too decadent. (Photo)

Overall, Tokyo Dining is now one of my favorite Disney dining destinations and one of the hidden gems at World Showcase. The entire experience was fabulous. The only downside was the price. It wasn't quite as competitive as other choices you could make at the world or in comparison with other sushi restaurants, but service and ambience more than make up for it. We will definitely be back!

Dining Review: Boma (breakfast)

Brett and I had already enjoyed Boma's dinner buffet during out Disneymoon last year. We still can't stop raving about it. So, when we started planning this trip, we knew we wanted to go back and try breakfast. John was a little apprehensive about it, but I think he warmed up to it pretty nicely.

We had a 7:50 ressie on Friday, March 6. We were running a bit late anyways, but it didn't help that Security was amped up (I heard rumors Britney Spears was staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge during the same time so they limited incoming guests) and they were checking our driver's licenses and calling the restaurant to confirm our dining reservation even though we gave them a confirmation code.

The restaurant was barely full at that time of morning. We could see the pool from our table, steam still rising off the water's surface. I'm still amazed at how gorgeous the lodge's architecture really is from the thatched roof to the savannah. I was carefully examining all the kitchens and the space that Boma takes up is immense.We were taken to our table promptly.

The Cast Member gave DH and I a "Celebrate Today!" card for our 1st anniversary signed by all the CMs in their native languages. It was really touching.The layout of the buffet is similar to dinner.

On the far right hand side is the carving station (it had cured ham and corned beef for breakfast) and traditional African fare such as bobotie (it seemed like a spicy version of grits to me) and fried tomatoes.

There was an area that had waffles, sausage, bacon and already prepared eggs and omelettes. But there was also an made-to-order omelette station. I had the chef make a bacon, mushroom and cheddar omelet. It was huge, but well worth it! There was a large selection of dry cereals, breads and muffins. The banana bread was excellent. Brett and John both really enjoyed the sausage. They said it had a great smoky flavor.

Boma's signature juice - a mix of guava, mango and papaya was a great starter for the morning. I also love the paper straws they have at the lodge and at Animal Kingdom park. Finally, our server brought Brett and I special dessert to celebrate our anniversary. (Picture with our card.) Even if it was only 9 a.m., they were fantabulous!

Overall, I really enjoyed breakfast at Boma. There's enough of a selection for even the pickiest of diners. The restaurant was still barely full by the time we left, so I think it's a nice quiet option for adult travelers or those with older children. I would go back in a heartbeat for both meals!

Dining Review: Cape May Cafe

We visited Cape May Cafe on our first night (Wednesday, March 4). We had a 7:30 ressie. John and I absolutely love Yacht & Beach Club for its ambience. It was Brett's first trip there, so I hope he liked it just as much. None of us had ever been to CMC.

Brett and I have lived in Boston, so we have all had a traditional New England clambake. While this isn't "traditional," the fare was average. There were ample amounts of selections on the buffet for both seafood and non-seafood eaters.

The Cast Members who greeted us were energetic and gave us the lay of the land. They showed us the designated areas for soups, salads, seafood, kid's choices and **of course** dessert!

The colorful inside is a beach theme with beachside umbrellas and awnings, sandcastles, and light wood finishings. The tables were covered in large white pieces of paper and crayons were stocked in little metal buckets. (I had a ball coloring a little Cinderella castle with fireworks and a dog! See picture.)

There was everything including mussels, clams, herb-baked salmon, corn-on-the-cob, fruit salad (it had a little too much mint for my taste), barbecued chicken and prime rib.

The items that stick out to me was the clam chowder. It's hard to get a good clam chowder, but I liked that there's had a hefty amount of meat (you could actually tell they were clams) and there was even the grit of the sand (I like that...I know others who don't.) I also really enjoyed the Oreo Bon-Bons. It was an Oreo sandwich cookie covered with a vanilla/chocolate mousse and then covered in milk chocolate. Really good! The cookies on the dessert bar were a tad dry. I like a chewy cookie. But, the Key Lime pie tarts were a tasty and spring-like alternative.

Overall, our service was a bit spotty. It took awhile to get beverages refilled. The food was good, but nothing to really write home about. I think you can get a better deal at other buffets such as Boma or Crystal Palace in regards to both food, ambience and service. If we were pressed for ADRs on a future trip, I would give it a try, but it's not on my "must-do" list.