A Sweet and Slightly Lost Adventure at Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long

My love of s’mores and those feisty little chipmunks, Chip and Dale, made Disney’s Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds an absolute must-do for me. Getting there was easy thanks to Disney’s bus transportation, but finding the exact location of the event? That was a different story. Maybe it was my lack of a sense of direction, but let’s just say Fort Wilderness is huge—with multiple trails, breathtaking scenery, and golf carts zipping around like they own the place. I was tempted to stick out my thumb for a ride more than once.

After wandering a bit, I finally found the Meadow
Trading Post area, where the fun would take place. And, true to my usual habits, I arrived way too early—a solid 30 minutes before anything even started. Better early than late, right? 

This same area is also where they show the outdoor movies, and there was plenty of stadium-style seating available.

I had assumed that marshmallows were complimentary and that you only had to purchase the chocolate. So, I came prepared with some leftover Ghirardelli Easter squares, thinking I was about to make the most gourmet s’mores imaginable. Spoiler alert: I was wrong—nothing is free, not even the marshmallows.

If you want to participate in making s’mores, you need to buy a s’mores kit for ten dollars. It comes with everything: a stick, marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers—enough to feed half the campground. Since I couldn’t possibly eat it all, I ended up giving my extras to a family with several kids, which felt like a win-win.

Before the fire was lit, Chip and Dale led a game of Charades, which was hilarious to watch. The kids had a blast guessing, and those chipmunks were just as mischievous as ever.

Once the campfire was ready, everyone who had s’mores kits headed over to roast marshmallows. There is nothing better than a s’more made over an open fire. Absolutely nothing.

Then, the Sing-A-Long began. Our entertainer, a very talented guitar player, led the crowd in fun, familiar tunes before Chip and Dale took the stage for a short comedy routine. It was classic Disney charm at its finest.

After the show, the movie under the stars started, but I had to head out early. Why? Because I had to be up at one in the morning for the 10K race of the Springtime Surprise race challenge. What was I thinking? My plan was simple: head to the buses and get back to my resort.

Well… it would have been simple if I had any sense of direction.

Now that it was dark, finding my way back was even worse. After wandering aimlessly for thirty minutes, I finally stumbled upon one of the Outposts and begged a Cast Member for help. She suggested I take the boat across Seven Seas Lagoon to Magic Kingdom and then catch a bus back to my resort.

Great. Except… I then spent another fifteen minutes trying to find the boat launch.

Eventually, I made it out of Fort Wilderness, but let’s just say next time, I’m bringing a map or a GPS.

Despite my navigational struggles, the Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long was an absolute delight. If you love s’mores, Disney magic, and a little chipmunk mischief, it’s definitely worth checking out—just be sure to know how to get back when it’s over. 

To watch all the campfire fun on my YouTube channel, just click here

Discovering the Magic of Garden Rocks Concert at Epcot

As many times as I’ve been to Epcot, I never knew they had concerts—free concerts, no less! During the International Flower and Garden Festival, they host a fantastic lineup of performances known as the Garden Rocks Concert Series.

I happened to be at Epcot during the 2024 Springtime Surprise Race Weekend, and the featured performers were none other than Plain White T’s. The concerts take place at the America Gardens Theatre, located right in front of The American Adventure attraction. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. However, I opted for the Garden Rocks Concert Dining Package, which offers preferred seating when you dine at one of the participating restaurants in Epcot. The cost is just under $100 and you have many restaurants to choose from.

My concert time was 6:45 PM, and my dinner reservation was at 4:10 PM, giving me plenty of time to enjoy my meal at Rose & Crown in the United Kingdom pavilion. The package included an appetizer, entrée, dessert, and a non-alcoholic beverage. Of course, I also indulged in a Cider & Blackcurrant Imperial Pint, and it was absolutely delicious!

Here’s what I ordered:

• Appetizer: Scotch Egg – A golden-fried, hard-boiled cage-free egg wrapped in sausage with mustard sauce. Since I’ve had it before and loved it, this was an easy choice!

• Entrée: Bangers and Mash – English sausage with colcannon potatoes, mushrooms, onions, and red wine demi. I usually go for the Shepherd’s Pie, but this was a great alternative. I’d order it again and again!

• Dessert: Sticky Toffee Pudding – Steamed pudding 'cake' served with warm vanilla custard and hot butter-rum sauce. No hesitation here—this was a must!

After dinner, I headed over to the theater, where I received a wristband for my dining package. This wristband granted me early entry—a full 30 minutes before general admission. For the first time ever, I had front-row seating at a concert, and it was incredible!

The 30-minute performance flew by, but it was beyond enjoyable. To my surprise, I found myself thinking that Tim Lopez was the standout vocalist of the night. Sorry, Tom Higgenson, you’re still great, but Tim’s performance, especially a song he wrote during a tough time in his life, gave me goosebumps. Of course, they ended the night with their iconic hit, “Hey There Delilah”, which had the entire audience singing along.   

If you’ve never attended one of these concerts, you absolutely should! It’s included with your theme park admission, unless you opt for the dining package. The best part? These aren’t just local, unknown artists—they bring in top-tier bands and vocalists. While there are no bad seats in the house, seating is limited, making the dining package well worth it for priority access.

Next year, when I return for the races in April, I’ll definitely be booking the Garden Rocks Dining Package again.

Want to see my concert experience? Click here to watch it on YouTube! 

My Success Story!

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of 2022, I had fully intended to blog my entire journey. I had heard that writing down your thoughts and feelings is very healing. Well, that never happened. However, I did vlog the whole process on my YouTube channel. That playlist can be found here Race to Recovery. Doing this seemed to take my mind off what I was going through. Setting up cameras, thinking up content, editing, and posting took so much time that it distracted me from the reality of my situation.

 Now that it is all behind me and my recovery is over—minus the bi-yearly oncology appointments and daily medications—I have time to reflect on my journey to recovery. It was seven months from diagnosis to recovery. In the grand scheme of things, this is a blink of an eye. While some cancer patients undergo long treatments of chemotherapy and radiation after their surgeries, I somehow escaped these procedures and was able to return to normal life relatively quickly.

 I learned two things from this terrifying event. First, early detection is the key to survival. I will never again be afraid of or delay my breast exams and oncology appointments. Secondly, love and support come from the most unexpected places. Most people, if asked, would say the time they spent dealing with cancer was the most terrifying time of their life. For me, I can’t say that. I look back on those months confined to my house with fondness, almost a happy feeling. I say this because there was not a day that went by that I didn’t receive a phone call, text, Facebook message, card, or package in the mail. People I had never met but who knew me from social media reached out to me. People as far away as Europe sent thoughts, prayers, and gifts to cheer me up and help me through the sad days of waiting for test results. They rejoiced with me during the good times and consoled me during the bad times. For this, I will be eternally grateful.

 Here is my heartfelt thank you to everyone who reached out to me. I truly believe the success of my recovery was made possible by those who kept me motivated to continue moving forward and to never give up. For this, I will be forever grateful.

 To watch my recovery journey, check out the playlist on YouTube just Click here!

2024 Ta Ta Dash

 

This is the first year for the Beyond Pink Ta Ta Dash. The proceeds will fund advanced breast screening technologies. This is something very dear to me since my own battle with breast cancer last year. This race is non-competitive, however there are prizes for the overall winners. So if you want to compete, make sure to start in the front of the pack. Runners are encouraged to dress in pink and have fun. This is a very relaxed race. Distances offered are 5K, 10K and a kids 1/3 miler.

I was so happy my friend and her granddaughter could join me. It' always more fun to run (walk) with other people, especially someone as fun as her!!!!

There was very little in terms of pre-race activities and no photo opportunities. The swag included a cotton t-shirt (very much appreciated since it was freezing this morning). And the color matched perfect with all the Pink.

You also received your bid this morning as there was no day before packet pickup. There was also a pen from one of the sponsors and a refrigerator magnet with measurement conversions. This I really liked, and it went on my frig immediately.

I don’t believe there was much planning regarding the restrooms since the porta’s we used last month for the Shamrock race had not been cleaned and were unavailable. The alternative was to use the parks’ facilities which were limited to three unisex restrooms. I stood in line for 15 minutes pre-race.

The race was on time (always a plus) and as soon as the count down began, the sun appeared. Hooray! This was the same course as the Shamrock shuffle and the 5K had one aid station handing out small bottle waters. I love this course in Riverfront  park, all the bridges and the river was beautiful this morning.

As with all breast cancer runs, many did wore pink, some had tutu’s and more.  I of course was all decked out in my pink attire.

This was a timed race, and overall winners did receive an award. The race registration was affordable at $35 with the option to contribute additional funds for cancer research.

There were no post race refreshments, but again this was their first event and getting sponsorship can be difficult. I didn't mind since we headed over to Kendal Yards and had a late breakfast at the Crepe Cafe. Can't beat a good crepe and mimosa, plus I am all for supporting local businesses.

For being their first year, I thought this was a wonderful experience and talking with the participants most were breast cancer survivors or currently going through treatment.  

Good cause, great people and anytime I can wear a pink tutu, I AM IN!

Check out my race recap on my Youtube channel, Click here!

 

2024 Shamrock Shuffle

There are a couple of race options in Spokane for St. Patrick's Day. I usually run the 5 miler put on by BRRC, this is the same organization that puts on our annual Bloomsday race. This year however, I decided to try a different race and boy am I glad I did.

The Shamrock Shuffle is organized by Negative Split and registration is through runsignup.com. They offered a 5K, 10K and Half marathon. I did the 5K, but next year I may do the 10K or half only because the route is so beautiful.

The race start and finish is located at the North Bank Shelter of Spokane's Riverfront Park. This is also where Gear check was located for those that needed it.

Pre-race entertainment was provided by local mascots, I snapped a photo of Doris the Spokansaurus from our baseball team, the Spokane Indians, I actually took some video of her as she did a little dance and blew me a kiss.

There were also some inflatables for photo ops. Just ask a runner to snap your photo, everyone was so friendly.

Prior to sending us off, we did a pre-race workout with stretches and a little cardio to get us warmed up. There were no aid stations for the 5K and that's fine for me. If you are doing the 5K and need hydration make sure to bring your own. There were two aid stations for the 10K and five for the Half Marathon. There were ample portable toilets at the start and for those longer distances, there were facilities at each aid station. One thing that made me extra happy, we started ON TIME!

When I say this race course was gorgeous, I really mean it. 

The entire course of the 5K ran around the Spokane River which flows through the middle of Riverfront park. With the weather being sunning and warm it was the best!

And can we talk about medals................

Early race registration was $35.00, I think this is a steal. Especially since we receive a really nice finishers tech shirt and a great looking metal along with the post race food. There was so much food; bagels, bananas, scones, chips, coffee, hot chocolate and more. 

If you want to check out my video recap of the race on YouTube, Click Here!

I highly recommend this race, and then go enjoy some green beer!

Dopey Challenge Training Ep. #1

I never thought I’d be writing about my Dopey training for 2023. I had attempted many times to register without success. Then one Monday morning I received an Instagram message from one of my YouTube subscribers who obtained a bib through a charity with Kellsies Hope. She had met her fundraising goal and then became injured. She was messaging me to offer her bib to me because as she said, I had inspired her to sign up for the Dopey Challenge by watching my videos. I was stunned that I had been her inspiration. I don’t think of myself that way. I immediately began crying and could hardly type my response because my hands were shaking so badly. 

 

The rest of day I was numb. I knew I had to jump on travel plans, or this could turn into a very expensive adventure. I was amazed to snag a value resort at an unbelievable rate and the airfare was very affordable after cashing in vouchers and using points. All that was left was the training.

 

So here I am, jumping into the training plan at week 15. Luckily, it’s an easy week, but looking into the future my stomach dropped. This will be the only easy week, so put I put on my “big girl” running shoes and hit the road smiling. 

 

To watch episode one of my training click here

30 Random Facts About Me

Did you ever play the 30-questions game with your friends? You circulate an email to your friends that had a list of questions you were supposed to answer and then send on to your group of friends.  Anyone remember those?  I loved them because it gave me an opportunity to see how well I really knew my friends and pick up a few more tidbits about them that I may not have known before. So today, I thought it’d be fun to share 30 random facts about me that many of you may not know.  Ready?  Let’s go!

1.     I could eat a whole can of black olives in one sitting.

2.     My favorite Starbucks drink any time of year is a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, too bad it’s a seasonal drink.

3.     I also use a Pumpkin overnight face mask from Trader Joes, don’t scoff until you’ve tried it.

4.     My choir group in high school preformed at the Montana State prison. 

5.     Favorite all-time classical piece of music is Clair de Lune.

6.     I have zero tattoos and plan to keep it that way 

7.     I’ve never been in a band; however, I was a regular at Azteca on Karaoke night. I have the recordings to prove it.

8.     I’ve walked from Buckingham Palace to Kensington Palace.

9.     I developed a fish allergy in my 30’s.

10. When I was in college, I sold my piano to pay my car tabs.

11. I’ve done air to ocean in Hawaii. By that I mean, I’ve snorkeled and ziplined in Maui.

12. I am petrified of snakes!

13. My favorite dessert is pie, any flavor any style, but if I had to choose….. cherry.

14. I fed a donkey a beer (cerveza) on a high school trip to Mexico.

15. I was once fluent in Spanish, but not anymore

16. Black Opium perfume by Yves Saint Laurent is what I’d consider my “signature” fragrance.

17. My favorite color is pink; however I wear blue more often because I look better in blue.

18. There is not one organized sport that I play well. I was always picked last in school.

19. Favorite sport to watch live or on TV is football.

20. I love Hallmark movies!

21. Most annoying thing to me is someone chomping on their gum with their mouth open.

22. I once had to wake up a surly gas station attendant in the middle of night in the middle of nowhere because I ran out of gas. 

23. I have a habit of running out of gas. Good to know if you ever go on a road trip with me.

24. I drove from Florida to Spokane with my 4-month-old son, 1 year old beagle and my mom. I recommend flying next time.

25. Learned to swim before I could walk. Mother insisted because we had a pool.

26. My brothers threw me in that pool when a flaming marshmallow landed on my leg. Why would you throw a screaming hysterical child in a pool? Brothers, gotta love them.

27. I’ve been in the crown of the Statue of Liberty.

28. When I fly, I always book the aisle seat.

29. Fall and Winter are my most favorite seasons of the year!

30. My favorite vacation was a 7-night Disney cruise, concierge level. Took me two years to pay it off and I’d do it again!

 

I hope that was fun for you and you learned a little more about me.  Feel free to share in the comments below a random fact or two about yourself!