The LaPrade Lifestyle

 We arrived on Wed to Orlando Florida where we stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort!! It was warm and we got settled in! We relaxed on the beach side and enjoyed the sunset!

 On our first day of adventures we started out at Epcot! We went to every little town and soared over to California on an indoor ride that was amazing! We stopped in Norway

for a caramel covered apple and yummy chocolate covered strawberries!! 

We stayed all day and had dinner in Mexico and made our way

to a perfect little spot to watch the fireworks show!!

 The next day we headed off to the Magic Kingdom!!

It was just magical!! haha!! We rode it's a small world,

peter pan, little mermaid, pirates of the caribbean, 

space mountain, steam boat around the river, and 

watched 2 parades down main street!!

 That evening we went back to Epcot to have the pasta in the park party!!

 We went in line to meet Cinderella!!

 I thought the little mermaid was cute so I  had my 

photo taken with her as well! The characters were

just so cute! They talked just like they do in movies!!

 Expo time! We woke up early so we could

grab our goodies and hit the pool!

 Mom and I before the race! We woke up at 3 am to get on the bus to the start line! 

Corral A started at 5:30 am and there was plenty of time to get your juices flowing with the dj they had everyone moving! The fairy godmother sent every corral

off with a countdown and then fireworks!!

 I ran from epcot to the magic kingdom waving at

prince and princess along the way and then decided

to take my photo with Mickey and Minnie!!

It was warm and humid so I was drenched by mile 7!

 Once I finished I grabbed my medal and took

more pics with characters! ;)

 Mom and I after the race! We had a great time 

and I can't wait to do another Disney run!

Merry Christmas!! A white Christmas for 2012!!

 Sweet kisses in the snow! 

Celebrating our 4th Christmas together!! 

Preston ready to open presents!

More pics to come later! Enjoy the holidays!!

My first Marathon!! The Dallas Marathon Dec 9, 2012!!

Ross and I carpooled with mom and dad to downtown 

Dallas bright and early Sunday morning! Mom was

running the half and Dad came along to cheer

her on! Ross came to my very first

full marathon to cheer me on! They 

were both great supporters the entire day!

 Ross and I before the race! 

I was really excited and nervous about the

marathon and eager to see how my

training would pay off!

 Dad and Mom before the race! 

Dad and Ross took good care of us making

sure we had our change of clothes

and plenty of water after our races!!

 Mom and I before the race!

I am always so excited that she is involved with the

Luke's training and coaching program with me and that I 

get to see her bright and early on Saturday morning training

runs where we both give each other looks of 

"what are we thinking!!" This was her 3rd Dallas

Half marathon!! She rocks the 13.1 distance!!

 Mom, Jennifer and I! Jennifer

ran with mom to pace her for the half!

They kept one another going the entire time! 

Jennifer is also coaching with us in the spring time!

She is so graceful when she runs!

 Ross took a photo of me crossing the finish line!!

Wahoo!! It was a tough day out there for sure!

The humidity made it tough to breathe and

then I hit a wall mentally which was no fun at all...

I cried...walked some...jogged some...and

eventually finished my first full! 

I will definitely say that I learned a lot out

there on the course of 26.2 miles and as crazy as it

sounds will train for another one!! 

The bands and the crowds of family and 

friends cheering everyone on at every mile

marker were great and really kept me going!! 

 Mom and I in front of the christmas tree near Sprinkles!!

Once I finished the race I said now off to Sprinkles 

cupcakes!! I had just completed 26.2 miles 

and all I wanted was a cupcake to top off the day!

 We went to Sprinkles were the nice ladies congratulated me on

the full marathon and added fun stickers to my cupcake 

box which totally made my day even better!!

 Luke's Celebration Party!!

 Jessi and I at the party! We are always chatting it

up with the latest stories at work and on our runs!

Jessi ran the 13.1 rock n roll half in Vegas and had

a blast!! I told her next year I will head out there

with her to run one! We always enjoy our runs and

hanging out at shops at legacy in our down time!

 Monica and I enjoying the evening! 

Monica can some how talk me into any 

crazy trail run or long distance run just for fun!

She ran the marine core marathon in DC! 

She is a hardcore runner and I really enjoyed

training with her this past season! 

We would get together at 4:30 am to

start running in order to get our long runs in!

Monica is always a positive influence and

if you can get up at 4 am to run with someone that

someone is really special!!

Ross was my handsome date at the party!

A great supporter and encourager with

all of my running adventures!!

 Preston

 Parker

They just love the camera!

 This year we were invited by our friends 

Staci and Joseph to the state fair!

He is a teacher so he gets free tickets from his school!!

So Sunday morning we met up at the dart station

to head off to the fair!! It was the last day so we had to

pack in all the fun and excitement we could handle into 

the final day! We had a blast people watching, eating 

everything fried, and laughing with our friends!

 Joseph and Staci ready for the fair!

 Amber and Brendan came too!

They were meeting friends there later but 

I talked them into coming early to enjoy

it with our crazy bunch as well!! ha!

 The girls waiting in line for a Fletcher's corny dog!

 The car show was in two building and we walked

through both of them to see all the latest

and greatest cars! Ross picked out a few

dream cars along the way!! haha!

I really liked the vw beetle with the Texas 

flag, map and of course big cowboy hat!

 Staci found a lovely swing for their new

home to put on the porch to relax after a long day!

 Everything fried!! This year the winning item was

fried jambalaya followed by fried bacon cinnamon roll!

 We had the fried P.B. and J. with a fried cookie dough ball!

They were both amazing!! Ross and I enjoyed every

bite of the fried goodness!!

 Found a funny sweatshirt! It says

You had me a fried! haha!!

 We went through the children's barnyard

area to see all the little animals! It was

really packed to we tried to walk as quickly as we 

could to see all the animals and get out

of the craziness of the small building!

I liked the little giraffe! He was just so cute!

 We all laughed at this sign and wanted

to put it on shirts and on office doors at work! ha!

 We walked through some market 

areas and checked out jewelry, flip flops, saunas, 

trampolines, kitchen demos, and listened to

Hawaiian music!

 Ross and I ready to hit the Ferris wheel!

 It was a perfect ride! We rode with Staci and 

Joseph two times around on the giant ferris wheel!

 Our view from the ferris wheel! 

Looking at Dallas!

Staci, Joseph, Ross and I after

the long day at the fair! 

We hit the taffy stand and headed to

the dart for our ride home!

Preston is our little english bulldog! He loves walks, toys, sleeping in doggie beds, and cuddling! Here are some fun pics from yesterday!

 The Allsate 13.1 race on Oct. 27, 2912 is a benchmark race for our Luke's fit program and is a different course than just running around white rock lake! It will begin in downtown Dallas in the arts district and then go into the katy trail! We ran on the katy trail this weekend and I really enjoyed the nature and calm environment amongst the trees! I am excited to be running this one with my Luke's buddies and happy to cheer them on for a successful 13.1 race! 

Hoping for cool weather and a flat course for sure!

 In November my mom signed us up for The Turkey Trot! This one is local and will be held in Frisco so we will not have to travel into downtown Dallas on Thanksgiving day for a fun and festive Turkey Trot! This one will be a 10k (6 miles) and should be a lot of fun!! Up early on a holiday for a nice run followed by cooking in the kitchen 

with the family and a nap to recover! 

I always enjoy the race t-shirts from fun holiday runs! 

They are just so adorable!

In December I have the big one...my marathon!!! Wahoo! I am excited and nervous all at the same time! I am really preparing myself for the mileage right now and not so much on the time! I am working on increasing my mileage weekly and then working on my speed to make sure I can have a steady pace throughout the entire marathon! Since it will be my first one I am focusing on finishing, running the entire time, staying injury free, and really listening to my body! 

I will wear my finisher shirt with pride once this one is complete!!

Who knows what 2013 will hold race wise......

a trail run, a princess half, or maybe

even a near years eve double?