Wig Out Water Obstacle 5K Recap

My friends and I tried out a water obstacle 5K called Wig Out Against Brain Tumors by Miles for hope.  There were water slides!  What a fun way to finish 3 miles!!  We were also encouraged to wear wigs so we went with a colorful theme.

 

This was not a timed race so we were there to have fun and look cute in the process!  We took pictures along the way as we completed the obstacles and had a wonderfully good time!

 



We did do some running between the obstacles.

It was a wet and wild kind of day!

In the second half of the race, we had to take our shoes off to experience the inflatable slides.

Here's one of the more challenging obstacles with Maribel scaling a wall.

After the race was over, we followed the lead of all the kids and rinsed off in the park's fountain.

Unfortunately, after all the fun sliding and running, there was no race food left.  Disappointing because we started an hour and a half before the last wave started.  My friends were able to get their free beer.

It's refreshing to do a race just for fun without worrying about time and PRs.

Do you enjoy a fun run?

This was my 13th race for 13 in 2013!  I did it...13 races done!

Summer of Rum Recap

My husband and I had a great time at the Summer of Rum Fest on August 24!  Rum is my drink of choice!  This fabulous summer event was in downtown Tampa at The Heights Waterfront in the historical Tampa Armature Works Building.

Summer of Rum offered 5 unique rum zones with Cruzan Rum, Naked Turtle Rum and Appleton Estate Rum drinks along with live entertainment and lots of food trucks along the Hillsborough River.

We had the Endless Rum Cup which let us drink unlimited rum drinks in a 16-oz commemorative Summer of Rum hurricane glass!

 

 

The drink lines did get quite long but there were themed decorations to distract me.

 

Mike and I met, befriended and shared an umbrella table with two fun couples that were up from Sarasota.  And of course we hung out with fellow Tampa Bay Blogger Denise and her husband.

Overall, it was a fun night and great way to try out new rum drinks!

Disclaimer: I was given two Endless Rum Cup tickets in exchange for my review.  All opinions are my own.

Music Monday [My Current Favorites]

Monday, Monday (ba-da ba-da-da-da)
So good to me (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

The start of a new week...the last week of June in 2013.  It's crazy how time flies!

This week's Music Monday theme is a freebie.  I decided to pick some of my favorites that are current and frequently played on the radio.

This first song had to grow on me.  I didn't really like it at first because it seemed out of place to me...like a song from a musical instead of a current hit on the radio.  I've grown to love it, much to my boys dismay. We have a deal that I can only listen to it once a day while we're in the car.  P!nk and Nate Ruess with Just Give Me a Reason

This next song gets stuck in my head for days!  Fall Out Boy with My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Lite Em Up)



Last, I have Radioactive by Imagine Dragons.  This is a great song with a really weird video.  It features Lou Diamond Phillips, the girl from Percy Jackson The Lighting Thief, and some crazy puppets.

I'm this week's Music Monday Spotlight Dancer!  Woohoo!



For Music Mondays, I’m teaming up with my good friend and fellow Marathon Mama, Denise. Please stop by and check out Denise's Music Monday.



Visit Xmas Dolly for more Music Monday.

What are your favorite songs right now?

Music Monday [My Current Favorites]

Monday, Monday (ba-da ba-da-da-da)
So good to me (ba-da ba-da-da-da)

The start of a new week...the last week of June in 2013.  It's crazy how time flies!

This week's Music Monday theme is a freebie.  I decided to pick some of my favorites that are current and frequently played on the radio.

This first song had to grow on me.  I didn't really like it at first because it seemed out of place to me...like a song from a musical instead of a current hit on the radio.  I've grown to love it, much to my boys dismay. We have a deal that I can only listen to it once a day while we're in the car.  P!nk and Nate Ruess with Just Give Me a Reason

This next song gets stuck in my head for days!  Fall Out Boy with My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Lite Em Up)



Last, I have Radioactive by Imagine Dragons.  This is a great song with a really weird video.  It features Lou Diamond Phillips, the girl from Percy Jackson The Lighting Thief, and some crazy puppets.

I'm this week's Music Monday Spotlight Dancer!  Woohoo!



For Music Mondays, I’m teaming up with my good friend and fellow Marathon Mama, Denise. Please stop by and check out Denise's Music Monday.



Visit Xmas Dolly for more Music Monday.

What are your favorite songs right now?

War Horse Review

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing War Horse on stage at The Straz Center for the Performing Arts.  Maybe that was because I have seen the movie and knew what to expect.  Just like with reading the book before seeing the movie, I had previous background knowledge.

"A heart-warming tale of loyalty and friendship, and winner of FIVE 2011 Tony Awards®, WAR HORSE tells the story of young Albert and his beloved horse Joey. When Joey is sold to the cavalry and shipped from England to France, he is soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.

Based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness that is currently playing to packed houses in London and around the world. At its heart are astonishing life-sized puppets created by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, that bring to life breathing, galloping, charging horses strong enough for men to ride."

The life size horse puppets were amazing.  The puppeteers' movements and control were spot on with actual horse movements.  I was astonished with realistic head tosses, tail flicks and various gaits.  I felt as if there were live horses on stage performing alongside their human actors.

War Horse didn't have as much singing and musical performances as shows I've seen in the past so I thought my husband would enjoy this show.  It's also a story about perseverance, overcoming obstacles and living to tell about it.  War Horse has fight scenes, tanks, and battles.  Again, I thought my husband would like this show...but I was wrong.  I enjoyed it!

To purchase tickets and see what other performances are coming soon, visit The Straz Center online. 


Disclaimer: I was given two tickets to the War Horse show in exchange for this review.  All opinions are my own.

War Horse at The Straz Center

Photo from strazcenter.org

My husband and I are going to see War Horse at The Straz Center in downtown Tampa tomorrow night. 

"A heart-warming tale of loyalty and friendship, and winner of FIVE 2011 Tony Awards®, WAR HORSE tells the story of young Albert and his beloved horse Joey. When Joey is sold to the cavalry and shipped from England to France, he is soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home."

 

The War Horse film was amazing and I loved it!  I'm so excited to see War Horse on stage!  Check back for a full review.

To purchase tickets, visit The Straz Center online.  Regularly priced tickets start at $44.50.

Dates & Times
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 01, 2013 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 02, 2013 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 03, 2013 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 04, 2013 2 p.m.
Saturday, May 04, 2013 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 05, 2013 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 05, 2013 6:30 p.m.

Tampa Theatre Family Favorites

My family and I had the pleasure of visiting the Tampa Theatre in Downtown Tampa to see the first movie in the Family Favorites: A Tampa Theatre Classic Film Series.

I'll start out by telling you how much I love, love, love The Tampa Theatre on Franklin Street!  It was built in 1926 and the old architecture is amazing!  Growing up in Tampa, I went to The Tampa Theatre as a child on school field trips to see plays.  The lobby (and main theater) have a beautiful blue ceiling with twinkling stars.  My boys had never been to The Tampa Theatre so I enjoyed their reactions to the magnificent sights inside.

Here are some photos but they don't do the theater justice.  The theater's low, romantic lighting didn't lead to great pictures.

Inside the theater

 

Some pre-movie music

 

 

Part of an old intercom system

 

 

 

We were there to see The Princess Bride.  I've seen the movie quite a few times in my youth but it was a first for my hubby and boys.  We sat in the balcony section and had a great view of the movie and theater.

 

 

 

 



The movie was terrific, just like I remembered.  Fred Savage and Cary Elwes were so young!  Now when I say "as you wish", my boys actually understand the reference.  My boys thought the ROUS were hilarious which led to conversations of their pet rats becoming ROUS.

We had a great time seeing this classic movie at The Tampa Theatre!  I want to go back to see The Neverending Story...another of my favorites.

If you and your family haven't been to The Tampa Theatre yet, you've got to pay it a visit.  It's an incredible history Tampa landmark.

Here's a list of other family favorite movies playing at the theater.

Show times are Sundays at 2:00pm.  Tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for children and Tampa Theatre members at the box office or online (online convenience fee is $2).


Disclaimer: My family was given free tickets to see The Princess Bride in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.