Santa’s Wonderland 5k

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Well it is in College Station, TX anyway. Whether you think it’s still too early or like to celebrate all year, you will be feeling the Christmas spirit at Santa’s Wonderland. From the moment you walk through the turnstile, you will be transported to a cute little Christmas village complete with lights, music, and periodic “snowfall” which instantly delivers the magic of the season. I really didn’t expect to find enough things to do here, but with all the shops, food vendors, live music and entertainment, as well as exciting things like tubing down Frostbite Mountain, I easily killed 4 hours without even realizing it, and that didn’t include the main feature of the park which is the hayride through the Trail of Lights. The hayride, or carriage ride if you prefer a little more privacy, is worth the visit on its own.

The Trail of Lights is about a mile long and extravagantly decorated in Christmas lights. I’m not sure what kind of effort was put into the decorations, but the whole thing is incredibly beautiful and I appreciate every bit of it. There is so much to see, and that’s why I am really thrilled that they put on a 5k run through the trail. The runners actually get to circle through the trail twice allowing us the opportunity to take in as much as we can as fast, or as slow, as we like.

There is just so much to see that a few pictures don’t give it the justice it deserves, so I provided a short video, along with a little Christmas music to add some cheer. I believe this is the first run they’ve hosted, and I’m hoping it becomes an annual thing. The atmosphere was pretty relaxed and family friendly, so runners and walkers were both present in all kinds of festive costumes. I’m definitely looking forward to coming back next year, so until then Happy Holidays everyone.

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30A Beach Trip

It has been a long time coming, and I think its finally time to begin. With work, life, etc. taking up a majority of our time, it’s easy to put things off for days until these days become weeks, and then they become months. But there isn’t any more time to waste. For those of us who live in Southeast Texas, late Spring to early fall isn’t very exciting for running because its just too hot to run outside, and I hate treadmills. But the running season is starting here, and I have some great places I plan on adventuring to. I started this blog to remember, and share all the awesome places I get to visit. The sights and sounds of every new place I run through, and the delicious foods I get to smell and taste at the local restaurants all give me general feel of the location, and the community. These are the things that I enjoy in life, and I would like to share them in case others would like to enjoy them as well. The first of these tiny adventures I’m going to share is months overdue. It involves a fun trip to highway 30A in the Florida panhandle.

First thing’s first. I always like to start off with a good run. It makes me feel accomplished, helps me see a lot of the area in a short amount of time, and it lets me enjoy all the good foods guilt free. This was a great run, and the beach was beautiful. I feel blessed living only 20 minutes from our Galveston beaches, but these waters were magnificent. I really couldn’t get enough of the brilliant emerald color, and cant wait to go back.

If I visit a place and they have shrimp and grits, I’m always going to have to try them. And wow, these were really good! Bud and Alley’s Waterfront Restaurant knows how to make them great, and the crab cake (not pictured here, but it’s on my instagram) was really good also.

Seaside FL is such a cute little town. It’s no wonder why it was used as the setting for The Truman Show. The marketplace area is so beautiful and picturesque. I enjoyed just aimlessly perusing the shops, strolling the beach, and just generally finding ways to waste time and spend here.

Lunch time at the Shrimp Shack. I really liked this place. Not for some reason that stood out, but because it was such a nice, relaxing place to eat by the beach. Oh, and this Lobster Roll was friggin delicious. It was the priciest item on the menu, but absolutely worth it. The chunks of lobster on buttery bread was exquisite, and couple that with a ridiculously awesome view of the emerald beach makes this place a must for any visitor.

Rosemary Beach along 30A was a really cool place to stop and visit. The buildings give it an old school colonial type of feel. And it’s just a nice relaxing place to walk around, shop, and just hang out.

Because life isn’t always about running and eating healthy, or “semi-healthy” all of the time. I do my best, but I choose to enjoy my life once in a while. I really chose well with these donuts from Five Daughters Bakery. My only regret is that I couldn’t try all the donuts, because they all looked delicious.

My shaky 6 mile run. Its my first attempt at this and I’ll try and do better.

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