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Moving and Breathing

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Day 351 in working my way back to you, Mickey!  (Think The Four Seasons melody) Today’s plan is to firm up our grocery shopping list for our vacation in October.  This evening Jake and Eliza (our son and daughter-in-law) will come over for dinner.  While they are here we will finish up our grocery list, so I can send it off to gardengrocer.com.  It’s important to send the order early to get on their delivery list.  They only take X-amount of orders for each delivery day.  I hope to submit our list tomorrow morning.

Today we had a lovely breakfast at Eggsperience Cafe in Bannockburn.  They make a most delicious Eleni’s Egg-white Scramble: two egg whites with roasted red peppers, spinach and onion, served with fresh fruit and a piece of 9-grain toast with butter.  The presentation was beautiful for this healthy choice breakfast.

Then we were off to Great Clips for a $14 haircut.  I was in and out, before Mike had a chance to pay for his new swim suit at Dick’s Sporting Goods nearby.

Then I WALKED to Pet Smart at the other end of the strip mall to pick up an order of kitty food that I had ordered and paid for online.  I walked it!!  Thanks to my rescue inhaler, I actually believed I could make that walk, and I did it.  This is huge for me!  I walked it and kept drawing in deep, lung-filling breaths.  It was spectacular!  Mike moved the car to Pet Smart.  (Thank you, Honey!)

Finally we headed for Sam’s Club.  That place is huge!  I hadn’t quite recovered all the way from my walk when we got there, but I pushed on.  We picked up some things for my upcoming family reunion.  (OMGoodness!  I can’t wait to visit with my cousins again!!!)  We were in the store for about 45 minutes, and by the end my legs were giving out on me.  Mike ran to get the car, and I collapsed into my seat and cranked the AC.  (Don’t worry; I didn’t literally collapse.  I’m taking a bit of literary license for dramatic effect.)  😉

Dear readers, it is so-o-o-o-o good to have the energy and the lung capacity to move some.  Thank you, Jesus!!!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Can’t Do This, But How About That?

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Day 350 in my journey to meet up with Mickey

Today’s plan was to be dialing Disney Vacation Club (DVC) at 8:00 am this morning, to book our Parisian Breakfast in October.  Today’s reality?  I was dialing DVC at 9:20 am when I was finally wide awake enough to make sense on the phone.  I spoke to a lovely woman who, after much research and deliberation, told me that the Parisian Breakfast is not available for booking until next Thursday.  Man!  However, I did book a Beverage Seminar for Mike and I.  Mike likes the occasional glass of wine with dinner, so I thought he might enjoy a talk on California wines at EPCOT. He does indeed sound enthusiastic about the prospect.

It was so nice to have a whole Friday at home, and I managed to stay sugar-free and eat healthily today.  Yay!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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And the Winner Is…

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Day 349  in my deliberations as I prepare to meet up with Mickey

Today the 240 page document on The 2015 Food and Wine Festival became available for download.  People can book the special events beginning 9:00 am EST on July 31st.  So I thought, “Great, I have a week to decide which special event to attend.”  Then as I read further, I saw that Disney Vacation Club members can book online beginning TOMORROW MORNING at 9:00 am EST.  OMGoodness!  That really turned up the burner.  I became a speed reader and flew through the downloaded document.

And the winner is…Parisian Breakfast!  So if I can get the reservation, Mike and I will have breakfast at the French Pavilion at EPCOT on a Saturday morning in October.  It’s one of the least expensive of my options, and it just plain sounds romantic.  I would love to sit across from Mike sharing a croissant and fruit while sipping a cup of French roast coffee.  Oui, oui, little French Girl, I will see you there.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Choosing an EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Special Event

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Day 348 in planning for fun with food when I meet Mickey in October (2 months and 21 days to go)

Today’s plan was to investigate the special events at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival this year.  I plan on partaking in one of the events below with Mike (my honey bun).  Thanks to Disney Food Blog at:

2015 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Special Events

for the info!  Disney Food Blog is a lot of fun.  Subscribe if you are a Disneyphile like me, and you go there whenever you can.  They have very current information and it is always a delightful read.

Parisian Breakfast

The Parisian Breakfast returns this year. Les Chefs de France will serve breakfast and a welcoming Mimosa on Saturday mornings, featuring authentic pastries (baguettes, brioches, croissants), unlimited coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and orange juice! Savor the baguettes made from scratch in a 48-hour process at Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie. Fresh from the oven, enjoy them with butter and Bonne Maman confiture (fruit preserve) to make a French tartine. Check out our 2013 Parisian Breakfast Review!

Where: Les Chefs de France, France pavilion
When: Saturdays 9-10:30AM
Price: $39 per person, plus tax, gratuity included. Epcot admission required.

The Parisian Afternoon: Sandwiches, Macarons, and Bubbles! — NEW!

Discover snacking, Parisian style, with this fun new experience featuring finger sandwiches, savory mignardises, petit fours, and macarons — as well as unlimited mimosas!

Where: Monsieur Paul, France Pavilion
When: Select Saturdays, 1:30-3:30PM
Price: $55 per person, plus tax, gratuity included. Epcot admission required.

Sparkling IllumiNations Dessert Party

This year-round Epcot event is increasing its available dates during the Festival! Guests nosh on desserts from around the world as they have VIP viewing of the IllumiNations fireworks event.

Desserts may include: Traditional baklava from Morocco, Tiramisu from Italy, Chocolate ganache tarts from France, Crisped rice puffs inspired by Asian cuisine, Cinnamon sugar churros with caramel and chocolate sauces from Mexico, Seasonal berry cobbler from the United States, Apple dried fruit crumbles from the United Kingdom, Sparkling blue velvet cupcakes, Chocolate chip cookies and no-sugar-added lemon cookies. Sparkling wines and other beverages will be available.

Check out a guest review of the dessert party here. Desserts and experience subject to change.

Where: Epcot World Showcase
When: September 25, 27, 29, 30; October 2, 4-9, 11-16, 18, 19, 21-23, 25-30; Nov 1-6, 8-13, 15
Price: $49 for Adults; $29 for Children 3-9. Price is per person, plus tax. Gratuity included. Epcot admission required.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival Tasting Sampler — NEW!

To celebrate the Epcot Food and Wine Festival’s 20th anniversary, for the first time ever, you can enjoy this sampler package that allows you to Taste Your Way Around the World easier than ever before! You’ll also enjoy priority seating for the 6:45 Eat to the Beat Show!

You’ve wanted that pass to Eat and Drink Your Way Around the World — well, here it is!

This package includes:

  • Eight entitlements for food or beverage of your choice at 30 Food and Wine Festival Booths
  • Priority seating at the 6:45 Eat to the Beat Concert on the day the package is purchased
  • Limited release 20th Anniversary pin that comes in 3 different colors

When: Limited amount of packages available daily
Where: Epcot
Pricing: $59, per person, plus tax. Epcot admission required.

Let me know in the comments which one you would choose.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Leading the Charge

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Day 347 in changing my ways on the road to meeting Mickey

Today’s plan was to lead the discussion at book club tonight.  The book we are reading is Get Out of that Pit by Beth Moore.  What an interesting book this is turning out to be.  The titles of this week’s chapters were: (1) Sliding into a Pit and (2) Stepping into a Pit.  Sliding into a pit can sneak up on you.  Your intentions may be completely well meaning, but before you know it you’re in a bottom of a pit.  But stepping into a pit, is different, because you have full knowledge of the pit and still choose to step into it.  “Motive is HUGE with God.  So is character.  Especially HIS character which we are created to emulate.”  When we make wrong choices, are we mocking God?  Heavy stuff to contemplate.  I am loving this book and this book group!

Remember not so long ago, I wouldn’t have joined a book club much less led one.  I would have chosen to sit at home hoarding and eating sweets, and sitting on my backside in front of the TV.  This is progress, and I thank God for every bit of it.  “Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.” Praise God!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Just the Everyday

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Day 346 on my way to meeting up with Mickey

Tonight we dine on delicious Weight Watcher’s Chili.  At lunchtime I had leftover pork fajita guts (sauteed green pepper, red pepper, onion and a few thin slices of pork tenderloin nicely spiced with lime juice, garlic, cumin and salt).  I didn’t used a tortilla, and it was still delicious! Oh, and I had 8 cherries for dessert.  For breakfast I had a piece of Ezekiel bread toasted with almond butter on it and some melon.  So that was my plan for today…to eat healthy meals.

Plus I re-read chapter three for my book group tomorrow night.  Tomorrow I’ll review chapter four, then I’ll be ready for our discussion tomorrow evening.  I recommend this book: “Getting Out of That Pit” by Beth Moore.  It’s very insightful.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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A Busy Day of Rest

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Day 345 in walking the straight and narrow on my way to meet Mickey

Today’s plan was to shop and then prepare a pot of Weight Watcher’s Chili to have a couple nights this week for dinner.  Then Mike and I will put together some pork fajitas for dinner tonight.

The groceries are bought and put away.  The chili is made and cooling to be refrigerated.  In just a few minutes, we will start on dinner.

We started out the day with worship, so it’s been a full day.  It takes time and effort to plan and put together healthy meals, but it is so worth the effort.  Mike and I both feel so much better eating more vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats.

Peace out, dear Readers.    Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Successful Planning

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Day 344 in planning my way to Walt Disney World and Mickey

Today’s plan–get my dinner menu planned for the week and write up my shopping list.  Mission accomplished.  It’s so much easier to stay on track when I plan a healthy menu, and then stick to it.  It also helps to eat at home as much as possible, because then I have control over the sodium and sugar amounts in my meals.

Some things on tap this week:

  1. Weight Watcher’s Chili
  2. Pork Tenderloin Fajitas
  3. Steak and Potato Cheesy Skillet

Yum, yum!!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Disney Grocery Shopping

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Day 343 in marching toward Mickey

Today’s plan was to investigate grocery stores that deliver to Walt Disney World.  I looked at several possibilities, and then read reviews by Disney Vacation Club members who have used them.  The service that kept rising to the top is gardengrocer.com.  If you order 60 or more days in advance, then you receive a 10% discount on your order.  The delivery fee is a flat $14, but if you order more than $200 in groceries, the fee drops to $2.  There will be six of us eating for seven days, one to two meals a day, so we will definitely spend at least $200.

So now I just have to garner grocery lists from Jake & Eliza and Emi & James.  (my kids and their spouses, or should I say their spice?)  Then next week I will place our order online, and it will arrive at Old Key West on October 13th and wait for us to arrange delivery to our room.  I’m so excited!  Even ordering groceries for our vacation is exciting!

On a side note: I made some terrible choices today.  I drove home after work, but the cleaners were still at our house, so I drove to town, parked at the park and read for awhile.  Then I decided to pick up a coffee.  I went to Dunkin Donuts, and instead of ordering the iced coffee that I went there for, I ordered a Turtle Cappuccino Blast.  Surprising, I didn’t order a large like I used to do.  It’s a 90 degrees plus day here with 85% humidity, but that’s no excuse.  Then to add insult to injury, I stopped at Taco Bell and tried an order of their new Cap’s Crunch Donuts.  People, I regret it.  I feel so sick to my stomach from my unhealthy choices.  Gag!  But I refuse to throw up.  I need to experience this and remember how awful it feels.  So here I am, starting over.  Sugar-free from here forward…again.

I willingly, and with full knowledge of what I was doing, stepped into that pit!  I am not proud of that choice.  I am asking for God’s forgiveness, which he so freely gives.  I am repenting, realizing that by it’s definition, it means “to turn away from”.  I am turning away from sugar for the foreseeable future.

I move forward, not guilt ridden, but with hope for eating clean from here on.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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2015 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

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Day 342 in my researching my way to Mickey in October

Today disneydining.com posted an article on FaceBook titled, “2015 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Booths and Menus.”  As I have mentioned before, we have never been to the Food and Wine Festival.  Let me just say that half of that is wasted on me.  I don’t generally care for wine, so I don’t drink it, nor beer.  Plus the combination of alcohol and warm October Florida temperatures would do me in completely.

However, the food part is pretty exciting.  Here’s what the Disney Food Blog has to say about this event: “Featuring fantastic special events, culinary and beverage demonstrations, celebrity chefs and the ever-popular World Showcase Marketplace tasting booths, this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity!”  Woo hoo!  

The countries/continents/states represented this year are: Africa, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Patagonia, Poland, Scotland, South Korea.

Plus there are booths called: Cheese Studio, Chew Lab, Craft Beers, Desserts & Champagnes, Farm Fresh, Hops & Barley, Intermissions Cafe, Odyssey Coffee Cart, Refreshment Port, Refreshment Cool Post, Showcase Coffee Cart, Sustainable Chew, Test Track Coffee Cart, Wine Studio.

There are so many mini-portion delights for sale.  It will be tough to choose.  From the available menu, I’m a little worried about our vegetarians though.  It seems like there are many meaty choices and few veggie choices.   I hope I’m wrong for their sakes.

That’s it for today, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!