Tag Archives: Disney

Getting Cardio-ic?

Day 99 in my walk to the World that is Walt Disney and my good friend Mickey.

My plan today was to walk…and I DID!!!!  I did it!  I went to the Lake Bluff Health and Fitness Center, and I signed up to walk for the next year.  I went with my dear friend, Joan.  She joined up a week or so ago.  It was great to have someone there to show me the ropes.  And it was great to have Joan there, period.

Thirteen laps is one mile…I didn’t make it.  I made eight laps before my knee started to protest.  I will rest up the knee tomorrow and then hit it again on Tuesday.  I feel energized so I came home and put together a sweet potato soup for our dinner.  Yum!

Mikey’s (my Honey) birthday is this Saturday.  My amazing man will be 62 years young.  His birthday gift this year is a one year membership at the pool at Lake Forest College.  I guess you could say I’m giving cardio to my pard-io.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom, Gentle Readers, and thank you so much for joining me on this fantastic voyage!

In the Sweet Spot

Day 97 in my exciting adventure toward my date with Mickey

My plan for today was to meet with my Health Coach, and I did.  My two goals for the next four weeks are:

  1. Try out walking at the Lake Bluff Health and Fitness Center sprung track.  It is right on my way home from work, so no excuses to not drop in there.  The sprung track will make walking easier on my sore joints.
  2. Research and adjust my holiday recipes, so they are more nutritious and not so filled with empty calories.

Friendly little facts that are making my life exciting:

  • I always weigh myself before I talk to Alex, my heath coach.  And…tan-ta-ta-a-da…I made my 30 pounds this morning!!!  So exciting! I’m very happy about that.
  • OMGosh…Starbuck’s has a Skinny Peppermint Mocha.  I got one yesterday with decaf.  It might be my favorite treat EVER!
  • Jake & Emi (our kid)s, Eliza and James (their spouses), Mike (my amazing husband) and I are booked into Old Key West for our vacation in October.  I have our 5-day Park Hopper passes in hand.  And they are all connected up on “My Disney Experience.”

So right now, gentle readers, life is very good at the Jarvi household. Meet you the Kingdom!

BTW: Shout out to Chris, my wonderful work partner.  (Prayers coming your way, my friend! )  She fell and broke her wrist yesterday.  If you have a sec, offer up a quick prayer for her today.  Thanks, all y’all!

 

 

We’re Booked!

Day 96 in my dash to Disney and Mickey

What shall I post about today…hmmm…what’s new and exciting around here?   GAH!

Today’s plan was to call Member Services at Disney Vacation Club and book rooms at Disney’s Old Key West Resort for our trip in October.  AND I DID!  WOOP!  We are booked for a 3-bedroom grand villa for 8 glorious nights.  The villa has a full kitchen, dining room, living room, the aforementioned 3 bedrooms with 3 accompanying full bathrooms,  washer, dryer and a hot tub.  Personally, I think we should just move there.  🙂

Man, I am so excited.  I made sure to only drink one cup of decaf today.  I have had no caffeinated food or beverages today, and I am still all jacked up.  This stuff is gettin’ real!  Woo hoo!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

My Alternative Lifestyle

Day 90 in my disco-dance to Disney and my buddy Mickey

Today my plan was to get stuff done, and not to just sit in my chair all day watching Hallmark Christmas movies and napping off and on.  So, here’s what I did.

  1. I called a loan officer and straightened out an auto-payment that was messed up.
  2. I straightened out the two slacks drawers in my dresser.  I put away my summer shorts and trousers.  I rehung and reorganized some of my tops.  By the time I was finished, I had a huge sack of clothes to give away to Good Will.
  3. I reorganized my bazoo drawer.  (If you can’t figure out what that is, you’ll have to ask Jean Carlson or Laura Elliot.  🙂
  4. I reworked a song for Damascus Road (the contemporary band that I play in at church).  I changed the key and simplified the arrangement on “Let Justice Flow Like a River”, a song we’ll do at worship this Sunday.
  5. I finally cleared the clutter off of my refrigerator.  Some of that stuff had been there for as long as I can remember….Yeesh!
  6. I prepared a nutritious dinner for my man, Mike.  (Note to Maria-I know he’s really God’s man…but I kinda love the guy!)  We’re having “Souper Chicken” from the cookbook  “Recipes to Lower Your Fat Thermostat.”

I figure, any activity is better than no activity, right?  And hopefully I’m building back some stamina and even some muscle.  It’s been a great day and I look forward to spending the evening with my honey…probably watching Christmas movies on Hallmark.  🙂  Or maybe we’ll watch “Maleficent.”

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Recipe: In a nonstick pan stir 2 cups of uncooked brown rice, 1 cup of chopped mushrooms and 4 cups of vegetable/chicken broth/ bouillon.  (It depends on if you prefer veggie or chicken flavor & if you prefer broth or bouillon.)  Lay 6 pieces of skinless, boneless chicken breasts in the pan on top of the mixture.  Sprinkle one envelope of onion soup mix on top.  Cover with foil.  Cook at 350 degrees for one and a half hours.  It smells go-o-o-o-od in here!

Luxuriating in Lake Bluff

Day 75 in my amble to the Magic Kingdom and my friend Mickey

My plan for today is to take a walk.  I hope to take a twenty minute walk after work today.  It is a beautiful day here in Lake Bluff, about 60 degrees and sunny.  There is a gentle breeze and plenty of fall color left to enjoy.

The merchants in town had an event yesterday from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  They stayed open late , had free samples, and most things were 10% off.

  1. So I stopped after work at “Spice Merchants,” a new shop in town.  I picked up some powdered cumin, and they even had powdered white vanilla that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else.  Whoop!  They also had some pre-packaged soup mixes, so I picked up a couple of those too.  This shop is a wonderful addition to our community.
  2. Then I wandered over to “Wisma” to shop for dinner.  What a great shop!  Gourmet foods made with organic ingredients, and oh by the way, the food is delicious!  Mike and I had butternut squash soup with pretzel rolls and chicken with polenta for dinner.  Plus I added plenty of fresh veg with Ranch dip.  What a feast!

So today I am going to stop and smell the fall in Lake Bluff.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

Rampant Research Reading

Day 52 in my moves toward meeting Mickey

Today’s plan is a no-brainer.  I received in the mail “Birnbaum’s 2015 Walt Disney World” The Official Guide.  Am I excited?  Oh, yeah!!!  I will look it over and begin to read it in earnest tonight.  Then I will begin to plot our parks schedule for 2015.

I also received “The Skinnytaste Cookbook” by Gina Homolka with Heather K. Jones, R.D.  In previous blogs I have mentioned the website skinnytaste.com.  I love the light recipes that I’ve found there, so I am pretty excited about the new cookbook.  I will also give this book the once over tonight to start getting some new ideas.

It’s a very chilly 55 degrees here today, so settling in with two good books sounds just about right for this evening.  First though, I am going to go for a walk when I get home, 20 minutes or bust…I might just bust.  🙂  No more fear!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: The quesadillas last night were outstanding!

Whistling While I Work (Around the Soreness)

Day 49 in my moves toward meeting Mickey

When I spoke with my Mayo Clinic Health Coach on Wednesday, we decided on a two step goal for the next three weeks.  1) I would attempt to walk for 20 minutes three days a week, and 2) I would dance while listening to my iPod for five minutes every hour on my days off while I putz around the house.

Since I’m off today, my plan was going to be a 20 minute walk and some dancing. However, I think I hurt myself yesterday with my rather vigorous trek at the mall.  My back and side are very sore today.  (Although the side might be my diverticulitis kicking in.)  So instead, I will cook Mike and myself a primo turkey breast dinner tonight with baked sweet potato and steamed green beans, with plenty of fresh veggies and hummus dip.  And I will research a menu for this next week with at least two new, healthy recipes.  Thanks to Eliza, I have found some new recipes in “I Quit Sugar” by Sarah Wilson.  I hope to make a “Breakfast Casserole” for dinner one evening this week.  The recipe has rutabaga in it, should be interesting.

I’m off to research, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: The Destination Channel is playing shows about Walt Disney World today.  Woo hoo!  I’m loving seeing some of the new things to see and do on our trip!  Instant inspiration!  And a great reminder of why I’m on this quest.  🙂

A Walk on the Wild Side

Day 48 in preparing to partake of a park party with Mickey  (Should’ve said Pluto, right? Or Pocohontas or Princess Aurora )

Today’s plan has already been fulfilled.  I went to the mall today and parked a bajillion miles from JC Penney’s styling salon.  Then I walked to the salon.  I had a cut and color today.  My hair is the most alarming shade of red…and I like it!  I’m sure it’ll settle down after a few washings.  And it’ll be good for Nathan’s (my husband Mike’s nephew) wedding next week.  Then I walked the bajillion miles back to the car.  Now I’m home and happy to be here.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

Resources for Disney Research

Day 45 in my travels toward all things Theme Park, but especially Mickey

Today’s plan was to do some more research.  There was a really interesting post on Facebook today by TouringPlans, called “A Guide to Walt Disney World Attraction Vehicles and Seating: Magic Kingdom.”  It describes all the seating at all the attractions in the Magic Kingdom Park.  It makes it easier to decide which attractions to try and which to pass.

I highly recommend TouringPlans.  It costs to subscribe, however, you can check on historical attendance dates.  So say I want to go to EPCOT on the 5th of October.  It will show how busy EPCOT has been on October 5th for several years back.  And it shows the same info for the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  And there is a lot more information there, too.

Also, Disneyphiles, I super-highly recommend WDW Magazine which is available as an app.  Again there is a subscription fee, but it is amazing!  I just watched the entire train ride for Hogwarts Express at Universal Studios, and the Mickey’s-Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Parade.  Just the best!

That’s is for today.  But I am still off sugar, moving more and making the best, healthiest food choices that I can.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

Dr. Yoo Who?

Day 44 in my trek to meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

Today’s plan is phase three in my quest to be healthier when I meet up with the Mouse.  I went for my yearly physical this morning.  (So early…I do not usually rise before 7-something o’clock, but today was 5-something o’clock.  Argh!)  I wanted to check and make sure that it’s OK to ramp up on the exercise portion of my plan.  She (Dr. Sandra Yoo) assures me that even though I am out of breath when I move, it’s OK as long as I don’t experience any chest pain.  So far, so good.  No chest pain here.  So now I need to start walking on a more regular basis.  Baby steps, to be sure, but it was great to get the green light from my doc.

Mike teamed up with me yesterday.  I wanted to take a sauna, so I started out walking toward the farm.  He waited 10+ minutes then he drove up, picked me up where I was, and we went and sweated it out in the sauna.  He’s such a great support person!  I really appreciate him and am thankful for him every day!

Nothing more for today, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!