Tag Archives: walking

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Tuning Up This Engine

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Day 409 in pushing through to make it to meeting up with Mickey

Today’s plan was to wake up early, again, and take a walk before work, AND to eat healthy all day.  So far, so good.  Waking up early is not so good, but I do feel more energy during my work day when I get that walk in in the A.M.  So tomorrow I’ll hit it again.  Imagining myself walking down Main Street USA on my way to Cinderella’s Castle is very motivating!  It made me push a little further today.

For breakfast I had a banana with peanut butter on it.  My peanut butter is crushed peanuts with no additives.  So delicious!!  My lunch was two boiled eggs, four mini-peppers and an apple.  For dinner it’s a half cup of wheat noodles with a cup of Mike’s homemade tomato sauce with lean ground beef added and plenty of raw, fresh veg.  Mrs. Bryan (one of Mike’s two bosses) gave us two baskets of tomatoes from her garden, and my wonderful Mike turned them into tomato/spaghetti sauce. Yum!

I have drunk 6 cups of water today and hope to get in three more cups before bedtime.

So it’s been a “treating myself well/nourishing my body/moving my body through space kind of day.  I feel good!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: My three-tooth bridge fell out today. It’s always something, isn’t it? I was chewing sugar-free gum and out it came.  My dentist told me not to chew gum anymore.  Guess I should have listened. PTLA!

 

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On Track, Fighting Back

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Day 408 in taking the right steps to meet up with Mickey (22 days to go)

Today’s plan, as stated in yesterday’s blog, was to get back on the beam.  It’s been a good day.  I woke up a half hour early and took a walk this morning.  It was torture!

Waking up early is not my thing.  I am not a morning person.  As a matter of fact Mike, Jake, nor I are morning people.  Emi is a morning person, and frankly, I’m amazing she lived to tell the story.  She is an amazing person, and I deeply admire her ability to rise above the morning mourning that happened every day of her growing up.

But anyway I got my butt out of bed early and did it, one morning down.

I have also had a great food day.  We had baked salmon and sweet potato for dinner with plenty of raw veg.   And I am drinking more water again.  No sugar today.  I feel satiated and nourished.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Getting Back on the Beam

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Day 407 in my journey to meet Mickey

I have gained a few pounds in the last few weeks.  I sort of threw in the towel and went a bit wild.  But today, I am re-resolved to get on and stay on the right path.  The path where I put healthy fuel (foods) into my body.  The path where I get out of bed an hour earlier every morning and get in a walk.  After all I am only 23 days away from going to Florida. GAH!

Wow!  In 23 days I’ll be there…in my Happy Place.  I can almost smell the sun screen and chlorine now.  🙂  I will kick up my feet at Disney’s Old Key West and exhale…like, really exhale, the kind where I can actually feel the stress falling away.  Ah……

Mike picked veggie sandwiches for dinner tonight.  Shredded brie on bread rolls with sauteed mushroom, peppers, olives and onions.  They will be delicious, but not exactly low-cal.  I will make a point to eat plenty of raw veg (especially broccoli) to help push it through my system.  Then the rest of the week it’ll be:

Monday: salmon and baked pumpkin with raw veg and dip (hummus maybe)

Tuesday: Easy Chicken and Bean Stew with raw veg and dip

Wednesday: Stuffed Green Peppers with raw veg and dip

Thursday: baked chicken with sweet potato and raw veg and dip

Friday and Saturday: Women of Faith Conference  So, Friday-dinner with Jean and Joan.  Yay!  Saturday-dinner with Jean and Wayne.  Yay again!!  I hope to eat some nice dinner salads over the weekend.

My body is so ready to get back on the beam!  I feel so much better and have so much more energy when I’m making better choices.  Why do I not just live my life there?  It still shocks me just how easy it is to slip off the proverbial wagon and make non-optimal choices.  Sheesh!  All I can say is, “Help me, Jesus!”  And I know He will.  PTL!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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FastPass+ or Slow, Frustrating Pass?

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Day 369 in my planning my way to meeting my pal Mickey

Today’s plan was put into motion at 11:01 pm Central Standard Time last night.  That’s when my Walt Disney World vacation became only 60 days away.  Disneyphiles will know that because I am staying at Disney’s Old Key West, a Walt Disney World resort,  I at that moment became eligible to schedule our FastPass+ picks.  (For those not in the know: FastPass+ is a system that lets you basically preregister for attractions and shows.  it allows you re sign up for three a day.)

If I hadn’t gone to the gathering to show love and support for a friend yesterday, I wouldn’t have realized that this was the case.  I would have gotten up at 6:00 am CST this morning and gone online to schedule FastPass+.   But a church friend who was there is going to The Happiest Place on Earth at the end of September and she made me aware of this particular fact: the system updates at midnight Eastern Standard Time which is 11:00 pm where I live,  (Thank you, Ann!)  So I started my scheduling at 11:01 pm and I finished at about 1:35 this morning.  zzzzzzzzz

Here’s my one gripe: even getting on it as early as I did, I could not get FastPass+ for Seven Dwarves Mine Train nor Toy Story Mania.  Argh!  Something is seriously flawed with the system…SERIOUSLY!  That is so-o-o-o-o frustrating!!

But even at that, I am very pleased with the selections we have.  Here they are:

FastPass+ for the Jarvi/Carmichael Clan

Wednesday, October 14, 2015 – Magic Kingdom® Park

  1. Peter Pan’s Flight®—9:15 AM – 10:15 AM
  2. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad®—10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
  3. Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid—11:35 AM – 12:35 PM
  4. I’M VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT WE COULDN’T GET SEVEN DWARVES MINE TRAIN.

Thursday, October 15, 2015 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios®

  1. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith—11:35 AM – 12:35 PM
  2. Voyage of The Little Mermaid—12:35 PM – 12:50 PM
  3. Muppet*Vision 3D—1:45 PM – 2:45 PM
  4. WE REALLY WANTED TOY STORY MANIA.

Saturday, October 17, 2015 – Epcot®

  1. The Seas with Nemo & Friends®—9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
  2. Test Track® Presented by Chevrolet®—10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  3. Spaceship Earth—11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  4. SERIOUSLY, WE CAN’T PICK TEST TRACK AND SOARIN’???

Sunday, October 18, 2015 – Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park

  1. Kilimanjaro Safaris®—11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  2. Festival of the Lion King—12:30 PM – 12:50 PM
  3. Finding Nemo – The Musical—3:30 PM – 3:50 PM
  4. I COULDN’T GET DINOSAUR IN A TIME THAT WORKED FOR US.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios®

  1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™—10:05 AM – 11:05 AM
  2. Star Tours® – The Adventures Continue—11:50 AM – 12:50 PM
  3. Beauty and the Beast-Live on Stage—1:30 PM – 1:50 PM
  4. ONCE AGAIN…WE REALLY WANTED TOY STORY MANIA.

I think we’ll get the chance to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.  At least I hope so.

So that’s how it all shakes out, Dear Readers.  I am so excited; we are 1 month and 29 days away from out trip.  Woop, woop!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

 

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Putting Myself Out There

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Day 368 in dealing with my hang ups on my way to meeting up with Mickey

OK, here’s the deal.  I have a nervous stomach.  I always have had it.  Today I am invited to a friend’s condo to help celebrate another friend.  I’ve never been to my friend’s condo before.  I have known about this event for a couple of weeks, so I thought I would be ready to go.  Now, however, my stomach is tied in knots, and I have diarrhea just thinking about it.  Whenever I have to drive to a new place, my system reacts this way.  I don’t know why.

When I was a little girl, my mom would wait to tell me we were going on vacation until the last minute.  Otherwise, I would become so excited that I got an upset stomach…every time.  Maybe this is the result of those early days.  I don’t know.  I just know it happens every time.

Today’s plan is to suck it up, get in my car and drive myself over to the gathering.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NKJV  I believe that verse, so I am going to step out in faith and believe that God will guide me and be with me.   This does not come easy for me.  Fifty pounds ago, I would have found an excuse to not attend.  I don’t want to be that sedentary, closet eater (not eating closets, but hiding and eating) anymore.

I really want to attend this particular event, because I want to show my love and support for the Guest of Honor.  And once I am there, I know I will really enjoy it.  So, Dear Readers, into the fray I go!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Fuel and Motion

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Day 367 in my determination to reach Mickey in a healthier state (2 months and 1 day to go)

Today’s plan was to begin again: to eat healthier meals and snacks and to move more.

  1. I picked the best foods available to me today.  For instance, for lunch I had a Boca veggie burger, some mini-carrots and some grapes.  At dinner I made sure to include a salad of greens with our chicken and boiled carrots.  My snacks today: an banana and a Greek yogurt.
  2. Moving more was easy.  While I was away over the last five day, my office was carpeted.  So today I moved things back into my office, not all at once, but every hour I walked down to the storage area and moved a few more things back into my office.

I am tired and a bit sore, but it was a good work day.  AND I slept so much better last night.  Halle-J-lujah!  I am one grateful woman tonight.  I stayed sugar-free today, too.  I am going up to bed to fall asleep and dream sweet Disney dreams: Mad Tea Party, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast: Live Stage Show, Spaceship Earth, Festival of the Lion King and my very fave, it’s a small world.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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It’s Time…Again

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Day 366 in my quest to meet up with Mickey in October

Today’s plan is to begin again.  I am exhausted from five poor nights of sleep, but I am back home now after my trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  So tonight I will sleep in my own bed, hoping against all hope that I get a good night’s sleep.  Tomorrow morning when I wake up I begin again.  One year and one day after I began this blog, I will begin again.  My goals are to make the best food choices possible (including getting back to sugar-free) and to move more.  Tomorrow I will move around five minutes every hour while at work.  I miss moving more, and now that my body is well on its way to healing, I am ready to move it more again.  So now just two months out from our trip to Florida, I am ready to dive in and immerse myself in healthy foods and more walking.

When I get to Walt Disney World, it will be what it will be.  But I am ready to take it seriously until then.  So whatever happens I will be in the best shape that I can be…for the age that I am…in the condition that I am in.  🙂

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Work and Play

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Day 360 in working toward a healthier me to meet Mickey

  1. Today’s plan was to up the physical activity factor at work today.  New carpet is being put in my office on Monday.  Mike and I are leaving town tomorrow evening (Thursday) for a family reunion in Michigan.  So I have been purging and moving things out of the office most of today.  My neck is sore, my back is bit achy, even my wrists and ankles are complaining.  🙂  But I have been VERY physically active today.  And, thanks to my rescue inhaler, I haven’t gotten out of breath and wheezy.  Yay!  I’m liking this new me, and I’ll like it even better when I am moving around more.
  2. On a side note: Be Our Guest, a restaurant at Magic Kingdom, opened reservations today for breakfast.  They used to only serve lunch and dinner.  I thought, “Great!  We can change our reservation for there rather than Crystal Palace, since we’ve already eaten breakfast at Crystal Palace.  We’ll try something new.”  Well, I should have been online at 6:00 am, but I didn’t remember until 9:00 am, so guess what…no reservations available.  Figures.  It’s a good things we like Crystal Palace.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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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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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!