Tag Archives: Walt Disney World

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A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

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Day 38 in walking toward Mickey

To quote Mr. Rogers, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor.  Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?”  The sun is shining today in Lake Bluff, and we’ll hit the low-60s, temperature-wise.  So…here’s my plan for today: I will take a walk after work.  I think I’ll stop in beautiful downtown Lake Bluff  and walk those pretty streets again.  I will aim for a 20 minute walk.  Still not an easy thing for me!

I’ll try to imagine myself strolling up Main Street USA toward beautiful Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom.  That should put a spring in my step, and a smile on my face.  I need to work on really embracing walking, instead of trudging through it.  A walk is good, instead of evil, right?   🙂  I need to do some serious praying about getting some help to love exercise, because right now it’s still on par with Chinese water torture, for me.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”     Philippians 4:13 NKJV  Help me, Jesus!

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Gettin’ Medical for Mickey

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Day 37 in my journey to meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

Today’s plan: At 7:20 am this morning I had a mammogram.  How is this getting me ready to meet Mickey, you ask?  Well, this whole quest of mine is to be healthier in 14 months (now 13 months until October 2015).  I need to get my health check-ups and make sure, I’m OK to make these changes in my life.  Step one was my yearly mammogram.

Modern technology amazes me!  I finished with my mammogram at 8:00 am.  I received an email with my results by 8:45 am.  Normal!  Yay!

So now, no more squeezy, boob torture for me for another year.  Yippee!  (Actually the technician was great and it really didn’t hurt this time.  Miracle!)

So, dear readers, the girls are healthy and ready to take on this Disney quest of mine.  Whew!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

BTW: I have completed my 5 weeks of being sugar-free.  It feels great.  I actually feel as though my ability to concentrate and focus is better than it used to be.  I plan to keep sugar-free as much as is humanly possible.  I’ll keep reading those labels and planning low carb meals.

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Sunday Sauntering

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Day 36 in my marathon to meet Mickey

Today Mike, Jake and I played/sang with Damascus Road, the contemporary band at St. James.  It is always such a blessing.  You know how they say that if you love your work then it never feels like work?  That’s my job as director of Damascus Road.  It’s so much more a blessing than a job.  I was bathed in the love of Christ and truly felt precious in his sight this morning.  He is healing the self-loathing that I talked about awhile back.   Slowly…but surely.

My plan for today was to decide on this week’s menu and then to shop for the ingredients.  Check and check.  I’m trying a new recipe for skinny chicken fried rice this week.  I’ll let you know what we think.

Now for an afternoon nap.  Then Jake and Eliza come over tonight and Eliza is making dinner for us: black bean stuffed red peppers.  I’m so excited that I’m doing an imitation of Pavlov’s proverbial dog.  🙂

God bless your Sunday, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Lovely Lake Bluff Lingering

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Day 35 in my march to meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

My plan for today was to take a 20 minute walk.  However, here is what actually happened.

I got a call this morning from Wayne, a dear brother and friend.  We chatted about this blog and then firmed up some plans for this October.  It was a delightful way to start my Saturday.  Talking with the Best Man from our wedding and thinking of him, his amazing wife and their lovely family.  *happy sigh*

Then I went to breakfast at the Full Moon.  While I was there I im-ed with my dear sis-in-law.  There I learned of the death of another sis-in-law’s sister.  This is out of the blue, as she died from an aneurism.  So sad! My heart goes out to Judy and Howard.

Then although I LOVE the Full Moon for breakfast, their coffee is not-so-good.  So my next stop was our local drive-through Starbucks.   I ordered my coffee, but when I got to the window to pick it up there was a wasp hanging out there.  So I went inside to pick up my skinny caramel latte.  What a lovely surprise awaited me there: Jake and Eliza were there just ordering some coffee.  I had a short, sweet visit with them, and then I was on my way.

Next stop: I parked in front of Inovasi (a local eatery in town).  Now if you’ve been to Lake Bluff, then you know what a pretty, little, Norman Rockwellian (to quote my cousin Terry) place it is.  What better place to take an afternoon stroll?  I walked to Viola, a favorite local shop and picked up a 60044 bag.  Then I walked to Peg Ann & Co., another favorite local shop and picked up a couple of t-shirts.  Then I gathered up my bags and started walking.  I walked a block past the library to 4th of July corner, so named because we watch the 4th of July parade from there. Then I crossed the street and walked to the post office.  Then I crossed the road and walked back to my car.  Now you may be thinking that that is not a very far walk.  And maybe it’s not very far…for you.  But for me, who has been majoring in the five minute walk, it was far.  I was very out of breath and a bit shaky by the time I got back to the car.  And, here’s the great part, I was out there walking and shopping for 30 minutes!!  I can’t tell you the last time I was on my feet for 30 minutes.  Having just come through a year of sedentary depression, I know it’s been longer than that year.

I feel like Rocky must have felt when he made it to the top of those stairs!  🙂  Victorious!  Thank you for taking the time to read this rather lengthy entry.  Love all y’all!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Delicious Bounty

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Day 34 in my trek to meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

Today’s plan is all about the food: Crock Pot Chicken a la Criolla: this is what I just spent a half an hour preparing.  Now it will cook slowly for the next six hours.  Thank you skinnytaste.com for the recipe!

Mrs. Bryan (Mike’s boss’s Mrs.) has been giving us delicious fresh vegetables from her garden.  So tonight with the chicken we’ll have a vegetable salad with peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans.

Mike will grill zucchini slices brushed with olive oil.  The last time Emi visited, she taught us to cut an eggplant, set it on a rack, salt it and let it sit to get some of the water out before you grill it.    The result was firm, delicious eggplant.  We use the same method with large zucchini.  The results are scrumptious.

Here’s to planning healthy meals, preparing them and then partaking guilt-free.

Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Payday One

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Day 33 in my journey to rendezvous with Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

Well this is it, the first in a series of paydays.  One month ago today I weighed myself and vowed to wait a month to do so again.  Today was W-Day (weigh day).  My plan for today was to step on the scale and to see what, if anything is happening.  Don-don-don-da….  I got myself naked this morning and boldly stepped on the scale.  13.4 pounds down in one month.  Not a bad outcome from making better food choices and moving more, hey?

Now, as my brother Gene would say, “That’s like losing a lifeboat off of the Titanic.”  True, but that’s one less lifeboat that I have to drag around everyday.  Right?

So I’m finding myself in a celebratory mood today.  It’s good to be good.  Ummm… Confession time: the night before last I said to Mike, “I want something that is bad for me, and I want it right now!”  His reply, “Hmmm, I can’t think of anything in the house that would be bad for you that doesn’t have sugar in it.”   Oh yeah, people, he’s got my back.  An hour and a half later right before I went upstairs to bed, I said contritely, “Hon, I don’t really want something that’s bad for me.”  He laughed.  🙂

Thanks for hanging in there with me, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Disney Vacation Club Fun

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Day 32 in my quest to meet up with Mickey

Today is a sopping wet, gray day here in Lake Bluff.  We are promised severe thunder storms later on today.  It’s a morning that has spawned tornadoes and flooding throughout the Midwest.

If I had my way, my plan for today would be to read and nap the day away.  However, I don’t see how that would get me ready for our Walt Disney World trip in October 2015.  So, here’s my plan: to try to reverse some of the negative energy that is pressing on me today, I will do Tai Chi after work.  Then to work my arms a bit extra, I will do my Shake Weight.  (tee hee: see previous blog entries about Shake Weight)

We are members of the Disney Vacation Club, and we love, love, love it!!  Old Key West has become our home away from home.  With 150 points Mike and I and the kids/spouses can go to Florida every three years and stay in a three bedroom Grand Villa in the heart of Walt Disney World for over a week.  Woo hoo!  I thought it was 7 nights, but I realized yesterday in looking more closely at our points that even though we used a few points this year, we can still stay for 8 nights/9days when we go.  I am so-o-o jacked!!

And so it goes, dear readers.  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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More Moving

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Day 31 in my quest to move toward Mickey

When I last spoke with my Health Coach we set two goals for the next three weeks:

  1. When I am at work I will get up and move for five minutes out of every hour.  I can accomplish any tasks I wish as long as they involve standing and moving.
  2. On days when I am not working (Sundays excluded), I will spend at least five minutes of every hour standing and doing some household task.

Those are lofty goals for me.  But I just feel the need to get up and move more.

Here’s today’s plan: It’s a work day, so I’m working on the 5 minutes up for every hour at my desk today.  I can feel the difference.  It becomes much easier to get up and move when I haven’t been planted in my chair all day.

I just heard on the news this morning that “Sitting is the new tobacco.”  It’s the next big thing that is bad for our bodies.  Seems like I’m getting on this just in time…58 years later.  🙂

Thank you for reading, dear friends!  Meet you at the Kingdom!

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Choosing Wisely

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Day 30 in getting ready to meet Mickey at the Magic Kingdom

My work as a church secretary has been rather challenging this summer.  There has been major construction at the church building, so at times it has been very loud and smelly (paints, varnishes and glues) at work.  Now at last, things are pretty well put back together and the place looks so fresh and new.  I dig it!

However, I came to work with a leftover piece of salmon and potato last week for my lunch.  When I went to microwave it, the microwave was not only not working, it was missing.  😦  That was a very interesting cold lunch.  Not to be repeated.

So today I didn’t bring a lunch.  My plan for today was to go to McDonalds and pick up a salad for my lunch.  Not a Big Mac, not fries, not a quarter pounder with cheese, not a fish sandwich, not Chicken McNuggets, etc…etc…  And I did just that.  I picked up a salad with grilled chicken and savored every bite.  I didn’t even buy a drink, because I had brought a bottle of water from home.  It was delicious and satisfying.

I usually bring an apple to work everyday, too.  So this afternoon when I get home from work, I will enjoy my apple with peanut butter on it.  Yum!  I’ve gotten to a place now where I prefer peanut butter whose only ingredient is peanuts.  What a concept!

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

BTW: The microwave is being reinstalled tomorrow.  Yay!  Leftovers for lunch again.

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Mickey Drive-By

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Day 29 in tangoing with Mickey

You guys, I am so excited! Today Mike and I played/sang with Damascus Road, the contemporary band at our church.  It was Rally Day, so it was a full service with organ, choir and the band.  Very celebratory.

When I went into the church office to see if there was anything left on my desk for me to do while at church, there was a package there.  Inside was a “Sparkle Mickey” which is a TY Beanie Baby Mickey Mouse!  He has sparkly red trousers, sparkly gold shoes and sparkly silver gloves, a la Michael Jackson.  LOVE IT!  There was also a card which reads: “Thanks!  I’m looking forward to seeing you.  Keep up the good work, and thank you for being my friend.  I will be waiting here for you.  Love, Mickey.”

Can you even stand it????  A Mickey Drive-By!  What a lovely and inspiring gift from a lovely and inspiring friend!

My plan for today was to go to the church picnic, and walk right by the dessert table.  Now these are not just any desserts.  These are one inch squares of divine deliciousness from the Picnic Basket in Libertyville, all sorts of chocolatey, coconuty, lemony, sugary goodness.  In years past I would help myself to anywhere from four to six of these delicacies.  As I thought about it this morning, my resolve was waning.  I could feel the draw of the dreamy dessert table.  Then…I found Mickey, and I knew that for today I could walk right by that table without a second look.  And guess what, faithful readers,…I did just that!  I’m still sugar-free four weeks later!

VICTORY!  Thanks for reading.  Meet you at the Kingdom!