Dork Wars Episode II: The Revenge of Joaquin - Nov. 12 / Jul. 13 PTR *UPDATE 6/30*

[Lil'Mermaid75]

Check out the Fantasyland expansion and RIDE THE LITTLE MERMAID.

That's like mission number one for me. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go straight to the Little Mermaid.

So, so jealous! The LM is my favorite!! We'll be missing previews by a few weeks. You'll have to ride it once for me - I know...a sacrifice!

 

[IheartDDuck]

So, so jealous! The LM is my favorite!! We'll be missing previews by a few weeks. You'll have to ride it once for me - I know...a sacrifice!

I'm so super excited for it. I got the information on the AP previews, which are a few weeks before my trip, and I'm not gonna lie, I was totally pricing flights like "maybe I can go down there for only the weekend..." Then I realized that's just stupid.

I will ride once in your honor and will take plenty of pictures and maybe some video.

 

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

I can't wait to see the new addition to Fantasyland....... YEAH not much longer and we will be there

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh my goodness. Be Our Guest will be AMAZING. I feel like it'll be even better at lunch! The same high quality meal for less of a cost, AND, they say lunch is the only time all of the rooms will be open!

I'm just not even going to tell you how insanely jealous I am of you and everyone who gets to experience Journey of the Little Mermaid AS SOON AS NEXT MONTH. Ahhhh I can't even contain my jealousy. But at the same time it's just all so exciting! I have so many emotions, apparently.

Sounds like such a fun day.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I can't wait to see the new addition to Fantasyland....... YEAH not much longer and we will be there

I know, I can't wait either. This next month will not be able to go by fast enough.

Oh my goodness. Be Our Guest will be AMAZING. I feel like it'll be even better at lunch! The same high quality meal for less of a cost, AND, they say lunch is the only time all of the rooms will be open!

I'm just not even going to tell you how insanely jealous I am of you and everyone who gets to experience Journey of the Little Mermaid AS SOON AS NEXT MONTH. Ahhhh I can't even contain my jealousy. But at the same time it's just all so exciting! I have so many emotions, apparently.

Sounds like such a fun day.

I'm really excited about it! I'm indifferent to whether or not we go for lunch or dinner really, because I know I'll book us there for dinner in July, because I'll have the 180 day window. I just want to see it!

I was so excited when I knew for a fact we would see a lot of the Fantasyland expansion. I knew they were shooting for the holidays for opening, but I wasn't trying to get my hopes up too high that it would be open for our Thanksgiving trip. I'm so so excited. Don't worry about having so many emotions, I've got plenty of those all the time too.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Your MK plans sound great!!! Yay for BOG, I can't wait to hear all about your meal there!!!

 

[teekathepony]

Might have just shed a tear of jealousy for how perfect your MK day sounds. Be Our Guest Restaurant?! The Little Mermaid ride!? Christmas lights!? *sigh* I can't wait for our next trip. 3 years is just wayyyy too long.

 

[amazingact21]

Took me a couple weeks to realize you had a new PTR going, but I'm here now!

Glad the Boardwalk came through, and your mom will be able to stay there for more than just a night. Plus, closer proximity to Epcot.

Via Napoli is delicious, one of my favorite restaurants in Epcot, so I hope you enjoy it.

Hmm, I'm curious to hear what you think of LM and Be Our Guest...I'm following anybody who's going in Nov/De closely, trying to live vicariously in the Fantayland opening.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Your MK plans sound great!!! Yay for BOG, I can't wait to hear all about your meal there!!!

I can't wait to just see it and takes tons of pictures. I will try my best to be a very very good TR writer for it.

Might have just shed a tear of jealousy for how perfect your MK day sounds. Be Our Guest Restaurant?! The Little Mermaid ride!? Christmas lights!? *sigh* I can't wait for our next trip. 3 years is just wayyyy too long.

I'll make sure to document everything well so you can live vicariously through me. I'm glad we're getting there with good timing. I honestly wasn't even expecting that when I made the reservation. I was just like "four day weekend? SOLD!"

Took me a couple weeks to realize you had a new PTR going, but I'm here now!

Glad the Boardwalk came through, and your mom will be able to stay there for more than just a night. Plus, closer proximity to Epcot.

Via Napoli is delicious, one of my favorite restaurants in Epcot, so I hope you enjoy it.

Hmm, I'm curious to hear what you think of LM and Be Our Guest...I'm following anybody who's going in Nov/De closely, trying to live vicariously in the Fantayland opening.

I'm really glad Boardwalk came through too, because I know my Mom is very excited to stay there.

My parents ate at Via Napoli last year and really loved it, so I'm excited. It's been on my reservation list like three times now, but each time it just didn't pan out with the plans. I told her that was my "have to eat there" restaurant this trip.

Go ahead and live vicariously through my TR. I do it through others all the time.

 

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

I can't wait to just see it and takes tons of pictures. I will try my best to be a very very good TR writer for it.





I'm really glad Boardwalk came through too, because I know my Mom is very excited to stay there.

My parents ate at Via Napoli last year and really loved it, so I'm excited. It's been on my reservation list like three times now, but each time it just didn't pan out with the plans. I told her that was my "have to eat there" restaurant this trip.

Go ahead and live vicariously through my TR. I do it through others all the time.

The Pizza at Via Napoli was amazing I loved it. I am so looking forward to it again.

 

[IheartDDuck]

The Pizza at Via Napoli was amazing I loved it. I am so looking forward to it again.

I'm glad you are! I'm happy to just eat it for the first time! You and I just need to agree upon which one we're going to be sharing.

 

[MEK]

Love your Day 2 plans. I wish I was going to see the opening of Be Our Guest. I bet its going to be so cool.

 

[IheartDDuck]

Just wanted to talk about some random things. I've been reading some other reports where people are talking about their running goals, so I figured I would start talking about mine! And my current weight loss journey.

In April, I officially decided that I was over this whole feeling heavy, sluggish, and just out of energy thing that goes on. Plus, my work has really been emphasizing wellness for everyone. I just decided that I needed to do something.

So, in search of a good solution, and having heard about this from so many other people, I started using:

My Fitness Pal.

It's a free app on the iPhone and it's also web based for those out there who don't have iPhones. It's really simple, and what I liked about it was the fact that it's free! Like, no need to go to meetings (a la Weight Watchers), no fees, nothing. You plug in your honest information like age, height, weight, as well as what you want to lose per week (the maximum you can select is 2 pounds), and your exercise goals. After that, it spits back out to you a per day calorie goal. You track all your food on this app, it calculates your calories, and lets you know how much you would weigh in five weeks if every day was like today.

Everyone, I'm not kidding, this was the easiest weight loss program I've ever used before. I lost 20 pounds in two months, and I've recently hit the 30 pound mark.

Ultimately, it's a lifestyle change. It's not a diet, it's not a temporary solution. This is how life is going to be for me forever going forward. And that's okay. Because I like myself so much more this way then i have before.

Here I am when I was basically at my heaviest.

And here I am on my most recent trip (in Europe).

I didn't realize how far I'd come until I started looking through a lot of my trip pictures on Photobucket. I'm not all the way there yet, and I still have a ways to go, but I can't say how good I feel at this point. If you want to lose weight, I cannot recommend this app enough. It's so easy, I don't feel deprived, and it works.

Now, what does that bring me to now? I can't lose weight on food alone. Everyone knows eventually you'll hit a plateau, and I've hit mine. I'm okay with it, because I know what I need to do to overcome that plateau. I needed to start exercising.

I've joined the gym through my work and am going on a regular basis with my brother Jason and my SIL Jeni. So now, I'm going a minimum of three days a week to:

On top of that, I recently started the Couch to 5K program (I will refer to it as C25K). I am just finishing up week two, and I want to share my progress, because after this, I'm moving on to the 10K program, and in the end.....Princess Half in WDW with SIL! However, that won't be until 2014, but that's okay.

So week two. Here's where it stands.

5 minute warm up
1.5 minute run followed by 2 minute walk (6 times)
5 minute cool down

I accomplished that this week for the first time, and let me tell you, it's hard! I'm not a runner, never have been, so this is huge for me! I'll share my weekly progress with you guys here, because it will help keep me motivated!

If there are any joggers / runners reading my report (ahem, Mary Ellen, I know you jog regularly), I would love tips. I just bought a pair of Skechers GoRun shoes, and I LOVE THEM!

I am going to invest in some compression leggings and socks to protect my ankles and legs. But I'm going to do it friends. I'm going to run run run run!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Love your Day 2 plans. I wish I was going to see the opening of Be Our Guest. I bet its going to be so cool.

I'm super excited that the timing of this trip worked out so well. I did not think we were going to be there for the opening of FL when I originally planned it.

 

[MEK]

That's a big change. You look like a different person. Congratulations on your weight loss and your plans to do the Couch to 5K. Have much patience with your running. It takes awhile to really enjoy it. Don't expect to. Give it 6 months. I'm serious. Hopefully when you get that first runner's high you'll get hooked!

 

[IheartDDuck]

That's a big change. You look like a different person. Congratulations on your weight loss and your plans to do the Couch to 5K. Have much patience with your running. It takes awhile to really enjoy it. Don't expect to. Give it 6 months. I'm serious. Hopefully when you get that first runner's high you'll get hooked!

Thanks. Honestly, I decided to do this update on a whim based on the pictures I was looking through. I think it puts things in perspective when you can see the evidence of the change.

I'm staying patient and determined, that's great advice. I haven't gotten a huge runners high yet. I always feel GREAT when I'm done so I keep that in mind for sure.

 

[shan23877]

Danielle you are AMAZING!!! Keep up the good work!


As a former runner my best advice for you would be to pay really close attention to your body. Running is amazing exercise, but it's really hard on your lower half. The reason I can no longer run is (back in high school) I was so focused on my goals that I ignored the constant pain in my knees and shins. By the time I graduated from high school, I'd run through the pain for so long that I'd essentially run my arches flat, acquired shin splints, and run the cartilage right out of both of my knees. Even surgery can't repair the damage. So, the moral of the story is this: while I'm not suggesting that you stop every time it hurts, I am saying that you should listen to your legs. Especially your knees and feet. I would invest in some decent arch support inserts (they'll feel uncomfortable at first) and buy new shoes at the first sign of wear.

I am NOT saying that you should stop working out if one of those things happen, but if you start feeling discomfort take a few days off from running. Instead do some laps in the pool -- it's an excellent low impact cardio workout.

An app that I love is the FREE Nike fitness app. It's great for days that you can't get to the gym, or for days that you really want to change up your routine a little. It has videos of how to properly do each exercise, and lots of different types of workouts depending on your goals.

Keep up the great work Danielle, and please continue to share you progress with us.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

 

[zanzibar138]

So glad you've decided to share your C25K journey with us

You're doing awesomely so far! You look like a whole new person, and I bet you feel like it too

Personally I first felt that high when I completed the 20 minute run. I just felt invincible! Too bad my body didn't agree and I'm now out of training with bad ankles So yes, definitely listen to your body. There's a difference between the good 'I've worked' pain and the bad 'I'm injured' pain. Listen to your body when you get the bad pain and repeat a week if you have to. I didn't even though I could feel the bad pain building up, and now I'm paying for it

Compression tights are awesome. I would wear mine all the time if I could. Seriously. Mum sent me some calf compression socks and I wear them under my work pants after my runs.

 

[amandaluvsgoofy]

That is so awesome!!!!!! You look amazing!!! Keep up the great work!

I started jogging in college along with eating better and ended up losing about 40 pounds. I also hit a period of knee pain and decided to focus on walking for a while. When I had it checked out I had a touch of tendinitis (sp?). It got better and I switched to walking a few days a week and running the others. Now I mostly walk (I am almost 5 months pregnant) along with doing yoga 2-3 days a week and I LOVE it!! Of course I am a yoga instructor so I might be a little bias. So if ever you're looking for another great physical activity let me know!

I'm super excited for you and your mom to take your trip soon! You girls are gonna have such a blast! My goal is buy into DVC so we can go at least once a year or even a few times a year and have more relaxed trips (not so commando like we've done in the past).

Your TRs and PTRs are so much fun! Looking forward to reading more!

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

Wow, only 30 pounds??? Sure looks like you lost alot more than that... You look great!!!

And I just sent my daughter an email to download the myfitnesspal app on her iPad... I get weighted next week at my annual physical... So not looking forward to that...