AK - I didn't like Avatar but I thought it was beautiful. And I think AK needs more to do so I'm looking forward to seeing Pandora. And I would rip out Dinoland in its entirety and replace it with anything.
Epcot - Saved Epcot for last because the park gets worse with every visit. I absolutely LOVED Epcot when I was a teenager. I loved talking to all the CMs. I loved all of the unique merchandise in the shops. I loved Figment. I loved the food. Now the park largely reminds me of an endless Disney gift shop interspersed with food court level cuisine at outrageous table service prices. So I don't know that I would move anything to Epcot but I desperately want to restore it to its former glory.
Just want to chime in and say I agree with your sentiments here about AK and Epcot TOTALLY and COMPLETELY!! I want to feel IMMERSED in the country/culture of each place..... not like it is a bus stop through the food court of that country! The only shops that have really unique stuff are SUPER PRICEY..... I want a souvenir from your country..... I don't want to buy the country! And I don't want something that looks like I bought it as an afterthought at the airport as I was departing your country! I am a frustrated wanna-be world traveler and I want to LOVE traveling through World Showcase and the countries in AK and feel, just a bit, like I am really there! And don't get me started about Future World..... I only visit there for Test Track and Soarin' !!
I only just started going to Disney World a few years back, so I have nothing to compare it to. I can love it without comparison! I had a slip last night. I was in one of my "so hungry I could die" places. It happens sometimes and I have to have something heavy to satisfy me. I had two grahams with peanut butter and 12 chocolate chips. It could have been worse, I suppose. But I'm okay today...WhooHoo! I had a good gym workout today. I talked with someone who is so happy to be there, he is just full of smiles and happiness and feels blessed that he has the opportunity to work out almost every day! I was riding on his joy for my workout! I'm packing for my cruise tomorrow. I have bought quite a few new things and it does get rather pricey. Some of the things I bought last spring, brand new, hardly worn, do not fit. It kind of bugs me, cause it seems like such a waste of money....but the fact I have to buy more new things is a blessing....so I had to move past that issue. There will always be something to be disappointed about...it just is that way. The key is to always find that wonderful something...cause it's there too. You get to pick what you choose to focus on...isn't that a gift!
First of all.... HUGE HUGS to you for sharing all of your positivity with us.... and for being GREAT at looking for the positivity in others and in your day! I'm so impressed!! You are my blessing today!! I need a reminder that every day is a gift and how we choose to act and present ourselves and what we choose to focus on is OUR CHOICE!!
Second.... the "slip" doesn't sound like a disaster.... and obviously it didn't turn into a total SLIDE off the wagon! Good for you!!
And finally.... WOOHOO On packing for the CRUISE!! Where from and where to? When? Find a good consigment store to sell the barely-worn clothes that are now too big and use the money to buy some NEW smaller clothes!!
I have LOTS of woohoos for the day!!!
1. I went to my second WW meeting yesterday and lost 3.6 POUNDS my first full week on plan!!! I also really love the meeting and the leader! I still have some reservations about the plan itself but I am super happy to have the extra support and structure. I'm also excited to learn what is in store for December! Not too sure about the coaching. I've had calls with three different people so far. The first was just a disaster. The second was OK but I really felt like the person was reading from a script and it just wasn't very helpful. The action plan she wrote was really just following the plan and i had been hoping for a bit more. I liked the third person a lot and am going to try her again - we seemed to click, she got my issues and had helpful suggestions, and I felt like I was getting something out of it. I love my meeting leader so much that I would like to try him as a coach but that feels like it would be stalking. Plus different perspectives are good and talking to more than one person would be rough for me to schedule.
Wowza!! CONGRATS and BRAVO on having such a successful first week! Hope that gets you rolling along in the right direction for the long term!
2. I am definitely sick but all of the travel restrictions surrounding the pope's visit mean I didn't have to go work today and I don't have to go in tomorrow either. I did work from home much of the day but it was nice to get some extra rest time without have to call in sick.
3. Summer is over!!!!!
4. DH agreed to a short, focused, secret trip to
Disneyland in January or early February so that we can enjoy the 60th Anniversary festivities! Woohoo!!!!!
Sorry you are really sick. Lot of it going around here as well.... surprising for so early in the season! Glad you could stay home though. And WOOOOOOOOOHOOOO on a DISNEY TRIP in the works..... super jealous here!
Haha, I think the dance is the one thing we're good to go on! We picked our song last year, and we'll totally just "8th grade dance". We aren't dancers at all. I even asked DH2B if we absolutely had to do one, but he wouldn't budge.
SO excited for you guys and your hotel stays! Oh my goodness, what fantastic picks! We looked into POFQ; DH2B and his family are all from New Orleans, so we though it'd be cool. I stayed with my family at POR a few years ago and loved it. And the villas at Poly AND AK! Oh my word. Enjoy enjoy enjoy!!
We'll be spending 5 nights at the Dolphin - lots of Food & Wine and Boardwalk evenings! I can. not. wait. Every time over the last year that someone has asked about wedding plans, I've just told them I didn't know, but I've had the honeymoon planned for a year! 
I keep reminding DH2B that I'm much more excited about the Disneymoon than the wedding hahaha.
It all sounds terrific and fun and relaxing and wonderful!!
Sigh. Unfortunately, that's the exact rule that changed. 
Our original plan was to have a friend of mine perform the ceremony... On Monday, we found out that 1) TN has recently stopped allowing online ordinations, in an effort to better control who can/can't get married 
the sticky thing is, some counties will allow them still, but of course nothing local to me. 2) because she is on a career path to be ordained within the UMC, the online ordination could get her in a ton of trouble with the church, and effectively end her career. 
Important things to know a year ago when we asked, LOL. We've been tearing up the phone lines this week, so hopefully something will come through soon. This is just a very big, very unanticipated stress very close to the wedding. I took care of stuff like this year ago so that 30 days before I could worry about what color manicure to get 
Keep looking, ask around, put out the word with friends that you need an officiant.... something will come through, I promise!
I have a woohoo after all! Yesterday was my referral's 90-day, so hopefully we'll be getting the referral bonus for her before the honeymoon. I think we'll be ok without it, but I'll feel a lot better knowing we've got that if we need it. Of course, I won't believe it until that check is actually deposited in my account. We'll find out the 19th!
Also, I spent my work day looking for songs to play at the ceremony and the reception. Gonna charge ahead as if we're still having the wedding on the 24th as planned! DH2B's dad has a friend who plays acoustic guitar at weddings, so he'll be doing our processional/recessional music. I think we've decided on "Rose of my Heart" by Johnny Cash for the wedding party walking in, and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder for the recessional... Not sure what I'll walk in to, though! Help me out here, if you don't mind - we'll have a wide variety of people at our reception, much like we have here! So I'll use you guys if that's ok. 
I've asked people when they RSVP to give us names of songs they'd like to hear at the reception, but of course I can barely get people to RSVP, much less give me song names.
What are some songs that are guaranteed to get you up on the dance floor at a reception???
Let me give it some thought. My DJ for my reception told me that my playlist was one of the best he had ever seen for getting folks up and moving (granted, this was nearly 25 years ago), but I agree with what someone else said..... sometimes some of the old dance classics really get people moving! Plus toss in some of the new stuff.... especially wedding themed/dance themed.... and of course just a few outside the box, like some swing dance music, a bit of disco, etc!
THANK YOU for sharing your story! At the risk of sounding cheesy, that was honestly inspirational! I want to be a fly on the wall of your house on meal prep day. I don't even know where to begin with that.
Sometimes you need to start kind of small..... I started by making meatloaves..... 10 at a time. I would buy a bunch of ground beef/hamburg on sale.... and onions, peppers, carrots, broccoli slaw, beans, etc. (depending on what you like in your meatloaf). I used my BIGGEST plastic salad bowl as a mixing bowl and just started tossing it all in. Once I had the mixture all done, I started the oven. I used my loaf pan as a mold and lined it with plastic wrap and packed the meat into it and then turned it out onto a lined jelly roll pan (the plastic wrap helped it come out of the mold). I would do this until I had used all of the meat. I would make as many as 10 meatloaves at once! I baked them all at once ( on two racks in the oven, rotating the pans halfway through), cooled them, wrapped them in foil and labeled them and VOILA.... 10 main dishes DONE!....... add 15 minute couscous and some steamed broccoli and I have dinner in NO TIME FLAT! I would try to remember to grab one from the freezer the day before, but often I ended up just defrosting in the microwave at the last minute....... nbd!
Anyhow, that was how I started to learn about batch cooking, etc. Now I can do anywhere from 3-6 different dishes in one day. Some get fully cooked before freezing and some don't.
My biggest tips.... start small.... try to make a triple batch of just one or two things in one day.... and if helps if they are things that use similar ingredients (like meatloaf and meatballs). Make sure you start with an empty sink, empty dishwasher, and reasonably picked up kitchen. And be prepared to wash down all of your counters and floors when you are done if you are like me! I end up with a HUGE mess! Put on an apron and comfy sneakers (or go barefoot like me!), put on some fun music and go for it!
Be sure to read your ingredients list carefully because it is super frustrating to get into the middle of this project and realize you don't have cumin... or coriander..... or garlic.... you get the idea.
Check Pinterest for inspiration and lots of ideas for freezer meals..... crockpot freezer meals are the BEST!!
QOTD - September 24
In lieu of today's question of the day, I want to do something a little different. As we all know, our
@JacknSally is getting married to her DH2B in just a few short weeks. That happy event will quickly be followed by the wedding of our
@ANforever1030 to his lovely DW2B. So let's throw them a little online wedding shower!
I've got a buffet table loaded up with magic calorie treats (Crabcakes Benedict and a Bellini for me) so pull up a comfy chair and join in!
First, every shower needs gifts!!! So please share a piece of advice or two with the happy couples to help launch them on this new phase of their lives! I want this to be inclusive so a marriage of your own is in no way required to give advice. Nor does said advice have to be about marriage.
Second, games! Just in case they need some help with finishing up their vows, I've found a wedding related mad lib to help them out. Fill in the following word types and I'll be back to post completed vows this evening!
- Length of time
- Place
- Personal characteristic
- Personal characteristic
- Personal characteristic
- Verb/action
- Verb/action
- Verb/action
- Verb/action
- Description
- Term of endearment
I'm nearly out of time, so I'll answer all of this later!
This is SO CUTE!!! First of all, crabcakes benedict sounds amazing - I'll be thinking about that one all day! Secondly, thank you for the sweet thought!! 30 days out for me today - @ANforever1030 has 35 days, if my math is correct?? (sidenote: I've officially begun the crazy Disney mindset of "I'm so sad - my wedding and Disneymoon will be all over in just 37 days and then I'll be just a wife with nothing to plan" )
Be careful of this.... it is a REAL THING! I spent 2 years concentrating on absolutely NOTHING but wedding planning (and losing some weight for the wedding, of course!) and when it was all said and done and I was back from my honeymoon (without a job because we had just moved) I didn't know what to do with myself! Sure, unpacking from the move and writing wedding thank yous took up a bit of time.... and of course playing "wife" was fun (for a bit), but beyond that I floundered..... and gained 25 pounds the first year we were married!! It didn't help that a few months in, when I had finally landed a good job working 8-5 M-F, DH almost immediately got a job transfer.... to Tu-Fr nights 4pm - 1 am and Saturday days...... so our only time together was Sundays and he was too exhausted to do anything!
Anyhow...... don't fall into a post-wedding depression!! Have a plan!!
Happy Friday EVE everyone! We are so, so close to the end of the week - and amazingly, to the end of September, too!
I'll be working on the October challenge this weekend, and I hope to see each and every one of your beautiful faces over there next month!
@DisPup75 has graciously agreed to co-host October with me - because everything is more magical when it's shared! I'll be getting the month started off, and will pass the baton to Maggie around the 18th.
Any guesses as to the theme for October? There might be a hint in this post!
I know weight loss can be stressful and a real pain, but don't panic! We're going to make it as fun as possible.
Looking forward to our co-hosts for October doing a bang-up job!!!
First of all: All the best for the two soon to be married participants!! I hope that the short time until the wedding won't be too stressful for both of you!
Since I am not married myself, I will refrain from giving out any pieces of advice - and just wish you that you will live happily ever after!
I have been reading along the previous days and really enjoyed your chatter here on the thread, sorry for being so absent. Somtimes the DIS just overwhelms me with all the replying etc. Also, I have started my new trip report about my visit to Disneyland and many other places in Califonia. In case anyone is interested, there is a link in my signature. Something about Dazzling...
I have been struggling with eating too much all week. I track my calories on the fitbit app and am aiming for a daily deficit of 750. I like tracking on fitbit as it also takes into account my daily activity. I know that it is not a really precise thing, but I find that it gives me a good goal. I have also found in the past that on days with a lot of physical activity I need to eat more, otherwise the next day I will suffer from hunger attacks which then make me overload on carbs which then causes more hunger etc. It also was good because on those days when I ended up with a lot of calories eaten, it really motivated me to get active in the evening and not just sit on the sofa or in front of the computer. I still ended up failing the 750 goal, but I had a deficit of at least 500 calories every day according to the fitbit. So, that's quite ok in my opinion. And the best thing: Today the scale made a jump down and I am only 0.5 pound away from my goal for September! Gave me a great motivational push for the weekend!!
Woohoo on closing in on your goal!!
*************
Hey friends! Here at work again today with a bit of time to "play"! I have a break again later between testing student groups and I plan to strap on my sneakers and get a good walk in. The maintenance subbing does keep me moving, but it isn't terribly aerobic..... but lots of walking and reaching and stretching, so that is something, right?
Just 20 days until I am Bermuda bound..... but I'm starting to think that DD is more excited than we are! She needs to get away from this small group of people she has been living with, eating with, learning with, diving with, socializing with for the past month. She is a little like her mom and likes her own company the best! And apparently it is really hard to have any "alone time" of any sort where she is.
I mentioned to you all that I had created a checklist for myself to help me keep up with things like water, healthy fats, green tea, etc..... and after doing it for about a week I definitely see a pattern!! I have to work a bit harder on the hydration (some days are better than others)..... but the healthy fats are nearly non-existent!! Most of the other stuff (other than "me time") I do a decent job of keeping up with (but I rarely hit them ALL every day). And next chance I get I want to tweak the list to include taking my vitamins daily and flossing daily..... two things I struggle to keep up with.
Anyhow..... I think I'm going to go backs to coconut oil in my coffee in the morning. It didn't help with hunger or anything like that, but it definitely started my day with healthy fats..... and it tastes pretty yummy too!
But anyhow, it is interesting to look at these checklists and be able to see a definite PATTERN emerging! Something I can learn from and work on!!
Gotta dash.... it is my lunch break! SO hungry! Looking forward to my red, white, and green chili!.....................P
The timing of everything at the moment has me way more high-maintenance than I am when in non-month-before-the-wedding-mode. I promise I'm a normal person! 
So I wish you luck! I thought it would be a cute idea because we could pick songs for the DJ to definitely play, play if he had time, and to avoid. But people still danced so I guess I did a good enough job. 
