B's Top Ten Plans for the Disney Vacation

Ok everyone, we are about 6 months out from Jana and mine's Disney vacation. To say we are excited would be a huge understatement! We talk about it at least once everyday, and I am listening to about a million trillion podcasts on Disney world (my favorites are Disney Dream Girls & WDW Happy Place by the way).  I thought it might me fun to do a top ten list of what I'm most looking forward to doing (outside of the half marathon of course):

1. Be Our Guest Restaurant
This is my absolute ONLY must do for Disney! I have made no secret that my favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast. Now they have a whole restaurant based off the movie. You can even order the grey stuff (like the song). If I don't get to do this, I will be crushed. I plan on getting up early the day you can begin booking the reservations, just to be certain.

2. Tower of Terror in Hollywood Studios

I have wanted to ride this ride since I first saw it on a travel channel special years ago! I think it will scare the pants off me, being as it is a free fall ride. But I love, love, love a good thrill ride.  So bring it on Disney. 

3. Dole Whip

Ok, so post weight loss surgery I eat almost zero sweets (maybe some frozen yogurt from time to time). But all the people on my podcasts rave about the dole whip. So I'm thinking even if I can only have a bite or two, I just have to try it. 

4. Meet Anna & Elsa

This comes with the caveat that we only do this with the Fast Pass, because come on, I really want to meet these two. But I do not want to spend three hours in line with screaming children. But I do, I do just love Frozen.

5. Epcot World Showcase

When I was younger, I had some kind of Barbie VHS tape where Barbie went to Disneyworld (or some other such nonsense). I remember being really blown away by how cool the world showcase looked in the movie. I guess I had the travel bug even as a little girl.  So I'm excited to check out all the countries, and maybe even do a little drinking around the world?

6. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride
This is one of the newer rides in Disneyworld, and it sounds so fun!  We will get to ride in little mine cars and be immersed in the world of the Seven Dwarfs. Rockin'.

7.  The First Time Seeing the Castle

I have seen Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland, and that was really such an exciting moment. I think seeing Cinderella's castle for the first time will be even more thrilling! That will mean the trip has begun!

8. Parade

I feel like this one is kind of self-explanatory. Floats! Characters! Bands! Mickey! Need I say more?

9. Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid Ride

This one goes out to my homegirl, Jana! Since her favorite movie is The Little Mermaid. But who wouldn't want to ride in a clam shell and go Under the Sea (Probably my husband, but he is going anyway!).

 

10. Firework Show

I love a regular hometown Firework show, so I'm guessing a Disneyworld firework show has to be epic right? Well, I guess we will see!
 

I just can't wait y'all, I just can't wait,

Brittany

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Just Beachin'

I just got back from a much needed vacation to the beach. I am finishing unpacking my bags (which involves dumping out handful of sands), and I'm already missing the sun, sand, and waves. I could of used a couple of more days to get a little more tan and a little more relaxed. Don't vacations always end too soon? I am already missing my nieces terribly!

It really was a great vacation. The first night I got there I was having tons of anxiety about food. Food post weight loss surgery is so much more complicated than food pre weight loss surgery. The problem was I was staying in a condo with 8 other people, and that kitchen was stacked to the brim with snacks. Snacks I would have loved before my surgery!  Like Banana Split Oreos! Where were banana split Oreos when I still weighed in the 300s?  Or the banana taffy sonic slushie with nerds? I would have lost my mind over those a few months ago.

I'm  pretty much at a point with my surgery, that I can have a bite of almost anything, and I will try things because otherwise I would lose my mind. But for the most part I have a routine with food, that I find comforting. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle all the temptation.

I did pretty well. I do think I snacked more than I would in a regular week, but I didn't eat the unhealthy stuff. But I did have bite of the Oreo, and it was crazy good!

I stayed pretty active, I went for a 3 mile run one evening in the gym, while people stared at me from the pool. I was less embarrassed that I was sweating like a pig in front of a pool of teenagers, than I was that I was watching the Real Housewives while doing it! I swam non-stop, and I am participating in a crunches challenge for the month of August.

When  I got home, I was scared to step on the scale, I don't know why. It is just that being out of my routine scares me, I was BLOWN away to discover that I lost 8 lbs this week. BLOWN AWAY. So proud and so happy. I weigh in the 230s now, I am so close to ONEDERLAND.

Also, while we we were on vacation, Adam and I went parasailing. Parasailing has been on my bucket list for a while. Years and years ago, when I would go on beach trips with the church youth group, they would take people out to go parasailing. I would always act like I didn't want to go, but really I wouldn't go because there was a combined weight limit, and I doubted there was anyone I could pair with that wouldn't make us heavier than the weight limit. So I didn't even try. Just one more way my weight has held me back over the years.

But now that I've lost some weight, I could ride with my husband. So we went parasailing not once but twice last week. What an amazing experience! Not only was it fun and beautiful, it was just so amazing to be able to do something that my weight used to keep me from doing. 

Losing weight lets you have adventures. 

Tomorrow it is back to the grind, and we are moving into our new house on Friday! I'm hoping to get a run in tomorrow before work, so I can finish up some packing in the afternoon.   This weekend is going to be hectic and full of unpacking boxes and cleaning. I'm hoping to run a 4 miler over the weekend!

Catch you later,

Brittany

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5 miler Repeat

I just realized it has been over a week since my last post and I swore to Brittany that I was going to update weekly about my progress. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my day to day that I don't even have time to get on the computer to update. (I ALWAYS have my phone but hate typing on it) So here I am, to issue an apology to Brittany and our readers and to update everyone on what's been happening. :)

Last week I got to go visit my family in Alabama. Our church does VBS every summer and I was so happy that I was off and able to participate. Sometimes I really miss being at home and so those little trips are meaning more and more each time I go.

 I was in charge of games and face painting. To say I had a blast was an understatement. My "adopted" brother Brody was there and he let me paint him a full beard, which was hysterical in my opinion. I painted mustaches, hearts, crosses, and more Auburn logos than I can even remember. (WAR EAGLE!!!!) ;)

Brody with his "stache"

Last week started my week of 5 milers and on Monday I hit the treadmill and completed them. I hate the treadmill more than anything, so it took me an hour and a half to finish. While it wasn't ideal, I was proud of myself for pushing and getting done. My knees were killing me when I finished so I iced them and relaxed a little bit. Due to the soreness, I was unable to get anymore mileage in last week. With that being said, I'm going to redo my week of 5 milers so that I'll be able to complete them in entirety. (And outside at the track)

While I was home, I got the opportunity to have a beach day with my sister, Chelsea, and my best friend Chandra. When we get together, the silliness that ensues is unbelievable. We were able to enjoy a good visit, a subway sandwich, and some sand, sun, and surf. :)

Girl's Day Silliness

Once I got back from Alabama, I helped by taking part in a friend of mine's wedding. I was one of her program attendants and my job was to hand out programs and have people sign the guest book. I took my duties seriously and at 5pm on the nose, took my seat among the rest of the wedding guests. The wedding was beautiful and the Tiffany Blue and Coral theme was breathtaking. I was so happy I was able to be a part of her big day. 

The Bride and her coworkers

Now to the current week now that we are all caught up. :) 

Today I had the pleasure of meeting one of my new team members for next year. She is very sweet and I'm looking forward to working with her. We had a "working" lunch with my other team member, Charla. We are gearing up for a GREAT school year.

 I also got to tell my parents goodbye as they headed to their trip to Memphis for the next few days. They stayed at my house last night so that they didn't have to drive so far. Even though it was a quick overnight trip, it still meant a lot to me to get to see them. Even though I only live 4hrs from home, sometimes it seems like a lot further.

To end my day I paid some bills, worked on some school stuff, and am now debating on if I want to start tackling my "teacher storage room" or wait until tomorrow. Pretty sure I'm going to at least start tonight, but we will see. 5 miles is scheduled for the AM as well.

I hope everyone has a good week and look for some more updates soon! :)

Happy Monday,

Jana

The Countdown is On...

The countdown to Disney is slowly ticking away! It's hard to believe that when I started my timer that we had well over 340 days! I like to randomly check and when I saw we were less than 250 days away I sent Brit a copy of the timer. Her response was "Holy Moly!" I know exactly how she feels because it seems so surreal to be getting closer by the day. We will be registering for our race on July 15th! It's so close! 

I finished my week of 4 milers on Saturday morning and it was HOT! My fastest 4 miles I did for the week was 58 minutes. My longest was 1hr 2 mins. I'm not going to complain because I'm still under the time limit for Disney and I know that over time my speed will improve. And before I move on, I must say how proud I am of Brittany for running her first full 5K on Saturday! That is such an amazing accomplishment! :) She has inspired me to try and run a full 5K as well. 

Today starts my 5 mile runs and since the weather has decided not to cooperate, I'm going to be using my Mom's treadmill. Even though I hate the treadmill, at least I will get my workout in without too much hassle. Plus, they were cutting the grass at the track I've been running at since I've been home and the pollen is RIDICULOUS! Hopefully this rain will help bring it down a little so I'll be able to run outside tomorrow! :) 

I've been home visiting my family the last few days as our "home" church is preparing for VBS starting tonight and I had a few Pampered Chef shows scheduled. Given that I'm out for summer break, both of these give me an excuse to stay busy and make extra trips home to visit. I love PC because I get to cook and teach while earning some extra income. If you've never heard of Pampered Chef, you can check out my website here. VBS is fun too because I get to be in charge of games with all the kids. There is nothing more fun than working with little kids and seeing their eyes light up. Our theme this year is Weird Animals. I can't wait for the kids to come into the church and see what we have in store for them! 

It's hard to believe that everything is moving so fast. It feels like just yesterday I started my summer break and in two more weeks I'll be setting up my classroom and gearing up for a new school year, my half marathon, and getting everything squared away for Disney! I feel so blessed and can't wait to see what happens! 

Have a Marvelous Monday,

Jana

The Girls Go to the Museum

(Picture Source)

The morning after Glow in the Park, Jana and I went to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel (Where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated). I was so excited about this visit. I typically do a lot of the trip planning when I go out with my friends. I had sent Jana a list of things we might want to do, including the civil rights museum, thinking she would never pick the museum (although I was most hoping to visit the museum out of all the options).

But Jana who is a museum/history nerd just like me said, "I would really like to do the museum, but I'm thinking you want to do such and such instead." I was so excited to tell her I wanted to do the museum too. Nerds unite!

But really the civil rights museum isn't nerdy it all. It is touching, moving, and sobering at times. I learned so much that I didn't know, and it made me think differently about what I already knew. It was also sad to be reminded how much our home state of Alabama was involved in the controversy. While I love Alabama with all my heart, we continue to lag in making social progress at times.

Some of my favorite exhibits included a Montgomery bus replication with the statue of Rosa Parks. I walked up to the front of the bus, and as soon as I did a voice hollered, "move to the back of the bus." It scared me to death. After the man said it many times, a narrator informed me, if I hadn't moved to the back of the bus by this time, I would have already been arrested.

I was also captivated by the end part of the tour which leads you into the Lorraine Hotel and the actual room where Martin Luther King stayed his last night. The have replicated it the way it was the day he was assassinated. Very haunting.

 

We really enjoyed our visit to the museum, and I would highly recommend going if you are ever in Memphis.