The Best

 

“It’s going to take some time but I will become 

the best version of me.”

I've decided it's time to stop counting days. I started Nutrisystem on January 4, 2019 and I remain committed to the program. I reached my goal weight on July 23, 2021. After taking a break from exercise to focus on work I gained a bit of weight back. On December 28, 2021 I started working on getting back to my goal weight. The next milestone in this paragraph will be the day I get back to 150 or less pounds. I've also started a new blog since I feel like the journey I started back in 2019 is over and I'm transitioning to my new life.

For the next little bit my blog will focus on happy things ... namely my vacation to Disneyworld !! I'm only going to write about one day at a time, so you'll have to keep reading ! I should mention that I haven't been to Disney since 1996 so it was pretty much a brand new place for me.

When I got up last Saturday I had every expectation that I would be spending the entire day at Animal Kingdom and ending the day with a special meal at Sanaa, which serves African cooking with Indian flavors. That was going to be completely new to me and although I'm not typically adventurous, I was looking forward to branching out ! I plopped on my ears and hopped on the bus. Grabbed some coffee first thing and then took in the "It's Tough To Be A Bug" 3D show, which was a lot of fun ! Did some walking, had some photo pass shots taken and then headed to the Avatar inspired "Flight of Passage" ride, which was going to be the long wait of the day. It was very cold (low 60's) and despite wearing jeans and a jacket I was freezing. Not long into the wait I started to feel unwell and I had to get out of the line. Despite my best efforts to "feel better" I ended up heading back to the bus depot and after having to wait AN HOUR for a bus I finally got back to the room shortly after 1 pm. I was frozen to the bone and had shaking chills, so I just crawled into bed and tried to get warm. And there I laid until Monday morning. I felt so bad because dinner reservations had to be cancelled. My planned 2nd day at Epcot on Sunday did not happen. Dinner at Topolino's at the Riviera resort did not happen. Breakfast at Ohana on Monday did not happen. More so than myself, I felt bad for my niece because she was so excited about all the things she had planned. I feel like I ruined a fair part of her trip, but she was more concerned about the experience being ruined for me. Of course we worried that it might be COVID but chills and general malaise didn't really lead me to believe I had that. I was able to convince her to go to Epcot for a while (by herself) on Sunday because there was no reason for her to babysit me and miss out. I was so glad she did ! By Monday morning I felt fine and I was able to go to Disney Springs for some retail therapy and some decadent treats before the flight home ! I don't think you get over COVID in 36 hours so I suspect I just picked up some other bug. It was chilly at Disney Springs but by early afternoon (just as we were leaving !) the sun popped out and it started to warm up. I bought some more Disney merch and some treats to bring home to my mom. One place we couldn't get into at Disney Springs was Gideon's Bakehouse - home of the 1/2 pound cookies ! The line to get in was incredibly long the entire time we were there, so I guess that place will be top of the list for next trip ! I had chicken tenders at Guy Fieri's "Chicken Guy" restaurant. You know, they were good but I think Tully's are better !! Still, I'm looking forward to giving them a second try on another trip under better circumstances ! I also had a chocolate strawberry Dole Whip that was out of this world delicious ! World of Disney was an amazing place for all things Disney, so I rounded out my souvenir purchases there. Had my luggage space not been limited I probably would have bought a lot more .. lol !!! It had always been the plan to end the vacation at Disney Springs so that worked out. Had our arrival day not had so many delays we would have started there too. Regardless, I had an amazing vacation and made so many memories. If I take this trip again I feel like it will be an even better experience for me because I won't be going into it blind and I'll be better prepared for the travel aspects. I had worried about the TSA process since I haven't flown in the post-9/11 era before, but that was no problem. I did forget to wear socks for the flight home, so I was left barefoot at the Orlando airport .. lol ! I saw people wearing simple slides with socks so I might do that next time. Much easier to pop off and on ! I will also have plenty to discover at Disney, especially at Animal Kingdom, so there is no chance I'll be bored ! I can't thank my niece enough for asking me to go AND putting in all the time and effort that she did to ensure *I* had a good time. Other than getting sick and the travel delays (which were not her fault) I had a spectacular time and really, it felt like a "once in a lifetime" type of experience for me. All the things that could have made it better for me are things *I* need to do for myself next time. 

After a busy couple of weeks and a busy (but fun!) Saturday it was nice to hang out at home today. Sad to say I didn't get much accomplished, other than changing the sheets on my bed. I think I was just tired after the whirlwind of vacation and trying to catch up at work, so it was a good day to just relax. I had breakfast this morning and then didn't eat again until dinner time .. so there's no point in outlining that. I also never turned on the treadmill, so this was truly a day of rest. February has been quite a month and here we are halfway through it !! I feel like we're nearing the end of winter and I am SO ready for that ! I miss my sunny warm days working out on the front porch ! On that note it's time for a shower and bed !