Pounds lost since last blog (2 weeks): 6 Pounds
Pounds lost since surgery: 114 Pounds
Pounds lost overall: 156 Pounds
There is a HUGE smile on my face right now! I lost 6 pounds. Thank you Disney & Universal!
I know it's been two weeks since I blogged. Between getting ready for vacation and vacation, I had tons of stuff to do. I'm not going to bore you with all the details about getting ready for vacation and skip right to the good parts!
We flew out on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It was super busy at the airport and the flight was jam packed. Let me just take this moment to tell you how much you should appreciate the flight attendants. I saw them clean up multiple children's puke while dealing with rude parents. I have a new found respect for them after this flight. Another thing super pumped about was last year on our Muller/Smith Adventure, I had to have a seatbelt extender...NOT THIS YEAR. I even had quite a bit left over!
Our resort was pretty nice. We stayed at the Vistana Villages by Sheraton and it has a bedroom and a kitchenette and a living room. It was pretty nice. It also shuttled us to and from DisneyWorld for free even though we only used that service once.
The first day which was Sunday, we spent at Animal Kingdom. We also started collecting the pins. If you don't know what I mean, you buy pins and then you can trade with other Disney employees. I collected Mickey and Minnie pins and Johnathan collected Disney Star Wars pins. Anyways, Animal Kingdom is kinda like a zoo but it has other things in it as well. I really enjoyed the Safari ride. The giraffes were like right there. I'm almost certain we could have reached out and touched them!
For those of you who know me, know that I LOVE rides right?! Can you believe I married someone who isn't particularly fond of them?! Anyways, the best ride of the day was Yeti Mountain. That's not technically what it was called but it had a Yeti and it was a mountain. I rode three different times. Yes, three different times. It was awesome! I love roller coasters!! Another thing about losing these 156 pounds is that I no longer have to fear whether or not I can ride a ride. I fit in all the rides and even have lots of room!!
The second day, Monday, we spent at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. So, these two parks are iconic parks that you think about when you think about Disney. This is the huge Cinderella castle and the Giant Golf Ball that is really not a Golf Ball kids. The first ride we rode was the Haunted Mansion. It was pretty cool. Then we started walking around. So, at Magic Kingdom I loved looking around and it brought back some really great memories. We also did Pirates of the Caribbean. It was pretty cool too. So the later it became in the afternoon, the more packed it became. So, we decided to hop on over to Epcot.
I honestly thought the big white ball was a Golf ball for these last 29 years. It's not, peeps. It's a space ride exhibit. It's really neat. It shows you the past and tries to predict the future. The funny story about this ride is that with your fast passes, once you use it in one park you can't switch it over to another park. So, because we complained about it, we were taken into the ride through the back. This is the same door that celebrities and Presidents went through all just to make sure we left a happy customer. Another thing we loved about Epcot was this Mission in Space right that gave you the sensation of space. It's amazing to me that a ride can simulate something soooo real.
When the sun started to go down, we returned to Magic Kingdom. First we rode Space Mountain which was pretty awesome. We rode the Little Mermaid ride. #1 because our niece Juliana, who is 4, was with us. #2. Ariel is the BEST Disney princess. It was pretty awesome. My complaint is that these rides are really short. You wait in line for what seems forever and then the ride is 30 seconds or less. Anyways, then we ate at Gaston's tavern (I'll discuss food below) and then headed to catch the parade and firework show to end the night. My favorite part of this was that they changed the look of the castle in that they projected images on it. YouTube it because there are no possible words for the awesomeness of this.
Our last stop in the DisneyWorld adventure was Hollywood Studios. The first ride that we rode was the Great American Movie Ride. It had some classics like Casablanca and Wizard of Oz. I was pretty bummed that there wasn't a Gone with the Wind Section. Anyways, after that we hit up Star Tours. You may not know this about me, but I've not seen one of the Star Wars movies so this ride's appreciation was lost on this girl. But, my husband and the family loved it and that is all that mattered. I didn't get to ride the Tower of Terror. Yes, I know, I missed out on an iconic Disney experience but alas I was outvoted and no one would even walk over there with me.
The next day was the BEST day. It was Universal Studios day AND HARRY POTTER WORLD. Yes, I admit it. I am a Potter Geek! And PROUD OF IT! So, they also have a fast pass option but it's an extra $109 a person sooooo...yeah... we waited in some lines on this day. The first thing we rode was the Mummy ride. It was pretty awesome. I knew after this first ride that this was going to be awesome!! Next, we headed to the Hogwarts express. OMG... I was like a kid in a candy store with this kids. Super pumped. The first thing in Harry Potter that we rode was the Dragon Challenge roller coaster. By far, this was the most awesome ride of the park! I could have ridden this one over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over...you get the picture. Next was the Harry Potter Hogwarts ride! It was awesome!! Words cannot express how much I enjoyed this experience. It was amazing and for this Potter Geek...one I will never forget. After that ride, we rode the Hippograff which was a little lack luster but part of the experience. We took tons of pictures! Then, I finally got to try a butterbeer and pumpkin juice. No, this is not sanctioned by my physician or nutritionist but I wanted to try them. I didn't come all this way to not experience the whole thing ya'll. Do I regret it?! Absolutely not!!!
So, while we were on the Island of Adventure, we did the rest of the tour starting with the Hulk ride. One of my favorite pictures of Miss Maryah is one where she is riding this ride. Let's just say the picture I got was a little more calm and collected than hers. I loved the ride. I could do it again. Next was Dr. Doom. I had to ride this one by myself since no one would ride it with me. Next was Spiderman and Johnathan loved that one. We walked through Dr. Suess land and Jurassic Park. I know what you are thinking, Jurassic Park is a classic, but the only rides I saw were water rides. And it was very very cold that day.
We took the Hogwarts express back to Diagon Alley. There I had a hot butterbeer which was the best thing that I touched my lips since....ever.... It was soooo good. Again, not approved by the doctor or nutritionist but I didn't care. Then we rode the Gringotts ride and it was pretty cool too! Again, super excited! Loved every minute of Harry Potter World! After we finished up at Diagon Alley which included a stop at Weasley's Whizzing things, we headed to finish the park. We rode the Men in Black II ride where we shot aliens and ended the day at The Simpson's ride which reminded me of our childhood! It was a great day.
So, all in all GREAT trip! Hands down, Universal Studios was wayyyyy better than DisneyWorld. I wish we would had more time there.
I know you are all wondering...what did I eat. This is the point of the blog right to talk about my lifestyle not brag about the fun times I'm having. So, every morning for breakfast we had eggs, cheese, banana peppers and turkey bacon or sausage. We cooked at the villa since there was a stove and fridge and stuff. There were plenty of low carb options at Disney including turkey legs, pork shanks and bunless burgers. However, every time I turned around, there was fresh popcorn. I miss popcorn and the smell of funnel cakes was so intoxicating that I almost gave in a tried one. I did cheat on the day I had a butter beer and had a baked sweet potato but i don't feel bad about it. It was good and not that bad. It's not like I ate a dozen chocolate chip cookies.
So, since we've been home, I've been in the Christmas mood. We've been getting the tree and outside decoration up and ready to celebrate the birth of Christ. There's only 23 days until then! I love Christmas!
Prayer requests for this week include just prayer in general for Johnathan and I. We do have an unspoken one right now as we get ready to start this Christmas season!
Thank you in advance for your prayers and I'll say the first one of the season: Merry Christmas! God bless you and your family this holiday season!
As promised!
Recipe of the Week:
Cheese Chips
Ingredients: Cheese of your choice
Directions:
1. Spray the skillet
2. Sprinkle cheese evenly along the bottom
3. Cook until the the cheese starts to brown.
4. Flip and repeat
5. Break up like chips
6. Enjoy your favorite dip, make nachos or eat just plain!
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