My Disney Bucket List

A few years ago, I was planning for one of my annual trips to WDW, and realized that I'd gotten pretty stuck in my Disney-touring ways. It'd been a long time since I'd taking the opportunity to truly experience something new. So, before the term "bucket list" become part of the common vernacular, I made just that: my Disney bucket list.
Because my budget doesn't allow me to live at any of the Disney parks, I have to space my visits out, planning carefully what I'm going to do each time. Below is my Disney bucket list, something I think carefully about as I start planning each trip.

Thanks to Tom Bricker for giving me the idea to lay this out in order of attainability (and for giving me some ideas to add to this list)!!

Note: I'm including several things that were on the original list, even though I've since completed them.

Easily Attainable:

Four parks in one day - I've done two parks in a day. You know, hit DHS during EMH for ToT and RnRC, jump over to Animal Kingdom for the rest of the day. Hit a park for the biggies, then spend the rest of the day someplace else. But until recently, I never thought to actually try and hit every park in one day. I find the thought very entertaining. I can see this happen in the next year (or so).

Attend Magic Kingdom Opening Show - The MK has an amazing opening show each morning, but I'm notorious for visiting during low attendance times, and taking advantage of that to get some extra sleep. All I need to do is get up a little earlier, and get to the park 30 minutes early. I took my mom to MK in November 2011, and we made a point to be there for the opening show. It was magical, and from here on out, I will never miss that show!

Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon - as much as I love the water, I'm not big about water parks. I'm a certified open water diver and an avid swimmer, so give me a pool or beach, and I'm perfectly content. But something tells me that a water park at Disney is a whole different ballgame. Over Labor Day weekend 2016, a friend and I escaped the rigors of university campus life (where I am a staff member and she was a PhD student just finishing her prelims) for a weekend at WDW. As both of us are water babies at heart, it didn't take much to convince her that we needed to spend a day at a water park. Typhoon Lagoon might have one of my favorite lazy rivers - ever!

Attend Braves Spring Training game at Champion Stadium - I've been a diehard Braves fan since shortly after birth. Growing up just outside of Atlanta, I went to several games every year. The Braves AT DISNEY?!!? Yes. Yes, please! On our annual spring trip in 2008, my mom and I saw the Braves take on the Tigers during the opening week of spring training. I hope, soon, to make this an annual part of the trip.

Attend Old Spice Classic at WWOS - the only sporting obsession that rivals that of my Braves obsession is my obsession with college basketball (specifically, the Indiana Hoosiers, but I'll watch it all). The tournament was first held in 2006, a mere year after my father's death, and neither my younger brother nor I were emotionally ready to begin attending basketball games (let alone days-long tourneys) without the man who was responsible for our love of the game. But one day.... Thanksgiving weekend 2011, my younger brother and I sat in on every single game of the tournament. I think we were about the only ones there that attended every game. While I don't see this becoming an annual thing (we skipped our family's annual camping trip to attend this tourney), we both have interest in occasional attendance.

Fantasia Gardens mini-golf - as a child, it seemed like a vacation wasn't a vacation if my family didn't play some mini-golf. And while this continued well into adulthood, somehow we never played at Disney.

Participate in a runDisney event - I almost put this in my next group, but the truth is, the only thing that makes this less-than-easily attainable is my own attitude and determination. At my current weight, I know that I need to do something to get in shape, before my health begins to take a downhill turn. And truthfully, I hate running. I was on my high school track team for two years, and spent practices inventing ways to avoid the running (ok, I threw discus, so it wasn't like I had to run to compete). But there's something intriguing about running at Disney. I ran the Frozen 5K during Princess Half Marathon Weekend in 2015. Not only was it my first runDisney event, I spent the week with my lifelong best friend and his family - our first vacation together, and the first time I'd seen him in over 10 years (thanks to a career in the Air Force, and more years than he wants to remember stationed in North Dakota).

Drinking around the World - a beer (or mixed drink) at every country in World Showcase? Yes, please, where do I sign up?

Epcot's DiveQuest - as a certified scuba diver, diving at a Disney facility (especially my favorite pavilion at Epcot) is a no-brainer.

Monorail Pub Crawl - it's exactly what it sounds like: a pub crawl by Monorail, with stops at each resort on the line. Stopping at Magic Kingdom along the way is optional (but highly encouraged).

Moderately Difficult to Attain (truth: most of these are modestly difficult only due to the availability of finances to support them):

Disneyland/Disney California Adventure - to be fair, I've been to Disneyland. It was a belated graduation gift in 1997, the year after I graduated high school. I remember very little about that visit, other than visiting on the hottest day of the year, and what turned out to be one of the hottest days they'd had over several previous years. As for DCA, I don't think they'd even broken ground at that point.

Stay on property at Disneyland Resort - you'd think that if I were to make the long trip to the other side of the country to visit Disneyland, I'd be sure to stay in one of the on-property hotels, but I grew up in a household that always went for the cheapest rooming options available (Motel 6 by Angels stadium in 1997). This one will taking planning.

Disney Cruise Line - it's hard to justify a trip on the DCL when I can take a longer trip for less money on my old standby, Royal Caribbean. But the Aqua Duck (and the Aqua Dunk) looks like so much fun!!!

Stay in all Value Resorts at WDW - I've stayed at Fort Wilderness, the All-Star Music Resort, and Pop Century. It's a start. (Update: As of 2017, I've added All-Star Sports and All-Star Movies to this list. The only remaining resort to check out is Art of Animation)

Attend all character meals at WDW - I've attended the breakfast aboard the Empress Lilly several times. What? There's no Empress Lilly? Sure there is! Only, now it's called Fulton's Crab Shack, and they no longer offer character meals. (Since originally writing this, I've gone to Chef Mickey's for dinner, Hollywood & Vine for breakfast, and Crystal Palace for dinner.)

Take 10 Disney Tours - as in, Disney's Keys to the Kingdom, Behind the Seeds, The UnDISCOVERed Future World, Epcot Seas Aqua Tour, etc. (As of 2015, I've done Behind the Seeds)

Visit all 4 WDW parks in one trip - no, not in one day. I want to spend one full day at each park, in the course of one vacation. I've done three parks in one trip, by park-hopping, but never more than two parks when focusing an entire day on each one. (Since posting, I've done 3 parks in one trip - see upcoming Sep 2013 trip report)

Take a family on their First Visit - I've always wanted to take a child to a Disney resort, and see their face as they experience the magic and pixie dust for the first time. But lately, I've had the urge to take a family. I've been visiting WDW since 1979. I can't imagine being an adult, and truly not knowing about the magic of Disney. Now, to find a family... (FYI, stay tuned. Something might be in the works) In September 2013, I took my cousins and their two boys (yes, my Bug and the Peanut) to WDW for the first time. Stay tuned for a detailed trip report.

Very Difficult to Attain:

Disney Vacation Club membership - this appeals to me on so many levels, but it doesn't seem cost-effective. A) I have plenty of free places to stay when I visit WDW (I'm originally from FL, with lots of family still down in the Orlando and Tampa areas), and B) as I'm single, with no kids, I'm looking at prices v. perks for one person. I just can't make it compute in my favor, not with my current salary and budget.

Stay in all Moderate Resorts at WDW - there are several resorts that I plan on staying in over the next couple of years, but as the price level increases, the likelihood of staying there decreases. I'm a State employee, people.

WDW and Disneyland in one day - oh, this would be so much fun! And if I actually lived in/near Orlando or Anaheim, I can see this as substantially easier to do. But since I live on the northern GA/SC line, well, not so easy.

Work as a Cast Member (again) - my plan, my entire life, was always to finish school, get a good job, save money, and one day move back to FL and go back and work for the Mouse (I was once a Disney Store Cast Member). But in recent years, my cousins have provided me with the love of my life in the form of a Bug, and I find myself making plans to move closer to him (which, sadly, is further AWAY from FL). I'll have to revisit this plan once Bug is in his 20s.

Unattainable (given the cost of each of these, I don't think any explanation is needed as to why I've listed them as unattainable):

Stay in all Deluxe Resorts at WDW

Visit Disneyland Resort Paris

Visit Tokyo Disney Resort

Visit Hong Kong Disneyland

Visit Shanghai Disney

Be part of the Opening Family at the MK Opening Show - this is listed as unattainable for two reasons: 1) I'm not likely to get chosen if I don't have children with me, and I tend to travel alone or with adults, and 2) being chosen is entirely up to the whim of a CM. No amount of money or flirtation can get one family chosen over another. I just have to hope that, if I ever go down with kids, we get there early enough and talk to the right CM. As there is no longer an MK opening show of this type, this will remain unattainable...forever.

Biggest Loser 2012

From January through March, I participated in UGA's Biggest Loser program, through the UGA Fitness & Wellness Program at the Ramsey Student Center.  I was SOOO excited (read: terrified) to begin this program, but I just knew that I was going to show up, and it was going to be a whole bunch of teeny-tiny undergrads, prancing and dancing, while my big ol' butt fell with every attempt to do something.  How pleasantly surprised I was to show up and see that there was about 50 people, in various levels of fitness, all with the same worries as me (and funny enough, the few teeny-tiny undergrads that DID show up?  They dropped out within a week or so, saying it was too hard).

The first evening, we sat through a presentation on how the program was going to work, and then did our initial fitness assessment.

My weight: yeah, right
body fat: much higher than it should be, but not any higher than I expected
pushups: 0
crunches: 41 (woo-hoo!)
flexibility: non-existent

My goals for the program:
weight loss: 10lbs
body fat: lose 1-2%
pushups: 2
crunches: 60
flexibility: to exist

I didn't want my goals to be unachievable.  I also didn't want them to be too easy.  I thought they were reasonable, but would take work.

The first official workout (the circuit challenge) went something like this:
25 crunches
25 pushups (remember, I couldn't do a single pushup just a few days earlier)
25 squats
25 lunges (per leg - total of 50)
25 burpees (evil, evil, torture personified)
1 mile run/walk
All to be done in less than 45 minutes.

I did the crunches, modified pushups (against the wall), the squats, half the lunges, and modified burpees, followed by the mile, in just under 35 minutes.

This workout would be repeated at the 5-week mark, and then again in the final week of the program.

A week later, I came down with an intestinal virus (just FYI, the virus stuck around for the duration of the program.  It took me over two months to completely rid my body of the illness) and missed a workout. 
Two weeks later, I fell at my house, and tore cartilage in my back.
Just as my back was healing, my brother-in-law was in a severe motorcycle accident, attempted to break almost every bone in his upper body, and spent 2 weeks in the hospital.  Therefore, I spent a large portion of my non-work, non-sleep hours at the hospital.
The next weekend, I twisted wrong, and reinjured my back.
Just as that began to heal, and I was cleared to work out again, my brother decided to make a trip to the ER with a suspected heart attack (turned out to be an attack of pleurisy, on top of some severe stress).

To make a long story short, I missed over half the workouts in the 9-week program.  However, I made every class (two fitness, one nutrition and one maintenance class), I got to know the personal trainers at Ramsey quite well, and was able to get advice on training for a 5K (yes, I still want to do a runDisney race).  I made some good friends, one especially, and we are all trying to work out our schedules so that we can continue to workout together and encourage one another.

As for my goals, they didn't pan out as I'd hoped.  I was (almost) able to do one pushup, and about 50 crunches.  I didn't lose any weight or body fat %, but I did notice that my pants were fitting a little looser.  I can walk a mile a bit faster.  My form when I workout is much better, and I've learned how to listen to my body, and get the most out of what I'm doing.  I can do some killer lunges and squats, which I never thought I'd be able to do!

I will be keeping my membership to the Ramsey Center, and since my office is only about a mile away, on the very same road, I'm starting to use half of each lunch hour to go walk the indoor track.  I also just bought a Bowflex.  It is currently still in pieces, spread out on my livingroom floor, but ask me again after this weekend, and I should be able to say that I'm officially doing strength training.  I'm very excited about this!  During the few years I worked at a fitness center, I remember really enjoying strength training.  And I've wanted a Bowflex for years!  I think this is going to be good for me.

Oh, and before I forget:
I did get to do one repeat of the initial circuit challenge.  I did all the crunches, modified pushups (on a table this time, not a wall), all the squats, ALL the lunges, modified burpees, and the mile: in 31 minutes.  GO ME!

The journey of 100lbs begins with a single step.  I'd like to think I've walked a few steps at this point.  Send good thoughts my way...I want to keep stepping!!!

A Bug Goes to the Zoo

(simultaneously posted on Cocktails and Dreams)

Just three weeks after FINALLY having custom orthotics made, I decided to give them a true road test.  On October 15, Bug and Peanut brought their parents down for a trip to Zoo Atlanta and the Georgia Aquarium.  They picked me up early in the morning, and we made the trek to Grant Park, home of the zoo.  It was their first visit.  It was my first visit since 1991.  I don't know who was more excited.  They were all excited about seeing the animals, I was excited to watch Bug as he saw the animals.

As we're walking through the entrance, the conversation went something like this:
Me: "Bug, what animal do you want to see today?"
Bug: "Giraffelephant."  Yes, that is one word.
Me, laughing: "The giraffelephant, huh?  Well, what about brother?  What animal does he want to see?"
You must remember that Peanut, at this point, is only 9 months old, and doesn't really grasp what animals are.
Bug: "He wants to see the pig."  Matter-of-fact.  Peanut wants to see the pig.  I love this kid!

One of the first exhibits had just what Bug wanted.  A giraffelephant.  Or, maybe it was an area that had BOTH a giraffe AND and an elephant together.  Either way, he was happy!  I think he would have stayed there all day long, if only we'd let him.

Along the way, there were gorillas, lions, tigers, pandas, snakes (Bug wasn't impressed with those), a naked mole rat (I don't know if he liked Rufus, but he sure liked the tunnel going in and out of the exhibit), birds, flamingos, gators, and a petting zoo.

There was also Dippin' Dots.

Peanut wanted ice cream, too, but we made him stick to banana puffs.

Later on, Bug convinved me to pose for a picture.

We ended the visit with a ride on the train and the carousel (Bug wanted nothing to do with them until we were on them, then did not want to get off.  Peanut liked them from far away, but was not so keen on the actual experience.  What can you do?), and then headed back to the parking lot for a well-deserved picnic.  After filling our bellies and resting our feet, we drove about 3 miles to another parking lot, and prepared to enter the Georgia Aquarium.

This was, as with the zoo, their first visit.  I, however, am an annual passholder.  Having experienced the aquarium before, I was able to concentrate what they wanted to see.  It is so much fun to see something through the eyes of a two-year-old!  Much like at the zoo (look, Bug, it's Timon and Pumba!  Look, Bug, it's Simba!), several animals were identified by their proper Disney name.


Dory!

Much like at the zoo, Bug did not want to pet the animals.

Much like at the zoo, Bug somehow convinced me to pose for a picture.

Bug surprised us all by his reaction to the shark tunnel.  Being scared of everything else, we fully expected him to be terrified of a tunnel surrounded by sharks and other somewhat frightening marine life.  Not the case, at all.  I do believe that his favorite part of the aquarium was the tunnel.  We had to end the visit by going through the tunnel one last time.  All the way home, Bug kept pointing out tunnels (underpasses, parking garages, anything that resembled a tunnel).

It was days later that I realized: There are almost no pictures of Bug and Peanut with their parents!  There really were two other adults on this trip!  I promise, there were!!!  I guess I monopolized the kids.  Oh well, consider it preparation for a trip to Disney.  Bug's first trip to Disney World is in the planning stages!

And just in case it's slipped your notice, I am so completely in love with this kid!

A Dream is a Wish.....

I've been blogging on here for awhile now, and I suddenly realized that I haven't spent any time talking about the Disney portion of my life.  It's way past time to do just that!

I don't remember how my love for Disney got started.  I've heard the stories.  My aunt took me on my first trip back in 1979.  I was a year old.  We only lived an hour or so from Orlando, and I had siblings who were in their teens, so chances are good that we made a few trips before moving away from the Sunshine State in 1980.  But I don't remember anything about any trip prior to 1983.  That year, my parents took my younger brother and me to the newly opened EPCOT center.  I remember only one thing.  It looked like this:

My brother and I were fascinated.  "It's a giant golfball!"  Memory over.

The next few memories are also simple snapshots in my mind.  Slathering on Hawaiian Tropics sunscreen in a hotel room.  Slathering on Hawaiian Tropics sunscreen in the livingroom of my grandma's house in St. Pete, FL.  Slathering on Hawaiian Tropics....yes, to this day, that is the only sunscreen I will use.  The coconut smell will always be associated with Disney.
I remember going back to EPCOT with my parents, younger brother, and one of my older brothers.

Mama, Gerald, me, Leonard - Daddy must have been takiing the photo

That same trip, my older brother convinced our mom to ride Space Mountain with him.  I wish I had a picture of THAT event!
Other trips are more real in my mind, yet there are always those certain snapshots that stand out the most.  First trip to MGM.  First trip to Animal Kingdom.  The horrid birthday cake Cinderella Castle.  The even more horrid wand for the millenium at Epcot.  First (and only) trip to Disneyland, the year after I graduated high school, and almost breaking into tears at my first glimpse of the original Main Street.  Eating baklava in World Showcase.  Eating a napoleon in World Showcase.  Watching Brandon gobble down a turkey leg (with all the appropriate sound effects) in World Showcase.  Fighting with Gerald to see who could spot the monorail colors first.  Arguing with the monorail driver over which color monorail was approaching us as we sped along the track (he said coral, I said orange.  I won).  Sitting by the big picture window in Pinocchio's Village Haus, overlooking the interior of It's A Small World.  Seeing the original It's A Small World at Disneyland.  First time we stayed on property.  The first time I camped out at Fort Wilderness.  The summer of the horrible fires near Kissimmee, and walking out of the Art of Animation at MGM into a park completely overrun with smoke.  The first trip back after Daddy died, taking Mama to Animal Kingdom for her first time.  The first girl's trip with Mama and Carol, spending the day at Epcot, and dropping over $200 at Biergarten on my birthday.

Then there were the two guys with the awesome Mickey tattoos that we followed around World Showcase, until I got up the nerve to approach them and ask to get a closer look.  There was that first trip to Disney's Wide World of Sports, to watch my hometown boys in some Spring Training.  Can you get better than watching the Atlanta Braves play at Disney?!!?

Disney is, and has always been, a part of my life.  I worked as a Cast Member at the Disney Store one holiday season.  I wish I'd been able to stay on after the holiday season ended.  I wish there was still a Disney Store in the area; I'd go back into retail for a chance to work there again.

I have two trips to the World planned for this year.  The first week of November, I am taking my mom back to the Magic Kingdom.  It's been awhile since we've been back to that park.  We're highly looking forward to being kids again!  Then, over Thanksgiving, my younger brother and I are going Disney's WWOS to enjoy a 3-day college basketball tournament.  College basketball and Disney ranks right up there with the Atlanta Braves and Disney!

Next year's trips aren't planned out yet, but I truly hope that one of them includes a Disney 5K.

Another New (and Hopeful) Beginning

Exercising over the course of the last 9 months has been a lesson in futility.  It seems as if, no matter how much I want to do something, the world is out to stop me.  Between extra work at the office, photo shoots popping up out of nowhere, injuries and illness, and the crazy weather we've had here in GA, my exercise schedule has been nonexistent.

More than anything, the biggest detriment to my routine has been my feet.  More and more, I'm having intense pain in the arch and heel of my right foot anytime I do an excessive amount of walking/running/hiking/standing.  Years ago, I was diagnosed with plantar faschitis, but even during the most intense flairup, it didn't hurt anything like this!

I decided to approach my normal go-to guy for advice (my chiropractor).  He is familiary with my history, and we've talked about the fact that many years ago, my orthopedic surgeon informed me that I really needed orthotics for my shoes.  Doc G agreed with the previous diagnosis, and made arrangements to do a fancy measurement of my feet.  The fancy machine agreed with both doctors.  Of the three main arches in each foot, one of them (the lateral arch) is collapsed in both of my feet, with the right foot being the worst.

Last week, I made an appointment with a podiatrist.  In two weeks, I go in to have him look at my feet, do some one his own tests and measurements, and most likely, will walk out of the office with a new set of orthotics.

My biggest hope is that my walking becomes less painful.  As the weather is getting cooler, I'm starting to make plans with people to hike on the weekends.  I also have plans to start back on the Couch-to-5K program.  To be successful with either of these programs, I need to be able to walk/run with feeling like I'm running barefoot over sharp, bruising rocks.

This time, my mother is not allowed to start the program with me.  The last time I started the C25K, my mom sprained her knee 2 laps in.  She is no longer allowed to run - a command given by both me and her doctor!

This time, I have a new phone to take with me, with a handy-dandy little app on it that will tell me when it's time to warm up/walk/run/walk/run/cool doown.  For me, this is a big deal.  I do much better when I am not watching the clock during any kind of routine.  I need to be able to just go, until someone/something tells me to stop.

So, overall, I think that things will start improving by the first week of October.  We'll see.  I'll keep you updated.

Riley Moore Falls

Two weeks ago, I ventured our for my first dose of athletic activity since the twisted ankle and torn back cartilage.  I made yet another trip to the mountains of upstate South Carolina, and went out on a hike to Riley Moore Falls.  Chris (my cousin) and I had been wanted to head up that way for awhile and do some geocaching down by the river.  The weather forecast looked perfect for a deep woods hike.

I didn't have a good map of the area, but I had a GPS with some geocaches stored as waypoints to give me some idea of where we were going.  Chris and I drove eleven miles into the mountains before turning onto the unpaved dirt road that took us closer to the trailhead.  We had to park at the start of an old logging road, as my Altima is NOT a working substitute for a 4-wheel drive vehicle.  The GPS said it was about half a mile from the start of the logging road to the river.

About 1/2 mile later, we reached the trailhead.  Another 10 minutes or so on the trail, and we reached the sign that said the falls were 0.6 miles away.  Now, I don't know about you, but my math tells me that by the time we reach the falls, we will have hiked around 1-1.5 miles.  Stupid GPS.  But we kept trudging along, enjoying the crisp winter air, the privacy of being the only two people on the trail, and the possibility of being the FTF on a new cache at the bottom of the valley.  And the we turned a corner....

.....the sound of the water reached our ears.  We manuevered some switchbacks, and then, there they were.

Aren't they beautiful?  The length of the hike stopped mattering.  We made our way the last 50ft or so, and stood together on the riverbank.

The next hour was spent searching for that elusive cache hidden somewhere at the falls.  You may have deduced that I'm not great at reading the maps on a GPS.  So you shouldn't be surprised that we didn't find anything except a gorgeous picnic and swimming spot.  But if that is the only things we EVER find down there, it will always be completely worth the hike.

As for the hike back UP the mountain, I will simply say that I have never been so happy to see this car.

So, what did this hiking equation add up to?  I've discovered that I absolutely LOVE hiking.  I think I've found a new athletic activity.

It's a Freaking Conspiracy

That stupid twisted ankle!  No, my ankle doesn't hurt at all.  It hasn't hurt since the day after I twisted it.  But my back?  My hip and pelvis?  It turns out that when I twisted the ankle, in the process of saving myself from falling, I tore my L5, and possibly the L4, facet.  Nothing horrible, nothing requiring surgery or anything like that.  But enough to cause excrutiating pain for about 3 days, followed by not-so-excrutiating pain for a day, followed by the last two days of moderate muscle soreness and stiffness.  I've had two days of treatment, which literally worked miracles.  In the midst of all the pain, I did managed to drive to South Carolina and visit my new 3-week-old cousin.  Holding him may have caused extra muscle soreness, but it was totally worth it!

So, to sum it all up, I'm still not exercising.  It's all I can do to walk from my office to my car every morning and evening (and that walk totals close to 3/4 of a mile, so I'm not really complaining).

It Never Fails....

After my horrible start to 2011, I was ready to start the week off by getting back on my elliptical for the first time since November.  I rested up over the weekend (still dealing with some residual congestion), set up plans to start my new exercise regiment after work tonight.

So, what did I do yesterday morning?  Fell and twisted my ankle.  It's not too horrible.  I'm not on crutches, it's not sprained.  I can walk on it.  But doing anything more than a careful walk in painful.  Thirty minutes on the elliptical tonight?

I think not.

I guess I'll be taking it a day at a time this week.  I don't want to rush the ankle, but I'm ready to get active again.

I think I can, I think I can

100 lbs.

I've said that's my goal. That's the amount of weight I want (need) to lose. I started swimming this past summer, usually about 1/4mile a day. I can get that done in just over 20 minutes. Not a competitive time, but not slow as a turtle, either. We'll say it's a respectable time, especially for someone 100 lbs overweight.

But I realize that I need to do more, especially in the "non-swimming" seasons. I want to start biking again, and I want to start running. Wait. I do NOT want to start running. I HATE running. And yet, I want to start running. I want to compete in adventure races. That requires running. I also want to compete in Disney races. Not because I want to run, but because I want to run in Disney parks. That requires running.

I used to run, in high school. Ok, I used to do everything possible to get out of running, but the thing is, I COULD run. I would do everything from a 1/2 mile to a 5k (let's hear it for the Kudzu run!). I know that I could do it once upon a time. All I need to do is start doing it again now. But that starting part.....that's a tough one.

I just read Jonathan's story. I got to "know" Jonathan when I was in a Disney withdrawal, and started searching for Disney podcasts. Jonathan, until very recently, was the cohost of the All About The Mouse Disney podcast. Every day while at work, I have been listening to the archives of the show, and an oft heard theme of the podcast was training for various Disney races. I won't tell all the details, but basically, this man started out at 380 lbs, training to run a half marathon!!! He's been going strong for about 3 years now, and he struggles sometimes. I have to be honest....it's kind of nice, seeing that he struggles. And that he's truthful about it. Weight control has never been easy for me, and it is hard to be surrounded by people who have never struggled with weight.

My weight gain has never been about extreme overeating, or doing nothing but sitting on a couch playing video games. When I was in high school, I was an athlete. Not a great one, but one, nonetheless. I played basketball (hey, my parents are from Indiana), was in marching band for two years, was on the track team for two years, I coached basketball with my dad, I did training runs with friends in the off season, I was in the water every change I got. I was a 185lb size 14. Not fat, not by any means. But I was never skinny. I have always had the body of a husky athlete. I kept that body for about 3 years after graduation. Then I started suffering from clinical depression and social anxiety, to the point that there were days, even weeks, where I barely got out of bed. I was out of work for 2 years, which only made the situation that much worse. What happens when you lay around all day, rarely venturing outside the house? You gain weight. I hit a consistent 235, and maintained that until 2003. Then, I get serious, and was down to 210, when I lost a cousin, my grandmother and an aunt, all in about 3 months. I gained that 25 lbs back. I kept that consistent 235 until 2005. On July 25, 2005, my father suffered a massive heart attack and passed away. Before I knew it, I hit 298.

I've never hit 300. I refuse to. Over the past two years, I've managed to not hit 300. But I've never truly tried to lose any major amount. I guess I've just gotten comfortable. I hate looking at myself in a mirror, but I don't hate myself enough to do anything.

And then I found Jonathan. Currently, Jonathan has his posted weight as 355. He's been running half-marathons for a few years now. I have to think that if Jonathan can run a half marathon, I can train to run a 5K.  And if you've been reading this blog from the beginning (not much to read, but I'm trying), you'll know that I was supposed to run the WDW 5K a couple of weeks.  That didn't happen.  There were many reasons for that.  Most of them were excuses.  I don't like excuses, but I can't lie and say that I didn't make them.  I made them.  I didn't stay serious about my weight loss.  I didn't keep my goals in front of me.  However, I was also very sick - twice!  And as it turns out, the weather here has been so crappy that it's a good thing I DIDN'T travel to FL, as I would not have been able to get back home for awhile.  We've been hit by snow the likes of which we haven't seen in many, many years.  It's being compared to SnowJam '82.  It was not cool.

So, I'm making new goals.  I want to shoot for one or two local races this year.  I want to run a Disney 5K by next year.  I want to go on atleast 2 scuba trips this year.  I want to lose 50lbs before Dec 31.  That's the ultimate plan, right there.  But let's break it down into slightly more manageable pieces.

Goal #1 for 2011:
LOSE 10lbs BY MARCH

Flu Shot 2010

My final visit to my PCP for 2010 went well.  Blood pressure was perfect, pulse was good, weight was down (though nowhere near where we want it to be), meds were renewed, and flu shot was offered.  Now, I've said for years that I would never get the flu shot, not unless I started getting the flu.  I've had the flu twice.  Once in 5th grade, once in 10th.  I've been out of school for 15 years, so that gives you an idea as to how long it's been since my last bout.  My immune system is in good shape, despite the weight issues and the fact that I only have one kidney.  I'm in amazingly good health.  I also have a terrifying fear of needles.  Flu shots are not an option.  Outside of a dose of prednisone that I received last year (and I must stipulate that I was in so much pain from the inflammation in my carotid artery, and I had such bad side effects from the oral prednisone I took a few months earlier, I would have accepted decapitation if it'd been offered), I haven't received an injection of anything since I was five.  That was a tetanus booster, and I couldn't move my arm for days.  So, let me state again, flu shots are not an option.

And yet, I found myself asking questions about the vaccine, and then signing the release allowing them to adminster the shot.  It's been three days.  I've had no side effects other than a tender spot on my arm (which is surprisingly more sore today than it was all weekend).  When I got to work today, campus was abuzz with new of various influenza outbreaks in the area, so I think I'm glad I went ahead and did it.  Plus, the cost was included in my copay, so that was a plus.

My doc thinks that I'm making good strides in my weight loss goals.  While the scale is not showing much improvement (I'm still at just under 10 lbs lost), I'm feeling better.  I'm also standing up straighter (almost 5'6", my dream height!), which is usually an indication that I'm feeling good about myself.  I should also send a shout out to my chiropractor here, as well, b/c I'm sure he's had something to do with that in the course of the 4 years he's been treating me!

Best of all, I don't have to go back for a checkup for another 6 months.  Woo-hoo!  Fewer visits to the doc means less of a hit to the checkbook (especially considering cost of insurance is going up, and we didn't get a raise again this year)!

The Journey of 90 (ok, 95) lbs.....

has begun. My weight loss journey began in earnest a few months ago, went along very well for about 2 weeks, and then crashed. Between swimming and watching my diet, I'd lost 10 lbs, and then.....well, crazy GA summer weather, basically. It seems like every day, as I get home from work, it starts storming. It'll storm (or threaten to storm) until it is just late enough that I can't get in the pool, either because it's too dark, or because I've got to get ready for bed. Last week, when there was finally an evening that allowed me to get in the pool, I threw on my suit, ran out to the pool, jumped in......and landed in a miserably hot 90-degree pool of water. Needless to day, I didn't do many laps that day. However, I did get in the pool yesterday, and swam 20 laps. Not my usually 40, but it was something. I won't be in the pool today, as it's Wednesday, and I have a Bible meeting tonight. But tomorrow, weather willing, I'll be back in. I started July down 10 lbs, I started August having regained 5 of those. I don't want that to become a pattern. From here on out, even if I can't swim, I will find something to do inside for 30 minutes.
I've found a few more adventure races in my area. I don't truly expect to do all of these races next year, but I'm putting them all on the calendar, none the less. It's something to strive for.
Edited 2011 goals:
January - Walt Disney World Family Fun Run 5K, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, FL
April - Eco-Adventure Race, Sandy Creek Nature Park, Athens, GA
May - Warrior Dash, Mountain City, GA
June - My First Triathlon, Lake Lanier Islands, GA
June - Muddy Buddy, Conyers, GA
June - Expedition Everest Challenge, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL
September - Ditch the City, Conyers, GA
October - Mickey's Halloween Family Fun Run 5K, Epcot, Lake Buena Vista, FL
Summer/Fall - Spartan Race, Atlanta, GA

Scuba-Duba-Doo!

Well, it's official....as of about 12 noon on Sunday, June 27, 2010, I became a certified open water diver. After years of dreams and wishes, after many stops and starts, after lots of excuses of why I was putting off getting my c-card (scuba speak for open water certification card), I convinced myself that I didn't need to wait for a buddy to train with me. I found a good school/instructor, signed up, and on Saturday, June 19, I drove to Hartwell for my first class. We did about 4 hours of book work on Saturday, followed by about 4 hours of pool work, learning the basic scuba skills. On Sunday, June 20, we did a review, followed by more hours in the pool.

For the next week, I worried and fretted about heading up to a HUGE, chilly, cloudy, dark lake and actually getting in and going under water, while relying on a tank and some hose for breathing air (it is NOT oxygen....it is actually dried, cleaned breathing air, which is a 79%nitrogen/21% oxygen mix). By the time I reached the shores of Lake Jocassee, I'd just decided I was going diving, come what may.

We parked the truck and trailer, unpacked our gear, and set out to assemble our rigs. BC strap over tank (air nozzle facing BC), measure and tighten....loosen and remove booger plug from 1st stage, set on tank nozzle, with reg and octo to the right, inflator hose and gauges to the left....tighten 1st stage onto tank....test regulator - air flows easily through exhaust on exhale, none leaks in on inhale....clip octo, gauges onto BC, plug inflator hose into BC....open air nozzle on tank, test reg and octo on inhale and exhale, check pressure in tank - 3000psi....boots - check....fins - check....mask and snorkel - check. Buddies are assigned, and Pete runs through our pre-dive briefing. We pray. Three dives: 15 minutes at 15 feet, everyone does regulator removal, reg recovery, buddy breathing (giving and receiving), swim around platform, ascend using safe ascent procedures, simulate buddy breathing ascent. Ten minutes on surface. 15 minutes at 25 feet, more swimming, mask clearing skills (my biggest worry...take mask off, put it back on, clear water out of mask, all while breathing normally through the regulator - in 25 feet of 65degree water), safe ascent. Ten minutes on surface. 15 minutes at 30 feet, work on bouyancy, keep an eye on your buddy, swim, safe ascent. I've done it. I've completed three honest-to-goodness dives! We hike back up the ramp, through the parking lot, back to the truck, all the while with our rigs on our backs. I estimated about 50lbs, but a divemaster buddy of mine said what we were carrying was probably closer to 70lbs. Either way, the walk back sure felt longer than the walk in. We disassembled our rigs, and put everything back where they belonged. Written test was given, and then we all headed home (or in my case, to my cousins' house in SC).
Sunday, we started an hour earlier. Assemble, pre-dive, pray. Three dives: 15 minutes at 25 feet, water sure seems colder today than it did yesterday. Ten minutes on surface. 25 minutes at 44 feet, visiting the skeletons - unfortunately, I hit 41 feet, and couldn't get any lower. Air pockets in my BC were holding me up, as the team disappeared below me. I started to panic. Breathe, Laura, breathe. DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH! Jeremy, my Belgian buddy, noticed my plight (good boy, Jeremy), and started to swim up to me. Another attempt to drop down below 41ft, no luck, we decided to surface. We waited for the rest of the class, and then finished cruising along at a respectable depth before leaving the lake for an extended surface interval. We'll attempt the skeletons on the next dive. After 69 minutes on the surface, we strap on fresh tanks, and hit the water for an extended dive along the rocky shoreline, watching schools of bream, and the occasional catfish. I was still a little shaky after previous dive, so I elected to stay above 40ft, while half the class went back to the skeletons. The rest of us cruised along, gazing at the rock formations, sunken trees, and other sights in the murky blue lake. 35 minutes later, we surfaced, and our weekend of checkout dives came to an end.
It was all over. I'd done it. I was - I am, at long last, a scuba diver.
After all the gear was stored, dive logs were completed, and we were all preparing to head our separate ways, Pete (realizing I was still thinking about my panic episode) asked if I was planning on diving again.
Sure, I got nervous. I couldn't see my group, it was the deepest I'd ever gone, and it was DARK, with visibility at only about 10 ft. I'd fully expected to start panicking on dive one. It didn't happen until dive 5. I panicked, recovered, and continued. So, will I dive again?
There is no other way to say it: HELL YES!!!!!

The Journey of 100lbs.....

.....begins with just one step. I've decided that it is time to lose this weight that has slowly piled on over the past years. About 7 years ago, I'd gotten down to within 20lbs of my high school graduation weight, but after the loss of my cousin, grandmother and great-aunt, 20lbs crept back on. In 2005, after the death of my father, 65lbs raced on. I'm tired of it, so I'm doing something about it.
Last month, I started listening to the All About the Mouse Disney podcast, as well as the WDW Radio podcast. The gentlemen who host these two shows are always talking about their experiences training for and participating in the Walt Disney World Marathon and 1/2-Marathon. One of them, Mr. Lou Mongello (oh, Lou!), has used this as his avenue of losing weight. So, I've decided to let their stories and advice aid me in my weight loss travel.
So, I am about to begin training for the WDW Family Fun Run 5K.
As I journey toward better health, this blog will take you with me, through my struggles and triumphs. Along the way, we'll visit the things that mean the most to me: my faith, my family, Disney, geocaching, and swimming/scuba diving.
2011 Goals:
January - WDW 5K, Lake Buena Vista, FL
April - Eco-Adventure Race, Athens, GA
May - Warrior Dash, GA
June 4 - My First Triathlon, Lake Lanier Islands, GA
June - Muddy Buddy, GA
Summer/Fall - Spartan Race, Atlanta, GA
All abo-oard!