I woke up this morning and thought it was later than it was. I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, grabbed my phone, and went out to the lanai. Then I noticed it was only 6:39 a.m. I felt so wide awake that i just started reading my book. I've been up three hours now, finished the book, drank two huge mugs of coffee, caught up on emails and Facebook, and am now writing this blog. What a crazy start to the day. Not a bad one, though.
The book was a free download on Kindle called Wonderful Tonight, Pattie Boyd's autobiography. As you may or may not know, she was married first to George Harrison and then left him to marry Eric Clapton. She divorced both eventually and never had children. Her easy-to-read story brought back some memories of the Beatles and the sixties plus behind-the-scenes stories from a whole different perspective. I really couldn't put it down. If you were a Beatles fan, I would recommend this book.
Today should be easy. We will work in the library this afternoon, as usual on Fridays, but this is our last Friday in there for the next two weeks due to our vacation. Tonight Mark and I are both excited for the Disney channel movie, The Descendants, which airs tonight. It's a musical with Kristen Chenoweth playing Maleficent about the children of four evil villains. Should be great fun!
I'm up one pound this morning. Considering how many calories I consumed yesterday with so little exercise, I was thrilled. I thought it would be worse. I tried to track my calories, but it's hard when you eat out. I estimated I went over 3,000 for sure. Today will probably be in the range of 1500 to 2000 since it will include Shabbat dinner, which means wine and challah! I really love challah. REALLY, who doesn't??
Tomorrow my little choir is singing the song "Nachamu" at the Shabbat morning services. Then when we get home, we will get very serious about packing for this trip. I'm really going to try to pack half as many clothes as I might usually and do laundry twice while we're out. I don't want to pay for two suitcases and need room to bring home souvenirs. Oh, yes, I expect there will be lots of souvenirs from Aulani!
Friday, July 31, 2015
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Antman
This week is flying by. I guess it's because every day I am thinking about Sunday and flying to Hawaii. I'm so excited!
Meanwhile, we went to Downtown Disney with Susie and Ed. We renewed our Disney Annual Passes, had lunch at Wolfgang Puck's, went to a 3D showing of Antman, got Mark's comic books for the week, and just got home. I'm exhausted and ready to collapse, but sadly, Mark had to turn right around and go to Publix for a little grocery shopping. I guess I could have volunteered to go with him, but no...I did not. LOL!
I have already been piling things up on the spare room bed that I want to pack for the trip. All I can think about it the flight to Hawaii!
I am a little sad that I did not not lose any significant weight since we returned from Maryland in May. This morning I was 271, but I had a big lunch at Puck's, so that may not be true tomorrow morning. I think that I'm just not going to worry about it or obsess about it on the trip. Certainly during the second week there will be miles and miles of walking. That ought to keep the weight down!
This morning the giant magnolia at the end of our driveway was taken down. We are thrilled. It was literally a safety hazard because we could not see up the street or on the sidewalk. It was scratching Mark's car as he backed out of the driveway. Now we have a clear, unobstructed view. I am happy about that. It took three months to get this accomplished and $220, but it's done.
Here are some before and after pictures of the driveway.
Meanwhile, we went to Downtown Disney with Susie and Ed. We renewed our Disney Annual Passes, had lunch at Wolfgang Puck's, went to a 3D showing of Antman, got Mark's comic books for the week, and just got home. I'm exhausted and ready to collapse, but sadly, Mark had to turn right around and go to Publix for a little grocery shopping. I guess I could have volunteered to go with him, but no...I did not. LOL!
I have already been piling things up on the spare room bed that I want to pack for the trip. All I can think about it the flight to Hawaii!
I am a little sad that I did not not lose any significant weight since we returned from Maryland in May. This morning I was 271, but I had a big lunch at Puck's, so that may not be true tomorrow morning. I think that I'm just not going to worry about it or obsess about it on the trip. Certainly during the second week there will be miles and miles of walking. That ought to keep the weight down!
This morning the giant magnolia at the end of our driveway was taken down. We are thrilled. It was literally a safety hazard because we could not see up the street or on the sidewalk. It was scratching Mark's car as he backed out of the driveway. Now we have a clear, unobstructed view. I am happy about that. It took three months to get this accomplished and $220, but it's done.
Here are some before and after pictures of the driveway.
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| Check out Mark trying to squeeze out of the car door! |
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| Today! Our new look. Clean and EMPTY. |
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| I can look all the way up the street. |
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| No more tree branches to scrape the side of Mark's car. |
Monday, July 27, 2015
Echo...no Echo....
We thought Mark's echocardiogram was scheduled for this morning. We got over there only to find out it was AUGUST 27, not JULY 27. Oops. So now we are home again.
I see that I have not posted since Thursday. I hadn't realized that. It's probably because not much special happened in all those days. We have had some delightfully relaxed times at home. Friday we went to the Cove to eat a picnic lunch and then worked in the library as usual. We went home right after. It was National Tequila Day...who ever heard of such a thing...so Mark used the last of our good tequila to make us margaritas when we got home. Fun. Saturday we went to shul and then just relaxed at home, reading and watching TV the rest of the day. Sunday we went to the Cove briefly and then went to see the movie, Pixels, which I loved. Very funny and very cute.
So that's that. Nothing exciting. I've done no exercise and eaten too many snacks at home. I ate the kosher hot dog and a bag of baked Lay's for lunch yesterday. That kept my weight for the week essentially the same at 274 even, up two-tenths. My scale has a plus or minus accuracy of two-tenths, so that's really no change at all. Maintenance is good, I guess.
I'll be playing Mah Jongg this afternoon, as I usually do on Mondays. Then I'll just read on the lanai.
Life is good.
I see that I have not posted since Thursday. I hadn't realized that. It's probably because not much special happened in all those days. We have had some delightfully relaxed times at home. Friday we went to the Cove to eat a picnic lunch and then worked in the library as usual. We went home right after. It was National Tequila Day...who ever heard of such a thing...so Mark used the last of our good tequila to make us margaritas when we got home. Fun. Saturday we went to shul and then just relaxed at home, reading and watching TV the rest of the day. Sunday we went to the Cove briefly and then went to see the movie, Pixels, which I loved. Very funny and very cute.
So that's that. Nothing exciting. I've done no exercise and eaten too many snacks at home. I ate the kosher hot dog and a bag of baked Lay's for lunch yesterday. That kept my weight for the week essentially the same at 274 even, up two-tenths. My scale has a plus or minus accuracy of two-tenths, so that's really no change at all. Maintenance is good, I guess.
I'll be playing Mah Jongg this afternoon, as I usually do on Mondays. Then I'll just read on the lanai.
Life is good.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Great Chinese food brings Great Weight Gain!
I love Chinese food, but it is so much food and so full of hidden sodium that I always weigh more the day after. This morning is no exception. I am up three pounds this morning. Of course, I also had a bunch of tortilla chips at dinner last night, very salty. We didn't eat dinner until almost 9 p.m. because we just weren't hungry after that huge lunch! Crazy. Breakfast and lunch will be at home and reasonable, but dinner is at the Kona Cafe in the Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. We are meeting a cruise buddy with her husband and three of their grandchildren. They just finished cruising on the Disney Dream cruise and are staying at the Poly for a few days. We are looking forward to it, but that will be potentially MORE weight gain. I admit that I do not do well at restaurants.
Meanwhile, I am hosting Mah Jong this morning, so that will be fun. I'm also starting to get more and more excited about our trip in August! Well, I've been excited about this for over three years, but now it's less than two weeks away. Whoo Hoo!
Meanwhile, I am hosting Mah Jong this morning, so that will be fun. I'm also starting to get more and more excited about our trip in August! Well, I've been excited about this for over three years, but now it's less than two weeks away. Whoo Hoo!
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Mark was stressing out.
Mark was stressing over his stress test and his tooth. He went off the metropolol for 48 hours, and we learned that it is essential to his health. He took Sunday morning's dose but skipped Sunday night, Monday morning and night, and Tuesday morning. Little by little his resting heart rate climbed from 70 to 125. His chest felt like his heart was going to pound right out of it. He could barely stand up straight and creep from chair to chair, absolutely no energy. It seems like that drug is keeping him alive because if he went for a week or so without it, he would probably drop dead or have a stroke. Thank God for modern medicine.
Meanwhile, when he got to the doctor's office for the stress test, they were shocked at his heart rate and wouldn't let him do it until he took the drug, which he had taken with him to take immediately after the test. They told him to take it before the test and waited for his heart rate to go down to 90 before putting him on the treadmill. Then he passed with flying colors, no particular problems showed up. So there.
Then today he stressed over the tooth. A full half of his molar and the entire filling had fallen out at Friday night's dinner. Fortunately, it didn't hurt, so he was okay with waiting until today. We got there for a 10 a.m. appointment and we left at 1:20. They put on a temporary crown, and fortunately he did not need a root canal. He will go back after our vacation for the real crown to be installed.
Following that we had an outstanding lunch at a Chinese restaurant near the dentist. It had been recommended by some of our neighbors, so it was good to try it out. We liked it a lot and will certainly return. Plus, Solivita residents get a 10% discount!
Even though it was raining and looking like a bigger storm would come soon, we did our BJs and Costco runs for kosher chicken breasts, challahs, and other items to stock up on. We just got home about 5:30 and Mark went right to bed for a nap. The past two days have exhausted him. And I am not surprised!
I also plan to take a little nap in my rocking chair on the lanai. Neither of us feels like eating dinner for a long while yet because lunch was so big and so late in the day.
Meanwhile, when he got to the doctor's office for the stress test, they were shocked at his heart rate and wouldn't let him do it until he took the drug, which he had taken with him to take immediately after the test. They told him to take it before the test and waited for his heart rate to go down to 90 before putting him on the treadmill. Then he passed with flying colors, no particular problems showed up. So there.
Then today he stressed over the tooth. A full half of his molar and the entire filling had fallen out at Friday night's dinner. Fortunately, it didn't hurt, so he was okay with waiting until today. We got there for a 10 a.m. appointment and we left at 1:20. They put on a temporary crown, and fortunately he did not need a root canal. He will go back after our vacation for the real crown to be installed.
Following that we had an outstanding lunch at a Chinese restaurant near the dentist. It had been recommended by some of our neighbors, so it was good to try it out. We liked it a lot and will certainly return. Plus, Solivita residents get a 10% discount!
Even though it was raining and looking like a bigger storm would come soon, we did our BJs and Costco runs for kosher chicken breasts, challahs, and other items to stock up on. We just got home about 5:30 and Mark went right to bed for a nap. The past two days have exhausted him. And I am not surprised!
I also plan to take a little nap in my rocking chair on the lanai. Neither of us feels like eating dinner for a long while yet because lunch was so big and so late in the day.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Go figure!
Down four pounds this morning. Down to 269.8 from yesterday's 273.8. I have not seen a number below 270 since June 11 when I had diarrhea for five days followed by a colonoscopy. As soon as that was over, I jumped up to over 275 again.
Did I try? Well, yes and no. I did not exercise at all. I ate only 1200 calories, but I didn't feel hungry or think I was trying to eat low calories. I did log it in to Lose It!, so I know what I ate. I ate every meal at home, and it was the type of thing I regularly eat when I'm trying to diet. Yesterday, I was just so busy that there was no time for other snacking and practically no time to even eat the small meals that I ate! Crazy.
I think that if I ate the exact same thing today, I would NOT drop another four pounds tomorrow morning. LOL!
Mark will have his stress test today at 4 p.m. Since he stopped taking his Metropolol as of Sunday night, his heart rate has slowly climbed from mid-80s to mid-90s to this morning's reading of 105. Well, the good news is that it won't take him long to reach whatever target heart rate they want to see on the stress test!
Also, I finished my Oriole Park at Camden Yards jigsaw puzzle that Lowell and Emily gave me in April. It was a lot of fun and looks great. I plan to glue and frame this one, too, and put it up on the lanai over the French doors to the dining room. Next, I plan to start a Thomas Kincaide painting of the Cinderella castle that Mark gave me a few years ago.
Did I try? Well, yes and no. I did not exercise at all. I ate only 1200 calories, but I didn't feel hungry or think I was trying to eat low calories. I did log it in to Lose It!, so I know what I ate. I ate every meal at home, and it was the type of thing I regularly eat when I'm trying to diet. Yesterday, I was just so busy that there was no time for other snacking and practically no time to even eat the small meals that I ate! Crazy.
I think that if I ate the exact same thing today, I would NOT drop another four pounds tomorrow morning. LOL!
Mark will have his stress test today at 4 p.m. Since he stopped taking his Metropolol as of Sunday night, his heart rate has slowly climbed from mid-80s to mid-90s to this morning's reading of 105. Well, the good news is that it won't take him long to reach whatever target heart rate they want to see on the stress test!
Also, I finished my Oriole Park at Camden Yards jigsaw puzzle that Lowell and Emily gave me in April. It was a lot of fun and looks great. I plan to glue and frame this one, too, and put it up on the lanai over the French doors to the dining room. Next, I plan to start a Thomas Kincaide painting of the Cinderella castle that Mark gave me a few years ago.
Monday, July 20, 2015
Monday, Monday
My weight stayed the same this week. Down one tenth, which is nothing because the scale has a margin of error of two tenths. I am happy with that.
Evey finished reading the book that I sent her, Body of Truth. She agreed that it did sound a lot like my life. She agreed with the author that at this stage of my life and after my history of yo-yo dieting, it is unlikely that I can lose a significant amount of weight anymore. She did ask me if I took away any message from the book. I said I think I learned to try to relax about the dieting a bit. She said I hoped I learned that being generally active, healthy, and happy is the main point. She is so right, as always. Love my smart daughter!
I do believe that I am generally active, healthy, and happy. So there is that.
On the other hand, at this weight of 273.8, there are two problems. First, I no longer fit in a lot of my favorite rides at the theme parks. That's not a huge problem. I can still spend a day walking six or seven miles around the parks, even in blistering heat. I just have to sit out some of the rides I like. I don't like most of them anyway! LOL! Second, there are some medical procedures that are difficult at a higher weight. Back in the 1980s, when I weighed in the upper 280s, hospital staff had difficulty setting IVs. I was also told that an xray of my knee, when I had bursitis, had poor resolution because I was too fat. I weighed about 280 that day. I cannot fit into a regular MRI machine unless I am under 225 pounds. I went to the ER in Laurel once with diverticulitis and was told they could not do an MRI on me to diagnose it definitively because they did not have an open MRI machine and I would not fit in their regular machine.
So there are definitely some reasons why I should be unhappy at this weight and work to lower it. I don't need to be a "normal" weight of 135 for my height. I am realistic enough to know that it is an unrealistic goal. I do feel that I'd be more active, healthier, and happier if I was closer to 225. At that weight I could fit in any ride and use a regular MRI machine.
I believe that losing 50 pounds is an attainable objective, but I also know that it could take a year or more to accomplish. Guess I'll get started today.
Meanwhile, Lowell and Emily seem to have had a wonderful time in Key West. They were there from last Wednesday through Sunday. It never rained, and it looks like they did everything they wanted to do. I will see them on August 2 in Phoenix when we meet to board the same plane to Hawaii.
Also, now Mark has two health problems. Half a tooth and an entire filling fell out at dinner Friday night. It's not hurting, so he has an appointment on Wednesday afternoon to fix it.
Second he may have Afib, a very common problem. He's noticed symptoms, maybe every two months, for several years. Finally we went to a cardiologist last week. He is having a stress test tomorrow, an echocardiogram next Monday, and wearing a heart monitor for three weeks beginning at the end of August. Hopefully, if he really has Afib, something will show up in one of these tests. If not, I guess the doctor will have to do more tests or think of another diagnosis. We shall see.
Today I am taking the proposal to remove a tree at the end of our driveway up to the powers that be at AV Homes. Then I'll play Mah Jongg at my neighbor's house and end the day with an SOJC choir rehearsal. All my meals will be eaten at home and should be very healthy. It's a good day.
Evey finished reading the book that I sent her, Body of Truth. She agreed that it did sound a lot like my life. She agreed with the author that at this stage of my life and after my history of yo-yo dieting, it is unlikely that I can lose a significant amount of weight anymore. She did ask me if I took away any message from the book. I said I think I learned to try to relax about the dieting a bit. She said I hoped I learned that being generally active, healthy, and happy is the main point. She is so right, as always. Love my smart daughter!
I do believe that I am generally active, healthy, and happy. So there is that.
On the other hand, at this weight of 273.8, there are two problems. First, I no longer fit in a lot of my favorite rides at the theme parks. That's not a huge problem. I can still spend a day walking six or seven miles around the parks, even in blistering heat. I just have to sit out some of the rides I like. I don't like most of them anyway! LOL! Second, there are some medical procedures that are difficult at a higher weight. Back in the 1980s, when I weighed in the upper 280s, hospital staff had difficulty setting IVs. I was also told that an xray of my knee, when I had bursitis, had poor resolution because I was too fat. I weighed about 280 that day. I cannot fit into a regular MRI machine unless I am under 225 pounds. I went to the ER in Laurel once with diverticulitis and was told they could not do an MRI on me to diagnose it definitively because they did not have an open MRI machine and I would not fit in their regular machine.
So there are definitely some reasons why I should be unhappy at this weight and work to lower it. I don't need to be a "normal" weight of 135 for my height. I am realistic enough to know that it is an unrealistic goal. I do feel that I'd be more active, healthier, and happier if I was closer to 225. At that weight I could fit in any ride and use a regular MRI machine.
I believe that losing 50 pounds is an attainable objective, but I also know that it could take a year or more to accomplish. Guess I'll get started today.
Meanwhile, Lowell and Emily seem to have had a wonderful time in Key West. They were there from last Wednesday through Sunday. It never rained, and it looks like they did everything they wanted to do. I will see them on August 2 in Phoenix when we meet to board the same plane to Hawaii.
Also, now Mark has two health problems. Half a tooth and an entire filling fell out at dinner Friday night. It's not hurting, so he has an appointment on Wednesday afternoon to fix it.
Second he may have Afib, a very common problem. He's noticed symptoms, maybe every two months, for several years. Finally we went to a cardiologist last week. He is having a stress test tomorrow, an echocardiogram next Monday, and wearing a heart monitor for three weeks beginning at the end of August. Hopefully, if he really has Afib, something will show up in one of these tests. If not, I guess the doctor will have to do more tests or think of another diagnosis. We shall see.
Today I am taking the proposal to remove a tree at the end of our driveway up to the powers that be at AV Homes. Then I'll play Mah Jongg at my neighbor's house and end the day with an SOJC choir rehearsal. All my meals will be eaten at home and should be very healthy. It's a good day.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Lowell and Emily head to Key West
I had looked forward to their anniversary trip for about seven months. Today it's over. We are heading out soon to a quick breakfast at Dunkin' Donuts. Then we will take them to St. Cloud to pick up their rental car and off they go to Key West for four more glorious nights of vacation.
Yesterday we left our house at 6:10 a.m. to pick them up and go to Universal Studios. It was a long day, but we got everything done. They even rode the new Gringott's ride and the Mummy ride twice. It was hot and crowded, but we still loved every minute of it. We did the Hogwarts Express train ride in both directions as well. The evening finished with a magnificent dinner at Antojitos, a Mexican restaurant in Citywalk. We really loved it, so I wrote my first ever review for Trip Advisor.
Because we walked about 7 miles yesterday, I actually went down half a pound. Still not a good number, but considering what I ate yesterday, I'm happy.
Here are some pictures from yesterday.
Yesterday we left our house at 6:10 a.m. to pick them up and go to Universal Studios. It was a long day, but we got everything done. They even rode the new Gringott's ride and the Mummy ride twice. It was hot and crowded, but we still loved every minute of it. We did the Hogwarts Express train ride in both directions as well. The evening finished with a magnificent dinner at Antojitos, a Mexican restaurant in Citywalk. We really loved it, so I wrote my first ever review for Trip Advisor.
Because we walked about 7 miles yesterday, I actually went down half a pound. Still not a good number, but considering what I ate yesterday, I'm happy.
Here are some pictures from yesterday.
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| Actually, this is from Monday night when we had dinner at Bongo's Cuban Cafe in Downtown Disney. |
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| Emily is using her magic wand to cast a spell on the water fountain and make water appear. It's magic! |
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| On the Hogwarts Express. |
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| Heading into the Jurassic World section. Considering a dinosaur is about to eat them, they look awfully happy. |
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| Father and son, my two gorgeous men. |
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| Soaking wet after the Jurassic River Adventure ride. |
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| On the Knight Bus. |
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| With the Vanishing Cabinet in a little shop inside Knockturn Alley, part of Diagon Alley at Universal. |
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| Our dinner venue. Lowell and Emily are walking up ahead. |
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| Mark and Lowell at dinner. Fabulous day. |
Monday, July 13, 2015
Monday weigh-in
I am up 2.9 pounds for the week, weighing 273.9. Well, considering how much eating out I did, I am not surprised. We are eating dinner out tonight and then lunch and dinner out tomorrow plus breakfast out on Wednesday. That should be it until next Sunday when we again eat lunch and dinner out. So....this could be another interesting week!
Lowell and Emily did indeed hit all four parks in one day yesterday. Looks like they had a great time and all their plans worked perfectly. I don't even think it rained. Today they are having a low key morning and an afternoon at Downtown Disney where we will meet them for dinner at Bongo's Cuban Cafe. There are higher chances of rain this afternoon. Hope that doesn't interfere with their good time.
Meanwhile, Mark and I both overslept this morning. No one set an alarm, so it was 8:15 when we got up. Crazy! Now we are scrambling to get the morning done before I play Mah Jongg at 1 p.m.
Lowell and Emily did indeed hit all four parks in one day yesterday. Looks like they had a great time and all their plans worked perfectly. I don't even think it rained. Today they are having a low key morning and an afternoon at Downtown Disney where we will meet them for dinner at Bongo's Cuban Cafe. There are higher chances of rain this afternoon. Hope that doesn't interfere with their good time.
Meanwhile, Mark and I both overslept this morning. No one set an alarm, so it was 8:15 when we got up. Crazy! Now we are scrambling to get the morning done before I play Mah Jongg at 1 p.m.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Time with children
There is nothing like some time with your children once you no longer live in the same state!
Our day went off exactly as described in yesterday's blog, so I won't repeat all of that. It was great. I obviously ate too much at dinner because the weight is up again today. I talked about the ridiculous 8 pounds put on Friday and 4 gone by yesterday morning. Well, THREE of them returned this morning. Yay. Unless something drastic happens today, I'll be reporting a large gain for this week. At least all my meals will be at home today, so that might help.
Meanwhile, here are pictures from yesterday with the kids. The Animal Kingdom Lodge-Kidani Village was beautiful. It really exceeded our expectations. I know Lowell and Emily are really enjoying all the animals around them. Today they are going to hit ALL FOUR WDW parks in ONE DAY! That is a huge and difficult accomplishment, but I'm sure it's also going to be a blast. Years ago, while I was at a music conference, Mark and Evey did that. I may be the only one in the family who hasn't done it, but I also am not sure I have the stamina anymore for that!
Our day went off exactly as described in yesterday's blog, so I won't repeat all of that. It was great. I obviously ate too much at dinner because the weight is up again today. I talked about the ridiculous 8 pounds put on Friday and 4 gone by yesterday morning. Well, THREE of them returned this morning. Yay. Unless something drastic happens today, I'll be reporting a large gain for this week. At least all my meals will be at home today, so that might help.
Meanwhile, here are pictures from yesterday with the kids. The Animal Kingdom Lodge-Kidani Village was beautiful. It really exceeded our expectations. I know Lowell and Emily are really enjoying all the animals around them. Today they are going to hit ALL FOUR WDW parks in ONE DAY! That is a huge and difficult accomplishment, but I'm sure it's also going to be a blast. Years ago, while I was at a music conference, Mark and Evey did that. I may be the only one in the family who hasn't done it, but I also am not sure I have the stamina anymore for that!
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| Got them at the airport, all safe and sound and right on time. |
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| Enjoying a rocking chair on the porch overlooking the savannah at Animal Kingdom Lodge. |
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| The Lobby |
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| There are lots of free activities to do in this resort. We just happened to be in the lobby when the Drum Circle started! |
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| Llewelly and Garth, both from South Africa, taught us some special rhythms to play on the drums. |
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| Checking out Lowell and Emilty's room. Loved the carved wood furniture. |
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| Happy First Anniversary! |
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| So many animals! |
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| Entrance to Sanaa, our dinner restaurant. |
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| Studying the menu. We all enjoyed the spicy, delicious choices. |
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| Checking out the fire pit after dinner. |
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| Enjoying the beautiful Florida evening after dinner and enjoying the savannah. Well, right up until the thunder and lightening started! |
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| View of part of the lodge from the outside viewing area by the fire pit. This is truly a gorgeous resort. |
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Lowell and Emily ARRIVE!!!!
Today is the day, the first time in TWO YEARS thq5 Lowell and Emily are coming to Florida.
They are already at the airport, sipping mimosas, and waiting to board. Since they are scheduled to land at 11:40, our plan is to meet them down in the luggage area as they pick up their bags. We will take them straight over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge-Kidani where they can check in, have some lunch, and enjoy the pool all afternoon. Mark and I will head home for a quick lunch, a quick dip in the Cove pool, and then back to meet them for dinner at the restaurant in the Kidani area, Sanaa.
I have already warned them to be prepared for some BIG HUGS when we see them!
Meanwhile, I already wrote about the poor restaurant choices that I made Thursday night. Then yesterday I ordered the kosher hot dog and fries for lunch at Cheeks. At 4 p.m. when we left the library, I ordered the bourbon slushie, always a favorite but full of calories. Dinner was reasonable, but I had a bit more challah than I should have.
Bottom line....I gained a whopping EIGHT pounds yesterday from when I woke up and weighed in at 267.8 until I went to bed weighing 275.8. I had not realized that could be possible. EIGHT pounds in one day! That meant I was up peeing literally every hour all night long and went down four of the eight. This morning I weighed 271.8. So not good, but I am determined not to think about it today.
Today is for fun and for the kids! I am excited to see them.
They are already at the airport, sipping mimosas, and waiting to board. Since they are scheduled to land at 11:40, our plan is to meet them down in the luggage area as they pick up their bags. We will take them straight over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge-Kidani where they can check in, have some lunch, and enjoy the pool all afternoon. Mark and I will head home for a quick lunch, a quick dip in the Cove pool, and then back to meet them for dinner at the restaurant in the Kidani area, Sanaa.
I have already warned them to be prepared for some BIG HUGS when we see them!
Meanwhile, I already wrote about the poor restaurant choices that I made Thursday night. Then yesterday I ordered the kosher hot dog and fries for lunch at Cheeks. At 4 p.m. when we left the library, I ordered the bourbon slushie, always a favorite but full of calories. Dinner was reasonable, but I had a bit more challah than I should have.
Bottom line....I gained a whopping EIGHT pounds yesterday from when I woke up and weighed in at 267.8 until I went to bed weighing 275.8. I had not realized that could be possible. EIGHT pounds in one day! That meant I was up peeing literally every hour all night long and went down four of the eight. This morning I weighed 271.8. So not good, but I am determined not to think about it today.
Today is for fun and for the kids! I am excited to see them.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Resturants are not my friend.
The play we saw last night, Dinner with Friends, was great. The theater was the smallest one I have ever been in, and we were in the front row. That meant the actors were literally just inches away from us some times. We could see the tears rolling down their cheeks. All four of the actors were outstanding. We were glad that Susie and Ed asked us to go.
Dinner at the Harp and Celt Irish Pub was also good. I was a little disappointed in both myself and what I ordered. I read the menu in advance, but then I didn't stick to my plan. Instead of the summer salad with grilled salmon on it, I got the CELT, a grilled cheese sandwich with hardboiled egg, lettuce, and tomato with fries. It was tasty, but not low calorie. Oddly, it was cold, so I was disappointed. I thought the words grilled cheese would mean a hot sandwich. The bread was toasted, but the cheese wasn't melted and the other ingredients were cold. It was odd, tasty, but odd, and it wasn't what I wanted. The fries were great, though. I also had a whiskey on the rocks. Then it got worse. They only serve one dessert, their special bread pudding. It was delicious. Then at the show, I had their special signature cocktail at intermission. So I went to dinner with over 1,000 calories to spend on dinner, but I'm sure I consumed twice that. At least there was some walking involved from the parking garage, to the restaurant, to the theater, and back to the parking garage.
Despite what I ate, I am only up a few tenths of a pound this morning. I'm grateful for that. The exercise must have helped. I did do the water aerobics and swimming plus the walking. I was expecting to be up two or three pounds!
Today we are spending the day at the Cove, like we do every Friday. We will get over there in the morning and do the 40 minute water aerobic routine and 15 minutes of laps. In the afternoon we will work in the library. Lunch will be at Cheeks. I could choose the grilled chicken on a mixed green salad or I could choose the kosher hot dog and fries. Such a tough decision! LOL! Mark is making a new Italian Chicken Breasts in the crock pot for dinner. Should be amazing.
Tomorrow Lowell and Emily arrive at the airport at 11:40. We will eat breakfast and lunch at home, but our dinner will be in a restaurant. I really have not mastered the restaurant! Oh well...I am just not going to worry about it. I'm going to relax, enjoy the new restaurant, and especially enjoy the company of Lowell and Emily!
Dinner at the Harp and Celt Irish Pub was also good. I was a little disappointed in both myself and what I ordered. I read the menu in advance, but then I didn't stick to my plan. Instead of the summer salad with grilled salmon on it, I got the CELT, a grilled cheese sandwich with hardboiled egg, lettuce, and tomato with fries. It was tasty, but not low calorie. Oddly, it was cold, so I was disappointed. I thought the words grilled cheese would mean a hot sandwich. The bread was toasted, but the cheese wasn't melted and the other ingredients were cold. It was odd, tasty, but odd, and it wasn't what I wanted. The fries were great, though. I also had a whiskey on the rocks. Then it got worse. They only serve one dessert, their special bread pudding. It was delicious. Then at the show, I had their special signature cocktail at intermission. So I went to dinner with over 1,000 calories to spend on dinner, but I'm sure I consumed twice that. At least there was some walking involved from the parking garage, to the restaurant, to the theater, and back to the parking garage.
Despite what I ate, I am only up a few tenths of a pound this morning. I'm grateful for that. The exercise must have helped. I did do the water aerobics and swimming plus the walking. I was expecting to be up two or three pounds!
Today we are spending the day at the Cove, like we do every Friday. We will get over there in the morning and do the 40 minute water aerobic routine and 15 minutes of laps. In the afternoon we will work in the library. Lunch will be at Cheeks. I could choose the grilled chicken on a mixed green salad or I could choose the kosher hot dog and fries. Such a tough decision! LOL! Mark is making a new Italian Chicken Breasts in the crock pot for dinner. Should be amazing.
Tomorrow Lowell and Emily arrive at the airport at 11:40. We will eat breakfast and lunch at home, but our dinner will be in a restaurant. I really have not mastered the restaurant! Oh well...I am just not going to worry about it. I'm going to relax, enjoy the new restaurant, and especially enjoy the company of Lowell and Emily!
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Wonderful opera!
I cannot rave enough about fantastic that Met production of La Traviata was. It was from 2012 and starred Natalie Dessay in the lead role of Violetta. The sets, contemporary costuming, and extremely athletic choreography coupled with outstanding acting, not to mention superb singing made it an enjoyable evening. Mark didn't even shut his eyes even once because it was just THAT compelling. Now I can't wait to go see Daughter of the Regiment next week because it is from 2008 and stars the same leading lady. She is amazing.
This morning we went to the pool. I did 40 minutes of water aerobics followed by 15 minutes of swimming laps. Mark left to shop, but I enjoyed the Cove's ambiance and at my packed lunch under an umbrella.
I was down almost another full pound this morning to 268 even. I kept my calories in check and walked in the track. I was even able to have snacks at the movie theater. I got a small frozen yogurt and a bag of M&Ms. I ate half the bag yesterday and the other half this afternoon for a snack. I logged them in, so my calories were still okay for the day.
The reason I didn't write this blog in the morning was because our internet was out all day. We don't know why it went down, but it came back just as mysteriously about 3:30 this afternoon.
At 4:30 Susie and Ed will pick us up. We are heading up to downtown Orlando for dinner in an Irish pub and then the drama Dinner with Friends at the Mad Cow Theater. Even though I ate the candy this afternoon, I still have a thousand calories to use in the restaurant. My plan is to have grilled salmon on a tossed salad and maybe an Irish whiskey on the rocks. I think that should stay under 1,000. So much fun in Solivita!
And Lowell and Emily come on Saturday! Life is good.
This morning we went to the pool. I did 40 minutes of water aerobics followed by 15 minutes of swimming laps. Mark left to shop, but I enjoyed the Cove's ambiance and at my packed lunch under an umbrella.
I was down almost another full pound this morning to 268 even. I kept my calories in check and walked in the track. I was even able to have snacks at the movie theater. I got a small frozen yogurt and a bag of M&Ms. I ate half the bag yesterday and the other half this afternoon for a snack. I logged them in, so my calories were still okay for the day.
The reason I didn't write this blog in the morning was because our internet was out all day. We don't know why it went down, but it came back just as mysteriously about 3:30 this afternoon.
At 4:30 Susie and Ed will pick us up. We are heading up to downtown Orlando for dinner in an Irish pub and then the drama Dinner with Friends at the Mad Cow Theater. Even though I ate the candy this afternoon, I still have a thousand calories to use in the restaurant. My plan is to have grilled salmon on a tossed salad and maybe an Irish whiskey on the rocks. I think that should stay under 1,000. So much fun in Solivita!
And Lowell and Emily come on Saturday! Life is good.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Down again!
I had another good day yesterday, although there was no exercise. I am down to 268.8 this morning! Now THAT's exciting. Today I am eating all of my meals at home again, so I hope to hold this weight or even lose another few tenths when I check tomorrow morning.
After today, there are two big meals that will be eaten in restaurants. Thursday we are going to Mad Cow Theater in Orlando with Susie and Ed and eating dinner in either the Irish pub or the Mexican restaurant nearby before the show. Friday will be normal meals at home, but Saturday we pick up Lowell and Emily and will have dinner with them at Sanaa in Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village. That's a WDW restaurant that we have not tried yet! We are not sure what we will do Sunday, but the kids are going to three of the Disney parks on their own. We will probably eat all of our meals at home. With any luck, I'll drop another pound before Saturday night and then stay the same by Monday morning. I'll let you know!
This morning we are going up to our village center to see a skin doctor. A local dermatologist is setting up shop for the day in the upstairs room at the Riviera Fitness Center. He is there most of the day to see people for free and evaluate whatever might be their concern. I have an odd shaped dark spot on my upper left cheek, sort of between my outer eye and my hairline. It's been there awhile, so i'm going to have him look at it. Mark gets red, scaly patches on the inside of his right knee that often go halfway down his calf. It flares up, lasts a few weeks, and then goes away. When it first happened, our primary care doctor told him it was eczema and prescribed a hydrocortisone cream. He was not entirely sure the cream helped much or that he believed it was eczema. Unfortunately, it flared up and left about three weeks ago. There is nothing for them to see today. The next time it flares up, he needs to go in there as a walk in.
After we see the doctor, we will walk the track because it's right there. Mark also wants to drive up to Kissimmee for his comic books. Tonight we are picking Ed up and going to Downtown Disney to see a live broadcast from the Met, the opera La Traviata. Mark and I have seen this one live before, years and years ago in Baltimore. It's a typical depressing plot of love and death! LOL! Lots of fun. Mark says he'll sleep through it. The last time we went to one of these operas at the movies Mark slept! He took me to see Magic Flute for my birthday the first summer that we lived here. I loved it because I love that opera, probably because I was in it in college. I hope I love this one. We were also the only ones in the theater that year. LOL! Maybe there will be more people tonight. Well, there will at least be THREE since we are bringing Ed.
After today, there are two big meals that will be eaten in restaurants. Thursday we are going to Mad Cow Theater in Orlando with Susie and Ed and eating dinner in either the Irish pub or the Mexican restaurant nearby before the show. Friday will be normal meals at home, but Saturday we pick up Lowell and Emily and will have dinner with them at Sanaa in Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village. That's a WDW restaurant that we have not tried yet! We are not sure what we will do Sunday, but the kids are going to three of the Disney parks on their own. We will probably eat all of our meals at home. With any luck, I'll drop another pound before Saturday night and then stay the same by Monday morning. I'll let you know!
This morning we are going up to our village center to see a skin doctor. A local dermatologist is setting up shop for the day in the upstairs room at the Riviera Fitness Center. He is there most of the day to see people for free and evaluate whatever might be their concern. I have an odd shaped dark spot on my upper left cheek, sort of between my outer eye and my hairline. It's been there awhile, so i'm going to have him look at it. Mark gets red, scaly patches on the inside of his right knee that often go halfway down his calf. It flares up, lasts a few weeks, and then goes away. When it first happened, our primary care doctor told him it was eczema and prescribed a hydrocortisone cream. He was not entirely sure the cream helped much or that he believed it was eczema. Unfortunately, it flared up and left about three weeks ago. There is nothing for them to see today. The next time it flares up, he needs to go in there as a walk in.
After we see the doctor, we will walk the track because it's right there. Mark also wants to drive up to Kissimmee for his comic books. Tonight we are picking Ed up and going to Downtown Disney to see a live broadcast from the Met, the opera La Traviata. Mark and I have seen this one live before, years and years ago in Baltimore. It's a typical depressing plot of love and death! LOL! Lots of fun. Mark says he'll sleep through it. The last time we went to one of these operas at the movies Mark slept! He took me to see Magic Flute for my birthday the first summer that we lived here. I loved it because I love that opera, probably because I was in it in college. I hope I love this one. We were also the only ones in the theater that year. LOL! Maybe there will be more people tonight. Well, there will at least be THREE since we are bringing Ed.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Down one
I ate right and exercised yesterday, so I'm down a pound to an even 270. It's sad that I'm happy about that number. It's funny how weight numbers are so variable. When you are gaining, 270 would be devastating and very upsetting. Now that I'm coming back down from a whopping 288 back in April, 270 is looking good. I'm still up 12 pounds from Lowell's wedding last July 12. I was 2 pounds less when we came back from the trip to South Dakota. It's been an entire year of weighing way too much.
Still, I'm secretly pleased about this.
Today and tomorrow I'm eating all my meals at home. There's no exercise today because I'm hosting the beginner group of Mah Jongg from 10 to noon and then I have a mani/pedi from 1 to 3:30. If it's not raining, I could swim or do water aerobics after that. Yesterday about 4 p.m. through around 9 p.m. it was a whopping big storm. I think today will be the same. It was the scariest lightening and thunder we have experienced since we have lived here. I usually like to sit out on the lanai and watch the storms. I was so scared, I had to go inside. I even turned off the computer and disconnected it from the wall! We have a dozen lightening rods on the top of our house, and I was very grateful for them. That was one of the best things the previous owners did for this house!
I had three beginners and one of my usual Mahj ladies playing here yesterday from 1-4 because our usual game was cancelled. It was a lot of fun. So they are all coming back this morning for another round.
Saturday morning we pick Lowell and Emily up at the airport! I can hardly wait!
Still, I'm secretly pleased about this.
Today and tomorrow I'm eating all my meals at home. There's no exercise today because I'm hosting the beginner group of Mah Jongg from 10 to noon and then I have a mani/pedi from 1 to 3:30. If it's not raining, I could swim or do water aerobics after that. Yesterday about 4 p.m. through around 9 p.m. it was a whopping big storm. I think today will be the same. It was the scariest lightening and thunder we have experienced since we have lived here. I usually like to sit out on the lanai and watch the storms. I was so scared, I had to go inside. I even turned off the computer and disconnected it from the wall! We have a dozen lightening rods on the top of our house, and I was very grateful for them. That was one of the best things the previous owners did for this house!
I had three beginners and one of my usual Mahj ladies playing here yesterday from 1-4 because our usual game was cancelled. It was a lot of fun. So they are all coming back this morning for another round.
Saturday morning we pick Lowell and Emily up at the airport! I can hardly wait!
Monday, July 6, 2015
Down one for the week
This morning's weight is 271, down one from last Monday. That's good considering I ate a LOT in the two different restaurants yesterday. I also walked three and a half miles during the day, most of it at Seaworld.
The Lee Greenwood concert was really fantastic, and he ended with about four patriotic songs, the final one being "Proud to Be an American." Wonderful voice. Wonderful performance.
Today we are heading over to the Cove to exercise in the pool without our instructor. She's a snowbird and gone to NH until September. Mark and I plan to jump around and do as many of the moves as we can remember. The main thing is to keep jumping and jogging and doing stuff for as many minutes as possible. The official routine runs about 18 minutes followed by a five minute cool down period and then about 15 more minutes of exercises to stretch and strengthen the legs along the side of the pool. I often swim 20 minutes or more of laps right after. I'm not sure about today because at 1 p.m. I have four ladies coming here to play Mah Jong. I need to get home by noon in order to clean up and have lunch before they arrive.
The Lee Greenwood concert was really fantastic, and he ended with about four patriotic songs, the final one being "Proud to Be an American." Wonderful voice. Wonderful performance.
Today we are heading over to the Cove to exercise in the pool without our instructor. She's a snowbird and gone to NH until September. Mark and I plan to jump around and do as many of the moves as we can remember. The main thing is to keep jumping and jogging and doing stuff for as many minutes as possible. The official routine runs about 18 minutes followed by a five minute cool down period and then about 15 more minutes of exercises to stretch and strengthen the legs along the side of the pool. I often swim 20 minutes or more of laps right after. I'm not sure about today because at 1 p.m. I have four ladies coming here to play Mah Jong. I need to get home by noon in order to clean up and have lunch before they arrive.
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| There are six sea lion pups here now. We saw three of them. This one was the closest to us. He was adorable. |
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| Mark bought me a tray of fish to feed the sea lions, but half of it went to the aggressive birds who snatched it right out of the air. |
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| Our first time through the Shark Encounter. It was great. |
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| I petted a Laughing Kookaburra from Australia! Surprisingly soft. |
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| Entrance to Shark's Underwater Bar and Grill, our dinner choice. |
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| We got a great seat right by the tank. |
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| Not called Shark's Underwater Bar and Grill for nothing! |
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| The concert was great. |
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Another Seaworld concert tonight: Lee Greenwood
Lee Greenwood recorded two wonderful patriotic songs, "God Bless the USA" and "Proud to be an American." How appropriate that Seaworld booked him for the concert tonight.
We are going to go see the new Terminator movie first, then lunch at Panera before heading up to Seaworld. We made a priority dinner seating time for 5:!5 at the special sit-down restaurant called Sharks, where there are aquarium tanks of sharks to look at while you eat. Then the concert is at 7:30. This time we won't bother staying for the late night Shamu show, and I hope that will make getting out of the parking lot easier than last week.
It's supposed to be stormy from around noon to 8 today, up to 60% chances in the Orlando area. UGH. We may have to take our Disney backpack and ponchos. LOL!
Yesterday I counted every calorie, stayed under my limit by 100, lifted weights, and walked fast for 23 minutes, working up a good sweat. My weight hasn't budged for a few days, but I'm down about a pound since my report on Monday. It will be interesting to see how eating lunch and dinner out today but walking a lot will affect it tomorrow morning.
Yesterday, we went to shul, ate all meals at home, went to the gym and the track, watched our special July 4 movie, 1776, and watched a lot of other TV, including our weekly Disney movie. We never did get to any fireworks. Mark found the ones from Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios on Netflix videos, so we had fireworks a day late. Better late than never!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday. One more day in the holiday weekend! Enjoy it!
We are going to go see the new Terminator movie first, then lunch at Panera before heading up to Seaworld. We made a priority dinner seating time for 5:!5 at the special sit-down restaurant called Sharks, where there are aquarium tanks of sharks to look at while you eat. Then the concert is at 7:30. This time we won't bother staying for the late night Shamu show, and I hope that will make getting out of the parking lot easier than last week.
It's supposed to be stormy from around noon to 8 today, up to 60% chances in the Orlando area. UGH. We may have to take our Disney backpack and ponchos. LOL!
Yesterday I counted every calorie, stayed under my limit by 100, lifted weights, and walked fast for 23 minutes, working up a good sweat. My weight hasn't budged for a few days, but I'm down about a pound since my report on Monday. It will be interesting to see how eating lunch and dinner out today but walking a lot will affect it tomorrow morning.
Yesterday, we went to shul, ate all meals at home, went to the gym and the track, watched our special July 4 movie, 1776, and watched a lot of other TV, including our weekly Disney movie. We never did get to any fireworks. Mark found the ones from Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios on Netflix videos, so we had fireworks a day late. Better late than never!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday. One more day in the holiday weekend! Enjoy it!
Friday, July 3, 2015
Too busy
Mark and I had achy, painful calves all day yesterday and still this morning from the crazy Typhoon Lagoon day. Didn't matter, we still had things to do.
The NARFE meeting was great and went as planned. Then Mark and I shopped. We got home at 2 p.m. and had an hour to relax before heading up to The Villages.
We were laying in bed with our feet up, moaning that we had to get up and go out again, but later we were so glad we did! The Villages were wonderful; dinner was delicious; the performances were amazing.
This was our first trip up to The Villages. There are now three separate villages up there, and our restaurant was in the newest one called Brownwood. Mark has found his people. This is a western themed area! I didn't take my camera, so I didn't take any pictures, but next time we will take a camera! Mark could stroll around there in his cowboy gear and feel right at home. In fact, we did see a guy walking by in a cowboy hat, looking a lot like Mark does regularly!
We also went to one of the other areas for Happy Hour, had a cheap drink, sat outside and listened to the live band. Every one of the three villages has a bandstand in the central area with happy hour, vendors, and live music EVERY NIGHT! Crazy. Also each area has movie theaters, lots of restaurants, and many stores. There was even a Barnes and Nobles there. The Villages is so big that they have their own zip code! The over 150,000 residents can drive their golf carts right up to all those stores and movie theaters. Amazing. Although each housing area that we passed, and there were MANY, was gated so we couldn't see actual houses too close up, the shopping areas are wide open to everybody. Our own Solivita will only include 6,000 homes when it's finished (about 4,000 are up right now), so we will never be big enough to have all those stores inside our area. We just don't have enough people to support that. Sigh.
I had vaguely looked at The Villages, not in person but online, back when we were looking for this place. The western area didn't exist then, but the other shopping areas looked good online; however, i did not see floor plans that I really liked. I also thought it was too far from WDW, but it turns out it's about the same distance north of WDW that we are south of it, so that should not have been a concern. It is however nearly two hours from Cypress Cove, which would have been sad. We run down to the Cove multiple times a week because it's only six miles and 15 minutes away. We would never want to give that up!
Las Tapas was the restaurant and the four singers were great. Two men and two women were the singing waiters. In between taking orders and serving food, they did three thirty minute sets of music. Mostly they sang Broadway tunes and requests, which were also all Broadway. They are all part of an opera troupe, but they did not sing any opera, sadly. Maybe next time. They are there every Tuesday and Thursday nights, so we are hoping to schedule another trip up there. It was also only a ninety minute drive, not the full two hours that we thought.
The food was delicious, but the goat cheese dish was super salty. I am up two and a half pounds today! Hoping it's water retention and that normal eating today will drop those pounds again by tomorrow morning. We shall see.
Today will be far more relaxing! Mark has a haircut at the Cove at 10:30 and then we work in the library from 1-4. I'm hoping to swim and relax a little while he's getting his haircut.
The NARFE meeting was great and went as planned. Then Mark and I shopped. We got home at 2 p.m. and had an hour to relax before heading up to The Villages.
We were laying in bed with our feet up, moaning that we had to get up and go out again, but later we were so glad we did! The Villages were wonderful; dinner was delicious; the performances were amazing.
This was our first trip up to The Villages. There are now three separate villages up there, and our restaurant was in the newest one called Brownwood. Mark has found his people. This is a western themed area! I didn't take my camera, so I didn't take any pictures, but next time we will take a camera! Mark could stroll around there in his cowboy gear and feel right at home. In fact, we did see a guy walking by in a cowboy hat, looking a lot like Mark does regularly!
We also went to one of the other areas for Happy Hour, had a cheap drink, sat outside and listened to the live band. Every one of the three villages has a bandstand in the central area with happy hour, vendors, and live music EVERY NIGHT! Crazy. Also each area has movie theaters, lots of restaurants, and many stores. There was even a Barnes and Nobles there. The Villages is so big that they have their own zip code! The over 150,000 residents can drive their golf carts right up to all those stores and movie theaters. Amazing. Although each housing area that we passed, and there were MANY, was gated so we couldn't see actual houses too close up, the shopping areas are wide open to everybody. Our own Solivita will only include 6,000 homes when it's finished (about 4,000 are up right now), so we will never be big enough to have all those stores inside our area. We just don't have enough people to support that. Sigh.
I had vaguely looked at The Villages, not in person but online, back when we were looking for this place. The western area didn't exist then, but the other shopping areas looked good online; however, i did not see floor plans that I really liked. I also thought it was too far from WDW, but it turns out it's about the same distance north of WDW that we are south of it, so that should not have been a concern. It is however nearly two hours from Cypress Cove, which would have been sad. We run down to the Cove multiple times a week because it's only six miles and 15 minutes away. We would never want to give that up!
Las Tapas was the restaurant and the four singers were great. Two men and two women were the singing waiters. In between taking orders and serving food, they did three thirty minute sets of music. Mostly they sang Broadway tunes and requests, which were also all Broadway. They are all part of an opera troupe, but they did not sing any opera, sadly. Maybe next time. They are there every Tuesday and Thursday nights, so we are hoping to schedule another trip up there. It was also only a ninety minute drive, not the full two hours that we thought.
The food was delicious, but the goat cheese dish was super salty. I am up two and a half pounds today! Hoping it's water retention and that normal eating today will drop those pounds again by tomorrow morning. We shall see.
Today will be far more relaxing! Mark has a haircut at the Cove at 10:30 and then we work in the library from 1-4. I'm hoping to swim and relax a little while he's getting his haircut.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Schmeised at TL, NARFE, the Villages
What really kicked our butts was the wave pool! Since we had not been there in over 25 years, we did not remember what that pool was like. As soon as I arrived, I lotioned up and went in. It was cool, clean, wonderful. It had some gentle waves that were fun to jump through or float on. I played for awhile and then noticed Mark was coming in. So we both went out to about three to four foot depth and enjoyed those gentle waves. Then they stopped and it was just like a pool. Mark commented that he really liked it calm like that. We heard a whistle, watched the boat impaled on a tree that's above the back of the wave pool blow water out of its spout, and then the horror began!
A ten foot wave was generated. Now, we were far back in only about three foot depth, so we just stood there like idiots watching it roll toward us. It didn't take long to hit us, knock us down and underwater, and carry our glasses and hats away. Panic, not because I got knocked down and went under water. I didn't mind that and might have enjoyed it, but my GLASSES were gone. These are $700 prescription glasses that turn dark in the sun, so also my sunglasess. The Minnie Mouse hat could be easily and cheaply replaced, but how would I drive home without my glasses. Once I was standing again, I caught Mark's eyes and his glasses were also gone. (This could all explain why very few people were out there with hats and glasses on!)
Almost immediately we started looking through the crystal clear water to find them. I found a pair of sunglasses, picked them up, and hollered that I had them. The owner was near me and claimed them. I started hollering out, "Has anyone found a pair of glasses?" In just short order my glasses and my hat were restored to me. Thank God.
Mark was not so lucky. Within two minutes I had both of my items. We were still looking on the bottom for his glasses when the next humongous wave hit. I grabbed my glasses and hat in hand and ran faster than I knew I could to the shallower water. The wave hit me; I went down and under; I stood back up still holding my hat and glasses. Then we realized that huge wave wasn't just a one time wonder. They continued every five minutes for an HOUR AND A HALF!! We actually read up on these waves later on the way home. That giant wave is generated every NINETY SECONDS for NINETY minutes all day long. There is only a 30 minute period of calm waves and no waves between the cycles. Since we had NOT read that in advance, I realized that our timing was such that I had just entered the pool at the start of the calm period!
We walked and walked around the shallower water for an hour looking for his glasses. We talked to all the lifeguards roaming around in the back. They assured us that glasses were too big for the drains and always washed up on shore eventually or were turned in by other patrons. When they got them, they put them at their station and every half hour another person collected the lost items and took them to guest services. The wave hit us at 11 a.m. We walked around the water until 11:30. Our legs were tired by then because it's hard wading through water and fighting waves.
Then we sat on a bench built into the rocks in the shallow end for awhile. I walked around the shallow end again for awhile and sat again for awhile. We talked about what we would do if they didn't turn up. Eventually, we decided to do the half hour ride through the lazy river in a tube. That was fun. When we got back from that, it was almost time for the waves to stop. We took advantage of the calm to wander around looking for the glasses, but we realized that after ninety minutes it was really a lost cause. We headed up to guest services to see if by any chance they were there. Our plan was to keep checking back every hour.
Lo and behold! His glasses were already at guest services! Thank GOD! He was so happy!
Then, while we were near the entrance at guest services and our belonging were WAY over on the other side of the beach, an announcement was made that inclement weather with thunder and lightening was moving in and all water attractions were closed. We were told to leave the beach and seek shelter. YIKES! We walked as fast as we could in the opposite direction of the thousands evacuating. We got our stuff, but we were in pouring rain with thunder by then. I was holding my cell phone and camera at the time, so I tried to tuck them inside my wet bathing suit and in my hands to keep them dry. We grabbed our stuff from our chairs, and I put my phone and camera in my beach bag, slung it over my shoulder, and put a towel over us. We slogged our way back to the main entrance to go to the locker. It was past lunch time, and with all that walking, we were pretty hungry. Mark got his wallet out. Comedy of errors! The wallet chose that moment to disintegrate in his hands and drop its contents down into a puddle. He is holding a beach bag, several towels, my other pair of shoes, and trying to pick up credit cards and a driver's license at the same time! Hey, at least he had his glasses on by then!
He got all his stuff together and we made our way to the lunch spot. By the time we got there, the rain was letting up. I sat at my choice of wet picnic tables, threw some towels down to dry it off a bit because, after all, the towels were already soaked anyway. I sat totally wasted and exhausted at the table while Mark stood in line to get cheese pizza and diet soda. It took him half an hour. I don't know how he did it. While he was in line, the rain stopped and the water attractions reopened.
The rest of the day went as we thought it would. It was bright and sunny and hot. We ate lunch, found another beach chair to park our stuff on, took a walk around the rest of the park, viewed the different areas including the Shark Reef and saw the Teen Beach 2 show we came for. By then, we both had legs and feet that were beyond hurting. They were now cramping badly and it was 4 p.m. Time to head out.
On the way out, I treated myself to a Micky ice cream bar. After all, July is National Ice Cream Month!
When we got home, we both took Advil. Mark also had a vodka and tonic! Hey, it was diet tonic water and he drank it for the anti-cramping properties of the quinine. Right. I would have had that, too, but in an hour, I had two ladies coming to the house to play Mah Jong. I didn't think I needed to have vodka right then.
I couldn't even make it up back 10:30. I fell into bed totally wasted, totally exhausted, totally happy.
Today we have another over-programmed day. In a minute we are heading out to Plant City for the monthly NARFE meeting. Then Mark will do the week's grocery shopping, followed by a trip up to The Villages with Susie and Ed for a tapas dinner with singing waiters. They will sing operatic arias, so that's going to be fun.
Mark and I have agreed that programming this many things on one day has got to stop! LOL!
Enjoy these pictures from Typhoon Lagoon.
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| Right after the Lazy River ride, no glasses found yet. |
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| Wearing my new bathing suit. |
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| Glasses found! |
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| Snorkelers at Shark Reef |
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| A view of the wave pool from the end where the waves start. We were in that big crowd way in the back. |
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| Watching the Teen Beach 2 show. |
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