Plans fail sometimes

Well, yesterday did not go as planned in two ways.  First, we did not go to the Osborne Lights last night to get those glasses.  By the time we finished dinner, it was 6:20 p.m.  We were both exhausted and the park closed at 8 anyway.  It wasn't really worth the two hour round trip commute to pick up the glasses and have almost no time to see the lights.  The good news is that Susie and Ed got the glasses, so we are going to borrow those to take when we go on Dec. 27 with Lowell and Emily.

The second thing that did not go as planned was my food intake.  I ate the breakfast I mentioned and a perfect dinner that Mark made, which was salmon, Brussels sprouts, and the last two potato latkes.  However, I ate cookies and candy between lunch and dinner.  I also had more lunch than I should have.  I had tuna fish in a large pita bread and a hunk of leftover challah.  I also had a pear, which was juicy and delicious.  The pear wasn't a problem because I did not eat the Arctic Zero anyway.  The five chocolate truffles and four shortbread sandwich cookies were the problem!  And there was no exercise after all since we didn't walk into the Disney park.  Sigh.  Good intentions, though.

Today we were supposed to go to water aerobics and then in the afternoon we are going to Epcot and will walk around the entire park.  We are meeting friends, Ed and Barb, who are also DVC members, to go to the DVC Member Mixer and then dinner at Tokyo Dining.  Japan has been the only country in World Showcase where we did not have a sit down meal in one of the restaurants.  Tonight we will eat there and then we will have eaten in every country!  Should be fun and there will definitely be a lot of walking.  We did not make water aerobics because I talked to my brother Mark too long. It was a lot of fun talking to him, and we don't talk that often.  I should have told my husband Mark to go to aerobics without me or tried to talk and get in the car at the same time, but neither of those occurred to me until after I hung up the phone and saw it was too late to go to water aerobics.  Another sigh.  More good intentions.

It's Monday. Life is good.

We have been so busy lately that I have not taken the time to write a blog.  Well, you've heard that before!  LOL

We had a fabulous progressive dinner Friday night.  Then the Klezmer concert that we were all going to Saturday night got cancelled.  No problem.  We all had dinner at Olive Garden and then went back to the same Klezmer group at Disney Springs that we listened to on Tuesday.  The weather was fabulous, and everyone loved it.  Yesterday we were out from noon to 4:30 shopping and driving a lot.  We had to drive up to Total Wines by Millenia Mall, which is over an hour away, to pick up the bottle of Sabra that Rudy reserved for us as a Hanukkah present.  Shepler's, now Boot Barn, was nearby, so Mark used his gift from me to buy two shirts.  That store was awesome, like Carol's Western Wear on steroids!  We also had a lovely kosher lunch at the Kosher Grill because it is just down the road from Boot Barn.  Unfortunately, that gigantic hamburger and pile of fries plus the dinner followed by way too much dessert at the Hanukkah Ball last night added a lot of weight this morning.

My weigh-in was 280.3.  That's frightening. I've been creeping up little by little since October.  For quite a few months, I kept my weight in the low 270s until that October cruise.  I came back at 278 and have mostly stayed between 276 to 278 ever since.

Today all my meals will be at home.  Then we start another three days of eating dinner out.  I get two nights of dinner at home, Friday and Saturday, and then two more out.  That's how the whole month is going until we get on the cruise ship on December 31.  Clearly, if I could only learn to control myself in restaurants, I would be so much better off.

At least today I have the opportunity to eat right and get some exercise.  After an early dinner at home tonight, we are driving over to Disney's Hollywood Studios to pick up the free special glasses that are supposed to enhance the viewing of the Osborne Lights.  The park closes at 8 tonight, so it won't be a late night out.

Today I had my 80 calorie Greek Yogurt and 3 Morningstar Links.  That's a 200 calorie breakfast that I ate every single morning for well over a year while I was losing that 117 pounds.  It can work.  Soon I'm going to Nature Hair for a mani/pedi, but I'll be home for lunch.  I need to be sure that lunch is not more than 300 calories.  Then I'll go play Mah Jongg for three hours.  When I get back, there will be about an hour of down time before I have dinner.  Mark always makes something perfect for us, keeping the calories in the 400-500 range.  At that point, even if I'm at the upper calorie range, I have had only 1,000 calories.  That allows for another few hundred as a snack later on.  Usually I have a banana and the pint of Arctic Zero, which totals about 225.  That's a total of 1225 for the day, which is the perfect amount for losing weight.  I hope today is exactly like that.

I got all my presents shipped out to the appropriate people and all my Christmas cards in the mail yesterday.  I told Mark that I was going to write fewer cards this year, but I don't think I did that.  I mailed out 56 cards, which didn't count a few that I gave out personally or put in packages that got mailed.  It's a good thing I don't send out Hanukkah cards, too!  I would more than double my for load if I ever did that.

Today is the last day of Hanukkah.  It is always so pretty to light all the candles and watch the burn.  That was last night for us, after we got home from the Hanukkah ball.  We have opened all of our presents, and everything was fabulous.  I hope anyone reading this blog who celebrates Hanukkah has also had a wonderful eight days.

Now it's time to run out to the salon for the tmani/pedi.  Have a great day!

Fun foods for Hanukkah

Last night was the third night of Hanukkah.  We are eating latkes and donuts every day.  Who doesn't love that?  We also went out to eat last night at the new Hangar Bar at Disney Springs.  They are literally a bar, but with some pretty great appetizers.  Mark and I shared three of them: pretzels with beer cheese fondue, falafel tacos, and dates stuffed with goat cheese and surrounded by spicy peanuts.  Everything was fantastic, but I suspect it was full of sodium as I am up a pound and a half today.  I didn't get up even once during the night to pee, and my fingers were stuffed this morning like sausages, so much so that I could barely bend them.  I'm sure that will resolve itself during the day.

Monday night we went up to the Village center to participate in the Shalom Club's lighting of the menorah.  Mark and I and some singers from Guys ad Dolls helped lead the lighting and singing of traditional Hanukkah songs.  Then we all went into Mosaics for donuts and coffee and games of dreidel. It's one of the nicest things that we do here in Solivita, in my opinion.

Yesterday we had our last Tuesday afternoon Cove Singers rehearsal for our performance at Lakeside next Thursday.  They did very well despite three of the strongest singers being out of town.  Then we picked up Susie and Ed and went over to Disney Springs.  In addition to trying out the new Hangar Bar for dinner, we went to hear the Klezmer performers do Hanukkah songs.  As it turned out, if you eat on the outside deck of Hangar Bar, you can hear the performers because they are right next to you.  We had Hanukkah music playing all through dinner.  Then we sat outside and listened to their next et of more traditional Klezmer music before having a gelato at the newly opened gelato store also right in the same area.  It was a cool evening for Florida, so we enjoyed wearing some warner coats and feeling festive.

Mark and I continued to have donuts and latkes with candles and presents when we got home.  Even got me the alligator towels and an alligator tile that I wanted for the powder room.  Mark got me a very generous Disney gift card, which will surely be put to good use.  Cindy gave us a brand new Rummikub game.  Susie and Ed LOVE Rummikub, so we will have to have them over to play our new one.  I gave Mark is Sea Salt from H2O products, body wash and lotion.  Leslie G. also gave us our personalized calendar, which I absolutely love.  She has gotten us one every year since 2011 when she sent the first one full of wedding pictures from Evey ad Eric's big day.

Three nights down and Five to go!!  So many donuts, latkes, candles, and presents yet to come.

This morning I am giving a Mah Jongg lesson to a beginner.  Mark will go shopping while we play.  Then tonight we have our Cast Party for Guys and Dolls.  Every day here in Solivita is just wonderful.

Happy Hanukkah!

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah.  It is also the last night of our Guys and Dolls concert.  My back will be very glad of that.  This morning I had quite a few twinges on the walk from the bedroom to the kitchen.

The concerts have gone very well.  It's so much work, but the audiences really seem to love it.  Mark and our friends enjoyed themselves very much last night.  Four nights are gone and tonight is the last one.

Meanwhile, last night I also noticed that I am going out for 16 nights in a row!  That is INSANE!  I don't have a night to relax inside the house any time between the hours of  5-9:30 or later from Dec. 2-17.  Talk about busy!  At least some of those days, I was able to stay home up until I had to leave for the night time activity.  Even after my last night on Dec. 17, I will only have two nights at home before going out again two nights in a row.  I'm not complaining because I love all the things we are doing!

I ate only two meals yesterday because when you have to eat dinner at 4:30 there's not much point in trying to squeeze breakfast and lunch in first.  I had a light brunch at 11:30 and then too much dinner at 4:30 plus some snacks when I got home at 9:45.  Again, I thought it was a pretty good day, and I guess it was.  It was just the right amount of food and exercise to bring my weight to 276.2. When we left for that "Bermuda" cruise on Oct. 2, I weighed 274 and came back after 8 days at 278.  Along the weigh, I lost those four pounds and then gained them again.  Now I can't seem to shake all of them.  It's a little scary to start another 7 day cruise that high.  When I go over 280, my back really hurts.  That is just TOO much weight for my little 5' 3" body to carry around.  Well, anything in the 270s is also!  Sadly, many of those nights out between now and Dec. 17 involve dinners out, too.

Well, back to Hanukkah.  Eight festive nights of lighting the menorah, opening presents, and eating traditional foods like latkes and donuts begins tonight.  It's always so much fun!  Mark and I left the presents for Evey and Eric all wrapped and numbered at their house on Thanksgiving.  I shipped a big box full of wrapped and numbered gifts for Lowell and Emily. It arrived yesterday, so they are all ready to have their presents tonight.  I have Mark's gifts wrapped and numbered and ready to put out this afternoon.  I have already hung the banner out on the front of the house.  It was a gift to us from Rhoda when she stayed with us a few years ago.  I love it.  It makes the house feel festive just to see it out there.  We have not decorated the inside of the house at all this year, but later this afternoon we will put out the menorahs on the island in the kitchen and the wrapped gifts on the dining room table. Like all holidays, Hanukkah only comes once a year, but Mark and I make the most of it when it does.

Three down. Two to go.

Friday night's show was my solo night, so now I can just relax and enjoy singing with the group.  I did okay, although the solo requires a fairly long phrase all on one breath.  I pooped out about one beat earlier than I would have liked.  Still, i was told I sounded okay.

Mark came up Thursday night to the dress rehearsal and heard my solo. Tonight he is going up with the Goldbergs and Shapiros.  They'll all have fun together.

Today I am just relaxing in the house and catching up on TV until it's time to get ready and go up to the ballroom.  I have to leave at 5 p.m. to get up there, so the day will be short, especially since I didn't get up until 9 a.m.!  I couldn't believe I slept in that late.  These past three nights of being out for the show are catching up to me, I guess.

My weight is staying around 277.  I felt like I had several pretty good days, and I'm on my feet for hours and sweating up on the stage.  Doesn't seem to matter.  Still in the 277ish range.  Maybe it's those Oreos I ate yesterday for National Cookie Day.  Y'think?

Another senseless shooting. I'm ranting. Don't read if you don't want to read a rant.

There is something terribly wrong in our country.  I am so saddened to hear about the workplace shooting yesterday in San Bernadino, CA.  This young man, same age as Evey ad Eric, worked there for five years.  He was at a holiday party recently.  His co-workers had a baby shower for him and his wife.  Then he got angry about something, but instead of talking it out, or just walking around the block to cool off, or take a drive around like I used to do until I was over it, he went home, got his wife, turned their six month old child over to his mother, gathered up all his high-powered guns, and returned to the workplace to shoot and kill many of his co-workers.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR COUNTRY?????

Something has to change.  I am so sick of hearing of this.  No one should have that much weaponry in his home for his personal use.  I am not anti-guns.  I have no problem with people having a hunting rifle, a gun in the home for protection, a weapon to shoot a snake or wild animal if you are out in the desert or forest alone.  THAT is no longer what we have here.  Why should an individual be allowed to buy that much weaponry?  When will our country have the guts to put a stop to this?  Isn't our technology up to a national data base?  If someone buys an AK47 one day and then goes to buy another one or something else equally deadly a few days later, can't the computer tell the shop owner that information and say, NO.  You can't have another one.  SOMETHING.

I'm not the smartest person in the world, or the deepest thinker, but surely those deep thinkers are out there.  Surely we still have enough people in our country to come up with a solution.  Our society is broken.  I am now convinced of it.  Something has to change.

End of rant.

Last night we had our big rehearsal for Guys and Dolls.  It went well.  Tonight is the dress rehearsal and then there are three shows in a row.  I'm singing my solo tonight and tomorrow night.  It's a tough one because of the breath control needed.

This morning we are going to the NARFE holiday party.  We have our two toys to donate to Toys for Tots.  I wrote an invocation to give, and then this morning I felt I had to change it to reflect what went on yesterday.  Peace on Earth...a dream that the world has had forever.  We need it now.  But how to get it?  I don't know.

Busy, fun day

The lunch and concert yesterday at Epcot were spectacular.  Some pictures from yesterday are at the bottom of the blog.

Today I got my nails done in a festive red color for the concerts this week.  I also got my hair trimmed nice and short again.  After that, it was on to the Cove Singers rehearsal for the holiday concert on Dec. 17.  It was a great rehearsal, in my opinion.  Now I'm home and relaxing for the rest of the evening.  It's the last night I will be home for five straight nights.  Wednesday and Thursday are dress rehearsals for the Guys and Dolls concert followed by three shows nights in a row.  I'll be exhausted by Monday morning!

Epcot is all decked out for the holidays.

A fifty piece orchestra, singers from the Voices of Liberty and Disney cast members, and a hundred or so local high school choir students performed so many wonderful arrangements of Christmas songs.

Neil Patrick Harris did a great job narrating.

He only sang once, at the finale, which was the Hallelujah Chorus.

Susie and Ed brought their rain ponchos, but Mark and I did not.  We just sat in the drizzle and ignored the rain.  It was a wonderful day.