Some people go for a walk. Some people go to the gym. What do I do when I need a change of pace and scenery? I drive 10 hours to Disney World! I'm working here this summer, but I'm partly vacationing! So this is part of my grocery haul that I ordered since I'm staying in a villa. Hope you enjoy!
Garden Grocer is who I went to during this stay. There is a list of ways to get groceries on WDW Prep, 8 ways to get groceries for your Disney World trip. Also you don't to have a villa to need food. Trust me, I have stayed in a room at Pop Century resort and our family still needed groceries (unless you plan to eat ALL you meals and snacks in Disney.)
This is just some basic things that I ordered to get me going for the summer. I still plan on going to Trader Joe's, Publix, Walmart, and Aldi. This was just for me to enjoy and relax.
Growing up I never realized how excited the numbers going backwards made me feel in anticipation of a trip or holiday. As I grew older I realized that butterflies would form in my stomach the closer it came to saying only 1 day left. Now, as an adult taking my own children on vacation? The butterflies have multiplied when that number starts to drop.
First off, no a Disney trip is not relaxing. It can be if it's not your first time and you don't want to do everything. I've been over 75 times in my 25 years of living, and worked there, but I still want to do everything. Some of my trips are more relaxing than others. And while yes Disney is the happiest place on Earth, let me give you a little advice; the happiest I am is when I'm planning. So the eye-opening reason to plan a Disney trip is... Happiness!
When you have a horrible or stressful day look into a Disney trip. But the key, don't look at the price right off the bat. Look at all the different places to stay, while you might not can afford the higher places, you can always do what we call resort hop. Resort hopping is even free. Our last trip at Disney World I really wanted chili and we were staying at the Boardwalk, since The Wilderness Lodge is my home Disney resort we went there for a bowl of chili.
Planning a trip can relieve stress, it's proven. It opens your mind to things that aren't around you. It gives your mind a vacation. Don't look at the prices, build up knowledge about things in Disney World or Disneyland. Both are filled to the brim with facts that are fascinating.
Is that a rumble in your tummy? Disney World alone offers over 150 different places to eat throughout the resorts, parks, water parks, and Disney Springs. Disney is always adding new places. Three new places have popped up in the last month alone! See why people return to Disney a lot?
Where can you go to get started on a Disney trip? Well I'll give you a few links below. Just enjoy the views and information worry about the adult stuff later okay?
The DIS - Their podcasts are amazing, their forums are incredible, and there is so much to learn from this spectacular website. Not only information, but pictures, printables are all found here in the forums of The DIS. Below are some of the other pages by them:
Couponing To Disney - This lady has paved the way for many people to afford going on Disney trips! She really loves to help them and is top-notch for finding deals for whatever the season might be. She has a course, she has a Facebook group & page and much, much more!
All Ears - I'm not sure which is older All Ears or The DIS. I know The DIS has been online for over 15 years of service, but I'm thinking All Ears has been online longer. Either way this is another outstanding website for information, pictures, videos, and menus!
Passporters - This is really great site for information. Some people even choose to buy their tickets through them because they have a special rating.
Mousesavers - This website was before Couponing to Disney became famous. This has more ways of saving money on Disney related things about your trip and on your trip. Whereas Couponing to Disney does than and also things you need in every day life.
Disney Parks Mom Panel - Honestly I haven't used this enough, until lately. Since I now have a SPD child and a Type 1 diabetic child, I am going to the website more and more on learning about what is available for us in these circumstances.
WDW Prep School - Find everything from printables, information, pictures and more!
Walt Express - A good friend of mine runs this website. She's has an unique look on things Disney!
And now that you have a good start...
Remember how said looking at the food would be a great mind vacation? Hop on over to The Disney Food Blog. The lady that started this blog has been to every single one of Walt Disney World's restaurants and Disneyland's! So she would know with her group that make that blog what is good at a restaurant. And also just because there are a few people saying that don't like a restaurant you are going to get that all the restaurants. Find ones you love!
And once you have a date in mind, check the crowd level for that day on Touring Plans. These people spend every single day of the year in the parks gauging how big the crowds are and predicting what they will be next year! And in my experience they have been spot on each time!
And if you do decide to go to Disney and want to get over the post-vacation blues, you can follow Well Well Well's suggestions from Doctor Darria Long Gillespie, AVOIDING THE POST-VACATION SLUMP. And like I tell my friends and family if doing those things don't work there is always planning the next trip. Trust me I do it all the time. Saving and planning is part of the fun for me!
Kindly step all the way in please and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now. Oh what a wonderful first line to a movie don't you think? Well it's the beginning of the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney! Walt Disney had major plans for the first Haunted Mansion of Disneyland. He even considered the idea of putting it at the end of Main Street USA. To think think that the Haunted Mansion could be where the castle is an interesting thought. A dead end idea, but it was pushed back. Walt Disney was never able to see the end results of the Haunted Mansion.
The mansions in Florida and California are quite different. The outsides are somewhat taken care of and that's part of the plan. The California one has a Plantation house with an eerie aura to it. This is because the Haunted Mansion here is located in Louisiana like New Orleans Square. Florida's mansion has a colonial look to with some Dutch Gothic elements since it's located in Liberty Square.
The Disneyland Haunted Mansion
In 2003 The Haunted Mansion movie was released. It starred Eddie Murphy, Nathaniel Parker, and Wallace Shawn. While this movie was okay it lacked what I thought would be a really good Haunted Mansion movie. I love good humor, but this was really geared towards kids at time. And people will say well The Haunted Mansion ride is in Magic Kingdom. Well so is Pirates of the Caribbean and Johnny Depp is not making bad jokes, he is just had a little too much sun. He is more quirky than funny.
The trailer is honestly more scary than the movie. Which I believe is what Disney wanted from this trailer. Why not have a haunted mansion be serious with serious tones with a good story and plot.
But the slap-stick comedy won out on this movie and I ended up not being scared at all by what would and wouldn't happen. It felt too humorous and that's not good for a movie called the Haunted Mansion. It lacked a good story about the Haunted Mansion and told the story of the realtor instead. Plus, the acting left a lot to be desired. The actors that are well recognized outshine the new ones and it really shows. The characters were terrible as well, some are not even from the ride.
What I think should be done is pretty simple and straight forward:
Use only the characters from the ride. There is no reason to have outsiders come in to the Haunted Mansion. There are 999 ghost, but there is room for a thousand.
Let it be scary. We have had a cute and lighthearted happy ending movie, now how about a real scary movie?
Tell the real story of the bride, Constance, and Master Gracy and the legend of the hatbox ghost.
Show how the other ghosts arrived at the mansions.
Talk about the hitchhiking ghosts and why are they hitchhiking and where.
And reoccurring in my demands, a serious tone with history and facts. Slap-stick is getting old and corrupting. Teach facts and history instead of a lesson on moral.
Walt Disney had envisions that took over 20 years for a solid idea. I look at that movie like it's almost a slap at what he worked so hard on. Why not have a really good story and even use some of the old ideas of the imagineers for the story plot. Point being, with all the remakes Disney is doing this should be one of them. It should be something that makes you want to visit the Haunted Mansion.
Are you going to the beach? Are you going camping? Are you doing a staycation? My plans are not exact, but I have a few things written down for things for me to do. I have a few tiny trips planned, but for the most part I have project type things to do. At the end I'll show you my planner Bucket list for the summer that is mostly for my kids. These things won't be included on my list below.
Reading -
Reading for the summer has technically already started. A Pop of Jess is our neighborhood reader and we have started our Boxcar Children Adventures list. In a year or two we will be taking our families and going around the country visiting places like the Boxcar Children do. I'll also be working on the Popsugar 2016 Reading challenge just like last year. In addition to that, I'm going to try and tackle the Popsugar Summer Reading Challenge. And of course I'll be doing my reading for Paper & Glam Book Club.
Journal -
I have recently become very interested in journaling. I like to journal about my daily devotional, and also my daily daybook. My most recent discovery is bullet journaling. The basic system is great for some people I prefer the style of Boho Berry. Hers adds style and copious amounts of color. It gives me room to improve myself and hold me accountable by putting it on paper.
Trips -
The last few summers haven't been spent at home too much. This summer will be different except for a few trips. Here soon Vin and I are taking a trip up the east coast, stopping by New York City. It is something he has wanted to do for a while so I have agreed. We will also be going to Sylva a few times.
Planning -
Of course, Vin and I will finish out our wedding plans for December. It's getting a little nerve wrecking watching that number get smaller and smaller. But we want things to get finished up and timely.
Also Erin Condren will be releasing her new line of planners like always in
The reason we want things to be finished with the wedding is so that we can focus on the things for the fall. We usually do a lot of things in the fall as a family and as a couple. Homeschooling, Halloween, Fall, Thanksgiving are all the reasons for activities. We like to have a lot of things to do.
Fitness -
It's really hot in Alabama, so most of my workouts will be moving inside. I will still be training for my triathlon and marathons outside though. I will continue to work out with Tone It Up, Blogilates, and our newest obsession Pound Workout. Yoga will still be something that I partake in as well.
Television -
For a while now I have loved NCIS, Golden Girls, Friends, Designing Women, and The Vampire Diaries. But I'm embarking on new shows this summer. I want to do a spinoff or two of NCIS, NCIS: Los Angles and NCIS: New Orleans. I'm really looking forward to these shows. Also on the list for me to dive into is The Gilmore Girls, Once Upon a Time, and Supernatural.
Disney -
Alas, did you really think Disney things wouldn't make an appearance on my post? Of course it has it's own place! Zootopia is hitting DVD & Blu-ray on June 7th! So there will be plenty of time watching Zootopia! Also this summer is Finding Dory! I think that might mean a trip to the aquarium!
Food -
One of the things I am looking forward to the most this summer is making food options in this house more abundant. I'm tired of the old, "Let's go get something." I want more meals that I can create out of the crockpot and oven. I also want to visit many farmer markets for a new option. Also Vintage recipes I believe I will start trying more of just to find some new flavors together that the family can enjoy!
Planner Bucket List -
These stickers I bought back in February for my planner from Lillie Henry's shop! She sells very vibrant stickers for planners!
When asked why I did I love the Disney cruise we went on in April, I can answer pretty easily. It's the second Disney cruise that we have went on this year. When we went January we did not have this much fun. Of course we weren't gone as long either. This trip was a week long, and while we weren't on board the entire time of the trip (we boarded in Mexico), we still had the best time!
First reason why I loved our trip is... James and sea life!
James is Vin's frat brother from college, who likes to travel with us this year. He loves beaches and sea life so cruises with him are hilarious! The turtle farm in the Cayman Islands is a lot of fun. We had a blast catching the little creatures for a long time.
Second reason this was the best cruise is... Went to hell and back!
We were on the highway to hell and it was a gorgeous day! After holding baby turtles it was something fun to do rather than just go on to the next sea creature adventure. It was interesting to learn about Hell in the Cayman Islands. One of my friends was very excited she could say she had been to Hell. She even got to pee in Hell! She is a special person needless to say!
Another reason that I loved this particular cruise is... Kissing a stingray
When we signed up for this I was weary of doing this big time. However, I loved it. I love swimming with the stingray more so than I did swimming with dolphins in Mexico (hence why they didn't make the list.) Plus knowing I have 7 years of good luck coming toward me because I kissed a stingray? Well it has me singing "I kissed a 'ray and I liked it, taste of its sea salty skin."
Just in the same way of making love this cruise as kissing a stingray did... Hugging Chewbecca made it amazing as well!
This was the last Star Wars Day at Sea for 2016 and I'm so glad we made this cruise! I love the characters roaming around. The Star Wars fireworks were incredible. They did remind me of the Star Wars fireworks in Hollywood Studios in Disney World. We really had fun.
Another reason I loved our cruise in April... Running the Castaway Challenge again!
Some people run to say they have run. I like to admit that I run for the locations and the bling! I really love getting up in the morning (even on vacation) and running! It really helps me prepare for the day. So why not reward myself with a shiny medal that says Castaway Cay 5K?
One of the final things that I loved about our cruise that we were on in April was... The cabana!
This is a luxury for people on the cruise. There are limited cabanas so us snagging one made me very happy. It's all the comforts you would want on a beach. If you don't rent one of these you have to be concerned with getting off the cruise ship fast enough to snag a spot. And I've been there.
What I loved the most... Relaxing
This was where I decided that I needed a true break from a lot of things. I learned things that I wanted to learn on this cruise. I felt like royalty and enjoyed forgetting responsibilities. This was a cruise that I will never forget!
When I started this blog Vin was someone in my past. Someone, that I chose to be in my past. It had been two years since I had seen him when I started this blog. And that last encounter wasn't something I would like to remember considering it was his grandmother's (the woman who raised him) funeral. I left the farmhouse thinking that it was the last time I would see it or him.
When I sat down to blog the first time in 2013 in July I had seen Vin, I just hadn't realized it. He was a nurse that helped ease my pain during the stem cell procedure. My left leg hurt quite a lot worse than my right one is all that I remember really. I would sleep and watch Youtube. It wasn't until last year Vin came clean with me about him being the nurse behind the mask that eased the pain.
And here we are in 2016 instead of 2013 or 201. I see that smirky grin every morning. I walk to that farmhouse many times now when we are in North Carolina. And we have found that our paths have cross many times over the last decade without knowing it or sometimes him knowing it and myself not knowing it.
What is our relationship like? That's easy you read about these women who fantasize about how their husband does no wrong or does all the providing like the Bible says a man should. That's now how it is in our house. I knew when dating him in college Vin wasn't prince charming. He wasn't going to rescue me. I refuse to let the outside world in on our relationship a lot. There are just a hand full of photos of us on the internet together. So our relationship is private and yet we still learn to have a balanced relationship of serious and play.
Our wedding is in 219 days! And while I know things may change in the future right now Vin and I enjoy being parents to 9 girls and a little boy. We relax in the fact that we both pray together in the morning. We laugh at things and we enjoy the simple time together.
One of things we do lately together is literally just sit outside passing back and forth ideas. It doesn't have to be wedding related. He is showing some idea about making more room in his man cave and I'm showing him an idea for my bullet journal. We get into a lot of deep conversations like that. We find an idea and we travel around with it in our mouth and brain, hitting new territories when the other says something back.
Yesterday, we dug in the dirt. I haven't planted anything since we moved into this house back in 2014. It was nice to plant things beside the front door in order to get rid of some the pesky insects that like to invade our home via the front door. We laughed as the soil crumble beneath out fingers and fell onto our clothing staining them. To some it may not have meant much but I doubt I forget yesterday anytime.
That's my relationship for now. We will become Mr. & Mrs. Magical in December. Until then we are just who we are and that's all we want to be in this crazy life. One little plant at at a time.
So I've been away for a while. That's because I was seriously unhappy with my blog content, and I'll get into that in just a minute. I want to put more personality back into my blog which is why I started it so long ago. I wanted to talk about my life and what I love.
The video is her with a friend, Bonnie Kate, just talking. And the points they address is so amazing and so true for everyone these days. It's all about goals, perfection, organic, and svelte lives, or that's what social media and media in general wants us to believe.
The body - There are even some Instagram accounts that bank on our insecurities to make people want to use their products. We could blame mass media, but it's not just news media and magazines. Even businesses are making so much money off of people's insecurities.
The diet - There are so many diets claiming you could look like a person in [insert number] of days. Healthy is just eating right, when you truly feel like it and exercising. Sometimes I try a few things to just make me leaner, but I assure you I get a real pizza somewhere in there.
The workout - My best friend is worried about slowing me down. That really was a hit to the stomach. Yes, run every day for marathon training. But she is my best friend I would slow down for her in an instance. Besides, I need to work on my stride. Don't compare yourself to others when working out or exercising, all bodies are different.
The wardrobe - The internet has become so much about how people look, and what they wear. Emma Watson recently wore trash that was fashioned into a dress to a huge event, if anyone else had attempted to that they would have been mocked. But the truth is, yes clothes have an impact on us. But wear what makes you feel good instead of what everyone else is wearing.
The relationship goals - This one is huge. I have people tell me that my relationship with Vin is goals. However, when I discuss how our daily lives are people frown. Vin and I have a distant relationship yet extremely close. Let me explain, we like our space. We cuddle twice a week. We are best friends before we are anything else. It's that look across the room that means so much more than that lingering kiss. So while you may have goals based on a video or a picture, rest assure there is more than meets the eye.
The makeup collection - I have a makeup collection, this is true. However, I have this makeup collection for me. This year I purged so much makeup that it filled up a 20 gallon garbage bag. I've learned to really look for things that I will use and the packaging that I really adore. I used to love M.A.C and Urban Decay. While I still love many of their products. I also have moved over to Too Faced and Benefit more.
The pretty blog with all the followers - This is where I fell down the rabbit hole. I long for my blog to have the fresh white space for readers eyes. I compare my topics and theme to others' blogs. It's a hole that I have been in for some time now. I want to better my blog.
But I don't want to change from Blogger. I have to take the time to learn these things and that's okay. What so many don't realize is that I want to learn how to properly do my blog. Not a blog challenge like I've tried before but rather make my blog looks more professional without having to depend on someone.
My word for the year is radiant. Radiant means sending out light; shining or glowing brightly. I feel like I have been a glimmer instead of radiant. I have my moments, but I'm putting that behind me. I want to live out loud and live originally. Radiant living means to shine and I want to shine with the light of the Lord.
