~~ A Celebration of Life-long friendship ~~ Sew Sweet 16 ~~ Now N' Thens 3/11

[solana131]

I am so amazed that you have that many PP pics......even when I TRY, I struggle to get 100. Must remedy this next trip

You have come a long way and your body shows it. You look fabulous! But beyond looks, I can tell how much better you FEEL about yourself. The increased energy is always great. I wish I had your Will power!

 

[Disney_Sarah]

Yey I have been waiting to read this and look forward to following along?
Sorry I didn't post on your pre trip report....I did pop I'm every now and again for a catch up.
Look forward to hearing all about your adventure xx

 

[Pixiedust530]

Enjoying the reading about your first day...12:30am getting out of bed...YEP...sounds like me! There;s noting better than that fist day excitement. I can't wait to read more.

I have been seeing your progress pictures and you look amazing. Way to go...SERIOUSLY!! I admire your hard work and determination. I really wish I had that kind of willpower!

 

[ZehnJahren]

I'm in here too! Can't wait to read about your trip and see all the pictures!

 

[KatMark]

D, kids are back safely in Dubuque and, as promised, I'm back to catch up.

I love ALL of your intros and all of the intro pictures, but my favorite one is your intro picture. You look absolutely stunning in that dress. You should be proud of what you have accomplished thus far.

Wow...that was an early time up for your trip. So glad the flight left early and arrived early and everyone in their selfies and other pictures look very happy to get the adventures started.

 

[DMGeurts]

Good for you! I'm excited for your now and thens- maybe it will inspire me to get back on track. It's been a good month at this point since I've gone for a run. Very disappointing and with T starting school and A starting daycare and me going back to work- it's very hectic and plenty of excuses to put it off. I think you are right about taking care Of yourself but knowing it is ok to relax it for things like a vacation having the mindset that you will not get too out of contr and will pick right back up again. Part of the journey.

Photopass is my new favorite. One of the best parts of the trip for me was spotting a photographer am having all these pictures taken. We just had a ball with it and joining a share was well worth the "risk" ! Now that I know my kids will pose I would pay the full price if I couldn't find a share I just loved it so much. Although it was spoiling since it became annoying to not have a PP photographer at every step of our trip lol.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

I am very excited to share my Now n' Thens - I expected there to be changes, but I am still shocked by some of them. Obviously, some pictures are better than others, and some of them are - but there are many that really shock me. I hope that my pictures & story inspire many people to find their way to better health - whatever that may be for them.

Yes - Photopass is the BEST! The girls and I LOVe hunting down the photographers. Sadly - I have to admit, hunting them down in August (Sun + heat) isn't nearly as fun, and sometimes downright awful, as it is other times of the year... BUt I could never go with out photopass! Most of the time, we get really great pics and it's worth it's cost over and over again. I agree though - I wish there were more of them out there... Esp at the resorts and water parks. And I am a little sad, now that I am editing, that you can't add the fun borders to ride pics anymore... That's really a bummer. That and the only meal we received actual meal pictures from is 1900 Park Fare... I truly miss getting all of our meal pictures... I would be willing to have that as an add on to our PP pre-purchase if we could get them. Sigh. I have all of ours displayed from previous trips - and it would have been fun to add this trip to them as well.

Welcome back!!!!! I don't know how you manage all of the individual replies every day anyways! I don't think anyone will fault you for missing it here or there!

We are always our worst critics! Here's to you getting back on track and meeting all of your goals for yourself!!!!

Well - it's something I am passionate about, I guess... When I first started coming to this section of The Dis and following TRs (this was several years ago now) - I replied in someone's TR and I was never adknowleged, and I felt a little badly and awkward about it. I told myself then, if I ever did my own TR - I would make sure that everyone felt adknowledged and welcomed in mine, because I know how hard it is to try and jump into a group of people who already seem to know eachother.

I know - I am my worst critic... So true about most people. It's just so hard to see my progress, yet look beyond and see where I want to be - it's a total mental block thing... but I always tell myself - the minute I get "comfortable" - is when I will give myself permission to stop... And I never want to find that comfort zone enough where it puts me back where I started. If that makes any sense? LOL So, I just keep pressing on.

I can't wait to see all the photopass pics! You looked great in all the photos I saw on FB!

Thanks!!! I am very excited to share them! BFF was going to work on Epcot yesterday while we were at the MOA - I haven't logged into the PP site yet to see if she was able to get any done... I'd LOVE to have them downloaded by the end of the week! Then I can have them at the proper time to add them to my TR.

I'm finally here!! I wasn't online over the weekend, but did catch your mention on FB last night. I'm glad you're starting your report so we can fill in the gaps from the awesome FB photos! Your reports are always so much fun!

I'll have to come back later to read everything. I'm one of those who read other people's posts as well. It came as a shock to me that everyone doesn't do this. That's probably why it takes me soooo long to get to everyone's reports! Duh!

Sounds like you're having so much fun with Thomas (and of course his parents lol). He is a little cutie for sure! Love that pic of the girls holding his hands and walking with him. Definitely frame worthy right there!!

You are wise to not over do your workouts. It really is amazing how quickly the hard work goes out the window. But I know you'll soon be back in the swing and right back where you were before. You look amazing in your Disney photos!! You look like a teenager for Pete's sake! I know you see the work that still needs to be done, but, girl, you are looking better than great!

I hope Josh gets to feeling better. I haven't felt all that great today either, but I need to get off of this computer and over to the condo and get to work. So much to do!! We leave in 9 days, so today is our official single digit dance day!! Have a great day!

Hahaha... Welcome Lois! So glad to have you here and following along! I am glad you read everything... I know - I tend to skip in other's reports too - esp. if they are really long ones.

We are having a great time with Thomas... It's wonderful that he is really starting to warm up to us... It's going to be so hard when he has to leave, but I am so happy for this opportunity to spend time with him.

Thank you... LOL - many people do say I look like a teen-ager... I don't quite see it... maybe it's because I act like one sometimes too? LOL I did to my work out yesterday, and I am not sore at all this morning - so it's back to lifting today for me... I am loving how most of my pictures from the trip are starting to show my muscle definition in my shoulders and arms - something I've never had before... And something I am very excited about!

Josh seems to be feeling better... He's back to work today - so that's good. And he did OK at the MOA yesterday - so I am not sure what he had, but it's nice that he is feeling better.

Yay!!! So many of my bestest Disney friends are going to WDW in the coming weeks - I am so excited for you all!

as someone who say you in person. You look just awesome and i am so proud of you.

Awww... Thanks Chiara!!! You look fantastic too, and I am so proud of you!!!

Very interesting reading. Thanks for posting!

Thank you!! And welcome! So very happy to have you here and following along!

I am looking forward to reading about this trip! I also need to take the inspiration from your weight loss and health journey and put it to practice in my life!

Enjoy your time with BMT, love seeing all the pictures of the family together. A personal question for you - how did you guys end up with family living in the Netherlands?

I love reading your daily check ins - I do a better job keeping up with you than I do most of my family!

I am very excited to share it... I love sharing my trips with everyone here!

Hehehe... Well - it's kind of a cute story... DH's dad worked for a company (before he retired), and Myrthe's dad currently works for the same company in their division in The Netherlands... Both of them (and most of their families) ride Harley's... So, when Jan came over for business in 2008 - Josh's dad took their family and his family who rides (Brian among them...) to Sturgis... So, that's how Brian and Myrthe met... The continued "dating" long distance... She made a few trips here, he made a few trips there... Eventually - in 2010, Brian made the decision to move to The Netherlands to be with her... He proposed shorly after his arrival... In 2011, we all went over for their wedding... and it was a GORGEOUS wedding... Myrthe is such a beautiful person - both inside and out - we are so very lucky to have her in our family! Last year, they had Thomas (his middle name is Dakota - after the place they met) and are currently living happily ever after.

Back to the daily grind for Alli, heh?

I will enjoy hearing about your trip.

Have a great day.

Yah - back to the daily grind for me today too...

I cannot wait to share it here!

I hope you had a nice weekend Ruth!

I am so amazed that you have that many PP pics......even when I TRY, I struggle to get 100. Must remedy this next trip

You have come a long way and your body shows it. You look fabulous! But beyond looks, I can tell how much better you FEEL about yourself. The increased energy is always great. I wish I had your Will power!

I'd be happy to help you remedy that... LOL

Thank you... Yes - I do feel so much better, and I love that I have more energy than I have ever had in my life! I am not sure if it's will power anymore? I think I am just flat out determined... LOL - and I've found a way that I love how I live and how it fits with my life... I think that is huge!

Yey I have been waiting to read this and look forward to following along?
Sorry I didn't post on your pre trip report....I did pop I'm every now and again for a catch up.
Look forward to hearing all about your adventure xx

Welcome! I am so happy to have you here and following along again! I hope you'll pop in more often and say hello.

Enjoying the reading about your first day...12:30am getting out of bed...YEP...sounds like me! There;s noting better than that fist day excitement. I can't wait to read more.

I have been seeing your progress pictures and you look amazing. Way to go...SERIOUSLY!! I admire your hard work and determination. I really wish I had that kind of willpower!

Yay!!! So happy to have you back here and reading!

Thank you! I really don't work as hard as it looks - I am so lazy by nature... So, I had to find something that I could do and be lazy about it. LOL It really is key to be able to find something that works in someone's lifestyle, because it's no fun to do if you don't like it or enjoy it. I've made it my mission this time to enjoy the ride - and I think that's why it takes me zero willpower, and it's always so easy for me to get back into it... I encourage everyone to find what they love and just do it - even if it goes against everything we were taught and against everything that everyone else does.

I'm in here too! Can't wait to read about your trip and see all the pictures!

Welcome!!! I am very excited to share! Trust me!!! It's a great trip!

D, kids are back safely in Dubuque and, as promised, I'm back to catch up.

I love ALL of your intros and all of the intro pictures, but my favorite one is your intro picture. You look absolutely stunning in that dress. You should be proud of what you have accomplished thus far.

Wow...that was an early time up for your trip. So glad the flight left early and arrived early and everyone in their selfies and other pictures look very happy to get the adventures started.

Hi Kathy!!! So happy the kids are back safely in Dubuque!

Thanks! I love that dress too - thank you very much!

Yes, it was an early flight - I didn't necessarily have to be awake that early - LOL, but I was way too excited to sleep!

**********************************************************

We had a fantastic day at the MOA yesterday!

We met BMT right as the mall opened... Josh's Mom and step-dad followed along shortly behind us. It was great to see his mom - we haven't seen her since B&M were here in the fall of 2011... She lives in MT.

We all walked around the mall for a little while... Took Thomas through Nicklodeon Universe...

Then we all decided to go bowling... Well, not all of us... Josh's Mom, Step-dad, Brian and Victoria bowled... Myrthe and I chased Thomas... Josh watched (he still wasn't feeling the greatest)... And Alli didn't want to get stuck in a game because Gus was picking her up at the MOA to go to the last day of the State Fair...

Little Thomas was so cute - he just loves to play with balls... He was a little perplexed that these balls were too heavy for him to carry...

After bowling, we went to eat at the Rainforest Cafe... Thomas LOVED this!

Then we did a little shopping, and headed home...

It was a great day! I love every moment we get to spend with them!

Today... Well, it's back to work for me. I've been a slacker for far too long now. Thankfully - I had a head start on my custom orders before I left... I will be working on cutting out the last of the bag applique and stitching it out today.

As a side project, over the next few weeks, I have a few pairs of jammie pants I'd purchased last year... I purchased them in XLs and XXLs... Always with the intention of taking them in... Well - I am going to work on cutting them down and making them smaller, as once it gets cold - I have nothing warm that will fit me for jammies. It should be an interesting project - if not annoying.

I also plan to do a TR update this morning.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend! Prayers and Pixie Dust to all!

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

This is it - one of the most exciting moments of our trip! For me, anyways...

We all walked into the ME line... I was a little nervous about my Magic Band, as those of you that followed my PTR know, I'd painted it, removed the paint, repainted it and added a cover to it... I was a little nervous that it wouldn't work... Praise the Lord - no problems!

The ME CM told us to get into line #5... Line #5 was quite long, and I wasn't sure we would make it on to the next bus...

As we were walking up to the line - there was so much excitement, and it was so loud... The girls were all talking, BFF and I were talking... All of us excited!

All of a sudden, Victoria comes out of no where... Grabs me by the front of my shoulders to stop me dead in my tracks (as if she had been trying to get my attention forever - which she had, apparently)... She said "MOM! Look- it's your bags!" And then she said it again, because I didn't grasp what she was telling me... "MOM!!! Look.... Your bags..." And she turned me in that direction and pointed....

WOW~!!!! I was speechless! I didn't know what to do... Like the dork I am... I caught the person's attention and I said "Hey... I like your bags..." Of course... She said "Thanks!"... Then I proceeded to say (yes, I am a true dork...) "I made them..." It took her a second to register what I'd said... So I said it again... "I made them"... Then she said something like "OMG..."

So, we started chatting in line... We all wanted pictures... It was my 5 minutes of fame - literally... Everyone was trying to take pictures... The whole line was watching us... It was sooo cool and so surreal! Literally - the line was moving, and we were holding up the line with our picture taking... It was the craziest thing that's ever happened to me. It totally took me off guard! I always go on trips, and I hope to see my bags... but I wasn't expecting to see them before I even got into a park!

So, which bags did I see? And who is the Diser I met?

Julie (Amitrat)... Julie actually owns a few of my bags... Frozen & Tink, then Lady is her Mom's bag... I had no idea that Julie would be in WDW at the same time we were there... And it was later, we discovered that we were staying at the same resort, as well. So this is not the last time you will be seeing Julie make an appearance in my TR... After we were all checked in, we took a big group photo with all of the bags... Thanks Julie for sending this to me!

So, now that you've read the "in-depth play-by-play" of one of the very most exciting parts of our trip... No need to read the rest of my TR. GAH.... No, don't stop reading... Lots more fun ahead, I promise!

On with the rest of the update....

So, we rode the ME bus to FQ... After a stop or two, a seat near me opened up, and Julie came back to chat with me... It was so fun to finally get to meet her! She has a gorgeous family and two little girls (after my own heart) that are just adorable and the sweetest/well behaved children... I was so happy to have met them!

Once we got to FQ, BFF and I checked in... One of the most nerve-wracking events for me... This is it... Did we get our room requests? What did we request anyways? GAH!!!!

Well, we sort-of got our requests... I always request room 6220... It's "our" room... And if we don't get 6220, I ask that we are in building #6...

So, we were put in building #6, but not our 6220... We were in rooms 6205 (us) and 6206 (BFF)... With a connecting door.

On our way to our rooms... Which were ready and waiting for us!

I was a little worried about this "connecting door"... but in the end, it worked out just fine. We closed it every night when we went to sleep, and opened it every morning when everyone was up. This gave us just enough space to "get away from eachother" - yet, we were able to enjoy the comforts of having the extra square footage ~ ahem ~ bathroom.

Here's a few pics of BFF's room... I think my pics must be on the laptop? I am missing a bunch of them...

The girls and I were a little disappointed, because our room is the mirror image of what we were used to in 6220... So, that took a little getting used to for us, but it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be, and we adapted well.

Once we were done dropping our bags... We headed back to the food court to get lunch... We were starving!

I ordered the build-your-own salad with chicken... I made note in my journal that it wasn't very good and I ended up picking out the chicken and eating that. However, I did have my first order of beignets as dessert - and they did not disappoint... Mmmmm....

Once our bellies were full, we went back to our rooms to see if our bags had been delivered yet - they had not. By now, it had been almost 3 hours since we had landed, so I was a little nervous - but not overly so.

Did our bags ever come? Did we make it to the park like we had planned? Or were we destined to run nekkid through the streets of MK for the week?

Link to Day 1 Part 3

D~

 

[Pluto0809]

Sigh, how did I end up way back on page 5? At least I'm caught up on one TR, I'm so far behind on everyone else's I have no idea where to even start. I think things are finally slowing down now for me at work so I need to get back to updating my two TRs and visiting everyone elses!

Sounds like a great start to your trip, it's always so nice when the flight goes so smoothly!

And as for the eating, how can you not go to Disney and eat all of the yummy desserts? That's just a vital part of any Disney vacation! And besides, calories don't count on vacation, right?

I've really enjoyed the pictures of your visit with BMT, Thomas is such a cute baby!

I cannot wait to see the bag you are working on right now.

ETA: Well we posted at the same time so I guess I'll just edit this post to talk about your last post.

What an awesome thing to run into two of your bags before you even got to the resorts! And I'm a little relieved to know that I'm not the only one with more than one of your bags.

I was so excited to see the pictures of POFQ. 39 days till Mom and I check in there! She still doesn't know I switched us from POP, her birthday is next week so she'll be finding out. I hope she is as excited as I am. Bummer that you didn't get your favorite room but at least you got the building you wanted. I decided not to request a specific building this time, just going to let to chance since there doesn't seem to be a bad location at that resort.

 

[disneychic2]

Great update!! I'm guessing if you had been forced to run nekkid in Disney, we would have seen that on the news!! Haha

Seeing those ME pics gives me goose bumps. I always feel as you do when we first get sight of those CMs directing you to the proper line. And to bump into people with your bags!!! Good for Victoria for spotting them!! Just think, you might never have never seen them. I wasn't sure if you knew them ahead of time or not when you posted on Facebook. What a Serindipitous moment!!

I'm sorry the salad wasn't good. Bad lettuce? dressing? What was yucky about it? Glad you could eat the chicken though.

Looks like your room is a little far flung. But it's such a small resort, nothing is that far from the buses or food court. I like any of the buildings facing that large courtyard. We usually ask for building 5. It was where we stayed the first time as well. I guess we are all sentimental.

The MOA looks like tons of fun! Josh's mom looks really young!! I'm glad Josh felt up to going, even if he wasn't quite himself. Bowling at the mall…I haven't bowled in such a long time. I used to bowl on a league, but now my arthritis in my hands is so bad, I'm not sure I could grip let alone throw a ball. I'd like to try sometime, though. How adorable Thomas is trying to pick up one of those pretty sparkly balls. He is just a little ray of sunshine!! Glad he liked Rain Forest Cafe. I've seen some little ones being frightened by it.

I'm sure not having a return trip planned is bumming you out. But you have that family trip to plan, so that will have to do until our epic friends trip in a few years. Or graduation trips with the girls? Josh might even tag along on those. Maybe if you made him a nice man bag to carry….um, well probably not! How about a Harley backpack?

Looking forward to the next installment. Have a great day!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

How awesome was that to see your bag in the ME line. The odds of that happening have to be huge!

I'm glad that the room situation worked out. Since Olivia was technically in your room, did her MB unlock the door to her room?

 

[Clio]

I thought that I'd posted here but apparently my got eaten by the internet.
I'm so happy you started your trip report. the pictures of FQ make me home sick for it. Unfortunately I'm not staying there this year. We're staying in a suite at AOA.
The trip to MOA looks like fun. That picture of Thomas and the character is funny. It looks like he's not quite sure of what it is.
How exciting to meet one of your customers and see one of your bags being used.
I'm working til 11 tonight so I have most of the day off. This is the last week that I have late late shifts. I'm going to Kohl's and Target this morning to shop for trip stuff.
Have a great day.
Liz

 

[lovedonaldduck]

How cool to have a surprise DISmeet in line for ME! It must be awesome to have your bags out there, never knowing if one will just happen to cross your path. Do you have any idea how many bags you've made?

Love the story of Brian and Myrthe - how amazing that he moved so far away to be with her. And what a beautiful bride she was - love the dress and the shoes!

DH had the salad at the food court also, and he wasn't a big fan either. He said he prefers the salads at POR but we didn't make it down there this trip.

I love that you have a favorite room and a favorite building at FQ - we haven't found ours yet, although we are certainly making the rounds - so far we've stayed in Buildings 1-4

We do the connecting door with my parents (a little different dynamic, of course) and it seems to work well for us. We usually keep the food in my parents' room and then the girls can go over in the morning once they are completely dressed. This helps motivate them to get moving since they can't have breakfast until they do. Plus, they get so excited about being able to go right over and see my parents it usually helps our mornings go a little more quickly.

Glad you all got to enjoy a day at MOA. I was wondering when you were going to make yourself go back to work, but I didn't want to be a downer and ask. I can't wait to see more of your creations!

Hope you have a great day today!

 

[DMGeurts]

For those of you following my healthy living updates... I did one this morning at the beginning of the TR... Kind of a synopsis of what I did leading up to our trip and what I've been doing after... Also a couple of photos...

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52186247&postcount=5

D~

 

[nikki7680]

Sorry I am late, but I'm here!! Can't wait to read all about your trip! 12 days to go for me!!

 

[nolacindy]

Well shoot I'm late, that will teach me to pay more attention.

Thomas is a cutie!

 

[amitrat]

It was so crazy to meet you in the ME line - probably one of the best parts of our trip too! Started the trip off on such a fun note - picture is sent - sorry everyone...I broke my computer a week before our trip and hubby just got my new one up and running and lets just say it took me a while to figure out an operating system I am not used to in order to get the picture off my camera!!! I am sure D will add it in - maybe post a copy of it here.

I love your bags - my oldest has decided that since I have 2, she will be stealing my frozen bag (she is 9) - guess I will need a 3rd for the youngest.

And we had no idea she would be on vacation either - FB has a way of hiding peoples pages and since I wasn't stalking bags, I paid no attention! So awesome - you are all some of the nicest people!

 

[Wood Nymph]

For those of you following my healthy living updates... I did one this morning at the beginning of the TR... Kind of a synopsis of what I did leading up to our trip and what I've been doing after... Also a couple of photos...

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=52186247&postcount=5

D~

Then Disney came... WHOA!!! Mentally - I've been prepping for this vacation for months... Maybe even for the last year. I knew I would be eating things that I didn't normally eat... So, I made a list... Sweet Cream Cheese stuffed pretzels, Napoleons, Banana bread pudding, stuffed french toast, Mickey waffles, beignets... The list goes on... I knew I'd be eating these things... I knew it. But, what I didn't prepare for... The desserts... Key lime pie... Chocolate cake... Frozen cupcakes... Yah - I had them all. At first I tried to be good, but as my week progressed, I left less and less behind. I left Disney a little disappointed in myself... But to be quite honest - I could have done waaaay worse. So, in the end... I came home feeling like crap... I was bloated... My thighs rubbed together more than they did when I left... I could see it in pictures of myself... But, I was also proud of myself... Not one drop of soda the entire time we were there... No pasta at all... And the best part... I never stuffed myself... And I could keep up with my girls - at times, we were RUNNING through the park - and I could do it! What a magnificant feeling!

So, rather than be down on myself for all I did "wrong"... I wasn't... I concentrated on what I did right... I picked myself up and I moved on.

This first photo... I am not even sure it looks like me? I don't even know what I like about it? Maybe it's my arms? Maybe it's my posture? I am just not sure... but I like that I am just sitting there relaxed, and I look good.

Now this one... I can tell you all - with out a doubt - what I like about it. I like that I am sitting there - totally relaxed - doing NOTHING... yet you can see the muscles and tendons in my legs running the length of them... Yah - you can also see the cellulite on my rear, but for once, I am sitting on it - and it actually looks narrow... I also like my arms in this picture... I love that I am totally caught off guard, and my posture is horrible - yet, I think I look good. It makes me think to myself - "Wow, I've come a long way, even if I don't always see it..."

As usual... Thanks for letting me share my journey here.

D~

I love hearing about your healthy living program. You are an inspiration to many. Don't stop.

Did you enjoy those desserts and snacks as much as you thought you would, or did the guilt take away some of the fun?

But to avoid the other foods is great! I have a very hard time avoiding soda. And to be able to run through the parks with your girls must have felt great.

I can see why you like the first picture. You look healthy and very fit and slim. It is a great shot. The other picture makes your legs look fantastic.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Since I don't Dis on the weekends...I am JUST NOW making it over. I have subbed, now to go back and read!

 

[solana131]

How cool is it that you spotted your bags in ME line!?!? I was so excited for you when I saw that on FB
You certainly are a celebrity now!

Glad you at least got the building you wanted. For some reason I was thinking you liked Building 5 and when I read that you got 6, I was worried for you. But all was well

I had to LOL at the picture of Thomas with KiaLan. He doesn't look like he's too sure about these characters. Too cute

 

[fairymum]

I am in love with those bags!!!!! And excited to see how you combine the trip and your health journey. I can't wait to see more!