Vacation Archives - Page 4 of 5

Disney World Vacation 2011: Hidden (and Not So Hidden) Mickey and Friends #DisneySMMoms

March 29, 2011 TechyDad Disney, DisneySMMoms, JSL, NHL, Photos, Vacation

B quite nicely explained our arrival in Disney World for the 2011 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. As we checked in to our room and made our way around the hotel and parks, NHL and JSL began noticing things they hadn’t noticed before: Mickey Mouse.

No, not that Mickey. I’m talking about the more hidden variety. Like on the floors of the hotel in the tiles.

Of course, Mickey wasn’t alone there. His friends Pluto, Donald, Minnie and Goofy joined him.

In the room, the boys noticed a Mickey hidden (not so subtly) in our towels.

They also spotted his face in a lamp. (Again, this one was pretty obvious.)

Then, JSL made a discovery. There was a second Mickey on the desk. Not on the lamp, but hidden in the woodwork.

Later on, we discovered that the tiles by the elevator held a certain fairy.

I’d like an extra large order of pixie dust, please.

When it was time for us to join B for dinner (after her Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons Platinum Soiree), we spotted a few more Mickey-and-Friends in the rug.

We also noticed, in the Grand Floridian’s lobby, Chip, Mrs. Potts and a certain magical rose.

Our final Hidden Mickey of the night, though, was the proudest one. NHL and JSL looked at the floor and declared “Mickey!” Sure enough, there was a Mickey hidden in the pattern.

A family saw me taking this taking this photo and wondered why I was taking a photo of the floor. Then, they saw the Mickey. As we walked along the same path for awhile, their daughter kept pointing out Mickey’s appearance in every tile. I’d like to think we transferred a bit of Hidden Mickey Fever to her. (The only cure: More Mickey Mouse!)

Of course, that night the boys got to see the real Mickey Mouse along with Minnie, Goofy and Pluto:

Oh yes, and I also got this dessert, despite the fact that I had a full plate, because of Minnie’s appearance on it.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 10: Disney World Weight Gain

March 28, 2011 TechyDad 20lbs in 20 weeks, Disney, DisneySMMoms, Fitness, Food, Travel, Vacation, Weight Loss

It was to be expected. I gained weight while at Disney World. It was always going to be a battle between the calories burned by walking throughout the parks (and sweating in the Florida heat) and the calories consumed from the wonderful food Disney World has to offer. The food won. When I left for Disney, I weighed 188 pounds. Upon returning home, I weighed 193 pounds. That’s a gain of 5 pounds.

Starting Weight	205
Current Weight	193
Goal Weight	185
Lost	12
Left Until Goal	8

This setback, though expected, means that I now have 10 weeks to lose 12 pounds. I also have Passover looming on the horizon. During Passover, I’m not going to count points as Passover food tends to be high calorie and high in carbs. Matzoh alone is 120 calories and 27 carbs per sheet and I can easily eat 3 slices for breakfast slathered with cream cheese before I feel full. There is no option of low calorie/low carb bread or rice during Passover. Matzoh seems to permeate everything that gets made and so it won’t be a good situation to be tracking points in. I’ll try to give myself a fighting chance by loading up on fresh fruits and veggies and by not buying a ton of Passover cakes/cookies (no loss as they tend to taste awful). Still, I expect weight gain during those two weigh-ins.

I guess that just means I’ll have to try extra-hard to lose weight during the 8 weigh-ins that I have left during which I’ll be tracking points and (hopefully) losing weight.

From Way Up Here, It’s Crystal Clear

March 17, 2011 TechyDad Disney, Travel, Vacation

Hi, TechyDad is not here at this time. He is off to Disney World. Don’t worry, though. He has scheduled a bunch of posts to go live and will likely write some more during the nights after the kids are asleep. In fact, this is one of the posts that he is scheduling. While he is doing so, he is wondering just how long he can keep referring to himself in the third person.

Ok, I think that’s long enough. At the point that this post goes live, my family and I should be high above the clouds. We’ll be trying to keep the boys entertained on the aircraft (most likely with varying degrees of success) while we get closer and closer to Disney World. Hopefully, the boys don’t utter too many “Are we there yets.”

In fact, considering that we’ll likely have to wake them up at 5am, if not earlier, to get to the airport on time, I hope that they’ll be asleep for part of that trip. I’d love to be asleep myself for part of it too. Somehow I doubt either of those will happen.

Stay tuned because I might be posting pictures from our trip during the nighttime. At some point, we might not have Internet access, though. I considered getting guest posters for this period of time, but other matters came up and I never set this up. So if my blog goes dark for awhile, don’t worry. I’ll be back shortly with much Disney goodness to share.

20 Pounds In 20 Weeks: Week 9: Last Pre-Disney Weigh-In

March 14, 2011 TechyDad 20lbs in 20 weeks, Disney, DisneySMMoms, Fitness, Food, Travel, Vacation, Weight Loss

This marks the last time I will weigh-in before we go to Disney World. (At least, the last “official” weigh-in before Disney. I might weigh myself just before we leave out of sheer curiosity.) While at Disney, I’m putting the weight loss plan aside. This doesn’t mean I’m going to pig out just for the sake of pigging out, but neither am I going to count points. Let’s face it. This is Disney World we’re talking about. The food there is incredible and I’m not going to ruin our good time by trying to figure out which dishes are the lowest in points. Besides, going to Disney World means a lot of walking. (Last year, I only wound up gaining half a pound during my trip.)

Starting Weight	205
Current Weight	188
Goal Weight	185
Lost	17
Left Until Goal	3

All that said, I weighed in at 188 yesterday morning. This puts me a mere three pounds from my goal. Were Disney not a factor, I could probably reach my goal in the next two or three weeks. I’d say I’m doing pretty well. Now, I’m off to prepare to celebrate in Disney World!

Aloha Friday: A Trip For A Tenth Anniversary

January 28, 2011 TechyDad Aloha Friday, Vacation

This June will be our tenth anniversary. Of course, we would love to celebrate it with a little trip. Just the two of us. B has her eyes set on the Type A Parent Conference. While that conference intrigues me as well, I have to admit that it isn’t what I picture a tenth anniversary trip to be.

In my mind, we would drop the kids off at B’s parents and head somewhere just the two of us. In my mind, it would be somewhere within driving distance and lasting just the weekend, yet somewhere that we wouldn’t go if NHL and JSL were with us. Specifics, though, elude me.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Where would you go on a tenth anniversary weekend retreat?

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the McLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #72

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