Friday, November 7, 2008

Disney Trip





Here are a few more pictures as promised! We had so much fun together, and the time just flew by. We spent time in all of the parks, and of course.....wore ourselves out! A few new things to see which is always fun.....especially the Toy Story Mania in The Disney Studios, where the wait was 80 minutes and more in the stand by line! They also have a new parade in the studios which is called "Block Party" and it's really awesome....don't miss it if you head that way. The Food & Wine Festival was once again, FABULOUS! We ate way too much, and I'm taking the fifth on how much wine we sampled ;) I think Marv & Mandy enjoyed the Lamb in Australia the most, while the Ziti in Italy won my vote! I didn't buy too many things this trip because until we see what collectibles we have to replace, there is no sense to it....although we did buy a couple of new pieces of art work. I did send home a box of goodies to Connor, Emmy & Peyton though, and can't wait to hear if they liked them....Emmy is into Cinderella, so that part was soooooo much fun! Oh, and Sugar.....as soon as I'm on my feet, you have a little surprise coming your way because I couldn't resist :)

Seeing Mandy at work is always a time of pride for us, because all bragging aside, she was simply born to do this job! Her ability to both firmly control "situations" at a moments notice, and happily socialize with thousands of people each day just amazes me. We met many of her cast, and some of her co-workers, everyone was so nice. But the best was hearing the words that make every parent happy...."You did such a wonderful job raising your daughter, they don't come much better than Mandy". Oh if you think we were both proud & teary eyed.....you guessed right!! :)

We spent one day taking her shopping, and after many furniture stores, she finally found the perfect couch, it is really nice. Because she special ordered the color, she has to wait a few weeks for it, but I'll try to have her take a picture when it arrives. We also spent some quality time in Sephora....I mean, ya just have to spoil your girl with some make up and sparkly stuff, right? ;) Her Daddy was a good sport and sat out in the mall & read....as to how many chapters he was able to get through, well, that's just our little secret! (LOLOLOL!)

I did pretty well on food, I always ate a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, and a very light & sensible lunch, and then had whatever I wanted for dinner. I had a few desserts, but did not go wild and order them at every meal.....I'd probably say I had them 4 out of 10 dinners, and we usually split it between us. The only two days I over ate, were the days we went through the Food & Wine Fest....it's almost impossible not to, YUM-O! As soon as my swelling goes down, I will get weighed, but I really think I did well enough that I'm not worried that I gained a great deal at all. Yeah me! :) I will also tell you that people were pretty well behaved with their cruel comments, I only had two incidents where their ignorance tried to ruin my trip. However, it did not......I held onto my knowledge that the problem was theirs, not mine. The stares were a bit worse, but I did okay with those most of the time.....I just kept repeating over & over in my head "to smile and be proud of who I am". That worked 90% of the time, and the other 10% I had Marv & Mandy to catch me when I broke.....they were very comforting glue :) I've been back to eating right since I've been home though.....this trip was a huge wake up call, and when I'm ready, I'll share some of that part of it with you. I know I can't remain where I am any longer weight wise, or I won't be able to travel anymore, and maybe I won't even be here to enjoy my family. It was a sobering realization, but one which I needed to have.

I'm still suffering the effects of extreme swelling in my lower extremities, but I will try to start playing catch up tomorrow. Until then.....Pooh Hugs & Love :)



Happy Mom & Mandy :)



Mandy's Friend Josh Joined Us For the Afternoon


Eating Dinner Together in Celebration, Where Mandy Lives


Mandy & Marv In "Chef's De France" In EPCOT


My Handsome Hubby....I love this picture!


Eating Sushi!


Got Frozen Pina Colada?



Having Fun In The 50's Prime Time Diner


Mandy's Sweet Roomate, Casey, Joined Us For Dinner.......Just Pals :)



In Love In Paris....(hehe)

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

You guys look great! You look so happy!!! Your got frozen pina colada made me happy to look at it!! And also made me want one of those...
Thanks for the great pictures!

betty said...

wonderful pictures! of course you raised a wonderful kind considerate beautiful daughter, she took after you (and Marv of course) well done mom and dad!!

(thanking the Lord that the comments weren't too bad; I forgot to pray about the looks, LOL; I'll do that next time; I prayed that people would be sensitive and not say anything to you; next time I'll pray that they don't stare; thank you Lord for answered prayer:)

(((Linda))) we'll be there with you as you figure out a plan to help get you to a healthier weight

betty

Joann said...

Of course you did a wonderful job raising Mandy, she's like the BEST daughter to you... so considerate and loving!! I LOVE the pics!! Especially the one of you drinking the Pina Colada!!! LOL!! I'm SO GLAD that you had a great time!!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

You'll be treasuring the memories of that trip and visit with your daughter for a long time. Hopefully they'll tide you over til the next one. Have a great Saturday and relax a little.
'On Ya'-ma

LYN said...

beautiful family..yes your hubby sure is handsome!!
have a great weekend!

Diana said...

Thanks for sharing your pictures. You look beautiful....you all look beautiful! How wonderful and proud for you and Marv to be complimented on raising a great young lady. It does mean alot to us parents.

I hope you're feeling better and the leg swelling goes down.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Diana

Estela said...

Great pictures! :) I'm glad that you had such a good time. Your review makes me want to go to Epcot again.

Sugar said...

awww you mentioned little ole me, lol. no need, i know you & i share a "special bond" being about the same sz. altho i weigh more than you & am a little taller. {{}}
wonderful pics, such a handsome group the 3 of you are. and you're so beautiful, i really mean that!
glad you had a good time, & didn't let other people's ignorance upset you too much.
on my last dr visit, last week (you missed that post), dr wants me in a w/c all the time now...due to my freq falls of late. grrr need to get that weight down...but you know how hard that is. i have binged all week! grrr
have a lovely wkend.
huggies...

lisa said...

I went to Orlando.Disney in 2005....i liked Epcot but i was so overweight and so miserable. SO HOT...you know what? I think you are beautiful. I really do. I am so glad you had a magical, bonding, loving time with your daughter. You and Marv look SO happy....the pics are awesome. She sounds amazing as a daughter too. A total people person! XO

Julie said...

What great pictures. I know you had a blast. We missed you.

Unknown said...

What a fabulous trip! Someday I'll come visit your park.

Block Party was at DCA. Didn't you LOVE the energy of the dancers! The kids in the parade when it was here had so much fun and LOVED dancing with the audience. They replaced it here with Pixar Play which is also a terrific parade (watch out, you'll get wet) but I miss the Block Party dancers.

Rumor has it that you'll be getting my beloved Parade of Dreams in a year or so. I will trust you to take good care of her for me.

Lin said...

Great Pics, Linda! Made me smile to see what a happy, loving family you are! And what a great time you had. You're lucky that although Mandy lives far away from you, you are able to be with her often. And I'm sure it makes you happy that she is in such a nice place with a great jobs and great friends, doing a job that she loves. That's all we really want as moms, isn't it?
ps. I've been eating Cheerios all week as my b'fast of choice! Love 'em!
Glad you're back posting!

Unknown said...

Linda-- So glad you enjoyed your trip and your daughter is as beautiful as her Mom. It makes me sad to hear you talk about people and their stares and comments. I 've been reading your blog for a while now and you've done so well on your weight losses, but I have to tell you the nurse in me wonders why you haven't sought out a lap band? Your insurance should pay for it. I hate to see you struggle so. Just a concerned friend...De ;)

Sarah said...

Linda,
You look radiant!! Your Mandy is so pretty!! Nice looking family! I loved the pictures. It is my dream to take my kiddos to Disney. :)Sarah

Winivere said...

Wish I coul* have been there! Looks as if you ha* such a great time. Your hubby is very han*some. Love you in those sunglasses, Pooh Girl! Your makeup looks flawless. It is always a tear jerker to hear that you've *one a won*erful job raising your chil*. I feel the same way about mine. You are such a lucky girl. I love you!
XX

Linda :) said...

I loved all the pictures, everyone looks so good and happy... my favorite is of you in your sunglasses with your pina colada, you're so pretty and I love your hair style.... Mandy has the coolest job ever and the funnest parents!!
Have a blessed Sunday!!

gina said...

i'm really glad you were able to keep other's stares and words at bay and not let them bother you for the most part. what a blessing mandy and marv are! like you said, the wake up call may have been sobering, but hopefully, it will help you in the days ahead as you continue on your healthier you journey. we all want you around for a long time to come! :)

Missie said...

You all look great! I had a dream last night that you called me!

Linda said...

I am so glad you had such a great time. I love the pics but I really love the one with you and the pina colada. You look just gorgeous in that pic even with your pina colada smile!! Movie Star! Linda

LIZ said...

The pictures are beautiful!!! Im so glad you had such a wonderful time!!!!

Take care, Liz

Robin said...

Wonderful pictures, you are absolutely gorgeous in these shots Linda!!!! Just radiant!

Mandy's roommate looks like that actor from 90210...Brian Austin Green. What a hunk!

Wish I could have been there...next time for sure!

Anonymous said...

Iam so happy you are back I missed you!! You all look wounderful and happy I want to go there so bad maybe someday lol anyway Take care Blessings Kat:)

beachmom15 said...

I am so glad that you had a nice time. I'm glad that you did not allow people to ruin your trip. You just keep trying and head for the goal that you want! Don't let anyone get you down. You're right, the problem is theirs... Love the pics!!! you did a great job on raising your daughter. Lisa

The Average Consumer said...

i love hearing about your trip and seeing the pics! I'm glad you had such a good time. I know how proud you are of Mandy as well you should be - she is a doll!

ps your new background on your blog is so cute!

Sage Ravenwood said...

Loved the pictures. I hope your feeling better soon hon. It sounds like you had a great time at Disney and were able to enjoy spending time with Mandy.Kudos for you enjoying yourself and still being able to maintain watching what you ate. I think you did awesome. (Hugs)Indigo

Traci said...

What a wonderful trip! You all look so happy to be together! Family is what it is all about!

Janis said...

Sounds like a fabulous time! :)

Can't wait to hear more...

Janis

June said...

What great pictures! I'm glad you enjoyed your trip.
June