Category Archives: Just for Fun

Happy New Year! I’m Still Here!

Posted on by

Look! I’m dusting off the old blog to let you know that I’m still here! Some of you have been wondering and I appreciate you checking on me! I still love you guys and I still have plenty to say. Where have I been? Mostly I’ve been spending my days like this: Run, work, sleep, repeat. We’re officially in the home stretch for Dopey Challenge 2020! I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally be finished training (almost)!

Happy New Year!

Sunday’s nine lonely miles in the rain gave me plenty of time to feel sorry for myself, but instead of indulging in a pity party, I thought about how grateful I am that I’m able to run. Even though I’m sore and tired and a bit worried that after all we’ve done, we still haven’t trained enough – I still love to run. I thought about how lucky I am to have Joseph running the Dopey with me and how Raymond has been the ultimate support system through these many months of what felt like constant training.

Happy New Year!

2019 is over and what a year it was! Looking back I would most definitely describe it as uncharacteristically busy. We packed a lot of work and play into the past 12 months (and this blog paid the price). Given the choice between typing a blog post and playing with a sweet grandbaby…can you blame me? I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, but I am going to do my best to resuscitate Living a Disney Life and get back to regular posting. To get that going, I’ve got some Wine & Dine race reports and some other thoughts from our November trip coming up for you over the next few days. After that we’ll be trying to cross four finish lines in four days and I will be sharing many thoughts and photos on social media during our adventure – so if we’re not connected on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, I would love to have you follow along.

When we get back from our trip, I’m sure I’ll have opinions (don’t I always?) on everything from dining, attractions and resorts to what happens when we run 48.6 miles in four days at Disney World. I’d love to hear from you! What’s in store for you in 2020?

Happy New Year, Disney friends – may 2020 bring you peace, health, happiness, and adventure! – Lisa

My Weight Loss – Not a Journey

Posted on by

When people talk about their weight loss journeys, I imagine lengthy, epic treks of self discovery, changing habits, and learning about how to fuel a body for nourishment instead of eating for (sometimes) unhealthy reasons. It doesn’t sound bad at all and I am genuinely happy and supportive when one of my friends or coworkers embarks on their chosen variety of health-building adventure. For me, losing weight isn’t like that. It’s more like an MMA fight – a gloves off, no holds barred, cage match between me and the lazy overweight woman lurking inside of me. She is mighty bossy, stubborn and determined. But so am I.

Those Chins!

For me, the end of daylight savings time each fall brings on an irresistible urge to hibernate. When I leave work in the dark at the end of the day, I want to go home and enjoy warm, hearty comfort food and sleep. On the weekends I want to lay on the couch with Junior and watch sappy movies on the Hallmark channel and drink my favorite craft beers. I want to cook pastas and soups and stews that take hours to make and taste soothing and delicious. While I still exercise all winter long, the duration of said exercise gradually shrinks with every passing week until I’m down to 30 minutes roughly four times a week aside from the usual Sunday long run (I know this because my Fitbit tells me so). I become kind of fluffy-fit. I can still run a decent 5K or 10K time, but it’s not pretty (or comfortable). Every winter I gain weight and this past one was exceptionally extreme.

Who is that woman?

When spring arrived, I crawled out of my cave and found all the clothes in my closet had been replaced with much smaller ones. I’d grown an extra chin I nicknamed “Hank”. I looked back on January’s Disney World vacation pictures and wondered what the heck!?! I’d gotten so…uhm…f…f..f…full-figured! I looked in the mirror and said out loud – “THIS is ridiculous! Pull yourself together!” I started by setting three small goals: Lose 15 pounds, train for something fun, fit into the clothes I have & don’t buy any new ones in a larger size. Totally doable, right?

What the heck?

How’s it Going?

The battle has been fierce, but I’m winning. I’ve lost the weight and am two pencil skirts away from victory. I shed the first 10 pounds between April 1st to May 4th so I wouldn’t have to haul so much weight around on my bicycle during the Natchez Trace Century Ride. The rest has come off slowly, but I’ve been building muscle too and the results are not bad, if I do say so. I might not exactly love my body with its short limbs, long torso, and curvy bottom but my respect for it is growing and that’s good enough for me.

I wish I had a fool-proof method to share with you. Like a side hustle where I could sell you an amazingly effective nutrition and exercise plan and post Transformation Tuesday pictures on social media and make a bunch of money. I don’t have that. What’s working for me is to exercise more and eat less. I’ve given up (for now) my beloved stouts, porters, and IPAs. I aim for 360 active minutes per week – running, walking, bicycling, and weight training with my ASICS Studio App. That means I’m on my treadmill by 5:30 am before work every morning and must confess that this has been the hardest part. I eat the same breakfast every day (protein shake or bar and two hard-boiled eggs.). I eat tuna and veggies on a low carb wrap with an apple for lunch most days and for dinner I still eat the hearty comfort foods I love to cook but in much smaller portions and with a side salad.

ASICS Studio App

I log every single bite I eat into My Fitness Pal which is a total pain in the patootie, but is crucial to my success. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I don’t have a sweet tooth, but crave things like cheese, pasta, and rice – which I still eat, but I budget those calories into my day. This way, I don’t feel deprived. It also explains why I eat the same breakfast and lunch all the time which makes logging those meals plus budgeting cravings faster and easier. I aim for 1400-1600 calories a day on the days I exercise and slightly less on rest days. I eat more fruits and vegetables now…but not kale or riced cauliflower because I hate those and I’m not eating anything I hate. If my Fitbit is accurate, I burn between 2,000 and 2,200 on most days, so I should continue to lose about a pound a week until I can zip those last two skirts.

What’s With the Soul-Baring?

So…why am I sharing this with you? Two reasons: First, maybe one of you has also emerged from hibernation, found yourself with a too-small wardrobe and are trying to make a change…you can do it!!! We can support each other! Small goals reached with small changes makes all the difference in the long run. Second, remember that third goal I made to train for something fun? I’ve got that all settled and I’ll be back tomorrow to tell you what runDisney events are in my future and maybe some of you will be doing them too!

Is your weight loss a journey or a battle? What’s working for you?

Thanks for reading…Lisa

The Fam Rides Natchez Trace

Posted on by

When Raymond, Megan, Joseph and I registered last year for the May 4, 2019 Natchez Trace Century Ride, we had plenty of time to train. With no runDisney events on our schedule, we could concentrate all of our efforts into preparing for this family outing. We imagined all the fun we’d have on regular weekend rides – welcoming springtime and enjoying the beautiful weather together. Here’s what actually happened…

The Fam Rides Natchez Trace

The annual Natchez Trace Century Ride offers four different distances to choose from: 25, 50, 62, and 100 miles. Since this would be the first time for Megan and Joseph to join Raymond and me for this event, we thought the 62-mile distance would be fun yet challenging. (Raymond and I have done the 50 and the 100-mile rides before. 100 miles was hard and once may have been enough for me.)

As May 4th approached, Raymond used his time wisely, faithfully bicycling the hills of Vicksburg nearly every weekend and spending untold hours on his trainer at home. I procrastinated (no surprise) until April and had to kick it into high gear (HA! See what I did there?) – Raymond and I rode 15 miles on April 14th, 30 miles on April 21st, and 45 miles on April 28th. I added some time on my trainer between rides. Joseph rode with us once and then spent Spring Break hiking to Havasu Falls and back. After which he declared himself ready to ride. Which he was. Ah, to be young and so very in shape. (Is it wrong to occasionally consider one’s offspring a jerk? Asking for a friend.) Megan was a bit of a mystery during this time. Her schedule didn’t allow her time to ride with us, so she was on her own. She has a bike and a trainer and said she’d be ready. And, sure enough, she was, too.

When we woke up on May 4th, the weather was not looking good for our ride. While not raining, the sky was cloudy and the forecast was grim. Taking our chances, we left the hotel and made it to the starting line with plenty of time to spare. Raymond finished some last minute mechanical adjustments to our bicycles and promptly at 7:15 we were off.

I’d surprised Joseph with a waterproof bicycle-mountable speaker so he could provide cycling tunes along the way. His eclectic taste in music was excellent entertainment. I laughed out loud as we changed places in our 4-person pace line to “Mr. Sandman”.

The clouds kept the temperature from getting too warm and the rest stops had great assortments of snacks. We made it to mile 30 at a very good pace – at times we were roaring along well over 20 miles an hour. The course was out and back; mostly flat with a few rolling hills on good roads. It was at the mile 30 rest stop that Raymond checked the weather radar on his phone and the four of us stared (a bit horrified) at the massive rain clouds bearing down on us. We agreed to keep going to the turn around so we could at least complete half the course.

Half-way Finished and THEN…

By the time we turned around and were passing back by that 30-mile rest stop, the rain started. At first it was light and steady but not too bad. We decided to keep going. Except for getting covered with wet road dirt from each others’ bicycle tires, we were doing well and still maintaining a great pace. With just 15 miles to go, things took a turn for the worse.

As we rode along the Ross R. Barnett Reservoir, the wind and rain both picked up. A lot. At times it took every ounce of concentration to stay upright. The raindrops were huge and blowing right into my left ear. I checked our speed as Raymond and Joseph pulled ahead of Megan and me – we were pedaling for all we were worth and going just 11 miles an hour. The batteries on Joseph’s speaker gave out in the middle of “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.

From time to time I would worry that Megan wasn’t behind me since I couldn’t hear anything but the wind. Then I’d hear an oddly cheerful, “I’m here!” to let me know she was okay. Of all of us, Megan seemed to be enjoying our day the most. Nobody thought of quitting and we eventually made it to the finish line.

After the struggle of the last few miles, our average pace for the whole ride was 16.5 miles per hour. The weather was rotten but instead of ruining our fun, we ended up feeling an even bigger sense of accomplishment than we would have otherwise. We were completely soaked and cold, so we skipped the after-ride complimentary lunch in favor of showers and dry clothes. We celebrated our efforts with lunch at our favorite barbecue spot, The Pig and Pint – and by then the rain had stopped.

Do you bicycle? I highly recommend this ride if you’re in the Jackson, Mississippi area. When the weather’s good, the course is beautiful and the support is fantastic. Will we do it again next year? Absolutely!

Thoughtful Gifts and Holiday Mishaps

Posted on by

When asked what I wanted for Christmas, I jokingly said “new wiper blades” and seriously said, “new running shoes”.  I almost always ask for running shoes since I wear them out quickly and am always in need.  My family knows me well and Christmas morning came with a bounty of thoughtful gifts that left me feeling loved.

Thoughtful Gifts and Holiday Mishaps

There were Disney gifts, of course.  Megan and Grant gave me adorable holiday Mickey and Minnie.  Raymond surprised me with a precious Pinocchio teapot.  My coworkers gave me the perfect welcome mat for our front door.

There were chicken-related gifts as well.  My sister and brother-in-law gave me this very cool bracelet that I love (and wearing it makes me feel badass) and some paper place mats with chickens on them that are way to beautiful to spill food on.  From Joseph I got a handy book about caring for chickens and Raymond found me awesome gloves to wear for chicken chores.  I love my family and their thoughtful gift-giving ways!  (I even received those wiper-blades and running shoes, too!)

After Christmas, I had a few leftover vacation days to burn before the end of the year and since Raymond’s always off the week between Christmas and New Year, it was great to have time off together to do…well…nothing.  The weather has been super rainy lately, so we found ourselves lazing around, eating, reading, and watching movies.

Now for the Mishap Part…

When I’m not outside with Junior, he’s always well-behaved out on his own.  He tends to make a backyard perimeter check, take care of business, and come right back.  He’s chased the chickens before, but only when I was outside with him.  So when we go for a walk, he wears a leash.  I let him out alone yesterday afternoon as usual, and I as I closed the door, saw him turn sharply right and quickly disappear from view.  After thinking about it for a minute, that struck me as odd, so I put on my rubber boots and went out to see what he was doing.  Junior was nowhere to be found.

As I walked around the backyard calling for him, I realized I could hear the chickens squawking like crazy and I took off running.  I spotted Junior way in the distance chasing chickens into the bayou that runs near our house.  Detouring to the back door, I leaned in and shouted my thoughts out loud to Raymond, “Junior’s killing the chickens!”

Still running, I managed to wade out into the water and grab Junior’s collar.  He was completely drenched and absolutely filthy.  I looked for the chickens he’d been chasing and didn’t see any.  Raymond had run outside during this time and started counting chickens so we’d know how many to look for.  He counted 10 which meant we were missing five.  I was sick and horrified!  Not sweet Junior!  Surely he wouldn’t have hurt anyone.

Eventually, I got Junior in the house and asked Raymond to keep him in the kitchen to minimize the mess he was making with his muddy feet and soaking fur.  While they waited inside, I kept searching along the bayou and finally found Bubbles, a sweet and beautiful gray hen, on a tiny island all crumpled up and scared, but still alive.  I waded out to her, gently picked her up and carried her back to the rest of the flock.  After another long look around, I went inside to deal with the offending canine marauder.  Raymond went back out to keep searching for the missing four chickens – all hens:  Opal, Pearl, Becky, and Moe.  (All but Moe are Sapphire Gems we bought as chicks in the fall and Moe is one of the five that hatched in May while we were away at Walt Disney World.)

First I tried shampooing Junior in the shower since he hates baths, but his long winter coat was packed with dirt, rotten leaves, pine needles, and small sticks.  Raymond came in to tell me that by his latest count, there was only one chicken unaccounted for.  I had him help me wrangle Junior into the tub.  Finally, after both shower and bath, Junior was at last reasonably clean.  I don’t know if dogs can feel contrite, but Junior seemed to know that he’d gotten carried away and was uncharacteristically well-behaved for the entire scrubbing ordeal.

Once I had Junior towel-dried and on a leash, I took him back out to help me search for Moe.  We searched until it was dark.  I counted everyone in the coop as I closed and secured the gate for the night.  Still no Moe, who’s always easy to spot because she’s bright white with black feathers around her neck.  I left the electric fence off so if she came back and tried to go in the coop, she wouldn’t get shocked.  I was heartbroken when I went to bed and thought about Moe a few times during the night.

This morning dawned clear and chilly.  I went out early to let the chickens out and give them some scratch as a treat and I could not believe my eyes!  There was Moe!  IN THE COOP!  I know this…she was not there the night before and yet here she was inside with the rest of the flock.  Raymond and Joseph both swear they didn’t let her in, so I can’t explain how this story has such a happy ending.  Junior is not a chicken-killer after all and everyone is happily enjoying a beautiful sunny day.  Tiny miracles happen all the time and today we’re thankful for this one.