MouseFest Plans - Part One

We arrive on December 4th. That's two full days before MouseFest gets started.

Due to some really cool flights, we arrive at around...oh...seven A.M.

We'll head to the Boardwalk Inn, via Magical Express - and attempt to check in - although the concierge desk has told us there likely won't be a room ready. So we'll go to the lounge and get a bite, and then - on day one, likely head to the one park we didn't see most of on our last trip.

The Animal Kingdom.

At least, for now - that's the plan.

We have no ADR's for day one. Likely we'll hit counter service - and the concierge lounge. We might finish the evening with some shopping at Downtown Disney - or even just some relaxing Resort Hopping to see holiday decorations.

Likely an early night - as we'll be exhausted from travel. But once rested and recharged...day two arrives.

As for me - my body has beeen rebelling for the last few days - since Saturday really. I don't know if I have a stomach bug or what - but my digestive tract is not doing normal things. LOL Additionally, I'm exhausted. I've slept in later the last two days than normal.

Consequence: no exercise since Saturday.

Plan: take it easy on my tummy today - and attempt to exercise tomorrow. Keep on track - but listen to my body.

Fear not, my friends.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

321.8

1.8 pounds this week - and the final number for July is an even five pounds. Not bad, eh?

August is going to be an interesting month - for starters it will last for FIVE weeks (sorta - this week through September 3) - and that in itself is odd.

Secondly - there may be two very interesting challenges presented.

1) Vegas. I'll be in Vegas from August 15-19. There, I think I have things under control - the plan is to continue to run - and to try to keep food under control. To keep costs down, we plan on eating two meals daily (we are staying at Bellagio, and food is....well....not cheap)

2) There's a rumor that I might ALSO be gone Labor Day weekend. And until I know the details - goodness knows WHAT I'll do then.

But regardless - until I leave for the various trips - I'm going to just keep at it - and knowing you guys are here and supporting me makes all the difference.

Oh - why Chip n' Dale above? No reason, really. Just love 'em. ;)

Tomorrow: MY MOUSEFEST PLANS - part one.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas!

Does it seem early to be celebrating Christmas?

Not here it doesn't!

Yesterday in the mail we got our Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party tickets!!! (I'll have pictures of them up soon) - so you see? It's official that we're coming to MouseFest! YEAH baby!

More on our plans and reservations and ADRs in future posts...if you're interested in hearing about them...

This morning I did a 20 minute walk/run at 3.0/4.3 respectively for 1.225 miles. AND a sixteen minute mile! HOW'S THAT?!

Foodwise things are going great - and I'm looking forward to posting a good number on Monday.

Stick with me guys - we can do this together!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

"What If" Goes Live

New from the All About the Mouse Disney Podcast, the first of our new monthly series: "What If?"

This week - we wonder: what if the Beastly Kingdom were actually built in Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. We wander through the fictional land and create rides, shows, and even places to eat!

In addition - we've announced PRIZES for our logo design contests! We've recieved a few great submissions - but want MORE so we can have YOU the AATM listeners and our friends vote on them. (Oh yeah - you're all now officially "All About the Mousekateers!")

In other news - I do not get a gold star for yesterday - had a very long day at work - and as a result my eating schedule was thrown off. I've exercised two days so far this week, and Saturday/Sunday will make four total. I'd normally workout today - but I have an early courtdate, and have to leave sooner than normal. So tomorrow it is. But the plan is to try a walk/run - but increase my walking speed to 3.0 and my running speed to 4.5 - we'll see if I can do 30 minutes like that.

In fact - tonight and tomorrow night are two birthday parties - and although we're attending - we're planning our own dinners FIRST so we can eat healthy before we go. So I can keep to my goals. How cool is that? I had one bad day - but I'm determined to get it back on track and finish out this month strong!

Sponsors - get ready for your letters!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

I'm watching you Wazowski....

...always watching you!

Good morning friends! We had another great recording session for AATM last night - and I tell you - as we do more and more of these - I think Bryan and I become much more comfortable with each other - and start 'playing' more. There were certainly more giggle edits that needed to be done last night than other nights. We're just starting to really hit a groove and enjoy ourselves.

Do you enjoy AATM? Have you gone over to iTunes and given us a review? If so - THANK YOU! If not - please do.

In the world of my quest for fitness - yesterday was another gold star day - exercise and good food and water.

Today I have to get a somewhat early start - and will be home a little later - but still things are on track for a good day.

How's YOUR day going?

You're not losing steam are you? You're not getting ready to give up are you? No way, man! Us Disney folks - we stick together! All the way to Main Street!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

It is with deepest pride...and greatest pleasure....

...that we welcome you tonight. And now...we invite you to relax...let us pull up a chair...as the dining room proudly presents:

your dinner.

Well howdy my friends!

Okay - you've been asking - so here's the update from the doctor's visit.

I'm in great health aside from my weight, which is being worked on. My pressure is very good, but she wants to keep me on the meds until I'm down another 40-50 and then try taking me off it and monitoring me.

All in all - a glowing report. Still have to do some bloodwork later this week, but nothing to worry about.

As for me - gold stars so far every day this week - including exercise this morning - again I'm picking up the walking pace to 3.0 or higher - and this time did 25 minutes with a few running moments in there at 4.0 - total of 1.3 miles.

Not much else is happening - except that I'm very much looking forward to recording tonight's AATM - our first "What If?" show: "What if the Beastly Kingdom was built?"

It's gonna be a blast! Hope you're with us on Friday to listen!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Well I feel sheepish....

Alright you baaaaaaaad boy, but no more freebies.

Remember yesterday when I said I was going to exercise again this morning and keep up the walking pace? Now now now - it's not that I forgot or woke up late or anything like that.

I'm just not going to. I don't want to raise my heartrate this morning.

What I forgot was my 8:10am doctor's appointment. I see my new doctor for the first time today - and my prescription is up - and so I'm going in for a check-up. A full run through. And I'd rather stay nice and relaxed and keep everything level. I hadn't planned on working out Wednesday (because that's when I thought the appointment was - dopey me, huh?).

On the bright side - I weighed in so I could have an accurate weight for the doc...and I'm down like over 1.5 pounds from yesterday. YAY! Back on track!

So - do you guys forgive such a basic oversight?

Don't worry - I'll give you the full medical update as soon as I have it. :)

Thanks for checkin' in on lil' ol' me!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

323.6

Take a gulp and take a breath and GO AHEAD AND SIGN THE SCROLL!

I'll admit to being a little disappointed today. I'd posted such huge losses the past few weeks, and I was hoping to keep that pace up, but I guess my body is equalizing out a little?

Or am I not being vigilant enough? Am I somwhere not honoring the contract I've made with myself? I've almost completely cut out midday snacking - and have really improved on my ability to make sure I have enough good food during the workday to not have to stop places (although twice this week I did have to - and I did have dinner at poker on Saturday...). I'm doing the best I can though...and really have seen marked improvements in the way I eat. Maybe just a few slips during the week have such an effect.

Exercise - I tried something new this morning. In an effort to increase my overall pace, I decided to increase my WALKING speed. (normally I do walking at 2.5 and running at 4.0) - today I did a full walk at 3.0 mph for 20 minues plus. It wasn't so bad. My calves hurt a bit, but not as much as they would have a few months ago.

Tomorrow (yes, I'm going to try two in a row) I'm going to increase that to 30 minutes at 3mph for a 1.5 mile fastwalk. My goal is to return to the 3/6 walk/run pattern towards the end of the week with my walking intervals being 3.0mph.

Regardless - I'm still moving in the right direction - I'm less than 3lbs away from 50 - and I've raised $1007.75 so far.

Not bad for an ol' pudgy couch potato, huh? :)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

You'll be in my heart....

Yes you'll be in my heart....

Today folks - we have achieved a great milestone.

We have raised OVER $1000 dollars for the Disneyworldtrivia.com dream team. (The exact figure will be updated tomorrow).

I am...speechless. I am floored by your genuine outpouring of support and love for these children and this project. And your continuing faith and support in...well...me.

When I feel down - you lift me up.

When I feel sad - you keep me happy.

When I feel like throwing it in - you make me keep going.

(Speaking of which - no gold star for yesterday, but so far today is 100% - including exercise!)

For the wealth of life you have inspired in me - for helping me get to this point and helping me

move past it into our future together - you will always be in my heart. All of you.

Today - more than ever:

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

They're Fireflies

Yeah. Fireflies that got caught up there in that big blueish black thing.

Well - the ancient kings of the past know that I got another 100% yesterday. So how's that for progress?

However, this morning I woke up exhausted. I had a very long day yesterday, including a few late appointments that didn't put me home until after 7pm. And when the alarm went off at 5:30 to exercise, I knew I needed more sleep. So...without penalizing myself, I'm switching my Friday workout to Sunday - so I still get my four days this week, and take no percentage penalty today.

How's that for a little Hakuna Matata?

Oh - did you know the new AATM comes out today? Oh yeah. Muppet goodness...and a few contests.

See you guys tomorrow!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Mister, I'll make a man...

...out of you!

Another 100% from me yesterday.

I have to leave early for work today - so this will be a short post - but today's theme is: training and courage.

You have to have the courage to take the risks you must in order to be who you need to be. You must be willing to sacrifice the old parts of you to let the hero insisde you rise to the top.

You must be willing to train hard to make a difference.

Are you?

I am.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

And we are all connected to each other...

In a circle, in a hoop, that never ends.

Do you realize that there are not just a few people out there reading this blog, your blog, your posts, listening to AATM, and other podcasts - but there are hundreds and thousands?

Do you realize that we're all bound together in this wonderful community - all searching to make our lives richer, more magical, and more healthy?

Do you realize that some of us have no idea the rest of us are out here?

Do you realize that the Disney (and muppet too, Steve) community grows every day - exponentially? And that we can truly band together and make a difference in not only our lives and the lives of others - but the world?

Yes. We can. I can. YOU CAN.

You've already started - just by reading this blog. By telling people you're there, and you care. By asking how they're doing (fyi - 100% yesterday - so far today 30 minutes on the treadmill 1.685 miles - 3/6/3/6/3/6/3) - and supporting them - even with just a good ol' fashioned "good job," or "I believe in you."

Today I am floored by the sheer numbers of us. I am humbled and honored to be a part of it.

And I thank you for it. From the bottom of my heart.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

I walk on the wild side.

I laugh in the face of danger - ha ha ha ha!

So - my score for yesterday was a full 100% - I exercised, ate what I planned, and drank my water. Today if I hit food and water, I get a 100% - but if I mess up - only 50%?!?! That's okay - we're shooting for straight 100s this week!

So - Simba. What's he doing here today? Glad you asked.

Disney's The Lion King is without a doubt my favorite Disney movie. And as a huge Disney artistry fan - I love these simple drawings that are found on both coasts in the respective animation courtyards. So I'm featuring them here for you all.

Simba to me, represents what we all strive for. To recognize that we can't run from our problems - that the only way to succeed and fulfill any greater destiny is to face them head on.

That's what we're all doing here together. Did you realize that? We're facing our health goals - we're marching forward and striving to make our worlds better individually - and then as a whole to make the world better. We're going full steam ahead! Sure it's tough, and occassionally scary...

But...we walk on the....well you know. :)

One quick side note: A HUGE THANK YOU TO STEVE SWANSON. Steve said some of the nicest things about me on his show this week. And I'm relatively sure he wasn't joking about some of them. (Did he really say he'd know he 'made it' as a podcaster when I did an intro for him?) Steve's MuppetCast is a fantastic new show - and you really should listen to it.

If you want to know more about Steve - check out this coming Friday's "All About the Mouse" which will feature Steve as our Special Guest Star!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

324.4

Okay - good news: I'm down.

Bad news: I'm only down 0.3 pounds.

Good news: I survived the bachelor party (if I never see another chicken wing again....)

GREAT NEWS: I'm updating our money raising total today (this does NOT count any pledges recieved in the last week, as I haven't been to the bank yet - another update on Saturday) - and we're OVER $850. In fact - well - check it out!

This week I am declaring the week of consistency.

I will consistently get up and work out M/W/F/S at a minimum (today already did 30 minutes for 1.68 miles).

I will consistently eat what I have planned and no more.

I will consistently drink LOTS of water to flush whatever's left from the bachelor party out of my system.

And as a result - I will consistently lose weight from now until Monday.

Each day I'll give myself a percentage score from the last day - 100%, 66%, 33%, 0%. This will be how we grade me this week.

Think you can make the grade? Try the same challenge - three parts: 1) exercise, 2) diet plan, 3) water intake.

(Not quite the water intake I meant, but hey - whatever works!)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Muppet Running

In honor of Steve Swanson visiting AATM this coming Friday (which you'd know if you'd downloaded and listened to AATM #13) I decided to switch things up with my workout. I'd finished disc one of "Your Host, Walt Disney" - and popped in "The Muppet Movie".

3/6/3/6/3 - 21 minutes - 1.18 miles - and it flew by.

Tomorrow I'm doing a full half hour. And Monday - kicking it up to 35 minutes.

I want to give a few thanks and shout outs today.

Amber - you always support what I'm doing - and encourage me to go further - and push harder - even when I struggle.

Kate and Rae - you guys are all about the tough love - you won't let me let myself down - and so I won't let you down. That's a promise.

CabellaroFan - he sent me an excel spreadsheet GRAPHICALLY showing me how far I've come already. How cool is that?

As always - I thank all of my friends and sponsors - but you four have shined in the last few days - so I wanted to make special mention.

My only struggle today will be food. Luckily - I think I can do moderation in terms of the food we're having, and stay away from the chips. I'll be a designated driver, so diet soda or water for me. We're starting at a restaurant with wings/salads/burgers etc. I'll try a salad, if they have a good one, if not, maybe a sandwich for lunch. Then dinner will be MORE wings (good protien) and snacks.

I should be able to survive. :)

Scratch that.

I will be fine. I will make good choices - for me. And my goals. And you. And our future.

MAIN STREET AWAITS! (Closer every day!)

Strive for Consistency

That's the goal for next week. Consistency.

This week has been decidedly inconsistent.

But - you live and learn. So far this week - I've eaten mostly good (but forgot lunch a few times and stopped at 7-11 - BAD habit - must stop) - exercised three times (once for 30 - once for 10 - today for 15) - and generally peeked at the scale all week (and I'm down, but only a teeeeensy bit so far).

Tomorrow will be interesting, as it's Timminy Cricket's Bachelor Party Bash - which I'm the MC for. :) But it will involve the typical party stuff - including wings and chips and whatnot. I'm going to go easy on the whatnot, and try to limit myself to wings and maybe a salad at lunch. We'll see how I do. (I do plan on running tomorrow morning)

But then Sunday I'll get everything together and prepare for a consistent week on Monday. Consistent exercise plan - consistent food - have to find that groove and get in it!

On a side note: AATM Episode 13 is LIVE! (Happy Friday the 13th! Muahahahha)

How are you guys doing out there in the blogosphere? (Isn't that a cool word?)

Got my planning packet for MouseFest from the MouseFest guys - would you believe Bryan and I count as CELEBRITIES?! Wow. Cool. I'm famous n' stuff. Hehehe.

Coming soon - pictures of some projects we're doing at my lair, and some of my crafty stuff....and maybe even some more gratitutious Ayla. :)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Oppressively Hot

That's how I'd describe last night. Oppressive.

It was so hot, that even the fans on us at night were just blowing the hot humid air across us.

We're in for a cooling trend starting today and tomorrow - and some rain this weekend - so that'll help.

The heat, combined with the fact that it's an 'off day' are why there's no exercise today - tomorrow we're doing 30 minutes - and then again Saturday (and mabye Sunday). For a total of 4-5 days this week with usually a day off between.

I got my Pirate Mickey cel! YAY! Once it's hung, I'll post some pictures.

We're also doing some really cool things with pins and shadow boxes (yes, I'm losing weight, a podcaster, and crafty!!).

Meanwhile, Bryan and I recorded episode 13 - which goes live TOMORROW (Friday the 13th. Eerie) and it was only 44 minutes long! WOOHOOO! Did I mention how much fun we have recording these? We're laughing and having a great time playin' off each other. I think things are really going well.

Checked in with the weight - undid the damage from the pasta - back to baseline. Now to go under before Monday. :)

(Guess where we're staying for MouseFest!)

And yes, cabellarofan, I hear that brass band tuning up on Main Street. They're waiting for me. Calling to me. I'm on my way there!!! 18 months is right around the corner!


MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Naseua and Guilt

After a higher than normal point lunch (leftover WW Pizza is high in points) and a nice big pasta dinner last night (with chicken in it!) - is it any wonder that I woke up naseous and when I peeked at the scale (gotta cut that out - Mondays only!) I was up half a pound?

Oh yeah - did I mention it's hotter than Hades here this morning? And humid like nobody's business?

But...good news - I still got on the treadmill.

Bad news - I only lasted 10 minutes until my tummy told me to stop.

The key this month for me is going to be finding consistency, I think. Finding a groove to get into. So far, so good - I'm doing what I'm supposed to do - run one day - off one day - eating right - little or no snacking (I slipped a bit yesterday, which is ALSO why I was up a half pound) - lots of water.

If I can keep that recipie going - I should do okay.

Thanks for hanging with me this far my friends. I know many of you have recieved your sponsorship letters - and it just touches me that I even get to send those out. How cool is it that we're raising money for such a great cause?!

Two pictures today:

1) My good ol' buddy Eeyore - thanks for noticin' me.

2) For my friend, co-worker, and blogstalker GM of http://gmariesews.blogspot.com/ (Hey - are you a knitter or sewer? Check out GM's blog) - a little bit of completely gratuitious BABY AYLA.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

A flurry of feedback - more please?

Wow! I ask a few questions, and I get e-mails, blogposts, everything! :)

Thanks guys for responding to my questions - this show is not just for Bryan and I - it's really for you guys - so we want to always make sure we're hearing from you and making any changes or fixes or upgrades you think are necessary.

I definately appreciate (and I think I speak for Bryan here too) the feedback. So thank you!

As for me - no exercise today (trying for four 30 minutes this week) - and so far, food is good. I bought some new water this weekend at Costco (Talking Rain) - it's not as good as the Safeway brand, in my humble opinion - but until I finish it - I can't buy more.

Getting ready to finally book our MouseFest package - Disney Visa, check. Travel agent, check. Resort decision......ALMOST check. (It's looking like the Boardwalk, folks - sorry Kate...I know you were pullin' for the Poly...)

Which brings me to today's question(s):

1) Are you planning on attending MouseFest?

2) If AATM were to host a meet at an attraction - where would you want it? (I think I'm going to ask ALL of our listeners this on our next show, to see what sort of consensus we get....)

Oh yeah - and in case you were wondering what's coming up on AATM:

PRE-SHOWS. (What are your favorite pre-shows? jonathan@allaboutthemouse.com)

That's it for me today - keep with it my friends!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

324.7

Another 2.1 pounds down. I can't tell you how good it feels to finally have my body doing what I want it to really really do. It feels so good to be losing weight - gaining stamina and confidence - and just doing great.

Sponsors - you should be recieving your letters any day.

I had a great workout this morning - and yes - it was THIRTY minutes long. (Although I don't know if I'll hit 35 next week or the week after) I did a 3/6/3/6/3/6/3 rotation for a total of 1.725 miles (which, FYI is a 17.3 minute mile pace on average).

I'm exhausted. My legs hurt. But it feels great.

I had a great weekend too - have you seen the pictures of my neice? Isn't she BEAUTIFUL?

Ah...the bliss of everything coming together.

Now though, I do have a few questions for you - please answer if they apply:

1) Did you listen to AATM this week?

2) What did you honestly think of the show?

3) What did you honestly think of the length?

We've recieved only one e-mail that I'm aware of, and although it was positive in regards to my involvement - it did say that the listener preferred the shorter shows. So what do you think?

(wonder what kind of changes Master Gracy has in store for us this Fall.....)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

I'm SO sorry!

First - a quick apology.

It's NOT Ayla Rayne. It's Ayla RAE. I hope my neice forgives me someday.

(Ayla and Auntie Amber)

(Ayla and Uncle Jon)

But then again - with as cute as she is - how could she not?

(Tell me this girl isn't the cutest you've ever seen! ADORABLE!!!!)

MY NIECE IS HERE! :)

First of all - HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful wife today.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful neice YESTERDAY.

Alya Rayne was born at 12:25pm yesterday, and other than those who were in the room - I was the first person to hear her cry. :) And yet...due to some work committments, I am going to be one of the last to see/meet her. We'll do that today, and I'll have pictures tomorrow.

But I hear she's beautiful. ;)

Sponsors - I'm doing your letters RIGHT NOW. They're going out today. ;)

Weight is down a bit - but this week has been off because of lack of sleep and time at the hospital, etc. Tonight we're having a big fancy dinner out for Amber's birthday. And I'm going to exercise tomorrow and shoot for a positive weigh-in on Monday - and then next week get things back to normal. :)

Thank you all so much for your well-wishes for my sister-in-law and Ayla. They really appreciate it.

Hey - did you know that you can go to www.allaboutthemouse.com and hear episode 12 already?!?!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

My Best Intentions

Sometimes, I try my hardest - and still things kinda get in the way. Good things usually. ;)

For instance - I was going to have the sponsorship letters ready to go out today.

But spent all last night with Amber and my sister-in-law (Alayna) at the hospital as they induced labor on her last night. It's Alayna's first baby and we wanted to be there.

No action yet - in fact, I'm heading back there as soon as I'm dressed this morning (Amber's been there all night) - and so - no exercise this morning (Saturday and Sunday will be days 3 and 4) - and a little extra snacking last night (I found out not ALL of my nervous eating habits are gone LOL).

But the good news is that I'm going to do much better with food today - and - hopefully tomorrow I'll have pictures posted of my new niece, Ayla!

So there. :)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

July - Coming Attractions

Welcome back my friends! I sincerely hope you all had a happy, healthy and safe fourth of July. We spent some time with Amber's family, and then came home for a nice dinner, and I recorded my first episode of AATM with Bryan! Let me say what a wonderful experience this was. It was SO much fun. I hope that comes through in the final edit, and that you all really enjoy it. If you do - please let us know at podcast@allaboutthemouse.com - thanks!

(In honor of our recording session yesterday - my favorite pavillion in Future World - even if they did mess with Figment's character!)

This morning I've already done my 25 minutes - but increased the running pace on one leg to 4.1mph - increasing my overall distance to 1.367 miles. Still about an 18m12s mile, but good exercise, and a good increase in stamina.

What can you expect from me in the next 25 days? (I'm only going to the 30th - that'll end July for me)


1) 5 minute running increase each week - with a minimum of 4 days a week running.

2) This Saturday I'm having a very nice dinner out - to celebrate my wife turning....well....let's just say it's her birthday. ;) We're having dinner at the Space Needle. :)

3) My firm travel plans for MouseFest will be announced - as well as places you can actually come to meet me if you'll be there (and really - shouldn't you be there?)

4) If I hit the 50lb mark this month - NEW PICTURES!


Here's the good news - with the exception of the birthday dinner, which will be rich and tasty - there are no real 'challenges' for me food-wise this month. August presents an interesting one - but we'll talk about that when we get there. :)


Sponsors - I'm a little behind on your letters - I'm doing them tonight, and will put them in the mail tomorrow. That's a promise!


Until then, true believers:

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

*yawn*

First of all - good morning - and thank you all for your wonderful comments yesterday. I'm as happy as a clam at my recent bout of success!

Secondly - Mike Scopa has a new blog post up at his blog - and I suggest you read it. It's wonderful - and amusing. See - using a treadmill means never coming into contact with a wolf. LOL

No run this morning - as Scopa said - the only thing that keeps you from your morning run is oversleeping. (see post title for more info)

But...I checked the scale and things are still going in the right direction.

I have a question for you today:

How often do you think I should be running to continue my training and conditioning for the 2009 half? I'm shooting for 4 times a week at this point - with an increase of 5 minutes per week. Is that too much? Too little? I'm curious as to your thoughts. At this point I have 18 months until the race. I also have an ~18 minute mile pace, which obviously will come down. But how to get to where I want to be without hurting myself, failing myself, or what?

Regardless - I know I'll get there. Especially with your help.

Speaking of help - I've seen a lot of comments from new readers. Thank you! Are you aware that for a very small amount of money - you can help me achieve my goal of sending pediatric cancer (and other illness) patients to WDW??? Let's put it this way - if you'd sponsored me last month - you'd owe a minimum (at $1/lb) of $9.00 for the month. A small price for an enormous good!

Tomorrow - INDEPENDENCE DAY (and a preview of things to come for me in July!)

(At Mousefest, I can't wait to ride Splash at NIGHT!)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

326.8

HOT DIGGITY! (I've always wanted to say that!)

4.5 pounds this week - and NINE this month. That puts me a mere 1.5 pounds away from 45. And 6.5 away from FIFTY POUNDS.

How do you like that? Oh yeah - and this morning I did 25 minutes - 4w/7r/3w/7r/4w - 1.357 miles!

WELCOME BACK KATE!!!! :)

Okay - first some housekeeping - then a few more words about my success this week.

1) Sponsors - your letters will go out this week. :)

2) Non-sponsors - want to sign up for July? Make-a-Wish needs your help!

3) Contest - Annie Tennis ran away with this one. She wins two "Year of a Million Dreams" pins! Congratulations Annie! E-mail me your mailing address at jonathan@allaboutthemouse.com or Grizzpyre@yahoo.com and I'll get them out to you as soon as I can!

4) Wednesday we record our first AATM together. Topic? Glad you asked. The great EPCOT debate. EPCOT 1987 v. 2007. If you have comments you'd like to have included on the show - feel free to e-mail me at jonathan@allaboutthemouse.com - but since we're recording on Wednesday, you'd better hurry!! (Don't worry - if you get your comments in late, we'll just talk about them on an upcoming show)

Now...

I think I may have this down. Lots of water. Less to no snacking. Eat reasonable meals.

And here's the really fun part - if you're being good most of the time - occassionally you can have a treat. For instance - we went out to a nice italian dinner Friday night - and I had a nice salad and veal parmesan. No dessert - and had eaten healthily all week. And shhhhhhh...don't tell - but on Saturday afternoon - while walking in the summer heat - we stopped for a small ice-cream at Cold Stone. (I had the lite cake batter ice cream - yum!)

So I think - if I'm willing to sacrifice my snacks...I can succeed even faster - even with the occassional 'splurge'. What do you think?

Tomorrow - a plea to new sponsors - and coming attractions for the month of July! (No need to identify pictures anymore - just putting up nice ones for now. Ain't towel animals fun?)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!!!!