Our 2024 Disney World Trip by the Numbers

We had the best trip at Disney last week!!  I’ll be recapping the entire trip in great detail per usual, but until then, here’s a little “By the Numbers” appetizer.  ;o) 

 

Disney Springs

3.5 – Hours spent there (6:00 PM – 9:30 PM)

0 – Ride/Attraction experienced

0 – Characters met

0 – Autographs obtained from characters

0 – Disney Photo Pass pictures and videos taken

5 – Souvenirs purchased

4 – Snacks consumed (3 Mickey ice cream bars – 1 for B, me, and Jacob, 1 Mickey ice cream sandwich for Olivia)

2 – Adult beverages consumed

9,433 – Steps taken

4.03 – Miles walked

1 – Boat ride it took to get there from our resort

10 – Chicken fingers eaten for dinner

5 – Chicken finger sauces tried (Donkey Sauce, Special Sauce, Honey Mustard, Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ, Buttermilk Ranch)

Millions – Legos we saw at The Lego Store

1 – Time I teared up (Once randomly because I was so happy to be there!)

1 – Time somebody saw Brian’s shirt and said, “GO DAWGS!”  ;o)

83 – The high temp while we were there

74 – The low temp while we were there

 

Hollywood Studios

14 – Hours spent there (7:30 AM – 9:30 PM)

11 – Rides/Attractions experienced (Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Mania!, Alien Swirling Saucers, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – just Brian and Jacob, Star Tours – just Brian and Jacob, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along, Slinky Dog Dash – Brian and Olivia, Slinky Dog Dash, Brian and Jacob, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway again, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – just Brian)  

1 – Show watched (Fantasmic!)

6 – Characters met (Woody, Jessie, Frozone, Edna Mode, Sully, and live action Ariel)

6 – Autographs obtained from characters (Woody, Jessie, Frozone, Edna Mode, Sully, and live action Ariel)

87 – Disney Photo Pass pictures and videos taken

3 – Snacks consumed (2 Lemon-Blueberry Lunch Box Tarts – one for Brain and I to share and 1 for Jacob, 1 soft serve ice cream for Olivia)

2 – Adult beverages consumed

15,086 – Steps taken

6.40 – Miles walked

0 – Rides that traumatized the kids

0 – Times I teared up

1 – Ride I skipped just to be safe because of my vertigo (Slinky Dog Dash)

1 – Time we saw someone we know from back home (so wild!)

1 – Time Olivia left her belt bag on a ride <forehead smack> (thankfully, there are honest people in the world, and someone turned it in, so we were able to get it back within a few minutes of realizing it was gone)

68 – Minutes we waited to see Woody and Jessie (and it was the longest wait we had for anything during our entire trip)

14 – Minutes we were late for our lunch reservation at Woody’s Rodeo Roundup because of that (thankfully, they have a 15 minute grace-period, so we were able to get right in.  Whew!)

1 – Time Brian lost his Magic Band (it fell off at the restaurant when he was putting his backpack back on, and thankfully, we realized it was missing within minutes… and thankfully, there are honest people in the world, and someone had already turned it in at the front desk.  Whew!)

87 – The high temp while we were there

67 – The low temp while we were there

 

Epcot

12.75 – Hours spent there (8:15 AM – 9:00 PM)

12 – Rides/Attractions experienced (Frozen Ever After, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Brian only, Soarin’ Around the World – Lindsay, Jacob, and Olivia only, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Journey of Water Inspired by Moana Walkthrough, Spaceship Earth, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Soarin’ Around the World again, Living with the Land, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, Test Track – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only)

1 – Show watched (Beauty and the Beast Singalong in France)              

1 – Characters met (Jasmine)

1 – Autograph obtained from characters (Jasmine)

34 – Disney Photo Pass pictures and videos taken in Epcot

5 – Snacks consumed (Fruit and yogurt parfait for me, small assortments of macarons for Jacob and Olivia, donuts for Jacob and Olivia)

2 – Adult beverages consumed

17,597 – Steps taken

7.14 – Miles walked

0 – Rides that traumatized the kids

1 – Ride I skipped just to be safe because of my vertigo (Test Track)

6 – Countries walked through (Norway, Italy, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, Mexico)

1 – Time I teared up (during the Beauty and the Beast Singalong because that song gets me every.single.time.)

2 – Times Jacob left his sunglasses in the bathroom

1 – Time they were lost forever

1 – Tornado watch we were under most of the day

60 – MPH wind gusts that happened that day (apparently the France pavilion sustained some damage, but thankfully, we were keeping an eye on the storm, so we had timed our activities appropriately and we avoided most of the worst of it by being indoors)

2 – Souvenir pennies created

2 – Hidden Mickeys spotted (both in Living with the Land)

84 – The high temp while we were there

64 – The low temp while we were there

 

Animal Kingdom / Pool Day

4.5 – Hours spent at Animal Kingdom (7:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

6 – Rides/Attractions experienced (Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain – Brian and Jacob only, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur – Brian, Jacob and Olivia only, TriceraTop Spin, Avatar Flight of Passage – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only, Na’vi River Journey) 

2 – Characters met (Moana, Kevin the Bird from Up)

1 – Autograph obtained from characters (Moana)

30 – Disney Photo Pass pictures and videos taken

3 – Snacks consumed (3 beignets to share at our hotel)

2 – Adult beverages consumed

16,447 – Steps taken

6.50 – Miles walked

1 – Rides that traumatized the kids (Expedition Everest slightly scared Jacob... he said at one point he almost passed out.  Lol.  You wouldn't know it when he got off the ride, though because he was in good spirits!)

2 – Rides I skipped just to be safe because of my vertigo (Dinosaur, Avatar Flight of Passage)

0 – Times I teared up

1 – Time I was recognized by a blog reader (that has never happened to me before so it was wild!)

1 – Item Olivia left on the bus… thankfully, Brian saw it and grabbed it.  Whew!  So many things lost or nearly lost on this trip.  Lol.

3 – Hours spent at the pool at our hotel (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)

Countless – Times the kids went down the water slide

0 – Times I went down the water slide

1 – Time Brian went down the water slide

0 – Times I got in the pool (it was waaaayyyy too cold for me – haha)

1 – Time somebody saw Brian’s swim trunks and said, “GO DAWGS!”  ;o)

2 – Animals seen from the windows of the restaurant in the middle of the safari (giraffes)

9 – Dips tried with the bread service at Sanaa.  They were all fabulous!

75 – The high temp while we were there

57 – The low temp while we were there (dude, it was COLD for Florida)

 

Magic Kingdom

15 – Hours spent there (7:15 AM – 10:15 PM)

18 – Rides/Attractions experienced (Peter Pan’s Flight, The Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain – Brian and Jacob only, Tomorrowland Speedway, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (there’s a story behind why we rode it two times in a row – haha), Mad Tea Party – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Enchanted Tales with Belle, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, The Barnstormer, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only, TRON Lightcycle / Run – Brian and Jacob only, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin)     

2 – Shows watched (Magical Friendship Faire in front of the castle, Happily Ever After fireworks show in front of the castle)

6 – Characters met (Belle, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Tiana, Rapunzel, and we also saw Beast in Be Our Guest)

4 – Autographs obtained from characters (Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Tiana, Rapunzel)

90 – Disney Photo Pass pictures and videos taken

4 – Snacks consumed (2 vanilla soft serves – 1 for me and 1 for Jacob, 2 Rapunzel soft serves – 1 for Brian and 1 for Olivia)

2 – Adult beverages consumed

18,596 – Steps taken

7.40 – Miles walked

1 – Ride that kind of traumatized Jacob (Tron was very intense and although he was totally fine when he got off the ride, we could tell that he was a little shook.  Haha.)

3 – Rides I skipped just to be safe because of my vertigo (Mad Tea Party, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad the second time they rode it)

Several – Times I teared up (once during Enchanted Tales with Belle – because that song!, and several during the fireworks show at the end of the night)

30 – Times Disney cast members and other random people told me Happy Birthday!!!!  (I was wearing a Disney birthday pin so that’s how they knew.)  And 4 of those people were extra special – Belle, Tigger, Tiana, and Rapunzel all wished me happy birthday.

1 – Birthday fist bump I got from a Disney cast member

1 – Time I wished somebody else a happy birthday

1 – Time we got the wrong PhotoPass pictures

2 – Times our PhotoPass pictures were missing and I had to go to Guest Services

1 – Time I dropped my vertigo medicine on the ground and it rolled into a crack.  I didn’t have any extra, so I had to fashion a tool out of toothpicks to get it out.  Hahahaha.

18,500 – Brian’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Score from Game 1

14,400 – Lindsay’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Score from Game 1

6,400 – Jacob’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Score from Game 1

7,300 – Olivia’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Score from Game 1

5,300 – Brian’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Score from Game 2

32,900 – Lindsay’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Score from Game 2

103,000 – Jacob’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Score from Game 2

208,400 – Olivia’s Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Score from Game 2 (sister smoked us all!)

5 – Times that Jacob and Olivia sat together on rides (they’re finally old/tall enough!)

1 – Set of Minnie ears lost on a ride (Olivia didn’t take hers off for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Brian said they fell off right at the end)

79 – The high temp while we were there

51 – The low temp while we were there 

 

Overall

5 – Parks visited (Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom + Disney Springs)

49.75 – Hours spent in the four parks + Disney Springs

47 – Rides/Attractions experienced in the four parks (Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Mania!, Alien Swirling Saucers, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – just Brian and Jacob, Star Tours – just Brian and Jacob, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along, Slinky Dog Dash – Brian and Olivia, Slinky Dog Dash, Brian and Jacob, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway again, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – just Brian, Frozen Ever After, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Brian only, Soarin’ Around the World – Lindsay, Jacob, and Olivia only, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Journey of Water Inspired by Moana Walkthrough, Spaceship Earth, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Soarin’ Around the World again, Living with the Land, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, Test Track – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only, Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain – Brian and Jacob only, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur – Brian, Jacob and Olivia only, TriceraTop Spin, Avatar Flight of Passage – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only, Na’vi River Journey, Peter Pan’s Flight, The Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain – Brian and Jacob only, Tomorrowland Speedway, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (there’s a story behind why we rode it two times in a row – haha), Mad Tea Party – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Enchanted Tales with Belle, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, The Barnstormer, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only, TRON Lightcycle / Run – Brian and Jacob only, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again – Brian, Jacob, and Olivia only, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin)     

15 – Characters met (Woody, Jessie, Frozone, Edna Mode, Sully, live action Ariel, Jasmine, Moana, Kevin the Bird from Up, Belle, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Tiana, Rapunzel, and we also saw Beast in Be Our Guest)

12 – Autographs obtained for each child (Woody, Jessie, Frozone, Edna Mode, Sully, live action Ariel, Jasmine, Moana, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Tiana, Rapunzel)

241 – Disney Photo Pass pictures and videos taken overall

25 – Snacks consumed (3 Mickey ice cream bars, 1 Mickey ice cream sandwich, 2 Lemon-Blueberry Lunch Box Tarts, 3 vanilla soft serve ice creams, 1 fruit and yogurt parfait, 2 small assortments of macarons, 2 donuts, 3 beignets + 6 more for breakfast the day we left, 2 Rapunzel soft serve ice creams)

10 – Adult beverages consumed

76,159 – Steps taken

31.47 – Miles walked

1 – Wall mural we took pictures in front of

2 – Pennies we had flattened to take home as souvenirs

1 – Family we know from home who we saw there

6 – Items left behind or lost at some point

2 – Items that were never recovered (Jacob’s sunglasses, Olivia’s Minnie ears)

2 – Things that we didn’t get to do that we wanted to do (we all really wanted to see The Mandalorian in Hollywood Studios because, supposedly, he walks around there sometimes, but he was never around that we could find, and Brian and Jacob didn’t get the chance to ride Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run in Hollywood Studios)

323 – Pictures taken by me (after I deleted the bad ones)

148 – Videos taken by me

86 – Instagram Stories posted (click the “Disney ‘24” highlights in my Instagram bio if you missed anything!)

8-ish – Times I teared up from sheer joy and gratitude

Disney World is truly magical, y’all!  I can’t wait to recap every single little detail for you! 

Happy Tuesday, y’all!

My Daily Quiet Time Routine

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I started doing daily quiet time years ago, and it has evolved throughout the years as everything else tends to do.  I really revamped it for 2024, and today I’m sharing my routine.

While most people seem to do their quiet time in the morning, that just doesn’t work for me.  For starters, I am not a morning person, so I prefer to sleep until the very last second possible to get myself ready and get the kids out the door for school.  Also, during the times that I did try to do my quiet time in the morning, I felt like I was rushing through it so I could get to the tasks that needed to be done.

With that said, I much prefer to tackle the big tasks first thing in the morning while my brain is fresh, and then I do my quiet time midday as a little treat.  I’ve found that by the time car line pickup time rolls around I’m feeling anxious and overstimulated some days, and mentally exhausted as well, so not only do I view my quiet time as a little treat, it also serves as a great way to give my mind, body, and soul a little midday reset that refreshes me and allows me to get through the rest of the day with a little more peace.

Therefore, I tend to do my quiet time either right before I leave to pick up the kids from school, or right when we get home from school.  The kids’ after-school activities shockingly afford me the time to do that after school this year, and I’m fortunate enough to have a break between getting home and getting Olivia to dance, or getting home from music lessons before I have to start cooking dinner.

My quiet time is quite long these days, but as I said before, I view it as a privilege and a treat, so I really soak up every single second.

This is what my quiet time looks like…

I start by grabbing a little treat (usually a couple of Trader Joe’s cookies, or a couple of Target rolled wafers, or a muffin) and a cup of my favorite Harney & Sons Hot Sunset Cinnamon Tea, and then I grab a fluffy blanket to wrap up in and get cozy while I study.  Some days I’ll turn on some soft music… I am utterly obsessed with this acoustic album by Phil Wickham.  It is beautiful from start to finish and it sets the perfect tone for my quiet time.

I sit down in my office at the big table in the middle of the room (not at the desk where I do all of my work) because it’s a nice, big empty area that affords me the space to spread out. 

This is how my quiet time usually flows…

Gratitude Journal – the first thing I do is open my gratitude journal and write down three or four things that I was thankful for that day (or sometimes the day before… since I write in my gratitude journal midway through the day, sometimes there are things that pop up afterward that I’m grateful for, so I just note them the next day).  I use this basic journal that I found at Target, and my favorite pens that I've been using since college.  My word of the year is GRATITUDE, so I started this journal at the beginning of 2024, but I’m enjoying it so much that I’ll probably continue after 2024 comes to a close.  I did keep a gratitude journal a few years ago, but then discontinued it.  This year, I feel like I’m being more intentional with it, though, and I’m really enjoying it.

 

Prayer Journal – next, I open my prayer journal and write down my prayer intentions for the day.  Some days I write only a few things, and some days I write two full pages.  It just depends on the day and what’s going on at any given time in life.  Again, I just use a basic journal that I found at Marshall’s or TJ Maxx, and my favorite pen.  I couldn't find my exact journal, but these are very similar.

 

Devotional – Next up, I read the page for the current date in my daily devotional.  Right now, I’m reading New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp, and it is, by far, the best devotional I’ve ever read.  I do change my devotional every year, and a few others that I have read and loved in the past are Strength for Each Day by Joyce Meyer, Trusting God Day by Day by Joyce Meyer, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, and Jesus Always by Sarah Young.  I also love Emily Ley’s devotionals Sure as the Sunrise and Near in the Night.  However, Emily’s devotionals only contain 100 in each book, so they’re not yearly devotionals.  Instead, I just read those sporadically whenever I need some extra encouragement.

 

Bible – I started doing The Bible Recap late last year, which is a 365-day plan to allow you to read the entire Bible from cover to cover in one year.  So next up, I locate the current day in The Bible Recap book to see what scripture I need to read for the day, and then I read my Bible.  I love that it has lined columns for journaling, and I absolutely adore the tabs that I applied to it last year.

 

The Bible Recap – after I read my scripture in my Bible for the day, I read the two-page spread in The Bible Recap book explaining what I just read in my Bible.  I use this time to highlight and take notes in my Bible and in The Bible Recap book, and sometimes if a particular line of scripture stands out to me and time permits, I may do a doodle in my Bible.  I use these Mr. Pen Bible pens and these highlighters to write and highlight in my Bible because they don't bleed, and I also use basic Crayola colored pencils for my doodles. 

 

The Bible Recap on You Version Holy Bible App – after that’s all done, I watch the YouTube video for that day’s The Bible Recap… it basically reiterates what I read in The Bible Recap, but sometimes Tara Leigh Cobble (the author and narrator) adds extra little nuggets into the YouTube videos that aren’t in the book.  I also love to use The Bible Recap in my You Version Holy Bible App because it tracks your progress and tells you how many days you’re ahead or behind for the year.  This app is completely free, too!

You Version Holy Bible App – While I’m in my You Version Holy Bible App I also read the Bible verse of the day, and if time permits, I’ll listen to the 3-minute video that accompanies it.  This isn’t affiliated with The Bible Recap… it’s just a random daily verse that The Bible App offers every day.

 

I also have a stack of fun journals that I purchased from Target a few years ago, and some days I’ll even pull one of those out and fill out one or two of the prompts.  The prompts for those usually take only a couple of minutes, and eventually I think they’ll make fun keepsakes to look back on.

Calm App – I also meditate every single day, but I actually started doing this at the end of the day about a year ago because it makes me sleepy, so I feel like it’s a good way to wind down each evening.  I purchased the lifetime subscription to the Calm app several years ago and it has been worth every single penny.  Most days, I do Jay Shetty’s daily meditation, but sometimes I’ll change it up and do one of the meditations for anxiety or stress or whatever else calls to me that day.  I only meditate for 8-10 minutes each day, but it has benefitted me greatly since I started.  The app also offers meditations for kids, sleep stories, white noise, green noise, brown noise, and binaural beats & theta waves.  The Binaural beats are odd sounding, but it’s soooo calming.  I cannot recommend that app enough!  It is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.  

All in all, my quiet time takes anywhere between 30-60 minutes each day (excluding meditation), depending on how much I write, how long the Bible passages are, whether or not I decide to doodle etc. but it is worth every single second to me to carve out the time to do it. 

When I travel, I will bring all of this with me and do the things I can when I can.  But on days when I don’t have time (Disney World trip, I’m looking at you), I will keep notes in my phone for my gratitude and prayer journals to later transfer to my journals, and then I will spend time catching up on my devotional, Bible readings, and Bible recaps when we get home.

I will never skip a meditation, though.  I have been meditating every single day for five years now, I think, and I’ve only missed a small handful of days since I started.

And that’s it, y’all!  Again, it is quite a daily time commitment, but this time well spent has enriched my life in more ways than I can count, so it’s definitely worth it to carve out the time each day. 

Happy Birthday to Me… 42 Things for Age 42

It’s my birthdaaaay, y’all!!  And while you’re reading this, I’m celebrating in Magic Kingdom!  EEK!!  Be sure to follow along with our adventures on Instagram.  ;o)

Every year on my birthday I share random facts about myself, and this will be the ninth year I’ve done it!  I’ve shared a total of 300 facts prior to today’s post, so each year it gets harder and harder to come up with new stuff.  I try my best not to duplicate, but I can’t promise anything at this point.  Haha.   

Here we go!

 

1/ People have always confided in me.  Always.  My whole life.  Friends.  Family members.  Coworkers.  People I barely know.  And many of them tell me things that I really shouldn’t know and/or don’t want to know.  Why?  I have no idea, but I am a magnet for people’s deepest, darkest secrets.  I am a really loyal person, so people must recognize that, I guess?  I am a six (The Loyalist) on the enneagram, after all.  But I cannot even tell y’all how many secrets from so many people that I have stored in the locked vault that is my brain.

2/ One time at one of my previous jobs I knew our big boss was going to be fired before said boss ever got fired because someone in HR had to get it off their chest before they did it and they chose to tell me.  I was basically plugging my ears the whole time like, “Lalalala, I don’t want or need to hear this,” but said HR person couldn’t hold it in and they continued to tell me all of the details.  Said boss did, indeed, get fired within a few hours of me finding out, and I had to feign shock when I was told officially.  So yeah, sometimes it can be a burden to be the person who everyone confides in.  Haha.  I do love to connect with others, and I am, by nature, an empathetic person, so most of the time I don’t mind when people come to me.  I’m usually honored to be that person for someone.  But sometimes it puts me in difficult situations.  As for the job and the person in the story above?  I’ll never tell.

3/ I’ve always said I would never get a tattoo, but I’ve always known what I would get and where I would get it.  For the last couple of years, though, I cannot stop thinking about getting the tattoo… I’m so close to making the decision to do it.  I’ve definitely mentioned this here on the blog, but I thought I’d give an update for any of you who care.  Haha.

4/ Speaking of tattoos, both of my brothers have them… my littlest brother has several, including one that covers his entire leg, and my other brother has a series of them on one of his arms that he eventually plans to turn into a sleeve.  Both of them want me to get one since I’m the only sibling who doesn’t have one, and they have both told me that if I ever decide to get one, they will get the exact same tattoo in the exact same spot. 

5/ The tattoo that I want?  A heart.  Just the outline of one.  A small one.  On the inside of my left wrist.  I used to want the heart on my hip, but in recent years decided that if I was going to get one, I might as well get it where everyone can see it.  So, guess what, Zach and Alex?!  You can possibly look forward to donning a heart on the inside of your left wrists one day.  Hahahaha.  Maybe?  IDK. 

6/ I can’t stand hearing people chew, and the older I get, the more it bothers me.

7/ I had to chew with my mouth open for weeks after I got my braces and I totally grossed myself out to the point where I didn’t even want to eat.  I lost my appetite for weeks.

8/ I either drink alcohol and want to dance or I drink alcohol and I want to sleep.  There is no in between.

9/ I’ve been to Vegas eight times.  Brian and I used to go every single year before we had kids.  I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I don’t know.

10/ The first time I went, I was freshly 21 years old. 

11/ And speaking of being 21, my 21st birthday fell on a Saturday (such luck!), but it also fell on the same day as Daylight Saving Time, so when my friends took me out to the bars to celebrate that night, we lost an hour because the clocks sprung forward.  #Robbed

12/ That same night, my friend who took me out has an older sister whose best friend was getting married, so we turned it into a 21st birthday/Bachelorette party double celebration, and we had the best night.

13/ The band at the bar sang Happy Birthday to me that night so lots of people bought shots for me (I only took them directly from the bartender, of course… safety first!).  I shared them with all of our friends, and I did not end up getting drunk or sick.  #AlwaysResponsible

14/ Brian and I used to play in local poker tournaments for fun and one time I came really close to winning the whole thing out of, like, 60-80 people.  I think I came in second place??  Brian, do you remember?

15/ I drive with my left hand at 11 o’clock and my right hand at 4 o’clock.  No 10 and 2 over here.  It feels unnatural to me.

16/ I have never once read a book on a Kindle/e-reader or listened to an audio book.  Tangible, physical, actual books all day, every day.

17/ I can’t stand it when a lightbulb goes out, and I will change it immediately. 

18/ I am also very particular about lighting as I’ve discussed on the blog before… remember when I ripped all of the LED lights off of our brand-new artificial Christmas tree back in December and covered them with incandescent lights?! 

19/ I was born and raised in the south, but I don’t have a southern accent.  Brian says that my southern accent does come out when I say the word “time,” but that’s about it. 

20/ I do use the word “y’all” all the time, though.  I mean, how is that not just a real word by now?!  I don’t understand why that’s just a southern thing.  It’s such a great word!  You can use it so many ways!

21/ And speaking of accents, for some reason I have been told multiple times in my adult life that I sound like I’m from Pennsylvania.  Specifically, Pennsylvania every single time.  I have no clue what people from Pennsylvania sound like, but apparently… it me.

22/ I like listening to sad heartbreak music when I run sometimes.  I have no idea why, but I feel like it helps me run faster.

23/ It takes me 45 minutes to get ready from start to finish.  That includes a shower with leg-shaving, hair-washing, makeup, hair-drying, hair-curling, and getting dressed. 

24/ I have always been good at guessing baby genders.  So good, that I started keeping a tally in my teens.  In my lifetime, I have guessed 19 correctly, and I have only been wrong about seven.  The odd thing?  Almost all seven I missed happened after I had Jacob.  Apparently, I lost my Spidey senses after I gave birth to my own baby.  Haha.

25/ And speaking of guessing baby genders, I am also a pregnancy detector.  Almost every single time that I have a dream that I am pregnant, within a couple of weeks, someone we know announces that they are pregnant.

26/ I never eat in bed, and I’ve always thought it was such a weird thing that some people do.  I cannot remember the last time I ate something in the bed… not even a snack.  It’s just… weird…

27/ I never work from bed either.  My laptop literally never leaves the desk in my office.  If I’m working, then I’m sitting at my desk in my office.  I don’t work at coffee shops.  I don’t work in the car.  I don’t work in bed.  I don’t work at the kitchen table.  I probably haven’t unplugged my laptop from the wall by my desk in years.  It might as well be an old dinosaur desktop computer.

28/ I never take my laptop on vacation with us.  Ever.

29/ I once walked all around Las Vegas barefoot.  I was 21, it was my first time there, I was wearing sky-high heels all night, and we were walking back to our hotel room at, like, 5 o’clock in the morning.  By then, I was so tired, and my feet hurt so bad, I didn’t even care.  Haha.  The boys I was with (Brian and his friend) took turns carrying me on their backs for a while, but eventually, they couldn’t carry me anymore, so I was on my own.  The bottoms of my feet were black by the time we got back to our room, and yes, yes, I did wash them before I got in the bed.

30/ My suitcase must be unpacked immediately when we get home from a trip.  You people who let it sit for days before they unpack it?!  NO.  How do you do it?!  I would go insane.  When we get home from a trip, I literally hit the ground running – unpacking, doing laundry, putting everything back where it belongs, etc. and I do not rest until every.single.thing. is back in place.

31/ When I worked in sales and marketing at my old corporate job, it involved knowing a lot about our product line (obviously), so I still have about 100 part numbers in my head that I will likely never forget.  If you ask me the part number for any specific product, I can still rattle it off like it’s nothing even though I left that job six years ago. 

32/ BK fries > McDonalds fries

33/ If I had to describe myself in three words, I’d probably go with organized/detail-oriented, self-motivated, and empathetic.

34/ I don’t like ice in my drinks.  In fountain drinks at restaurants, yes, but in any drinks at home?  Absolutely not.  Only in a cocktail.

35/ These braces rubber bands are going to be the death of me.  The amount of face/head/neck/shoulder/scalp tension I’ve had since starting the rubber bands again has been the worst thing ever.  Pretty sure that’s part of what caused my vertigo last year.  Pretty sure that’s why the dizziness hasn’t gone away.

36/ My favorite subject in school was always English/Spelling/Vocabulary.  I’ve always been a stickler for proper grammar, and I’ve always loved to write.

37/ When people first started texting, it killed me that grammar went out the window.  For years, I texted with complete, proper grammar, but I finally gave it up (mostly) a couple of years ago.  Sometimes it still kills me, though.

38/ I have always hated math.  Any and all kinds of math.  It’s the worst subject.

39/ I am a BOSS on an adding machine (or the number pad on the right side of your keyboard) from years of working at the movie theater and counting money/doing inventory at the end of the night and years of working at the bank.  You can give me a massive list of numbers to add/subtract/multiply/divide, and I will fly through and have your answer in seconds… and I don’t have to look at the keyboard.

40/ A few pet peeves of mine – when people are late, when people are on their phones all the time, improper grammar, when people forget to text back, when people ride out in the fast lane and don’t ever pass the people in the slow lane so they hold up the whole highway, cat videos on social media, and, of course, hearing people chew (see #6 above).

41/ A few places to visit that are near the top of my bucket list – New York City in the fall, London, Greece, and Italy.

42/ I’ve never been out of the country… not even to Mexico or Canada.  Only The Bahamas, but that doesn’t really count.  I guess I have some work to do!

And that’s it, y’all… I made it to 42! 

As I said before, we’ll be spending my birthday in Magic Kingdom today, so be sure to pop over to Instagram and follow along!  Happy birthday to me! 

34 Things for Age 34

35 Things for Age 35
36 Things for Age 36
37 Things for Age 37

38 Things for Age 38

39 Things for Age 39

40 Things for Age 40

41 Things for Age 41

A Year of Gratitude - March 2024 Snapshot

I mentioned at the beginning of the year that my word for 2024 is GRATITUDE.  To help myself keep the focus on this word, I started keeping a gratitude journal on January 1, and I’ve been writing at least 3-4 things I’m grateful for every single day.  Some days I’ve felt so overwhelmed with gratitude that I haven’t been able to pick just 3-4, so I’ve listed even more. 

To hold myself accountable, and to keep this word at the forefront of my mind all year, I thought I might share a little snapshot of the musings from my gratitude journal each month here on the blog.  I’ll only be pulling one item from my gratitude journal per day to share here as I don’t want to go overboard, and also because some of the things I write are things that I’d like to keep private.  :o) 

Some of the things will be really big things like good health and good relationships, some things may be humorous, and some things will be the little things that most of the time go unnoticed.  Overall, though, the purpose of this whole exercise (and my choosing of this word this year) is to remember that even on the very worst of days, there is ALWAYS something for which to be grateful.

Always.

March started out a bit rough for me, but thankfully, it ended great.  My intense face/jaw/neck/shoulder pain was present for much of the month, and if you’ve ever been one to experience chronic pain with no relief, it’s no fun.  I also started taking a daytime dose of the vertigo meds and they’re making me feel like a shell of a person at times, so there’s that, but I’m hanging in there!

My anxiety also ran high in March, so that made for a bad combination and a couple more vertigo spells.  Thankfully, they were brief, and thankfully, I wasn’t driving when they happened.  This vertigo and dizziness situation is really wearing me down, though, so I’m not going to pretend that everything is just sunshine and roses over here.  Unfortunately, I believe it’s just my cross to bear right now, so I’m doing what I need to do to carry it… and that has involved a whole lot of God… the silver lining to all of this – an even more intimate relationship with God than I’ve ever had before. 

As I said, though, March wasn’t all bad.  We had some fun times with friends, I was able to stand with my friend, Heather, as she converted to Catholicism, and we celebrated Easter with all of our family, so despite the chronic pain and anxiety, there were plenty of good times. 

With that said, here are a few of those good things that came out of March.

In March I was grateful for…

 

1. An answered prayer for a close friend who has been walking the road of infertility and loss.
2. Waking up with no pain in my face, head, jaw, neck, shoulders… first day in a while!
3. An excellent sermon that gave me peace about some things… and a nice, long walk on the River Walk with my lovies.  Outdoor time is always a blessing!
4. A slow cooker that did all of the work for me for dinner. 
5. For a movie date with my Momma, for reclining chairs, and for an empty theater… we had the whole place to ourselves aside from two other ladies!  I love being able to spend time with my Momma! 
6. Feeling generally good today… confident, lots of energy, and not a lot of pain!
7. A compassionate doctor who listens to me and isn’t giving up on treating my vertigo since all of the other doctors have bailed.  For a wonderful therapist who helps me see things from different perspectives and has so much wisdom and compassion for me.  For abundant sunshine, an open sunroof, and the windows down!
8. A productive day.
9. Another successful Mother/Son dance that I co-chaired last night!  For a great team that helped pull it altogether.  For great conversations there.  For friendships old and new and connections that stand the test of time.
10. Kind words and a fun Facebook post that my BFF tagged me in on Facebook.  I know you’re reading this, Jeannine, and I knew you’d love that book as much as I did!  Love you!
11. Extra daylight in the evening… even though getting up in the morning is killing me softly.
12. A fun lunch with Greg and Donnie… I don’t miss my corporate job, but I sure do miss some of the people!  I’m so grateful to have stayed close with so many of them all these years later.  I can hardly believe it’ll be seven years in November!
13. Inspiration to post on social media after feeling like my creativity had been sapped for a while.  And that I was sitting down (and not driving) when a vertigo spell struck again.  Sigh.
14. The kindness of others, and for so many people who love on our little family the way they do. 
15. A safe drive home from school in the storms.  For no place to be tonight.  For God’s never-ending grace after a very tough day.  And for the ability to put on PJs at 3:30.  Lol.
16. That Jacob woke up fever-free this morning after coming home from school with fever yesterday.  Unfortunately, it came back before bedtime, but it was much lower, and he never felt too terrible.
17. For no pain all day yesterday – no neck tension, no face tension, no head or shoulder tension.  It was crazy to feel no pain/tension for a whole day!
18. That this medication I’m taking for my vertigo also seems to be helping with my anxiety… the only problem is that it’s making me feel a little bit too calm AKA exhausted and unmotivated.  But it is nice to get a break from the tension and anxiety that I experience most days.
19. That Jacob was finally feeling well enough to go to back to school today… and that Olivia hasn’t gotten what he had… yet.  Haha.
20. That my Mama Cass celebrated her 95th birthday today!  I am just so grateful to have had 42 years with her (and counting) and that my kids have had the chance to get to know her and spend so much time with her throughout the years.  I know it’s rare for someone to have the opportunity to get to know their great-grandparents, and I pray that she stays healthy and sharp for many more years so we can continue making memories with her.  I want to be just like her when I grow up!
21. The fact that both kids talk to me and tell me about things that happen at school, whether they’re happy or sad or frustrating.  I’m grateful that they trust me and know that I’m a place of comfort for them, and that they can come to me any time about anything.  I hope we all stay close like this forever… I know a lot of kids tend to put up walls the older they get, and I pray our kids never do.
22. A good book that I couldn’t put down.  I loooove when I love a book so much that I’ll do anything to just keep reading one more chapter!
23. That Jacob found the confidence to get up and do something so hard that he always said he’d never do – a piano recital – and for all of the people who believed in him.  He was one of only ten kids out of sixty-two who were chosen, and I’m so grateful that all of the teachers at his music school encouraged him (without pushing) to step outside of his comfort zone and do something different.  And I was especially grateful that he NAILED it.  You couldn’t even tell he was nervous!  (Well, I could, but I’m his mom.  I don’t think anybody else would have been able to tell, though.)  I’m so dang proud of him!!!!
24. A beautiful day of family and fun celebrating Easter with Brian’s family, celebrating my mother-in-law for her birthday, watching the kids run around and do their annual Easter egg hunt, and celebrating my Mama Cass’s 95th birthday at Sunday dinner.
25. That Olivia got sick on a day when Brian was working from home, so I didn’t have to cancel all of my appointments.  And that whatever it was, was mild… we think it was just a big allergy flare.
26. That Olivia was totally fine and was able to go back to school today… pretty sure it was just her alleriges!  And for a great night out with my lovely ladies!
27. That the kids are officially out for spriiiing breeeeaaaak and for excitement for all of the upcoming fun – sleepovers, Easter, and DISNEY WORLD!
28. A great conversation with Mr. Steve at Jacob’s music school.  I’m always humbled and grateful when other people speak highly of our kiddos.
29. That God sent His one and only Son to die for us so that we may have eternal life, and for the humbling experience that is Stations of the Cross.
30. For the most beautiful Easter Vigil and for the honor to stand next to my friend Heather as she was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic faith. 
31. That Jesus Christ is risen today!!!!  Alleluia!!!!

 

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my month! 

Happy Monday, y’all!  What is something you’re grateful for today?