Thursday Again

Day 344...

So Thursday is my other 'non-working' day of the week and it was a good job I didn't have to be anywhere as I struggled to get up this morning.

My morning was very domestic chores focused. I set up the slow cooker with a Beef Bourguinon for dinner this evening; got a couple of washing loads done and then had a good clean around.

When Simon broke for lunch we took a walk out over the fields which while still muddy were not quite as squelchy as they have been of late. We managed two miles in forty minutes.

The afternoon saw a little online shopping as I organised another butchers delivery for next week, numerous pots of coffee made to keep me and the boys going and a little TV time with another episode of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel watched.

I received a letter today advising me of a follow-up hospital appointment, to be conducted over the phone. It is now two years ago that I had my first ever routine mammogram which resulted in a diagnosis of breast cancer followed by surgery and radiotherapy. Since then I had my first annual mammogram back in June (which was delayed a few months because of COVID) followed up by a phone consultation with a view to a face-to-face appointment six months later. But as the pandemic response is still ongoing it would appear that I will have to suffice with another phone consultation.

The day was rounded out with a recording session for the podcast I co-host, the Disney Dream Girls. Michelle and I spoke with our guest Len Testa, from Touring Plans, and chatted about ways to improve the transportation offerings at Walt Disney World.

And now it is time to thank my past self for setting up the slow cooker this morning as I can now enjoy Beef Bourguinon without any effort and only the minimal amount of washing up!

Take care out there,
xx

Getting Closer

Well that vacation of ours is getting closer, only 37 days to go as I type.  But life seems so busy at the moment that I don't seem to have had chance to think or plan or anything...let alone write a blog post!

Working in education at this time of year is busy, busy, busy. Not only is it the end of the academic year so there are reports to write and end of year concerts to plan and rehearse it is also the ideal time of year for fundraisers. A Summer fair a few weeks ago and a 'Back 2 School Disco' last night!

Plus having two teenagers whose school lives also seem to impact on everything that I do - reward trips, school plays, work experience etc etc I don't know whether I am coming or going at the moment.

Work has also meant completing staff appraisals, sorting new contracts for the next academic year, planning the coming years curriculum and even talking about Christmas concerts, parties and visits from Santa - no seriously Christmas has been planned in July!

I have also had a couple of personal things happening with close family members that thankfully are sorting themselves out and now beginning to look really positive.

So now I am beginning to get a bit of my vacation mojo back, in fact typing this is beginning to re-invigorate my vacation vibe.  Everything is booked and paid for including the overnight hotel at the airport, the car parking at the airport and the ESTA's for travelling to the US.

I have even booked one ADR at Teppan Edo and we are debating booking at least one more...possibly the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge resort.  This desire to make another ADR is partly the fault of Lou Mongello and his WDW Radio podcast; we were catching up on old episodes and heard his live review of the restaurant and it reminded us of our visit back in 2008.

We had done the Backstage Magic tour, taking advantage of my parents being with us to look after our then young children.  We had a day exploring behind the scenes with lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe; we really enjoyed both the food and the experience and are very tempted to book for our kids to experience it all first hand.

Then would you believe the next WDW Radio podcast we listened to was also a live review of a restaurant; this time Via Napoli at Epcot (anyone would think Mr Mongello liked his food!!), so this is now also on our list of possible places to eat at!

Decisions, decisions!!

I also joined Touring Plans awhile back and have their 'Crowd Tracker' printed off so I can see which parks are best to visit on which days.  On our first full and our last full day I always like to visit the Magic Kingdom and the good thing is, according to Touring Plans, it's the best park to visit on those days.  Now I just need to figure out where we go in between!!

On our last vacation to WDW in 2011 our two children decided which parks we would visit on which day; they even completed an Excel spreadsheet!  So I think I shall arm them with the Crowd Tracker, the date of our meal at Teppan Edo and let them plan again.

My brain is also starting to go into overdrive about the mundane aspects of taking a two week vacation; things like the shopping to be done before hand, making sure bills are paid that are due whilst we are away, when can I book a grocery shopping delivery for when we return etc etc.  But this is all part of the fun of taking a vacation, all part of the build up, the anticipation, the excitement...Oh and did I mention only 37 days to go :)