Trippity trip

So, I wanted to talk about the trip real quick and a couple of good things that went on.  First, let me say that wed did things a bit differently this year.  Growing up, my family took a lot of trips and my Mom is a great planner.  However, she is a creature of habit and wants to always do things HER way and on a schedule.  So, this was a big change for her.  She's use to eating out -- a lot.  Staying in hotels.  And well... that's just not how we roll.  This year, we rented a house about 8 miles outside of Disney.  It. Was. AWESOME.  It was a 6bd., 3.5ba house with a screened in pool and spa.  We were even in a gated community!  PLUS, we were in the very back, so we had TONS of privacy!  WOOT!  Why am I telling you all of this?  Because as weird as it may sound, it's part of how we do things and for me, vacation isn't about eating out a ton.  It's about relaxing and not rushing and just having a good time.  Not only could we do that with renting a house, but it was SO much cheaper than what our friends spent on going who stayed in a resort.  Now don't get me wrong, resorts are great -- we've stayed at 2 over the years.  But staying in a house is amazing!  And the money we saved... oh my.  VRBO.com is where it's at when you want to travel and stay at great prices.  You may have to do a bit more work, but it's nice to save the money, have the room, and just not have to worry about the things you have to worry about in a hotel.

Back to my point, in renting the house, we had a full kitchen.  So, instead of having to run out for every meal and snack, we just hit up Costco and stocked up on tons of fruit, veggies, lean meats, and snacks.  Plus, there was a Publix right down the road to get all of the other odds and ends.  It was fab!  So, a good portion of our time was spent just hanging by the pool at the house and relaxing.  Even on the days we did things, a vast portion of our time was saved by not having to go out to eat.  Yes, I realize this is weird for many people, but for me... I'd MUCH rather do this than go out all the time!  As a result of being active and having our own food, we did great not only on our budget, but also our waistlines.  Were we perfect?  Uh, no.  There was for sure alcohol and desserts!  But did we do darn good?  YUP!  And the big question is, did we have a good time??? OH YEAH!!!  I loved the laying in the sun, the swimming, the grilling, and the down time. 

And you know what else?  There were a few good things that happened on this trip.  One was... I wore a 2 piece almost the entire time!  Yup.  All 178lbs. of me wore a 2 piece suit.  Granted, it wasn't a string bikini or anything, but it was for sure 2 separate pieces.  I've got a nice tan line to prove it!  Although, I'm not very dark -- I never get super dark.  And on days where I knew I would be out a lot, I wore sunscreen.  Anyways, I also went shopping while down there and got re-measured for a bra.  My NSV?  Down to a 36D!  When I started, that band size was a 40.  :O  You read that right.  FORTY.  I knew that things were changing -- my bras were starting to feel weird and slip all of the time.  I had already gone through buying new bras once, but I guess I will be doing it again.  I don't mind -- my underwear style has changed.  I went through a phase of very boring bras, then really over the top, and now I want understated elegance -- like a nude bra, but with beautiful lace.  None of these crazy colors since I rarely wear them anyways.  While cute, they just aren't me.  So the bright and patterned ones will be going to my friend and I will be restocking my hoard.  Hmmm... hope they have a sale soon.  I only really like Maidenform bras.  I HATE VS.  HATE.  And I've tried a few other brands, but they just don't hold up the way Maidenform has. 

And one more thing.  Guess who wore short shorts?  No, not the trashy-up-your-ass shorts, but the ones that are just mid-thigh.  I normally don't really wear shorts.  And if I do, they're the Bermuda style.  But I bought these and I WORE them!  And everyone said I looked good!  My Mom, who is always super picky, even said they looked good.  I even got a compliment on the swimsuit.  Can you imagine my relief when she said that she thought I looked CUTE when I had been worried to death over her chewing me out?  She is VERY modest, so I just KNEW she was going to have a cow.  When she didn't... I just felt so relieved. 

Overall, while it was a relaxing vacation, it was also full of many revelations for me.  One is that I'm smaller than I feel I am.  I saw pics and reflections of myself and it didn't feel real.  I still feel like that big girl but I'm TRYING to get that out of my head.  I was still shocked to fit in all the rides fine, no worries about stalls or shopping, and I look 'normal'.  But it hasn't fully sunk in.  I wonder if it every will.  But I'm trying.  :)