Tom discusses his experience with the local Orlando theme parks, how it was growing up versus living in the area. Visiting the parks as a kid used to be a big, expensive endeavor that happened at most twice within a decade. In between visits, Tom was able to feed his theme park needs by watching the occasional Disney TV show or anniversary special that showed the parks. All his friends saw living close to and working at the theme parks as a lofty goal. So as soon as Tom moved to Orlando he couldn't wait to get an annual pass to Walt Disney World, and later Universal Studios Florida. He found that experiencing the parks as a local with an annual pass is a very different experience, making them feel like your extended back yard. From going to Epcot with friends after work, or running to get Mardi Gras food during his lunch break, annual pass life is sweet! Even though they are expensive, annual passes do save money if you go as often as Tom & Melody did, which was weekly in pre-COVID times. But the biggest benefit comes from the whole different way to experience everything the resorts have to offer, with a lot less stress than if you were only here for a few days. Tom gives a YouTuber Shout-Out to Adrian from Theme Park Express, who gives news updates on the parks and has fun livestreams featuring his girlfriend Koda and her "Baby Yoda", Nugget.
Melody's YouTuber Shout-Out goes to Stacey of RealWorldAIP, whose unorthodox recepies are excellent for nutrient density (e.g. marrow cheese, nomlette), and Melody gained an appreciation for her ability to do recipe substitutes with whole foods. Melody has lost 90 pounds in 16 months and she gets frustrated when she is asked if she feels better. One of the reasons she starts a weight loss journey is when she gets to a heavier weight her knees start to hurt. She doesn't notice feeling better until and unless she relapses and starts noticing how bad she felt before. As she has entered a temporary maintenance phase, despite having lost 90 pounds, if she gains just a couple of pounds her knees start to hurt. Melody is five days into the full elimination phase of the Auto-Immune Protocol (AIP). She intends to do this phase for at least 90 days or until she feels better before reintroducing foods. Some people are afraid to start reintroductions because they feel so good eating only elimination phase foods, but they miss out on key nutrients. Melody continues her slow transition to the AIP which focuses in turn on "out with the bad", "in with the good", water intake, sleep, physical activity, and skin health.