FREE FOR ALL! This week’s You Capture is photographer’s choice and I chose my favorite photo from our trip to Disney World last month.

That day was the first time I’ve ever been to Disney World and the weather has been cool and cloudy – a nice change from hot and muggy!

If you’re interested, this set includes all the photos from our yearly Disney pilgrimage! Including a behind the scenes tour of The Lands.

In honor of Mike’s 30th birthday (and because he told me to), I’m going to list the great things about him and the nice things he does for me on a daily basis. He thinks I only blog about him when I have something bad to say, so I’m going to prove him wrong by listing 30 great things for his 30th birthday. It’s a daunting task, but my bluff has been called.

1. He doesn’t hog the bed. In fact, he’s usually clutching the side like he’s about to fall off a cliff, which means I get 3/4 of the king-size bed all to myself – but it’s a trade off because he does snore.
2. He saves lives for a living.
3. He encourages the purchase of high end leather goods on a quarterly basis. Coach also appreciates this outstanding trait.
4. He doesn’t flinch when I reach over and eat off his plate. Though now he reaches over and eats off mine – which I’m totally not cool with.
5. He cleans the toilets. No need for a #toiletwand with him around!
6. He takes the dog out after dark so I don’t get mugged in the parking lot.
7. He scrapes the snow and ice off my windows in the winter.
8. He knows how to give a good hair cut.
9. He brings me home fountain pop upon request.
10. He’s calm (read: occasionally catatonic).
11. He lets all five of my cousins hang all over them even though they are perpetually covered in jam.
12. He loves Disney World and always wants to book a vacation.
13. He has no problem picking up poop when someone has an accident in the house.
14. He rarely tells me no.
15. He appreciates the art of hand-written thank-you notes.
16. He loves mold-a-ramas.
17. He has the astounding ability to tune out my nagging. Good for him. Bad for me.
18. He always carries up the groceries.
19. He never gets mad – and if he does get mad I just don’t notice which probably really pisses him off.
20. He’s my own personal IT department.
21. He introduced me to Battlestar Galactica and I secretly love it.
22. He irons his own clothes.
23. He loves weiner…dogs.
24. He works 24-hour shifts so I get every 3rd day to myself.
25. He lets me punch him to show how much I love him.
26. He’s sentimental – as is evident by the stack of “Congratulations on your 1st Communion” cards I discovered when we moved in together.
27. He plans on moving me across the country and isn’t stressed one iota about the logistics.
28. He doesn’t mind that I blog about vibrators, marital problems, or ball chafing.
29. He secretly likes when I sing and dance for him. Especially my elevator dance. I can tell.
30. He hasn’t divorced me. Yet.

Happy Birthday, Mike! You’ve got a year to really step up your game so I can add #31 next year.

One of those bags is $158 at Anthropologie. The other is $29.50 at Old Navy. Since I have a fleeting obsession with ruffles this fall, I know which one I’ll be buying.

Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year – apple cider, layering clothes, lower utility bill – so I thought I’d share three of my all time favorite autumn photos for this week’s You Capture.

I also just signed up for Picnik and am getting the hang of some of their features – I’m obviously a big fan of saturation and rounded corners. I’m of the school of thought that if a photo is going to be edited/altered/enhanced, it should be done very obviously.

What’s old is new again, right? Enjoy!

Me and my sister – 2007

My husband (before he was my husband) and dog – downtown Indianapolis- 2006

My dog – 2006

My tank-ass started Atkins on Monday. My goal is to lose 55 pounds.

55 pounds. Isn’t that the average weight of a 2nd grader?

Once I get all my meals planned out, Atkins is about the only diet that I don’t struggle with. Especially since it’s not as stringent as it used to be – there’s lots of veggies with every meal to offset the heart-stopping bacon and eggs breakfasts.

The only part of the diet that’s a real challenge for me is what to drink. I usually drink fruit juice – but that’s the biggest Atkins faux pas I can make – and I can only drink so much hot tea with Splenda before my bladder explodes. So you can bet I mustered up a parched YES when Fruit2O asked if I’d like to sample the six new flavors of Fruti2O Essentials.

Fruit20 Essentials are an Atkin’s dream – zero calories, zero carbs, with the nutrients equal to two servings of fruit in every bottle. The flavors are subtle and refreshing – which is what I crave most between cheese courses. I think that they are best served very cold to bring out the fruit flavors.

• Cranberry Raspberry
• Strawberry Kiwi
• Peach Mango
• Citrus
• Blueberry Pomegranate *my favorite*
• Cherry Acai

Whether you’re on a diet or just looking for a healthier alternative to fruit juices and soda, get your coupon and gives Fruit2O a try. It’s saved my tank-ass from cheating on this diet!

This is a sponsored post. Please see my site policy if you have any questions. I’m going to have another piece of bacon.

Back in my Catholic school days (seriously – is there anybody out there that didn’t guess that I went to Catholic school?) I used to totally rock the saddle shoes and knee high socks. Granted, it was more of a uniform requirement than a personal choice – what I really wanted to wear the LA Gears with the leather spirals on the side and the license plate key chain, but my mom said they would get too dirty – but looking back I think they totally kick ass.

In fact, I think they kick so much ass that I want a pair now. The question is, does a grown woman wearing saddle shoes look chic and fashion forward or like a complete idiot?

I am such a cheap-ass about some things. I know it’s hard to believe that she who will spend $400 on a purse in the blink of an eye is a tightwad, but I am – and the #1 thing I hate to spend money on, is cable.

We’ve been piddle-dicking around with rabbit ears and balling up tinfoil for almost 3-years now, because I absolutely refuse to pay $50/mo for no-frills cable. Shouldn’t access to channels 2-5-7-9-32 a basic human right?

Not having cable really doesn’t phase us – until we have a lazy weekend and there’s nothing to do but twiddle our thumbs.

Apparently someone took pity on us poor cable-less souls and created Fancast. Oh, how I want to make-out with whoever created Fancast. 10,000 hours of online video programming, more than 60,000 available videos, over 13,000 of which are full-length television shows such as Glee – which I have never seen because I.don’t.have.cable. – all for FREE.

Of course, there’s some quick commercials that pop up during the videos – but who gives a rip? It’s FREE! And those commercials keep it FREE so by all means tell me a little bit about Cesars dog food.

As excited as I am about Fancast, you’re going to have to go check it out yourself – I have to go overdose on Glee.

This was a slightly, maybe, possibly sponsored post. I am entered to win gift certificates for blogging about Fancast. Please see my site policy if you have any questions.

The annual Foster Family Vacation is in full planning mode. For the past several years, our immediate family has vacationed together in early spring to shake off the winter funk. Our only requirements are that the destination be warm enough to lounge by the beach or pool and that the cocktails are plentiful. My mom also doesn’t object to a slot machine to occupy her time.

We’ve been to the Bahamas and Las Vegas, but it’s time for something more exotic. Destinations across Asia Pacific, such as Australia, Fiji, and Bali definitely meet those requirements! And the Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific can make our vacation dreams a reality.

Deals on over 1 million hotel rooms runs from October 27 thru 29 and start at just $30 a night – for that price, I could take a sabbatical and nobody would see me for months! You can travel anytime between December 9 and April 10 – so now is the time to start planning for those late winter vacations when cabin fever starts to set in!

Accor hotels include Pullman, Grand Mercure, All Seasons, and others – so you’re not going to get stuck in some shitty little hostile in a foreign country.

You’ll need to book quickly because these prices only last for the duration of the 3-day Super Sale! Maybe the Foster Family will see you in Australia!

Full disclosure – Eden Fantasys sent me free sex toys. And I took them to Disney World. Don’t act shocked. I’m not the first or last person to bring chocolate flavored lube to Disney World.*

The Chocolates Sweet Spot Kit arrived just in time to cram into my carryon and has not one, not two, but three vibrators – that’s a total of 5 AA batteries, so stock up. Preferably not at the airport gift shop. Or before the TSA screening. It raises eyebrows.

The traditional vibrator and the pocket rocket are nice extras, but the real star is the bullet. At a little over 2 inches long and quite chunky, it’s a nice size to palm in your hand – it’s big enough where you can’t miss what you’re aiming for but small enough to not get in the way of anything else that may be going on – and has four delightful speeds.

And while I don’t recommend actually ingesting the Chocolate Spread – it smells better than it tastes, take my word for it – it’s slippery and the name is just raunchy enough to make you smirk – which is really all you can ask of a lube.

As an added bonus – everything is SHINY. I love shiny. I can’t pass up anything shiny – let alone anything vibrating and shiny.

Now I know why they call it the happiest place on earth.

*Do you suppose that blogging about Disney World and sex toys in the same post is the reason why I wasn’t selected to be a Disney Mom? Just wondering.