bet you never thought i'd do this.

I'm doing something a little different for Lent this year. I'm still giving up the usual sweets, but I'm adding to that. Lent is about giving up what hurts the most, what you've become dependent upon...for me, that would be Disney trip planning. I'm not talking about REAL trip-planning, when I have a destination in mind and I'm sorting out actual plans for that; I'm talking about uselessly poring over forums and sites to read others' trip reports and dining reviews. For most people, this might sound ridiculous and extreme. But if you know me, you're probably not surprised.

I wake up every morning and check www.wdwmagic.com for the latest Walt Disney World news. I get Google alerts on Bob Iger, the company's CEO. I frequent www.allears.net to see what Debbie's got different up there, such as updates menus for different restaurants. I check the DISboards and the Be Our Guest Podcast forums at least once a week. I check blogs such as www.thedvclife.com, www.thedisneydrivenlife.com, and my friend Rikki's blog, "A Disney World After All," nearly every day. I stalk Disney's official website and drool over pictures of various restaurants and resorts when I'm bored at work. Not to mention the countless podcasts I listen to every day in the car on the way to school and work.

I need an intervention. This is taking up too much time in my life...I used to read books at work, and now I read Disney blogs. Which is fine, to a certain extent...but not for 8 hours straight. So, to remedy this, I'm giving it up for Lent.

Because we are in the process of planning a tentative trip to the World this summer, I will still allow myself communication with the folks at The Magic for Less Travel. I will still allow myself to access certain parts of WDW's official site to book ADRs, etc. I will still allow myself to listen to Magical Mouse Radio and my Disney playlist, because they keep me sane when I'm having a bad day. But as for everything else...see you in six weeks.

I'm pretty nervous about this. I'm not gonna know what to do with myself. Maybe I can learn to use this time more wisely, like reading the Scriptures more. Maybe I can learn to rely more on God and less on a company that controls a theme park (well, they control more than a theme park, but you get my point).

I know I'll miss all my Disney time, but I think it's time I joined the real world...at least for a little while.

Everyone have a magical day, and a happy Mardi Gras!