A Real Princess Goes to the Magic Kingdom!

[Bill_Lin]

Hello Disboard Officianados:surfweb: !

The time has come to start a thread for my DDs Make a Wish Trip:wizard: . It has been very inspiring, informative and fun to read Wish Trip Reports :coffee: here. I hope our thread will do the same for others.

For those who don't want to read the background story.... skip this part.

Index of Pages in this Trip Report:
Medical Background and Introduction (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1545182)
Requisition Poem #65 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1545182&page=5)
Send Off Party #110 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1545182&page=8)
Day One: Flight and Arrival at Give Kids the World Village #133 and Day Two: Sea World #135 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1545182&page=9)
Day Three: MAGIC KINGDOM!!!! #137, Day Four: Morning at the Village #142, Animal Kingdom #143, Day Five: Universal Studios #145, Islands of Adventure #148, Pirates and Princesses Party at Give Kids the World #149 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1545182&page=10)
Day Six: Epcot #151, Disney Studios #152, Day Seven: Hang out at the Village and Fly Home #154 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1545182&page=11)
Magic Kingdom Poem #33 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1606643&page=3)

Let me begin in 1987. My DW Lin:hippie: , who even my female coworkers acknowledge is a HOTTIE, is also a redheaded Irish-Cherokee:scared1: . LIfe with her is lots of fun and certainly interesting:love: . Long before we met, she lost a little daughter to Neuroblastoma before she reached 2-years of age. "N-blast" is a cancer that often strikes children before or soon after birth. Before our family came along, it was commonly thought that it was not a genetically connected disease. My wife's maternal line showed otherwise.

My DW lost an uncle, two cousins, a sister and her daughter Becki to this disease. There are many other family stories from "the old days" of family members dying as children from cancer or "abdominal troubles."

My DW also had three healthy children before we met, and I had four nearly grown children of my own (they are all grown and gone now). To make a long story short, we met, fell deeply in love and married. We have one child together, Elysia, the Princess. Her name is from the Greek word for paradise.

We knew something was wrong when a fetal-age ultrasound showed an abnormality. We prayed that it was not N-blast. Immediately after birth, our beautiful DD went in for a CT scan. At 6 weeks she began her surgeries. I will never forget the eye contact she made with me when the surgical team took her away. All I could say was my nickname for her "Sugar Baby," as tears welled up in my eyes.

Surgery lasted hours. One adrenal gland was removed as cancerous and a 'c' shaped tumor was removed from around her spinal cord. Unfortunately, the adrenal tumor had adhered to her renal artery. Several hours later another surgery was performed to remove her kidney. Months of chemo followed.

Somehow, our, now bald, little baby bounced back. Things looked great for months. 6 months later the other adrenal gland showed up as cancerous. It was removed and more chemotherapy followed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/LysiinPink.jpg

Miraculously, she has been cancer free for over three years now as confirmed by twice-yearly diagnostics (2-days each go and lots of difficult tests). We thank God for this answer to prayer. Dr. Judy Felgenauer of the Spokane Sacred Heart Children's Hospital Pediatric Oncology clinic is to be thanked for her expert guidance and wise consultation with colleagues:flower3: . Dr. Diane McCarthy, the surgeon achieved the amazing feat of removing EVERY cancer cell during the last surgery:cheer2: .

Bill and Lin

[Bill_Lin]

For those waiting for Wish Trip information only, skip this post

There is an old Jewish saying, "Coincidence is not a Kosher word;) ." I prefer to see the hand of God in the story that unfolds below:yay: .

"It just so happens that" Elysia's oncologist was beginning her practice by studying under Becki's oncologist back in 1989. When she met Elysia in 2002, she remembered Becki:idea: . It gets more amazing from here.

The doctor who had been Becki's oncologist was, by the time Elysia was born, a cancer researcher conducting in-depth research into Neuroblastoma. Dr. Judy contacted him to tell him about this second incidence of the disease from children of the same mother. He requested genetic samples from all of Elysia's close relatives:grouphug: . From this sampling, not only was it demonstrated that in her form of N-Blast, there is a genetic connection, but the actual gene was found. Now children can be tested to see if they have this aggressive form of the disease.

[Bill_Lin]

Lysiprincess: , as we call her at home, is doing very well these days:banana: . She has Addison's Disease from having her adrenal glands removed and operates on only one kidney:headache: . Thrice daily (I have waited ever since studying Shakespeare in college to use that word) steroid doses take care of the lack of adrenal glands for the most part, although occasional injections and emergency hospitalizations :scared1: for I.V. therapy result from ordinary illnesses like the flu or from injuries. She also receives injections to prevent her growth from stopping at too young an age:sad2: .

Otherwise she is a healthy, active, brilliant, sweet, precocious little girl. She has graduated from Head Start and is about to start Kindergarten:yay: .

[Bill_Lin]

If you were waiting for Wish Trip information only, start reading here......

Last winter, and believe me Spokane knows how to have a real winter :santa:, on our last hospital visit for scans, we found a brochure from Wishing Star, a wish granting organization with an office in Spokane. When we asked about it,they researched the issue and told us that they thought Elysia would qualify:grouphug: . They assisted us in completing an application for the Make a Wish Foundation:wizard: .

One week later, I called Tammy at Children's Hospital Child Life Services to ask about the qualification standards for a Wish Trip. Tammy was very nice and said that she was sure Elysia would qualify because any child who was in six months or more of treatment for cancer would be entitled to a wish trip:dance3: . We became cautiously optimistic.

[Bill_Lin]

We asked Lysi what she would wish :wizard: for if she was awarded a wish trip. She said that she would wish to spend the night in Cinderalla's Castle ..at :tink: Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

[Bill_Lin]

A Wish Trip volunteer, Kathy, from our little home town (a person I had worked with on local committees in the past:thumbsup2 ) called to set up an appointment for a Make a Wish interview:cool1: . Elysia danced around all day singing a little song she made up, Make a Wish is Coming to Visit Me:yay: . It was so adorable. What a joy to see our little Sugar Babyprincess: , who has been through so much suffering, trauma and stress in her life:sad: , filled with joy and delight:love: . Her eyes really lit up:woohoo: . Throughout the day she would stand by her special window in our living room to see if Kathy's car was there yet:goodvibes .

Kathy Wellman arrived at 7:15 p.m. Kathy introduced herself to Elysia and asked her lots of questions about school and all of the things that Lsyi enjoys. Finally Kathy asked Elysia to tell her what her One Big Wish in would be if she could have any wish in the world. Elysia said that she would wish to spend the night in Cinderalla's Castle at :tink: Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Kathy told us that a lot of kid's have the wish to visit the Magic Kingdom and get to stay at a wonderful place called Give Kids the World Village with all sorts of fun activities, beautiful rooms and free meals:dance3: . Lysi became very excited about GKTW:cool1: .

Elysia decided that she would still like to ask for a night at Cinderalla's Castle but would like to make her wish include a week at GKTW at any rate.

Kathy told us that GKTW would provide tickets to the Orlando area theme parks:banana: .

[Bill_Lin]

:surfweb:
Daddy went on the internet to find information about Give Kids the World Village and wish trips:wizard: . He learned that GKTW is a resort where wish kids can stay for approximately a week while they visit Orlando area theme parks:yay: . A stay at includes a 3-Day Park Hopper Pass to Walt Disney World theme parks including MK, AK, MGM and Epcot:cheer2: .

2-Day Park Hopper passes are included for Universal and Islands of Adventure:banana: .

1-Day tickets are included for Sea World:goodvibes .

GKTW has lots of attractions of its own for kids to enjoy. These include a small scale train ride, the Castle of Miracles , the Gingerbread House cafeteria , an Ice Cream Palace, a beautiful prayer chapel, spacious 2-room duplex villas to stay in with whirlpool tubs and two bathrooms, a swimming pool, a water fountain play area, a butterfly garden, an arcade building and a dinosaur themed miniature golf course:dance3: .

[Bill_Lin]

On May 18, 2007, we got THE BIG CALL!!!!!!!!

Elysia's Wish Trip to GKTW has been approved:yay: ! Hurray:dance3: ! Huzzah:cheer2: ! We are so thrilled. Lysi is ecstatic. It does not seem likely that she will be able spend the night in Cinderella's Castle since Disney is using those stays as the big daily prize in their Year of Wishes Sweepstakes. It looks like the trip will most likely be in the fall for seven days and six nights. We will have to wait for final word on these issuespixiedust: .

[Bill_Lin]

Now I began to look for more detailed information on line about Wish Trips:surfweb: . I found wdwinfo.com and was thrilled at the accurate, detailed and helpful information:thumbsup2 . Through that website, I found DISBOARDS. I met wonderful people like wendygrace, who must be the real Wendy Lady from Peter Pan, and 5dwarves whose wish trip reports were by far the most helpful information in the world:cheer2: .

I began a Wish Trip Journal for Lysi to record all that was happening, created a Countdown Calendar to hang on the wall with stickers posted for each day that passesprincess: , and began to review ride clips and information with everyone going on the trip:dance3: . I also got tapes of two Travel Channel shows, one on Walt Disney World and one on Sea World. At the Disney site, I ordered custom maps for our family trip (they are real cool and appropriate for momentos) and a DVD on Disney World Trip Planning:tinker: . It is awesome!!

[Marion]

On May 18, 2007, we got THE BIG CALL!!!!!!!!

Elysia's Wish Trip to GKTW has been approved:yay: !

Yay! :cool1: Can't wait to hear the dates! One of my closest friends got to go on a Wish trip with her daughter and grandson and they had a wonderful time. She said the resort is so amazing the parks themselves were secondary and they would have been perfectly happy just staying at GKTW! :woohoo:

[Bill_Lin]

We get our dates:dance3: !!!!!! September 17-23, 2007:banana: . We are thrilled to learn three things:

1) It is still REALLY hot an HUMID in September, but there is a very small, slim, outside chance of seeing fireflies :jumping3: :jumping2: (other than the animatronic ones on Pirates of the Caribbean).

2) It is free dining month for people staying at Disney Resorts so the Disney Parks will be swamped:upsidedow .

3) It is the height of hurricane season:scared1: .

Once the paranoia levels off, none of this seems too bad. I have survived the infamous Columbus Day Typhoon in Seattle:laundy: , had one tornado pass over my head :cold: (thankfully I did not know that was what it was until it was gone or I would have... well use your imagination), one chase me across Spokane in my rear view mirror and one pass near by while I was in class at college, so what is a little hurricane anyway. Besides, I see that a hurricane has only shut down GKTW once, and that due to a power outage.

The main thing is that we are going and dates make it seem more real:smickey: :mickeyjum .

[Bill_Lin]

I have always enjoyed preparing for positive experiences almost as much as the experiences themselves. I actually like studying. If only I could get paid for doing such things I would be a happy camper:surfweb:

Things I have learned and applied from information on this board:
1) Everyone needs to start walking :cool1: to get in shape for 5 plus days of intense theme park backpacking. Oddly, I have trouble getting the rest of the crew enthused about this. There is something ironic about the fact that Dad, who is recovering from a severe heart condition and little Lysi princess: who has short little legs, are the only ones interested in walking training.
*****Exciting Foot Note*******
My heart has improved so much that I can now walk 4.5 miles at a go:yay: .

2) Crocs are the official and best choice for rides that will get us wet, pavement that is hard and sudden rainstorms. We go to the local Hallmark Store to get Crocs. We learn that sizes vary slightly depending on the country of manufacture (written on the sole):confused: .

3) A daily itinerary will have to be planned (to be thrown out the window later if necessary) about which park to visit on which day. This will be affected by what time our planes arrive and leave, what events are planned in the evening at GKTW, when Extra Magic Hours will make parks crowded enough to scare us away (or draw us in if they let us take advantage of those hours), how tired we plan to be each day, what the opening and closing hours are for each park and what the expected crowd volume will be at each. WHEW:eek: !.... I need a chart if not a computer to plot this all out. Thankfully there is wdwinfo.com :surfweb: .

[Avivasmom]

You have me in tears...I feel like I am sitting right there with you waiting for yoiur trip to happen.

Your daughter sounds like an angel!!! I cannot wait to read more and cannot wait to read about your Trip!

You will have blast!

[Bill_Lin]

1) The Star of the Show is DD Sugar Baby:bride: , AKA Elysia the Real Princess princess: (the other day we bought a book about how to become a real princess focusing on manners), the WISH TRIP KID. She is actually the one taking us all on this adventure:cloud9: . She is:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/Lysisink.jpg
5
A ball of fire
Sugar and spice
Brilliant
Full of energy
Able to wrap "Daddo" around her little finger with ease.

2) DS Kyle 13 pirate: who is:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/Kyle.jpg
Totally Cool :cool1:
A major chick magnet (although girls that young are probably chicklets).
A true adventurer and extremist
Determined to go on the Rockin Roller Coaster no matter what.

3) Jason, DS 26:coffee: , Lysi's hero who left his job across the state and moved in with us when Lysi was diagnosed. Since then he has come down with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy which stopped his piano playing (he was REALLY good) and guitar playing and which causes him a lot of pain. This does not stop him from reaching out to all kinds of people and giving of himself constantly. He is:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/Jason.jpg
A major chick magnet (only the chicks are a lot older than Kyles)
A funny person
A caring and giving man
Single (don't tell him I told you that)

4) Lin, DW:hippie: , who is known as a real HOTTIE (I noticed this a long time ago), carries the world on her shoulders (for years she has had to care for a daughter with cancer, a son with RSD and a husband with a heart condition), and really deserves this trip.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/fb376f46.jpg
She is:
Everyone's hero around here
Hilarious
A great wife
Really looking forward to this trip

5) Me:surfweb: . I am:
Obsessive about planning this trip
Totally spoiling my DD
Completely healed in my heart
Writing this wordy report

WE ARE ALL:
So grateful to God for this trip and totally jazzed about going.

[Bill_Lin]

Well, we got our flight times and I put together a plan:coffee: :

Monday arrive at GKTW around 6:00 p.m.:sick: , check in, eat and have fun at the village:cool2: . This could be interesting after a 5.5 hours non-stop flight from Seattle (suggestions are welcomed for entertaining a 5 year old girl and a 13 year old boy sitting down for so long):scared1: .

Tuesday- do a short day at Sea World, return to the village, eat, have fun:fish: .

Wednesday- MAGIC KINGDOM :donald: pluto: ::MinnieMo :tink: :mickeyjum and the chance to meet Cinderella princess: (most important character to DD, followed by the other princesses and Piglet). Eat Dinner at the Grand Floridian with Cinderella. If there is a cancellation we will do lunch with her at the castle instead. We will see if Make a Wish can get us in for an early Magic Hour for Kids in Fantasyland.

Thursday- A, comparably, short day at Animal Kingdom :tigger: paw: :ccat: followed by Christmas at Give Kids the World:santa: . Like many other Wish Trip families who have posted we believe Christmas is all about Christ, Giving, Love, Sharing, and Really cool decorations, but Santa was a real person long ago and a fun idea now. I am not sure the Florida snow will be quite like our Christmas snow in the Selkirk Mountains however. I cannot remember a Christmas here that was not WHITE:cold: .

Friday, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, followed by the Piratespirate: and Princesses princess: Party at GKTW.

Saturday, MGM:wizard: and Epcot:3dglasses , although I am really confused about which to do when. It should be REALLY busy at MGM and slow at EPCOT. Epcot stays open later, but MGM has a neater fireworks show...... So many decisions:confused3 . One thing I do know, my plan is to drop everyone else off at one park, take the car to the park we will end up at, ride the bus back to the other park..... wait, do I have that right. I hope I don't end up in Cleveland. No offense to those who live there. We will take the boat from one park to the other. We really like boats:sail: . Did I mention my Granpa was a lighthouse keeper? :offtopic:

Sunday, we plan to take some time thanking God together in the chapel at GKTW:angel: , then we have some options since we don't check in at the airport until 4:00. Do we:
A) Go back to use our other day at Universal/IOA
B) Go to the Atlantic:beach: because all but DW have never been and we really like shells
C) Kick back at the village... stay tuned to find out what we do

[Bill_Lin]

Oh Dear... I have done it now. I actually made a check off chart :teacher: so each person can choose their "must do" attractions at each park. I have asked them to number their top choices. For MK it is 1-10, for the smaller parks, not so many.

My idea is to be sure EVERYONE gets to do at least their top choices at each park.

Does this seem clinical:confused3 ? Hmmmmmm.

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Absolutely wonderful!!!! You are doing a wonderful job on your report. I am looking forward to reading more. Between you, Wendygrace and 5dwarves I am just in awe. I don't think I could ever do a trip report as good as your guys'! I may give it a try....haven't decided yet. :) Keep up the good work!!

[alizesmom]

This is an absolutely fantastic start. I'm glad to meet your family and looking forward to your DD's Wish Trip :banana:. Chill out and enjoy the trip. Karen

[jennydep]

YEA!! I can't wait to read more! I am making lists of everyone's "must do's" for our trip in two weeks!! It's fun, isn't it?!?

[Avivasmom]

Great plan so far!!! Very organized!!

[Who'syourMickey]

Wow, Bill, great start to your TR. I was about to burst into uncontrollable sobs when I found out your little princess is your wife and your only child together, and am SO relieved that she's been cancer free for three years. What a big job taking care of a little girl missing really important glands/organs, and keeping her well.

Our dd wants to visit Cinderella at her Castle (which can be done at CRT in the lobby), sleep in a princess bed (we are going to get a hanging princess canopy to put over her bed at GKTW), dress like a princess (grandma's making princess dresses), ride in Cinderellas carriage and I think we have everything she asked for scheduled but that. I imagine with insurance for the parks riding in Cinderellas carriage with Cinderella would be impossible. She just watched a show today and saw the suite in cinderella's castle, and said "Mom, I just saw a show and did you know there is a Cinderella suite INSIDE the castle?" and I told her "Yes, I knew and there was one winner a day for it." One things for sure, our dd's have a passion for Cinderella in common.

It is possible for your dd to maybe win the night in the castle? Don't they just pick people at random as they enter the gates? I'm crossing my fingers for your dd to still win it.

I think I need to ask everyone their top things they would like to see also. We're looking forward to meeting your family since we will be at GKTW the same week. It will be a princess party for sure.

[wendygrace]

oh yay! What is it with our little girls and Cinderella? Too cute! I'm so glad you started this and thank you for the touch of magic. ;) I am so excited for you. I just went over the pics from our trip with some friends and I was tearing up again. I can't wait to go back someday!

By the way, I did the checklist as well. A good book for this is something called "Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids by Kids!". I highly recommend it! My kids loved flipping through it and I "read" it to them (told them about the rides) every night for a few weeks and then we asked each kid which were their top three. We made sure to hit those top three for both our kids.

Great start to your report. I am so glad we have so many of these going. It will really help others in the future, I think!

[Bill_Lin]

Okay.... I have not been able to figure out how to insert pictures. Is there a site that is a tutorial for this with topics such as resizing, activating html, etc.?

Thanks to all who can answer this.

Bill

[LeeLee2U]

Oh Bill, what a great start!!!! I' so glad you decided to do this.

I still am really hoping for your DD to get that night in the castle. I told my boys about her wish and they both said they were going to pray for it to happen!! Braeton said if he won it he would give it to her!!

We'll be in MK for part of wed and we'll be in AK Thurs. also. This is so exciting!!!

[wendygrace]

Bill, I'm not very good at that stuff either but found photobucket easy. I download my pictures to it, then I click a button to resize, copy the url for forums and paste it onto here. Its easy!

[Bill_Lin]

Thanks to all for the Photobucket advice:yay:. I had not thought of that even though we use it to communicate with my oldest son who is in combat in Baghdad:sad2:. Our pictures help to remind him of home and what he is fighting for. His pictures help us feel closer to him while he is there. He is a Sergeant in the 3rd Infantry Division. Right after he graduated from college, 9-11 happened. He came and told me that he was joining the army as an enlisted man because he did not want his little sister Lysi to be in a building somewhere when someone flew a plane into it. He is very brave and an amazingly good man:angel:. Please keep Christopher in your prayers. This is his second combat tour in Baghdad.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/InHummer.jpg

[Bill_Lin]

We have "practiced" theme parking, by visiting our "local" theme park, Silverwood Theme Park:cool1:. It is 2 hours away in Athol, Idaho. Seriously, I am not making up the name of the town. It is pronounced Ath-ole:scared1:.

Silverwood opens the park the evening of their first day each year (if you knew what northern Idaho weather is like in winter you would not wonder why they aren't open year-round) to people with life-threatening illnesses or developmental disabilities:cheer2:. We try to go each year, and went last May.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/LysiSilverwoodSweatshirt.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/LysiKyleElephant.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/LyisCarousel.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/Clown.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/Flume.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/Climb.jpg

Silverwood has two BIG rollercoasters, one corkscrew coaster, a log flume, a river raft type ride, a large water slide park and lots of small rides as well as a genuine steam train. http://www.silverwoodthemepark.com/

[LeeLee2U]

Your son is AWESOME! As all our soldiers are!! My nephew who is like a brother to me is also over in Iraq. He's an Army Paratrooper. He's in the 82nd Airborne. We pray for all our soldiers every night and will add Christophers name to our list and your family also.
Love the pics! And how neat to that Silverwood does that each year!!! We used to have Astroworld not quite 2 hours away but that's gone now.:sad1: And my boys never got to go.:sad2:
Keep it coming!!!

[Bill_Lin]

It can actually snow here in September when we will be in Florida, but that is rare. It usually waits until October for the first snow.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/100_1434.jpg
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:santa:

[Who'syourMickey]

Love the pics Bill!

I've been thinking about what you said about the beach because we are thinking about a day at the beach if budget allows, which it probably doesnt, but this would have been my plan for the ultimate beach day.:beach:

On our do over trip seven years ago we went to Anna Maria Island, it is around Sarasota, which is two to two and a half hours from Orlando. White sand beaches and crystal clear blue water and dolphins in the water! Paradise. This would be the direction I would drive to see a beach that is worthy to be called a beach, whose waves are gentle enough for children to play in and enjoy because it is on the gulf side and not the ocean side (less current, waves that won't knock a small child over). I would start early, 6 am, grab coffee or donuts, wish child asleep on their special GKTW pillow during the drive, drive to the beach Sarasota, longboat key, bradenton beach, or anna maria island area, spend 1/2 a day at the beach then on the way home see busch gardens tampa (I think Busch Gardens has free GKTW tickets), then come home to GKTW in the eve by 9:30 or so and do the pizza dinner. It's a long day but mostly driving and seeing gardens so not exausting like a theme park (I think busch gardens is a garden but it has some rides). There is a cool walking trail through woods that opens up right on the beach at Anna Maria, that was a highlight too. After two or three hours on the beach you would want a break in air conditioning. That would be a great time to get fast food and get on the road to Tampa.

Our dd also would like to jetski. There is a jetski by the Cinderella castle rentable from the monorail to a disney resort like the GF or CR but it is swamp water and there could be diseases in it. If I had an extra $200 (2 hours of jetski rental), the beach, like holmes beach near anna maria island, would be the perfect place to rent a jetski at the beach area, take turns riding in it 3 at a time while the others played in view on the beach. You can jetski out where there are dolphins. jetski was part of our dd's dream too.

What do you experienced travelers think? Is the beach and Busch Gardens with a five hour drive too much? I know that my dd would sleep in the van so It would be important rest for her during the drive.princess:

[tinkercat]

What a great start!

I am hoping and praying that somehow, some way, they'll be able to make Lysi's dream of sleeping in the castle come true. I couldn't help but smile when I read your big date, May 18th. You see, we were lucky enough to spend May 18th sleeping in the castle suite, so its a special date for me as well. I know your little princess would love staying there and I'm wishing along with her that it will happen.

I can't wait to read more!

[Bill_Lin]

About the Ocean. We are not too worried about big waves as we live on the west coast. Now we REALLY know how to have BIG waves out here. We were thinking of a quick drive over to Cape Canaveral just to dip out toes in the Atlantic and look for a few shells. My folks live on near the Straits of Juan de Fuca in Washington State which is a slightly sheltered spur off of the Pacific. We love to walk in the water and play on the beach. I will say that the north Pacific is a LOT cooler than the north Atlantic, but in shallow water it can be nice in the summer. As far as the Gulf of Mexico, I am a tad nervous about recent articles on flesh-eating bacteria in the Gulf. Also, it is in the opposite direction from the airport. These are fun choices to have to be made, compared to the choices we have had to make throughout Lysi's life.

It is so wonderful to have the support and ideas of everyone here. This is a wonderful community!

[Avivasmom]

Your daughter is just adorable....and we will keep your son in our thougths and prayers for his safety.

[Who'syourMickey]

Flesh eating bacteria!!!!! YUK!!!!:eek: We were making plans to go to St. Petes and have dd wear her professional quality scuba mask to protect her eyes from bacteria & such. Sigh. Google said that children with illnesses are more succeptable to bacteria. I know dd's docs don't want her getting any questionable water in her eyes. Well, my new TR plans I'm about to post have the beach included but now that puts a question mark on it.

[alizesmom]

Bill, Blessings and thanks to your son. Karen

[AAATGirl]

Hi im Who'syourMickey's dd AAAT Girl

see ya in 39 days :thumbsup2 :banana: :hourglass

[the4princesses]

Hi I'm so happy for you and your DD, getting to go to WDW!! I
Have a son who just turned 5 on Aug 11th. Your DD is soooo cute!
My DH's name is Christopher also, I'm so thankful for your son,that he would defend us, the USA!!:hug: We will pray for Christopher.
I hope you all enjoy WDW!
When did your DD turn 5?:cutie: .
Write back
Thank you,
Kathy

[5dwarves]

Bill & Lin,

You have gotten off to a great start. After chatting with you in my TR and on other TR's it is so nice to meet your family! I have had a brother in law come home from Iraq (USMC) and another who is still there with 4-5 months left of his 18+ month deployment. We greatly appreciate all the sacrifices our soldiers, sailors and marines make, and greatly appreciate their families for all their sacrifices as well.

Lysi is a doll! Have you considered BBB at DTD and coming soon to MK. They will do a princess hairstyle for $35 I believe, then $45 to include nails and then $175+ for the whole package (dress, tiara, scepter, etc.) The girls look like they walked out of a Disney movie. It is precious (photo pass people there too).

Make your wish for a night at Cinderella's castle known to your wish agency. They have contacts, I am sure, with Disney. You might want to call ahead to GKTW and tell them the same thing and ask them if they think something like that might be possible.

GKTW will give you tickets to Cape Canveral. They have a bus tour there.

I was hesitant about the ocean as well...my son is immunosupressed, and was not able to swim in a pool or ocean for 12 months post transplant. He can never swim in lakes or rivers because of the bacteria found there. I would think long and hard about it, and consult Lysi's doctors. There was a wish family at GKTW while we were there and they went to Cocoa Beach and said it was awful...they were very displeased.

I am hoping you won't have terrible crowds, in spite of the free dining plan. The GKTW button and GAC will help you through the lines tremendously.

Keep up the good pre TR!

Elisa

[5dwarves]

Bill:

You had said something about getting to GKTW at 5:00 or so. Dinner starts at 6:00 and Orientation is at 7:00. You will be moving at a pretty peppy pace once you get there.

When you get on property they will sit at one of the tables with you, gather the check in info and then someone will take you to your villa in a golf cart with the car following. That individual will show you around the villa (point out things like the thermostat and laundry area) and then there will be another orientation for parents where your ticket packages are passed out. When you check in you will be given your "Bunny Book". It has directions to all the parks, and general info. You won't have time to look over it completely, but you will want to flip through it briefly so that you can ask any questions at orientation. After having been on these boards, you will find that you are more well informed that anyone else there. Still though, I had a couple of questions pop up.

[KathyRN137]

I am completely entranced by your story and so very glad that your darling daughter's wish will be granted!! :goodvibes

Keeping your son and all our troops in my prayers....


Kathy

[Who'syourMickey]

We went to cocoa beach too and it was the worst beach I've ever been to, besides horseshoe beach. The deal was that cocoa was so dismal I said "lets try to find a different beach", then dh found "horseshoe beach" on the map north of cocoa and we drove there, it ended up being a 2 hour drive to 2 ft of beach near swampy murkey water in the middle of concrete and debris. :mad:

As far as what our docs are telling us, one of dd's opthomologists (in his 80's with decades of experience) says no swimming even in public pools because of bacteria and the other opthomologist (in his 30's, up to date, Harvard trained and highly respected also) says to wear a scuba mask and enjoy. It's the lovely thing about autoimmune disease, there is so many disagreements. So we can pick the one that best suits us. :woohoo:

Just kidding. :tiptoe: I haven't spent much time researching the issue of bacteria in beach water for myself to know the risks, to tell the truth. Our daughter isn't on immunosuppressants, but I still am concerned since she has an autoimmune disease that is highly suseptable to bacteria and virus's. Exposure to certain bacteria and virus's can cause flares. She will be put on immunosupressants if she has another flare. Of course, if I ask the one doc about it I know what he will say:rolleyes1 We should ask the Harvard one what he thinks about beaches.:beach:

If people get the flesh eating virus from the skin. I wonder if a precaution like putting liquid skin on any open wounds would help :confused3 . I don't want her to be in a little box of "you can't do this" because of arthritis and "you can't do this" because of uveitis and pretty soon the kid is afraid to do anything! I understand about being immunosuppressed and not being able to do it because of chemo or transplants. I still think it is sad. Wouldn't being immunosuppressed also mean that being exposed to a crowd of people (germs) would be dangerous too? I'm just curious how they come up with the list of what children can and can't do.:confused: I wonder how they compare risks, because if the risk of a theme park was equal to the risk of an ocean then it would just be kind of a risky week, maybe equally risky.

Now you see why I'm all the doctors favorite mom with my never ending questioning.:lmao:

I'm worried about my daughter in the heat too. She was overheated all last summer while we went door to door getting people of our town to sign a petition against an intermodal coming to our town, then her uveitis flared when she got the chicken pox virus (the virus/flare thing) at the end of the overheated summer. It was september when she was diagnosed but the flare had gone on silently all that summer. I worry that heat could trigger flares too.

I am so happy we are going even with all the concerns though, and it is REALLY nice to have other parents going through similar things on the disboards to talk too....:dance3:

[Bill_Lin]

My next over-planning step has been to get as many videos and DVDs as possible from our local library system that will prepare my DD to understand the theme of rides we might do.

Here is a list of movies that seem crucial for ride/ attraction-preparedness:
Bug's Life
Cat in the Hat (cartoon version)
Cinderella
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White
Aladdin
Beauty and the Beast
Winne the Pooh (any)
E.T.
Shrek
Men in Black
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Lion King
Peter Pan
Finding Nemo
Fantasia
(Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror and Pirates of the Caribbean don't seem that helpful and might have done more harm than good)

Here are books we had to find:
If I Ran the Zoo
Circus McGurkis
McElligot's Pool
One Fish Two Fish
Uncle Remus

I am sure there must be more. It is almost like some sort of a degree in movieology is a prerequisite.

On the list above my DD loved Cinderella, E.T. Cat in the Hat and finding Nemo.

Now I am trying to figure out if we "need" a portable DVD player or need to rent an airline movie player to keep the rest of the plane sane during our DD5s 5-hour flight from Seattle to Orlando.

Bill

[Who'syourMickey]

I am doing the same thing, except trying to watch the movies on cable, because I have library fines and am 86'ed from there. We just watched Bugs life on TV.

Here are some more (like there is time for all of these, I know)

Honey, I shrunk the kids
Raiders of the lost ark
Dumbo
Star Wars
Toy Story

[jennydep]

Bill, you may also want to read "And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street" by Dr. Suess. I remember there's a gift shop by that name at IOA. If you want to watch any of the rides, you can find most on YouTube. Plus Universal's website has snippets of several rides. My DD loved (and still loves) watching those.

[TheLastPrincess]

Bill, your DD is beautiful! I hope she has the bestest time at WDW. All girls are princesses. Your little girl especially is. :goodvibes

[wendygrace]

Hi there! You're doing good. I don't have anything to add about the ocean. We did not do it as there is no way we would have had the time to take time out to drive that far away. We considered it but I nixed it.

As for the movies, I started to do the movie thing and then I just couldn't keep up. When we got there, it really didn't matter. The kids enjoyed the rides regardless of whether they knew the movie or not.

As for the plane ride, we brought a CD player and a tape player and rented books on tape from the library. They used them briefly but just enjoyed being on the plane most of the time. The flight attendants also paid lots of attention to them and with snacks, well, there wasn't much time to fidget. Our flight was only about 3 hours though.

[Bill_Lin]

:scared1: It seems like I have caused a little panic about flesh-eating bacteria:scared1: .

It would be helpful for you to know that I tend, like many paren't of cancer survivors, to be very cautious about possible hazards:mad: . Don't even get me started about herbicides and artificial sweeteners.

I only actually have read one article about F.E.B. from the Gulf of Mexico. It was in Texas. The man concerned did have a compromised immune system and an open sore. Still, I intend to be careful. I have not heard of any incidents on the Atlantic.

I was hoping there might be a decent beach with sand, north of the Cape. Still, there will be plenty of other things to do besides the beach, and an hour plus drive to get there might be a bit much.

Sorry for causing any alarm:sad2: .

Bill

[Who'syourMickey]

Bill and Lynn,

You don't have to worry about causing me to panic. I already obsess about artificial sweetners, chemicals, chlorine in pools, all organic foods, and even Nail polish (yes, it smells and I am concerned about dd using it or the effect of the chemical on the eye). I don't let dd drink tap water!!!! Only bottled or Reverse Osmosis:cool1: So it would naturally not be any stretch for me to panic about flesh eating bacteria just as much as everything else. We can laugh at ourselves. :lmao: I plan on letting all my worries go and having fun on the trip. *insert deep cleansing breath here* If dd wants to eat cotton candy with red dye #5 in it, I will say nothing. One week can't hurt too much. :confused3

[Bill_Lin]

OH MY:scared1: !!!

We have an minor crisis:headache: . Stay tuned for further bulletins:

Did that get your attention:confused: ?

Let me give you some background. My gorgeous DW :hippie: and her, now, DS 13 pirate: went to DW when he was 5 (the same age our DD princess: is now). His main memory of that trip is being really bummed :guilty: and sad that he was too short to do the Rockin' Roller Coaster that trip.

That is a pretty extreme ride for a 5-year old to want to try, but he was the kind of kid that would put on a cape, climb up on the refrigerator and prepare to jump off while shouting "To Infinity and Beyond." :scared1: Thankfully Mom was there in time to avert "falling with style."

His Mom "promised" him that he would get to do it "next time." Well guess which ride will be closed when we are on our Wish Trip. Good guess the RRC:sad1: . We tried to break it to him gently and he took it pretty well. I don't actually think he would have liked it since he does not like spiral-looped coasters that bang his head from side to side:sick: .

I told him about E.E. at A.K., D.D. and The Hulk at I.O.A., Kraken at S.W. and reminded him about the "Mountains" at MK:woohoo: . What worked best was to let him know that by skipping R.R.C. he would have time to see Lights, Motors, Action. He is really in to things that explode and make loud noises. He liked that idea.

Thanks to everyone who has been so kind in your postings. I really appreciate the help I have received from everyone, especially:
wendygrace, Jennydepp, Who’syourMickey, 5dwarves, LeeLee2U, Alizesmom, Marion, Iluvmickeymouse, Avivasmom and tinkercat:grouphug: .

We have made contact with another family who will be on a Wish Trip when we are. It will be fun to meet them:) .

I have a new list of things we have not purchased or requisitioned yet:
Misting Fans (I am not sure if anyone in Washington State even knows what they are)
Swim Trunks/ Shorts for everyone
Crocs for DS 13
A Portable DVD Player :scared1: (unless we decide to rent a player from Alaska Airlines for $10.00, but they don't have much to offer on those)
Rain Ponchos

I am sure there must be more, but I can't think of it now.

May you all be Blessed,

Bill

[5dwarves]

Bill:

The misting fans at Wal-mart next to GKTW (a very busy place, btw) are $4.99 and look very similiar to the $20 ones they sell at Disney...one less thing to pack.

They also have ponchos there. I bought mine ahead of time and they were the thin disposable type for .99$ each...The Wal-Mart in Kissimmee has yellow ones with Minnie, Mickey(they were out of those while we were there) and I believe Cinderella, for $3.99, and they are of heavier weight plastic.

There are also a ton of swim suits there. I forgot mine and bought something at Walmart fairly inexpensively, and there was a large selection.

We got our portable DVD players from Target before we left. If you buy one, make sure it comes with a chargeable battery, or your daughter will have a 2lb paperweight without a cigarette lighter plug in on the plane. We had to buy ours seperately.

The other thing we were tripping over everywhere at Disney was crocs. They are in DTD and in the parks. We had purchased ours before we got there, and I didn't notice the price. We did buy some Disney jibbitz (the little buttons that go in the crocs) for $4.00 each. On the crocs website they are only $3.00...so, expect the crocs to be slightly higher there.

[LeeLee2U]

Bill
If you can't find misting fans let me know. They are all over here. Of course where I live the temp. and heat index has been higher than in Fl. Yep we've got pretty thick humidity here. Tues. it was 105 w/ a heat index of 112 and that was at 5:30 in the evening.
:sad2: about RRC Our DS& was so upset that it was going to be closed. I don't think he would'ne enjoyed it either.

On another note DS5 is so excited. We went to his spasticity and mobility Dr. Mon. He asked her to please measure him and he was 43 inches!:yay: (With his braces and shoes) So he will be able to ride just about everything he wants to do! He's hit a growth spurt. He was only 38 1/2 in. 4months ago!

Only a Month left!!!!! I know ya'll are getting excited!:dance3: We sure are!!

[Bill_Lin]

To Who'syourMickey:

I think it is fairly common for parents like us to become paranoid about health risks as we try to protect our children. I am beginning to get concerned about how my attitudes are affecting my DD, however. She was pulled out of the yard and into the house on several occasions recntly when neighbors were spraying "harmless" herbicides on their lawns. I read what the laboratory tests of those products actually said and was amazed at how deceptive some of the "EPA safe" labels are. At any rate, she now is afraid to walk on ANY grass without an okay from us that it is free from herbicides. The tried and true test to convince her is to point out clover, oxalis or other weeds in the grass.

She tends to get pretty freaked out if she sees a bump or bruise or spot on her body. She is even keeping a close eye on her freckles for any changes. Now my question is this: How much of this is from her hearing what I have said, how much is from public health announcements on television, and how much of this is because she is now old enough to understand what cancer is and what she really went through.

I am going to have to try harder to keep positive and protect her in more "sneaky" ways. I don't want to help her become a hypochondriac.

Keep Smiling!

Bill

[alizesmom]

[QUOTE=
She tends to get pretty freaked out if she sees a bump or bruise or spot on her body. She is even keeping a close eye on her freckles for any changes. Now my question is this: How much of this is from her hearing what I have said, how much is from public health announcements on television, and how much of this is because she is now old enough to understand what cancer is and what she really went through.

[/QUOTE]

Bill, I think it is difficult to draw a line between protection and obsession especially when our little ones have already been hurt. Do the best you can and she'll love you for it. Karen

[Bill_Lin]

Wow!:scared1: I have had an education about marketing this week. Up here we call Wal-Mart "Wally World" from National Lampoon's Vacation. Well, Wally World is in another world I think. They are putting out Halloween stuff... :headache: wait a minute, what month is this.... oh yeah, August. We had this brilliant idea to wait until the latter part of summer here before buying our trip clothes and such. There were almost no swim trunks at all. There were plenty of winter coats. I had to buy 2 pairs of orange trunks. I hope I don't look like the Great Pumpkin:idea:.

There were lots of little battery powered fans, and one hand-powered mister. There was only one that had both fan and mist, and it was the size of a LARGE pop bottle. I guess we could buy it and hang it on a stroller.

We did buy basketball type shorts for the boys to use as swim trunks. I also found some nice short-sleeved, light-colored cotton shirts. Lin and Lysi found swim suits as well. At a local thrift store we found several Disney activity books for the flight;).

I had a sudden brainstorm :goodvibes about keeping Lysi occupied on the plane. I talked to a young lady at Radio Shack. She suggested Leapfrog. Now I am excited about that. The neighbor actually has one we can borrow. I plan to buy some games for it. I still think I will rent a player of the plane even though the movies are not very good. They are mostly for adults.

:scared1:WARNING: those of you who don't like pet peeve rants..... skip the next paragraph!:scared1:

Okay, so here goes: I keep reading on line about people's complaints about restless, noisy preschoolers on planes. I don't have much sympathy for such people, but come on..... Why are all the movies geared toward adult business travelers? Most adults can entertain themselves easily on a plane by reading, working on their laptop, annoying other passengers with their questions and anecdotes or just resting. Preschoolers can't read, so why not gear the movies toward them? The kids and their parents would be happier, and so would the other passengers:3dglasses.

We got a call today from our trip coordinator from Make-a-Wish. She asked Lysi to come up with a favorite restaurant for her going away party:cheer2:. She can have 10 guests. We almost have that many people living in our house... or at least it seems like it. Between the 4 of us who live with Lysi, her foster brother, my sons who lives in Spokane, and Grandma and Grandpa, that only leaves one guest.... oh wait, I guess we don't count in the 10:grouphug:.

OH NO!!!:scared1: Kyle just suggested to Lysi that she choose Chuck-e-Cheese's. We call it Cheesy Chuck's here. Some folks call it Up Chucks:sick:. The foster brother thinks it would be a good idea to go to Chuck-e's but have pizza delivered there from Dominoes. Can you tell we don't like their pizza much?:scared:

I have two questions for our coordinator. Pray for us:
1) Can Make a Wish ask Disney :smickey: to let us in the Magic Kingdom :tink: early for Little One's Hour with the Resort Guests?
2) Can Make a Wish ask Disney :mickeyjum for us to have a tour of the castle?

I will let you know what I find out.

Last night Lysi and I watched a bit of the Travel Channel Disney World tape. She made it through Mk and most of Epcot ::MinnieMo . She seems to be realizing that it is really going to happen now and is showing signs of excitement :yay: (but not as many signs as I am). Each night we add a Disney sticker to our countdown calendar. LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS TO GO!!!!!princess:

By the way... I have put a lot of miles on my Crocs. I sure do love them.:love: We found a way to make our own Jibbets. Take two buttons. Invert one. Sew them together. This is a fun craft.

Please check out my "essay" on Disney and Wish Trips: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1552585

Thanks to all,

Bill

[wendygrace]

Bill You are too funny. glad you found something at Wally World. Halloween stuff is all out here as well. Summer stuff is on clearance and pretty much gone. But then, school has already started here.

I can't wait until your trip.

Off to read your essay!

[KathyRN137]

The Leapster sounds like a great idea, and you can use earphones with it, too, so those around don't have to listen to the games! My son uses his on the bus to and from school every day. :goodvibes

For plane trips, we invested in a portable DVD player, again, with earphones. (About $125.) Billy loves watching DVDs and it really helps to occupy him on the three hour flight!

Hey, speaking of Disney movies, The Jungle Book is set to be released from "the vault" by the end of the month!


Kathy

[LeeLee2U]

Leapsters are WONDERFULL!!!!:thumbsup2
Both of my boys love to play on their cousins and we are going to try to get them each one before we leave!
We have just loaded up on Disney books from our friends of the Library group. They knew B was going on his WISH trip and sold them to us for 5 and 10 cents a piece!!!. We are now the proud owners of over 50 different Disney books. That is NOT counting theones we already had:) !
Hmmm The great Pumpkin..... You not MNSSHP is going on at that time, maybe you could come up with something:idea: :laughing:
I'm right there with you on the excitement level. Every day it just gets more "real"!!
I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:yay: :yay:

[Bill_Lin]

Actually, I am looking forward to spending as many evenings as possible at the Village, so I don't really want to do the Halloween thing. Besides, she is not into even mildly scary stuff:scared1: . I have been working hard to innoculate her against being scared on some rides I hope she will try (Dinosaur, Jurrasic Park, the Haunted Mansion) but who knows what might scare a kid when the time comes. I am a bit concerned with the extreme motion rides as well due to her insides being a bit out of place from surgeries. We went on a little ferris wheel like ride where you hang from "parachutes." The ride goes up and around in a circle fairly quickly. At one point it goes backward. When we were going backward she said it made her tummy "start to hurt" but not really hurt:sick: . That got me concerned a bit so we will have to start slow. She did fine on a log flume ride and a tiny roller coaster. It seemed to be the falling and backwards motion that got her. I am REALLY wondering if she should try the Tower of Terror. She thinks she wants to, but I am very skeptical.

As far as evenings go, I can see my little princess princess: getting tired as the days where on (not to mention the rest of us), and a cool pool sounds great. I want her to feel like the Village is home for that week and the parks are places we visit. She will be a citizen of the Village.

Bill

[Sabrina90744]

Bill, thanks for sharing your Princesses WISH trip with us, sounds like she is going to have a magical time! Can't wait for more. On another note, try taking a tiny flashlight with you the kind that are attached to keychains, that helped my kids a lot on the dark rides.

[Bill_Lin]

Hey, thanks. I had forgotten about the flashlight idea. I assume we will have to be careful about this to avoid a problem with the ride monitors. Perhaps a little red light like hang on your keys to find your car door lock at night. Does anyone have experiences with this?

Thanks,

Bill

[5dwarves]

Bill:

A lot of the dark rides have special light, like black lights from the 70's...we found the light colors in our clothes would "glow" in the black lights, and that was all the extra light reassurance we needed. The boys were never scared in the dark (except on Expedition Everest when we were being growled at by the Yeti, and going upside down on the roller coaster). If it was kind of a scary part, showing them how funny their clothes looked in the dark, redirected their attention.

[jennydep]

A friend gave me the advice of getting one of the little personal fans from the Disney store that light up with different messages for dark rides. I got them yesterday. We go on Sunday so hopefully I can let you know how they work. That is if my scared one will get on anything that might remotely possibly be slightly dark! :rotfl2:

[KathyRN137]

We like to bring glowsticks and glow necklaces/bracelets for the nighttime parades and shows... when the kids were little they used the glow sticks on the dark rides, too.

BTW, we always carry mini flashlights in our bags and have never had any issues with ride monitors or security.

Most attractions post warning signs outside the entrance and they tell you when something might be scary. All the thrill rides have an exit just before you actually get on to ride. :thumbsup2 This way, you can experience the pre-show, but if your DD seems apprehensive, she can still experience the flavor of the attraction without riding the actual ride.

Kathy

[Bill_Lin]

Thank you Kathy. Your information was very helpful!

[Bill_Lin]

Wow! We only have three weeks left until our tripparty:.

This is the point where I start trying to think of what I haven't thought to think of:confused3. Let's see, did I think to think of that? Hmmmm?

::MinnieMo
We have bags
We have crocs
We have games
In a box
:beach:
We have shorts
And sunscreen
And Disney
Kid's Magazine
:hourglass
We have shirts
We have maps
We have times
Planned for naps
:surfweb:
And have checked
Google earth
Have certificates
Of birth
:headache:
We have our
State's I.D.
Know the places
to P
pirate:
Have been
On DISboards
And know where
To buy swords
:badpc:
Still I am afraid
Our trip might turn rotten
If the tiniest thing
Is somehow forgotten

Does this sound familiar to anyone? I have asked so many questions on line, have driven our Wish Trip Coordinator nuts :scared1:trying to make everything perfect, have talked to Disney Guest services on line and by phone and know more about Orlando than anyone sensible person should. Still, I press on with my research:surfweb:.

Seriously, I have gone on Google Earth a lot. The current satellite view of the area is really clear (except for Give Kids the World Village which is shrouded in a mystical cloud). I have used it to virtually visit each theme park. The following locations are marked on G.E. now: Wal-Mart, the U.P.S. store, the Post Office and Mailboxes etc:rolleyes1.

This weekend is about shot. I have next weekend to work obsessively on getting ready (Is it a coincidence that it will be Labor Day?:confused3) but the weekend after that I will be gone to Puget Sound for my niece's wedding:bride:. Not much time left.

Can you believe that the ride checklists I prepared so each person could choose their top rides at each park had mysteriously disappeared? Hmmm......:rolleyes:

Stay tuned for more news

Bill

[5dwarves]

Bill:

It tickles me to see your poems and to hear your angst and worry about getting everything perfect. Just face the fact that something will go wrong and miraculously it will still all be okay :thumbsup2 . You will have a wonderful trip and wonderful family memories, regardless of the portable DVD batteries being charged or not, I promise!

~Elisa

[KathyRN137]

Didn't know
You're a poet!

You'll do fine,
I just know it!

Take a breath,
Count to three,

It will work,
Wait and see!

You have faith
And you have love,

You'll get help
From above! :angel:



Kathy

[5dwarves]

Oh my! Emily Dickinson and William Wordsworth on the Dis! LOL. l love the work and the effort guys! Keep it up!

[alizesmom]

Poetry, what a nice perk from the board :rotfl2: Sounds like you're well prepared. Can't wait till the real princess princess: hits the parks. Karen

[Who'syourMickey]

Oh Bill you are so much more ready than we are. And so much more rhymy at the moment...who could rhyme at a time like this? You are amazing! OK...it's crunchtime!!!!! We have done nothing that you have, we have done not much shopping. not everyone has shoes yet. yikes..yikes...yikes...we don't have the little water things that go around your neck to keep you cool, have not figured it all out yet. We don't know where to pee!!!!!! :headache: I was hoping to buy bottled water, freeze it, and put it in backpacks though, so we have cold water....then we will need to know where to pee.:woohoo:

:cheer2:

[Bill_Lin]

As far as drinking water is concerned.:confused: I have read on some posts that it is pretty easy to get a cup of ice water from the food counter folks. I am a big believer in drinking a lot of water in a hot climate:scared: . You would not believe the controversy about taking opposite sex children into restrooms at Disney. I don't really want to take my DD into a restroom with men (YUCK):crazy2: , but when I am with her alone part of the time, I would do so by putting a shirt or something over her head until a stall is found, but only as a LAST resort. I was hoping to use a companion restroom for this, but there seems to be quite a HUGE problem with people who need the larger companion restrooms because some of the regular "accessible" stalls are not really accessible for all folks. There have been a lot of cases of people abusing this when they don't need it and making folks who need it wait:headache: . I don't wan to be in that group, so I will play it by ear. Now you and I can use the Wish Lounge at MK and the VIP lounges at Epcot, but I don't know of any such facilities at the other parks.

Our current focus is on wondering if our DD princess: will reach the magic number of 44" in time. Our unofficial measurements show 43". 42" is also an important height for many rides. I feel like we are cutting it close for those rides as well. Perhaps lifts are called for. Hmmmmm.... how do you put lifts in crocs? Maybe she will have to slip on her Princess shoes for those lines that are too close to call. 44" is the cut off for Mission Space, Space Mountain and Ripsaw Falls. 42" is the height for Bige Rat Barges and a few others. I don't intend to resort to stretching her, however.:eek:

We bought out neck coolers at our local festival:sick: . I think you can find them on line, but shipping time is running out for us. They are made of cloth tubes filled with some sort of gel beads (I think Silicone) which absorbs water. They really do work well in cooling your whole body by cooling the blood close to the surface on your neck, but they need to be resoaked fairly often.

I think hats are important for sunstroke protection and to shade ears and shoulders. I bought an elephant grass hat from Africa, which seemed like a swell idea at the time. It is WAY big however. I kept bumping people with it, so I think I will just wear my felt hat, a Pendleton Fedora with a nice brim. It is wool, of course, but works fine in our climate. I would just use a baseball cap but want to save my ears.

20 days and counting down!

Bill

[wendygrace]

Oh Bill! You are too funny! It will all be ok. *hugs* to you.

It'll soon be time to let it all go and enjoy. But please remember to enjoy!

BTW, I had no issues with bathrooms. Mick took Danae into bathrooms and I took Michael at times. But then, we don't care what people think! LOL And every time we came across a companion bathroom, there usually wasn't a line so we would use those to get us all four through as quickly as possible. But then, our kids pee fast. LOL

We had those neck wrap thingies and were real nice for AK and Disney-MGM.

We used baseball caps and lots of sunscreen and we did fine. ;)

It will all be ok. You are going to the most Magical Place on Earth and staying at the Most Magical Resort Ever!

I'm so excited for your trip!!

[Who'syourMickey]

Bill,

I read the TR you are talking about and I would just go ahead and use the companion bathrooms if you need to. The GKTW T shirt will be enough of a givaway that you need it. It's not like you are napping in there. I would make sure the coast was clear of anyone in a wheelchair by looking both ways, and if it's clear, go ahead. It was my understanding that companion bathrooms are for people who have a small child of the opposite sex to take to the bathroom as well as for disabled people. In this day and age it is not safe to send your small child to the bathroom alone! I don't think people should use companion bathrooms as dressing rooms or nap spots. My dd poops and pees quickly but if you only knew how much work it took to get to this point you would be rejoicing with me on that one.

[Who'syourMickey]

Oh and what we did to add 2 inches. #1 is a pair of flip flops, certain kinds add an inch. You don't wear these all day, they are uncomfortable. I will keep them in a backpack for "special rides". We gain 1 inch from that. Then #2 is the longstanding disney tradition of getting yourself a hat when you get to the parks. Why do you think they sell so many hats that seem to add a lot of inches???? You guessed it, you could try to get away with a hat tall enough to get onto a ride. We have a poofy hat that adds 1 inch already, giving us the required 48 inches for the rollercoasters. To get from 46 to 54 inches, dd would need a huge hat, and that would probably be pushing it, but you can always try. I did this all through my growing up years, each time we went to disneyland the first thing we did was get mouse ears, it's tradition. Now they have a wider selection of height increasing hats at the parks. Even princess tiara hats. I would go for it.

[SueM in MN]

As far as drinking water is concerned.:confused: I have read on some posts that it is pretty easy to get a cup of ice water from the food counter folks.
You can get a cup of ice water from any of the counter service restaurants at no charge just by asking.
II don't think people should use companion bathrooms as dressing rooms or nap spots. My dd poops and pees quickly but if you only knew how much work it took to get to this point you would be rejoicing with me on that one.
We can't use any restrooms except the Companion ones.
I personally have no problems with the people who are using them and are 'quick in and out'. I don't know why they chose to use it (although it's pretty obvious if it is a dad and DD). Most of those people are really embarrassed when they come out and see my DD in her wheelchair and me waiting outside (so I usually tell them we were not waiting long).

Just a caution - when my DH took our DD into a Companion Restroom at Mall of America, a woman went really ballistic on him taking an opposite sex child in there. He explained that DD is not able to get out of her wheelchair and use the bathroom without help. When he came out, she was waiting. With security!:scared1:
So, if you have a choice, I'd suggest sending your DD into the ladies room with her mom. (unless I missed something and you can't do that).

There are a surprising large number of people who use the Companion Restroom for dressing and some people have used it for naps. Those are the ones I have a beef with.
Oh and what we did to add 2 inches. #1 is a pair of flip flops, certain kinds add an inch. You don't wear these all day, they are uncomfortable. I will keep them in a backpack for "special rides". We gain 1 inch from that. Then #2 is the longstanding disney tradition of getting yourself a hat when you get to the parks. Why do you think they sell so many hats that seem to add a lot of inches???? You guessed it, you could try to get away with a hat tall enough to get onto a ride.
CMs usually have kids remove hats for measuring, especially if the child looks close to not making the height.
I have also seen them make kids remove shoes if the soles are obviously higher heels.
They are pretty serious about it because CMs have posted that they can get fired for allowing a child on who doesn't meet the height requirement.


Bill, your pre-planning sounds great. You sound like your family will be prepared for almost anything.:thumbsup2

[Bill_Lin]

We have 19 Days left :cool1: ! It is hard to believe that the trip is approaching so rapidly, although it must seem to the kids like time is going VERY slowly:confused: . We have done most of the planning that will need to be done. We will have to start getting everything together Labor Day Weekend. That sounds kind of early, but I work 10 1/2 hours shifts plus an hours RT commute :headache: and will be gone to my niece's wedding the next weekend. We will have the Friday and Saturday before we leave home to pack. The day before we leave, we will drive to my inlaws to spend the night. They will drive us to the airport EARLY the day of our departure.

The next event we have is a "Send Off Party" with Make a Wish :wizard: . My DD chose Chuck e Cheese for that dinner. http://www.chuckecheese.com/ It is in Spokane, about an hour away. Chuck e Cheese has really poor quality pizza, but lots of arcade games and such for kids. The host is an animatronic (poor quality) mouse. Several other such figures perform on a little stage. It is definitely a kid-friendly place.

At the party we will get our airline tickets and funds for the trip. The date has not been set yet.

Last night, my DD and I watched the travel channel show on Sea World :beach: before bed. She got into it a lot more this time that she has so far. She asked me to look up on the internet to see if she was tall enough for Journey to Atlantis. She is by an inch:cheer2: . She was also very interested in the Arctic ride.

Yesterday her grinchy friend told her that all the characters she will meet at Disney World are not real :goofy: :dumbo: :tigger: :mickeyjum :simba: :tinker: , but are just people dressed up. She is pretty cynical for a 7-year old, but I think there are some sour grapes going on as well:hmghost: . It is hard to know how to approach this. We want the magic to work for her, especially related to Cinderella. My DD is pretty sure that Minnie, Mickey et al, must be people in costumes, but the actors like the Princesses and Peter Pan seem real to her.

We will keep you posted.

I was a bit stunned to hear that people take naps in restrooms. GROSS:scared1: ! I have to admit that when camping in a unexpected downpour or snow storm the thought has occurred to me, but I have never done it. At Yellowstone in the winter I was at Old Faithful. It was -25:cool: . I misread the time of eruption and went into the restroom to thaw out. I ended up just missing Old Faithful:mad: .

The reason my DW will not be available at times to take our DD to the restroom is that she has agreed to go on some of the big rides with my stepson who is 13pirate: . This will separate us fairly often as I will take DD to attractions that she would like and he would not (maybe even Small World and to meet Barney!:sad2: ). I would not send my DD into a restroom alone, although it may be a lot safer than sending a little boy into a men's room. Having only one kidney, she has to go fairly frequently and suddenly:jumping3: .

As far as overplanning versus taking it easy and enjoying the trip, I am kind of unusual. I will plan and plan and plan :teacher: ahead of time, but be very laid back when the activity is finally happening:cool2: . For instance, on a road trip from Spokane to Disneyland, I planned out every rest stop along the way and where every Taco Bell was located (cheap food) on the route. But when the trip happened, I was the first to suggest being spontaneous and taking a detour to do something unplanned.

When I was an E.M.T. in California, I had this dichotomy going. I would really work hard to plan for emergencies, but when we were on scene, I would be the calmest man on the team, as cool as a cucumber. When the event was over, and I was home, I would feel shaken then:eek: , but not during the mission.

I see my Disney planning as insurance. If I have a plan and know the options and outcomes, I can relax and go with the flow and offer lots of choices for the group. I don't even care if I am the one to choose which ride next. I just need to be prepared to offer my family the best choices possible. I am thinking, that we should have a different person choose each ride within a "land." It would be one person's turn to choose, then anothers, etc. so everyone feels empowered and valued.

Bill

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

19 days....woohoo...I am so excited for you and the other Wish families going at that time!! We just started our countdown calendar today. Very exciting!!! :cool1: I am a planner also. This trip has been harder for me to plan because I don't know how the DD's are going to do/handle everything. I knew how to plan for just DH and me!! :rotfl: Your trip will be here before you know it!!! :banana:

[Bill_Lin]

First the Good News:

We received a mailing and an email from Give Kids the World today. Woooohooo! :cool1:

Unfortunately, our Wish Trip package will not be ready for us until 6 days before we go. :confused:

That is rough on an advance planner like me. :surfweb:

Our Send Off party will be at Chuck e Cheese on Tuesday, September 11th. That should be a blast. :cheer2:

Yesterday, Lysi and I looked over the souvenir trip-planning maps we ordered from Disney. They came with our Trip D.V.D. Both are awesome. :tinker::dumbo: Our favorite rides are marked with gold circles. She watched a preview of Dinosaur: The Ride with me. :scared1: I am hoping to de-sensitize her somewhat to the scary stuff. She is getting pretty serious about the trip now and anything to do with it. We continue to watch our Travel Channel tapes on DW and SW off and on before bedtime. :fish:

Now the Bad News: Social Security has cut off Elysia's Medicaid. :mad::headache::sick: They state that they will cover her until other coverage is found. I am very sure she qualifies for state medical so I am not too stressed. Never the less, I am sure it is a mistake. Our income has not gone up, quite the contrary. Send up a prayer about this, please.

Bill

[KathyRN137]

Prayers and pixidust, coming your way! :angel: pixiedust: :angel:


Kathy

[alizesmom]

Prayers being sent now. Karen

[the4princesses]

Hi We are counting down tooo!!
we wil be at POP ON Sept, 22-OCt. 1 and we can't wait!!
Hope you all have the most wonderful time ever!
Blessings sent you all's way!!
Please read my pre-trip report!!
Thank you,
Kathy:flower3:

[Who'syourMickey]

OH Bill! Not you too with the Medicaid being cancelled! I'm sending prayers and positive thoughts your way.

My cousin has disabled children who recieve their own disability through social security. They are autistic children. I don't get this. I don't understand why we can't find the program that will get our dd disability so that she can have her own insurance apart from our income. I know these programs exist because my cousins children got their benefits through this program. She says she just lucked out and spoke with the right people at the right place and time who knew about the program. I have not been able to find this program but If I do I will let you know about it.

OH MY! Getting the expense check six days prior!?!?! I have a feeling that if this happens to us...we would tag team...Send Grandma shopping with one child, DH with another, Me with another, some of us taking two. I would like to hear how you handle the last minute shopping. Maybe we can make a list now of what we might need so we are at least ready for it.

[LeeLee2U]

Oh Bill!!!:sad2: My heart is overwhelmed right now!! How awfull about the ins!! I'm reminded o;f another scrip. When my heart is overwhelmed Lead me to that rock that is higher than I. He's seen you through so much, He will not let you down now. My DH got dropped from medicaid @1 1/2 yrs ago. He had medicaid with his Social Security Disability. But since he was working (16-24 hrs a week at the time) he made $5 too much so they dropped him. He had already lost the $7 from SSI when he started working but they were taking the medicare premiums out of the SSI check so he was still medicaid elegible. Once he was dropped from SSI he lost the medicaid and then the medicare premiums came from his SS check so we made a whopping $50 more. We would've made more with him not working at all. :confused3 Sad system!:sad2: We were very worried as the medicare only paid for part (the big part) and then they did not cover most of his prescriptions.:headache: Dialysis is VERY expensive and all the sudden we were looking at $1000's each month uncovered. And then a wonderfull social worker at Dialysis stepped in and called the American Kidney Foundation. They are paying for secondary ins. BCBS. Our prescription co-pays are less than what they were with Medicaid. And they pay most of all the other cost. :goodvibes
Hang in there!!!
Here in Texas we have a state ins just for kids with chronically and terminall illnesses. Hopefull ya'll have something like that where you are. I never knew this exsisted untill @ 2 yrs ago I got a call from a lady that said she was supposed to be Braetons advocate. That all kids on SSI wre assigned an advocate by the state. I've just now started using her. I'm so used to doing things myself I forget she's there!:laughing: She's the one that told me @ this ins and got us on the waiting list. I do understand you're feelings and burden right now. With both DH and DS and their medicall issues even with all the ins. help it is still a big financial burden.
Oh Yeah! I read about your expense check. 6 days before huh! I'm jealous!
We will either get ours the night before. (the wish co-ordinator, He's actually the founder.)They are taking us out to dinner the night before and putting us in a hotel by the airport then they are having a send off Ice cream party at the air port the mornig we leave!!! They will be giving the kids packages w/stuf to keep them occupied on the plane and things to do in the room. His words not mine! So we will either get our spending money the night before or the morning we leave!!!! He did not say when. Talk about panic. We don't have extra money too buy the things we need. I do have sunblock and hand sanitizer and we did buy 2 misting fans on clearance last night at Wal-mart for $2!!!:yay: :yay: (And they are the ones with lanyards!!!) And then the thought of o.k. packages How big are they? Are they going to fit in the boys backpacks for carry ons? What do I take out that we were going to bring on the plane so they will have room??? Help!!!!
He did say they usually give coloring books and games and even mentioned portable DVDS and Disney CD's. So I think I will just have a small coloring book and a book DS7 will be happy with. Maybe some card games. And bring their portable CD players so with what they give them it should be enough.
Yeah! Try having that and planning. AAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can't wait to see ya'll. Our resort and flying times have changed so I've had to rearrange ADR's and that meant a few of our days. We will still be at AK thurs. and we are planning on EPCOT all day Sat. Our resort is a walk away from EPCOT so it won't be too hard to go back and rest!! I still want to do LOEMH Wed bit will have to see how it goes. I'll pm you. I'm still trying to rearrange!!!! Tak about driving you CRA-ZY!!!!
15 days till WDW!!!!!!!!

[Bill_Lin]

Dear LeeLee,

Your words of encouragement are so helpful:grouphug:. Thank you. I am sure that the Lord will continue to look after us:thumbsup2. I am just so thankful that Lysi is alive and that I am alive to see her grow up:dance3:. We have had a lot of miracles and more happen every day. For instance: We belong to an online bartering community called MadeBig:goodvibes. My wife had been earning points to trade for a car someone wanted to trade for points. No actual money trades hands. She had been burdened because her car seems to have an unsolvable mechanical problem. It is very hard for her to be without a car while I am at work. We have no public transportation here in our small town.

Lin worked SO hard to earn points for that car:scared:. Then it was taken off the list:scared1:. We prayed so hard..:worship:. though not as hard as during chemo. When people on the network heard about her dilemma, a Christian couple we did not know offered to give her a car. That's right, I said GIVE her a car:rainbow:. Granted it has over 200K of miles, but it runs and looks pretty good. All we had to do was drive to The Dalles, Oregon to pick it up. We took them to lunch and made some new friends. The drive down along the Columbia River Gorge was lovely as well:cloud9:.

Our state has a children's medical program we will be checking in to. Medicaid says they cover Lysi until we find out about that program. Why do things like this always happen right before a long weekend so you can't call to inquire? Oh, yeah, there is something in James about patience...:headache:.

We still have not found Misting Fans, so I guess our trip to Orlando will include a visit to Wal-Mart. But, I have that marked on Google Earth... LOL. I still can't see the village on Google Earth due to clouds, even with the updated satellite images. Lysi is convinced that GKTW is hidden by a magical mist:tinker:. It sure seems like it. That will just add to the mystery and magic.

Knowing how I try to PLAN for EVERYTHING... you will not be surprised to hear that I have begun tracking Tropical Storms:surfweb:. I am not sure how I think this will help, but, hey, if you are going to be obsessive, why leave the weather out:confused3?

You mentioned entertainment on the plane. I am in the process of "ripping" audio files into MP3 format for my player:surfweb:. We can use it on the plane. I have the entire books of Psalms and Proverbs (KJV-Dollar Store disks), a kids musical, the Disney "Friends" song CD, LOTS of my favorite music and am adding the last book in the "Mitford" series, "Light from Heaven." :cloud9: We are still planning on a Leap Frog, and have some Disney books for me to read to her. We plan to check out some books on tape with "read-along" books. Add coloring/ activity books and renting a video player on the plane, and that should about cover it. Oh wait, I forgot about travel games. She loves card and dice games. This could be some really good Daddy-Daughter time for us on the plane:flower3:.

Time is starting to fly.... if only we could figure out where her Disney rain poncho is.... stay tuned for updates on that.

Bill

[Bill_Lin]

Dear LeeLee,

Your words of encouragement are so helpful:grouphug:. Thank you. I am sure that the Lord will continue to look after us:thumbsup2. I am just so thankful that Lysi is alive and that I am alive to see her grow up:dance3:. We have had a lot of miracles and more happen every day. For instance: We belong to an online bartering community called MadeBig:goodvibes. My wife had been earning points to trade for a car someone wanted to trade for points. No actual money trades hands. She had been burdened because her car seems to have an unsolvable mechanical problem. It is very hard for her to be without a car while I am at work. We have no public transportation here in our small town.

Lin worked SO hard to earn points for that car:scared:. Then it was taken off the list:scared1:. We prayed so hard..:worship:. though not as hard as during chemo. When people on the network heard about her dilemma, a Christian couple we did not know offered to give her a car. That's right, I said GIVE her a car:rainbow:. Granted it has over 200K of miles, but it runs and looks pretty good. All we had to do was drive to The Dalles, Oregon to pick it up. We took them to lunch and made some new friends. The drive down along the Columbia River Gorge was lovely as well:cloud9:.

Our state has a children's medical program we will be checking in to. Medicaid says they cover Lysi until we find out about that program. Why do things like this always happen right before a long weekend so you can't call to inquire? Oh, yeah, there is something in James about patience...:headache:.

We still have not found Misting Fans, so I guess our trip to Orlando will include a visit to Wal-Mart. But, I have that marked on Google Earth... LOL. I still can't see the village on Google Earth due to clouds, even with the updated satellite images. Lysi is convinced that GKTW is hidden by a magical mist:tinker:. It sure seems like it. That will just add to the mystery and magic.

Knowing how I try to PLAN for EVERYTHING... you will not be surprised to hear that I have begun tracking Tropical Storms:surfweb:. I am not sure how I think this will help, but, hey, if you are going to be obsessive, why leave the weather out:confused3?

You mentioned entertainment on the plane. I am in the process of "ripping" audio files into MP3 format for my player:surfweb:. We can use it on the plane. I have the entire books of Psalms and Proverbs (KJV-Dollar Store disks), a kids musical, the Disney "Friends" song CD, LOTS of my favorite music and am adding the last book in the "Mitford" series, "Light from Heaven." :cloud9: We are still planning on a Leap Frog, and have some Disney books for me to read to her. We plan to check out some books on tape with "read-along" books. Add coloring/ activity books and renting a video player on the plane, and that should about cover it. Oh wait, I forgot about travel games. She loves card and dice games. This could be some really good Daddy-Daughter time for us on the plane:flower3:.

Time is starting to fly.... if only we could figure out where her Disney rain poncho is.... stay tuned for updates on that.

Bill

[Bill_Lin]

Some of you have mentioned my son who is an Army Sergeant deployed in Iraq for the second time:confused:. He is a very gentle, caring soul, so it surprised me when he joined up. He said he was doing it to help protect his little sister, Lysi:thumbsup2.

He has a website on Youtube where he sings some Irish songs:goodvibes. Check it out if you like. If you leave a message, please make it kind. It is a hard life for him over there, and he did not start this war. Many people have strong feelings about the war, but I ask that you do not take it out on him.:grouphug:

http://youtube.com/user/TheIambicPen

It has been hard for him to be far away at war as his sister has gone through surgeries, chemo and hospitalizations:sad2:. Last night, I dreamed that he made a surprise visit home and I got to hug him. It was hard to wake up from that dream. The weird thing is, that his adult sister, who lives across the state from us, showed up today, unannounced and I got to hug her. Kind of makes you wonder.:angel:

Bill

[Who'syourMickey]

OH LeeLee, the night before or the morning of getting the expense check! I wonder if they know that day 1 of the wish trip will be spent at walmart? Us wish trippers are going to have to get good at last minute power shopping, huh? I am already a quick shopper because of my families chemical sensitivity. One tip I know is that you tell yourself you are not shopping, you are hunting. It is a hunter, gatherer activity. Done to the tune of mission impossible. dun dun dun dun. Da Da Da...that tune will help get you in the groove of it. :cool2:

The people on the disboards will be amazed to know that the shopping for our trips happens all at once at the last minute like that. YK, walmart is open 24 hours here and if it was me, I would be going straight from the getting the check to the 24 hour stores if they gave me the check the night before. I hope you live near a 24 hour walmart or target!

[LeeLee2U]

OH LeeLee, the night before or the morning of getting the expense check! I wonder if they know that day 1 of the wish trip will be spent at walmart? Us wish trippers are going to have to get good at last minute power shopping, huh? I am already a quick shopper because of my families chemical sensitivity. One tip I know is that you tell yourself you are not shopping, you are hunting. It is a hunter, gatherer activity. Done to the tune of mission impossible. dun dun dun dun. Da Da Da...that tune will help get you in the groove of it. :cool2:

The people on the disboards will be amazed to know that the shopping for our trips happens all at once at the last minute like that. YK, walmart is open 24 hours here and if it was me, I would be going straight from the getting the check to the 24 hour stores if they gave me the check the night before. I hope you live near a 24 hour walmart or target!


OOOhhh I like the theme song music!!:woohoo: We will be staying the night at the Airport hotel the night before. But I'm googling the nearest WalMarts!!! I can get to 2 diff. cities w/in 30 min. in opp directions that I'm fam. with so If it's early enough we will go there. I don't relish driving @ Houston in an unfamiliar area.:eek: The Wal Mart closest to the Airport is out for me unless it is in BROAD Day light and we can park REALLY close to the door!! I am praying that we get it the night before and that it is early evening when we get it!!!

[Bill_Lin]

The elusive Mickey rain poncho has been found! :mickeyjum Let everyone rejoice! :cool1: I had to stand in my DDs room on one foot on her wooden chest with one hand on a high shelf. My DW came in to see what I was up to..:scared1:. no pun intended. Under some other "stuff" we found the poncho. Now our poncho inventory is complete. We also found an adult maroon poncho, so we have a spare.

We have selected, collected and compiled ride preference data. :surfweb: The princess' preferences take precedence. princess: Say that three times fast. :sad2: It looks like we might actually have time to take in all of the favorites for each person. Huzzah! :yay:

Only 2 weeks to go!

Bill

[Who'syourMickey]

we have 15 days!!!! Our pretty princess preferences take presidence too. Say that 3 times!!! Mostly ds is happy just being there, and loves rollercoasters. Aristacat girl would like to see Aurora, and dd would like that too. RG would like to stay in the hotel, or stay home. My mom is along for the ride she said, and is game for anything. DH would like to eat seafood when we go to the beach. I like the beach too, and wouldn't mind if I ran into Jiminy Cricket, my favorite character at the AK, but if not, that's ok too. AAAT girl wants to meet up with her online friends that currently she is grounded from online or phone....so we still have that to figure out. That would be a one parent taking her thing while dd was asleep, late night out. Our pretty princess preferences take presidence, but luckily she has great taste in preferences, and it will be amazing if she gets to see and do all she has planned.

[Who'syourMickey]

OOOhhh I like the theme song music!!:woohoo: We will be staying the night at the Airport hotel the night before. But I'm googling the nearest WalMarts!!! I can get to 2 diff. cities w/in 30 min. in opp directions that I'm fam. with so If it's early enough we will go there. I don't relish driving @ Houston in an unfamiliar area.:eek: The Wal Mart closest to the Airport is out for me unless it is in BROAD Day light and we can park REALLY close to the door!! I am praying that we get it the night before and that it is early evening when we get it!!!

Going to a dangerous walmart late at night to the tune of mission impossible while quoting the 23rd psalm to the music....could work.....Nothing can hurt you while you are shopping for your trip....that is the rule. There are special guardian angels for that. If the guardian angels guide you to drive up the road to a better walmart, it is only because that walmart will have more of the things you need to buy in stock.:woohoo: :grouphug:

[LeeLee2U]

The elusive Mickey rain poncho has been found! :mickeyjum Let everyone rejoice! :cool1: I had to stand in my DDs room on one foot on her wooden chest with one hand on a high shelf. My DW came in to see what I was up to..:scared1:. no pun intended. Under some other "stuff" we found the poncho. Now our poncho inventory is complete. We also found an adult maroon poncho, so we have a spare.

We have selected, collected and compiled ride preference data. :surfweb: The princess' preferences take precedence. princess: Say that three times fast. :sad2: It looks like we might actually have time to take in all of the favorites for each person. Huzzah! :yay:

Only 2 weeks to go!

Bill
:woohoo: I need to get 2 more pancho's. 1 as a spare and 1 for DH ecv.
:dance3: :dance3: 13 days to WDW!!!:dance3: :dance3:

[wendygrace]

I only have a min but had to respond quick. You mentioned that your daughter's friend told her about the characters. We tell our kids as well but they still "believe". Heck, I "believed" while I was there. I found myself talking to the princesses and Peter as if they were real! LOL My kids had just as much fun and sparkle even though they "know" they are not real. I would not worry. The magic of Disney takes over!

As for insurance, I wish you all the luck. We have been very lucky and have only used private insurance (through mine or dh's work) the entire time but we have had to make some sacrifices (dh had to turn down jobs because the insurance wasn't good enough). I know that is stressful. I hope it gets sorted!

[alizesmom]

Hey guys, I'm a little tired but wanted you to know there's a lost mom just starting her plans for MAW trip over on the disAbilities board. I'm sure you can help her more than I can. Thanks, Karen

[Bill_Lin]

Can you give me the link for the lost Mom. I don't know the thread.

Bill

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Here is the link Bill.......

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=20660816#post20660816

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Just wanted to pop in and say .....have a great trip!!!!
Only five more days to go!!!!!!!!! :cool1: I bet you have been busy busy busy planning all your last details!!! :thumbsup2 Can't wait to hear all about you trip when you get back! :cheer2:

[alizesmom]

Eagerly awaiting your trip. Have lots of fun. Karen

[5dwarves]

OOOhhh I like the theme song music!!:woohoo: We will be staying the night at the Airport hotel the night before. But I'm googling the nearest WalMarts!!! I can get to 2 diff. cities w/in 30 min. in opp directions that I'm fam. with so If it's early enough we will go there. I don't relish driving @ Houston in an unfamiliar area.:eek: The Wal Mart closest to the Airport is out for me unless it is in BROAD Day light and we can park REALLY close to the door!! I am praying that we get it the night before and that it is early evening when we get it!!!

LeeLee:

Are you flying out of Intercontinental or Hobby? If Intercontiental, are you coming to the AP via I45 or Hwy59? If you are headed south on Hwy 59, there is a Target by Deerbrook (Deercreek?) mall. If you go west on Hwy 1960 there is a Wal-mart and a Sam's about a mile down on the right...if you go East on 1960 there is a Wal-mart about 3 miles on the right...both are very crowded. the 3 mile away one is in a residental neighborhood area, and not merely in a retail sprawl. Don't know if they are open late or not (I have relatives that live in this area...) If you are coming down I-45 from the Dallas area, there are several retail sprawls in The Woodlands. I know I have seen a Target, Sam's and Wal-mart, but I couldn't tell you the exits. This is a nice area, so you shouldn't need an armed guard to get to and from your car....hope that helps.

~Elisa

[5dwarves]

First the Good News:
Now the Bad News: Social Security has cut off Elysia's Medicaid. :mad::headache::sick: They state that they will cover her until other coverage is found. I am very sure she qualifies for state medical so I am not too stressed. Never the less, I am sure it is a mistake. Our income has not gone up, quite the contrary. Send up a prayer about this, please.
Bill

Bill:

Sometimes Medicaid gets cancelled because they have sent out a questionairre, and it was never returned. Although Medicaid is a federal program it is run by state agencies...Adam has private insurance and Medicaid. Private pays first and Medicaid pays second. When we moved from state to state, we had to redo a lot of paperwork and things are handled a little differently here than they were in TX. Perhaps you should head to your local office and see if a face to face helps work it all out.

Elisa

[Bill_Lin]

Well... the Medicaid mystery may be solved:lmao: . In typical S.S.A. fashion, (hmmmm let's see.. .what does that really stand for:confused3 ? Should I give my opinion?:headache: ) they decided that my wife was still working even though she wrote to tell them otherwise. They had been adding her "projected" earnings to calculate elligibility. ARGGH! pirate: Did I spell that right? Or did I spel thet write?:rolleyes:

Our send-off party is tonight. :dance3: We just learned that our reservations for the village have the wrong number in the party, had left our DS13 off completely, had the wrong address for us and had no flight information? :sad2: I have resolved to take it all in stride. :cool2:

Stay tuned for updates. We leave on Monday! :banana: :cool1: :cheer2:

Bill

[wendygrace]

Good news on the medicaid! Glad it got fixed!

Glad to hear GKTW has the right info now. ;) Enjoy your party!

[jennydep]

Bill, I am so excited for all of you! Will you be doing a live trip report while you're there or do we all have to wait till you get back?!?!

[5dwarves]

Bill:

Glad to hear the insurance is resolved before the trip:thumbsup2 . One less thing to worry about! For all you Dis-ers who are getting ready to leave in the next few days, I thought I would suggest that you recheck the weather in Orlando. Our temps are very similar to theirs and we have just dropped substantially. Two weeks ago we were in the 100's. Last night our high was 82 and tonight it will be 76. Orlando is more humid than No. Alabama, but the temps aren't that much different...you might want to consider a light jacket for evenings...just me being paranoid for you ;)

[LeeLee2U]

Oh, Bill!! What a day!!! I'm so glad they finally got it all figured out!
How did the party go last night??

We found out yesterday that we will get our $$ right before we get on the plane. We were supposed to be meeting our coordinator the night before, but due to some complications w/his business we won't be meeting till the morining of!!! Oh Well, we'll be in DISNEY!!!!!!!
I'm so glad @ the ins. SS is still showing us to be in 2 seperate households even though we all have the same address!:confused3 We've been in the office 2x to get it fixed. We are supposed to get some back pay but haven't seen it yet. It's not huge but hey a $130 is $130 that we didn't have!!:goodvibes
Just a few more days !!!!:banana: :dance3: :banana: :yay: :woohoo:

[Who'syourMickey]

Maybe we should do a face to face to try to get our daughter's ins. back. My dh can take a paycut now that we are refinancing the house this Friday. We have had private ins for two months from when we lost the state ins, but just in that short time, have an unbelievable amount of bills, deductable, copays and out of pocket to show my husband that this is not a good deal for us. Medicaid told me he could take a paycut and request a redetermination. After disney...of course!:rotfl2:

[Eeyore's Mom]

I bet your house is buzzing with the anticipation!:dance3: Just want you to know you have one more future MAW trip planner watching for your updates and can't wait to hear all of the details. There is no such thing as TMI either, well, I better clarify that :laughing: - there is no such things as TMI when it applies to you TR. We will be leaving Alaska the end of January for our (my DS's) MAW trip and I am living through all of you until then! :yay:

[hotmamac]

Hi Bill ~
I think I am the lost mom that you were told about before. You posted a wonderful message on my thread. It's weird, but I felt connected to you once you did that and I've been counting the days until your trip too.
I can't tell you how much I wish you and your family a wonderful, magical trip to Disney. I wish you good weather and smooth sailing (flying).
God bless and enjoy!!!:yay:
Misty

[LeeLee2U]

Hey Bill! Yesterday was my first day back at work. I was going to teach 1st graders 1/2 a day. Yes I said was going. I dropped the kiddos off at school, took care of Breakfast for B. Boy will I be glad when we get his nurse!!!!! Poor guy is still having trouble w/Breakfast at school. They give him his card and then he just stands at the line door waiting on someone to carry his tray!!!!!!! Sooo I've been going w/him the last few days!!!
Anyway I run home load up my van w/some garage sale items. Hurry over to a friends house a couple towns over. Work that for a couple of hours and then have to be at school by 11. I was only there an hour when my DH walked in the door. After 5 months of hearing NADA ZIP ZAP DOODLE NOTHING. Transplant center called and said there were 2 possible donors!! So we ran down to Houston. (O.K. O.k. we drove down!!) He had fresh blood drawn and then we waited, and waited ane waited some more! W/ Lupus the process is @3x as long as it is for other folk. The peliminary tissue testing matched both donors but then they had to do the luppus testing!:headache:
During this the Wish Org calls me w/ the conf. # to ourr hotel Sun night so I tell him whats going on. They were great said IF and they hoped it did happen, but If we did have to cancel the trip it would be no prob we'd just reschedule for after transplant some time next year when DH could travel. In fact they said if Fam or anybody needed the hotel Sun night they were welcome to use the room!!
So then we were like WOW maybe this is really happening things are falling into place!:woohoo: See this is the 9th x he's been called in and there have been kidneys they've tested and the pre-lim didn't match. The last year and a half have been pretty hectic we've had our hopes up so many times. After almost 7 years of kidney failure we are getting a little anxious!
Anyway the one reacted against his antibodies so that was a NO GO. The 2cd one was matching so far in the testing, but they found infection in both those kidneys so no go for that one. But in those 10 kidneys that we know about only 2 matched and those had something wrong so he couldn't get them, but that means 2 things.
#1 It means There are some matches out ther
#2 It means that 16 people recieved kidneys! For all of you that are donors or have had loved ones pass and they were donors THANK YOU! In your grief of death someone is given life. My heart gets overwhelmed when I think of these families and as always the whole time we are waiting I'm praying for the survivors of these families and for all the people waiting on diff organs!
So Anyway we are stillg oing on our trip. DH gave extra blood so they can test any more poss. donors while we are away w/out us having to come in.
So as of right now. BillLin We'll see ya'll Wed!!! and WYM we'll see ya'll on Fri!!!:yay:
Bill and Elisa I just got your PMs. i have to run right now , but I will answer today!:goodvibes

[Bill_Lin]

Wow LeeLee, what a roller coaster:scared1:. We will keep praying for a kidney:grouphug:. It will be great to see you on Wednesday morning:yay:.

We had all kinds of things to tackle the last few days, regarding the trip:eek:. DS26 has had a bad physical flare up. We had some mix ups with our reservations, like the wrong number in the party, one name left off, flight information arriving later than we expected at GKTW, finding out the traveller's checks are not accepted many places, technical troubles loading some pre-paid debit cards. I talked the local bank manager into cashing our trip check without a hold (the bank the check was drawn on has no branches around here). I bravely faced all the obstacles and overcame them... LOL:).

Last night I picked up a Leap Pad and companion books for Princessesprincess:, Ratatouille (sp?) and Madagascar. I purchased some glow necklaces and two small flashlights for dark rides:rolleyes:. Oh... and I also found a misting fan bottle to hang on the stroller. The weather looks like it will be GREAT: high 80s in the daytime, lows at night in the mid 70s with afternoon rain showers. The tropical depression heading that way seems to be falling apart due to adverse winds. Yippeee!:cheer2: I also bought a striped terrycloth towel my DW is making into a poncho for Lysi to use after wet rides. She chills really easily, so that should help.

My best buddy says he might have a portable DVD player for us to borrow if he can find the battery pack. That would be great.

Our Chuck e Cheese, Make-a-Wish send off party was Tuesday night. Here are some pictures.

First, opening the presents:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/September142007145.jpg

A true Princess gets her Princess gear (check out the princess cake):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/September142007138.jpg

She kept searching for Chuckee. She finally ran him down:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/September142007152.jpg

And I was worried about her being nervous around characters... I don't think so:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/September142007157.jpg

One of many cool rides there:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/September142007166.jpg

Grandma and Grandpa's little princess:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/September142007158.jpg

The whole crew (My youngest sons, who are not going on the trip, the first two in the middle, the other is my foster son):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/September142007170.jpg

Lysi had her first day at Kindergarten this week. She is totally independent:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/September142007136.jpg

The Princess dress for the trip and a crown DW made:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/September142007055.jpg

Now understand that I work in a very politically-correct occupation where we DEFINITELY do not talk like this, but it was kind of funny. I do not use the 'R' word myself since I work with that population. When we were at Chuck e Cheese, I said to Chuckee.... "I will say Hi to Mickey for you." My number two son said, "Dad, you shouldn't say that... it is kind of a sensitive subject because Chuckee is Mickey's retarded cousin." For some reason that struck me as funny.

Well... I have finished all I am going to do at work, have bought all that I am going to buy, have reserved a wheel chair at the airports, have converted our check into debit cards and have decided to just relax and enjoy the ride from here on.

Yes, I plan to post a trip report most days of the trip, if GKTW computers have USB ports for my camera download (or is it upload?). It is so great to connect with everyone on here. I will see LeeLee and crew at MK, and Who'syourMickey at the GKTW Christmas Party. HURRAY! Friends are like spices on a fine dish, they make the whole experience more enjoyable:grouphug:.

God Bless You All,

I may drop off the radar until Monday night as we will be at my inlaws the next two nights.

Bill

[Momof2wCF]

IT'S ALMOST HERE!! :cool1: :banana: :dance3:
Bill and family, Have a great time at GKTW and WDW!! We are so excited to read your on-site TR popcorn:: (if you aren't having too much fun to post from there!!):lmao:
LeeLee2U Have fun too! Your TR will be really fun to read, esp. the different experience of staying on-site at WDW!!:goodvibes
Have an awesome trip! Tell Mickey we're coming!

[Eeyore's Mom]

Sounds like you are ready to go! Looks like the party was a lot of fun too. I do hope you enjoy the whole experience and remember, GO WITH THE FLOW! I have been coaching my husband for a month and we don't go until Jan.- he needs that much coaching though :laughing:

LeeLee2U- I'm sorry this wasn't the right match. I will pray that the right match comes soon. My son is a liver transplant recipient but we were able to do a living donor (my brother (my hero)) and only waited for 3 month until we did the transplant- I thought that was a long time!! I hope you have a great time on your trip too!

I can't wait to hear all of the :yay: TR's!!
:wave2:

[alizesmom]

All of these trips coming up.:banana: I can't wait to hear how they go and see all of the pictures. Have fun. Karen

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Anyone home yet??????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????? :confused3 Can't wait to read the trip reports!!!!!!!

[5dwarves]

I think they got there on Saturday and will be back this weekend...I am anxious to hear as well. Hope they are having a great time.

[Bill_Lin]

Yes, we are back home. I am sorry that I don't have time due to my 10-hour per day work schedule to post pictures and begin a thorough report. I will do that this weekend.:surfweb:

Our trip was MAGICAL:wizard: . Every good thing I had heard about Disney CMs proved to be true for us:love: . Lysi DID get to have a meal in the castle:yay: . Our MK day was Wednesday 9/19. The day started with a LOT of rain.:umbrella: After bag check, I forgot to zip up the side pouch on the GKTW video camera case and lost one filmed disk from Sea World and two blank disks. I was a bit bummed, but you know good often comes out of a setback.

I proceeded to Guest Relations to report the loss. The disks were never found, but Jeff, a CM at Guest Relations asked about my DDs wish. I told him that she had wanted to sleep in the castle, but that she understood why she could not. I told him that we got our dates confirmed too late for a reservation for a meal in the castle and could Lysi have the chance to just peak in. In typical Disney fashion he said, "Hang on a minute and let me see what I can do." He came back and asked if we could be ready to have brunch in the castle in half an hour:dance3: . He didn't have to ask twice, I can assure you. It was beyond magicalprincess: . After brunch, when we were leaving the castle, Lysi asked why I had tears in my eye. She did not understand tears of joy.

Jason, our DS26 was unable to go on the trip due to a flare up of his Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy:confused: . That was hard for Lysi the day she found out, which was the day before our flight. She bounced back really quickly however and did not mention it at all during the trip.

Lin got a bit of a cold/ cough while there, but it did not slow her down. She passed it on to me when we got back, so I have a good case of it now:sick: .

This weekend, I will tell you about our Sea World Day, and why you should not purchase a Netspend Pre-paid debit card:mad: . You will learn all the details about our MK Day and how the weather cleared up early to find the park almost deserted. The magic we experienced at AK was amazing. We met LeeLee2you and family there:grouphug: . After our AK day, we met Who'syourMickey and family at GKTW:grouphug: . Our US/IOA day was a lot of fun, but the GKTW Pirates and Princesses Party was awesome. Who would have thought anyone could cut a rug like that in a Shamu suit? pirate: Our final theme park day at Epcot and the Studios held more magic and another chance meeting with LeeLee and crew. Fantasmic was the perfect ending for our park days. The last morning we spent at GKTW, which was nearly deserted (and that is no exaggeration). It was kind of eerie, but provided us with our only train ride and golf games there.

Again, I hope you will bear with me in not getting the post going until this weekend.

Bill

[wendygrace]

I have tears in my eyes knowing you had a magical time. I cannot wait to hear more!

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

I am so glad you had a great time!!!! :cool1: I suppose we can wait until the weekend to hear all the details. ;) Good thing I don't have any plans this weekend! :surfweb: popcorn:: :rotfl2:

[Momof2wCF]

Great to hear it was magical!! :dance3: :banana: :cool1: princess: Can't wait to hear details and see pix!! :surfweb:
Get better!:sick:

[alizesmom]

You're back. Can't wait to hear about your magical, fantastic trip. :thumbsup2 Hope everyone gets better. Karen

[KathyRN137]

I'm sitting here coughing and sneezing, too, but you made my day!! :goodvibes

I cannot wait to hear all the wonderful details; I'm so happy for your family!

pixiedust: to Jason, hope he is doing better now.

Kathy

[5dwarves]

Yeah! So glad to hear your princess got to dine with all the other ones at MK. Sorry to hear about the pics....looking forward to your TR.... I hope you and the other wish trippers took some group photos!

~Elisa

[jennydep]

YEA! I can't wait to hear the rest!!!!

[Who'syourMickey]

Hey guys! We are still sorting out our pictures too. I hung our camera case to the stroller, stroller fell over, breaking a disc in half. GKTW is trying to recover any info. off of our disks that they can. I just feel awful about that. We were having trouble with our personal camera also before this happened, and after. Our personal camera malfuntioned, I mean we didn't realize until the end of the trip that if the file cue wasn't up, the pictures didn't save....we lost so many pictures that way, they just vanished into cyberspace...whaaaaah! We still have a lot though, and our trip was amazing!!!!!!!! It was great meeting Bill and his Family, his daughter is just so vibrant and joyful, and LeeLee's children were just precious and their excitement about princesses is infectious. Lee Lee's son won a dream meeting with Cinderella and called and invited us to join them. It was a blast. Our trip was amazing. We have a crazy amount of things going on, came home to a broken air conditioner and dd and Black Ear Envy needed to see doctors. A little snag with the rental car of $500 accidentally being put on our debit card instead of the wish organizaton paying so yikes!....hope to get that straightened out..gulp. My children got to meet Zena, the princess of MLG orlando (Halo 2-gaming). DD got her songs of love song...and I plan to put the video of her listening to it on U tube...except it has her name on it. I want to find a way to block her name out. :woohoo:

[LeeLee2U]

Hi to all! You know it's not funny, but it is!! Of Course I have a wierd sense of humor! O.k. Bill and WYM both had camera problems, Well on our 2nd day there we lost 1 of the disposable cameras on a bus. It was full of pics from the night before. It lacked 2 pic of being full. We had my digital and then the WISH org had given us sev. disposable cameras. This one had all the Fantasmic pics on it.:sad2: I don't know what was up with us and our cameras!!! Hope I didn't jinx the rest of you!!!!
For all of you out there BillLin are an amazing family. Their DD is precious and I have some good pics of her and my son having a Water fight with their Mist bottles!! We so enjoyed getting to meet them 2x!!!
WYM is great!! I was so glad that they let us share our dream w/them. The Dream team member was GREAT!! O.k. I'm not saying anymore details We'll save that for the TR!! I'm hoping to start one soon but I've been sick since we got back. I'm feeling lots better today and now I'm going to finish unpacking and then clean my house!! A week with Momma sick is NOT good!!1 On the other hand B's surgery was rescheduled for this coming week which was a good thing considering how sick I got on Thurs!!
Bill, Can't wait to see those pics!!!!!!!!!! Give Lysi a hug for me!

[Who'syourMickey]

LeeLee, now that is funny. It's like we wish families just can't handle one more responsibility....I can juggle everything else, but that and keeping track of cameras, batteries, video cameras.....something that we aren't used to put us over the edge! I am formulating some great camera tips that should help others though. One is putting name and addresses on portable cameras so that if found, someone could mail them to you. I won't give all my tips away either....you'll just have to read my trip report. I started my trip report today.

[Eeyore's Mom]

I feel like it's a holiday having you all back!! :rotfl2: I CAN 'T WAIT TO READ THE TRIP REPORTS!!!! Sounds like everyone had a magical time and it makes it even more exciting for us. I have become addicted to the Disboards while you were all away since I didn't have your updates to read. There is so much information on here it's crazy but none of it will be as exciting as reading your TR's. Thanks guys...

[Momof2wCF]

Bill, where are you? Is everything okay?

[Bill_Lin]

Well.... my DW Lin had gotten a chest cold while we were on the trip. :sick:She did a good job trying to minimize it and kept going like a trooper. She started dragging on Friday, but seemed a bit better on Saturday. Unfortunately, she gave it to me. It hit on Monday when we got back to Washington. I was pretty much doing okay on Tuesday at work, but Wednesday was worse. We had my work's annual retreat starting that evening. I took a bit of a rest at home before going up to the retreat (in the mountains near our ski resort). It really hit me when I was on my way up a high tree on the ropes course. :scared1: It felt like someone hit me in the chest, but being a stubborn Scotsman I was not about to come back down until I finished. I was on a foot wire 50 feet up and had to cross to another tree. The guy down below kept saying, "Bill, are you making good choices here," :confused: but I finished.

Needless to say, I spent Friday through Sunday flat on my back in bed. It kind of hit my heart. Monday, I managed at work, though was bit slow. Tuesday and Wednesday were scans at Children's Hospital. That is always stressful and wearing. Lysi did Great and her scans looked good. She is still growing too fast (which ironically could limit her height in the long run). All the cancer scans looked clear though. Our housing assistance in Spokane has dried up for families of cancer kids. The Rypien Foundation (which had helped us in recent years) ran out of money. The local hotel chain the used to help a lot has cut way back, and Ronald McDonald House was full and overflowing. There really is a huge need in our area. Fortunately, we had enough money on hand to pay for a discount room at a hotel across from the hospital.:goodvibes

I have most of today off to rest, and will rest on the weekend, but wanted to get started on my report here. I am sorry for the delay.

[Momof2wCF]

Glad to see you're still around, Bill! Get better soon, looking forward to your TR!

[Bill_Lin]

I had two friends, one from the Christian community in our town and one from work tell me, "Something will happen to throw your plans out of whack, just go with the flow and live in the moment." :confused3 Well they were sure right. The day before we were to leave for Grandpa's house in Davenport WA, Jason, the 26 year old announced that he was hurting too much from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and might not make the trip. This really stressed everyone out, including Lysi. :guilty: We told him to rest and wait and see, and reminded him that he could be in a wheel chair the whole time, or just hang around at Give Kids the World Village if he did not feel like going to a theme park. He did not want to try this. The rest of us, Bill, Lin, Kyle 13 and the Princess Elysia left for Grandpa's. The next day was Sunday. Jason called to say he would not be coming. We debated rescheduling the trip, but decided that was not fair to Lysi. With a cancer kid, you cannot just assume things will always be all right. There was no guarantee Jason would be better at a later date anyway. It was uncertain about scheduling time around my work as well. We decided to go without him.:sad1:

Poor little Lysi really felt bad about it that day, but she bounced back the next morning when it was time to fly out. She never once mentioned it on the trip and it did not spoil things for her at all, thankfully.princess:

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Glad to see you Bill_Lin......I think we were all starting to worry just a bit about ya! :grouphug: I can't wait to read more trip report!!!:cool1:

[Bill_Lin]

At 3:30 a.m. PDT we got up to head to the airport. :faint: Grandpa drove us in his minivan for the 45 minute drive to Spokane. :drive: There was NO traffic on US Highway 2 at that hour and the stars were bright. Everyone was too excited to sleep in the van.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007002.jpg

We had no trouble checking in and met with Kathy, our Make a Wish Coordinator.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007001.jpg

We got on the first plane to Seattle, armed with a Leap Pad and my buddy's DVD player with extended battery. Lysi spent most of the time staring out the window to watch our plane arrive or other planes take off. It was her first time flying.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007004.jpg

The flight attendants welcomed Lysi in a special way and gave us each a set of stick on wings. Before Jason cancelled, we had a row of three seats together and two in a separate row. Alaska Airlines explained, when we cancelled Jason's seat, that they could not give one of us his seat to make two rows of two seats. One person would have to sit alone in the odd seat. I did this for the flight to Seattle.

On the flight from Seattle to Orlando (which was boarding when we arrived in Seattle) Linda took the odd seat. She tried to get the man on the aisle to trade with her so we could all be in a row, but he wanted the aisle seat. This was funny, because he never got up once to use the restroom in the 5 hours of flight, but had to keep getting up to let my DW or the other lady in the row get out. This time on her own was kind of nice for Lin though as she had a break from Mom duties and could rest. Lysi and I had a lot of fun with the Leap Pad and Kyle used the DVD player to watch Spider Man 2. Lysi finally ended up sleeping for much of the five hour flight.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007009.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007016.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007012.jpg

At Orlando airport, Philipa, from GKTW met us with a nice sign welcoming Lysi.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007017.jpg

She watched our things and the Princess well the rest of us gathered luggage. She whisked us off to Avis to get our vehicle, an Olds Uplander (kind of a minivan-SUV-Suburban cross). It was brand new. We headed out, following the excellent directions provided at gktw.org and arrived at the village in good time. :drive: Although it did feel humid in Florida, it was nothing like the build up we had gotten from the internet research I had done. :surfweb: I noticed a very different smell the whole time we were there, but it was not unpleasant. It was fun seeing all the palm trees. The toll roads were a bit odd for us, as we do not have such things where we live.

At the House of Hearts, we met with a really nice older man from New York who was very sweet to us. Lysi kept staring out the window or looking at the scale model of the village. She was enthralled. She got a big Mickey Mouse and we headed to our villa. I drove the "rig" following a golf cart.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007018.jpg

Our villa was number 299 but it is the first one you come to. It was right across from the Gingerbread House. A nice basket of goodies was in our room, with little gifts for the kids, the GKTW version of Candy Land, Fudge, Pringles, comic books and crayons.

At the Gingerbread House, we were received with great kindness and friendliness by the volunteers. The food was very good and PLENTIFUL.

Mayor Clayton and Ms. Merry came to the Gingerbread House. Lysi immediately ran up and hugged them. She had ZERO fear or nervousness around characters. Meeting characters turned out to be her favorite part of the trip. That really surprised me as she is normally very shy around new people or new experiences.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007026.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007025.jpg

After dinner we rode the carousel and checked out the Castle of Miracles. Kyle loved the animation creator, and Lysi dressed up in Princess clothes that they have there.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007027.jpg

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We had been strongly urged to attend a Safari Double Dare event that night in the Theater, so I took the kids there while Lin went to orientation. That was a big step for me, to send her to orientation since I had been the information and research guy all along. Lysi was able to get me in the face with a whipped cream pie, so the kids loved it.

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Lin and I took our first or many whirlpool baths to soothe our already sore muscles. We slept great in the HUGE bed. Kyle and Lysi slept in the kids room beds.:cloud9:

[Eeyore's Mom]

I'm sorry you have been so sick. I'm gald it hit you after the trip and that your wife was able to be such a great trooper (we usually are!! :thumbsup2 ) when she didn't feel well.
I am loving your report- you are doing a fabulous job, as I knew you would. We met with our wish granters on Wed. and it made the trip feel so real. I have spent some time in your neck of the woods and have flown in and out of GEG and SEA airports so it's fun to add my own visuals to all of this.
I'm looking forward to more!! :banana: :woohoo: :yay:

[Bill_Lin]

We figured that our first day should be a short one. One thing that I drastically underestimated in my pre-trip planning was how long it would take to get everyone up, fed and on the road each day. For one thing, we were tired each morning. For another thing, there were often characters at GKTW when we had breakfast. I ended up figuring that it saved time in the long run to see them at the Village instead of trying to find them at the theme parks.

We took the time to ride the carriage ride around the Village with a nice family from Greenwich, England. It was a good way to check out the layout of the Village.

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This was Tuesday, September 18th and Sea Word Day.

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I keep telling my wife that we didn't actually get lost that morning, we just could not find a way into the parking lot for Sea World. By the way, the GKTW directions let us down here. Do NOT turn left until you get past the light by the parking lot, as the only entrance is past the light.

We started off with a character greet. We NEVER had to wait in line to meet characters at any theme park. Only once did I hear a family complain about this after the CMs explained about Make a Wish, this was a German family at Epcot, and we happened to arrive just before Jasmine and Genie's break time.

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Lysi really liked the kid rides at Shamu's Happy Harbor.

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Linda's favorite part was the Shamu "Believe" show.

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My favorite exhibit was the Manatee Rescue area. The manatees are so peaceful and serene.

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We ended up skipping the Dolphin "Blue Horizons" Show, but already were beginning to realize that we would not have time to do everything, so we should pick and choose and try not to be in such a rush that we should fail to enjoy each moment as it came.

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We had a lot of unexpected "turns" and setbacks during the trip, that seemed like a big deal at the time, but in hindsight were minor frustrations, or even funny. To understand this first story, you have to get some background on me. I have an uncanny habit of, in perfect innocence, saying the right thing at the wrong time. I particularly have a history of dwarf comments. Please understand that I am only 5'5" myself and come from a family of very short stature.

When my youngest son, Scott was young, he was pretty small (though he is now 6' tall). I had a very large friend who liked to call Scott, the Dweebo Dwarf as a nickname. That name kind of stuck in Scott's early years. On a long road trip, my family stopped at Taco Bell in The Dalles, Oregon, to use the restroom. We were all standing in the hall waiting. I had my back to the men's room door, but everyone else could see it over my shoulder. There was a broom closet in the hall. Scottie asked what it was. I said (again in all innocence and ignorance) that is the dweebo dwarf closet, but you can't go in there, there is already a dweebo dwarf in there. Just as I said these words I saw everyone's eyes get very wide. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that as I said the immortal words, "You can't go in there, there's already a dweebo dwarf in there," a dwarf had walked out of the men's room. To make matters worse, when I saw him, I could not help laughing; not at him, at myself. He shook his head. I can only think he must have thought, "Who are you to talk buddy?"

If this is not enough, when recounting this story to a friend as we entered another Taco Bell in Spokane, Washington, another dwarf walked out of the restaurant. On still another occasion, I was window shopping with Lin in Leavenworth, Washington. There was a Seven Dwarves theme that summer in many of the shop windows. As I said, "Oh look Lin, there is another dwarf," she said, "Bill you have done it again." I said, "You've got to be kidding." She said, "Look around the corner," and sure enough, there was a dwarf. Now, I think you will agree that God has a sense of humor and is trying to keep me humble. Sadly, I have said a lot of other stupid things at the wrong time.

Because of the above events, my wife simply HAD to forward to me a story she read on the internet about a woman who accidentally rear ended another car driven by a dwarf. When the man got out to confront her, he said, "I am not happy." For some reason this struck her as funny and she said, "Then which one are you."

All of this is background to what happened at Sea World. We had found a really nice sit down restaurant that served a variety of food including fish. When I tried to pay for the meal with one of my pre-paid debit cards, it was refused as expired. I had already spend three hours on the phone with Netspend to activate and straighten out my cards. They were terribly disorganized. The person I called from Sea World could barely speak English. He seemed unfamiliar with the English names for numerals. This made giving him by card number rather interesting. I immediately asked to speak with a supervisor, but only got as far as eternal hold. I hung up the phone and walked into the restaurant. I said to Lin, "I am not happy!" She immediately started shaking. When she does this, I know that I am about to be laughed at hysterically because she cannot help herself. Suddenly she blurted out, "Then which one are you?" I about choked to death on my now-cold hamburger, but it sure snapped me out of a bad mood quickly. See why I love her so much? She is really good for me.

I had to include this picture because I really thought the native birds, such as this Egret, were awesome.

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At the end of the day we picked up some cool souvenirs. Kyle bought a necklace and Lysi got a Princess purse with Dolly the Dolphin in it and a little Shamu. Sea World was very nice. We bypassed lines for rides, although the park was not crowded, but did not try to get privileges for show seating. We got soaked as it was. I have some video footage from the GKTW video camera we borrowed. You can see a wall of water coming at me, then my hand covering the lens as I protected the camera. We all loved the Wild Arctic simulator ride. Lysi thought Journey to Atlantis was too steep and too wet. It was a bit like Splash Mountain on steroids, but Kyle and I liked it. He loved Kraken.

Lysi got to feed and pet the dolphins. Free feeder fish were provided to her. She was given special treatment and help in meeting the dolphins. She also got free fish to feed the seals. It was a wonderful day.

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Back at the village we had dinner, then hit the water park and pool. Lysi went RIGHT to sleep at the end of the day.

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[5dwarves]

Bill:

Yeah! You started! So glad to hear you and Lin are on the mend. I hate it when one of my crew catches something because I know it will circulate through the family for the next 2 months. For us the big trick is making sure no one catches the bug for the second time.

It was fun reading what you had posted so far...the "Happy" joke is very funny. I really enjoyed the GKTW pictures...like seeing photos of an old friend; and am looking forward to reading more from all the recent wish trippers.

Our kids get Fall Break here (like spring break only in October). It comes at the 1/2 way point in the semester. We are on our way to Texas to visit with my parents. I'll be looking forward to catching up on all the TR's when I get back....glad you all had a wonderful time!

~Elisa

[Bill_Lin]

This was the day of days, the focus of Lysi's original wish.:wizard:

:tink:All I can say about MK and the Disney Cast Member's is WOW. They were so over the top with royal treatment. The thing I noticed most was the CM smiles. Sea World was nice and the folks were kind and polite, but I never had the feeling that they liked their jobs. At DW, everyone smiled and acted happy. I don't know how WDW pulls that off on such a large scale with so many people, but it was AMAZING! I love Disney even more now than I did before our trip.:love:

It was the night before..... We were walking across the village when the sky opened up and it started to pour. :umbrella: I just love my Pendleton hat the kept the rain off. I have had that hat for more than 10 years and it has kept me shaded from the sun, dry in the rain and warm in the snow for more walks than I could count.

It seemed to rain and storm all night. I kind of enjoyed the sound of the storm while we were inside, cozy and warm. There is nothing like a whirlpool bath to create a positive mental outlook. :cloud9: We had goodies waiting for us in the room when we got there Tuesday night. Dinner at the Gingerbread House was great, as were our ice cream sundaes at the Ice Cream Palace.

The next morning, still raining, we had a quick and early "Continental Breakfast" at the Gingerbread House. We were happy to see that the strawberry waffles were up and ready. They were great every morning. The House volunteers were so sweet, kind and friendly to us. Lysi and I started a game at meals, where we would play "I Spy" using the dolls around the roof.

We headed to MK.

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We were told that we were on the fringes of Tropical Storm Ivan, or Irene, or something like that. The folks back home read on line that we were in the middle of a Hurricane. Well, our storms back home are a LOT worse than that storm.

We had our matching blue ponchos to keep us dry (Lysi's has Mickey on it and was Kyle's when he went 8 years ago with Lin).

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It was a tad cool, but not cold at all. As at all the parks (Except Universal which made a BIG deal about seeing our Free Parking Pass), when we showed our Give Kids the World Button, we were directed to up front Handicapped Parking. It may have helped that we had our placard on the mirror.

From Disney Transportation, we took the ferry to MK. It was virtually empty. A lot more people got off the monorail on the other side, but they may have been from the resorts as Free Dining was still on. We did not get to do LOEMH in the morning, but that was okay as we did not have time or energy for that long a day.

After clearing the Bag Check, I left the side pocket open on the Video Camera Bag and lost my first cd from Sea World and the first day at the Village as well as some blank disks. I was pretty bummed, but still had a lot of Sea World footage on the disk in the camera. Feeling downcast, I retraced my steps back to the bag check, then went to Guest Services to report the loss. They never did find the disks, but a LOT of good came out of it. Guest services at MK makes you really feel like a guest and they sure provide good service.

A CM named Jeff (I wish I had taken his picture) took my report. He saw my Make a Wish Button and asked about Elysia's wish. At this time Lysi, Lin and Kyle were meeting some characters across Main Street. I told Jeff that Lysi had wanted to stay in the castle but that we understood why that was not possible. I told him that we had not gotten our dates in time to get a meal in the castle, and could she possibly have a chance to just peak in the room. In typical Disney CM fashion he said, "Let me see what I can do," and disappeared behind the magic curtain in the back. A few minutes later Jeff came back and asked, "Can you do breakfast at the Castle in half an hour?" He did not have to ask twice. He had pulled some strings to get us in at the last minute.

I found the crew and told them the good news, then we hurried off to the castle.

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We met with Cinderella and had our pictures taken, then went upstairs for brunch. Jasmine, Belle, Snow White and the Fairy Godmother each came over to spend some time with Lysi. She was so ecstatic! I was extremely impressed by the acting skill, voices and mannerisms of the Princesses. The magic sure worked for me. Lyis got her signatures in a book we purchased when we got our free double stroller (We had double strollers the whole week for free, although for Universal, we had to get "tickets" at the House of Hearts beforehand).

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I really enjoyed watching Lysi make her "Wish" with the wand she received from Cinderella. It was a moment beyond magic, dreams and wishes.

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When we came down stairs after brunch, I was pretty choked up by all the magic and could not talk. Lysi wanted to know why I was crying. She does not yet understand the concept of happy tears. As an added bonus, the rain was gone as well. That storm must have scared a lot of the locals away, because the park was FAR from crowded all day long. The only crowd we ran into was at the Fireworks show as the park was emptying.

After the castle, we headed to Adventureland by way of Liberty Square. At the Haunted Mansion, we asked a CM if we could bypass the line, but their literally was NO line. We went right in. The ride had just been refurbished and it was WAY better than the one at DL. There is a magic stairway room that is new and has footsteps that magically appear, kind of like in Harry Potter. The "Bride" now has a face that moves and speaks and is really creepy. Lysi did not like the elevator room and hanging man at all, but was not scared on the rest of the ride. Kyle and I loved it, and found a chance to hit the ride again later.

After HM, we did the Tiki Room, where the fake storm was kind of funny after having the real thing that morning. Then it was off to Pirates of the Caribbean. We asked about line bypass again, and were told that the line was so short, their was no bypass line open. We had a very short wait as we went through the queue. I was really glad to see the queue because it is awesome in itself. Captain Jack can be seen in several scenes and is SO real looking.

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We went on to take in the Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
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Next was Splash Mountain. Lysi was psyched out for that ride after doing Journey to Atlantis the Day before, but she enjoyed the Uncle Remus theme a lot. She was NOT about to try a fast ride, so Kyle and I did Thunder Mountain while Lin and Lysi went to Tom Sawyer Island. We took the GAC with us. It turned out on many occasions that it was the actual pass that made the magic happen. Usually, the Make a Wish buttons were enough, but the occasional CM needed the pass to get us through. It did not matter if Lysi was with us as long as we had the pass.

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After meeting up at Tom Sawyer Island, we went to Fantasyland for Dumbo (Where there was no line bypass). We waited four rides to get on, which was not bad. We took in Peter Pan, Small World and the Carousel. After that we went to the Wish Lounge to meet the famous Matt and Alex who had done so much for WendyGrace and her family. I told them that they were famous on the DISboards for their Disney CM magic. The Wish Lounge was a nice place to unwind, relax, get some bottled water and use a private restroom. Matt suggested that we try the Columbia Harbour House for great Fish and Chips. It was almost empty when we were there. They close at 5:00 p.m. so it was a great place for a late lunch/ early dinner.

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Kyle and I ducked out early to hit the Haunted Mansion again. This time we went in the back way. It goes through a "servant's entrance" featuring servants bells for Master Gracie's room, etc. The only scary part of the ride happened for me here. As we were waiting in that hall, a door opened and a CM in costume popped out on her way somewhere. I did not even notice the door there and the whole thing scared the beejeebers out of me.:scared1:

Before going to Tomorrowland, we found some more character greets including Captain Jack Sparrow. Again, we were able to "cut line." Captain Jack was so good in his speech patterns, accent, body movements, appearance and conversation that I could find NO flaw. It was JUST like talking to Johnny Depp in character. Later we met some of his friends who work as characters at MK. They were visiting the Village and told us that Captain Jack is THE best and stays in character even for his bus ride home each night. The video we shot with him is priceless.

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At Tomorrowland, Kyle and I did Space Mountain and learned that I am a lot older than I was the last time I rode it. Still it was FUN. Lysi and Lin did the Transit Authority ride so they could see in Space Mountain. Next we took in the Monster's Inc. Comedy Club Laugh Floor. That was GREAT. Do not miss it. We did the go cart/ Nascar or whaterver ride. Stitch's Great Escape about freaked Lysi out. It was SO real to her that she looked up at the Castle afterward trying to see where Stitch had gotten to. Kyle left his shoulder bag with a mini camera and spyglass on Stitch. He IMMEDIATELY turned around to tell a CM he had left it, but the shows are Back to Back. He had to wait for the next show. While he waited with Lin, Lysi and I took in Winnie the Pooh. We never did get to Toon Town. The bag was not found that day, but later Disney found it and mailed it to us free of charge. Only Disney can work that kind of Magic.:tinker:

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We stayed to watch the Fireworks and look at some of the shops. Kyle and Lysi got souvenirs. Kyle's was the medallion from the Pirate's movies and Lysi got Minnie Pirate Mouse ears and a matching Minnie Mouse pirate doll. We checked at lost and found, then headed to the Monorail for a ride back to the parking lot, then on to the Village, and bed. Naturally there were goodies waiting for the kids when we got back. More whirlpools and sleep followed. Did I mention that we were getting really spoiled?

[wendygrace]

Loving it! Loving it! Loving it! That is the Alexis of our trip but I don't believe that was our guy. Isn't she sweet?!

Lysi just looks sooooo happy! Glad to see you managed to squeeze into some of those pictures! LOL

[alizesmom]

Magic, magic everywhere. :wizard: The kids look like they are having the time of their lives. Mom and Dad look pretty happy too. Karen

[Who'syourMickey]

Awesome trip report Bill! My dd took a picture of the same cinderella and prince charming in the window! We just so happened to walk up to the Jack Sparrow show and were able to get a spot and see the last five minutes of it. He was amazing, just like you said. We used the whirlpool tubs at GKTW too. I am sorry your card was declined at dinner...argh! We had a similar thing happen at a dinner that our wish organization prepaid for...ha...at the end of dinner they gave us a bill...gulp....in the end it got worked out and we didn't need to do dishes!

You all look amazing and happy. I just think that all anyone would have to do is look at the smiles on these wish children's faces to know that by donating to these organizations, they were doing an amazing thing!

I am so glad that Lysi got in to see Cinderella and feed dolphins and seee whales!:love:

Shelly

[LeeLee2U]

Awesome Job Bill!:goodvibes We also had a ------------ experience with Captain Jack Sparrow as I think you already know, but everyone will have to read my TR to find our just what kind of experience we had. Of course I've got to start the thing first!!!!!!:rotfl2:
I feel the same way about the World. You know it's hard to explain to the "reg" folks how it is their, but it really is just like you've stepped into the pages of a storybook and all your fav. stories are in there and YOU are in the middle of it. I didn't feel the magic at first, but once I did ...:cloud9: I can count on one hand the # of CMs that weren't "magical" and as we were there all week, I think thats pretty awesome!
Well B's starting to move @ so I've gotta go. One funny thing about this surgery is the bandage they have on his head, they call the Princess Leia bandage. We had to just call it the Star Wars Wrap. When he gets antsy and starts pulling at it, I just say hey are you on Sar Wars and he starts grinnig. He said he needed to go to Disney World 'cause now he belongs on Star Tours!!!!:rotfl2: I'm so glad we had this trip when we did! It's still helping us!:goodvibes
Can't wait for the rest!!!!

[Bill_Lin]

Thursday morning, September 20th, we went to breakfast at the Gingerbread House. While we were stuffing ourselves on the amazing food (and more waffles) Lysi looked out the window and saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto. She about went ballastic and had to HURRY to get pictures with them. Pluto and Goofy were available for photos outside, but for Mickey and Minnie, we had to wait in line at the Safari Theater. It was really special, since we had missed Toon Town Fair the day before. This was one of those times when I saw that it would save us more time to see them at the village and leave later, than trying to track the characters down at Animal Kingdom during the day. Lysi was so thrilled to see that her character friends had come all the way to the village to meet her.

Since we had a few moments, we got Lysi's star started at the Castle of Miracles and made Lysi and Kyle's special pillows on the pillow maker. The star fairy animation came down to "take Lysi's star" and told us to come back the next day to see it on the ceiling. The main ceiling in the castle is almost full of stars.

The Star:
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The Magic Mirror:
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Just a really cute picture:
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On her Royal Throne:
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The Pillow Machine:
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Meeting the Characters:
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:tink:All in all, it was a magical start to another wonderful Disney Day! :smickey:

[Bill_Lin]

Thursday, at Animal Kingdom, held more special Disney Magic for us. After the cool day before, it was kind of surprising to find that it was HOT. We had our Disney neck coolers and our misting fan. We kept the fan on the handle of the stroller so anyone could use it. This also served as a great way of marking our stroller so we could find it after rides. (For some reason, Universal has a rule against hanging things from stroller handles, but we found a way to hang it on the inside there).

Park Ambassadors, Balou, King Louie, and Stanley:
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The Tree of Life:
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We really loved these drummers:
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And got a chance to try it our for ourselves, later:
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Our favorite part of the trip was the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride. Our GAC pass really saved us a lot of time on this ride line. We sure did get to love that little piece of paper, and guarded it like it was King Solomon's Mine.

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Animal Kingdom was one of the two main places I had, personally, been looking forward to seeing. I love animals, African music and clothes and animatronics. This made AK, the perfect park for me. It was really hard to get good pictures on the bumpy ride, but I managed to get a few that were decent enough:

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The African animal trail was worth the walk. We really enjoyed the Ciclid Pool, but only the videos turned out. We ended up skipping the Asia trail for lack of time, but I hear the Tiger exhibit there is awesome.

Lin and Kyle went on Everest while Lysi and I looked around Asia. We all enjoyed the Kali River Rapids, and were thankful that we had brought the Towel Poncho that Linda had made for Lysi. I can't believe I did not get a picture of her wearing it after the ride.

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I worked for weeks trying to de-sensitize Lysi to the Dinosaur Ride so she would not be terrified. It really paid off. The ride is dark, the car is very jerky and bumpy and the dinosaurs are awesome.

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Near this ride, we ate at (can you believe it) McDonalds. Here the food was better than the typical McDonalds. We met out only grumpy Disney CM here. Lin went looking for napkins. She asked him where they were. He said, "I am only one person and I can't do everything." She just pointed to her Make a Wish button, and that was all it took to make him look sheepish and apologize. This event stands out in our minds because ALL of the other CMs treated us like royalty, no better than that because there were no Paparazzi.

Here we had a melt down experience. Lysi and I wanted to go on the Triceratops Spin, but Lin was starting to feel her cold a bit by then. Lysi tried to go too fast in her Crocs and fell. The sidewalks in AK are really BAD and full of cracks. I don't know if this is part of the ambiance or what. Lysi skinned her knee and there was real blood. This was TOO much for her, with being tired and all of the excitement. All she could think about was going back to our Villa at GKTW. I finally talked her into staying for the Festival of the Lion King. First, I bribed her with a Mickey-Shaped ice cream bar. We had been planning to go to the Asia trail, but I am glad that this changed our plans. The ONLY thing she was willing to stay for was the Lion King.

At the Lion King, we had the second-most magic experience of the trip. First, our GAC got us in for the last show of the day, second, a CM took Lysi to help teach the audience the "Hand Jive" before the show. Next, a CM gave her a Tinkerbell Pin. We did not have any pins up to that point because, frankly, we could not afford to get into that. After that, a CM took Lysi and a few other kids up during the show to play maracas and dance in a "follow the leader" circle around the main stage. She was transformed. Her owie suddenly was forgotten and she was a Star. She totally loved it. Finally, another CM gave Lysi a special Gift Pin. These pins come in sets of two, one to keep and one to give to a special person she might meet on her trip. These pins also had Tinkerbell, who is on Lysi's list of favorites. The show was WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL and MAGICAL. I only got video footage of the show, so I don't have any pictures of this magical time. Here are some screenshots from our video. You can see that, even in the dark, the GKTW video cameras took some decent footage.

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When the show was over, the CMs in the stores really tried to shut down IMMEDIATELY and shoo everyone out of the park. This seemed just plain weird from a marketing standpoint. We did not find this happening at any other park. The fact is, we had figured on half an hour to an hour to shop after closing and planned to spend a good amount on souvenirs.

After closing, we had the privilige of meeting up with LeeLee2you and family. The kids hit it off right away and got into a misting fan water war. We also met Donald as you can see.

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Back at GKTW it was Christmas. There were decorations up, artificial snow was coming off the roof of the Caring Center (until the rain started to fall and messed that up a tad). In the Castle of Miracles, we met Santa and the kids each got a lovely stuffed bear and a Polar Express Puzzle. Then each child was allowed to pick out a Hasbro toy from a table FULL of toys. Kyle chose a HUGE transformer and Lysi picked out a Mrs. Potato Head.

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We met up with Who'syourMickey and family at the Christmas Party. That was really special. I cannot find any pictures of them.... so HELP Who'syourMickey! Do you have any pictures to post that we can copy for this page? Here is one we took with her right before we left for home.
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Our favorite part of the evening was meeting some Disney CM's who were parading by in costumes with a Christmas theme. These young people (on a student internship at WDW) were SO sweet to Lysi. We talked about some of the CMs at MK, like Capt. Jack, who was a good friend of these folks. We were able to deduce that the girls we met, ordinarily played some of the major costumed characters that we had met and apparently they recognized Lysi. They offered to get us into Blizzard Beach for free on Sunday, but we were TOO tired to even think about it by then.

The day ended with more Whirlpool bubbles and a GREAT sleep.

[wendygrace]

Yeah! Sounds so wonderful! I love the pics. Everyone looks so happy! Isn't Christmas wonderful! I think we're going to use our GKTW Christmas pic with Santa for our Christmas pics this year!

Can't wait to see more.

[Bill_Lin]

In true serendipitous fashion, three of the characters that we had planned to meet at Universal Studios showed up at GKTW when we were having breakfast. This saved us having to go to the Barney area later in the day.

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Then, it was off to Universal Studios.

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BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR UNIVERSAL FREE PARKING PASS handy when you get to the booth. It looks just like one of the park tickets. They are VERY picky about seeing this pass.:confused3 Starting with the parking attendant, we found the staff at Universal Studios to be much less HAPPY and friendly than at Disney. There were a few notable exceptions, but smiles were rare. One staffer at the Men in Black ride, even chewed us out for coming through the fast line without a staff escort. We explained that we had been told to come through that way. She said, "Well, when you get off the ride, you go and tell who ever told you that that you NEED to have a staff escort you." :mad: We did that, and the man said, "I'm really sorry. Never mind her, she is ALWAYS that way." His relaxed, nice spirit more than made up for her. Besides, it is hard to feel ill used when you are getting first in line treatment at rides and character greets. US was really good about seeing that we got through the lines. The younger staffers tended to be happier than the older ones.

With Handicapped parking we ended up three moving sidewalks away from the park. This was no big deal as we just stood there and rode. On the way home, though, we found lots of people trying to hustle along these things, and it got kind of annoying.

Once inside the park, we got our stroller (GET A FREE STROLLER PASS from the House of Hearts beforehand), then headed for the Jimmy Neutron Ride. It was Super. Afterwards, we found this guy in the gift shop. Universal Rides end in gift shops just like at Disney. We actually found this to be kind of convenient.

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We all really loved the Shrek 4-D ride. It is not all that scary (for those whose legs don't reach the floor... don't ask... I won't give it away).

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After the ride, we met Donkey and Shrek, in that order. Donkey talks.... just like in the movie and he is GREAT. He really bantered with Lysi.

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Kyle loved the swords there, as he is a collector.

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After this, Kyle and I headed for the MUMMY. This was far and away the most awesome ride of our whole trip. It is intense and has REAL fire effects. You will feel the heat. Lysi was too short for the ride, which would have scared the wits out of her anyway. While we did that ride, she and Lin went to the Curious George playground where Lysi got soaking wet. It was a hot day anyway. She tried to get wet at any fountains that we found. Sea World had a neat area that Lysi and I BOTH enjoyed on that hot day. There was also a kids fountain at Epcot.

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There are a lot of characters near the Curious George area.

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We went on the Woody Woodpecker roller coaster to dry off. It was way NOT intense. Then we took in the E.T. ride which was extremely CUTE.

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I should mention that at each character kiosk, we got a free picture with our G.A.P. pass (the flip side of the Disney G.A.C.). The lady at the E.T. kiosk made a BIG deal about forbidding us to take our own photographs for copy rite reasons. Some folks took random shots around the park and gave us tickets for pictures to purchase. We were told that we could have our choice of one of these prints for free at the end of the day, but we forgot to take advantage of it and have not found the papers for this. By the way, Disney, at their parks, gives you a photo pass card when they take your picture the first time. Have each photographer scan this as the day goes on. You can check out pictures for purchase at the end of each day, or.... just go on line and find all of your pictures there to order when you get home. That is what we did.

After E.T. we went to Men in Black Alien Attack. It was similar to Buzz Light Year Space Ranger Spin at MK but a lot more high tech and a lot more fun. On the way we hit the Coca Cola Cooling station, which sprays mist on you. Be sure to try the little booth. It was HOT that day and the mist was bliss.

For some reason, I got grumpy about that time, and even my wife's "Which one are you now," comment did not work. We skipped Jaws, Earthquake and Twister and went to lunch at the American Graffiti Cafe. By the way, other than the brunch in the castle at MK, we got all of our meals for a very reasonable rate (under $10.00 per person including drinks). We did not do any other character meals (or parades for that matter) because we wanted to maximize ride times, so we went to a lot of cafe type places. We loved the Sea Fire Inn at Sea World (Burgers-Chicken-or Mahi Mahi with live music), the Columbia Harbor House at MK (has fish and chips and closes at 5pm for some bizarre reason), American Grafitti at U.S. (burgers, 50s quisine, root beer floats), and The Lotus Blossom Cafe at China in Epcot (surprisingly good quality stir fry for a great price). Most of our meals were eaten at GKTW. I really think it is worth getting a little bit of a later start each day to eat the great breakfasts in the Gingerbread House. That really fuels you up for the day. At any rate, you can get Continental earlier, or even have a cart delivered to your Villa.

After lunch at US, I was back to my cheerful self (I will let you figure out which dwarf I was). Let me digress here to tell you that, after my DWs comment at Sea World about "Which one are you then," I told Snow White at the Castle Brunch the next day, that my wife needed to know which Dwarf I was most like. She said, "Oh.. definitely Doc because you have glasses just like his." I figure that, on such authority, this pretty much settles the debate.

We spent the rest of the day at Islands of Adventure, which is a fairly short walk away.

[wendygrace]

Michael just loves your pictures. he can't wait to go back! Thanks for sharing with us.

[KimAshton]

Beautiful family. Someone I know has a 1 year old daughter that is suffer Luekemia. Hopefully one day the family will be able to do something like this.

[Bill_Lin]

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Islands of Adventure ROCKS! I wish we had allowed more time there and less at US.

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We found the gate to be a bit challenging. Once in the gate, through bag check and ticket check, we took a restroom break. After that, we took a wrong turn and ended up back outside the gate. This is kind of funny in retrospect. I had to say, "Well that wasn't much of a park."

Back inside we rode the Spider Man ride first. It was a really cool simulator that was quite fast paced. Stuff just keeps coming at you.

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While Lin and Kyle went to Dr. Doom's Fearfall and the Hulk Coaster, Lysi and I found a kids water play area and played on "Me Ship, the Olive." After that we all went on the Popeye and Bluto Bilge Rat Barges. We got soaked, which dampened Lysi's enthusiasm, especially since it became overcast at about that time. We had to pay $2.00 for a one hour locker before going on that ride. There was no convincing Lysi to try the Ripsaw Falls water flume ride, so Kyle and I tried to get on. We showed the G.A.P. to the first guy in line and passed it on to Lin. When we got up to the ride, the man there was kind of rude and said, there was NO WAY he was going to take our word for it, and sent us back. Then we got the G.A.P. back and asked for a staff member to escort us in. This took a bit of time, but finally a VERY nice Mountie came and escorted us. He was not a BIT like the real Mounties I have met in Canada... he was, in fact much more relaxed and friendly. He explained that the grumpy man was new to the ride and did not understand about Wish Trip Kids. We enjoyed the ride and hardly got wet.

After this, we all headed on to Jurassic Park. We managed to cajole Lysi into getting on the ride. It was not nearly as scary as Dinosaur nor was it as wet as the Bilge Rat Barges, so she was happy. Kyle (being a coaster fanatic) wanted to go on the Dragon Coasters. Lin was feeling a bit ill, so he went on those on his own. The lady running the ride, sent him right on the second coaster when he finished the first, even though Lysi and I took the G.A.P. with us. We tried to get into Poseidon's Fury but we had missed the last show, which ends about one hour before the park closes. We took a picture there anyway because the building looks so cool.

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Lysi and I went on the Seuss Trolley and Cat in the Hat while waiting for Kyle and Lin.

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Then we all went on One Fish Two Fish and the Carouseussal.

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We did this in a big rush as the park was closing. A guy running a souvenir kiosk there gave us 10% when he saw our Make a Wish Buttons. Suddenly we remembered that we had bought Jason a souvenir mug and had it sent to the store at the front of US. Kyle took the receipt for pick up and ran, theoretically to the US gate. He actually got totally lost and ended up at City Walk. Lysi started crying that her brother was lost, and it was kind of an interesting experience. She got even more upset when Lin went to look for him. All ended well, however and we got the mug.

Stay tuned for Friday evening at GKTW....

[Bill_Lin]

This night was the Pirates and Princesses Party at GKTW with Sea World Characters, the Queen of the Castle of Miracles and a Pirate Duke.

It was a great opportunity for Lysi to wear her Princess outfit. She did not have it at MK because... we did not think we would get to go to the Castle brunch, it was raining really hard when we got there... and.. well Mom forgot and left in in the car.

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Lyis had a great time dancing with Shamu, who could really cut a rug..

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And with Dolly the Dolphin.

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There was a ceremony to coronate the princesses.

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It was kind of cute because we had one pirate pirate: and one princess princess:... however the princess had pirate princess ears with a matching crown.

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The evening featured, crafts, dancing, cermonies... and more free ice cream at the Ice Cream Palace. My "ususal" was Chocolate Chip Cookie dough and Oreo topped with hot fudge, whipped cream and M & Ms.

Ain't she sweet:
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We hit the whirlpool and went to sleep... after a walk through the Village at night. The colored lights on the whimsical buildings create a lovely, magical effect.

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[Iluvmickeymouse!]

I am loving your report!!! I am getting so much more excited!!! :cool1: My daughter is loving the pics, now she knows what to expect when we get there! Keep it comin'!!!!!:banana: :cheer2:

[Bill_Lin]

We started out fairly early this day for a change. At Epcot, we got a parking place right by the entrance. It was easy to get used to being spoiled like that. The first attraction we wanted to take in was Soarin' because we had heard such things about it. It was wonderful.

Next, we headed for the Seas with Nemo and Friends. It was really cute. I still cannot figure out how they were able to mix real fish in a tank with 3-D animation projection. It really looked like the characters were swimming in the real tanks.

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At the same exhibit, we went to the Turtle Talk with Crush show.

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Lysi can just be seen on the far right with a pigtail and Make a Wish hat:
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Lysi got to ask Crush a question here about his diet:
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This was a very personal and special part of the trip for her.

Journey into Imagination with Figment was really cute. We enjoyed the hands on activities after the ride.
No this picture is NOT upside down:
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After this, we headed to the other side of Future World. Our first ride there was Mission Space. Lin and Lysi did the low impact version, while Kyle and I did the High Impact version. You know how they warn you about doing some rides if you have any heart problems. Well... I thought my heart was "all healed." On the ride, however, the G-forces from the centrifuge came VERY close to making me pass out. I had to use all the breathing excercises I had learned to keep my oxygen level high enough to stay conscious. Still... it was awesome. Kyle really got into the hands on exercises after the ride, so I took Lysi on Energy Adventure with Ellen.

This was a cool show that turned into a ride and back into a show. The dinosaurs were pretty realistic. I had remembered to give Lysi some glow in the dark bracelets and a small flashlight for this ride. It was quite dark. Just before we were done, the ride broke down because some kid jumped out during the ride. Lin and Kyle had come to meet us and were told, "The ride is broken down and everyone has already left." Of course, this was not true. It had the effect of really worrying my poor wife.

Lysi was a little tense after this and did not want to do test track. I was a little leery of it myself after my experience on Mission Space, so I took Lysi to the kids' fountain area to wait while Kyle and Lin went on the ride.

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Lysi and I headed onto Mexico... after getting several sets of wrong directions from CMs. We finally found a tourist who sent us through the baby changing area and first aid station shortcut. I really liked the inside of the pyramid with its "nighttime" shopping. We did not do the ride there, but enjoyed looking at all the artwork and cool stuff for sale.

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Our tour of World Showcase was pretty fast paced. We did not spend much time in the shops, but really enjoyed seeing the architecture of each region.

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At China, we had a great, inexpensive meal at the Lotus Cafe. At Norway, we did the Maelstrom ride. That was definitely worth the time. At Morocco, we found Genie, who is the symbol of Make a Wish. A family from Germany was really put out that we got to cut in front of them, because the characters took a 10 minute break right after seeing us. This was the only time we saw any objection that lasted beyond a CM explanation of Make a Wish.

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We also found Aladdin's home while in Morocco, but he was not in.

After this, we were in a hurry to catch the boat ride to MGM :wizard: for the rest of the day so we breezed through the U.S. and France and skipped the U.K. and Canada.

[Bill_Lin]

At the back, "International," exit of Epcot, we turned in our stroller and boarded the boat for a 30-minute ride/ rest to MGM.

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I am definitely a boat person, so I really enjoyed this break. :sail: The boat stopped at a boardwalk area and two Disney Resorts that we would not have seen otherwise. At MGM, we went through the bag and ticket check thing, but opted to skip the stroller since the area is so small.

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We headed immediately to take in Kyle's number one choice for the trip: The Tower of Terror. It amazed me that a little girl who was too scared for Thunder Mt. Railroad, Space Mountain, Everest, Ripsaw Falls and Test Track would ride the Tower of Terror. I was very nervous on the ride, but only because I was nervous about her being nervous. Lin was between us, and I could not see Lysi very well. A kid was crying and I thought it was her.. but NO.. she thought the ride was cool, but did not want to repeat it.

After this, we pulled out our G.A.C. so we could catch the last Beauty and the Beast Show. We barely made it (they recommend you show up like half an hour early or more), but got to sit in the front row, next to LeeLee2you and family. We had not seen them since AK on Thursday. That made the show a lot more special to us. I did not take any still shots, but was able to video tape all but the first few moments of the show. It was wonderful. beautiful and breathtaking. Here are a few screen shots from my video:

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Of course, this was the same Belle that Lysi had seen at the Castle at Mk and at GKTW. That made the moment more special to her. Lysi was able to trade her special Tinkerbell giveaway pin with LeeLee's son had a similar one. It was a really special moment.

After the show, we went on Star Tours, except for Lin who was feeling ill again. Lysi was so cute. She saw on the pre-ride video that Ewoks were getting on the ride. She has both of the post-Star Wars Ewok movies: Ewoks-Caravan of Courage and Ewoks-Battle for Endor. She kept looking around our ride vehicle to see the Ewoks. Even after the ride ended, she kept looking around corner and down below to see if she could find some Ewoks. The Magic definitely worked for her. At the gift store, she bought a Wicket Ewok.

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After Star Tours, we tried to make the Playhouse Disney on Stage Show, but barely missed the last one. That worked out well, though, because we had decided to skip Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and ended up going there instead. It was way better than I had imagined, and provided Lysi with her only chance to see Ariel. I videotaped that show. The stage is dark except for black lights and the puppets are flourescent, so you don't see the puppeteers AT ALL. Here are some screenshots:

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Lysi's glow in the dark bracelets came in handy here:
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After this, we took in the Great Movie Ride, which turned out to be a lot of fun. Everyone really enjoyed the animatronics and live actors.

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The evening, and our theme parks tour, ended on a perfect note with Fantasmic. :tink:::MickeyMo::MinnieMo:goofy::smickey: It is an amazing fireworks, projection, laser and character show summarizing all the Disney things that we had seen during the week. It started to rain while we were on the movie ride, and Lin was feeling ill, so we bought her a Tinkerbell Sweatshirt and a BIG Mickey umbrella, plus some other souvenirs. The lady in that store was SO nice to Lysi and gave her a Mickey Pin. I forgot to mention all of the large round pins that Lysi received from CMs. She got one for being a first time WDW visitor, and a few other pretty ones, as well as her GKTW and Make a Wish Button, she was pretty well decorated. Her GKTW lanyard was really not up to the challenge of that much hardware. I would really suggest buying a larger Disney lanyard at the Wal-Mart by the Village when you get there.

When we got to the stadium for Fantasmic, we had to put our umbrella down, but the rain stopped about that time. The show was LOUD. Lysi kept her ears covered the whole time, but she loved it. After the show, we caught the Disney Transportation bus back to the Epcot parking lot. It was a bit of a walk from the gate to the Epcot bus stop, which is the last one. The busses were REALLY crowded with some folks standing. When we got off the bus at Epcot, it was just in time to see the fireworks show there, as that park stays open one hour later than MGM.

Needless to say, we were all beat, but still felt up to ordering our free GKTW pizza for delivery to the Villa. We had done this once before, and they forgot to bring it, plus having the order all confused. This time, all went well. It sure was a nice treat. I took a quick stroll around to look at the lights again, then took another whirlpool. The Ice Cream Palace was closed when we got back.

[LeeLee2U]

O.k. Bill now I'm getting Disney sick! Not as in sick of Disney but sick as in home sick!:goodvibes
I've just got to put in here that Lysi is a little doll. When she was telling me about meeting the Princesses her face was all lit up. Mom, Dad and brother aren't too bad either!;) I have a wonderfull pic of her and Tyler waterfighting. When we get home I'll send it to you. We are at my Moms right now while Braeton is recovering. A few extra hands help a lot and I'm only 15 min from home so that makes it easy to go grab stuff.
Braeton was looking at the pics and said Look that's the Wish girl Lees that I waterfight with. :laughing: I thought that was so cute. Like they waterfight everyday!!
Now I'm going to try to at least start my TR tonight. You are making me feel guilty!!!

[Bill_Lin]

Leaving GKTW was like losing a close family member. It was so HARD to leave. We are still not really over it. :sad1: Today, Lysi said, "Dad, let's go back to Give Kids the World Village. I miss it." :confused:

Although our original plans had allowed for using our unused day at Universal/ IOA, or going to the Ocean, we were too pooped to even consider it. There were some things we had not done at the Village yet as well. We slept a bit later the last day and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the Gingerbread House.

Our last day's activities included one last swim and frolic in the water park, miniature golfing, a train ride, sandwiches and ice cream at the Ice Cream Palace. I managed to hit a golf ball out of the course and onto the train track. We were able to snag it on the train ride later. Somehow, I still won the golf match though.:goodvibes

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/Poolcrop.jpg

My golf ball on the tracks:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/golfballcrop.jpg

This was, apparently hilarious:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/October12007341crop.jpg

The little engineer:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v507/Kinyonbl/traincrop.jpg

We also checked out the pond and saw a HUGE soft shelled turtle. We spent a little time in the Castle of Miracles and saw Lysi's star on the ceiling. The star fairy will show you where each star is located. We also picked up a CD with all of the pictures staff had taken of us at the Village. We were required to turn the borrowed video camera in on Friday evening. When we left, we got the video disks back formatted. What a treasure they are.

After checking out, we hung around for a while, but the place was almost empty. We did have a brief prayer time in the beautiful chapel, thanking God for our trip and for healing our Little Girl to the point that she could go on the trip and live a normal life.

Our camera was FULL so we have no more pictures to share from here on.


I had gone to Wal-Mart at the light on Bass the morning before to pick up some medication for Lin's cold. There I had discovered a huge section of Disney treasures. I found stuffed animals, tee shirts, cups, caps, bags, tags, and you name it. So on the last day, we spent some time and money at Wal-Mart. From a previous trip, Lin knew about the huge indoor Flea Market just east of Bass on the highway. You go to the light by Wal-Mart and turn right, then go about a block or two. There we found a LOT more cool stuff from Disney and Universal. Kyle got a really cool pirate sword and I found a large Piglet and Shamu for Lysi. You would not believe how much stuff they have there and how cheap the prices are, especially compared to theme park prices. Lin got a really nice outfit for a price that amazed even me. We found Croc jibbets for $1 each and even bought a BIG duffle bag for all the things we bought. Our final souvenirs were purchased at the airport Sea World and Universal Stores.

We gassed up the rig, and said a sad farewell to Florida's gas prices, which are WAY less than ours. We had no trouble navigating to the airport and paying the tolls. After dropping of the rental car, we had a LOT of trouble getting to the terminal. First of all, hitting the "terminal" button on the elevator did exactly nothing. We had no idea what floor to go to. I thought maybe we were already on the terminal floor so I stepped out of the elevator. Naturally, the door closed and it finally went to the right floor. Lysi freaked out and was sure she would never see her Daddy again. I took the next elevator which had no trouble going to the right floor. From there, the directions to the Alaska check in area were really confusing. We stopped people three times to ask directions. They were all very nice. The lady at the Alaska counter was very sweet and reassuring.

Security takes a long time at Orlando, so be prepared for extra time. You really DO need 2 hours or more to drop off a rental car and get through to your gate in time for your flight. Our flight was delayed, however so we had plenty of time. Once we got to the gate, I remembered that, if we wanted to eat on the 5-hour flight, I would have to have cash. Naturally, the ATM in that terminal was broken. I had to take a tram from there to the main terminal and another one out to the other satellite to get an ATM that worked. After obtaining my cash, I rode the trams back. The neat thing about this tram tripping was that I finally saw an Alligator in the wild. This had been a goal of mine during the trip and I had looked at every pond and puddle we passed each day. This alligator looked to be about 8 feet long and was swimming down the lake at the airport right under the tram tracks.

By the time I got back to our gate, Lysi was again sure that she would never see me again. She cried the whole time I was gone. Good grief!

On our flight to Seattle, one of us, again had to be separated from the others. I volunteered. I am sure Lin wished she had either done it or sent Kyle there, because he and Lysi bickered over things until she fell asleep. She slept a good 4 hours of the 5 hour flight. Kyle and Lin mostly slept as well. That left me with the DVD player to watch a movie. I cannot even remember what movie it was, but I think it was one we were given at GKTW. We sure did receive a lot of gifts there, puzzles, stuffed toys, match box cars, a game, DVDs, snacks and other things.

It is interesting that on both of our Seattle-Orlando/ Orlando-Seattle flights, the flight attendants and gate workers did not seem to care that Lysi was on a Wish Trip. I suppose they are so used to kids taking wish trips to Orlando that it seems like no big deal to them. The contrast on our Seattle to Spokane/ Spokane to Seattle flights was dramatic.

Our flight from Seattle to Spokane was VERY delayed so we could wait for a plane full of Washington State University Soccer Ladies flying from Las Vegas. Their flight had been forced to land elsewhere for a medical emergency of some kind. Waiting in the airport taught me that people who fly a lot tend to get very territorial about who gets what seats in the waiting area. We had to guard our seats like hawks to get to stay together. Putting a bag on or in front of your seat did nothing to reserve it. I guess I have gotten too used to small-town politeness.

The flight attendants on our final flight made a big deal about seating us before anyone else on that BIG, FULL plane. The pilot came back to meet Lysi and gave her a set of wings. One of the flight attendants stayed close to Lysi and talked to her almost the whole flight. Just before take off, the captain announced on the p.a. that there was a V.I.P. on the flight, Elysia and that she was on her Make a Wish Trip. Everyone on the plane clapped.

When we reached Spokane, Grandpa helped us load everything into his van. It was the first time I had checked luggage with Alaska Airlines through Seattle to Spokane that I actually got my luggage the day I arrived. I was very grateful because so many of our trip treasures were in those bags.

We spent the next day resting up at Grandpa and Grandma's place in Davenport, WA before heading home in the late afternoon.

[disneyfanforlife]

I have enjoyed your TR. Lysi truely is a princess:. She is very brave. I am sure she makes everyone proud. I am sure her older sister is looking down at her smiling at her.

[Momof2wCF]

REALLY good TR, Bill! :hug: to you and your lovely family!! Lysi looks awed by all of it, and so happy! The nice thing about these MaW trips is that there is so much to do, each family can customize it to fit themselves, and each Wish trip is different. :cheer2:
Did I see Lysi with a Pal Mickey in one of the pix? Did you buy it or did she get it at GKTW?
Also, I didn't see where you got the GAC. Did you get it at the parks at Guest Relations or did you get it at GKTW?
Hope all goes well with you guys, both Lysi and Jason too. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!!:flower3: :grouphug:

[wendygrace]

I love your report! Glad you enjoyed yourself. Michael also constantly wants to go back. I briefly considered going to Disneyland for our next trip but I think Michael would just loose his mind if we didn't get to see GKTW again. Gotta love that place.

[alizesmom]

Wow, I feel like I did the parks (all of them) in 20 minutes. Your thread is great. It really looks like you all had a great time. Lysi is beautiful as is the whole family. You posted my favorite thing to look forward to: Festival of the Lion King. My wish is to get a picture of Alize with Pumbaa. Karen

[Who'syourMickey]

Wow, such a fun trip report! I wish I could go this fast with mine. :cool1:

Here is the picture we took at our unplanned meeting. What happened was Mayor Clayton was riding with our daughter on the carosel and I had just sprinted to the car and back (NEVER NEVER NEVER go to breakfast without your camera at GKTW!!!!) to find that....I missed the cutest picture ever. Mayor Clayton was sitting across from dd and they were holding hands and swinging their arms on the carosel. A while after this, I ran into Bill and Lynn as they were getting ready to leave for the airport, I believe? Someone offered to take our picture together. This pic saved because the camera had been on for a while. The cobblestones you see us standing on is just in front of the gingerbread house and the castle of Miracles on what is called the Avenue of Angels. Many of these pavers have the name of an angel who has helped make GKTW possible. The paver can be engraved with a family name or the name of someone that you wish to honor the memory of and are available from GKTW for $200. http://www.gktw.org/how/paver.asp

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k100/Bestbirths/DSC03635.jpg

[Bill_Lin]

I really appreciate the picture. I think we took some the night of the Christmas Party on Lysi's camera, but the driver for it does not work so we cannot retrieve the pictures. I went on line and found that everyone else who bought a Vivitar Mini Digital Camera has the same problem.

I would really appreciate it if you would post a picture of your whole crew here. We really enjoyed talking to you guys after the Christmas Party.

[Bill_Lin]

I came down with whatever bug Lin had after I got back home, only I had it in the super size version. I am still struggling with it.:sick:

One the Tuesday after our trip, I felt really weak at work. When this happens, I try not to think it could be my heart, because I want to believe that my heart is "fine" now. :confused:

On Wednesday, I was a bit worse, but my office was hosting our Agency-Wide staff retreat near my town. Although I had planned to help set up, including decorating the main meeting room, I took about an hour at home to rest instead, and came up to the retreat later. I am sure my female coworkers were glad to have me miss the decorating session, since that is not my forte'. :confused3

I did fairly well that evening and went to sleep early at the retreat center. I should add that this location is at a high altitude near a ski resort. The next morning we had a ropes challenge course to help with team building. We had three options from which to choose, and had pre-selected these a few weeks earlier. The choices were: 1) A non-physical mental challenge indoors. 2) A medium-level challenge course at ground level. 3) The high ropes course way above the ground with significant physical challenges.

Because I wanted to keep the attitude that my heart was "fine", and on the evidence many months of building my endurance up by walking to get ready for the wish trip, I had chosed option #3. Even though I was feeling sick, I did not want to "wimp out" on this choice so I stuck with #3. :rolleyes1

I did fine until I had climbed 50' up the tree to reach the high wire. I did not quite make it to the wire, when I felt pressure in my chest and sudden weakness. A sensible person would have backed out at this point, so naturally I refused to quit. I yelled down to the facilitator that I was feeling chest pressure. He asked what I was going to do, so I said, "Take the next step." Then he said, "What about after that?" I answered, "Take the next step after that." He asked if I was making good choices, but I ignored that (since I obviously wasn't) and pressed on. :sad2: Once I got my feet on the cable, I was determined to cross to the other tree. By the time I made it across, I was shaking like a leaf (and not from fear). I felt to bad physically to be able to think about how high up I was. I could barely stand when I got down to the ground. :scared:

My condition began to deteriorate after that, so I think I must have overstressed my heart due to the respiratory infection. See what my wife has to deal with. I spent from late Thursday afternoon until Monday morning in bed. I made it to work the next Monday, though I was quite weak.

On Tuesday, we went to Children's Hospital in Spokane for Lysi's twice-yearly cancer scans.

[Bill_Lin]

We live about 60 miles from Children's Hospital, so commuting is not really an option for two full days of scans and other medical tests. The Mark Rypien Foundation, or West Coast Hotels had been able to help us with housing in the past. Both of these sources of help had dried up, but we were able to get a medical discount at a hotel across the street from the hospital. We actually had the money to do this for a change, so we were quite thankful. :thumbsup2

I felt a bit better, and was no longer coughing, so I figured I was not contagious and could go to the scans. Lysi was a trooper during her I.V. insertion, although this is always traumatic for her. :guilty: She got pretty agitated and tense, but did not even cry. While waiting for the I.V. she distracted herself by operating EVERY possible lever on her hospital bed. We knew there was one nurse there who would not stand for that, but we just kept a lookout for her. I felt that it was helpful for Lysi to keep her mind occupied. ;)

Next, she had her isotope injection. In the past, this has always made her immediately throw up, but this time there was no problem. During our waiting times she drove her Piglet and Pooh pooh: (from the Wish Trip) :wizard: and her Starbaby doll (who has been with her at every scan and surgery since birth) around in a little toy car or wagon. We also watched bit of a Winnie the Pooh video about Piglet.

Although our clinic had scheduled Lysi to have both a CT scan and a MIBG radiation scan the next day, we were able to take an open spot for the CT that day. It is really hard for Lysi to lie still for two back-to-back scans. The CT went really well. She loved the fact that they use Mickey Mouse's voice to tell her when to hold her breath. We had to wait around until after 4:00 to get her CBC back so she could have her IV out.

After this scan, we headed to Taco Time to eat, since we had not eaten for about 8 hours. Then it was off to the hotel, and free popcorn. popcorn:: There was no pool (Lysi loves the water) and Lysi was really bummed when she was told she was too young to use their exercise equipment. She was allowed to go in with Lin and I to check out the exercise room,:tigger: though and was allowed to do the sit up map. We sat in the hotel parlour for a bit and enjoyed the view out the window of autumn colored trees blowing in a strong wind. Then it was off to our room to watch TV and rest.

The next day, we did not have to get up very early (because we had moved the CT to the day before). Because the Nuclear Medicine unit was backed up, we had quite a while to wait for Lysi's scans. We met a family in the waiting room whose daughter had the same kind of cancer as Lysi. They had been on a Make a Wish trip to Disneyland, so we compared notes. Lysi really hit it off with the girl's 4-year-old sister and they pulled each other up and down the long hall in a little wagon. :yay:

My middle Son, David, who lives in Spokane and attends college in a neaby town, came up for the MIBG scan, to keep Lysi company. She loves seeing her big brothers and sisters who live on their own. For this scan, Lysi has to lie still (without any sedation) for over an hour while a scanner runs around her. At many points it is only a few inches from her face. :scared1: She tried really hard not to wiggle, and was a trooper. We did not see anything showing up on the scans. After this, we went to the oncology clinic. The doctor said that her CT looked fine, as well as her blood work. She explained that the MIBG results would take a few days but that there seemed to be no cause for worry. Lysi had grown more rapidly than they would like. This is due to her having no adrenal glands. She takes shots to slow down this precocious development because it could seriously limit her long-term growth and her eventual stature.

We were told that we would have scans again in six months, but that after that, we would only need to have brief annual check ups without scans. After that she would be officially considered to be in remission. We were very grateful for the good news and breathed a sigh of relief. :cloud9:

We took David out to a late lunch at Taco Time again, then headed home to Chewelah.

Although I have had some problems with breathing and have had to resort to Albuterol, I seem to be gradually healing up. I am so glad that I did not get sick on the trip.

Lysi was back to Kindergarten last week, and this yesterday, started full days at school for the first time. She threw up last night, though so she may have to miss school today. She says she thinks she had too many jelly bellies when she went to the youth center in town where her brother is a director. :confused3

If you would like to read more about Lysi's condition, Lin wrote an article on line about Lysi and the family history of this disease: http://***************************/article/403781/neuroblastoma_our_daughters_rare_disease.html

[Bill_Lin]

Thank you everyone for your insights, encouragements, tips, comments and wonderful posts that help to make this Trip of a Lifetime so special. :grouphug: I still get chills just thinking about how wonderful the experience of visiting Orlando was. Even after all of the wonderful stories we heard and our high expectations, I was still surprised by the joy, beauty and warmth that surrounded us during this trip. :cloud9:

I can still remember the unique Central Florida smell and the feel of the warm humid air. It seems odd not to have to watch for lizards on the sidewalks everywhere. Where is all of the free ice-cream to which we became accustomed? :confused3

It is odd not to have a theme park to plan for and look foward to. I think I will have to keep posting on people's trip reports just to get my Disney "fix." I wear the Mickey Mouse hoodie that I bought at Wal-Mart near the village any chance I get. ::MickeyMo

It was really fun compiling, editing and posting our trip pictures on this site. We also have a LOT of neat video footage. Maybe I can post some of that on YouTube and paste the link here. :surfweb:

If there is anyone out there who is planning a Wish Trip and would like help, I would REALLY enjoy helping you out. :thumbsup2

Did I mention that I LOVE Walt Disney World. :love:

Bill

[LeeLee2U]

Bill I think we must have all gotten this "bug". I'm so glad ya'll are all feeling better. OH Thank God for Lysis good report!!
What a wonderfull article Lyn wrote. She is such a strong couragous woman. I'm so glad I had the privilege of meeting ya'll while in the World. Wish there would have been more time to visit, but am glad for the 2x we did get to meet!!
And Bill I think you need to mention how much you :love: Disney World!!!
:laughing:

[Momof2wCF]

Yay for Lysi!! Glad to hear her report was good! :hug:
Now you, bad man need to take care of yourself!! 50 feet up a tree with chest pain?!?:eek: I ask you what you'd think if Lin did that!:faint:
Ahem..sorry, Mom mode overtook me. But seriously, BE CAREFUL, okay?;)

[alizesmom]

Thank you so much for the posts. You (and others) have been such helpful guides to many of us out here who are planning our own Wish Trips. Your families have been memorable and lovely. I feel like I'm saying goodbye to good friends as each one of you finish your threads. Karen

[wendygrace]

I'm so glad Lysi's reports/scans are all good. How wonderful!

Hey, perhaps we all need to plan a trip in January 2009! ;) Wouldn't it be awesome if all the wish-trippers who've gotten to know each other got together for a grand meeting?!

Just a thought.

[LeeLee2U]

I'm so glad Lysi's reports/scans are all good. How wonderful!

Hey, perhaps we all need to plan a trip in January 2009! ;) Wouldn't it be awesome if all the wish-trippers who've gotten to know each other got together for a grand meeting?!

Just a thought.
Sounds GREAT!!!!!!!!!! to me!!! I'm all for it!!! :goodvibes

[Bill_Lin]

I LOVE your idea Wendy. I think that would be just awesome. I would love to stay at a Disney Resort and just do Disney Parks. US/ IOA and SW were fun, but Disney was so much more magical. The Animal Kingdom Lodge looks awesome, but I am sure there are a LOT of nice places. Bring on 2009! :banana:

With our World Passport, we just figured out that if we take a trip to California next summer, there are a lot of places we could visit for free like Six Flags, Marine World, Knotts Berry Farm, etc. If we do this, we will have to do some days at DL. I have a cousin in Woodburn OR... .a former coworker at Rogue River OR, a Niece in L.A. and a Nephew in San Diego, so we would not lack for places to stay... oh yeah, I also have a young cousin in San Francisco. We would just have to come up with money for food, gas and DL.

We also found the theme park in Federal Way WA is on the list. We have family there too. OH YEAH. Our local theme park Silver Wood (featured earlier on in this report) is on the list. HURRAY!:dance3:

[Bill_Lin]

Hey, Alizesmom! Where is your pre-trip report. Don't you realize that we are all just waiting to be able to fill your thread up with our VALUABLE insights and such? I think we can keep this posting thing going on for ever and relive our own trips that way.

By the way. There is a lot that your wish organization and GKTW will not tell you in advance, that it will help you to know. For one thing, I think we can all conspire to create WAY better driving maps and directions for theme parks, like how about directions on how to get BACK to the Village.

There should be a whole thread on places to shop for Disney/ US/ SW stuff, like the Wal-Mart and Flea Market by the village.

[wendygrace]

Perhaps would should start a Wish-Trippers Community thread to keep up the chatting. Not sure how that works but just a thought.

glad you guys like the Jan 09 trip. We are planning a trip for Danae's fifth so we're looking at the third week in Jan. The week of the 20th! We are also planning a Disney only trip as there is just so much to do there and although we loved US/IOA and SW, our kids just loved WDW much better. Heck, we may just do a week of Magic Kingdom! LOL

[Momof2wCF]

Hey, perhaps we all need to plan a trip in January 2009! Wouldn't it be awesome if all the wish-trippers who've gotten to know each other got together for a grand meeting?!

LOVE THAT IDEA!! Now to figure out a way to persuade DH of the necessity of another trip!:rolleyes1 Better wait until after this one, when the WDW bug bites him too.:woohoo:
BTW, Bill on your road trip, you'd be driving right past my little town just South of Eugene, and...we have a play area at our McDonald's so I think you should stop here on your way thru!!;)

[Bill_Lin]

Wow... Momof2, thanks for the tip on McDonalds (my least favorite and my DDs favorite restaurant). I once lived in Salem so I am kind of familiar with the town's there. :)

WendyGrace... We really NEED a Wish Trippers thread to keep up the comraderie. You, as the GURU of us all (along with JennyDep), should have the honor of starting it. :thumbsup2

A WDW only week sounds WONDERFUL. Lysi is already talking about wanting to go back to Orlando. She wants to do a day visit to the Village, as well. It is like we visited Shangrila, Xanadu, Brigadoon and the Land of the Fairies all wrapped up in one. :wizard: It is said that if you drink from the water of Faerie, you will never be content anywhere else. Ooops! I drank the water, and more than once at that. :rolleyes1

Did I mention that I LOVE DISNEY WORLD! :love:

Bill

[Momof2wCF]

Wow... Momof2, thanks for the tip on McDonalds (my least favorite and my DDs favorite restaurant). I once lived in Salem so I am kind of familiar with the town's there.

Do I know little girls or what? :rotfl:
If we know your schedule (through the *new* Wish Trippers thread ..ahem, started by WendyGrace...);) we could meet you with grown-up food and our DDs could play to their hearts content, sounds lovely!:cool1:

[wendygrace]

Ok. Ok.

Here ya go!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1606643

[Momof2wCF]

Yay!! :woohoo:

[palpluto]

Bill,
Great TR and the pics were wonderful to see. Thanks for taking the time to give us such insight!

[Avivasmom]

Bill,

Thank you for sharing your amazing trip report...it was great. I loved all the pics and stories about your days there.

I am so glad it turned out so well and your PRINCESS had a terrific time.

[Bill_Lin]

Wow... I have gotten so much into the Wish Trippers Unite board and reading everyone else's trip and pre-trip reports that I kind of forgot to keep up with my own report. OOPS!

Update: I am gradually healing and expect to be as normal as I ever get in a week or so.

Lysi is in full days at Kindergarten as is doing great, but it she sure is ready for bed by the end of the day. I believe her endurance will build in a month or so. She is already able to do "Brownies" club once a week after school.

It is amazing to see her living a "normal" life and being able to do about everything that other kids can do. I never dreamed to wish or believe for that to happen, but here she it is. We are so grateful.

I don't know if I ever wrote here how God taught me to believe He loves me (not just loves "mankind" or loves everyone else but loves ME). My new friend, Ivan, a recent refugee immigrant who knew only a few words of English at the time, was listening to me tell him how much I love my little girl and how I wept to see her hurting when she went through surgeries and chemotherapy. Suddenly, his eyes lit up like stars and his face seemed to glow. "Ah!" he said, pointing to the sky, "My God, Father, you daughter." Suddenly it hit me like an overwhelming wave: God loves me like I love my daughter, only infinitely more so. Everything I would desire for her, He desires for me. Everything I feel for her, He feels more for me. It was a profound and amazing moment; one I will never forget.

[Bill_Lin]

This poem sums up my feelings on the journey from cancer to the Magic Kingdom:

A WISH A DREAM A MAGIC PLACE

Beautiful baby
Born to laugh
Smile and play


But pain
Swept into your world
Like a hurricane


How powerless
My father's soul
Unable to protect


Gladly would I
Have ripped out my very heart
To save you


I remember your infant eyes
Locked with mine
As they carried you away


But heroes came
With scalpels
And healing hands


Through long nights
Of chemical sickness
They cared for you


Prayers took root
And grew like wildflowers
Into a garden of life


You grew
And healed
Despite the odds


Then came the call
On Angel's wings
To fly you to a magic place


Castle doors opened for you
Smiles and gifts awaited you
In that land of wonder


It is a place
Built of dreams
Founded on love


Because of you
And all you overcame
I shared that dream with you


I will never forget
Your Princess eyes
Filled with delight and joy


How beautiful the hands
That give and serve
And build a gift so magical


Greeted by a whale
And her splashing tale
Dolphins feasting from your hand


Princesses in regal bliss
Stooped to bestow a royal kiss
And speak with hope filled words


Invited to dance and sing
To celebrate a Lion King
In your own joyous style


The magic donkey spoke
And shared a joke
That made you forever friends


You saw the world
And pyrotechnics swirled
To bring your magic journey to a close


Now we look back
And hold those images
Of magic in our hearts


The love and joy
We planted there
With tears of happiness


Will grow in time
In song and rhyme
Into a legendary tale

[wendygrace]

Now I have tears in my eyes! Stop that!

That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

[alizesmom]

Did you ever consider publishing? Karen

[Bill_Lin]

That is so sweet Karen! Thank you.

I have only published on Poetry.com which has vanity books that they publish. I have had the chance to share my poems in readings, shows and classed on poetry that I have taught.

[FSUDisneyGirl]

I loved reading your report...and I'm so happy you had such a great time! :goodvibes

[KathyRN137]

Thank you so much, Bill. Your story and your trip report were very moving. I am so glad that Lysi is doing so well... it really is a miracle! She's just such a little angel. :angel:


Kathy

[Bill_Lin]

A MAGIC KINGDOM


I don't know if you'll believe
I met a Princess today
And was greeted in her castle
In a most royal way


Yes I met a real Princess
Who stooped to welcome me
And inside her royal castle
I met another three


There were towers that had banners
Stained glass windows in the wall
And the sparkling lights of magic
In the royal banquet hall


A fairy flew from somewhere
And she waved her magic wand
Then she blessed me with a smile
That became our special bond


My greatest wish was granted
And a star thats only mine
In that land of deep enchantment
Where the brightest wonders shine


I became a royal princess
At that magic coronation
And was gifted with enchantment
In a regal celebration


For a princess is a princess
When she is one in her heart
When becoming a true princess
Inner beauty's where you start


I can take you to my castle
In a land of mystery
If you have the childlike virtue
Of believing what you see


If you know that there is wonder
And perceive the majesty
Of a child's imagination
It will set your spirit free


Whisk away then to that place
Where, as a child, I flew
There all your dreams are living
And wishes all come true

[patticake3]

Bill, I loved reading your trip report and meeting your amazing family! Your poems are great, too! Another trip report that made me laugh and cry! Your daughter is precious! Total cutie pie! Sending positive thoughts for continued good health! And for you too - don't overdo it! Ropes?! Need I say more?! :eek:
-Patti

[PittypatBR]

Bill, thanks so much for sharing your story with us. Lysi is so precious princess: and the whole family is so happy in the pictures. Thank heavens for the good checkup, and I pray for continued good health for all of you, including the brother who didn't get to go and your son in Iraq. :grouphug: WDW truly is a magical place.:goodvibes