ANOTHER Adventure in Autism (4/15) A Taste of What's to Come...

[KathyRN137]

I loved your epilogues! What a great way to end a trip report. Still looks like you had a wonderful time even with the low points.

We did have a wonderful, albeit, crazy time!!

I think my April report will be bor-ring in comparison!!

Kathy

 

[KathyRN137]

...Really, I'm not!!

Yes, sometimes ending a TR can be surprisingly as distasteful as ending the vacation itself... but I've been too busy to really sit down and carefully assess the trip to give my final thoughts.

Admittedly, I've also been working on my pre-trippie

Anyway, I will try to wrap this baby up real soon.

And that's no April Fool's Joke!


Kathy

 

[AuntRoeRoe]

Kathy,

Thank you for an awesome trip report! My nephew Matt has Autism and it was cool to see the similarities between your Billy and him. While all of my trips to Disney World have been special, the times I went with my Matt-man were the best. He just has so much fun and is so happy to be there.

By the way, kudos for keeping your cool with Aunt Rae!

 

[KathyRN137]

Some Final Thoughts


Well, friends, I finally made it to the last chapter.

I think this achievement deserves a few dancing bananas!


I'm preparing to set out with Tricia on a Girl Scout Weekend... what looks to be a very wet and soggy Girl Scout Weekend.... so I will not be back on the boards until Sunday night; Monday at the latest. I'm looking forward to making all my responses then.

*******************************************​

Of all our family trips to WDW, the November ’07 trip was, by far, the most challenging…..and not for any of the reasons that I might have expected! We already had four trips with Billy under our belts and I was sure that, between all that experience plus the vast number of hours that I had spent in trip preparation that we could easily accommodate all of his special needs. (Read: autistic spectrum behaviors.)


After all, I had the DisBoards! I had my PassPorter! I had Tour Guide Mike! I had supreme confidence in my own autistic-child-at-WDW-trip-planning abilities! I had….

…the crazy idea that this trip would be a snap!


Heh Heh Heh.


You know, the older I get the more I realize that God does indeed have a sense of humor. Just when we get to the point when we feel safe, smug, and secure….that we’ve got everything under control….. BAM! He smacks us upside the head and reminds us of our human frailty.


Snap out of it! You’re not in control of anything!!


You cannot plan your way to a perfect Disney Trip in the same way you cannot plan your way to a perfect Life. Plans have their usefulness, but in the end, it really is all about Faith, Trust, and Pixiedust.


…When our Dis-Friends are having a difficult time and need encouragement, we send them pixiedust.

…When they are hoping for good news, we send them pixiedust.

…When they are preparing to finally embark upon a much-anticipated trip to the World, we send them a whole lot of pixiedust!


(And lots of woo-hoos and dancing bananas, too…. But, I digress.)


Pixiedust has come to represent all that is magic in the world: Friendship, Goodness, Kindness, and Love… the things that make all of us able to fly!! It is the stuff that Walt Disney World was built with and what makes us want to return again and again.

May all your trips be pixie-dusted….


Kathy

 

[mrsksomeday]

I hope all yours are pixie dusted too!! Thank you again for another informative, heartwarming, and humorous report. I look forward to reading the April TR and keeping up with your PTR for November.

You are a gem.

 

[maroo]

You did an AWESOME job on this TR!! I am so glad that I was not clued in when you disappeared, though! Thanks for warning us you would be out of town and in the rain all weekend.

I hope you had fun at the GS Camp! I loved GS camp as a child!

I can't say enough about your TR. It was fun, funny, informative, creative...and I will be the first person to buy your first book.

 

[mrsksomeday]

I can't say enough about your TR. It was fun, funny, informative, creative...and I will be the first person to buy your first book.

Mary, I adore you, but I won't let you cut in line . I am going to be the first person to buy her book.

 

[moparop]

I hope Girl Scout camp is a fun weekend. Wishing plenty of


What a great trip report with a fabulous ending. Life really is about faith, hope and

 

[DisMomAmy]

Kathy - Another awesome trip report!!! Thanks for sharing your experiences openly & honestly - as always!

I'll be clawing my way to the front of the line for your book too!

Amy

PS - Now you're moving on to April 08, right?

 

[melk]

Thank you for your wonderful trip report. You are a very talented writer and you have a way of putting the reader right there with you. I feel like I know you and your family! And although I completely understand what you went through with Aunt Rae and the associated stress, I will still miss her on your next trip report!!

You have a beautiful family, thanks for sharing them with us.

Oh, and yes, I will be first in line to buy your book as well!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Kathy, those are great final thoughts -- everything you said about pixie dust is so true!!! May all your future trips be pixie dusted, too!

 

[KathyRN137]

We're Back....

Tricia and I had fun camping with the Girl Scouts. They are actually a troop of girls from Billy's school; I could never persuade Tricia to join GS herself. Unforuntately, there is no one at the school who is willing to be troop leader for Boy Scouts...


Because the troop has all special needs girls, some with ASD, others with different or concurrent conditions that affect them physically, cognitivelly, developmentally, and socially, many of them take medications. One girl in particular would not be able to make the trips if there was not a nurse along to administer emergency medication if she were to have a prolonged seizure. The cost of paying a private nurse for a weekend would be too cost-prohibitive for the school and so certain girl scouts would have to be excluded from the camping trips. Well, you can't have that...


Anyway, its a good way to volunteer my time to the school, plus they really like having a "typical" girl like Tricia along to serve as a role model for the girls when it comes to age-appropriate social behavior. *Its also a gentle reminder to her that her brother is not the only one who has "issues" and needs an extrordinary amount of patience. So, its a win-win situation!


We froze our you-know-whats off yesterday. (It's cold in them thar hills!!) But we had lots of fun. We went fishing and Tricia was the only one who caught a fish! She also was instrumental in encouraging some of the higher-functioning girls to try rock-climbing and they were all so proud of themselves! We had a good time, but I am so tired now! And after two nights in that awful bunk, I am definitely going to be paying a visit to the chiropractor tomorrow!!

******************************************​

So I come home from this trip and, after having a snack and throwing in the first of several loads of laundry that smells like campfire, I check the DisBoards and what do I find?? You all are squabbling over who will be first to buy my imaginary book!!


You guys are so funny!!


Aunt RoeRoe: Thanks for taking the time to post; I'm so glad your nephew has been able to share the joys of WDW with you!

mrsksomeday: LOL! Yes, this really is not good-bye, is it??

maroo: So glad you were able to join in on my report! You're going to be on the PTR board for a long, long time, so I know I'll be seeing you, lots!

moparop: Thanks! The pixidust you sent worked...Tricia caught that fish!!

DisMomAmy: I'm so glad we became Dis-Friends! oooh! Less that three weeks!!!

melk: I think I will miss having AR, too! She did so much better in 2006...

Charleston Princess: Thanks for coming along! I'll see you on your PTR!!

******************************************​

I'm not really saying good-bye, I plan to start my April Adventure report very soon. But first, I have a bit of Spring Cleaning to attend to! Then I can Dis guilt-free!

See you soon...


Kathy

 

[Halloweenqueen]

Great report, Kathy! I'm loving the pre-trippie and looking forward to your next adventure!

Cheers!!!

 

[whgrn]

Kathy, which camp did you go to? Sacajawea is about 3 miles from me!

 

[mrsksomeday]

Anyway, its a good way to volunteer my time to the school, plus they really like having a "typical" girl like Tricia along to serve as a role model for the girls when it comes to age-appropriate social behavior. *Its also a gentle reminder to her that her brother is not the only one who has "issues" and needs an extrordinary amount of patience. So, its a win-win situation!

Kathy, you are amazing. Helping the special needs troop, helping to show them thru Tricia age-appropriate behaviors, and showing Tricia things at the same time. You are wonderful.

 

[Goofydiane]

Kathy - thanks for another great report. I always feel like I'm on your trips with you through your reports.

Can wait to read about your next trip!

 

[DisMomAmy]

What a great way to volunteer your time! It's sounds like a wonderful experience for both you and Tricia. (And the Troop!)

 

[wvdislover]

A special needs GS troop...what a cool idea! Hanging around with some other ASD girls could maybe really good for Sarah, help her to know she's not alone out there. She wants friends so badly! We're working on it, though. Hoping that some of our homeschool activities will help out with that How sweet of Tricia to go with you--kudos to her for her compassion for these other girls

 

[whgrn]

A special needs GS troop...what a cool idea! Hanging around with some other ASD girls could maybe really good for Sarah, help her to know she's not alone out there. She wants friends so badly! We're working on it, though. Hoping that some of our homeschool activities will help out with that How sweet of Tricia to go with you--kudos to her for her compassion for these other girls

That would have been awesome for my DD13 too. She wanted nothing to do with GS, since she already knew the "mean girls" were there. Thank heavens for Special Olympics swimming! She now has a whole new group of friends!

 

[KathyRN137]

Hey There! I'm up late DIS-ing, as usual! Gotta get my "fix" before bedtime!


Halloweenqueen: Thanks! And I love your ticker!

whgrn: We were at Camp Mason in Hardwick; it was nice, but next time I'm bringing an eggcrate for my poor old body!

mrsksomeday: Aww! I'm not all that wonderful; but being a mom sure is!

Goofydiane: April TR coming soon! (Hey, are you excercising so much now because you plan on pigging out at the F&WF later?!)

DisMomAmy: Thanks, Amy! Tricia had a lot more fun than she expected. She was a bit unsure because she didn't know anyone, but many of the girls just flocked to her. They are so anxious for "normal" girls to like and accept them and it was a real thrill for them to hang out with her (and each other.)

wvdislover: Perhaps there is a local GS troop that is associated with a special ed school like Billy's! I think Sarah would love it. Tricia made a nice friend, a girl on "the spectrum" (very high-functioning) who was so excited, she came up to me and said, "I'm so glad you brought Tricia. You know, I'm autistic, but it's nice to talk with someone whose on my level, socially!" Oh, it was so sweet!

(Now, if those same words came out of a typical teen girl's mouth, they would sound very snobby!) It can be tough on the ASD kids who posess good social and verbal skills... they can't really fit in with the typical kids, and they don't want to fit in with the very developmentally challenged kids.

As if being a teenager wasn't hard enough already!

Oh well, it was a good weekend, but tomorrow I really must catch up on housework... then I can DIS guilt-free!

Goodnight!

Kathy