8/17/2008 Double Dip 4-day Wonder

[disneymama]

Coach Rick,

Any chance you can re-book the trip for your folks? I too worry about the whole getting sick at sea issue, but for us, it's worth the risk. My FIL (86) has also been having a rough time lately, but we haven't thought about cancelling. This trip is something that keeps him going. We're lucky because we haven't done the hospital bit, but in a 2 week period between him visiting us here and us visiting him at his house, he lost 10 lbs. The week after we leave, he's sick for 5 days (with who knows what) and didn't eat much of anything. I'm almost afraid to see how much he lost this time.

Best wishes,

Karen

 

[Dizzyworld]

Good luck Rick with your dad. What a tough position to be in. Maybe a doctor can tell him with you to help ease the information. Or maybe seeing what DCL can do for you to get him back on the ship? Does your mom know?

Have a fun safe trip to WDW this week though. And thanks for doing the shirts too. I haven't looked yet, but is there just one design?

Sounds like everyone is going through much of the same thing of transitioning from school to summer. My DD was at soccer camp last week. It was a small camp with only 26 kids close to the same age. About a 50/50 split between boys and girls. It was nice going in the evening to watch them play soccer and have horses playing in the fields next to the soccer fields. Beautiful campus at this boarding school. (It has 155 girls for high school. The tuition, room, and board are $39,000 per year. How many cruises could I take with that $$$?) She came home and slept for two days, and was sad not to be at camp anymore.

While she was there, I spent time helping my DS organize and pull together the things he needed to do before camp in order to finish 4 Eagle Scout badges. I think he needs 8? I keep forgetting. Hopefully by next year he will have that rank. He wants to achieve that rank for himself and to have bragging rights over his dad who almost got there but bailed. After reading over everything he has to do, I have a newfound respect for anyone who gets that rank. So much to do, so little time.

In the same time period last week, he had to read what every boy enjoys The Joy Luck Club. It is good story telling, just boring to a boy, especially one that hates reading to begin with. At least it is not as depressing as some of the books he's had to read over the years. Anyway, he left for PA today for the week. Since nobody is going anywhere next week, this week will be more laid back for me. And with a wedding coming up soon, that has pushed us ahead in updating dress clothes that can be used on the cruise too.

I also made reservations for our mother/daughter DCL cruise next year. Actually, I made two reservations. I can't decide to do the one with Tortola (I have never been there, and there are more Dis people going) or the western cruise? We did a different western cruise in '06, so this one has some ports that my DD has never visited. Since we won't be traveling with the guys, they will be in New Mexico for 2 weeks, being able to connect with other adults has its plusses. I need to make up my mind so I can free up the other reservation. Who knows?

 

[Dizzyworld]

My DS graduated from Grade 8 on Monday and all the girls looked so pretty in their dresses! She had 3 inch heels on and to my amazement, didn't have any problems walking in them! Quite a change for her; she usually doesn't wear anything other than skater shoes or flip flops! I would have keeled over in a minute. She and her friends received quite a few awards in academics and sports, so it was a really great night!

I'm sorry, it's late here, and I'm famous for typos, but I had to read that again. DS or DD?

 

[Lynda Silk]

Oh Dizzyworld, you're right, it was a typo! I should have said DD; I guess I was so excited telling everyone about the great night that my fingers weren't working properly!

My DD (!) is going into her first horseback riding competition on Wednesday. She rides a horse named Bold Riot and it's his first competition too. They do English riding with the jumps and she's been training him for about a year. She's so excited and so are we! And there's no pressure because it's just a local show and it's more to get Bold Riot (and us) used to competition conditions. She just rides for the pleasure of it but the competitions just give her something to aim for.

Coach Rick, I was SO glad to see your post because I've been thinking about you and your dad a lot and was hoping that things were going well. That's great news! I guess you have a tough decision coming up re him and your mom going on the cruise. It would be so wonderful if he and your mom were able to go. Not only for your dad's sake, but it's been a worrisome and stressful time for your mom too so she would benefit from the cruise too. But I know you will make the right decision for all of you. Disneymama, I hope your FIL is feeling better; that's nice that he's looking forward to the cruise so much!

Coach Rick, how great that your kids still don't know about the cruise & thanks for the link re the T shirts! I have to say that I was quite touched to see that you provided the shipping rates to Canada! I have a Paypal account so I'll probably order 2 or 3 shirts at the end of the week (it's Canada Day tomorrow so that's a holiday for us and the horse show the next day so I'll probably order Thursday or Friday).

Ski-and-Sea, congrats on getting the cast off and good luck with the physiotherapy! I'm sure you'll be doing high kicks soon...just in time for the parties onboard the Wonder!

Pixiedustdawn, have fun on your cruise! You lucky thing, so many cruises so close together!

Dizzyworld, back to you again, those camps sound great and isn't it nice to know that your kids enjoyed them so much. And I was so impressed to hear that your DS read The Joy Luck Club! I was thinking that I'll have to reread that book. Good luck to him re his Eagle Scout badges; isn't it amazing how kids can do all these great things and accomplish so much? Gives me hope for the future of our world to know that it will be in such good hands!

Cyndisun, hope things are better for you down in CA! We're getting reports of the wildfires up here and I hope you and your family continue to be safe. Good luck with the baseball tournaments and hope you had fun camping!

Willem, congrats, you're off school now and you can concentrate on your fun trips to DLP and of course, your trip to WDW and our cruise! Can't wait to meet you!

Sorry for the long post! Just couldn't resist touching base with all of you!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Good to read everyone checking in.

My kids go to a day camp at a local private school. Needless to say the facilities are gorgeous. It is scary how much private schools costs these days. Absolutely you could cruise in a category 1 multiple times a year with the money you need to send one kid to private school (I don't know how families with multiple kids afford private schools).

I am a Girl Scout leader and the girls in the troop earned their Bronze Award - which is the highest award for girls in grades 4-6. They did a great job doing all the requirements and my co-leader and I made sure that the girls did all the work and not us adults.

DD just turned 12 and we hosted a sleep over birthday party for seven of her friends. They tried to pull an all-nighter but eventually they all fell asleep.

Its interesting to see my tom-boyish DD slowly becoming more "feminine" - her outfits are becoming more dressy. Yet she still swords fights with her brother all the time.

Coach Rick - what about asking your dad's doctor whether or not he could sail? If the doc says "no" then you aren't the "bad" guy in cancelling the reservation.

Dizzyworld......for 2009 cruises I found it really really hard to pick between the western and the Tortola cruises. I really want to visit Tortola but its been forever since we've been to Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

We opted for the western since we really enjoy snorkeling and want to do that private snorkeling trip we did on our Magic cruise in 2006.

I think there's a bunch of our Cruisin Castaways that are on the Aug 15th Tortola cruise. We're on the Aug 22nd western.

Disneymama.....I hope your FIL gets better. Losing weight when you are sick is not a healthy sign.

Boy did I get beat up today in physical therapy. Thank goodness the physical therapist has a tremendous sense of humor and has me in stitches most of the time.

I meet a lot of other people doing physical therapy who seem to have lifelong problems that never seems to get better. Makes you appreciate having good health.

 

[Dizzyworld]

Dizzyworld......for 2009 cruises I found it really really hard to pick between the western and the Tortola cruises. I really want to visit Tortola but its been forever since we've been to Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

We opted for the western since we really enjoy snorkeling and want to do that private snorkeling trip we did on our Magic cruise in 2006.

I think there's a bunch of our Cruisin Castaways that are on the Aug 15th Tortola cruise. We're on the Aug 22nd western.

I would love to go with many of the others on Aug. 15th but that is the day for soccer tryouts and practice. (It always starts on the 15th in high school here.) This school stuff gets in the way of out trips. I loved going the last week in Aug. Great prices. Next year is when my baby starts HS. I don't know how this has happened, where did the time go?


BTW....reading all the different activities all the children on our 2008 cruise is very impressive. Nice variety of things too. Sounds like another wonderful group of children to travel with this year.

 

[Coach Rick]

Hello shipmates...

Well, don't ask me how I did it, but I got mom, dad, sis and her family back on the ship. I am not totally certain I did the right thing, but we were trying to break it to dad that we had canceled, and he was very upset. We spoke to his doctors and they all said he has come back very well, and as long as it's something he feels he can do, then by all means do it. I know in my heart this will be the last trip he takes, and it seems to be the one thing that keeps him going. He just keeps saying, everything will be ok when he gets on that ship. We have the insurance just in case, and quite frankly, I am not sure how much I could have enjoyed the trip knowing what it meant to him to go. I am certain all your prayers helped him through this, and these rooms opened up by divine intervention. So it's almost time to sail-away together.

Just thought I would let you all know what was going on. I haven't been on much because all my thoughts and energy were being diverted, but I'm ready now!

On the shirts, please be sure to order them by July 15. I need time to order the shirts and then for me to print them and ship them off to you.

Willem, I know I didn't have a shipping option for you, but that's because I thought it was way too expensive. If you want them, I will bring them with me.

God, I just hope I did the right thing.

 

[disneymama]

Rick,

Great news to hear that you could get so many back on board!!! Remember, the doctor's gave the thumbs up. You simply did what your dad wanted by getting his room back.

I too feel that this may be my FIL's last trip, but then again, old guys can be pretty tough and we shouldn't sell them short. Our planned vacation to Italy next year just might be enough to keep him going for another year....

Happy 4th of July everyone!

 

[cyndisun]

Coach Rick,

I'm glad to hear that your family is all back on the ship again and your dad is doing better. Just remember that you are following your heart on this one and are doing what you know your dad wants. Your dad is very lucky to have a son who cares so much. I am sure this has been difficult for you though.

The fires here are still burning but my sister's home is out of danger. We are all very grateful for that. It was a stressful couple of days!

We just returned from camping up north. My family has gone to the same lake every year for the past 50+ years. It is north west of Lake Tahoe. There are still many forest fires burning up there and the air was rather smoky some of the time (depending on the wind direction). The great thing was the campground was practically empty which is unheard of this time of year. We had a great time.

Between now and the cruise we have four baseball tournaments, DS has an academic camp where he is studying chemistry, and two more weeks of outdoor day camp for him as well.

Happy 4th of July! For our non-US friends...please indulge us in this day of patriotic revelry.

Cyndi

 

[Lynda Silk]

To all my American friends, happy July 4th! Our Canada Day (we're 141 years old) was on July 1 so looks like it's a week of celebration for us North Americans!

cyndisun, glad to hear that your sister's house is out of danger. I can't even imagine how awful it must be to worry about your home burning down. And gald to hear you had a good time camping; it must have been kind of nervewracking to smell the smoke in the air though. You're so busy in the next few weeks that they will fly by and before you know it, you'll be on the Wonder!

Coach Rick, that's fantastic that the cruise is back on for your family!!!! Good for you and I'm sure that it's the best decision to make because your dad is so looking forward to it. Being on the cruise can be very a restful and relaxing time, and the sea air will be good for him and he will definitely enjoy spending time with his family. All those positives can't help but have a beneficial effect on his health. And the doctors wouldn't hesitate to stop you if they felt it was a bad idea. And disneymama's right, these old guys are very tough (especially when they have such loving and caring families to support them) and we can't sell them short.

Sea-and-Ski, hope the physical therapy is getting better and you're still laughing!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Coach Rick......what wonderful news that you got everyone back on our cruise!!!! I was so happy to read that. It will truly be a "Wonder"ful cruise for you.

I ordered t-shirts for my family. Thank you so much for making them.

Cyndisun......so glad your sister's house is safe. I cannot imagine how awful it would be to lose your house to wildfires. Glad you had a great time camping. DH went to graduate school in CA and spent a lot of time camping in the mountains.

I finished my first week of physical therapy. This is all new to me and I must say its all very confusing. The recovery from the surgery was so awful that I panic every time I feel any pain. Yet pain is part of the recovery process.

The best news of all is that the surgery was a success. The damaged area of the ankle is all fixed, probably stronger than before the injury. But now I have to recover from eight weeks of being immobilized plus the injury from being cut open to repair the damaged ligament.

Busy times here. Boy, its so nice to have the 4th of July holiday fall on a Friday. So everyone gets a long weekend. Last weekend DD had her sleepover birthday party. We survived. This weekend my family will visit to celebrate DD's birthday.

Then next week both kids will go with their camp to a resort in CT for four days. That is the first time both kids will be away on their own. They have camped before but always with DH or me.

I have always joked that if ever both kids were away that I would be drunk for a week. So here comes my opportunity and I have to do physical therapy three times a week. Oh well.

I'll save the partying for when we cruise

 

[Willem]

Happy 4th of July to all you Americans!
You're lucky that it's a friday, long weekends are great. Our national holiday (July 21) is on a monday this year, so we have a long weekend too. The perfect time for a last DLRP-trip before the cruise. I'll bring some guidemaps and stuff for those who are interested in the Paris parcs. There will be new fireworks this summer, based on Enchanted. Can't wait to discover it.

 

[Willem]

The new fireworks started last weekend. Here's a video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x616g4_les-feux-enchantes_travel
Can't wait to see it myself!

 

[Lynda Silk]

Wow, I'm definitely going to have to make sure I see that when I'm at DLP in October! Thanks for providing the link, Willem!

 

[Willem]

Too bad we only have fireworks in summer season.
But there's something else that might interest you, Lynda. Just read that Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (La Fête Pas-Si-Trouille de Mickey) is coming to DLP for the first time this October. Will keep you updated

 

[Lynda Silk]

Oh, I didn't realize the fireworks would just be in the summer. Too bad! I did hear about the Halloween party and I would definitely be interested in that. I went to MNSSHP at WDW, and we really enjoyed it. Plus I thought that there would be less crowds and since I have so little time at DLP, that would be a big plus for me as far as squeezing in as much as I could.

Thanks again for all your help, Willem! You're a sweetheart!

 

[disnutz]

Well - we are back from our European vacation!! We had a blast, but it is nice to be home.

I can;t beleive that we only have 5 weeks before we head down. We are going out on Wednesday and staying at Universal. Although we thought about staying at the port, we ultimately decided to stay at Universal until Sunday morning.

I am getting excited - how about everyone else????

 

[Lynda Silk]

Hi disnutz,
Welcome home! Glad to hear you had a good time on your trip!

I'll let my DD know you're back and she can send an email to your DD. It's been so busy lately that she hasn't had time to do any emailing but hopefully things will slow down a bit now.

And yes, I'm definitely excited! I keep talking about what we're going to do on the cruise, what should we wear, what should we pack....I think my kids are tired of me talking about it so much!

It's very hot and muggy up here. We keep getting these severe rainstorms where it just pelts down for about 20 minutes and then clears up. I know I can't complain when I think about what people in California and in the hurricane zone are experiencing, but it's creating a lot of havoc here.

 

[Willem]

Hi disnutz, hope you had a good time at our little continent
Here weather is sad, almost like autumn... Hope the sun will be back soon.
Today it's only one month till we leave to WDW (before going on the cruise we'll stay one week at the Pop). Am so looking forward to that trip!!!

 

[disnutz]

I loved europe - we actually were in Berlin the night of the Eurocup - it was too, too much fun. We went with a group of 47 highschoolers and parents - and we had a blast. Loved London and Paris as well.

I need to go back and spend a bunch more time there!! (The weather was perfect!)

I am also getting really excited!!!