A Magic and Miracles celebration vacation TR

[Deesknee]

I will start my TR by posting a link to my PTR. This trip was a celebration of 30 years of marriage. We had an at home vow renewal and left the next day for WDW our 4 children and one of my best friends & her family joined us on this vacation celebration!
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=43685863#post43685863


Now... where to begin?

I'm not going to bore all with the details of why we are doing this vacation the way we are. If you are interested there are plenty of details in my PTR.

I will give the cast members that joined us.

me - disabled, proud mom of 4. became a Disney lover on my first trip during my honeymoon.
DH - the original disney nut of our family. His 1st trip was his HS graduation trip with his cousin. He sent me a postcard while he was there, which began our friendship, that developed into to love.
DS -21 college student, studying film/PR. Not a huge Disney fan, but we are working on it.
DS-21 college student, Psychology/PR/theatre . HUGE disney fan. 2nd only to his parents.
DD-21 college student, Psychology/Education. Has discovered reborn love for disney since falling in love with her current BF.
DD-9 Loves being a child. Doesn't want to NOT believe, even though many people, child and adult alike continue to tell her the characters are not real.
DDFG(my BF)-45 DD(2) Fairy Godmother, aka my best friend- we've been friends for over 25 years. - falling deeper in love with Disney every trip. Business professional that works A LOT of hours a week.
DDFGDH- 40 - DDFG darling husband - skeptical of vacationing with another family, not a huge disney fan. stay at home dad.
DDBF - 22 DD1's boyfriend of over 4 years. HUGE disney fan. DD & he have been talking "when they get married" for a couple of years now. He just finished college, she (God willing) finishes this summer.

So, that is the cast. Now for the previews:

"Oh you and SIL are sick & can't come to the vow renewal tomorrow? What about SIL driving us to the airport in 2 days? Oh, she'll be fine by then? okay" ..... hmmm, how does one know if you will still be ill in 2 days or not? How much notice DO you NEED to get a cab/limo to an airport?


Must I throw it away to get threw security?

You can't find WHAT?

No! He said EAST!

Yes, we are from MA. No THEY are not married.

dessert, dessert, and more dessert

Fantasyland, will we make it in time for the preview?

Tears and tissues.

Surprise!!

What's in that sarchel?

Oh, FG, don't cry.

That couple has coconut heads!

How'd he do that?

PLEASE people remember before you...

Gingerbread anyone?

AND plenty of pictures! UNLESS... I forgot the camera.

 

[BridgetR3]

Sounds great!!! EXCITING!!! I hope you didn't forget that camera!!!! I'm in!

 

[Deesknee]

Okay, Wednesday, the day before the vow renewal, 2 days before we fly out for WDW DMIL tells us DH family is sick & won't be able to make it to the vow renewal. Well, since DSIL was the one that was supposed to be driving us to the airport DH tells his Mom to tell his sister not to worry about driving us, we will find alternate transportation. Not a problem. But, DMIL tells DH that DSIL will be fine, and insists on driving us. I translate this to , they just weren't interested in attending the VR. Because, generally speaking when I get sick, I only know if I am beginning to feel better or not. I can't say oh, I'm sick today, & I'll be sick tomorrow, but the next day I will be fine. I am not the least bit offended if someone doesn't want to attend our VR. Honestly, most were invited as to not hurt anyones feelings. But the ride to the airport is rather important. But DSIL says she will drive us, I believe she will. Until the night before we leave... the night of the vr we get a call saying she can't, but has "Joey" driving us. Ah.... who is "joey"? AND do we want him driving our car? Will he drive it all week? where will he leave our car keys? DD will need the keys to pick us up next week. arghhh DH & I are more than a little upset. If she had just told us the day before, maybe we could have gotten a cab, or limo.

The day of the VR was to go smoothly. The house was clean. DH & I pick up all the food, then all of a sudden it is time to get ready. I haven't sliced the cheese, or put chips in bowl. Luckly I had hired an acquatance to put all the food out while we were at the church. He went above and beyond & I am very grateful to have such trustworthy people in my life. DS2 has arranged for DD's and I to get ready at a Holiday Inn he has worked at while home on break from school. He is a cute kid. So, we do. I of course forget nail polish remover, amongst other things. But, feel none of that is that important. I had my hair done. My hairdresser was kind enough to do it in her home. I had wanted loose curls, she suggested we try something else & if I don't like it she will change it to loose curls. I agree, however when I don't like it there is no time to change it. I have naturally curly hair, that tends to frizz. All I wanted was it pulled up with some loose curlys to soften my features on my face. This is what I got:

I wasn't happy, but most commented on how nice it looked. Except DH & DD1

 

[Deesknee]

DD's and I are at the hotel room getting ready, when I realize I forgot a hairbrush! a Hairbrush of all things. DD9 has long curly hair, that a comb will not do. Well DD calls DS who runs over nail polish remover, a hairbrush, another pair of shoes for DD9. and .... dedorant. hahaha Yup. we both forgot deodorant. That could stingk. DS leaves, we finish getting ready and head to the church. I am very excited to see the priest. He originally preformed our wedding vows and it has been a very long time since I have seen him.
We pulled up to the church and it is freezing. I am off balance as I didn't give myself time to let the vertigo resolve and I almost fall while trying to hurry in out of the cold. DD catches me, I am fine. We get inside the church and it is warm! YAY!!!! DD turns to me & asks where the camera is. ah... you will notice this becomes a theme. quick call to DS who assures us he will not forget the camera. ... or the flowers for his sisters. We hang up. Then DD turns and asks me if we were suppose to bring copies of the readings. Oh boy... I hope not. But the house is a short distance from the church, but already some of the guests are here. Now, my vertigo is beginning to increase & my speech is becoming affected by it. I am beginning to stutter. We walk through the doors into the chapel, and I realize not some of the guests are here... ALL of the guests are here. Just no DH, and no DS's. I find Fr. B embrace him and instantly I am reassured no matter what I forget, or stutter out, or how late DH & DS's are, everything is okay. He assures me he has copies of the readings. He just needs the names of the people we are listing in the prayers of the faithful. Oh, is that all. I can remember them. He begins to scratch down names. I search the brain and struggle not to stutter the names. Which I do fairly well. Again, his patience and warm smile reassure me he is my friend and IT will wait for me. He is in no hurry. Even though HE has over an hour ride back to his parish. DH arrives. He kisses me & tells me I look beautiful. I know he is nearly legally blind, but I lvoe him for saying it.Now, we need to remember who is doing what reading. And is DS going to sing, or are we just going to use the ipod for all the songs.
We straighten it out. DS chickens out, but everything is very casual and perfect. Although, I am slightly disappointed DS decided not to sing. He usually loves to preform, but felt he didn't wan to mess up the vr.
More details of the vows to come. Will I stutter, will I cry, will anyone cry? Will I fall? Did DS remember the camera?

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Joining in!

 

[Deesknee]

Welcome!!!

 

[BridgetR3]

I think you look lovely!! I love your hair color!! Can't wait to read more!

 

[Deesknee]

I think you look lovely!! I love your hair color!! Can't wait to read more!

thanks. It's 6 1/2 G Loreal preference.

 

[Deesknee]

Well, there we were standing at the alter with the priest that married us 30 years ago, when I was a mere 19 years old and DH a 21 year old young man. No need to bless the rings. Oops should have corrected that one. These rings haven't been blessed. My original diamond broke. Yup as in chipped. The diamond. haha So, on our 5th Christmas together DH presented me with a solataire diamond & a savings account with enough money to have it set into any setting I desired. Which meant changing the wedding band, as my original one was actually a ring guard. You know, the ring that goes between a wedding band and diamond as to not bang the diamond against the other ring so the gem...doesn't chip. Yup, that was my wedding band. Oh well. When the priest said "no sense blessing the rings again seems to have been pretty good to get you this far" I figured, he's right , why mess with a good thing. So no blessings of the rings. Now on to the vows.

Repeat after me said the Father, "I Mark take you Dee" AND THAT IS WHERE DH tears started. YUP the first sentence. hehehe

Well, I only hesitated once so as not to stutter. And I didn't cry until I got to "in sickness and in health" yup been there doing that.

So the vows were a tear fest. Which of course got some of our friends choked up. They know very well much of what we have gone through.

So, we all get through the vows. And it is picture time. Ah... camera? I begin to panic slightly, as I do NOT see my camera. However, many other flashes were going off. The DDBF approaches the alter to take a picture and he has MY camera! YAY!!!!

notice that very seductive pose I am striking? Well, I am actually holding on to the pillar behind me as the vertigo was increasing with all the movement.

 

[Deesknee]

youngest DD is a bit of a ham and requested this picture. The flower she is holding I made by wrapping a princess ribbon around the stem, and using wire ribbon to make the bow. Both DD's got one. I was pleased I did these. Both girls loved them.

and here is the family with Fr. B

and lastly the gang at the church

The woman in the black boots and grey sweater dress with her husband behind her are the couple that came with us to WDW.

Next up ... Will the food be out? Will the lights be hung? Will there be a favor for everyone, or did I mess up?

 

[Deesknee]

When we get back to the house we enter the kitchen to find....everything in control. We had hired an aquaintance of ours to put the food out. He did a great job, along with a friend who always seems to be there in the background getting the job done. Everyone needs that friend.

the cake is on the dining room table. and it looks wonderful!

I forgot to take pictures of the entire table. But it did look nice.

hugs around. I advise everyone where the favors are and to help themselves. People are reading the scrolls I have put together & grabbing their M&M's or Jelly Belly favors. Everything is going well. UNTIL, DS asks where his girlfriends is, and DSIL can't find her scroll. OH NO!! I know I did DSIL, but can't find it. I never completed DSGF. I just got distracted. She begins to get upset thinking she is the only one who didn't get one. Now I realize DDBF's family showed up and I have no scrolls for them either. Well, there is nothing I can do now. I feel bad, but the celebration continues. It goes on, and on, and on. I offer our last guests a cup of coffee which I am looking forward to sitting down and enjoying. They take me up on it. The night ends very relaxed. However, also very late and I have to get up at 6:20 to get DD to school. Please don't let me over sleep. 4 hours just isn't enough sleep. Please I can't over sleep, she HAS to get her 1/2 day in. So our guests leave & I clean a little and get to bed. Looking forward to the 3 /12 hours of sleep I might be able to squeeze in.

 

[Deesknee]

The triplets had different flights from us as they wanted to arrive as early as possible.
Well..... not well thought out. None of us were considering guests that may stay late, or the adrenline that may keep us awake. I had no problem waking up as I am not sure I ever slept. DD & her BF were driven by BF's Dad at about 4:30 am to TF Greene in RI and we drove our sons at about 5:30 am to Logan in Boston. Then our day began. Got DD to school in plenty of time. Then off to do all the little errands. pharmacy for DH prescriptions, bank, breakfast. Then home to make sure all is unplugged & set up for house sitter. Then we noticed a car pull up.

And in walked him...

this is my Dad. he is 88 and lives in an independant assisted living development. He still drives and for the most part is in good health. He has been deaf since WWII. He reads lips and puts that together with the little bit he can hear. But details can confuse him. So... he showed up for the Thursday 6:15pm vow renewal at 11am on FRIDAY. He had told me he didn't know if he would make it or not. And I understand being in crowds with alot of talking upsets him, as he can't follow conversations. But, it just broke my heart to think he was this confused. He was so upset with himself. I told him it was okay. Made him a plate of food to take with him. Sent him home with a huge piece of that delicious cake, gave him a hug and tried not to worry.

Next up... do we get to the airport on time. How /who/when... stay tuned...

 

[BridgetR3]

You looked great!!! What a nice photo of your family.

LOVE the cake!! How appropriate!

Poor DD that she has to go to school. There's no way I would be able to focus on anything!!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Deesknee]

You looked great!!! What a nice photo of your family.

LOVE the cake!! How appropriate!

Poor DD that she has to go to school. There's no way I would be able to focus on anything!!

Can't wait to read more!

Thanks!

The cake was delicious too, but after i gave a piece to my Dad, I forgot to put in in the refrig, and it had to be thrown out. Apparently noone was sure what to do with it and left it out. DDBF cousin made the cake. (she is a professional). We were very pleased with it!!

Yup, DD made it through the 1/2 day. I think next time we will go back to departing first thing in the am.

 

[Deesknee]

Anyway, after my Dad left, our ride arrived. FINALLY we were to pick up DD and head to the airport!!! A dear friend pulled through and had offered at the VR to drive us. We were very grateful. When we pick up DD she is very excited to see our friend, and thinks she is coming on vacation with us! oops, hate to disappoint, but nope. DD is quick to recover from the disappointment, thank goodness. The security check went fine. Now, we needed to get a gatecheck ticket for my wheelchair, then sit and wait to board the plane. I wheeled over to the JB worker at the gate check desk. I was told there would be someone that could help me soon. I went back to DH & DD. Now it was about 10 mins. to boarding and still noone to tag my chair. I always get nervous when it comes to my chair. I can do alot without it, but traveling in airports is NOT one of those things. A few more minutes and DD & I go together to see again about getting a tag. The gentleman helps us sthis time & we go back to DH who is waiting with our 3 carryons & 2 personal items. We were soon seated in row 1 of our Jetblue flight. Now, DH & the flight attendant had to find room for our luggage. The plane was filling up fast, and people were stuffing their carryon's quickly. The flight attendant tells us to sit & she will take care of our stuff. So we do, and immediately prior to instructions for flight she finds somewhere for our stuff. During the flight DD decides she wants to do her homework. ahh, nope that is in the carryon we have no idea where it is. This is the downfall of having row 1. And given the option again, DH says NO WAY, we will take those seats again. As my issue isn't with my legs the extra leg room could be used better for someone who needed it for that type of disability. It did work out well as far as time getting off the plane, but we had to wait for my chair anyway. Which brings me to this... They had us stand outside the plane on the loading ramp (not sure what it is actually called) and wait for my chair. Not to sound ungrateful for the front row seating, but standing on a ramp that vibrates with movement is NOT beneficial to my condition. Nor would I imagine it would be for someone who needed a wheelchair for leg/back issues that require them to use a wheelchair. I think this is one area the JB people should consider. (Which they did on our return flight. They had us grab our carry ons (which we were able to consolodate into 3 + 1 personal item) Then sit again and wait to disembark. Brilliant! My chair arrived before I departed the plane. More on the return flight later.) Well, after a smooth flight we end up here:

This is actually at our stop over in JFK. This was the first time ever we did a connecting flight, or a stop over for that matter. Although I was concerned about having enough time to get from one terminal to the next with a 9yo and me in a wheelchair, we ended up having plenty of time. Not much beyond the gate for food options though. We were starving and had to settle for very expensive sandwiches. To the tune of $40. for 3 sandwiches and 3 water. YIKES! Oh well, it filled our tummies.
Going forward it was NOT worth the $300. we saved by having a connecting flight. We added 3 hours to our journey, add the stress of not knowing where to eat, how long to get to our gate... not worth the money. Thank goodness the return flight was direct.

Next up, our rental car, adventure to the hotel and meeting our other kids.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

I've looked through your report but I guess I didn't comment! Congratulations on 30 years! That is quite an accomplishment. Your VR looks so sweet - I would have teared up too! Your poor dad being upset that he misunderstood - but it is great that he did get there at some point. I'm sorry that you had some issues with the flights, it is unfortunate when you have to test some things out to see if they will work for you and you end up being out $300. Looking forward to reading more

 

[Deesknee]

I've looked through your report but I guess I didn't comment! Congratulations on 30 years! That is quite an accomplishment. Your VR looks so sweet - I would have teared up too! Your poor dad being upset that he misunderstood - but it is great that he did get there at some point. I'm sorry that you had some issues with the flights, it is unfortunate when you have to test some things out to see if they will work for you and you end up being out $300. Looking forward to reading more

Thanks for joining. And thanks for the congrats! 30 years doesn't seem so long when you are spending it with someone that can make you laugh. I felt bad for my Dad.
He actually missed the entire thing. He showed up the next morning. But, I know how fortunate I am he does as well as he does. My heart ached for him.
Thankfully, I didn't loose $300, what I meant was, in order to save $300, I booked the connecting flight, which wasn't worth the savings. But, yes, it is unfortunate to have to "live and learn". But, the important thing is we got where we needed to go, and were safe & ...mostly sound.

 

[Deesknee]

We finally landed in Orlando. We grabbed our luggage, and headed to the Alamo kiosk. Which was giving us a problem with our debit/credit card. Apparently you can not use a debit at the kiosk. So, thankfully there is a short line for an Alamo representative & we are on our way to get our mini van in a jiffy. But not without a ...." so, your from Boston?, I can tell by your accent". hmm... what accent? I am constantly told that I inparticular have a thick New England accent. guess I'm just lucky Well, after that sweet encounter. we find an elderly gentleman waiting (or so it seems) to guide us to where we can choose our mini van. He hears us speak & asks, "which part of MA are you from?" seriously? We tell him, and he says... I know that town! Very unusual as the population is about 26,000. He worked 2 towns over for years. A company that went out of business in the 70's , which I happen to know. Small world. After getting ready to load our luggage into a Chrysler Town & Country, DH realizes the back storage area carpeting is separated from the frame of the vehicle. Nope, moving on... We find another Chrysler Town & Country, which is ironic, as that is what we drive at home. However, this carpeting has similiar issues. The gentleman tells us it is common as the storage area of these vehicles take a lot of abuse. He advises us to tell the people at the vehicle exit and we won't have aproblem on the return. DH, DD & I pile in with our luggage & my wheelchair and are on our way. Very luxurious vehicle. I am in love, and want to update our old 2003 model. We stop at the exit, where the 2 young gentlemen ask DH for the reciept he was given by the former employee. Dh looks at me. nope I have no idea what he is talking about. He knows he had it. Looks at me again. I laugh & tell him I didn't even know he had anything. I am beginning to get tired & very silly. And start giggling. DD joins in. The 2 guys at the exit begin to laugh too. They tell DH they can look it up, and begin to ask DH questions in order to do just that. DH however is in fear he is losing his mind and continues to search for the reciept as he answeres questions. AND.... he finds it ... on the visor of the van. This only gets me giggling even more. I say to the employees some smart mouth comment, which only gets them laughing even more while DH can't help but laugh too. Then, DH asks for his license back, and the guys can't find it at first. DH comments on it NOT being him this time as they hand him back his license. We leave the 2 gentleman laughing. Great beginning to Orlando!! Not a bad experience with the rental car so far. $248 for 9 days. not bad. But, will it be okay when we return?

Now, on to the hotel. Which way did that elderly gentleman say to go to get to WDW? Ah.... let me turn our GPS on.

To be continued...

 

[BridgetR3]

Oh no! I hope they don't give you trouble when you return your van. I hate renting cars. It seems they always expect it to be in better condition than when you leave with it.

Too funny about the receipt. My DH gets antsy about stuff like that so I am usually pulling out what I need before I get there since he doesn't want to inconvenience anyone. But there are times where I just misplace something and we spend lots of time looking for it (like my debit card in my BIG messenger bag or my keys). He never finds it that funny. My DH is a party pooper though! Glad ya'll could laugh about it. It's the Disney magic.

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[Deesknee]

Oh no! I hope they don't give you trouble when you return your van. I hate renting cars. It seems they always expect it to be in better condition than when you leave with it.

Too funny about the receipt. My DH gets antsy about stuff like that so I am usually pulling out what I need before I get there since he doesn't want to inconvenience anyone. But there are times where I just misplace something and we spend lots of time looking for it (like my debit card in my BIG messenger bag or my keys). He never finds it that funny. My DH is a party pooper though! Glad ya'll could laugh about it. It's the Disney magic.

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

It really was funny. I think we were all just so over tired, we were gitty. It was a nice way to start a vacation. Dh doesn't always find these things funny. He was just shocked it was HIM that misplaced it. and I thought that was funny.