Bella’s Very Merry WISH-mas Party ~ 10 Days of Dreams Come True MAW/GKTW Dec 3-10

[MBKELmom]

Loving your TR. can't wait to read more.

 

[paintnolish]

Great TR so far! Your title sucked me in- I have a Bella as well! We also call her BellaBoo, but she does not go for Izzy (although I like it- it has spunk). All of your dds are precious- can't wait to read more!

 

[ladybugmom]

Hi Stephanie!! I just found your TR and I'm LOVING it!! You sound a lot like me in terms of taking a TON of pics!! I took around 3,000 on our May trip!! I'm looking forward to reading more!!

 

[Kaler131]

I am also loving your TR!! Your daughters are such cuties!!

 

[yinyanggirls]

Great to see you got it started! I'm subbing and ready for more.

(I love the limo shot where Bella fell asleep ON Kennedy. )

 

[amamed1]

A fellow Wisconsinite joining in...

 

[kayrosek]

You've started your Tr I've been waiting to read how Bella's wish trip went!

 

[hjohnson6]

Great start! I am looking forward to the rest of your TR.

 

[that's nice]

Stefani-
All caught up! What a great morning (so far!) The girls look so excited! Glad they got a little sleep on the ride to the airport. Every time we leave, Juliana never falls asleep on the way to the airport or on the plane... I wish she would.

I can't wait to hear more!

 

[All7OfUs]

Finally made it over to the Trip Reports threads after being AWOL for far too long, and howdy-ho!!! You not only started, you've done 3 scared1 installments!!! You work fast!!!

I can't believe your luck at security!!! WOOT!

I love how happy the girls look the whole morning! Another WOOT!

LIMO??!! Cool beans!! You're going in style.

Uh-oh, AVIS, we have a probem? I don't like the sound of that!!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Before I post replies, I just need to cry/vent/pity myself a little bit . . .okay, maybe A LOT. Truth be told, I am devastated . . . . completely, utterly devastated. Before I worry you all too much, everyone in our family is doing just fine, well maybe except me. Did I mention that I am devastated?

Yesterday, as I was typing up another installment for our trip report, I attempted to upload photos from day 3 of our Wish Trip to my Facebook photo albums. I plugged in the USB jump drive that I have ALL photos from Days 1-7 store on and nothing happened. I removed it, and tried again. NOTHING! The computer wouldn't even try to read the USB port was located in!

I made several more attempts and finally a red light blinked. For a single moment, there was a twinkle of hope! I double clicked the drive and my handy-dandy computer asked me to format the USB because it was corrupt! Um, gee mr. computer, are you really asking me if I want to ERASE the ONLY photos I have from Days 1-7 of my daughter's WISH TRIP? Yup, you guessed it, because of the enormous number of photos I took on this trip, I had moved all photos from my camera memory cards onto a set of two 8G USB sticks every evening after we returned from the parks. A smart woman would have then created CDs or backed them up somehow, but of course, I did not.

ALL of my photos were on these two memory sticks and now one of them (days 1-7)was completely not working! I chose not to format, and quickly called my computer programmer uncle. He offered a couple of suggestions and preliminarily diagnosed the problem. He thinks the filing system is likely corrupt on the jump drive and because of that it can't be read on the computer. Unfortunately, none of his suggestions remedied the situation. I also tried to use a photo recovery program for memory cards, but to no avail. Our photos are hopelessly locked inside a 3 inch piece of plastic and metal!

And that, my friends, is the cause of my pity party today. Most of my photos from days 1-7 are gone. I do have about 10 photos from each day that I previously printed for the girls to take to school, but that is maybe 5% of what was there. All of the details, the precious moments, the magical looks on the girls faces . . . . all gone.

Instead of posting an update yesterday as I had hoped, I spent most of the afternoon desperately searching memory cards with a photo recovery program for any remnant of any pictures from those 7 missing days. I found a handful of pictures from Sea World, and one or two from a few other days, but so much is still missing. And when I wasn't on my computer looking for the pictures, I was in my room, crying. I know . . . . it's pathetic. But I bawled my eyes out like a baby over the loss of those pictures.

I don't know why, but photos have always been so incredibly, inexplicably precious to me. For me, every single photograph captures a precious moment, an emotion, or a memory that I want to keep in my heart forever. When Bella was in the NICU struggling to live after she was born and I had to leave the hospital empty handed each and every night for 84 days, I always had my photos of her nearby to comfort me. When she was diagnosed with epilepsy just after our first trip to the World, I always had photos of the happy times we had at Disney nearby to remind me of better days. During difficult times (and believe me, there are lots) I have always had my many, many photos to provide comfort and remind me that it can, and will, get better. But now. . . . . now a huge chunk of photos from our AMAZING Wish Trip are gone, and I am devastated.

I don't know what to do next, but I am almost certain the situation is hopeless. My uncle mentioned taking a look at the USB jump drive sometime this week, but he didn't sound optimistic.

So that, my friends, is my sob story for today. I am so sorry for the depressing post, especially for those of you who were hoping to read another exciting installment of Bella's Wish Trip. I promise, it will be on it's way soon. I just needed to get this off my chest first.

I also apologize because it now appears that this Trip Report won't be nearly as photo-packed as initially promised due to the recent events. However, I do promise to include whatever photos I have recovered and be as detailed as possible. I hope you will continue to enjoy reading along.

 

[kdzbear]

Great trip report so far! I also took as many pictures as you did. Just be careful with photobucket as you will exceed your bandwidth allowance before you ever reach your maximum allowance of photos. I guess that each time someone looks at a photo it uses some of your bandwidth. I had to make my husband his own photobucket account so I could continue my report. I just thought I would give you a head's up. I can't wait to see all of the photos! Your daughters are adorable!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Hi Stefanilyn.....I'm following along too! Lurking more than anything as I'm just popping in and out as I try to pull my own TR together.

This TR thing is like a full-time job isn't it?????

Pamela

Matty's Wish Trip PTR http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2325607

Matty's Wish Trip TR "Mom, Dad, 3 Kids, and a Gingerbread Boy" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2356739

You're doing a better job than I am, lol! I quickly read Maroo's TR about Matty's magic moment and have been peeking at yours every once in a while too! Amazing! I just love it! Sorry I'm being a lurker as well!

Love your report so far !!
We did a wish trip in 2005 and I just love seeing and reading about other wish trips - brings back such wonderful memories of GKTW!!
Cant wait to read more x x x

Thanks so much! I hope your Wish Kid is doing well. I know the memories we created on this wish trip will always hold a special place in our hearts!

Loving your TR. can't wait to read more.

Thanks. I've almost finished another installment!

Great TR so far! Your title sucked me in- I have a Bella as well! We also call her BellaBoo, but she does not go for Izzy (although I like it- it has spunk). All of your dds are precious- can't wait to read more!

Awwww. . . . another Bella, YEA! How old is your Bella? I like that Isabella is a more old-fashioned traditional name that is making a bit of a comeback. I love Bella's nicknames too. BellaBoo is the most commonly used for her, and Izzy is one used by her Uncle and Auntie.

Hi Stephanie!! I just found your TR and I'm LOVING it!! You sound a lot like me in terms of taking a TON of pics!! I took around 3,000 on our May trip!! I'm looking forward to reading more!!

Hello fellow photo-enthusiast! I love Love LOVE taking photos just like you do. I get so much grief from my family and friends about always taking photos of everything, but I don't care. In my opinion, the more pictures, the merrier!

I am also loving your TR!! Your daughters are such cuties!!

Thanks so much! I totally agree but then again, I am a little biased!

Great to see you got it started! I'm subbing and ready for more.

(I love the limo shot where Bella fell asleep ON Kennedy. )

That is one of my favorites as well. Especially with Minnie Mouse in the photo too!

A fellow Wisconsinite joining in...

Welcome Cheesehead! I hope you're able to stay warm while reading thie TR. It's freeeeeezzzzzzzing here!

You've started your Tr I've been waiting to read how Bella's wish trip went!

I'm so happy to finally get started! The trip was . . . AMAZING!!!!

Great start! I am looking forward to the rest of your TR.

Thanks! I hope you enjoy the rest as well!

Stefani-
All caught up! What a great morning (so far!) The girls look so excited! Glad they got a little sleep on the ride to the airport. Every time we leave, Juliana never falls asleep on the way to the airport or on the plane... I wish she would.

I can't wait to hear more!

Bella actually napped 4 times our first day! I was so happy they all fell asleep. Had they not, Day 1 could have been disastrous with 3 little cranky pants girls!

Finally made it over to the Trip Reports threads after being AWOL for far too long, and howdy-ho!!! You not only started, you've done 3 scared1 installments!!! You work fast!!!

I can't believe your luck at security!!! WOOT!

I love how happy the girls look the whole morning! Another WOOT!

LIMO??!! Cool beans!! You're going in style.

Uh-oh, AVIS, we have a probem? I don't like the sound of that!!

Welcome Liesa! 3 installments, yes. Progress, well . . .not so much. We haven't even left the airport yet! The limo was a great kick off for our trip - it was a great way to give the girls a taste of the first class royal treatment we would recieve throughout the trip. And Avis did have a problem . . . but you'll have to read about that in the next installment.

 

[Rozz]

I cry with you! Hoping for a miracle with the jump drive.

 

[paintnolish]

Hey! My Bella is 8 (going on 16!). I love the name, but I saw it was #1 last year!
Let me know what happens with your photos. Xh (yes, I said "x") is fabulous with computers and could probably help you out. PM me if you are interested. He'd probably do it for free or at the cost of anything he needs given the circumstances.

 

[maroo]

Oh. My. Gosh.

I guess it *may* be a little extreme to alert the prayer change for a jump drive....

But I, too, am crying with you. Oh no!!!!!

Don't feel bad at ALL about crying over those missing photos. That is a big loss. (Gosh, I am sure that made you feel much better. ) But really...don't be too hard on yourself.

I bet they can fix it, though! Take it to a computer geek...hopefully they can get them off for ya.

And...just in case...VERY SOON...upload the pics to Photobucket and another computer...just in case there is some funky virus?

If you can't get it to work, PM me...we can find someone to work on it, too.

You did PhotoPass, too, right?

 

[StefaniLyn]

The duration of our flight was pleasant and with the exception of 5 minutes of mild turbulence, smooth. However, for some reason unknown to me, by the time we touched down we were 25 minutes behind schedule. I’m not sure where the delay came from. We had taken off 5 minutes ahead of schedule and, aside from that small bit of turbulence, the flight was uneventful. As we walked up the jet way, we could feel the warmth of Florida welcoming us. We were finally HERE!

With the girls still toting their luggage, we quickly took the monorail

to the main terminal and headed down towards baggage.

I kept my eyes peeled for a GKTW greeter that was supposed to be meeting us. We stopped for a quick photo by the Christmas tree near srcurity. We were in such a rush, it came out blurry! Sorry!

If you are familiar with Wish trips or have read other Wish Trip Reports, you already know that upon arrival, a GKTW greeter is supposed to be standing with a big sign that says “Welcome” and the Wish Kid’s name. I was truly giddy with excitement and anticipating that tear-jerking moment of ‘Welcome” Welcome to the most amazing family vacation you will ever experience. Welcome to a Dream come True. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome.

Only, there was no greeter.
We made it all the way to baggage claim . . . . still no greeter.
We collected our bags from the carousel. . . . nope, no greeter yet.

Then we found Grandma Chari! Her flight from Indianapolis had arrived just a few minutes before ours. Hugs and kisses all around for Grandma. . . . . but still no greeter. At least the girls were still in a good mood and not complaining about hunger . . . yet!

Like a Boy Scout and prepared for anything thanks to my super-duper must-be-ready-for-anything planning, I pulled out my Wish Trip Manual and remained calm. I asked DH and DMIL to wait with the girls while I attempted to contact someone at the in-house phone number given in our wish packet. Unfortunately, the number did not work and all I got was a busy signal.

Frustrated and a little disheartened, I went back upstairs to the information desk. I explained our situation and a GKTW greeter was paged. I waited. No greeter. A second page went out over the loudspeaker. It took about 10 more minutes and a greeter finally arrived. He posed for this picture with Bella and her sign.

Our greeter’s name was Stephen and he apologized right away for not meeting us upon our arrival. Apparently he wasn’t aware of the delay in landing and had waited for 20 minutes before leaving the baggage area. We must have missed him by just a few minutes.

We gathered the baggage once more and Stephen lead us across the street to the Avis rental car counter.

Stephen and DH waited in a short line and within in minutes, had the keys for our vehicle in hand. We were so excited to finally be on our way to the magical Give Kids the World Village . . . . or so we thought.

There was a little problem. Upon finding our vehicle in the lot, we quickly realized that a mistake had been made somewhere. Our itinerary clearly stated we would have a minivan for our trip as we had 6 guests and this 5 passenger Vue:

Probably wouldn’t even fit all of our luggage! So Ben and Steven returned to the Avis counter to get the situation straightened out. Avis called GKTW who in turn called Make A Wish - Wisconsin who then needed to speak with our Wish Coordinator, then call back to GKTW who had to call Avis for authorization. It took another 30 minutes before we could get on our way.

While waiting for the situation to get sorted out, we chatted with our greeter, Stephen, and found out that he was actually performing in several of the Candlelight Processionals at Epcot! We told him that we would be attending Saturday’s 5:00 performance with guest narrator Steven Curtis Chapman. Unfortunately, Stephen was not going to be in the performance we were scheduled to attend. I asked him about a million questions about CP, GKTW, and Disney. He was very knowledgeable and answered all of them! I also asked him if anyone (Hint HINT, a Wish Kid maybe?) was ever able to meet the guest narrators but he said he wasn’t aware of that happening. Oh well!

After a little more small talk to pass the time, the rental car situation was finally resolved and we were given a very nice green Volkswagen Routan minivan. Ahhhhh . . . much better! Grandma won’t be forced to ride on the roof after all!

Finally, finally, we were on our way! The luggage was loaded, the kids were buckled in, and the GPS, with her Tinkerbell voice and Tink vehicle icon downloaded specifically for this trip, was telling us where to go.

After a 35 minute ride, we finally arrived at the most magical place in the world . . . Give Kids the World Village - a place made just for Wish kids and their families to stay while in Orlando. The magical gates opened and . . .

Act 1: Scene 4 - It's No Castle, but it sure does feel like HOME!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Great trip report so far! I also took as many pictures as you did. Just be careful with photobucket as you will exceed your bandwidth allowance before you ever reach your maximum allowance of photos. I guess that each time someone looks at a photo it uses some of your bandwidth. I had to make my husband his own photobucket account so I could continue my report. I just thought I would give you a head's up. I can't wait to see all of the photos! Your daughters are adorable!

Thanks for the tips. That is great information to know. I was actually hosting my pictures on Facebook. It had been working fine but for the last two days I get an "upload failed: try again" message every time I uplaod. I may need to move over to photobucket if Facebook doesn't cooperate soon. DH and DD10 both have separate email accounts so I may be starting photobucket accounts under their names to spread out the photos.

I cry with you! Hoping for a miracle with the jump drive.

Thanks. I am praying for a miracle too.

Hey! My Bella is 8 (going on 16!). I love the name, but I saw it was #1 last year!
Let me know what happens with your photos. Xh (yes, I said "x") is fabulous with computers and could probably help you out. PM me if you are interested. He'd probably do it for free or at the cost of anything he needs given the circumstances.

I will definitely let you know if my uncle isn't able to recover the photos. He definitely knows his way around a computer and for him to be pessimistic really worries me. Thank you so much for your offer to help. I will PM you if we are unsuccessful tomorrow.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I guess it *may* be a little extreme to alert the prayer change for a jump drive....

But I, too, am crying with you. Oh no!!!!!

Don't feel bad at ALL about crying over those missing photos. That is a big loss. (Gosh, I am sure that made you feel much better. ) But really...don't be too hard on yourself.

I bet they can fix it, though! Take it to a computer geek...hopefully they can get them off for ya.

And...just in case...VERY SOON...upload the pics to Photobucket and another computer...just in case there is some funky virus?

If you can't get it to work, PM me...we can find someone to work on it, too.

You did PhotoPass, too, right?

I do feel a little selfish praying for a jump drive, but then agian, this isn't just any jump drive. It's a WISH TRIP! In fact, when I attempted to pull files from the drive onto my computer, I actually named the folder 'PleaseLord.' Sadly, the file remains empty.

I am hoping to get it to my uncle tomorrow sometime. If he can't do it, there is another DISer (see above) who has offered assistance. I also did a little googling and found a couple of services who claim 96% success rates for recovering files from damaged jump drives. So I still have some options. But I'm not getting my hopes up.

As per your suggestion, I am going to upload the photos to several sites this evening. I hope it's not a virus, but who knows?

And yes, thanks to you, I did do photopass! I need to call them though because our pics from the entrance at Epcot are missing from my account. If they are able to find those, then I will be ordering our CD ASAP.

 

[ladybugmom]

LOVE your update--sorry for all of the bumps in the road but how exciting that you are finally there!!!

And I was so sick reading your update about your photos--I would be flipping out if that happened to me! I'm praying you can access them somehow!!

 

[kayrosek]

I am so sorry to hear about the possible demise of your poor photos. I hope they can be revived. I haven't read the last update on the trip yet ( I can't wait) but I had to post about the photos first. I totally understand. A few years ago everything from our house was taken in the middle of a move unfortunatley that included all of our pictures. Pictures from my childhood, my husbands, his time in the military, all of our kids baby pictures including the ones from those long hospital stays when my little boy was sick, birthday's even most of our wedding pics. I still mourn those photos! I will definatley be praying you find a way to retrieve your photos. Now I'm off to read your latest TR entry.