From Alaska to the World - MAW trip Jan. 2008

[Eeyore's Mom]

My first WDW trip and my first pre-trip report! I have been hooked on Disboards for about a month now and I think I get the hang of it so here's my go at it.

I'll start with the cast -
Me (36),
dh (41),
ds (10),
ds (4) wish child and nickname Eeyore,
ds (2) nickname Tigger.
I'm working on a nickname for the oldest.

As I mentioned this is our first trip for any of us to WDW- I was at disney land about 30 years ago and remember only two things- the electric parade and my older brothers spinning me too fast on the tea cup ride .

This trip is a dream come true for the kids and I, my dh on the other hand, well, he's being a good sport.

Eeyore was born with multiple birth defects that affected his heart, kidneys and liver. The most serious of the problems required a liver transplant when he was 6 months old. My brother (my hero!) was a living donor, meaning he was able to give a part of his liver to my son, and both livers continue to grow and function. My brother and SIL will also be joining us for some of this trip. Eeyore spent a lot of time in the hospital for the first 3 years of his life but we have been almost hospital free for the past year and thought it would be a great time to make his wish come true. In April he was diagnosed with another liver disease but we have high hopes that we can keep it in remission with some new meds. and so far it seems to be working well.

We call him Eeyore because he tends to be gloomy. BUT he is also a very fun, sweet and cool little kid. We are very close and of my 3 boys he's the most like me. He is thrilled beyond words that he is going on an airplane to the biggest "playground" in the world.

We will be leaving on Jan 18th and returning on the 25th. MAW has extended our trip 1 day so that we will have time to travel and adjust to the time (and weather!). It is typically -20 to -30 here in January so we will be so thrilled to have temps even in the 50's. It will be about a 12 hour flight and that does not include any of the ground time, so we know it is going to be a very long day to get there but we're hoping the end results will be worth it.

Our family will be staying at Give Kids the World (GKTW) and have read such great things about it here that we just know it is going to be a lot of fun.

We will have 6 days and I am just beggining to work on a plan. The only charcter meal we will plan for is at CP for breakfast. As with most MAW trips we will have 3 days for Disney, 2 days for universal and 1 day at Seaworld and 1 day for whatever we like (probably sleeping and hanging out at GKTW).

Besides the parks I am very excited to just be in civilization. I have already map quested Target (we don't have one in Alaska), the outlet malls, and several eating establishments. I know many people staying at GKTW do most of their breakfast and evening meals there but we will probably go out for several of them just because there are so many places we don't have up here.

So far in preperation for the trip I have been making some cool t-shirts and items with the help of the DISsign team here, and addition to that I am also on a quest to lose 45 pounds. I have lost 13 so far!! The stress from my ds's medical stuff has put me at an unhealthy weight so I decided it was time to get that under control and make this trip that much more enjoyable.

Well, I think that's the basics and it's 12:30 am now , so I'll sign off until I think of something to add.

I have really appreciated all of the pre-trip and trip reports here, especially the other MAW trips, as it helps so much in knowing what to expect and building the excitement for all of us.

If anyone has questions please ask a way- I'm very open to sharing a lot about medical stuff, Alaska, anything really. I'm just not sure what is intresting to others but please feel free to ask.

 

[Violet Crayon]

Your brother is a hero!

In January I will be looking forward for the temp change too, but obviously not so much of a change as you will have. I can't wait to hear about the trip.

Whereabouts in Alaska are you from?

 

[Eeyore's Mom]

Your brother is a hero!

In January I will be looking forward for the temp change too, but obviously not so much of a change as you will have. I can't wait to hear about the trip.

Whereabouts in Alaska are you from?

We live about an hour north of Anchorage, in Wasilla. We are 3 hours south of Mt McKinley (Denali) and can see it on a clear day. Are you familiar with Alaska? We have several mountain ranges around us and our house is about a 1/2 mile from the Cook Inlet, I think it's the perfect place for six months of the year- the other six months, is well, beautiful but very cold.

 

[Eeyore's Mom]

I didn't mention in my first post but Eeyor has severe food allergies as well. I have learned through the boards here that Disney is an awesome place to eat with food allergies because they really get it. He can't have milk (anything dairy), eggs, fish, pork, chicken, beef, corn, strawberries or rye. We will be able to cook for him at the GKTW villa and will take some things into the parks with us but he is so excited knowing that there are foods he can eat there too.
My db and sil have been to WDW twice and are now making it an annual event. The live in KC, Mo. They don't have kids and are approaching 40 but when they go they turn into teens again. They have a really good friend that is a CM at AK and will be staying at their home and joining us daily. We have not seen my db or sil in almost 2 years and we are really close, so it will be so cool to meet up with them finally.
My goal today is to go find some cheap t-shirts and make some more cool t's for the kids and a few more for me too! I try to do something every day to prepare for the trip. Eeyore and Tigger lie in bed and say "Let's talk about Disney World" every evening and every morning. I love it!

Here is a post from my ds's website that helps explain my disney obsession
I will explain a little more history about myself. I have traveled a bit around the world (nothing compared to my parents!) and have been to all 50 states, Europe, Australia etc. I was to Disney Land when I was very young but NEVER have I been to Disney World. I have always been a BIG Disney fan and it drove my mom crazy that we never felt like we went on vacation because we had never been to Disney World. It just seems like the thing that everyone does when they are a kid, but not us. My college room(s) were decorated in Mickey Mouse and I have always said that if I were going to get a tattoo it would be of Mickey. When I got married and started having my boys I guess I sort of "out grew" all of that. And my ds is so completely the opposite of silly, Mickey Mouse kinds of stuff that he would never have appreciated my Disney spirit, so eventually all of my Disney motif was sold off at a garage sales and donated to the Salvation Army. The few small pieces I kept where also given away before my move to Alaska. I had all but forgotten about my Disney passion until now. It is now being awoken like a sleeping lion waking up to a delicious meaty dinner waiting for him!

So although this is very much my son's wish it is also my dream. I know you would all understand this!

 

[Violet Crayon]

We live about an hour north of Anchorage, in Wasilla. We are 3 hours south of Mt McKinley (Denali) and can see it on a clear day. Are you familiar with Alaska? We have several mountain ranges around us and our house is about a 1/2 mile from the Cook Inlet, I think it's the perfect place for six months of the year- the other six months, is well, beautiful but very cold.

Ooh, I think I remember thinking Wasilla was a really pretty area. But we were just passing through on the way around the state. My grandparents invited me on a massive road trip this summer and we drove the Alaska Highway. I saw Chicken, Fairbanks, Denali National Park (including Kantishna), Anchorage, Homer, Seward, Palmer, Valdez, Tok (twice), Skagway, Juneau, and Hyder. If I can swing it I am applying for a summer job in the Denali area next year, because I love the interior landscape and the Alaska Range. But I have heard it is really hard to get the jobs around there.

You are lucky to be where you are! And seeing Denali is amazing. The mountain was out both days I went into the park with only a few wisps of clouds, but was not visible the day we drove south toward Anchorage.

And I read your update on your background. Good to hear the Disney passion has come back to life.

 

[Eeyore's Mom]

I am so amazed by the talent here! I have had so much fun picking the designs for t-shirts, journal, passports, autograph books, hats etc.... I think I am done for now and the creators have already completed them for me. Today I spent hours shopping for all the items to apply them to. I am a real bargain hunter and I probably spend more time and gas to save a few dollars than it's worth but that's half the fun for me. I finished my journal tonight and my oldest son thought it was so cool that he wants one- minus the 36 ribbons tide to mine So back to the store for more supplies Tomorrow I am going to tackle a couple of hats and I'll get some photo's on here too.

(Here's the photo's I mentioned)

the designs came from Amy and Pat at DISsigns and there are more but I'll start with these and add more closer to the trip.

Please feel free to share any advice for us...
It is turing into winter very quickly- high's were around 42 today! The only good thing about that is it means we are even closer to our trip

 

[Eeyore's Mom]

Ooh, I think I remember thinking Wasilla was a really pretty area. But we were just passing through on the way around the state. My grandparents invited me on a massive road trip this summer and we drove the Alaska Highway. I saw Chicken, Fairbanks, Denali National Park (including Kantishna), Anchorage, Homer, Seward, Palmer, Valdez, Tok (twice), Skagway, Juneau, and Hyder. If I can swing it I am applying for a summer job in the Denali area next year, because I love the interior landscape and the Alaska Range. But I have heard it is really hard to get the jobs around there.

You are lucky to be where you are! And seeing Denali is amazing. The mountain was out both days I went into the park with only a few wisps of clouds, but was not visible the day we drove south toward Anchorage.

And I read your update on your background. Good to hear the Disney passion has come back to life.

Sounds like a really cool road trip! You must have fun grandparents. I hope you get the job at Denali- I didn't know it was competitive but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You are also lucky that you saw Mt Mckinley, lots of people never get to see it! We have been to the park several times and only have been there once when it was clear.

 

[Eeyore's Mom]

I haven't updated in the past week because well, there just wasn't much to say that wouldn't be very boring to someone else.
But now we have some Disney news. Eeyore (DS4) will be meeting his wish granters from Make A Wish this week. Normally the process is a little different. The wish granters come and meet your child, ask them questions and get some ideas of what they want for the wish. Within a short time they notify the family as to what they can do to grant the wish. We actually had our wish granted before we met with anyone because there are only 2 wish granters in our area of Alaska ( I think) and they have both had other obligations and were not able to meet us a few months ago, so our local chapter just asked me what his wish would be and started the ball rolling for us via the phone. But now we are very excited to get to meet someone face to face and Eeyore is so excited because he knows they bring a little gift and they are the ones that are going to help us get to Disney World.
We are going to make a collage today that shows them what he is looking forward to and it's a fairly long list but I think very "doable".
1. Stay at Give Kids the World
2. Ride on a train at GKTW and Disney World
3. Play with Thomas the train at GKTW
4. Walk with Mickey
5. Hug Winnie the Pooh
6. Ride the Monorail train
So I'm pretty sure these are all things that we can make happen for him, except maybe take a walk with Mickey. But I think he will be fine with just seeing Mickey.
I spent the better part of yesterday making Disney Shirts and made a few mistakes in doing so. I didn't read the directions on the transfer stuff. Oops! I was trying to make these shirts, thinking I was pretty clever and that I would be saving some money. Now, with all of my mistakes and time invested, I realize I could have just bought the ready made shirts. At least they are all custom made I will get some pictures posted in the near future.
My DH walked by me at one point while I was ironing on some desings and said "I'll be glad when this phase is over". I got real defensive until I realized he was talking about the boys watching Nemo for the 20th time. He has actually been pretty supportive of our trip, especially since it is Eeyore's wish trip and not costing him a dime. I hope he enjoys it as much as the rest of us. He is a pretty serious kind of guy but I have seen him loosen up and have a good time, hope he will on this trip too.
I have been neglecting my household chores so that I could read more Disboards. Yikes, this is addicting. I better get busy or the kids will be wearing dirty clothes to school this week. I guess I could just give them the disney clothes. No! They aren't allowed to touch those until the trip

 

[Eeyore's Mom]

We had a great time meeting Eeyore's wish granters. We invited them for dinner and they were here for a few hours and were so kind to Eeyore and the other kids. They suggested a few extra's to ask for since Eeyore's wish was pretty straight forward and one of them was an extra day at a disney park. Right now the passes, as I understand it, are for 3 days and we would love a 4th day as I think that is what the kids are going to enjoy the most. We also get tix for universal and sea world, as well as some other places and will definately have more than enough fun things to do if we don't get the extra day at the Disney parks. My DH even seemed a little excited after the wish granters visit. He's also excited because we found out there is a Giordans'd Pizza near the parks!!! There are a lot of great things about living in Alaska that would be hard to find any place else but there are also things you don't have, like good resturants and shopping. So I think we will all have our needs met on this trip!

This is Eeyore, Tigger and my oldest DS with our wish granters Donald and Andrea.

Thanks for taking the time to share in our excitement too!

 

[Bill_Lin]

You are right. YOU ARE going a lot farther than we did.

Nice start on your thread. Please keep it up.

What is your planned itinerary (if you have one).

Check out my links below, please.

 

[Eeyore's Mom]

We have been without a computer for a while and just got back online last night. I think I have spent most of the past 24 hours on DIsboards. This is crazy! I quickly feed the kids so I can get back on. I felt pretty guilty that I wasn't spending any time with them so we spent some time on a craft but I was glad we were done and they wanted to watch a movie- more Disboards for me!!!
During our computer "down" time, I did get an 06 Unofficial Guide as well as the 2008 For Kids guide and my oldest DS and I have been reading a lot. He is 10 and we haven't read bed time stories together in a long time but we have been reading sections of the Kids guide every night and plotting out our plan. It has been a lot of fun for both of us. I am also waiting for our 06 copy of the Passporter.
I am still in the process of putting a plan together but I had a major break through last night. On our first full day I know we are going to be very tired and still adjusting to the time change (4 hour difference) but I also know we are going to be so excited to be there and I don't want to "waste" a whole day adjusting, so the big breakthrough... We will got Universal for the afternoon. I was planning on only spending 1 day at Universal but we will have tickets for 2 days so why not use a 1/2 day there. So here is my plan so far...

Friday
Arrive (probably late)

Saturday
Breakfast at GKTW
Orientation
Go to Walmart for supplies and pricing out gifty stuff
Hit the health food store for Soy and food
Lunch at Red Lobster (or any resturant that we have been missing in Alaska)
Head over to Univ for 3-4 hours
Back to GKTW for dinner and evening event

Sunday
Epcot

Monday
Sea World
Shopping (outlet malls)

Tuesday
Universal IOA

Wednesday
Late breakfast at Crystal Palace
Magic Kingdom

Thurs
Animal Kingdom
Maybe MGM
Christmas at the Village

Friday
Depart day
Last minute gifts

So this is very tenative and will change no less than 100 times prior to departure but it feels good to get it written down since it has been in my head for weeks but this is the first time of actually putting it any place else.
And now that I have it down I realize there just isn't going to be enough time. I wanted 1 whole day to lay back at GKTW- so now I am already changing it- so maybe after 1/2 day at IOA on Tues we will go back to the village. Oy!!
To add to the confusion my brother and SIL will be there too and they are staying with friends who may have a completly different plan. I have already decided we will make our plan because this is Eeyore's wish trip and they can either join us or we can alter our plan some of the time too. They are not planners so maybe they will be glad if I just do it.

 

[Bill_Lin]

Jill,

I am beginning to wonder if you were my twin sister separated at birth or something. You are doing JUST what I did.

"I think I have spent most of the past 24 hours on DIsboards. This is crazy!... I was glad we were done and they wanted to watch a movie- more Disboards for me!!!"
-That is how I have been and still am today. Lysi was so cute just now, standing on a stool to dish up ice cream for Daddo, Mommy and Grammy (and for herself). If had to eat it up quick to get back to DISboards.

"I did get an 06 Unofficial Guide as well as the 2008 For Kids guide and my oldest DS and I have been reading a lot. ...we have been reading sections of the Kids guide every night and plotting out our plan."
-I had to talk pretty fast to sell Lysi on Birnbaum's as a bedtime story night after night... when I wasn't trying to get her to watch my video of the Travel Channel WDW and SW specials.

Saturday -If you are only planning on half a day at Universal, you should hit the Islands of Adventure side. If you can do without Red Lobster, there is a Bubba Gump Shrimp place at Universal City Walk that you could hit when you get there. Make sure to get your free stroller ticket at the House of Hearts and have your Universal Parking Ticket handy for the parking booth folks.

Sunday- We found a whole day at Epcot to be too much, so went on to Disney Studios for the last four hours of the day.

Monday
Sea World takes up until 6:00 to do most of it. And there is a bit of walking involved. By the way, Journey to Atlantis is really cool, sort of like Splash Mountain inside with an underwater ruined city theme, but it has 2 good hills and the first one is STEEP. YOU WILL GET WET.

Tuesday - It only took us half a day to do US but we skipped the disaster rides (Jaws, Twister and Earthquake). We had time to do both US and IOA in one day. IOA was cooler, but US did have a few big hits with us (Shrek, ET, Mummy which was really neat but has a high height requirement, and Men in Black).

Wednesday- it takes a LONG day to do MK, even with a GAC. There is so much magic to see. We skipped a lot even when there from 10:00 a.m. (actually in the gate) until 8:00 closing. We missed Jungle Cruise, Toon Town, Country Bears, Philarmagic, Tea Cups, Snow White ride and several character greets we had hoped to do. Make sure and hit the Wish Trip Lounge next to First Aid on Main Street by the Crystal Palace. It is kind of hidden and you have to be in the hall to see the entrance. Ask the folks there or at Guest Services if there is something that would help make your wish more magic and they will try to make it work for you if they can. DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK.

Thurs- AK takes up until 5:00 p.m. to even do most of it. Don't you want to do the Christmas party at GKTW that night?

 

[becky_AK]

Hi~ I haven't got a chance to read through your whole pre-trip report yet but I intend to do so ASAP. I just wanted to say hi since I see you are from Alaska. We just moved from Juneau to Portland, Oregon but still have a home in Gustavus (Glacier Bay) where we go back every summer. Hopefully that just made sense LOL

Anyway, I hope that you have an amazing trip & I will be back by to read as soon as I can. I have an 11mo. old son who is in the middle of trying to take over the computer.

 

[becky_AK]

Ooh, I think I remember thinking Wasilla was a really pretty area. But we were just passing through on the way around the state. My grandparents invited me on a massive road trip this summer and we drove the Alaska Highway. I saw Chicken, Fairbanks, Denali National Park (including Kantishna), Anchorage, Homer, Seward, Palmer, Valdez, Tok (twice), Skagway, Juneau, and Hyder. If I can swing it I am applying for a summer job in the Denali area next year, because I love the interior landscape and the Alaska Range. But I have heard it is really hard to get the jobs around there.

You are lucky to be where you are! And seeing Denali is amazing. The mountain was out both days I went into the park with only a few wisps of clouds, but was not visible the day we drove south toward Anchorage.

And I read your update on your background. Good to hear the Disney passion has come back to life.

Not to invade her report but I just saw that you wanted to work at Denali next summer. I work for the company that also runs the resorts in Denali (I'm located in Juneau & Glacier Bay--Southeast Alaska). Go to www.denaliparkresorts.com & you'll be able to get lots of info. Jobs are pretty easy to get depending on what position you want but make sure to apply early...by January or February at the latest.

Just thought I'd help you out Sorry again for taking over the report

 

[Eeyore's Mom]

It's always good to see a fellow Alaskan here! I have not been to that part of AK yet but look forward to doing so some time in the near future. I have often wondered if we could live "outside" (lower 48) now that we have fallen in love with AK. We are really looking forward to this trip in part because of all of the great resturants and shopping that we can find in FL!! I do miss that a lot.

 

[Iluvmickeymouse!]

Great start!!!!! You and Alizesmom are making me feel guilty, I never started a pre trip report and we leave in one week! You are doing a wonderfrul job, and just remember, there is never too much info!!! Keep up the good work!!!

 

[LeeLee2U]

Your Brother IS definatly a HERO!!! My DH is waiting for a kidney. He has been called 10 times for possible kidneys and I always say a prayer for the families of these donors. Even though these have been cadaver kidneys, They are still HEROES to me for making the choice to be donors. And the families are Heroes for helping to keep that choice. We have found out so much about Donors since he had failure 6 1/2yrs ago and even though someone might choose to be an organ donor when they pass, but if the family doesn't want to sign then they can't be donors!!

And 2 of the times we were called the donors were minors. My heart ached in sadness for these families and also the courage of them to try to help someone live in the face of thier grief!!

My Aunt and 2 cousins and their families live in Alaska. My Uncle and Aunt are missionaries to Cambodia and travell back and forth from Alaska!!! I don't know how they do it!! I thought it would be rough being a Texan and moving to Alaska but then they go to Cambodia!!! They love Alaska though and I love when they bring me fresh salmon!!!!!

I'm glad you are doing a PTR!! Great job!!!

 

[Phalene]

I just stumbled upon this report and had to say hi to another Alaskan!

I took my kids to WDW last year and they had a blast. This year we're going to DLR (we leave in 2 weeks!)

We had some great flights to Orlando, let me know if you would like the info, we flew overnight so we arrived at MCO around 7:30am

 

[Momof2wCF]

I thought I'd already subbed on here, but guess not! Love the scrapbook, love the pix, BEE-YU-TI-FUL...mm..I mean very handsome boys!

You and Alizesmom are making me feel guilty, I never started a pre trip report and we leave in one week!

*cringes* Yeah, me too. I might try to at least set up an intro..

 

[Eeyore's Mom]

Jill,

I am beginning to wonder if you were my twin sister separated at birth or something. You are doing JUST what I did.

"I think I have spent most of the past 24 hours on DIsboards. This is crazy!... I was glad we were done and they wanted to watch a movie- more Disboards for me!!!"
-That is how I have been and still am today. Lysi was so cute just now, standing on a stool to dish up ice cream for Daddo, Mommy and Grammy (and for herself). If had to eat it up quick to get back to DISboards.

"I did get an 06 Unofficial Guide as well as the 2008 For Kids guide and my oldest DS and I have been reading a lot. ...we have been reading sections of the Kids guide every night and plotting out our plan."
-I had to talk pretty fast to sell Lysi on Birnbaum's as a bedtime story night after night... when I wasn't trying to get her to watch my video of the Travel Channel WDW and SW specials. We have that saved on our DVR and our frequent watchers as well, each time we watch it we something new we want to experience!!!
Saturday -If you are only planning on half a day at Universal, you should hit the Islands of Adventure side. If you can do without Red Lobster, there is a Bubba Gump Shrimp place at Universal City Walk that you could hit when you get there. Make sure to get your free stroller ticket at the House of Hearts and have your Universal Parking Ticket handy for the parking booth folks. We have been to Bubba Gump in Maui but that may be a good option

Sunday- We found a whole day at Epcot to be too much, so went on to Disney Studios for the last four hours of the day. I know a lot of people, especially with little kids that were not crazy about a whole day at Epcot, has even been suggested to skip it but I am really looking forward to this day. My DH and and I as well as my oldest DS love experiencing different cultures and learning, yup we are nerds!! This won't be Eeyore and Tiggers favorite day but I think they will be OK, if not we'll scoot out of there and try a different park

Monday
Sea World takes up until 6:00 to do most of it. And there is a bit of walking involved. By the way, Journey to Atlantis is really cool, sort of like Splash Mountain inside with an underwater ruined city theme, but it has 2 good hills and the first one is STEEP. YOU WILL GET WET. I may get peanuts or tomatoes thrown at me for saying this but I don't know if we are going to really love the whole Sea World thing, so I'm thinking of a pretty fast day here, just 1 show and a few rides and then just a few hours at the Outlet Mall

Tuesday - It only took us half a day to do US but we skipped the disaster rides (Jaws, Twister and Earthquake). We had time to do both US and IOA in one day. IOA was cooler, but US did have a few big hits with us (Shrek, ET, Mummy which was really neat but has a high height requirement, and Men in Black). We will definately do IOA on Sat. so maybe this will end up being our rest day which would be perfect since it's halfway through the trip

Wednesday- it takes a LONG day to do MK, even with a GAC. There is so much magic to see. We skipped a lot even when there from 10:00 a.m. (actually in the gate) until 8:00 closing. We missed Jungle Cruise, Toon Town, Country Bears, Philarmagic, Tea Cups, Snow White ride and several character greets we had hoped to do. Make sure and hit the Wish Trip Lounge next to First Aid on Main Street by the Crystal Palace. It is kind of hidden and you have to be in the hall to see the entrance. Ask the folks there or at Guest Services if there is something that would help make your wish more magic and they will try to make it work for you if they can. DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK. Great tips, especially the wish lounge. I am sure that this will be a really special day

Thurs- AK takes up until 5:00 p.m. to even do most of it. Don't you want to do the Christmas party at GKTW that night? Yes, will definately plan to be back for the Christmas party, do you know what time it begins?

Great start!!!!! You and Alizesmom are making me feel guilty, I never started a pre trip report and we leave in one week! You are doing a wonderfrul job, and just remember, there is never too much info!!! Keep up the good work!!!

Don't feel guilty! I obviously have way too much time on my hands...

Your Brother IS definatly a HERO!!! My DH is waiting for a kidney. He has been called 10 times for possible kidneys and I always say a prayer for the families of these donors. Even though these have been cadaver kidneys, They are still HEROES to me for making the choice to be donors. And the families are Heroes for helping to keep that choice. We have found out so much about Donors since he had failure 6 1/2yrs ago and even though someone might choose to be an organ donor when they pass, but if the family doesn't want to sign then they can't be donors!! There are some states that have a law that says if a person is a registered donor then there request can not be over turned by anyone else, I think it's a great law! I sure wish there were more families/ people that knew how important it is to donate their organs. Such an awesome thing can come from tragedy. I will pray that your DH gets "the call" soon. The waiting can be so tough

And 2 of the times we were called the donors were minors. My heart ached in sadness for these families and also the courage of them to try to help someone live in the face of thier grief!! I am always so touched by these parents. I can't imagine the grief they are dealing with and yet they are still able to think of someone else. Thank goodness!

My Aunt and 2 cousins and their families live in Alaska. My Uncle and Aunt are missionaries to Cambodia and travell back and forth from Alaska!!! I don't know how they do it!! I thought it would be rough being a Texan and moving to Alaska but then they go to Cambodia!!! They love Alaska though and I love when they bring me fresh salmon!!!!! I think I am the only person living in AK that doesn't like salmon My DH use to be the only other but he had some this summer that was great and now he loves it too I do like moose though

I'm glad you are doing a PTR!! Great job!!!

I just stumbled upon this report and had to say hi to another Alaskan!

I took my kids to WDW last year and they had a blast. This year we're going to DLR (we leave in 2 weeks!)

We had some great flights to Orlando, let me know if you would like the info, we flew overnight so we arrived at MCO around 7:30am

I would LOVE that flight. It would really help us maximize our time there and maybe the kids would sleep on the plan too. I don't get to choose any of the flights since the trip is being given to us through Make A Wish but I will drop a hint or 2 I am surprised at how many Alaskan families have been or are going to WDW, I do think even more go to DL but I have met a lot that have done both. Maybe next year I can talk DH into a DL trip

I thought I'd already subbed on here, but guess not! Love the scrapbook, love the pix, BEE-YU-TI-FUL...mm..I mean very handsome boys! THANK YOU!!! I think they are all pretty handsome too Most of the time they are pretty good kids but there seems to be an hour or two every evening that I wonder if I can survive a long plane ride with ALL 3 of them

*cringes* Yeah, me too. I might try to at least set up an intro..

Really, don't feel guilt, just share all the details when you get home please!