Healing at our Happy Place: making GOOD 2017 memories: Mar, May, Aug, Oct, Dec TRs (3/24 UPDATE)

[ariane37]

I'm just now catching up I don't even know what to say except you know you're in my thoughts. I'm very happy you can keep the May trip a go, after surgery it'll be a nice relief and for the kids something to look forward to
I saw your kitchen table and chairs in FB! Also something to focus in which is good. And cheaper than buying new furniture lol!
Ugh those Oct. flights. I highly doubt we're going in Oct but I check flights every so often and they're nuts! It's like 2nd Christmas or something!! We may be going in Aug. and just tonight Ricky said if we do he wants to go back to Sanaa for the bread service. That's an ADR you should keep!

 

[kittylady1972]

I'm just now catching up I don't even know what to say except you know you're in my thoughts. I'm very happy you can keep the May trip a go, after surgery it'll be a nice relief and for the kids something to look forward to
I saw your kitchen table and chairs in FB! Also something to focus in which is good. And cheaper than buying new furniture lol!
Ugh those Oct. flights. I highly doubt we're going in Oct but I check flights every so often and they're nuts! It's like 2nd Christmas or something!! We may be going in Aug. and just tonight Ricky said if we do he wants to go back to Sanaa for the bread service. That's an ADR you should keep!

Thank you. I feel like I'm just in this never-ending nightmare these days. I'm normally a VERY positive person but this latest news...it's hard. It's scary. It sucks.

Still waiting on my surgery date so hoping I get that soon so I can sorta plan out my May.

Yes...that kitchen table was a lot more work than I thought...and it's still not perfect but it will do and looks much better than the old table where the finish had all but given up in areas after years and years and lot of Magic Eraser to remove stuff from the kids doing projects there. Now I need to motivate myself to do the chairs and benches next!

I have to believe those October flights will get better at some point.

I did make a Sanaa reservation...I'll update that next!

 

[kittylady1972]

I just love how close we are getting to May. I can't even tell you how much I am looking forward to this trip. There will be some new challenges of course, but we'll deal with them.

The first one is the fact that I've completely changed my diet in the last few weeks. I'm normally a meat and junk food person...and now I'm trying to eat much, much healthier. I've switched to eating mostly fruits and vegetables now, very little meat, though fish is okay...and cutting out almost all sugar. This has been easier than I thought because I just know I need to get my body into a much better state to fight off all this stuff happening to me right now. This weekend we bought a juicer to make it easier to get those fruits and veggies in more often. It's crazy in a way...and it won't replace any other medical treatments...but it will supplement it. This is a lifestyle change for me but one that I feel I need to make right now. I do allow myself to cheat every now and then...and eating at Disney will be extra challenging now...but I can make it work. We just may need to hit a grocery store on our arrival evening so I can stock up on some of my staple fruits and veggies.

So I do have plenty of ADRs that aren't changing...and I did add two more. Yak and Yeti have been added on our AK evening because we've never tried it. It's a late ADR since we have a 3pm reservation already that same day, so we'll see how it goes. Also a late lunch/early dinner at Sanaa has also been added, since my family loves it there. It just seemed like a good idea to make the trip there on a day where we don't have much planned right now.

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OCTOBER TRIP UPDATE

Do you know how hard it is to get ADRs for a party of 15 people? Well you can imagine I'm sure, but I've managed to do just that. We have plans for our party of possibly 15 to eat together at Tusker House, Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace in October. Now I doubt the characters will be that important to most people in our party since there won't be anybody under 12 at the time. However I loved the food at Tusker House last time and am looking forward to trying it again. Chef Mickey's is just a fun experience...even if the food is iffy. Crystal Palace food was also pretty good in November. Not sure we'll keep all of them but for now...at least I have them and if some people make other plans we can always downsize the party later. Personally I think it will be fun for all of us to eat together a few times!

 

[dalmatian7]

I have 100 more days to wait then you. Your plans sound great. Someday I will get to AKL to eat. Not the next trip though.
Kuddos on healthy eating. Just don't limit your protein too much. You will need that strengh, vitamins and iron. as always, thinking of you.

 

[LilTinkFan]

I just read all the way through, wow! It's hard to know where to start. Best wishes on your journey through treatment. Sorry about your mom. Now that is has been a few years since my mom passed, major holidays are easier but little ones like birthdays still sting. I'm so jealous of that whirlwind trip you and your daughter made!

 

[iheartbelle87]

she was great, a survivor herself with family members who have also battled breast cancer. She is available for me to call or email at any time and provided resources for me and my whole family as well.

I am happy you have this resource. Despite everything you have/are going through, it must be nice to have someone like this.

So May is on and will be an emotional as well as physical healing time for me in particular. Nothing has changed so far and at this point I'm just going go keep things as they are and hope that surgery is scheduled as early in May as possible.

<3 <3 Love this, emotional and physical healing time is almost here.

Oh I also rebooked my rental car AGAIN...saving a few more dollars and moving back to the rental company I usually use (DOLLAR). That's my May trip update...now we are at 38 days away!

Yay for saving $$$

'm so looking forward to just relaxing by the pool and spending quality time with the family, and leaving behind the worries that are happening now.

YES. YES. YES. Do you have any books or podcasts that you plan on reading/listening to by the pool? I guess that might actually be a silly question because you have kids and need to watch them at the pool... but anyway, if so, let me know! I need some good reads/listenings

We are also looking into redoing our kitchen island and countertops, so last night we ordered the new cabinets we needed for our island replacement. The should be here in about 4 weeks (yes anyone else realize that timeline...that we could be in the middle of that when we leave for vacation) and then my husband will put those in place. After that we'll order a new cooktop and countertops, which we have already priced out but the cabinets need to be in first. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all comes together

OO I want to see pics! DH and I are going to be doing this our kitchen in 2018. And hey, if the new items arrive while your Disney, think of it as a 'welcome home' gift! haha!!

Yak and Yeti have been added on our AK evening because we've never tried it. It's a late ADR since we have a 3pm reservation already that same day, so we'll see how it goes. Also a late lunch/early dinner at Sanaa has also been added, since my family loves it there. It just seemed like a good idea to make the trip there on a day where we don't have much planned right now.

Ooo, Yak & Yeti! I've never eaten here but can't wait to hear what you think! And yay for Sanaa!

 

[kittylady1972]

I have 100 more days to wait then you. Your plans sound great. Someday I will get to AKL to eat. Not the next trip though.
Kuddos on healthy eating. Just don't limit your protein too much. You will need that strengh, vitamins and iron. as always, thinking of you.

Here's hoping your 100+ days go fast! Yes I'm looking forward to some of our meals. I do plenty of nuts and fish and sometimes chicken too. I'm working on getting a good number of vitamins and minerals through a variety of fruits and veggies and nuts which should be pretty good.

I just read all the way through, wow! It's hard to know where to start. Best wishes on your journey through treatment. Sorry about your mom. Now that is has been a few years since my mom passed, major holidays are easier but little ones like birthdays still sting. I'm so jealous of that whirlwind trip you and your daughter made!

Yeah...I never expected it to get quite this depressing. I have a long way before the birthday reminder for my mom, but of course Mother's Day is right around the corner. I'm even happier that we did our trip now of course.

I am happy you have this resource. Despite everything you have/are going through, it must be nice to have someone like this.
<3 <3 Love this, emotional and physical healing time is almost here.

Yes...I really can't even explain how much I'm ready for this.

YES. YES. YES. Do you have any books or podcasts that you plan on reading/listening to by the pool? I guess that might actually be a silly question because you have kids and need to watch them at the pool... but anyway, if so, let me know! I need some good reads/listenings

I go in and out on my book reading. I don't do podcasts. My kids are old enough that watching them is not an issue, and especially at this pool it's nearly impossible! Right now I'm catching up on an old series I read years ago...Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. It's just entertaining but I also have some Nora Roberts stuff to read.

OO I want to see pics! DH and I are going to be doing this our kitchen in 2018. And hey, if the new items arrive while your Disney, think of it as a 'welcome home' gift! haha!!

I'll post some kitchen updates for sure. As was mentioned here, I just refinished a kitchen table and plan to do the chairs and bench to match it as well. Hopefully our cabinets arrive soon as I know DH can't wait to get started on that project.

Ooo, Yak & Yeti! I've never eaten here but can't wait to hear what you think! And yay for Sanaa!

Will let you know for sure if we keep it. This is one that's on the bubble because I'm not sure we'll want to take time out of our Animal Kingdom evening for a meal...but we may need it. We'll see.

 

[kittylady1972]

Ok so a quick update here...finally have a surgery date of Monday May 15th...the day AFTER Mother's Day...of course. I'm not exactly looking forward to my first Mother's Day without being able to celebrate my own mom...and the very next day I'll be in surgery. I wish it was earlier, as this means we leave on vacation less than two weeks later. Hopefully the follow-up appointments can fit into this schedule. It means I may be not as fully healed as I'd hoped when we leave, and my family may have to help carry my stuff for me since I may not have much mobility in my arm...especially the right arm that I use most ofen...but we'll make it work somehow. I'll take almost two weeks off from work, coming back on a Thursday...for a few hours...then leaving on Friday for vacation!

I'm glad it's scheduled now which is a relief for me. I continue to make steady improvements in my diet and overall health. Last night we used a JUICER that we just purchased over the weekend...for the first time. It did not go as well as hoped, only because we underestimated how strong ginger root can be when added...WOW! We will try again tonight for a milder juice that I hope to be able to get through completely.

Oh and I forgot to mention we all place our orders for new MagicBands over the weekend AND I went to the Disney Store online and picked up the carabiners for us to use them with on the trip. I also picked up a new EPCOT shirt for myself.

So we keep looking forward...and we are down to about 30 more days!!!

 

[kittylady1972]

THE BACKUP PLAN

So I am reading conflicting information about flying so soon after my surgery. We decided last night we should have a backup plan in place just in case. It will mean making our vacation a little bit shorter...but we would still go.

We've looked into taking the Autotrain at least one way...probably south...so that's an option. We would leave on Friday afternoon and arrive Saturday morning if that was the case. However I'm not sure I'd want to do that because it would mean cancelling our night at Shades of Green...and forfeiting our deposit there. I'd almost prefer we just leave sometime that day, even if it means taking the kids out of school (again) and driving all day and getting there late at night/early the next morning but we'd have a place to sleep.

I have an appointment on Monday with my primary care doctor for a pre-surgical visit. I will ask her some questions about my concerns. It is only a 2 hour flight so I think I"ll be okay even if it means taking some extra precautions. I'll also discuss it with my surgeon as soon as possible.

This would simply mean getting credit for our SWA flights and we'd apply them to a future trip...and there ARE future trips planned this year...so that would be easy enough.

We'll just have to see what happens.

 

[kittylady1972]

24 Days 2 Hours 10 minutes or so...

Not that I'm counting....ha.

Yesterday I had my pre-surgical physical. I've lost 12 pounds in 4 weeks due to the radical changes I've made in my diet...all for the purposes of being in better health. I spoke to her about flying so soon after my surgery and she didn't think it would be an issue...just can't use my right arm and lift stuff which I already know. I'm going to work on packing as light as possible so whoever ends up hauling my stuff won't feel like it's a huge burden. I am not a person who packs lightly...but this time I will make an effort.

Nothing has changed here in the last several days, other than my package arrived from the Disney store with our goodies:

We plan to use these as well as our regular MagicBands. We are still waiting for the latest group of MagicBands to ship, but I think they should arrive very soon.

I feel much better about flying at least now, so that's one less thing to worry about. Believe me, with my health right now there is plenty that is a constant worry for me, but I try every single day to focus on the positive. I'm not at all looking forward to surgery, but I am looking forward to knowing that this evil that is inside of me will hopefully be gone for good.

We are doing a lot more walking these days to prepare ourselves, and my eating habits have changed so much that I'm not sure what I'll eat in the parks, but I'll figure something out I'm sure. I'll have to have at least ONE Mickey Bar while there so hopefully my body won't totally rebel against me when I consume that because I haven't had sugar...or much dairy...in a long time.

There is a host of other drama going on right now that I won't even go into here, mostly with my family, that had me in tears several times yesterday. This new "reality" right now of missing my mom and trying to maintain a connection with my dad who seems to have a whole new life going on now...it's very hard to deal with overall. I'm thankful for my brother as we navigate this course together and find a way to still be a family with what we have left here. Three months ago today was the last time I heard my mom's voice. She didn't say much, just slight responses as I spoke to her but I know she heard me talk at least. By the next morning, I was holding her hand and watching her take her last breaths and leave this earth. Sometimes those memories come flooding back to me and they are still very hard. With Mother's Day coming so soon...it might get worse before it gets better, especially as I'll spend Mother's Day thinking about the next day when I have surgery. If my mom was still here, I know she'd be here for me if she could, but I have to just accept that I know she'll be there in spirit for me.

 

[ariane37]

I'm glad you have a surgery date, I'm sure it takes just a tad of stress off of you knowing when it's happening. Also happy to hear you can fly Oh, I saw the picture of you playing tennis on FB, you look great!
I remember my first Fathers Day without my dad; he'd died in Feb. it was terrible. I do know what you're feeling and even though he's been gone just over 18 years it feels like yesterday and I remember every detail. In fact today I ran into my cousin in the post office; we started talking about relatives and she comes out with " your dad was such a wonderful man" and starts crying ( we're Italian ) which is nice, yes, but I still can't handle stuff like that out of the blue. You have so much on your plate right now; look towards the surgery being over and landing in sunny Orlando

 

[kittylady1972]

I'm glad you have a surgery date, I'm sure it takes just a tad of stress off of you knowing when it's happening. Also happy to hear you can fly Oh, I saw the picture of you playing tennis on FB, you look great!
I remember my first Fathers Day without my dad; he'd died in Feb. it was terrible. I do know what you're feeling and even though he's been gone just over 18 years it feels like yesterday and I remember every detail. In fact today I ran into my cousin in the post office; we started talking about relatives and she comes out with " your dad was such a wonderful man" and starts crying ( we're Italian ) which is nice, yes, but I still can't handle stuff like that out of the blue. You have so much on your plate right now; look towards the surgery being over and landing in sunny Orlando

Yes the surgery date being here certainly helps me a little bit. I'm also glad we don't have to worry about how we'll get to Florida now. Thanks for checking out my tennis photos...some of the faces from the shots they took last week...so funny!

I totally get what you mean about missing your dad. I'm good until somebody else tells me how great my mom was...and then I just lose it completely. These days I still have just moments where I just have to cry for a bit...and then I'm good. I'm sure those moments will become less frequent in time, but with this fear about my health and grieving about my mom...it's a lot on my plate right now for sure.

 

[jenkel]

I just found your pre-trip report, and i must say i read the entire report.

I am so sorry for the loss of your mother ( I lost my father last September, it is still hard)
You have had quite a year, you seem so positive despite everything coming your way. I wish you the very best for you upcoming surgery.
I will keep your family in my thought and prayers.

I am glad you will still get to go to Disney. It is my happy place as well.

Keep writing, sometimes people just read and don't necessarily comment. (that is usually me)

 

[kittylady1972]

I just found your pre-trip report, and i must say i read the entire report.

I am so sorry for the loss of your mother ( I lost my father last September, it is still hard)
You have had quite a year, you seem so positive despite everything coming your way. I wish you the very best for you upcoming surgery.
I will keep your family in my thought and prayers.

I am glad you will still get to go to Disney. It is my happy place as well.

Keep writing, sometimes people just read and don't necessarily comment. (that is usually me)

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I'm guilty myself of reading other threads and not responding so don't worry I'll still do updates here even if I feel like I'm talking/typing to myself!

Yes we are now down to 21 days to go and really can't wait!

 

[kittylady1972]

Quick Friday Update...countdown is now at 21 days 8 hours and 50 minutes...give or take...until wheels up! At some point we need to sit down and discuss our plans for departure day with our kids, since we'll most likely have to have them leave a bit early from school that day. We haven't quite worked out all of the details on that day yet.

So our new MagicBands arrived last night...and I quickly took the time to try out this:

This will be my alternative to wearing a MagicBand every day in the park and hoping to just clip it on my shorts and go instead. These were not exactly the easiest things to put together...they have tiny tiny screws and the snapping in and out of the bands and into these isn't exactly perfect. It's not something you'd want to do on a regular basis for sure...and of course it's not like you want to carry that tiny screwdriver everywhere anyway! Still this is a fun alternative and I'm looking forward to using it.

Spent some time last night just playing with dining reservations out of curiosity but made no changes. I'm pretty happy with what we have right now but I'm looking at our future plans. It's still fun sometimes just to see what's out there.

*****************

DECEMBER UPDATE: I know it seems early (well not really) but we are already wondering how our December trip will work out. My daughter came home with paperwork last night to enroll her in the college program at her high school next year. As a 9th grader, she'll be taking college courses taught at her school and has the chance to have a good portion of her college credits done before she graduates from high school. The paperwork she received yesterday indicated that even on days when her high school does NOT have school...she still has to show up for her COLLEGE courses at the school. She is only allowed to miss 3 classes total or she risks being removed from the program (we didn't need to mention how many college classes I actually missed...and I still graduated!) and that means our December trip might have to be even shorter. We had planned to leave on a Thursday and that's still possible...we just may need to take a flight after school which is fine. I think it can still be done. It will essentially be a long weekend trip for us but that's okay as long as we get to view the Candlelight Processional which is my hope and maybe the MK Christmas Party as well.

 

[piglet1979]

Congratulations to your daughter. You must be so proud of her.

I will be thinking of you over the next few weeks as you get closer to your surgery.

 

[kittylady1972]

Congratulations to your daughter. You must be so proud of her.

I will be thinking of you over the next few weeks as you get closer to your surgery.

Yes I am thank you. She is one hard-working smart cookie for sure. This is such a fantastic opportunity for her, being able to accumulate so many college credits before she even graduates from high school.

Yeah I'm trying not to think too much about the surgery right now myself. As anxious as I am to be done with it, the thought of actual surgery is quite scary for me. I've had one other surgery in my life where I was put under...and it was probably 10+ years ago.

 

[dalmatian7]

thanks for the update. I have been tempted to play with our dining also but haven't and figure now that free dining has been released for our dates changes will be pretty impossible. I think we all get to that lull in planning that makes you feel like you should be doing something...
have a good weekend. try to not worry (I know impossible). there are lots of people sending you prayers and good vibes.

 

[kittylady1972]

thanks for the update. I have been tempted to play with our dining also but haven't and figure now that free dining has been released for our dates changes will be pretty impossible. I think we all get to that lull in planning that makes you feel like you should be doing something...
have a good weekend. try to not worry (I know impossible). there are lots of people sending you prayers and good vibes.

Yes it's hard to NOT be doing something. Today I made a few more reservations for our OCTOBER trip which is so far off!

I'll take all of the prayers and good vibes I can get for sure. One week to go and then I can look forward to our trip!

 

[piglet1979]

I will be thinking and praying for you over then week or so. Here is some pixie dust that everything goes as planned and you have a quick recovery!