It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!

[PrncessA]

I am keeping your family in my thoughts and prayers!

 

[disneychic2]

My prayers are still with you and your family.

we got 3 inches of that damnable white crap last night.

Puts me in the worst mood.

Ended up we only got about an inch, but it was so cold after the 70 degree weather we'd had the previous two days. The sun is out today and will, hopefully melt all the white stuff. Enough already!!!

Thanks so much for the prayers!

Hope you get some real news about your mom today so they can treat her accordingly. Still thinking of you and praying for you and your family.

Yes, yesterday was much better in terms of communication between the doctors and us. She does not have a blood clot. She has very acute shortness of breath that she's had for many years, but none of the specialists she's seen can find why she has shortness of breath. So she just has to live with that. They are doing one more test today and hopefully she'll be able to come home later today. She is very antsy to get home! Thanks for the prayers!

DH and I are (eventually) going to retire and move further south Originally we were thinking of the Villages but then we went to Celebration last year and were completely sold on it. I think we'll wait to see how we actually plan to spend our retirement once it's closer - whether we want a Disney-centered life or more of the structured activity. Either way we're moving closer to Disney!

Wow! You really are thinking ahead! Good for you. Yes, moving closer to Disney is a very good goal!

We are thinking of taking the girls on a trip to see snow in the next couple of years. My parents grew up in a small town in Ohio, and I'd like to take them there and see snow at the same time. They grew up outside of Youngstown - when do you guys usually have snow on the ground?

This year and last year we had tons of snow from November through March, but usually we have the most in late December or January. It's sort of different every year. I think that's a great idea to take the girls to see where their grandparents grew up. I'm only about an hour away from Youngstown, maybe I could come and meet up with you when you do that. Or you could come out our way and stay with us. That would be fun!

Blessings be on your family during this time.

I'm lucky enough to be far enough south that we didn't get snow, but we're sitting at 45 degrees right now and that's dern chilly in this neck of the woods.

Thanks, Ruth!

I have relatives in Alabama and my Mom was born there. Used to be a time when they never got such cold weather down there let alone any snow. I lived in Alabama my first few years and when we came up north and saw snow for the first time, my sister and I thought it was sand! Hope your weather gets back to normal soon. This has been one crazy winter!!

I am keeping your family in my thoughts and prayers!

Thank you so very much!!


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

I'll be heading into the hospital soon, but just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and kind words. Hopefully Mom will be coming home today. The sun is out and even though it's cold, the sun just cheers me up. I hope everyone has a great day today and has sunshine of some sort in their lives. And….I WILL update my TR today or tomorrow…promise!! Let's get this thing rolling again!!!

 

[Chicago Mo]

hope it all is OK! and Mom comes home.

Yes sun is shining and glaring off the white stuff...

 

[Iamthequeen]

Glad to hear some good news about your mom. Hope all goes well today.

 

[sweetpeaandevie]

Yay!!! No PE is always good news!!! I hope that she is home and she can get some rest!!

 

[disneychic2]

Sorry, no time for individual replies as I'm heading to the hospital. Mom did not come home yesterday and she's getting impatient to say the least. I'm hoping to get there to hear what the doctor has to say this morning. They found slight COPD and also that when she stands for more than 15 minutes her blood pressure drops dramatically which is what caused her collapse at church on Sunday. Thankfully, my Dad is FINALLY on board with her not driving any more. That's a HUGE relief! So, I'll let you know what's going on when I know. Thanks again for the prayers and concern! You guys rock!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Checking in.,..

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Praying for you guys again today. Low blood pressure is scary - I hope they can get it figured out and get her feeling better. Good luck!

When we eventually make the trip up to Ohio, we'll definitely have to plan on meeting. I'm not sure if we'll do this coming winter or wait another year. My dad and I actually went to Akron (that's where you are, right?) to see the town's high school football team play (maybe it was a playoff game?) one year.

 

[sweetpeaandevie]

thinking of you today!!!

 

[DMGeurts]

I am just now seeing all these updates about your mom - I am so very sorry that I wasn't here sooner to see them.

Please know that our prayers are with you, and I am praying your mom is able to come home today.

D~

 

[disneychic2]

hope it all is OK! and Mom comes home.

Yes sun is shining and glaring off the white stuff...

Hope the sun got rid of all your white stuff. Ours is all gone, thankfully, and the sun is out again today!

Glad to hear some good news about your mom. Hope all goes well today.

Thanks so much!!!

Yay!!! No PE is always good news!!! I hope that she is home and she can get some rest!!

Happy for no PE for sure!

Checking in.,..

Update below…sort of.

Praying for you guys again today. Low blood pressure is scary - I hope they can get it figured out and get her feeling better. Good luck!

When we eventually make the trip up to Ohio, we'll definitely have to plan on meeting. I'm not sure if we'll do this coming winter or wait another year. My dad and I actually went to Akron (that's where you are, right?) to see the town's high school football team play (maybe it was a playoff game?) one year.

Yes, we are very near Akron. A suburb. A meet sounds great!

Thanks for the prayers!

thinking of you today!!!

Thanks Raina!

I am just now seeing all these updates about your mom - I am so very sorry that I wasn't here sooner to see them.

Please know that our prayers are with you, and I am praying your mom is able to come home today.

D~

Thanks D~, no worries! Thanks for stopping on by.

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

So, I rushed over to the hospital to make sure I was there when the doctor came around, but none came while I was there. My Dad got there and I left. As long as one of us is there so we can know what is said, that's good since Mom can't understand much of what is said nor remember enough to relate it to us. I just called and Mom is getting out today for sure and is just waiting final discharge. I'm glad she'll be home. She was getting pretty cranky.

Aaand, at long last, another installment for my TR coming up. Can you believe it?? Not many pictures, but hey, what can I say? Next time I'm hiring Mo to tag along and be our personal photographer. Not sure I could afford her prices, though. Her being a big shot published photographer and all.

 

[disneychic2]

...at last!!

We left off with Dan and I walking World Showcase and him not feeling very well. We had an ADR we really didn’t want to miss, and it was too late to cancel anyway, so I suggested we take the boat over to the Beach/Yacht Club to sit in their lobby where he would be near a bathroom and he could just relax until our ADR time. We had about an hour to kill, so that’s what we did. And a good thing, too, because he had to make a dash to the bathroom a couple of times. Meanwhile, I was doing pretty well in that department.

Okay, finally it was time to get to our long awaited, much anticipated ADR, so we caught the boat to Epcot and walked to Canada. Yep, our ADR was at Le Cellier. Now, I know people either love it or hate it, but this has been one our favorite restaurants for years. When they went to two credits for diner, we just went at lunchtime. When they went two credits for lunch as well, we decided it wasn’t worth it, so hadn’t been for a year or so. We were seated after about 15 minutes of checking in. Dan wasn’t sure he could eat, but he wanted to give it a try. We had had to cancel so many ADRs, he was determined to make this work! Our waiter was not very good. We waited a very long time to order and then he didn’t come back to replinish our water, which Dan was downing with record speed. Finally we placed our order. Both opting for the filet/risotto dish. Keep in mind, aside from not being able to talk, I hadn’t eaten anything substantial in two days, so it probably wasn’t the brightest idea for me.

Turned out Dan didn’t eat one bite. He absolutely could not eat a thing. I ate about ⅓ of my meal before I knew I needed to stop. After a VERY long wait, we finally got a box for Dan’s meal and our bill and could get out of there. Maybe it was just because Dan wasn’t feeling well, but it seemed to be the worst service we ever got at Le Cellier. The food was good, but it took way longer than it should have. I know servers can have an off night, so I won’t hold that against them.

We made our way as quickly as we could to the bus stop. By this time, Dan was looking pretty pale. We made it back to FQ and our room and he went straight to bed. This was about 7:30. He felt pretty lousy the rest of the night, but didn’t have the constant trips to the bathroom, so was able to rest. I felt pretty good, so I could take care of him for a change.

Unfortunately….I woke up around midnight and started back almost from square one with trips to the john and no sleep. Dan felt progressively better as the morning wore on, while I spent the next several hours in bed. Again! Grrr! This was NOT on my itinerary. Which I had carefully laid out. How could this be happening??

I actually got some sleep and woke up around 11:30, got a shower, which felt wonderful and went outside for a stroll. We decided to take a trip to DTD on the boat. I felt so much better with the fresh air.

Our first stop was to the Christmas store to get our ornament. We get an ornament every year as a souvenir.



After a fairly lengthy stroll along the Market Place and Pleasure Island, or whatever they are calling it these days, we took the boat back to our resort. All I can say is, it’s a good thing the Olympics were on, because we watched a lot of TV, something we usually don’t even turn on while we’re there. Dan went down to the food court and heated up his diner from Le Cellier that he hadn’t gotten to eat, which he enjoyed. I think I had a cliff bar or something. I wasn’t hungry really.

This is not a fun report to write. I’m sorry it’s such a downer. I would understand if you didn’t want to read any more. I would love to interject some humor here and there, but honestly, we didn’t really experience any for a few days. However...there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s NOT a frieght train!! So, if you’re game, the next installment should be a bit more fun.

And just for giggles I found a photo of us earlier in the day to share:

 

[lafemmega]

I've enjoyed following along with the report. I'm just so sad that the both of y'all got to feeling so bad. And that yours came back! How unfair!!! That's so frustrating when you spend so much on a vacation and spend half of it sick. But at least it was only part of the trip that you felt bad and not the whole thing. All the more reason to book another trip to make up for missed time during the last one, right? I'm excited to hear about the light at the end of the tunnel in your next installment.

 

[sweetpeaandevie]

Nah, we're stickin this out till the end.....stomach bug or not!!!

Glad that your mom got to go home today!! It sucks being in the hospital.....they NEVER let you rest......

 

[lovedonaldduck]

Glad your mom is home. Hope she is feeling better. Were the doctors able to give you any answers as to what was wrong?

I'm so sorry that you and Dan were both sick on your trip! I'm still enjoying following along, though.

Once we make plans to head up to Ohio, we'll definitely have to plan a Dismeet!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Good News on your mom coming home!

You poor people! all this sickness!!! I hope you finally get better and able to enjoy your trip!

Pictures??? I am for hire..

 

[Chicago Mo]

 

[disneychic2]

I've enjoyed following along with the report. I'm just so sad that the both of y'all got to feeling so bad. And that yours came back! How unfair!!! That's so frustrating when you spend so much on a vacation and spend half of it sick. But at least it was only part of the trip that you felt bad and not the whole thing. All the more reason to book another trip to make up for missed time during the last one, right? I'm excited to hear about the light at the end of the tunnel in your next installment.

Thanks! I love having you here! Yes, we had some good times too, so it wasn't a total loss. We got some pixie dust along the way and at least most of the time we are healthy, which is a lot more than many people can say. So I feel blessed. And YES another trip would cure all!!!

Nah, we're stickin this out till the end.....stomach bug or not!!!

I knew I could count on you!

Glad that your mom got to go home today!! It sucks being in the hospital.....they NEVER let you rest......

Yes, she was getting to be quite cranky, and that's not the way she usually is. My Dad, on the other hand, is always cranky!

Glad your mom is home. Hope she is feeling better. Were the doctors able to give you any answers as to what was wrong?

Not really. She has had shortness of breath for 7 years and has been to many specialists and they are all stumped. Shortness of breath is her only symptom, so they ruled out the usual suspects. It's just something she has to live with. As far as collapsing at church, they found that her blood pressure plummets when she stands longer than 15 minutes, so she had to watch that.

I'm so sorry that you and Dan were both sick on your trip! I'm still enjoying following along, though.

I'm glad you're not being turned off by the yuck! We did have some fun, so all was not lost.

Once we make plans to head up to Ohio, we'll definitely have to plan a Dismeet!

Sounds great!!

Good News on your mom coming home!

Thanks for all your prayers!!

You poor people! all this sickness!!! I hope you finally get better and able to enjoy your trip!

Better times are ahead. Actually, I don't think Dan minded me not being able to talk.

Pictures??? I am for hire..

Wouldn't that be fun? You get to go to Disney all expenses paid? Maybe if I win the lottery…if I played the lottery.

Thank you so much!!! Happy Easter to you and to everyone else as well. I hope you all have a blessed Easter and lots of family to spend it with.:group hug:

 

[disneychic2]

I just realize I kinda smooshed day 7 right after day 6. It was a short day, but a good one after about noon on. Now I can start day 8. Our last full day at Disney.

Day 8

Dan and I both had a great night's sleep and I woke up feeling better than I had in a long time. I was excited to get my shower and get going since this would be our last full day. I think we both opted to just eat Cliff bars for breakfast. My appetite hadn't returned completely and I was anxious to make up for lost time in the parks. In no time at all we were at the bus stop and heading to….

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS!!!

We got there before opening, but we were at the end of a line where I could sit on a ledge while we waited, saving my strength for the park. As soon as we entered, we walked quickly to Toy Story Mania and got in a very short line to ride it right away.



I never do very well with it, but I just love it just the same. Dan always does well of course. I only won once, many years ago, the very first time we rode it. We had a 9:15 FP+ for TSM, so we rode it again. I know, it's sort of a waste to use a FP+ that early, but we had lots to do.

We did the Jack Sparrow thing next. We had skipped it in September, but I was glad we experienced it. I tried to get a few pictures, but they don't show much.

Our next stop was RnRC, one of my favorite rides. Since it's a 1 tier attraction, we had to wait in line with the peasants. But it was only a 20 minute wait, so that wasn't too bad! I love that ride and was glad it didn't give me any problems after my illness. I would have ridden it again, but Dan has trouble with it, so we went to TOT next. Another favorite of ours. For some reason, this one doesn't bother him at all. Go figure. We ended up riding it twice.





We decided it was time for lunch, so we headed to ABC Commissary. I was actually hungry for the first time in quite a while. I had grilled chicken sandwich without the bun and Dan had a grilled chicken salad. I didn't eat my gorgeous looking dessert. I took it with me, but ended up throwing it away.



Neither of us wanted to do the backlot tour, but Dan wanted to see the stunt show. We hadn't seen it for a couple of years, so we headed that way. I had a cup of ice water and enjoyed sitting down and resting while we watched.

I just love strolling the streets of HS! There are so many clever signs and surprises if you look. We did the Muppet show and then went for our annual photo of Dan on the Star Wars speeder.



Then we did Star Tours with absolutely no wait. Dan can only do that ride once and he doesn't enjoy it all that much. I've told him I'll do it alone, but he wants to try it each time.

At this point, I found a bench to sit down and rest again while Dan went somewhere to get me more ice water. I had a few unusual DIS meets while he was gone.



Of course they're on the DIS!! They're friends with Tess' Duckie!

We had a FP for the Great Movie Ride, but it was worthless as it puts you right into the line that is already formed. We asked to be seated in the first car this time. I don't know if you've had the experience, but we were in the second car toward the back, and we were always several beats behind the narrative. Very annoying! So, we very nicely asked if we could be in the first car and they obliged us. We had the cowboy this time. We usually get the gangster.

We went to the Art of Animation building and did the cool attraction there. Can't remember what it's called, but it is a live person interacting with the little dragon from Mulan. I know his name, but can't spell it. Mushoo? There were some new photos up in the waiting area:





Then we took the drawing class for the first time ever. It was a lot of fun!



Here is Dan's effort:



And here is my version. I think it's when he had the mumps!



I guess we can tell who the artist is in our family!!

We had done everything we wanted to do by now, so we headed back to our hotel to freshen up before heading out again. Where will it be? Will I be able to do it justice? We just may be heading for more Pixie Dust...

 

[disneychic2]

Here are a couple of characters we ran into inside the Art of Animation:



I didn't particularly like Wreck it Ralph, sadly.

And here is a rare photo of me….I'm the one in the red shirt!