Make a Wish (and other organizations) ~ Wish Trippers UNITE! Volume FIVE!!

[angel's momma]

maroo - Thank you so much for everything you've done.

 

[Lilfoot93]

We are new to this site, but I love it!!! We are getting so much great information for Alexa's upcoming trip at the end of April 23-29. We are looking at getting shirts made for all 6 of us, we figured 4 designs, then we can wash and re wear them. What are some great shirt ideas you all have come up with for your trips? Alexa is our wish child and she is 10, we also have a 12 yr old daughter and a 8 & 6 yr old sons.
I wish I could figure out how to start a thread, but have not had luck there yet. lol I am not the greatest on the computer. lol
You are all the best!!
Taimie

Welcome!!

WE HAVE DATES!!! Well…kinda. Our MaW person emailed today and said it will be at the end of April! So we said the 21st and I'm pretty sure that's when it will be!!!

Yay for dates!!

Kara's port surgery went well! We were home that day and she slept ALOT! We had a wonderful birthday party this weekend for our oldest son who turned 17 and a party is just what this family needed! Kara was her normal ball of energy and its like she forgot all about having her port!

Kara also recieved Angel mail from an orginization called Chemo Angels, its like a pen pal system where two people volunteer to send her cards and little things from time to time and gives her the chance to write them back and color them pictures (she loves to color). Kara loves this and loves getting mail even if its something small! It brightens her day to see her name on mail

We are now waiting for the next step - starting chemo treatments - we are waiting to hear from the doctor

We have also decided to not test Kara into Kindergarten this year. Her birthday is only 16 days past the cut off but with everything that she has gone through and will go through we think its better to give her another year in Pre - K . Her Pre - K teachers are happy since she has a fun personality!

We haven't heard from her "wish friends" since they were here but I am assuming that since we asked for Sept - Dec dates that they are not in a hurry? I will probaly email them to make sure the paper work is going okay.

I am excited to see everyones dates and Kara and I look at the pictures of all the trips! Keep them coming!

Glad to hear surgery went well and she is back to her normal self! How exciting about the Angel mail!

Keeping Kara in my prayers as she starts chemo. I hope you get your dates soon. My Kara misses the kindergarten cutoff by 9 days... Our girls are really close in age

Jackie

 

[Mom2M07]

Hello everyone!!!

I have not even come close to reading everything on this thread - I am sure that there are a TON of new families out there!

Hello!! I would say "Welcome to the DIS" but I am sure that many of you have been here for quite a while and hopefully feel very welcomed!!


Things are going well for us here...we are just so very busy!

Now that we are almost 5 years from the time we were planning Lauren's wish trip, I think it is time for me to pass the reigns of this thread to someone that has been on their wish trip more recently - so much has changed!

Many, many, many great changes!


I am not a Moderator on this board, so I really can't dictate anything at all, but I want to pass on any information I have about how I organized these threads and pass it on to someone that would be interested in organizing the next thread...

If there are any people out there reading this that would be interested in helping with this, please let me know via PM. I am going to try VERY hard to spend some time in the next 7-10 days - hopefully by our Spring Break in mid-March - catching up on all of my PM's, putting links in the Wish Trippers thread and getting this sort of caught up so that someone will have an easier time of getting it transferred over. I think it won't be too terribly hard for someone to just copy what I have continued from the people before me - or you can totally branch off and do something totally different - totally up to you!


I really thought I would get back on the DIS after the case was over - but it has been over 2 months and I have found that I just fill up my time these days helping Lauren with college stuff and working (a lot!).

I love this thread and I love the friendships I have made while spending lots of time on here...but it is time for me to pass the reigns...if anyone is interested, please PM me! Thanks!!!

Thanks for being such an important part of this process for us! We are just beginning the MAW journey, but in the weeks leading up to our official "acceptance" from MAW, I spent WAY too many hours on this thread, reading and learning and trying to find ways to make this experience as special and memorable as possible for my DD. Now that we're "official," I am loving reading other families' experiences and sharing their journeys.

 

[Jakentysmom]

I never knew doing ADR's could be so stressful haha. I have no idea what to book and what meal to book it for because I have no idea what we are going to be doing at that point. Any advice?

Also...I would love to do the pirate thing with my boys. I think they would love that. But do you think they are too old? Is it more geared littler kids?

 

[JWCJ]

Thanks for everything Maroo!

I never knew doing ADR's could be so stressful haha. I have no idea what to book and what meal to book it for because I have no idea what we are going to be doing at that point. Any advice?

Also...I would love to do the pirate thing with my boys. I think they would love that. But do you think they are too old? Is it more geared littler kids?

Have you checked out the crowd calenders to figure out the best days for the parks? I started there and then made 2 breakfast reservations (beginning of the day = less time for things to have gone sideway!). I haven't bothered too much with dinner reservations, since I have NO idea how late the girls will last and we can always head back to GKTW to eat. I know we'll do one meal at Cracker Barrel (they don't exist in Canada, and I have been craving their chicken 'n' dumplings for the past 9 years), and we have a 2:00 reservation for Via Napoli on our Epcot day.
It's definitely odd having to think about this so far in advance!

 

[Jakentysmom]

Do you think subscribing to touringplans.com would be a good thing? I mean I know we get to the front of the line and all but I would like to go when the crowds are at its lowest. But does it really matter? I wish ive gone before so I know what to expect.

 

[JWCJ]

There's also easywdw, which is free.

 

[Jakentysmom]

There's also easywdw, which is free.

Ohh i didnt know about that one! Thanks!!!

 

[Oneplustwins]

I looked at the free one too for our dates in April, looks like most days are a 5, so hopefully not too bad? I also found a free mobile app for my phone (T-mobile HGT) that shows how long each lines are. But I think (and someone correct me if I am wrong) hopefully the lines don't matter as much with the GTKW/MAW buttons? We leave April 16th and I am soooo excited! I made our ADR's (and I totally agree it made me looney for about a week - how do I know where/when we want to eat in APRIL. Really?) We are doing the T-Rex restaurant in DTD (my boys LOVE disnosaurs), one character meal, one at LLT and am hoping to fit in lunch at BOG - but apparently they don't take reservations. I figured I hit the highlights of stuff we wanted to do - but I couldn't plan everything. Hope it is okay. We started a countdown chain and Jack LOVES it - so do his brother and sister. Makes it all seem so much real. I have been buying stuff at dollar tree (got idea from other post on budget board) - light up braclets, disney little stuff. I want to start packing but I know it is too early. LOL!!! =) Anyhow, so fun to see everyone else's story and excitement. =) THanks for this site!

 

[JWCJ]

I looked at the free one too for our dates in April, looks like most days are a 5, so hopefully not too bad? I also found a free mobile app for my phone (T-mobile HGT) that shows how long each lines are. But I think (and someone correct me if I am wrong) hopefully the lines don't matter as much with the GTKW/MAW buttons? We leave April 16th and I am soooo excited! I made our ADR's (and I totally agree it made me looney for about a week - how do I know where/when we want to eat in APRIL. Really?) We are doing the T-Rex restaurant in DTD (my boys LOVE disnosaurs), one character meal, one at LLT and am hoping to fit in lunch at BOG - but apparently they don't take reservations. I figured I hit the highlights of stuff we wanted to do - but I couldn't plan everything. Hope it is okay. We started a countdown chain and Jack LOVES it - so do his brother and sister. Makes it all seem so much real. I have been buying stuff at dollar tree (got idea from other post on budget board) - light up braclets, disney little stuff. I want to start packing but I know it is too early. LOL!!! =) Anyhow, so fun to see everyone else's story and excitement. =) THanks for this site!

Lol, me too on the packing front. Every few days I lay everything I've bought so far out and think of more things I NEED to buy from the dollar store I am going to have driven my husband crazy by the time we leave....

 

[Mom2M07]

Pictures are up on our PTR!!!

 

[maroo]

Wow, really??? Five years???? It doesn't seem that long ago!

I know, right! I could not believe it last night when I was typing that...I was sure it was closer to 3 years or something?

I'll always be thankful for the Dis for introducing you to me!

You are so sweet! What a nice thing to say!! I am glad I was introduced to you, too!

I wish I had the time to be able to do it...I am sure someone awesome will step up...hopefully!! You have done a lot of good for this thread. I have spent many MANY hours reading it...so im grateful for all the time you have put into it.

Thank you so much!! I have spent a bunch, bunch of time on here, too!!

Maroo~ Thank you so much for all the time and energy you have put into this thread! I know myself and many others really appreciate you!

Thank you! I hate that I don't "know" all of you guys!

maroo - Thank you so much for everything you've done.

Thank you!

Thanks for being such an important part of this process for us! We are just beginning the MAW journey, but in the weeks leading up to our official "acceptance" from MAW, I spent WAY too many hours on this thread, reading and learning and trying to find ways to make this experience as special and memorable as possible for my DD. Now that we're "official," I am loving reading other families' experiences and sharing their journeys.

I am so glad you are enjoying it! I love the DIS!!

Thanks for everything Maroo!

You are very welcome!

Do you think subscribing to touringplans.com would be a good thing? I mean I know we get to the front of the line and all but I would like to go when the crowds are at its lowest. But does it really matter? I wish ive gone before so I know what to expect.

I really like the people that run this site... In the past they have offered a free login for MAW families - but it has expired and I don't really see them as often now that I have been sort of out of the loop of the Disney peeps!

But, the owners of that site have expressed that they want to help the MAW families and have given us permission to share the data with you guys (for those of us that have memberships)...and I bet they would give a highly, highly discounted membership to any MAW family that would take the time to email them with their chapter info, etc - they are really great people there!

AND...it comes with an Application called "Lines" that has a chat feature that is highly addicting, too...I was in Disney with my cousin last year and "Lines" helped us find out that the New Fantasyland was opened - which was priceless info for us - and they could give you guys info like this on your trip, too. Not that a MAW family really needs to worry about Lines at Disney, though!! It does help every family to avoid the CROWDS, though!

 

[taliasmom]

So just off the phone with MAW. They are coming to our home on March 20th to re-interview Talia to make sure it is truly her wish. I am so apprehensive. Talia is non-verbal and has no motor skills. She smiles when she is really happy, cries when she is really unhappy. That's it. We were told the GKTW was a go in July, and although I'm sure anything will be nice, it will be so disappointing if they decide to take that away. Not to mention when our dates would be since we are apparently starting over. Grrr. I hate this stuff! Just nerve racking when you think things are further along then they are.

 

[Oneplustwins]

I sent a message to the touring place I will post when I hear back from them.
Taliasmom good luck with everything. I hope all goes great.

 

[taliasmom]

I sent a message to the touring place I will post when I hear back from them.
Taliasmom good luck with everything. I hope all goes great.

Thanks hon, me too.

 

[maroo]

So just off the phone with MAW. They are coming to our home on March 20th to re-interview Talia to make sure it is truly her wish. I am so apprehensive. Talia is non-verbal and has no motor skills. She smiles when she is really happy, cries when she is really unhappy. That's it. We were told the GKTW was a go in July, and although I'm sure anything will be nice, it will be so disappointing if they decide to take that away. Not to mention when our dates would be since we are apparently starting over. Grrr. I hate this stuff! Just nerve racking when you think things are further along then they are.

I just PM'd you.

 

[maroo]

I sent a message to the touring place I will post when I hear back from them.
Taliasmom good luck with everything. I hope all goes great.

You are talking about www.touringplans.com, right?

Let me know if you don't hear anything back and I will forward them the email they sent to me many moons ago! You can post here or PM me...

 

[LittleEsmom]

[/IMG]
Emma and Ryan at their cousin's wedding during the summer...
I can't believe this picture even exists

 

[Oneplustwins]

Thanks Mario, yes I sent them an email. I will post as soon as I hear back. Thank you for the idea.

 

[NEmel]

So just off the phone with MAW. They are coming to our home on March 20th to re-interview Talia to make sure it is truly her wish. I am so apprehensive. Talia is non-verbal and has no motor skills. She smiles when she is really happy, cries when she is really unhappy. That's it. We were told the GKTW was a go in July, and although I'm sure anything will be nice, it will be so disappointing if they decide to take that away. Not to mention when our dates would be since we are apparently starting over. Grrr. I hate this stuff! Just nerve racking when you think things are further along then they are.

Good Luck! I'm sure it will all work out for Talia!